Praise Yah??

This week's Torah portion includes Numbers 10. The first verses talk about two special trumpets which are not shofrot, they are chatsoserah, a totally different word which means silver (metallic) horns. Only the High Priest could authorize these chatsoserah to be blown for marching, new moons, and other specific things. In the NT, some sacred Name or Hebraic-ish bible translations use shofar for the horns being blown in NT prophecy. It's almost a certainty those are chatsoserah, not shofrot. A key difference is that we laypeople may own and blow shofrot. We will never have our lips touch the holy trumpets of the Temple or those in the New Testament.
When you consider decisions about new moons and such, do you consider authority? In Torah, authority trumps accuracy (no pun intended). If the Kohen Gadol says to go out, you go out. If the Kohen Gadol says it's the first day of the 3rd month, it's the first day of the 3rd month. Those of us in the west consider accuracy over authority because we are raised to be, effectively, sovereign in our lives. But in Torah, we do not have the authority to make certain decisions, they are reserved for the Kohen Gadol. In Yahweh's kingdom, we will be subjects, not sovereign people who need to be convinced. We will either obey or find ourselves out of the kingdom. We should also consider who have the authority to order the prophetic chatsoserah to be blown and take heed not to follow men, but to follow Yahweh and His Messiah, trusting that their timing is just, regardless of our perspectives. #shabbatshalom

This week's Torah portion includes Numbers 10. The first verses talk about two special trumpets which are not shofrot, they are chatsoserah, a totally different word which means silver (metallic) horns. Only the High Priest could authorize these chatsoserah to be blown for marching, new moons, and other specific things. In the NT, some sacred Name or Hebraic-ish bible translations use shofar for the horns being blown in NT prophecy. It's almost a certainty those are chatsoserah, not shofrot. A key difference is that we laypeople may own and blow shofrot. We will never have our lips touch the holy trumpets of the Temple or those in the New Testament.
When you consider decisions about new moons and such, do you consider authority? In Torah, authority trumps accuracy (no pun intended). If the Kohen Gadol says to go out, you go out. If the Kohen Gadol says it's the first day of the 3rd month, it's the first day of the 3rd month. Those of us in the west consider accuracy over authority because we are raised to be, effectively, sovereign in our lives. But in Torah, we do not have the authority to make certain decisions, they are reserved for the Kohen Gadol. In Yahweh's kingdom, we will be subjects, not sovereign people who need to be convinced. We will either obey or find ourselves out of the kingdom. We should also consider who have the authority to order the prophetic chatsoserah to be blown and take heed not to follow men, but to follow Yahweh and His Messiah, trusting that their timing is just, regardless of our perspectives. #shabbatshalom

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Luke 2:46

When Yeshua stayed at the Temple after Passover when he was 12, he probably taught the Jewish teachers a lot, but he was there to learn from them, not the other way around. If the Son of God humbled himself to listen to the religious experts of his day, how prideful must we be to insist we don't need teachers or that we know better than them all?

Oregon Road Trip, Days 6-7

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
Luke 2:41

Joseph, Mary, and their children, including Yeshua, kept the Passover in Jerusalem every year. We can't all go to Jerusalem and there's no Temple or altar there anyway. It's impossible to keep Passover today strictly as God commanded it to be done. Yet we still keep Passover as much as we can where we are as a memorial of God's salvation in Egypt, but more importantly, of God's salvation at Golgotha.

Exodus 22:21, “You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.” Believers are instructed to do what is reasonable to live in harmony with each other and that includes the people who may not live near you. Because believers should be the example for the world we live in, we should try to treat everyone equally. Of course this does not intend for believers to allow themselves to be taken advantage of…

Thought for Today: Shabbat June 10:

Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are opt to sink into dispair. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Moshiach and let us go on into the invisible future with Him. Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step, Amen!

BIBLE STUDY LESSON 11

SERIES R --- THE GOOD SHEPHERD

COST OF COMMITMENT

A KING’S TROUBLED CONSCIENCE

From Mark 6:14-29

The news of Yeshua spread everywhere, even to King Herod. Some people were saying, [John the Baptist has risen from the dead. That’s why He can do such miracles.] Others said, [No, this is Elijah.] And still others said, [Yeshua is a prophet like the prophets who lived long ago.] But when King Herod heard about Yeshua he said, [This man is John the Baptist! Even though I had him beheaded, he has come back to life again.] Herod had personally ordered the arrest and imprisonment of John the Baptist. When Herod had married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, John had repeatedly told him, [It is wrong for you to marry your brother’s wife.] Because of this, Herodias hated John and thought of ways to have him killed, but none of them seemed to work. King Herod was afraid of John, for he recognized that John was a godly man, and therefore Herod kept him safe from Herodias’ evil plans. Herod enjoyed listening to John, even though the things that John told him caused him to be disturbed. At last Herodias found the opportune time to put her evil plans to work. Herod gave a big party on his birthday and invited the leading men of Galilee, along with the military officers and government officials. Herodias’ daughter danced for Herod and the other men. Herod was so pleased with her performance that he made a rash promise. [What do you want?] Herod asked. [I give you my word that you may have anything you ask, even half of my kingdom.] Immediately the girl ran to her mother, Herodias. [What should I ask for?] she wondered. [Ask for the head of John the Baptist,] Herodias answered. The girl hurried back to Herod. [Give me the head of John the Baptist on a plate,] she said. [Now!] Herod was sad when he heard this. But he had given his word before his guests and could not refuse. Herod sent a guard immediately to bring the head of John the Baptist. The guard beheaded John in prison and brought his head on a plate and gave it to the girl, who then gave it to Herodias. When John’s disciples heard about this, they took his body and laid it in a tomb.

COMMENTARY

THE OSSUARY

In Bible times, several generations of one family frequently used a single tomb. Instead of burying each individual in a separate grave, the body was sealed in the family tomb immediately after death. After the flesh had decayed and only the skeleton remained, the tomb was reopened. The bones were collected and put in a small box called an ossuary. This box was then set on one of the special shelves carved out of the wall of the tomb. It was placed beside the ossuaries of the other members of the family who had died. This left the main part of the tomb empty for the next time it was needed, and made it possible to bury many people in a small area of land.