Category: Torah Portion Examined

Torah portion is a part of the FIRST FIVE BOOKS of the Hebrew Bible which is allocated for the Jewish people to study each week to ensure they read the entire Pentateuch each year.
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The ++ stands for part of the OT and part of the NT examined each week in addition to the first five books of the Bible.

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Torah Portion Examined

Consequences of Disobedience

The blessings for the Jews abound, if they obey their GOD. 

Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings that are offered, “if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your GOD, to observe carefully all His commandments… that the LORD your GOD will set you high above all nations of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 28:1)

But further on, the curses are listed for disobedience

Deuteronomy 28:62-64 encourages us to trust GOD so that we are not warped into a false religion. The consequences of disobedience are severe and extensive:

“You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your GOD. 

“And it will be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.

“Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the otters, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known — wood and stone.”

Why is GOD so severe?

The LORD said He was a jealous GOD but it is not only for Himself that He longs for His people to follow Him. It is for their protection as well as to glorify Him. And when He is glorified, the enemy Satan is defeated.

History

Under King David and King Solomon, Israel was truly a blessed nation as GOD had promised in Deuteronomy 26:18-19,

“Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honour, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”

But a deeper look at Solomon reveals the damage which began under his rule when he intermarried and allowed false gods to be worshipped. The decline was evidenced at his death when the kingdom became divided and in both Israel and Judah, king after king varied their stance: some worshipped the LORD GOD; some did not.

Rather than Solomon ruling and leading other nations to the One True GOD, he missed his call, got side-tracked (and depressed which a reading Ecclesiastes demonstrates) took numerous wives, and failed to lead the world to an understanding of their Creator GOD.

Likewise, centuries later, the leaders of the Temple missed the call of their long-awaited Messiah; they missed Jesus. Nevertheless, the church was begun by Jews, lead by Jews for three centuries, until the Roman authority “took over” and ultimately, countermanded the Jewish roots. 

Anti-semitism was rife and Jews following Messiah dwindled to practically nothing for 1600 years.

Why is GOD so severe with His Jewish children?

Luke makes it clear the link between gift and expectation: “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

In John 8:44 Jesus says to the Pharisees, 

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Who speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

But we do not war against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6). Ultimately, we war against the enemy of GOD. 

Contemporary spiritual circumstances 

If the Jews did not trust — and do not trust and obey GOD, if society does not trust Jesus as Messiah and we do not follow GOD’s ways and glorify Him, we practise a false religion, and Satan is victorious — for the short term.

Heaven and earth will pass away but GOD’s Word will never pass away (Matthew 25:35). And so the ultimate victory always will be GOD’s. But in the meantime, we can either live well or live badly, in health and joy or in sickness and grief, lead by Satan or by Jesus.

Jesus is the Word made flesh, as it says in John 1. Following the Law of Moses in ancient times or following the Messiah who has completed the Law, GOD leads the way to victory over the enemy of darkness and death.

We are blessed by GOD in every way possible and to the degree we honour Him. Further, we are protected from the devil as we yield to the Creator of the universe.

By being “so strict” GOD protects us from Satan. If we follow GOD, the enemy cannot accuse us of wrongdoing and therefore, he cannot have a legal entitlement in our lives. Jesus came to fulfil Jewish Law and by following the Law historically or its eventual fulfilment in Jesus, satan cannot win.


GOD is strict to protect us from the enemy. Thankfully, ultimately, we are saved by His grace not by human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that makes the biggest difference of all — to every society.

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Torah Portion Examined

Civilisation comes through GOD’s Law and its fulfilment

I tend to read the Torah Portion every Jewish Shabbat and that includes the New Testament addition for Messianic and Gentile Believers.

Recently, we landed on Deuteronomy 28 and certain verses really struck me. What I saw was that the Hebrews were called by GOD to inspire all mankind. 

Clearly, He gave the Promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for a greater purpose beyond blessing these people and their family line. In fact, Jews were chosen and have one overriding calling: they are called to inspire the world.

Essentially, I believe I can trace that civilisation comes through GOD.

Key verses

Deuteronomy 28:1 says,

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.”

GOD gave the people the Law that they would know how to live peacefully and productively in a barbaric world.

But where there is disobedience, Deuteronomy 28:62 & 64 read as follows,

“You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.” 

“Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known–wood and stone.”

Jews are gifted with responsibility and talent

Throughout history, one common attack has been anti-semitism: Jews have been repeatedly accused en masse of seeking to “take over the world”. But that isn’t true. What is true is that they are blessed and inspired by GOD to lead the world, to make it a better place than it would otherwise be. It is first through GOD’s Law of Moses that the society became civilised, moving beyond the barbarism of the day. When the Law came into the world it offered hope. When the Jews failed to keep the Law, their scattering blessed the World, for even out of their disobedience and scattering, the Jews took GOD’s Word to the world.

And what about England?

Through the fulfilment of the Law through Jesus — Messiah — we see the LORD’s steady influence to civilise, protect, and make flourish mankind. GOD pours out His blessing on Gentile nations when they follow Jesus. 

Nowhere perhaps in the world do we see this anointing, this blessing, coming in greater degree than amongst the Gentiles in England. Though not as a replacement for the Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but as a witness of the possibilities for the Gentile, we see the nation of England flourish and impact the rest of the world, especially during her Empire. 

GOD’s multiple blessings was the experience of Great Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria, and perhaps even from Elizabeth I to Victoria.

England led the world in modernisation and in missionary work to the far corners of the earth. Along with educators, medical institutions and administrators went missionaries. Infrastructure built in the days of Queen Victoria still echo in the nations that were a part of the Empire at that time. In essence, England blessed a significant part of the world, sharing the Gospel and other benefits received from GOD, such as Common Law and freedom of speech.

GOD’s intention to civilise mankind

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” (Luke 12:48). 

On this premise let’s recognise how GOD has imbued the Jewish people with the knowledge of how to please the LORD, how to bless him… so Gentiles too, and all humanity, would be blessed. The English were endowed with similar favour so long as they followed GOD. It is not through punishment but rather spiritual consequence that both nations have suffered, the Jews most of all. But we also see that, as the British have turned their backs on GOD, they have walked out from under His umbrella of His protection, and until the nation turns back, there is little hope of anything but the descent into further decline.

Final word

In giving us Jesus and the Bible — both the original Hebrew Bible and the New Testament — the world has flourished for generations.

Now, in decline, societies need to get back to the Word and faith in the LORD, to turn decay into new hope, to turn darkness once again back to the Light of Jesus.

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Torah Portion Examined

What about Prophetic Dreams: sample the Torah Portion of Genesis 41

There has been a lot of dreaming and posting of dreams by current prophets. What about prophetic dreams? Can we rely upon them?

God reveals to Joseph, who in turn interprets dreams

This week’s Torah Portion includes Genesis 41: Pharaoh’s dreams and Joseph’s release from prison to interpret them.

It prompts me to consider the wealth of prophetic dreams that have been posted in recent months and weeks surrounding the November election in the United States.

When Joseph interpreted dreams, it yielded immediate fruit. It seemed the dreams came from GOD and GOD gave deliverance through the interpretation of them.

What about the prophecies today?

Are they of GOD? Do they bear godly fruit?

There has been such an abundance of the prophetic that I have deliberately not kept up. I gather there were numerous prophecies claiming victory for President Trump. These have been dampened by the facts. And now we wait, because nothing is yet concluded, irrespective of what the mainstream Trump-hating media might like to proclaim. Although they claim Trump’s claims of election fraud are baseless, so equally it can be said that the media’s proclamations of a Biden victory are premature at least, baseless they may prove to be, ironically.

So what do we make of the contemporary prophets? Is it too soon to tell? Are they false prophets? Have they been misguided? Are they cheats?

I would not wish to judge or assume these men and women are false. They may be in error, or time will reveal they are correct. Or perhaps GOD has allowed them to see the election outcome wrongly; remember Ahab listened to his 400 prophets who had been deliberately deceived rather than listen to Micah (2Kings 22).

So, what shall we do about the prophetic voice today?

Listen, take stalk, wait, and do not be disheartened. It is not the prophet we must follow and rely upon but GOD alone. So, each of us must ask our Father to share with us personally: What are you saying, LORD? What are you doing, LORD?

And then each of us listen to the still, small voice for himself.

In the meantime, Psalm 46 is a huge encouragement… “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble…” As we meditate on this Psalm, Yehovah Father GOD will reveal more of Himself to us.

(Thanks to Kelly Johnson for sourcing today’s image: My Sheep Hear My Voice)

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Torah Portion Examined

GOD’s Commitment to Israel (Torah Portion Hosea 13)

GOD’s Commitment to Israel: Torah Portion Hosea 13

God’s commitment to Israel is everlasting, even though he has extended that commitment beyond the Jewish people.

This week, the Torah Portion Hosea 13 in particular, has stuck with me.
The LORD says to the Jews, “Yet I am the LORD your GOD.” (Hosea 13:4)

Hosea 13:1-11

“When Ephraim spoke, trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended through Baal worship, he died. Now they sin more and more, and have made for themselves moulded images, idols of their silver, according to their skill; all of it is the work of craftsmen.

They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!”

Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud and like the early dew that passes away, like chaff blown off from a threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney.

“Yet I am the LORD your GOD ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no GOD but Me; for there is no saviour besides Me. I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. 

“When they had pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore they forgot Me.

“So I will be to them like a lion; like a leopard by the road I will lurk; I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage and devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them.

“O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is Me. I will be your King, where is any other, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’?
“I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath….” 

Perhaps these verses grabbed my attention because I’ve been pondering lately GOD’s identity relative to other gods. Do you remember Paul spoke to the Athenians about their altar To The Unknown God and explained their unknown god was the Creator of the Universe, one not made by human hands? (Acts 17:23) Just this week I heard some new ideas about the Nephelim (giants – half angel half man; see Genesis 6:4) being behind much of the confusion, destruction and perversion arising across society in these days. I am aware that some people believe these Nephelim, who are the offspring of fallen angels called “sons of GOD” and the daughters of man, long ago were manifested as gods and given names in Greek such as Zeus, Apollo, Hermes and so on. There was nothing of this in the recent teaching, but rather sometimes, by association, GOD brings one idea (Yehovah GOD as the God of the Hebrews) to our minds in order for us to make connection with another idea (existence of other gods). So, I’ve been thinking about our Yehovah GOD in relation to other gods which man has idolised throughout history.

Any case, back to Hosea: 

In the context of Yehovah GOD declaring to the Hebrews that He is their GOD and they’d have none other (Hosea 13:4), and upon reflection of the Athenians and the fallen angels and Nephelim, I realise that whether a god has any power or not, different cultures have different gods. That the GOD of the Hebrews happened to be the actual GOD of the universe: all powerful, eternal, creator, is pretty awesome for them.

It really hits home to me, as a Gentile:

So, in Hosea 13, Yehovah GOD says the the Jews, “I AM” and He says it exclusively to them and they are to be exclusively His. 

Jesus (called Yeshua in Hebrew) tells his disciples not to go out to the Gentiles but only to those of the House of Israel (Matthew 11) and reiterates this to a Gentile woman who sought his help for her demon-possessed daughter when he says as recorded later in Matthew, “It is not good to take the children’s bread [ref to Jews] and throw it to little dogs [ref Gentiles]. And she said, “Yes, Lord, even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” And then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be as you desire.” (Matthew 15:26-28). 

After his resurrection, Yeshua Jesus commissions his disciples to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Yes, the Gentiles have been grafted in (Romans 11), adopted, welcomed into the Kingdom of GOD by faith. How heinous this must have seemed to the Jewish people of the time who had been brought up on their exclusive access to GOD; and yet those Jewish people who followed Jesus’ Way gave way to him, in faith. 

It is my heart’s desire to share Yeshua Messiah with those Jewish people who  have found the truth in Jesus. And of those still seeking more truth, yes, they need to know the Gentile Jesus is their Jewish Messiah. The Gentiles were accepted by him and have been grafted in, not to replace the Jews, but because GOD loves Jew and Gentile and his son. GOD has not excluded, replaced or abandoned His chosen children. He is still their GOD. He is simply now also GOD for the Gentiles as well, for those who will accept Him. Yeshua is Messiah to the Jews and Saviour to rest of the World,

“… It is too small a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

Hallelujah and Amen.

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Examining Biblical Scripture Torah Portion Examined

Genesis Creation Story: Richness of the Truth offered by Creation Scripture

Genesis Creation Story

Genesis 1:1 to 6:8

In the Genesis Creation Story we find a richness, a wealth of power and truth, and through this an added empowerment to our everyday walk of faith.

“In the beginning GOD.”

I was reading this morning the first Torah Portion* for this Hebrew year which has just begun. Reading the Torah Portion puts the entire Pentateuch** to our eyes and mind in the space of a year. Gentiles reading alongside the Jewish people can gain much in re-reading the Book of the Law over and over again.

In my re-reading today I realised several keys:

  1. “Let the earth bring forth grass…” By about 1:11 I realised afresh: Oh, what a creative Creator He is. From out of nothing, sprang the earth: beginning with light, the heavens and eventually bio forms, life forms of grass, living creatures… and finally Mankind. He created life forms in order that they may beget life. Wow! Let us never take that for granted. Though the planets and solar systems existed before the earth itself, in some sense, life as we call it, did not. No bio life existed before GOD called it into being.
  2. Then along the way of reading chapter 1 of Genesis, I realised what a disaster we have made of the beauty of the world. I won’t dwell on that here.
  3. “And Adam said… She shall be called Woman” in Genesis 2:23 and I realised as he called all the animals so he called Woman. Does that mean he has superiority over her? Ouch!
  4. Eve probably didn’t hear GOD say not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but only that Adam had told her GOD had said that, which would explain why she over-stated saying, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” (3:3)
  5. The interminable struggle between good and evil, man and the devil, is synthesised in these words, “He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (3:15)
  6. Genesis does not share all the children borne of Eve, because there were many alive by the time Cain married (4:17), and this was easily accomplished since they all lived nearly 1000 years.
  7. Through Seth, men began to call upon the name of the LORD. This is important: i. Through Seth’s line came Noah. ii. the name of the LORD is important. This latter point will be made in future posts, just as I have referred to it before.
  8. GOD called human beings “Mankind” (5:2)… isn’t it remarkable how today, even this is being assaulted by those who wish to call us “humankind” or “people-kind” so as not to seem anti-feminine.
  9. Noah was the great grandson of Enoch, who never died but “walked with GOD; and he was not for GOD took him.” (5:23)
  10. “Sons of GOD” aka fallen angels (6:2) had sex with daughters of men and from these intercourses were mighty men descended. And there were “giants on the earth” (6:4). These offspring could well be the “gods” of ancient belief systems such as held in Greece, Rome for the West and others (I’m less familiar with) from the history of the East.

Contemplating Genesis Creation does not conflict with other religions or scientific belief. In fact, it enhances, explains from a Judea-Christian heritage how the earth and everything in it began, developed.

May I encourage you to read through the beginning of time to Noah. May I also encourage you to get a copy of the Torah Portions (free at: www.torahportions.org) and consider the Word of GOD deeply, richly and fully as you continue on your journey to knowing GOD more intimately.

Shalom and GOD Bless.

*Torah Portion: that part of the first five books of the Bible allocated per Sabbath Saturday. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible as written by Moses from GOD’s “dictation”.

** Pentateuch: the first five books of the Bible