Category: Podcasts

Shavuah Tov podcasts on the weekly Torah reading

The Torah of Wrestling… (podcast)

John J Parsons

Yeshua somberly warned those who professed faith: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'” (Matt. 7:21-23). Despite the practice and profession of their faith, these people were strangers to God… They had a false sense of assurance, believing that they were “serving God” while they really were not… So the essential question here is whether Yeshua truly knows you. You may know a lot about God, religion, spirituality, and yet you may remain unknown by him… So where do you find life? What are you loving? Where are you going?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Yet what is the will of the Father but to trust in Messiah for life (John 6:40)? “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Yeshua answers: “This is the work of God, that you believe in the One whom he has sent” (John 6:28-29). The Torah of God centers on trusting the Messiah (Titus 3:5-7).

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not … do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I say to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matt. 7:22-23). From this we see that good works – even those done in the name of Messiah – are insufficient for life, and that something more is needed… That “something more” is the reality of relationship with him. However, even Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross can’t bring you into relationship with him apart from receiving it for your healing… By faith you encounter Yeshua clothed in your flesh, your sin, and suffering death for you.  “As long as Christ remains outside of us we are separated from him.”

Some people feel frightened when they consider all this, but fear arises only if we miss Yeshua’s point… Good works can’t save you, even those performed in the Savior’s name… What saves you is trusting in God’s great love for your life: “This is the work of God, to trust in the One whom God has sent [for you]” (John 6:28-29). Genuine salvation is “from the LORD,” that is, comes as a result of his loving intervention on your behalf (Titus 3:5-7; Eph. 2:8-10). This is the will of the Father, the true Torah of the LORD, namely, to honor the Messiah and know him by faith… You trust him for eternal life, you believe that he bears your sins, you seek to know his heart, and you desire to share your life with him. It is lawlessness to reject the Torah of the LORD that commands us to follow Messiah and know him in all our ways – including the ways of our struggles, our fears, and so on… Each of us must wrestle alone, in the dark places of fear, to find our new name from God (Gen. 32:24). Is the blessing for you or not? The essential thing is to know (and more importantly) to be known by Yeshua…. It is a matter of trust, of sharing your heart, being real with him, walking with him, loving him… “This is the work of God, to trust in the One whom God has sent [for you].” Trusting in the Lord means accepting that you are truly loved (and made safe) because of who God is…

The gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). It is a miracle of being in a right relationship with God. We are pursued by his love, and he haunts us until we surrender to his will… Like Jonah we first must be “swallowed up” in consciousness of our own rebellion before we realize we are undone, that we are without remedy apart from God’s intervention and deliverance. We start there – in the “belly of the fish” – and later are resurrected to go forth by God’s mercy and grace. As we look to Yeshua, as we lean on him, he reveals more of himself to us. He gives us the grace and strength we need; he is always enough…

Whether Yeshua is living in you (and you are living in Him) is the most important question of your life upon which everything else turns. The great mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). As Ravenhill once said, “I don’t ask people if they’re saved anymore; I look them straight in the eye and say, “Does Christ live inside you?” Indeed, He is present right now — for you — in this very moment… Are you connected with Him in the truth? Are you drawing life from His life? Do you really live in Yeshua? “God is making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20).

Each of us must wrestle alone, in the dark places of fear, to receive our new name from God (see Gen. 32:24). Again I ask: Is the blessing for you or not? Are you willing to be loved and accepted by him? What is your name? What do you call yourself? You cannot know God apart from his love, yet for some people that is exactly where the struggle lies… Look within your heart; test yourself; do you believe God cares for you? Take hold of the promise and do not let go until you know who you are in his love. “To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Rev. 2:17).

 

Affirmations of Faith

Repeat these affirmations from the Scriptures:
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  • I am a beloved child of God (John 1:12; Eph. 5:1; Rom. 8:15)
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  • I am fully known by God and he accepts me unconditionally (Eph. 1:6)
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  • Yeshua died so I could live (2 Cor. 5:21)
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  • I am safe because of God’s love for me (John 5:24; 10:28-30; Rom. 15:7)
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  • God is always with me (Isa. 41:10; Matt. 28:20; John 6:37; Heb. 7:25)
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  • The Lord will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:6; Psalm 23:6)
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  • Nothing can separate me from God’s unfailing and invincible love (Rom. 8:35-39)
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  • I am not condemned (John 3:18; 5:24; Rom. 8:1)
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  • I have crossed over from death to life (John 5:25; John 8:51; John 10:28)
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  • I am saved and will not come to shame (Rom. 10:9-13; Psalm 27:1)
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  • I am forgiven and declared righteous (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom 1:17; Rom. 3:24)
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  • I am chosen by God to know him (John 15:16; Col. 3:12; Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:29-30)
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  • I am secure by the power of God (Jude 1:24-25; Rom. 8:29-30; 16:25; Phil. 1:6)
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  • God hears my prayer and meets my needs (Psalm 4:3; Phil. 4:19; 1 John 5:14-15)
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  • I have peace with God (Rom. 5:1; Rom. 16:20; 1 Cor. 1:3; Phil 4:7)
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  • God cares for me and doesn’t want me anxious (1 Pet. 5:7; Phil. 4:6; John 14:1)
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  • God himself prepares a place for me (John 14:1-4)
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  • I am welcome at God’s table (Matt. 22:1-14)
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  • God delights to hear my voice (Matt. 7:7-8; Luke 11:9; Heb. 4:16; Psalm 33:1)
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  • I am no longer a slave to fear or to sin (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 5:1)
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  • I am set free to love; I am healed of my hardness of heart (John 8:36; Col. 2:11)
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  • I am a new creation, subject to the law of the Spirit of life (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:2)
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  • I am a vessel of the Holy Spirit, a messenger of grace (1 Cor. 3:16; John 14:17)
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  • I am blessed with every blessing in Messiah (Eph. 1:3)
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  • God imparts to me wisdom and light (Eph. 5:8; John 8:12; Col. 1:13; Psalm 27:1)
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  • Even if I physically die, I will live forever with God (John 11:25-26)
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  • I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
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  • and so on and on… l’olam va’ed … forever and ever!
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The blessing is there for you, though you might need to wrestle in faith to fully take hold of your identity in Christ. May God help you answer to the new name he calls out to you…

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Torah of Wrestling Podcast:

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Parashat Vayeshev (podcast)…

John J Parsons

Last week’s Torah (i.e., Vayishlach) recounted how Jacob had wrestled with a mysterious Angel before returning to the Promised Land to be reconciled with his brother Esau. No longer named Ya’akov (“heel holder” [of Esau]), but Yisrael (“prince of God”), a transformed Jacob finally returned to Hebron to see his father Isaac, nearly 34 years after he had left home. However, on the way back home his beloved wife Rachel died while giving birth to his twelfth son Benjamin.

This week’s portion (i.e., parashat Vayeshev) begins with Jacob living back in the land promised to Abraham and Isaac with his 12 sons, but the narrative quickly turns to Jacob’s favorite son Joseph, who was seventeen years old at the time. The Torah states that Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons since he was “the son of his old age,” and he was the firstborn son of his beloved wife Rachel. Indeed, Jacob made him an ornamented tunic to indicate his special status in the family.

As the favored son, Joseph’s job was to oversee the activities of Jacob’s concubines sons (Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher) and to bring “reports” about their activities back to Jacob. However, this role as the overseer and “favored son” was too much for the other brothers, and they became jealous of him and hated him. To make matters worse, Joseph related two dreams to his brothers that foretold that he was destined to rule over them, increasing their envy and hatred of him (the implication of the dreams was that all of Jacob’s family would become subservient to him). Jacob rebuked Joseph for arousing his brothers’ hatred, but he inwardly took note and waited for the fulfillment of the dreams.

The portion records that one day the brothers went out to pasture their herds, but when they saw Joseph coming to check on them, they conspired to kill him, though later they decided to sell him to some slave traders instead. The brothers then staged Joseph’s death by dipping his special tunic into goat’s blood and bringing it to their father, who was deceived into thinking that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

Meanwhile Joseph was purchased at a slave trade by Potiphar, a captain of Pharaoh’s guard. The LORD was “with Joseph,” however, and blessed everything he did. In fact, soon he was promoted to be the head of Potiphar’s entire household affairs. Potiphar’s wife then began enticing Joseph to have an affair with her, and though he steadfastly refused her advances, she later falsely accused him of attempted rape. Potiphar was understandably outraged (at his wife?) and threw Joseph into the royal prison, but again God showed him favor there and soon was appointed to a position of authority in the prison administration.

The reading ends with two prophetic episodes in Joseph’s life that eventually would bring him to the attention of Pharaoh himself. While in prison, Joseph met Pharaoh’s wine steward and chief baker, both incarcerated for offending their king (according to Rashi, a fly was found in the goblet prepared by the butler, and a pebble in the baker’s confection). Both men had disturbing dreams which Joseph correctly interpreted; in three days, he told them, the wine steward would be released but the baker would be hanged. Joseph then asked the wine steward to advocate for his release with Pharaoh. Joseph’s predictions were fulfilled, but the wine steward forgot all about Joseph.

Note that this Torah reading is prophetic regarding Yeshua the Messiah. Joseph’s jealous brothers stripped him of his “coat of many colors” and threw him into a pit — a providential event that eventually led to the deliverance of the Jewish people by the hand of a “disguised savior.” Indeed, the life of Israel’s chosen son Joseph foreshadowed the two advents of Yeshua our Messiah: first as Israel’s Suffering Servant, and second as the national deliverer of the Jewish people during tribulation…

 

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Telling God your name (podcast)

John J Parsons

Some people make it the business of theology to know God’s Name, but God begins by first asking for our name instead. Recall that Jacob had disguised who he really was in the hope of obtaining the blessing (Gen. 27), though his duplicity forced him into an exile that lasted until he was finally willing to be honest with himself. And like Jacob, each of us must answer God’s question: “What is your name?” (Gen. 32:27). When we “wrestle through” this question to face who we really are, we encounter God and find our blessing, that is, our true identity. Each of us has to go through the process of being renamed from “manipulator” (i.e., Ya’akov) to “one in whom God rules” (i.e., Israel). But note the order: it is only when we “tell God our name,” that is, own who we really are, that He meets with us “face to face” (Gen. 32:30). You will not be able to say, “I will not let you go unless you bless me,” until you are willing tell God your name (Gen. 32:26-27).

Let me add that while “telling God your name” can be painful and even frightening, it is not the last word about who you really are. We are faced with an inner dualism as we struggle to take account of our lives. On the one hand, we need to confess the truth of our sinfulness, brokenness, and so on, while on the other we must endure ourselves and find faith that God’s blessing nevertheless belongs to us, despite the mess we’ve made of our lives…. We have to be willing to accept God’s new name for us and to believe that God will miraculously transform our inner nature for good. We are renamed from Yaa’kov to Israel, though we still know ourselves as both. Jacob was renamed “Israel” but afterward he walked with a limp, seeing both the new and the old natures within him. Jacob still struggled, though his struggle was now focused on walking as God’s beloved child in this world: the limp was given to help him lean on the Lord for support.

Part of spiritual growth involves learning to “endure yourself.” Many are able, it seems, to receive the hope that they are forgiven for their past sins, but they are subsequently scandalized by encountering their own inner struggles, and they eventually despair over their ongoing weakness… Tragically, some are even tempted to regard the warfare within the heart as a sign of being devoid of all saving grace! We must remember, however, that there is a real struggle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). We must never move away from simple trust in the message of God’s unconditional love demonstrated at the cross; we must never seek to legitimize our place in God’s heart. When we walk by the Spirit, we are no longer under the law (Gal. 5:18), which is to say, we no longer need to justify ourselves but instead trust in God’s power to transform us. Just as we are saved by the love of God, so are we changed, so do we grow.

 

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Telling God your Name Podcast:

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Parashat Vayishlach (podcast)…

John J Parsons

Before he could return from his exile, Jacob had to face his fears and wrestle with God. The outcome of the struggle was a blessing, as signified by a new name, “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל), meaning one who who perseveres (שָׂרָה) with God (אֵל). Jacob finally prevailed with God when the power of his faith overcame the pain of his past… Jacob’s story teaches that before we can return from our place of exile, we have to face our fears and wrestle over who we really are.

 

 

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Vayishlach Shavuah Tov Podcast:

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Parashat Vayetzei Podcast…

John J Parsons

In our Torah portion this week (parashat Vayetzei), it is written that Jacob “came to a certain place and stayed there that night” (Gen. 28:11). The Hebrew text, however, indicates that Jacob did not just happen upon a random place, but rather that “he came to the place” — vayifga ba’makom (וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם). The sages therefore wondered why the Torah states ba’makom, “the place,” rather than b’makom, “a place”? Moreover, the verb translated “he came” is yifga (from paga’: פָּגַע), which means to encounter or to meet, suggesting that Jacob’s stop was a divine appointment. Indeed, as we shall see, this special dream or vision revealed the very truth of the Messiah – the Meeting Place of God – to our father Jacob.

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The Deception of Esau (Podcast)…

John J Parsons

In parashat Toldot we read that God told Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided…” (Gen. 25:23). These twins, of course, were Esau (עֵשָׂו) and Ya’akov (יַעֲקב), respectively. In this podcast (see link below), I discuss the relationship between Isaac and Rebekah, Esau and Jacob, and consider the ongoing struggle between “Edom” and the Jewish people… The issue of the birthright – and therefore the mantle of Abrahamic – leadership was crucial for the perpetuity of the Jewish people. To this day, Rome (i.e., “Edom”) and Israel are considered perpetual enemies… I hope you find this helpful.

 

 

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Also see:

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Parashat Toldot Podcast…

John J Parsons

In our Torah reading for this week, called parashat Toldot (תוֹלדת), we learn that Isaac and Rebekah had been married for twenty years but were still without an heir to carry on the family line… Finally their prayers were answered and Rebekah conceived, though not without complications. When Rebekah inquired of the LORD about her travail, God told her that she was carrying twins that would be heads of two rival nations, but the younger child would in fact become the promised heir of the chosen people.

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Opening Verse of Toldot:
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Parashat Chayei Sarah…

John J Parsons

Our Torah reading for last week (i.e., Vayera) told how God was faithful to Abraham and Sarah by miraculously giving them a son (Isaac) in their old age. Nonetheless, Abraham faced his greatest test of all by being asked to offer up his promised child as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, the place of the future Temple. On account of his willingness to obey, God promised He would multiply Abraham’s offspring as the stars of heaven and that in his seed (singular) all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

This week’s Torah portion is called Chayei Sarah (חיי שרה), the “life of Sarah,” though it begins (paradoxically) with the account of her death, and tells how the first great matriarch of the Jewish people was buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, a burial site which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 23:1-20). Since the account of Sarah’s death is given just after the account of the near-sacrifice of Isaac (i.e., the Akedah), some of the sages link the events together, suggesting that the shock of the loss of her beloved son at the hand of her husband was just too much for her to bear…

Read more “Parashat Chayei Sarah…”

Parashat Vayera Podcast…

John J Parsons

Our Torah reading for this week, parashat Vayera (פרשת וירא),is very dramatic and extraordinarily prophetic. Among other things (including the miraculous birth of Isaac, the fiery judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, the fate of Hagar’s son Ishamel, and so on), the reading includes what I have called the “Gospel according to Moses,” that is, Moses’ account of how the patriarch Abraham was tested by God to offer his “only begotten son” (בֵּן יָחִיד) Isaac as a whole-burnt offering sacrifice on Mount Moriah — the place of the future Temple. This astonishing story is referred to as the Akedah (עֲקֵדָה), or Akedat Yitzchak (עֲקֵידָת יִצְחָק) – the “binding of Isaac” (Gen. 22:1-18). As Abraham lifted up his knife to slay his beloved son, at the very last moment, the Angel of the LORD (מַלְאַךְ יהוה) stopped him from going through with the sacrifice, and a ram “caught in a thicket” was offered as the vicarious substitute. Upon offering the sacrifice Abraham named the sacred location Adonai-Yireh (יהוה יִרְאֶה), “the LORD will provide/see” (from the 3ms imperfect of ra’ah (רָאָה), “to see”).

The binding of Isaac perfectly illustrates both the principle of sacrificial love and the principle that we must first unreservedly believe in that love in order to understand the ways of the LORD. Those who believe in Yeshua further understand the Akedah as a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice the heavenly Father would give on our behalf. Unlike Abraham, God the Father actually offered His only begotten Son (בֵּן יָחִיד) at Moriah in order to make salvation available for all who will believe (John 3:16-18; 1 John 4:9). As Abraham himself confessed: אֱלהִים יִרְאֶה־לּוֹ הַשֶּׂה / Elohim yireh-lo haseh (“God will provide for himself the lamb”). Later Yeshua told the leaders of Israel that Abraham had “seen His day” and understood the deeper meaning of the Akedah sacrifice (John 8:56).

 

 

As I’ve mentioned over the years, the very first occurrence of the word love in the Scriptures (i.e., ahavah: אַהֲבָה) refers to Abraham’s love for his “only” son who was to be sacrificed as a burnt offering on Moriah (the very place of the crucifixion of Yeshua), a clear reference to the gospel message (Gen. 22:2; John 3:16). Some scholars have noted that the word ahavah comes from a two-letter root (הב) with Aleph (א) as a modifier. The root means “to give” and the Aleph indicates agency: “I” give (i.e., “the Father gives”). Love is essentially an act of sacrificial giving… The quintessential passage of Scripture regarding love (αγαπη) in the life of a Christian is found 1 Corinthians 13: “Love seeks not its own…”

Whereas Akedat Yitzchak foreshadowed God’s provision for the coming Temple, Akedat Yeshua (i.e., the crucifixion of Yeshua at Moriah) was the altar where the justice and chesed (love) of the Father fully met (Psalm 85:10). For more on this incredibly rich subject, please see the articles, “The Passion of Isaac” and “The Sacrificed Seed.”

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..Vayera Podcast:

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Parashat Lekh-Lekha Podcast

John J Parsons

Last week’s Torah portion (i.e., parashat Noach) introduced us to Abram (אַבְרָם), the descendant of Noah’s son Shem, who was the great-grandson of the patriarch Methuselah – a man who who personally knew Adam and Eve and upheld the original promise of redemption given in the Garden of Eden. Just as there were ten generations from Adam to Noah, so there were also ten generations from Noah to Abram (see Gen. 11:10-32). And just as Noah became the father of 70 nations, so Abram (through Shem) would become the father of the Jewish people, through whom the Promised Seed – the Messiah and Savior of the world – would eventually come.

In our Torah portion for this week, parashat Lekh-Lekha, we read that Abram was 75 years old, married to (his half-sister) Sarai, and guardian of his nephew Lot (his deceased brother Haran’s son) when he received the promise of divine inheritance and left Mesopotamia for the Promised Land: “And the LORD said to Abram, “Go from (i.e., lekh-lekha: לך־לך) your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you:
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In Hebrew, the phrase lekh lekha means “go for yourself” (lit. “walk [הָלַךְ] for yourself [לְךָ]”), though the sages interpreted it to mean “go to yourself,” that is, “look within yourself” in order to begin walking out your own journey into the promises. The realm of divine promise is only attained when we venture out in faith. Like Abraham, we likewise are called to leave everything behind and to go forth by faith to take hold of God’s promise for our lives…

 

Lekh-Lekha Podcast:.

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