Tag: 1st Corinthians 10

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Striking the rock, idolizing the snake: Lessons in trusting God’s provision (Numbers 19–21; 2Kings 18; John 3; 1Corinthians 10)

Striking the rock, idolizing the snake: Lessons in trusting God's provision (Numbers 19–21; 2Kings 18; John 3; 1Corinthians 10). Images of a stream of running water on the right side. Adobe Firefly AI image of a copper snake wrapped around a pole in a desert on the right side.

In this study on Torah reading חֻקַּת‎ Chukat (“statute of,” Numbers 19:1–22:1), we focus on how the parabolic instructions for the red heifer, serpent on the pole and water from the rock reveal a profound lesson on trust in God. The red heifer’s ashes, both cleansing and toxic, underscore our need for an external source of purification beyond our own efforts. The bronze serpent, healing initially then much later worshipped itself, reminds us not to idolize symbols over the true Source of life — think Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. And the water from the rock, supposed to be accessed through Moses and Aaron’s humble submission, shows that our trust must be in God’s provision, not our own strength. These ancient parables challenge us to abandon self-reliance and surrender fully to Adonai in the modern world.

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Appointments With God Discussions Passover Torah Unleavened Bread

Why you can trust that Heaven has your back (Lessons from the 7th day of matzah)

Why you can trust that Heaven has your back: Lessons from the 7th day of matzah

The last of the seven days of the Festival of Matzot (Unleavened Bread) commemorates ancient Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea, when Heaven delivered not just from slavery but also from certain death at the hands of the slave masters who pursued them.

Apostle Paul connected Israel’s passing from death to life through the sea to the passage of everyone who does likewise by trusting in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) and commemorating the freedom through baptism.

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Apostolic Writings Appointments With God Discussions Torah Unleavened Bread

The Exodus teaches us how to stand up to bullies

The Exodus teaches us how to stand up to bullies: Lessons from the seventh day of Unleavened Bread

Standing up to a bully is never easy. It’s not easy for an adult to do, but it’s even more difficult when our children have to stand up to those who would bully or persuade them to distrust their creators — their parents.

God, though the plagues of the Exodus and the drawing Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea, defended ancient Israel against the bullying of Pharaoh and his nation. Mitzraim (Egypt) taught Israel to deny their Creator, but God put Egypt in its place.

And on the Day of the LORD, God again will defend Israel and all those adopted into her from the bullying into apostasy.

We are being called to stand up to the government and the wealthy oligarchs who want our children to deny their parents and their Creator. That’s a key lesson from the memorial of the seventh and final day of the Festival of Matzot (Unleavened Bread).

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Don’t leave your heart in Egypt: Faith to move forward to freedom (Exodus 17; 1Corinthians 10)

Don't leave your heart in Egypt: Faith to move forward to freedom (Exodus 17; 1Corinthians 10)

1Corinthians 10 was the apostle Paul’s midrash on Israel’s history, detailing how division arose among the children of Israel during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.

In the Torah reading בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach (“when he sent,” Ex. 13:17–17:16), we see that it didn’t take Israel very long to forget all of the miracles that God had rendered on their behalf for their freedom and struck out in anger against Moses and Aaron. These lessons can teach us how to trust our Deliverer, Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ) and follow Him to true rest for our restless souls.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 33: Travelogue of Egypt to the Promised Land teaches faith in the LORD

No matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell.

The LORD makes a big deal about fulfilling our promises, because He wants us to count on His promises of our transformation of character and world made new through the Messiah. That’s an important lesson in the Torah double reading מטות Matot (“tribes”) and מסעי Massei (“journeys of”), covering Numbers 30:2–36:13. covering Numbers 30-36.

But easy to miss in seemingly unending list of 40-plus place names in Numbers 33 are the critical lessons learned by the Exodus generations and each one to our current day about temptations “common to man” (1Cor. 10:13).

Apostle Paul riffs on the incidents behind the Egypt-to-Promised Land travelogue to show us we must trust that “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1Corinthians 10:13 NASB).

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Exodus 14; 1Corinthians 10: Follow God’s escape plan from sin

1st Corinthians 10 is Paul’s midrash (commentary) from Israel’s history on how divisions arose during the journey from Mitzraim (Egypt) to the Promised Land. And the crossing of the Red Sea — recorded in בְּשַׁלַּח Beshalach, “when he sent,” Ex. 13:17-17:16 — also is a parallel for our trip from unsaved to Savior.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Genesis 32:3–36:43: How to wrestle with and wait on God together joyfully

Word Cloud using entire text from 2018 hallel fellowship talk on Parashat Vayishlach.

The LORD sends us into the world to be His ambassadors (2Cor. 5:20) and part of the kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:5–6; 1Pet. 2:9–10; Rev. 5:9–10). Will we go? Will we face challenges of our own making or ones that are out of our control? Division is toxic to the Kingdom of God. How are we living this out?

In this study of the Torah reading וישלח Vayishlach (Genesis 32:3–36:43), we will go over a few of Yeshua’s parables that will make Ya’akov’s WWE match with the Angel of the LORD look logical. We will learn more about how God teaches us. We have been sent to a world full of brokenness while experiencing brokenness ourselves. How we deal with the brokenness of others and divisions and disagreements in the Body is a sign of our spiritual maturity.