7.19.25 ~ Twice Daily

Good morning!

Last night's zoom call: The fundamental rule to obtaining your inheritance (Num. 26).

Welcome to the 49th day of counting towards the first fruit of the wine. With hindsight, how has your intimacy been over the past 49 days, abiding in the True Vine (Jn. 15:1)? Have you seen any noticeable fruit forming in your life that will be enjoyed at the future wedding celebration; when you get the opportunity to sit down at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Matt. 8:11,12)?

One of the challenges we face in our 21st century journey is visibility with our faith. Huh? Without a physical Temple, a physical altar, a pillar of cloud, daily manna, supernatural water, true leadership that knows the Torah, a physical sea to cross, let alone all the technological distractions...it's tough to monitor progress.

In this week's Torah portion, Pinchas (Num. 25-29), we have the defining verses of the Torah that point to the one truth that should be on our minds daily: persistence in our covenant relationship. This truth is unveiled, again for us, in the twice daily/tamid burnt offerings (Num. 28:4)

The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even; (Num. 28:4)

As we dig into this a little more, we might ask ourselves, "How does the verse "One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon" represent the core essence of Torah"? Where are the thoughts of 'love', 'the shema', or 'human relationships' to be found here? Enquiring minds want to know :-)

Numbers 28:4 speaks of unwavering consistency

"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." (Num. 28:4)

Every single morning and every single afternoon, you shall make a sacrifice for your Creator. (Psa. 1:2; 5:3; 55:17; 59:16,17; Rom. 8:36, 37; 12:1,2; Eph. 5:1,2; etc.)

The biblical declarations acknowledging one God in the Shema, love, human relationships are all encompassed in the non-negotiable commitment to live and breathe these truths day in, day out, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

It's true, we can dream of the messianic kingdom when everything will be restored to the Garden of Eden status/tikkun olam and We can even wield the tongue with great oration (1 Cor. 13:1-4). But, the reality of where the rubber meets the road is intimating everything into daily routines and behaviors. The Torah asks God's people to make daily sacrifices for truth, for love, for peace, for God, for family, for marriage.

"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." (Num. 28:4)

Whether it's exciting days, monotonous days, bright days or bleak days...
"One sheep you shall offer in the morning and the second sheep in the afternoon." (Num. 28:4)

In the morning, when you awake, you are called to make a sacrifice to God. In the afternoon, when your day is winding down, you are called, once again, to sacrifice something of your ego and insecurity for God. What does that look like without a Temple, altar or livestock?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (Rom. 8:36)

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom. 12:1)

Our life in Messiah, as part of His body, is found in the  dedication of ordinary people to construct, through daily ordinary acts, a fragment of heaven on earth (Matt. 6:10). We are called to be an ambassador of the Divine, an ambassador for love, light, and hope, morality, holiness, and redemptive consciousness (2 Cor. 5:19-21).

As you head into your Sabbath day, when your sun rises and when your sun sets, remember, you are God's agent here on earth to infuse it with meaning, purpose, and harmony; creating unity out of chaos, oneness out of fragmentation, light weaved from the stuff of darkness. You may be having a good day or a challenging day in this volatile world...that's called life. The big question that never changes for the covenant believer that  I must ask myself is: "Am I living, by dying - twice daily?

Shabbat shalom!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4.10.25

Good morning! The offerings/korbanot were indeed a source of joy and favor every time they were brought to the Temple or Tabernacle. For instance, when the Temple was being dedicated under Solomon's kingship, they had this incredible feast. The nation feasted on these thanksgiving and peace offerings; 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep and goats (2 Chron. 7:5; 1 King. 8:63) and the glory of the Lord, as with the Tabernacle in Exodus 40, filled the Temple (2 Chron. 7:2). There was great joy in the presence of the Lord! And we have this covenantal intimacy because the offerings/korbanot expressed love, joy, loyalty and gratitude.  Let me speak very briefly to one common objection, particularly in a modern sense. Yeah, OK, fine, but still weird! OK, Solomon's dedication doesn't seem consistent with blood and guts, splashing blood, limbs cut off and burning on an altar to appease an angry god for the sinful disobedience of mankind; it is so barbaric. It's disgusting. How could G...
Read more

9.24.25 ~ 10 Days of Too Wonderful

Good morning! A couple of weeks ago I had share with you some thoughts about four concepts in scripture that are too wonderful. With Yom Teruah/shouting-trumpets, Having finished we found ourselves in what I called the 10 days of awe. 10 days of deep introspection, like the days of unleavened bread, research our lives for any areas that are left undone so that when the sealing takes place at Yom Kippur we can launch into the feast of tabernacles and beyond pure and white. From Passover toShavuot, There is a wonderful focuson the book of Ruth. In times past, we haveexamined the importance of the faith-filled, grafted-in Gentile who would restore the heart of the ‘bitter’ Jewish woman Naomi and be the means of redemption through the birth of Obed. We followed that up by walking with the ‘King in the field’ during the Sixth month on God‘s prophetic calendarand we prepared our hearts for Yom Teruah and the sign of Revelation 12. Last night, I had the opportunity to celebrate with beautiful...
Read more

6.8.25 ~ Are You in the Know?

Good morning! Today, we will leave dear people here in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, after 8 great days of study, prayer, and health related instructions :-)! On this 8th day of counting towards the first fruit of the wine, we continue our journey on how to intimately abide in the True Vine (Jn. 15:1-8). This morning I want to share with you a very familiar verse in Hosea 4:6 to continue our theme. Over the years I have heard the first half of this verse quoted, but 99% of the time I have never heard the second half of the verse quoted. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge/da'at (1st part). Because you have rejected/maas knowledge/da'at, I also will reject/maas you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law/torah of your God, I will also forget you." (Hos. 4:6) How often have you heard this verse quoted in a plea for renewed diligence toward the things of God?  The quotation is usually followed by an enumeration of our lack of Bible study, chu...
Read more