Tag: blessing

Shiloh or sham: Was the messianic message of Genesis 49:10 lost in translation?

Post author By Jeff
Post date December 30, 2023
No Comments on Shiloh or sham: Was the messianic message of Genesis 49:10 lost in translation?

“Jesus asked [a group of Pharisees] a question: ‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David'” (Matthew 22:41–42 NASB95). The scribes and teachers of the Scriptures of Israel knew that the Messiah would descend from through King David thanks to a key phrase in the blessing the Patriarch Ya’akov (Jacob) gave to his son Yehudah (Judah) in the Torah passage וַיְחִי Vayechi (“he lived,” Genesis 47:28–50:26).

But in modern times, scholars have come to doubt that messianic interpretation, and some of the latest Bible translations no longer include “Shiloh” as a key messianic title. This study explores whether that older interpretation and translation is correct, pointing us to Yeshua as Heaven’s “Prince of Peace.”

Tags blessing, Genesis 49, messianic prophecy, Parashat Vayechi

Discussions Torah

How you can recognize the Antichrist (Numbers 22–24)

Post author By Daniel
Post date July 16, 2022
No Comments on How you can recognize the Antichrist (Numbers 22–24)

How to recognize the Antichrist (Numbers 22-24)

The prophet Bilam (Balaam), described in the Torah reading בָּלָק Balak (Numbers 22:2–25:9), was a gentile prophet from the ancient country of Aram. We see that even though Bilam was a Gentile, he was a prophet of God.

God did not only send prophets to Israel. God, in His mercy, sent prophets to all the nations of the world.

Unfortunately, we meet with Bilam, not in his early years when God first called him to prophetic office, when his heart was open to God. Instead, we are meeting Bilam at the point when his evil inclination has overtaken the good in him. We follow along with him as his greed, corruption and vanity lead him to his downfall, which was so complete, that his story is given to us a template of how the Antichrist will one day function in the world, deceiving, if possible, the elect.

Tags 2nd Peter 01, 2nd Peter 02, anti-Messiah/anti-Christ, Balak, blessing, curses, evil inclination, Gentiles, messianic figure, Moab, Numbers 22, Numbers 23, Numbers 24, Parashat Balak, Revelation 02, Revelation message to church of Ephesus, Revelation message to church of Pergamon, talking donkey

Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17: Learning to live a blessed life

Post author By Daniel
Post date August 19, 2017
No Comments on Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17: Learning to live a blessed life

Decisions (Photo by FreeImages.com/Paul de Bruin)

Blessing and cursing are very important Biblical principles. There are two ways of life, either under God’s blessing or under His curse. Emphasized in the Torah reading כי רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17) is we want to live under His blessing.

We live under God’s blessing when we read and apply Torah. When we screw up, we still apply Torah to deal with our screwups. We are under God’s curse when we refuse to follow Torah. We all have experienced how bad life is when we refuse to obey God and walk in Torah. God can’t bless us when we are walking in sin. He can only bless obedience. He teaches us like we teach our own children.

Tags blessing, curse, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 11, Deuteronomy 12, Deuteronomy 13, Deuteronomy 14, Deuteronomy 15, Deuteronomy 16, Parashat Re'ah

Discussions Torah

Numbers 22:1-25:9: God sent emissaries to the Gentiles too

Post author By Daniel
Post date July 8, 2017
No Comments on Numbers 22:1-25:9: God sent emissaries to the Gentiles too

Cartoon of Balaam and the King of Moab by Jack Foster of MrBibleHead.blogspot.com via Creative Commons License.

The prophet Bilam (Balaam) is not an isolated individual, an anomaly in Scripture. He was not the first or last emissary to the Gentiles. God did not leave them without guidance. Bilam is a foreshadowing of the ministry of Saul of Tarsus, aka the apostle Paul, whose experience on the road to Damascus echoes the account in the Torah reading בָּלָק Balak of Bilam’s experience with a “recalcitrant” she-donkey.

Tags Aram, Balaam, Balak, Bilam/Balaam - Strong's H1109a, blessing, curse, Damascus, Gentiles, Israel, Moab, Moses, Numbers, Numbers 22, Numbers 23, Numbers 24, Numbers 25, Parashat Balak, Paul, talking donkey

Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Genesis 25:19–28:9: Esau lives out why ‘following your heart’ can be folly

Post author By Jeff
Post date November 14, 2015
No Comments on Genesis 25:19–28:9: Esau lives out why ‘following your heart’ can be folly

The “big picture” lessons of Parashat Toldot both come to us from the life of Esau. First, we need to understand that who and where we came from doesn’t necessarily define who we are or will become. Second, we need to recognize the good around us and become wise to the frequent folly of “following your heart.”