Tag: First Commandment

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

How to know whether it’s the Word of the LORD or fake news (Deuteronomy 11–13)

Word of the LORD or fake news? A woman lit by the screen of a laptop in a dark room, looks at the screen skeptically. (Deuteronomy 11-13)

A sober warning amid the three tests for a prophet of God in Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deut. 11:26–16:17) is that a false one may foretell something that actually happens. This helps us understand an equally jarring admonition from Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ): “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matt. 7:21 NASB95).

In this study, we’ll look into Moshe’s explanations of three of the Ten Commandments: Follow no other gods, make no idols and respect the Name. A thread that runs through them is respect for the LORD’s reputation. Respect is earned, and the LORD has delivered mightily.

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Discussions Torah

‘Gods you have not known’: How the 3rd Commandment can save a world drowning in misinformation (Deuteronomy 12–13)

'Gods who you have not known': How the 3rd Commandment can save a world drowning in misinformation (Deuteronomy 12-13)

The Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17) focuses on explaining the Second, Third and Fourth Commandments. Because of all the talk these days about misinformation, we’re going to focus on Heaven’s instructions for discerning truth from error and falsehood. And that’s drawn from Moshe’s elucidation on the Third Commandment, found in Deuteronomy 13:1–14:21.

And from that command we learn why it is so important to know Who the LORD is and why Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) came to “show us the Father.”

https://hallel.info/reeh-2022/

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Discussions Torah

Do you know whom you really serve? (Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25)

Whether we’re secular or religious, we all worship something. What does it mean to worship or not worship?

The Torah reading עקב Ekev or Eikev (“consequence,” “because,” Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25) focuses on an elaboration of the First and Second of the Ten Commandments.

The lessons in Ekev also teach us that Heaven’s blessings come with a condition: Listen to God; observe and follow. Some will say that salvation doesn’t come from obedience, but the lesson in Ekev is more about building the relationship with Heaven than forming it. Discover how.

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Discussions Torah

10 Commandments primer for modern generations (Exodus 18:1–20:23)

How do we live by every word of the Torah? In this talk covering יתרו Yitro (Jethro) in Exodus 18:1–20:23, we are reminded that God is the God of actions, not merely abstract ideas. We live by the Torah when we practice it in our day to day lives just as a basketball player consciously practices his dribbles and his 3-point-shots for hours at a time. This summary of the 10 Commandments provides practical examples of how we can apply them in our daily interactions.

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Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25: Stay with the One Who brought you this far

Two children holding hands by Elizabeth Collette posted to Flickr via Creative Commons license.

We are seeing the heart of God in the book of Deuteronomy. He makes promises and follows through with them. There are those who believe that the foundation of the modern state of Israel has nothing to do with God, because the current state of Israel is largely a secular state. But what does it mean about the LORD’s promises if He were to turn them off like a light switch? What would that mean for another great promise from the LORD, the grace given us through Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ)?

Continuing with the explanation of the First Commandment (Deuteronomy 6:1–11:32), the instructions in the Torah reading עקב Ekev or Eikev (“consequence,” Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25) covers the following: Follow the LORD rather than the nations 
(Deuteronomy 7:1–26). Do not forget the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 8:1–20). Do not boast in your own righteousness 
(Deuteronomy 9:1–10:11). Fear the LORD (Deuteronomy 10:12–22). Keep the commands of the LORD (Deuteronomy 11:1–32).

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Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11: What’s on God’s heart is to be on ours

Photo Credit: Heart in my Hands by Freeimages.com/Chelsee Tysoe. Creative Commons License.

This week’s Torah reading, ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deut. 3:23-7:11), includes the beginning of Moshe’s elucidation. Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell to the people of Israel.

This section in particular focuses on how to love God, what is idolatry and how to avoid idolatry. We don’t make statues and bow to them but we still struggle with idolatry in our own day. How? We worship our stuff, the works of men. We create a lot of things, most of them don’t honor to God.

Moses has seen the people backslide over and over again for the past 40 years and he knows human nature enough that this pattern is not going to end. He knows they will do things they should not do, because they are humans and they do what humans do. This book offers both hope and warning.