We are approaching a time when our minds should be centered on the words and deeds of the Messiah. We are called upon to examine our lives in preparation for the Passover. Are we living the way the Lord want us to live? In most Passover celebrations, we ignore or give brief mention to Yeshua’s betrayal at the hands of Judas Iscariot, one of His own Apostles. The bible tells us that Yeshua was glorified by this act, yet many in the Christian church heap lots of condemnation on Judas for what he did.
Category: Appointments With God
Those of us in the Messianic community have excitedly embraced the Passover and “gone back to our roots” as a commemoration of the Exodus. However, many Messianics forget that Yeshua did ask us to add something new to the celebration in commemoration of Him: foot washing. Richard explains why Yeshua insituted this ceremony and how it turned the disciples hearts away from themselves and closer to Him.
Many passages in the Bible were written with a chiastic structure, which is like rhyming patterns in poetry but pairing similar information or concepts instead. That’s one reason why some passages seem to be highly repetitive. The point of chiastic structures is to point the reader to a key concept. Daniel explains that the Book of Esther is one large chiastic structure, focusing on a messianic prophecy in the middle.
The 23rd chapter of Leviticus is a relatively obvious passage. The explanations are simple and self-explanatory, except for questions about the biblical timing of Firstfruits and Pentecost.
The 24th chapter is a bit unusual and not so simple to decipher. When you read the book of Leviticus and you find the phrase “the LORD spoke to…” pay attention to whom is supposed to hear the message. There were some messages for the sons of Aaron but some messages were for the people of Israel. Each group had their own duties and responsibilities, and it’s God Himself Who decides.
From time to time, it is good for us to re-examine passages we have read before. It is also good for us to re-examine our habits and traditions in light of our growing understanding of Scriptures.
Leviticus 16 provides us an “insider’s view” of the Day of Atonement. We can know what the High Priest is doing on that day, even though the common person was not allowed to witness most of of the tasks required of the High Priest on that day. Most of the priests activities are “covered” away from the general public. The people of Israel had to believe by faith that the High Priest was doing his job on their behalf properly and that God would accept the High Priest’s offerings on their behalf.
The births of Yokhanan ben Zakharyah (John the Baptist) and Messiah Yeshua are amazing in that they illustrate how God planned throughout time to “pitch His tent” among mankind in a physical way and hadn’t abandoned the work He started in Israel. God foretold of the coming of a herald for the Messiah via the prophet Malachi announced the arrive of that messenger to Yokhanan’s father, a righteous priest in a priesthood led by wicked men. The coming of the herald and the Messiah followed a specific plan. The seven “oracles” in Luke 1-2 show that the same plan God put in place at the beginning of time still was active even at a dark point in Israel’s history.