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Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

God’s unwavering love: Foreshadowed in Abraham, realized in Messiah (Genesis 12–17)

This study on the Torah reading לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha (Genesis 12–17) explores the spiritual lineage of Abraham and how it emphasizes God’s faithfulness and love, irrespective of human failings. This faithfulness and love reaches its fullness in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ).

Being a true descendant of the covenant the Creator of Heaven and Earth made with him means embodying the trust — faith — he had in Heaven’s promises, not just sharing his DNA. We explore the importance of spiritual commitment over rituals such as circumcision, biblical criticism toward religious figures’ service without sincerity, and the necessity for total devotion for a covenantal relationship with God.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Trust the One Who lives up to His name (Exodus 3–4)

Genesis ended with the descent of Israel into slavery and Exodus shows us the ascent of Israel to freedom. God had made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and after several generations in Egypt.

In the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1), God was making good on His promise to return His people to His Promised Land. Moses and Aaron would be His primary instruments to fulfill the promise, but there are other “saviors” we meet before God sends Moses to save His people: the daughter of Pharaoh, and Tzipporah, the daughter of Yitro (Jethro). 

God kept His promises to Israel in bondage, and because of that we can rest assured He will keep His promises to us. God is eternal, and so are His promises. Key to those promises is Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). Shemot helps us remember that He will bring them to pass on His timetable.

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Discussions Torah

New covenant = Sinai + Spirit (Exodus 18:1–20:22)

Rather than the Law and the Spirit of God being in opposition to each other and the latter usurping the former, as some teach, we will see in this study of the Torah passage Yitro (“Jethro,” Exodus 18:1–20:22) that we receive the “new birth” in Mashiakh Yeshua (Christ Jesus) via both Sinai and Spirit.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 1:1–4:20: Counting the nations in Heaven’s inheritance

https://hallel.info/wp-content/uploads/190608-Parashat-Bamidbar-Numbers-1v1-4v20.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:25 — 31.4MB)Subscribe: RSSWhat are we going to eat? What are we going to wear? What’s going to protect us from the elements? Where do we belong? These four important questions are behind the census of ancient Israel described in Torah reading בְּמִדְבַּר Bamidbar (“in the wilderness,” […]

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Galatians 1:10–3:29: God’s declaring believers righteous determines membership in ‘His people’ rather than observance of His law

Galatians in general and chapters 2 and 3 in particular frequently are used to prove that observing the Law isn’t required for believers. However, the discussion of “justification” and “works of [the] law” in this passage reinforces that the real problem was excluding “justified” believers in God and His Messiah from membership in Israel, whose constitution is the Law of God.