In our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Bo) we read about the institution of the Passover and the final terrible plague that was to befall the Egyptians on the Passover night. When we think of this time, we may imagine God “passing over” those houses that had the blood of the lamb smeared on their doorposts, though it might better be said that God passed into the homes of those who trusted him, while he withdrew His Presence from those that did not…

To see this note that two different words are used that can be translated as “pass over.” First, God said, “I will pass over (i.e., avar: עֲבַר) the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments; I am the LORD” (Exod. 12:12). But directly after saying this, God promised to “pass over” (i.e., pasach: פָּסַח) the homes of those who trusted in him to impart his protection from the plague of death: “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over to you (lit. עֲלֵכֶם, ‘upon you’), and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exod. 12:13). In other words, when God would see the blood of the Passover lamb, he would pass over to enter the house and “cover” its occupants from the judgment of death.

Read more “The Meaning of Passover…”

The story of the exodus is as an allegory of faith. We were slaves, but the LORD redeemed us and set us free from our bondage. Immediately afterward, we faced great distress as the powers of darkness sought to enslave us again, but God intervened and delivered us from their wicked devices. Through the Shekhinah Cloud we crossed over into newness of life, leaving the corpses of this world behind. We offered our thanks and praises to God, but soon we experienced severe thirst. We searched for worldly water but found it “marah,” or bitter. It was only after the “tree” was added to the bitterness that the water became sweet, a picture of the cross of Messiah who suffered and thirsted for us. Then we came to the oasis of Elim, a place of rest that pictured heaven to come, though the Spirit led us into the desert of emptiness and hunger to discover how we must trust God for “manna,” our daily bread from heaven. We experienced thirst again, and God provided an ongoing source of living water from the Rock that was smitten, another picture of the grace and sustenance of Messiah (1 Cor. 10:4). We fought against brazen powers of unbelief (Amalek), but we overcame them by the power of God. We received the Torah, only to discover we could not abide its demands. We committed idolatry but the LORD forgave and revealed the Altar of Mercy (the Tabernacle) that gave us access to His Presence by means of the sacrificial blood, recalling the Lamb of God that was slain.

 

Hebrew Lesson
Deut. 26:8a Hebrew reading:

 

• Lesson Card

In our Torah portion for this week (i.e., parashat Bo) we revisit the institution of the Passover sacrifice and the deliverance of the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. Later in the Torah we read God’s reason for the redemption: “For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:45). Because we are God’s people, his redeemed children, we are made holy, just as God is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16). Holiness, however, is not a matter of what you do (such as wrapping yourself in religious rituals) but instead is a matter of what you “allow” to happen: You let go and allow yourself to be rescued and taken up from the “depths of Egypt” to be with God. Holiness is something you receive by faith; it is a gift of being “set apart” to be sacred and beloved by God. Genuine holiness (i.e., kedushah) is connected with love and grace.

Read more “Redemption and Holiness…”

You may feel anxious about knowing God, about how to relate to him or how to understand or interpret the Scriptures, though the heart can only know the essential meaning of God in the state of its need, as its ultimate concern, and therefore unless you cry out “from the depths” of your being, you are merely intellectualizing or playing games… After all, the inner heart asks “How can I find God?” “How can I relate to God?” “How can I find hope and life?” but the answers to such questions are found by personal encounter with the reality of the Spirit of God, not by theological rationalizations.

Read more “Knowing God’s Name…”

The Rise of Techno-Fascism….

In light of the ever-creeping “techno-fascism” of the postmodern age, we wonder how long before politically motivated “censorship” will cross boundaries from various social media platforms to any “offensive content” on any publicly accessible website whatsoever… Indeed this is already happening as we see search engine services delivering filtered results (i.e., “shadow-banning”), Internet browsers that label web sites as “unsafe,” various conservative content providers being “defunded,” alternative social media sites being “Parler-ized,” and so on. In light of this incipient tyranny, we note there is a great passage of Scripture whereby we have precedent to make appeal to the LORD God Almighty: “O our God, will you not execute judgment? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you” (2 Chron. 20:12).

 

Hebrew Lesson:
2 Chron. 20:12b Hebrew reading

 

• 2 Chron. 20:12b Hebrew lesson card (pdf)

 

People confuse morality with spirituality all the time — and that includes apparently Christian people who mistakenly think that godliness has to do with worldly politics (and supporting certain political characters who assume a moral posture or offer up “conservative” sounding messages). Think again. Yeshua’s kingdom is not of this world, and he was never politically active or involved in the politics of this world (see John 18:36; Luke 17:21). No, his mission was to transform individual hearts through the miracle of regeneration, to call out a people who would surrender their lives to God and to love one another. Judas Iscariot was a “social activist” who wanted to change the fallen world in the name of morality, but we know his end… Being obsessed with worldly politics, fawning over a particular political candidate, believing that a mere man could change the world for God’s sake — all this is sheer idolatry and folly. “Love not the world, neither the things of the world; if any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

Ever since the time of the defunct “moral majority” of the 1970’s, the so-called “evangelical church” has conflated worldliness with spirituality, resulting in an adulterous blend of muddled pragmatic thinking. One negative consequence of “politicizing” Christianity is that if the preferred political candidate or movement does not succeed in changing society, then Christianity is regarded as a failure, and the message of Yeshua is considered ineffectual. On the contrary, a worthy theology understands that the LORD God is in the heavens and that categorically nothing is beyond His sovereign will and power (Isa. 40:28; Psalm 145:3; 147:5). We are not to be disappointed or “crushed” because a political candidate did not get reelected since we are citizens of heaven and our allegiance is to the King of all kings (Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:1-4). We are to “seek first” the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Father Abraham “closed his eyes” to this world in order to behold the heavenly light. Looking to man and his schemes to solve the world’s problems is the essence of idolatry, since only the LORD our God is the Healer and Savior of people. Many people of the church would do well to weep over their misguided affections and ask the LORD for forgiveness for their worldliness and idolatries; many would do well to confess their lack of faith in the LORD and plead with heaven for the miracle of genuine regeneration. Dear friends, “God is the King over all the earth, sing his praise with understanding!” (Psalm 47:7).

Read more “Idolatry of Worldly Politics…”

The sages have said, “From a person’s mouth you can tell who they are,” which means that the words we speak reveal the inner condition of the soul and whether the Spirit of God is in control of our thinking or our lower nature… Because we are created in the image of God (i.e., b’tzelem Elohim: בצלם אלוהים), our thoughts express our essential nature, and that is why it is vital to avoid evil thinking, since otherwise we will be brought into darkness and pain. As Yeshua said, “the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). The Hebrew word for evil (i.e., ra’: רַע) also means sad or “heartbreaking.” We must learn to discipline ourselves to think good thoughts since that brings us before the light and blessing of the Father of Lights (אֲבִי הָאוֹרוֹת) from which every good flows (James 1:17). Wisdom is essential for right thinking, and therefore it is important to guard your mind against alien and godless thoughts (1 Pet. 5:8). We gain wisdom by studying Torah which is called the “Tree of Life” (עֵץ־חַיִּים) and by speaking forth its truth, as it says: “Healing speech is a tree of life, but deceitful speech shatters the spirit” (Prov. 15:4). Knowing the truth of God and the reason for our existence sobers the mind and dispels the ways of folly. Negative character traits are formed by carelessly admitting alien thoughts into the heart. Genuine teshuvah leads to life, wherein the heart returns to the truth and is delivered from the darkness of the lie.

 

Hebrew Podcast
Psalm 19:14 Hebrew reading:

 

• Psalm 19:14 Hebrew lesson card (pdf)