SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 21
HARVEST FESTIVALS
FRIENDS AND FEASTS
From Exodus 23
Never say what you know is untrue or joins evil men to lie about someone. Never follow a crowd that intends to do evil. When you appear before the judges to testify, do not let the crowd influence what you say. Never testify in favour of a man merely because he is poor. If you find your enemy’s lost ox or donkey, take it back to him. Or if you find your enemy struggling to get his loaded donkey onto its feet, do not pass by, but stop to help him. You must never take advantage of a poor man in court. Make absolutely sure that you never accuse anyone falsely, claiming that he did evil when you are not sure that he did. Never let an innocent or righteous person be put to death, for if you do, I will let your guilt continue to trouble you. You must never accept a bribe, for a bribe keeps officials from seeing what they should see and thus keeps others from getting the justice they deserve. Never be harsh with a stranger, for you know how a stranger feels since you were once strangers in the land of Egypt. For six years you will sow and reap your crops, but during the seventh year you must let your land lie idle so that the poor may harvest the grain that comes up. Whatever is not gathered must be left for the wild animals to eat. Follow this same rule in harvesting from your vineyard and olive orchard. For six days of each week you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest so that your ox and your donkey and your servants and visitors may also rest. Give careful attention to all that I have told you and never mention the names of other gods, for such names should never be heard from your lips. Each year you will hold three feasts for Me. One shall be the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you shall observe this feast by eating unleavened bread. The time of the feast shall be in the month of Abib, in March, for that is the time when you left Egypt. During the feast everyone shall bring Me an offering, none shall come to Me with empty hands. Another feast shall be the Feast of Harvest, a time when you shall bring Me the first part of your harvest. The third feast shall be the Feast of Ingathering, when you finish your harvest, gathering from the field the fruits of your work. Every man and boy shall come to these three feasts each year. You shall never offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread. And you shall never let the fat of My sacrifice remain until the next morning. When you bring the first of your harvest to Adonai be sure that it is the best. You shall never boil a kid in its mother’s milk. You must be aware that My Angel goes before you, bringing you safely to the land that I promised to you. Remind yourselves that he is with you, and do what he tells you; for he will not pardon your transgressions since My Name is in him. If you listen carefully to him and obey My Instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, for My Angel will lead you to the land of promise, the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites and there he will destroy your enemies. You must never bow before the gods of your enemies or serve them or do what they desire. Instead, you must break their idols into pieces. Serve only Adonai and I will bless you with food and water and give you good health. You shall be free from barrenness and miscarriages among your people and you shall live a long and fruitful life. The terror of Adonai shall go before you and cause your enemies to flee when you come. I shall send hornets before you to drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites and the Hittites. I shall not drive them all out in the first year, for if I did, wild beasts would multiply and attack you. No, their departure will be gradual so that you may take over the land little by little until you control it all. I will give you that land from the Red Sea to the coasts of the Philistines and from the deserts in the south to the Euphrates River in the north. I will let you conquer the people who now live in the land until you drive them all out. Never make a covenant with them or their gods. They must not live among you, for if they do, you will begin to worship their gods and that will lead to your destruction.
COMMENTARY
THREE FEASTS AND THE SABBATICAL YEAR
In their new land the Israelites would own their own homes and fields. They would learn to plant crops and to harvest them. And each year they would celebrate three joyous festivals to praise Adonai. Yes, the land most surely would belong to YHVH’s people. Adonai Himself promised to drive out their enemies. If only Israel will obey. When YHVH Created the world, He worked for six days in the act of Creation, then rested on the seventh. Thus, creation originated the seven-day week. Somewhere in antiquity, the seven-day week was also tied to seven winds, which the ancients said blew from seven directions. One day of the week was related to each of the seven winds. The seventh day of the week of Creation was the day of rest. Adonai declared it should remain that way and should be called the Shabbat. The seventh year also became a year of rest, when there was no planting or harvest. Whatever grew on its own would be shared with animals and the poor. In the Law which Adonai gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, He set forth three annual feasts for His people, the Hebrews. The Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover, celebrated the passing over of the Angel of YHVH before the Israelites left Egypt. At the Feast of Harvest, called Shabuoth, the first crops were offered to Adonai, the land’s true owner and the source of all food. The Feast of Ingathering or Succoth, followed the harvest. Each family built a booth of branches and twigs where they lived for eight or nine days. The booths symbolized Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness.
Blessings all on TTN.
I pray that the Lord will fill the year with good things for you.
This paper has taken many hours of putting together and is a message for this time and for those who seek a deeper walk with the Bridegroom. The preamble to the message explains it all. Please take time to read it and consider the implications and the cost of this walk. Blessings and Shalom
Here is a list of Apostolic passages that I think pair well with parsha #vayechi ("And he lived", Genesis 47:28-50:26), plus links to related videos and commentary:
https://www.americantorah.com/....2021/04/25/parsha-va
My home of shalom always enjoy the peace on the Homestead
My home of shalom always enjoy the peace on the Homestead
Happy birthday Blair! :)
SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 20
PRESERVE FREEDOM
LAWS FOR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS
From Exodus 22
If someone steals an ox or sheep and kills it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox he stole or four sheep for the sheep he stole. If a thief is caught while breaking into a house and beaten to death, the one who killed him will not be guilty unless this happened during the day. Then it will be assumed that the man was murdered and the murderer will be guilty. When a thief is caught in the act, he must pay the full fine or be sold as a slave for his debt. He must pay twice the fine if he has kept the ox, donkey or sheep or whatever he has stolen. If someone lets his animal into his field or vineyard to graze until there is no pasture left and then turns the animal into another man’s field, he shall repay that man from the best of his own field or vineyard. If someone starts a fire that goes out of control and burns another man’s shocked or standing grain, the one who started the fire must pay for the damages. If someone holds his neighbour’s money or valuables for safe keeping and these are stolen from his house, the thief, if caught, must pay double the value. But if the thief is not caught, the person holding the valuables shall go before the judges so that they may determine whether or not he is the thief. If someone claims that his neighbour has his lost donkey, sheep, clothing or other possession, the case shall come before the judges. If the judges decide that the neighbour is guilty, he shall pay the man who has made the claim twice the amount. If someone keeps a donkey, ox, sheep or other animal for his neighbour and it dies or escapes, but no one has seen what happened, that person must take an oath before Adonai and his neighbour that he has not stolen his neighbour’s property. The neighbour must accept the oath as the truth and no payment shall be required. But if the animal was actually stolen, the man must repay his neighbour. If it was torn by wild animals, the man must bring it as proof and he will not have to pay for it. If someone borrows anything from another person and it is hurt or dies and the owner is not with the property at the time, then the borrower shall pay the owner for it. But if the owner is with the property, then the borrower shall not pay for it. If the property is rented, the rent money will pay for it. If a man seduces a virgin, then he must pay the customary dowry and marry her. If the father refuses to let the girl marry this man, then the man must pay the same amount of dowry. A sorceress must be executed. Anyone who treats an animal as husband or wife must be executed. Anyone who sacrifices to any god except Adonai shall be put to death. You must never mistreat a stranger, for you were once strangers in the land of Egypt. You must never take advantage of widows or orphans. If you do in any way and they cry to Adonai for help, I will listen to them and My anger shall flare out against you and I will destroy you with the sword so that your wives shall become widows and your children shall become orphans. If you lend money to a fellow Israelite who is poor, you shall not charge interest or make the arrangements a creditor would make. If you take the man’s cloak as a pledge for the loan, you must return it before evening, for the cloak is his only covering as he sleeps. If he cries to Adonai for help, I will listen, for I am compassionate. You shall not curse YHVH or a ruler of your people. You shall not delay the offerings of grain and wine which you give Me, nor shall you delay the payment you make to redeem your firstborn sons. For seven days you shall leave the firstborn of the oxen and sheep with the mother, then give it to Adonai on the eighth day. You are My special people, set apart for My special purpose. You shall not eat any animal torn by wild beasts in the field. Instead, it shall be left for dogs to eat.
COMMENTARY
THE VERSATILE CLOAK
In the land that Adonai would give His people, each individual would be responsible to preserve the freedom YHVH had won for them. As slaves in Egypt, they had no responsibility. Now each would have an active part in the kind of nation Israel would become, a nation with Laws designed to protect even the animals and slaves. More {case law} examples show YHVH’s people the choices they would each need to make to become a land of the godly and free. Clothes were certainly not easy to get in ancient times. Every garment had to be made by hand; a long, hard process. Even the fabric had to be started from scratch, whether it was from hides, leather, goat or camel hair, wool or felt. Women cleaned the animal hair and wool. They had to card it {similar to combing}, spin it into yarn or thread and then weave it into cloth. Once the garment was finished, it was treated with great care. Most people had just one wrap; their cloak. Only the rich could afford to change clothes. A cloak was expensive and hard to make. So, it was patched and re-patched and used for any and all occasions; even as a pillow and a sleeping bag. It was rarely washed and people wore perfumes to cover up its bad odour. The cloak was truly the most useful article of clothing a person ever owned.
Thought for Today: Sunday January 01:
May you choose joy this day! May you chase and count all your blessings. May you sow generously for a eternal harvest. May you trust YHVH with the seeds you have sown. May you water them with faith, knowing and believing Elohiym will multiply all your seeds. Have an abundant joyful blessed day!
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