This week’s study
- Readings: Aug. 22, 2026Leviticus 25:39–26:2 teaches that Israelite servants remain Adonai’s servants, never property. In parallel passage Isaiah 24 warns that a covenant-breaking world ultimately reaps devastation, and Yeshua (Jesus) in John 13 shows what faithful service looks like by washing His disciples’ feet. God calls His people to humble obedience: honor His Sabbaths, reject exploitation, serve one another, and faithfully represent the Master. In Messiah, true authority stoops to serve, bringing blessing through obedient action.
Related readings
See the full year of readings from First Fruits of Zion and TorahResource (one-year cycle or three-year cycle). For a schedule of readings to go through the Apostolic Writings and Prophets & Writings, see the Scripture-reading cycle at MessianicJudaism.net.
Latest study notes and audio recordings
How are the Bible’s weekly Sabbath, sabbatical years and the 50-year Jubilee actually linked? And what do they reveal about debt, poverty, land use and Israel’s modern history? In this deep-dive study of Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Jeremiah, we connect Torah cycles to Mark Twain’s haunting visit to Jerusalem, modern agriculture and God’s long memory. Discover why ignoring divine rest laws reshapes economies, communities and even empires — and why generous release of debts may still change our future in ways we rarely expect.
How does an ancient prophet’s broken marriage, a pierced divine name and a golden lampstand burning pure oil reveal what real repentance looks like today? In this study of Hosea 14, Leviticus 24, and James 3, we explore why it’s more than guilt. Rather, it’s returning from false saviors to the God who heals our apostasy and restores His reputation through us. Then He calls us to shine as His light-bearing, priestly people in a dark, confused world, hungry for mercy, truth and wholeness.
Detoxing from sin more than personal. It’s cosmic. This study connects Leviticus 23, the Shema prayer (Deuteronomy 6), Zechariah 14, and Colossians 2 to show how God’s “appointments” detox both spiritual leaders and everyday people from toxic habits, false religion, and spiritual distractions. Discover how unleavened bread, the Sabbath, and the festivals of the LORD all point to the Messiah as our ultimate detox, restoring us from slavery to freedom and leading us back toward the garden of God’s presence.
Discover why Leviticus 21, Ezekiel 44, John 4 and 6, and 1Corinthians 10–11 focus on the “table of the LORD” and what that means for us today. We explore what it really means that ancient Israel’s priests handle the “food of God,” why Yeshua (Jesus) says His food is to do the Father’s will, and how our approach today to Heaven’s altar reveals whether we’re truly drawing near — or just dropping off a gift and walking away.
The apostles’ four prohibitions (idols, blood, strangled, sexual immorality) for Gentile believers in Acts 15 were a starting line, not a finish line, for holiness. Explore how they fit together with Leviticus 17–20, Amos 9, Acts 10 and Ephesians 4–5. Find out how Gentiles “called by God’s name,” mixed seeds and fabrics, and why honest speech, justice, and love of neighbor are central to walking as a holy people in a divided modern world.
What’s the point of the Torah’s stark language about nakedness, sexuality and child-sacrificing pagan worship in Leviticus 18? It’s really about something deeper: exploiting the vulnerable, crossing God-given boundaries and confusing shame with holiness. Tracing themes from Leviticus, Genesis, 1Corinthians, Hebrews and James, we explore how “naked and not ashamed” became fearful hiding — and how Messiah becomes our true covering. Discover how sanctification, judgment and grace meet in a God who refuses to leave us in our damage.
This year, the Fourth of July lands on Shabbat (Sabbath) — a day that each week celebrates how God sets people free and gives them rest. As we commemorate 250 years since the Declaration said we’re “endowed by our Creator,” we’ll explore what real, God-given freedom and redemption look like in everyday life.