Light In Torah

  We continue our studies in Joshua, Joshua chapter 4. One of the misconceptions that we have within evangelical Christianity today is that what we call the Old Testament is old and the New Testament is new, when in actuality, Yeshua Himself said that not one jot or one tittle would pass away from the law until everything was fulfilled. If we were to do a good examination of the Torah and the prophets—literally known as the Tanakh, the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim, the first five books, the prophets, and all the writings—we find that there are still so many prophecies, up to 500 prophecies, that still need to take place before the return of the Messiah. So it's very difficult for us to make the statement, "That was old, and this is new." But yet, the reality is, what we call the new is constantly referencing us back. The Apostle Paul, when he speaks about the race that we run in 1 Corinthians 9, beginning in verse 24 and going through chapter 10, verse 12, is all liken...

  The Torah portions from Genesis through Deuteronomy are rehearsed and reviewed every year. Very seldom do we ever move past the first five books of the Torah into the prophets—Joshua, Judges, etc. But now we want to take the time to venture forward, to move past. Because oftentimes, just like the children of Israel, who were in the wilderness for 40 years, and they had the opportunity to get out of the wilderness after just a year and a half, we tend to get comfortable with where we're at. And when you get comfortable, everything becomes status quo. Holiness becomes common, and commonality becomes mundane and boring. Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt to take them to the border of the Promised Land. Joshua succeeded Moses—his apprentice, his disciple. And soon, the one whom Moses has been mentoring for all of these years is going to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land. The name Joshua in Hebrew, Yahoshua, is the same as our Savior and our Messiah, Yeshua...

Next week, Wednesday, many will celebrate the happiest day of the year—or at least tied for the happiest day of the year. Huh? I have shared on many occasions that the Bible is a guidebook. Many treat it as a philosophy book, a history book, a science book, a denominational manual, a law book, and/or a theology book. And though it has all of those topics in it, the canon is none of those, inclusively. But without a doubt, it is the best guidebook for life on this earth ever compiled. Yet, with all of its great wisdom, our 66 books are not all that there is written or revealed on the subject of life. For example, the Creation Story in Genesis 1:1–2:3, the Flood Story in Genesis 6–9, or the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11—these stories are just thumbnail sketches of the events they reveal. Even in Yeshua's life, if all was written, not even all the libraries in the world could contain the accounts of what He did (John 21:25). Two negative events have taken place in the history of Israel...

In our Torah portion,  Va'etchanan , Moses pleads with God to allow him to see the Promised Land (Deut. 3:25). Deep students of God's Word have said that Moses prayed 515 times, pleading with the Lord, but God's answer was "No"—and then He said, "We won't talk about this anymore" (Deut. 3:26). How could God say no? Have you ever had your prayer requests go unanswered? Have you ever hoped for something—not even selfishly (James 4:1–4), but on behalf of someone else—and your hope was delayed, or you got a "no"? It makes the heart sick (Prov. 13:12). With all the pressures and frustrations of life facing us every morning, inquiring minds want to know: what is this prayer stuff all about? Is it just the law of attraction? A spiritual Santa Claus where I get my latest favorite toy? Let us begin at the beginning. (Nice, Mr. Obvious. :-)) God is the absolute King, Ruler, and Creator of the universe. In other words, God is in control of everything—...

In this week's Torah portion,  Va'etchanan  ("I pleaded"), we find the answer to a dilemma that most of us face when life feels dry, dry, dry: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be on the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."  (Hab. 3:17–18) Life is perspective. But perspective without facts is just influential fiction. We are on our way to the 9th of Av (July 22), and we are close to the halfway point of this fifth month—the 15th of Av, also known as Tu B'Av (Judg. 21:19), which falls on July 29. Menachem Av is the fifth month on God's calendar, and it means "the consolation of the Father." This Shabbat, July 25, is the Shabbat of Consolation (Isa. 40:1–3). Historically, the first half of the month is filled with self-im...

Let us conclude our investment into the Land of our inheritance, connecting some very familiar stories 😊. As burying Sarah at great cost tested Abraham's faith in the resurrection, so burying a part of yourself tests your own. Sarah and Abraham were one flesh, and Hebron was said to be the gateway back to the Garden of Eden. Abraham believed so firmly in the resurrection that he paid a premium for prime real estate—staking his hope on that future event. "When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but Jesus was asleep. And they went and woke Him, saying, 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing!' And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?' Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, 'What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?'" (Matthew 8:23–27) Yeshua i...

This "accounting" of what it takes to live in the Land of Israel helps us decode some of Yeshua's mysterious statements to His disciples. Take a look at the text, and then we will draw a "Come to Heshbon" connection 😊 "Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. Then a scribe came and said to Him, 'Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.' Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' Another of the disciples said to Him, 'Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.' But Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.'"  (Matt. 8:18–20) Many commentaries explain that Yeshua was telling these disciples that they were not fit to follow Him. Perhaps Yeshua was saying just the opposite. The scribe was a person who faithfully copied the Torah. This scribe was a ri...

As many of you know, the final book of the Torah is Deuteronomy ( Devarim ), or "Words." Speaking of words, did you know that there is not a single Torah portion that fails to mention the Land of Israel either explicitly or implicitly (prophetically)? Approximately two-thirds of the Torah depend upon  Eretz Yisrael —the Land of our inheritance. The focus of the Torah—and ultimately all of God's Word—is restoring mankind back to the Garden of Eden. In order to do that, the path leads to Israel and Jerusalem. Every year I grow more "homesick." To enter the Land requires a focused walk. The Israelites had to be willing to give a good report no matter what they saw. So do we! Walking in the Word will plant the destination of the Word in our hearts: Israel. First, though, there must be an accounting, or the journey may not go well. And this is exactly how Moses starts out the book of Deuteronomy ( Devarim ): "In the fortieth year, on the first day of the elevent...

This topic is not a simple one. We often read passages in books or hear sermons that make it seem as though the inheritance is all signed, sealed, and delivered the moment we accept Jesus into our hearts. Yesterday's double Torah portion made inheritance a major theme—and that brings us to a topic that may seem completely unrelated: circumcision. Have you ever wondered why Paul had Timothy circumcised but not Titus? I want to explore tribal boundaries, inheritance laws, and how they create complexity within the kingdom. It is already cutting deep, isn't it? Yesterday's Torah portion addressed this question, though in a very covert way. This past week's Torah portion deals with inheritance, boundaries, and the division of the land. In the portion of  Massei , God gives Moses detailed instructions for apportioning the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel. The Torah carefully defines the borders of the land and the specific inheritance allotted to each tribe, ensuring ...

We build our world with words, and our lives will be judged in the future by the words we build with (Eccl. 5:1–6; Matt. 12:36–37; Eccl. 12:14; Jude 1:14–15; Rom. 2:16). At the beginning of this double Torah portion,  Matot  (tribes) and  Massei  (journeys), we find the sanctity of keeping a vow and an oath (Num. 30:2). My mom taught her boys, "If you do not have anything good to say, say nothing at all" (Prov. 26:18–28). Our words are voluntary, not obligatory. Therefore, we should avoid what I call the "Peter syndrome" with our words: "Ready, fire, aim!"—or "removing our foot from our mouth long enough just to stick the other one in." Israel is nearing the Land. The first generation has completely passed. The people are given the task of building a society unlike any other in the world—a free covenant society between God and man, where trust is built by keeping your word, not through force or self-interest (Ex. 24:3, 7). In this covenant societ...

I do not know about you, but new adventures seem to fly by, while time drags when life throws hardships and challenges your way. The Israelites are on the cusp of entering the Promised Land. They have passed their final test. God commands them to take vengeance on the Midianites (Num. 31:1–2). I certainly would not want to be in the position of the Midianites, who caused one of God's little ones to stumble (Num. 31:3–12; Matt. 18:6). The 42 stops of Israel's journey— massei —in the wilderness (from yesterday's study), physically, spiritually, and emotionally, are now in the rearview mirror (Num. 33:1–2). The lessons have been learned, and now it is time to enter the Land (Num. 33:3–49). The purpose of their journey lies before them (Deut. 6:23–25), and the reward for battling their own  klipa —the tendency to rely on their own abilities—is about to be realized (Num. 33:54). But there is still work to do! "And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among you...

  This week's Torah portion,  Matot , describes the 42 progressive stages of Israel's wilderness journey and the subsequent apportioning of the promised inheritance. This morning, I want to offer you a parallel reflection—one that encourages a deeper, more dependent walk with the Lord and stirs you toward faithfulness and fruitfulness. These are the determining factors of your inheritance in the age to come. Every believer in Jesus/Yeshua has been called to holiness (1 Peter 1:15–16). It is God's call to each of us, and it is our responsibility to answer that call—to pick up the phone, so to speak—and follow His voice wherever He leads (John 10:28). The Apostle Paul echoes this foundational call in his instructions to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:24–10:12), drawing a parallel between our spiritual race and the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Let me highlight a few of these parallels for you: Them (Israel) Us (Believers) Slaves in Egypt Slaves to...