Read the verses between the above quoted two and see that He restores our soul with the Torah…. It identifies sin, teaches us how to love Him, how to love our neighbor and how to walk as Yeshua walked. Why in the world would we ignore it?
Tag: Torah
Does Scripture lie?
Many times in Scripture we are clearly told that the Torah, even the statutes and ordinances, are FOREVER. Are all of these verses a lie? Or, is Yeshua speaking truth when He says, ‘not one jot or tittle will pass from the Torah and the Prophets…if you want to be LEAST in the Kingdom, annul and teach to annul the least of the commandments.’ (Matt. 5:17-19, paraphrased)
The will of God in the New Year…
Many want to know the will of God. Like several other places, the psalmist clearly says His will is the Torah. What will you do in the new year?
New Year’s Resolution…
The everlasting unchanging Word of God? Or, was the author of Psalm 119 just a misguided dreamer when he said, ‘forever?’
I suggest you RESOLVE to keep the Torah, including the statutes and judgments!!
Prophesying to the Dry Bones…
Ez. 37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out [a]by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of
the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord [b]God, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, HEAR [shema; שְׁמַע ] the word of the Lord.’ 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause [c]breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6 I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Last Shabbat, I posted a quick note about a global praying of the Shema asked for by a Rabbi on behalf of Judah and the need for the Mashiach to be revealed. In that post I stated that in addition to being a prayer, Continue reading “Prophesying to the Dry Bones…”
Puzzling Theology
I love jigsaw puzzles. There is something both compelling and satisfying in assembling the pieces of a puzzle and watching a picture slowly emerge.
A few days ago a co-worker brought a puzzle to work and many in the office helped assemble the 1000 piece seaside scene over the course of a week. While the social dynamic of passersby stopping to add a piece or two was interesting, I pondered the unspoken pattern which was naturally followed by all of the participants. First the corners and border were put in place, then major obvious parts of the image before the less clear and detailed pieces were assembled.
I’ve put puzzles together with many groups and the largely unspoken pattern is almost always followed. Start with the most obvious and work toward the less clear. Continue reading “Puzzling Theology”
Meditations from Psalm 27 v. 2 & 3
This is the month of Elul on the Hebrew calendar and traditionally, a month of repentance as we prepare for the Fall Feasts, most especially, Yom Kippur. Psalm 27 is one of the Psalms read daily during this period and several days ago I posted the first of several meditations from this passage. Here is another from verses 2 & 3.
2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.
It is September 2015 and there are a thousand people claiming that this could shape up to be a wildly eventful month. Blood moon, solar eclipse, Pope at the UN, end of the Shmita, beginning of the Yovel, etc… No doubt, prophecy seems to be accelerating and bears watching, but the troublesome aspect is how many people get totally bent out of shape and focus on nothing but the bad.
Yet, these verses clearly say, beginning with the end of v. 1, that “Yehovah is my defense…, Whom shall I fear?” And, these verses continue the thought by laying out some dreadful thoughts about enemies, adversaries and hosts (armies)! Still, the Psalmist ‘will not fear’ and is ‘confident.’ Why? Continue reading “Meditations from Psalm 27 v. 2 & 3”
Meditations from Psalm 27. v.1
We are in the month of Elul, the 6th month in the Hebrew calendar. Traditionally, this is a month of repentance and deep introspection as we prepare ourselves to stand before the King on Tishri 10, Yom Kippur. During this time, in addition to normal reading, it is customary to add Psalm 27 as a daily meditation. In that light, I’d like to post a few notes over the next few days. Please share your thoughts on each verse selection as it comes up…
27:1 Yehovah is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
Yehovah is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Interestingly, one of the reasons this Psalm was selected millennia ago by the rabbis for preparation for the Fall Feasts is because there is an allusion to each of the feasts in the Psalm. The first phrase of the Psalm contains two of the three allusions.
Our first allusion is ‘light,’ and the word points to Yom Teruah, Day of Blowing (Trumpets), which is also known as the Day of Coronation. The King is coming and He will appear on the Day of Trumpets, some year in the future. He is Light and is the bringer and creator of light. More importantly, He is MY light. Continue reading “Meditations from Psalm 27. v.1”
Truth: a few thoughts.
PS 119: 142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy Torah is truth.
Human based truth can change, however the truth of God’s Word is unchanging. Can the truth of God’s Word be made more or less true?
When Paul says, in 2 Timothy 3,
16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, “
Is some Scripture more profitable than other? When he wrote that, he wasn’t talking about any of the ‘ new’ testament…. What Scripture was he talking about for training in righteousness?
25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
Is Deuteronomy, or the Torah less true than the Gospels or Pauline letters?
How about this: can one ‘truth’ in God’s Word abolish or overide another without an explicit declaration of such? As an example, Continue reading “Truth: a few thoughts.”
Does ‘truth’ change?
Multiple points made in yesterday’s post about professor Daniel I. Block’s essay have been running through my head. The major one is one I’ve pondered before but am again relishing.
Simply, the truth recorded in Torah has not and cannot change. When יהיה said to keep His feasts forever (4x in Lev. 23), that is unchanging truth. When יהיה said to keep the seventh-day Sabbath forever (Ex. 31:16-17), that is unchanging truth. It can’t change, else He is a liar, and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2).
Therefore, if someone tells you these have changed, that person is lying. Period. (Now, they may be doing so in ignorance as I once was, but it is still lying.) Gently correct them with this thought: Does (or, can) God lie? Concerning the Torah, He says it is truth and everlasting righteousness.
http://bible.com/100/psa.119.142.NASB
Shabbat Shalom!!
11:3 Restoration 