Life in Dry Bones

Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to YHWH of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of YHWH....After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose...
1 Samuel 1:3,9

Elkanah's sacrifice in 1 Samuel 1 could have been one of the three Feasts of Ascent (Pesach, Shavuot, or Sukkot). Whatever the occasion, Elkanah made a peace offering and ate it with his family, a BBQ to honor God.

BIBLE STUDY LESSON 1

SERIES A --- YHVH’S PIONEERS

IN THE BEGINNING

THE WAY THE WORLD BEGAN

From Genesis 1:1–2:3:
In the beginning YHVH created the heavens and the earth. At first, the earth was a desolate waste, and a deep, brooding darkness covered the great empty places. Above it all, the Spirit of YHVH hovered. Then YHVH sent forth a Command over this wasteland. [Let light appear!] He ordered. The shadows scattered and light came upon the earth. YHVH was pleased with the light and separated it from the darkness. When the light shone it was day, and when the darkness appeared it was night. This is how YHVH made the first day, assigning a certain time for darkness and light to appear, separating them with evening and morning. Then YHVH ordered the waters of the earth to separate. The waters below became vast oceans, and the waters above became clouds and vapours. Separating the two was the great canopy of the heavens called the sky. By now, the end of the second day had come. On the third day YHVH caused the oceans to gather together into certain places, permitting the dry land to appear. YHVH called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of the waters He called Sea. With this work YHVH was pleased, for it was a good work.

[Now let the land be clothed with vegetation, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees that carry their seeds in the fruit, so that the seeds may continue to produce their own kind of plants.] As YHVH Commanded these things, they happened, and the third day ended. With all of these things YHVH was pleased. YHVH continued His work with this Command: [Let bright lights appear in the sky to light the earth and separate the day from the night, to designate the seasons, the days, and the years. Let them shine in the sky, giving light upon the earth.] It all happened as YHVH Commanded. He made two great lights, one to govern the day and the other to govern the night, and He also made the stars. YHVH placed them in the canopy of the heavens, the sky, to shine upon the earth and to determine the times of light and darkness. YHVH was pleased with these things, too. When He finished this work, the fourth day had ended. On the fifth day, YHVH gave another Command. [Let the waters come alive with fish and sea creatures, and let birds of all kinds fly above the earth in the great canopy of the sky.] So, it happened the way YHVH said. YHVH made the waters come alive with all kinds of sea creatures, great and small, and placed the winged creatures in the sky. YHVH was pleased with all these things and blessed them, for they were good. [Multiply!] YHVH told them all.

[Fill the seas and the skies with your own kind!] When this work was finished, the fifth day came to a close. Once again YHVH spoke. [Let the earth produce every kind of living creature -- cattle, reptiles, and the wild animals to roam the earth.] So, it happened. YHVH made every kind of wild animal, cattle, and reptile, and YHVH was pleased with the creatures that He had made. Then YHVH said: [Let Us make man to be like Us, and let him be in charge of all the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle and the wild animals, and the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.] So YHVH created man to be like Himself. In the image of Elohiym, man and woman were made. YHVH blessed them and told them, [Multiply and fill the earth and bring it under your management. Rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all living animals on the earth. For your food you will have all the seed-bearing plants and the trees with seed-bearing fruit, for I have given them to you. And to these creatures, I have given the plants to eat.] Then YHVH looked upon His work and recognized how good it was. With this, the sixth day came to a close. So, the work of creation was finished, and the heaven and the earth were completed. On the seventh day YHVH laid aside His work to rest. YHVH blessed this seventh day and made it Holy, for that was the day He had rested after all the work of His creation.

COMMENTARY

THE BIBLE WORLD
The first words of the Old Testament introduce us to the Bible’s central message. [In the beginning -- YHVH.] Behind the physical universe is a Living Person. This Person is not only Powerful, but is also magnificently creative. All the wonders and beauties of our world existed first in the imagination of Elohiym. Then He spoke, and they were created… from nothing. How great this YHVH we meet in the Bible must be! The world of the Bible was a relatively small world, especially compared to the world of today. If a large world map were stretched across these two pages, less than two square inches would represent the part known as the Bible world. Within these two inches, the names of some nations have changed, while others remain the same as they have for thousands of years. Names such as Jordan, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq would have been unfamiliar to the ancients. But Egypt has been a continuous nation for thousands of years. Canaan became Israel, which disappeared for two thousand years, to appear again in this generation. Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, Philistines and many other nations and empires have gone down, to be raised again only by the archaeologist and historian. Landmarks in the Bible world, rivers, mountains, lakes, and seas remain much the same as in Bible times. Some cities, such as Jericho and Damascus, have kept their names for thousands of years, even though the cities have changed greatly. The world of the Bible was a relatively small world. But it has left a mark upon today’s world far greater than its size would suggest.

This week’s Torah Portion is now on the app and website. Check it out!

In case anyone ever tries to tell you that Jewish rabbis have never understood Isaiah 53 as referring to the Messiah...

"The Rabbis said: His name is 'the leper scholar,' as it is written, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of God, and afflicted."
Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, Folio 98b
https://www.jewishvirtuallibra....ry.org/babylonian-ta

"Our righteous Messiah has turned away from us; we have acted foolishly and there is no one to justify us. Our iniquities and the yoke of our transgressions he bears, and he is pierced for our transgressions. He carries our sins on his shoulder, to find forgiveness for our iniquities."
R. Eliezer, Machzor Kol Bo
https://ffoz.org/discover/mess....ianic-jewish-calenda


Maimonides wrote that '[The ancient Jews] believed that leprosy was one of the characteristics of the Messiah, for which they found an allusion to the verse: "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted", that is by leprosy.'
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki..../Epistle_to_Yemen/Co

Hey y’all I was looking at canning butter and I just wondered if canning milk was a thing. It totally is! So in the next couple weeks I’m going to pressure can some fresh milk from our Jersey Dexter cross cow. Coming up we will be taking a farm tour with some eastern Freesian sheep and we plan to get 1 or 2, Yah willing,for meat and rich milk. Since they only lactate about 210 days of the year, canning milk might be a really smart option. We have been dairy farming for generations and are milk snobs hard core! So freezing milk and shattering the protein makes it not only taste funny but makes it useless for any quality fermenting, esp for making aged cheeses like ghouda, cheddar, and Colby (my husband’s specialty). We have been using an old wine fridge with a moisture sensor to age cheeses. We replaced the shelves with wood boards that we soak in water to keep the humidity level correct. Works great! Keep farming and working hard my friends! We are always learning and I love seeing what you all are doing and how!

THE TRUMPET by BILL BURNS
These are times in which you must be connected to Me, says the Lord. These are dangerous times when many will be tempted to fall away. Do not allow this to happen to you. Stay strong, and live by faith in Me. I will be your helper in these days if you allow it. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

SMALL STRAWS by MARSHA BURNS
It is time to build on your solid foundation of life in the Spirit. There are many things that demand your attention, but the most important one does not make demands. It is your connection to Me, says the Lord. Make every effort to nourish your spirit by setting aside time to focus and spend time in My presence. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

THE TRUMPET by BILL BURNS
These are times in which you must be connected to Me, says the Lord. These are dangerous times when many will be tempted to fall away. Do not allow this to happen to you. Stay strong, and live by faith in Me. I will be your helper in these days if you allow it. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

SMALL STRAWS by MARSHA BURNS
It is time to build on your solid foundation of life in the Spirit. There are many things that demand your attention, but the most important one does not make demands. It is your connection to Me, says the Lord. Make every effort to nourish your spirit by setting aside time to focus and spend time in My presence. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

THE TRUMPET by BILL BURNS
These are times in which you must be connected to Me, says the Lord. These are dangerous times when many will be tempted to fall away. Do not allow this to happen to you. Stay strong, and live by faith in Me. I will be your helper in these days if you allow it. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

SMALL STRAWS by MARSHA BURNS
It is time to build on your solid foundation of life in the Spirit. There are many things that demand your attention, but the most important one does not make demands. It is your connection to Me, says the Lord. Make every effort to nourish your spirit by setting aside time to focus and spend time in My presence. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

THE TRUMPET by BILL BURNS
These are times in which you must be connected to Me, says the Lord. These are dangerous times when many will be tempted to fall away. Do not allow this to happen to you. Stay strong, and live by faith in Me. I will be your helper in these days if you allow it. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

SMALL STRAWS by MARSHA BURNS
It is time to build on your solid foundation of life in the Spirit. There are many things that demand your attention, but the most important one does not make demands. It is your connection to Me, says the Lord. Make every effort to nourish your spirit by setting aside time to focus and spend time in My presence. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.