Paul appointed Timothy and Titus to organize and supervise regional networks of home fellowships in the first century. Timothy's region was the Ephesus metropolitan area. Titus' region was the Island of Crete.

What qualities do you think Timothy and Titus had that prompted Paul to appoint them to this task instead of Aquila, Luke, or Apollos?

FROM THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION – HA’AZYNU:

“Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And hear, O earth, The words of my mouth. Let my instruction fall as rain, My speech drop down as dew, As fine rain on the tender plants, And as showers on the grass. For I proclaim the Name of YHWH, Ascribe greatness to our Elohim. The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are judgment, An Ěl of truth and without unrighteousness, Righteous and straight is He!”

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093025 / 7th day of the 7th month 5786
WORD FOR TODAY “this shows how evil our heart is”: Gideon reigned 40 years. Jdg 8:33 Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god.

WISDOM FOR TODAY: Pro 22:8 He who sows injustice reaps trouble, and the rod of his angry outburst will fail.

Ask the LORD how you can serve HIM better

www.BGMCTV.org

9/30/2025

THE SELICHOTH PRAYERS – YAMYM NORAYM

The Selichoth Prayers – Standard Edition, can be found at:

https://sabbathkeepersfellowsh....ip.org/articles-book

YOM SHLISHY – THIRD DAY OF THE WEEK

“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Blessed be He who spoke and the world was; Blessed be He – and blessed be His Name.

TEHILLAH 51

Be gracious to me, O Elohym, according to Your mercy; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O Elohym, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Ruach Haqodesh from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O Elohym, the Elohym of my salvation; thenmy tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. Adonai, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of Elohym are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O Elohym, You will not despise. By Your grace do excellence to Zion; build the walls of Yerushalayim. Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

TEHILLAH 27

YHWH is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? YHWH is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from YHWH, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of YHWH all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of YHWH, and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to YHWH. Hear, YHWH, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, YHWH, I shall seek.” Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not abandon me nor forsake me, O Elohym of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but YHWH will take me up. Teach me Your way, YHWH, and lead me in a level path because of my foes. Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the excellence of YHWH in the land of the living. Wait for YHWH; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for YHWH.

AL TEIRADAM

Slumberer! Do not soundly sleep now; abandon your tiredness. Distance yourself from the sinful ways of people and behold the ways of your lofty One. Hasten to worship the Rock who preceded all, as the illuminating stars hasten. It is enough for you; why do you soundly sleep? Arise and call to your Elohym!

Awaken to see His heavens and the handiwork of His fingers. And gaze upon the tents of His heights – suspended upon His arms, and upon the stars, His seals, the engravings of His signets. Fear His awesomeness and anticipate His salvations lest excellent times elevate you and your heart be lifted in haughtiness. Why do you soundly sleep? Arise and call to your Elohym!

Go out at midnight in the footsteps of men of note, upon whose tongues are praises and whose insides are not full of duplicity and deceit; their nights are spent in prayers and fasting. In their heart they seek paths to Elohym and they have places in His throne – their way of life is a ladder to ascend unto YHWH, your Elohym. Why do you soundly sleep? Arise and call to your Elohym!

Let your eyes stream with tears and be regretful for transgressions; plead before your Maker and do not be involved with evil doers. Lower greatly your pride and seize excellence for it is pleasant. Honor Elohym with your wealth, the time that saviors shall ascend and your throngs will lift their voices, prepare to encounter your Elohym! Why do you soundly sleep? Arise and call to your Elohym!

The destitute, whose origin is dust, whence his wisdom? And the superiority of man over beast is naught except for those who see the Rock of their esteem – sight of the heart, not of the eye; and see the sources of their origin, which are better than wine, for only through such, O you of flesh and blood, shall you find your Elohym. Why do you soundly sleep? Arise and call to your Elohym!

Before Elohym, “I will be who I will be,” who does all that He desires, who brings death and gives life, who lowers to the grave and resurrects – stand for judgment and live, and abandon rebellion and treachery, saying: When? And where? What is below the earth? What is above the angels? Rather, perfect shall you be with YHWH, your Elohym. Why do you soundly sleep? Arise and call to your Elohym!

Y’IRUNIY RA’IYONAY

My thoughts have awakened me, the counsel of my heart and its desire is to utter the words of my supplication with songs of Elohym and His praises. I will not grant sleep to my eyes, at midnight because of Him, so as to behold the pleasantness of YHWH, and to delve within His sanctuary.

I awoke and immediately contemplated: “Who is it that woke me?” and behold! the set-apart One who sits and awaits praises, it is He who encouraged me and gave to my ears the sense of hearing, and strengthened and fortified me. And so long as He restores my spirit I shall bless He who has advised me to accept Him, the Rock to whom the soul belongs and whose handiwork is the body, so as to behold the pleasantness of YHWH, and to delve within His sanctuary.

And I shall pray before Him and take pleasure in prayer, and my tears shall break through His clouds and be sweeter than honey and sweets. My heart will be uplifted in His eyes when it melts as if it were wax, as a slave before his master who withers from fear of him, but when he recalls his praises, he will forget all his suffering, so as to behold the pleasantness of YHWH, and to delve within His sanctuary.

Night, be still and pass very slowly and delay the arrival of the morning, until the servant shall find grace – through his entreaties – with his master. He will pour out the blood of his heart and liver and relate the plagues of his heart. And the worshipper will be unified with the King at His festival, and he will sing and declaim his parable for the sake of his Banner and his object of praise, so as to behold the pleasantness of YHWH, and to delve within His sanctuary.

Behold, he is a servant of servants before the King of kings, standing with hands heavy and tears flowing, with his limbs subservient to You for as long as he continues to live, and all his limbs offer thanks to You. Forgive his evil deeds whose weight is as the sand, so as to behold the pleasantness of YHWH, and to delve within His sanctuary.

VIDDUY

I make my sin known to You and do not conceal my iniquity; for I said that it is proper that I confess my transgressions to YHWH, and as a result, You have forgiven the iniquity of my sins. And it is stated: He who conceals his transgressions will not succeed, but he, who admits and forsakes them, shall be dealt with mercifully.

Please, YHWH, our Elohym, Elohym of our forefathers, let our prayer come before You, and do not hide Yourself from our supplication – for we are not so insolent nor so obstinate to say before You, YHWH, our Elohym, Elohym of our forefathers, “we are righteous and have not sinned,” rather, truly we have sinned – we as well as our forefathers and our household members:

(With each of the following statements, bring your right fist to your chest, over your heart.)

We have been guilty. We have betrayed. We have robbed. We have spoken gossip and slander. We have caused iniquity. We have caused wickedness. We have acted wantonly. We have extorted. We have accused falsely. We have given bad advice. We have lied. We have acted frivolously. We have rebelled. We have infuriated. We have committed adultery. We have been deviant. We have committed iniquity. We have transgressed willfully. We have oppressed. We have been obstinate. We have been wicked. We have corrupted ourselves and others. We have committed abominations. We have strayed and caused others to stray, and we have veered from Your excellent commandments and laws, but it has not benefited us. But You are righteous regarding all that has befallen us, for You have acted with truth, and it is we who have caused wickedness.

YHWH, DALU EYNAY LAMAROM

YHWH, my eyes are raised to the heavens. In my distress I call out to YHWH. My spirit was enveloped within me from my excessive anger and grief, and I poured out my soul before YHWH. Yah, hearken to my statement and perform for me a sign for excellence. Many have You performed, YHWH. I became destitute, and He saved me, El, righteous and a savior. For Your salvation I hope, YHWH. When my enemy rises up against me, my heart shall not fear, and I shall rely upon You, YHWH. My hand is raised through You, my Fortress, and not through my sword, for not through the sword and the spear does YHWH save. My enemies have prevailed, and above me they raise themselves. With regard to these will You be restrained, YHWH? Why do You conceal Your countenance while the enemy surrounds me? A zealous and vengeful El is YHWH. I place counsel in my soul, and I grieve within my heart. Will YHWH forsake me forever? For Your mercy I have hoped, because for You, YHWH, I have waited. You will answer me, YHWH, my Elohym.

EILEYKA YHWH

Toward You, YHWH, I have raised up my eyes; hear the sound of my pleas as befits Your great kindness. I have trusted in Your Name and have spread out my palms; I have taken words and have come unto You. My sorrows have been overpowering and my groans have increased, for all of my sins have You set before You. My delicate soul dissipates from grief; release from anxiety the soul of Your servant. Remove my sin, O Elohym of my salvation; also my tears may You place in Your flask. In times of anger, Your mercy may You recall and reconsider, and gladden and console the soul of Your servant.

Our Father, our King, You are our Father! Our Father, our King, we have no King but You! Our Father, our King, have mercy on us! Our Father, our King, be gracious to us and answer us, although we do not possess excellent deeds.

Deal with us with righteousness and kindness for the sake of Your great Name, and save us. And we know not what more to do, but our eyes look to You. Recall Your mercies and kindnesses, YHWH, for they have existed from ever. May Your kindness be upon us, YHWH, as we have hoped in You.

QADDISH

Exalted and sanctified be His great Name in the world that He created according to His will. May His kingdom reign, and may He cause His redemption to sprout, and may He hasten the coming of His Mashiach in your lifetime and in your days and in the lifetime of the entire house of Yisrael, speedily and very soon; and let us say: Amein!

May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity.

Blessed, lauded, esteemed, exalted, extolled, honored, upraised, and praised be the Name of the set-apart One; Blessed be He; above all the blessings, songs, praises and words of consolation that may be uttered in the world; and let us say: Amein!

May your prayers and pleas be accepted together with the prayers and pleas of the entire house of Yisrael before our Father in heaven and earth, in the name of Yehoshua HaMashiach; and let us say: Amein!

May there be abundant shalom from heaven, life, contentment, salvation, consolation, deliverance, healing, redemption, pardon, atonement, comfort and relief for us and for His entire nation Yisrael; and let us say: Amein!

HON TAHON

Be merciful to Your children who are returning to You, and who stand before You with trepidation, fearful of the time they will be called to judgment; it is for that reason that they come in distress. Recall compassion on the Day of Judgment; do away with anger and wrath at the time You will judge those who fear You and those who dwell on Your Name – they who are sitting in judgment. Bring near to me the year of the Redeemer, and redeem me; upon restful waters, O Elohym, lead me, and recall for me the merit of the perfect man, Yehoshua HaMashiach, and place me like a seal upon Your heart. Amein!

BIBLE STUDY -- YHVH’S PROPHETS

THE CALL OF JEREMIAH

From Jeremiah 1; 7:1-20

Long ago a prophet named Jeremiah lived in the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. He was a priest, the son of a man named Hilkiah. Adonai spoke to Jeremiah and gave him several messages. The first message came in the thirteenth year after Amon’s son Josiah began to reign as king of Judah. Other messages came later, when Josiah’s son Jehoiakim ruled as king of Judah, and still others at various times until Jerusalem was captured in the eleventh year of the reign of Josiah’s son Zedekiah. At that time the people were taken from Jerusalem to live in a strange land. In His first message to Jeremiah, Adonai said, [I knew you even before I created you in your mother’s womb. I consecrated you before you were born and appointed you to be a prophet to the nations of the world.] Jeremiah himself tells us how he answered: [But, Adonai, how can I do that?] I argued. [I’m too young and I don’t know how to speak.] [Don’t tell Me that you are too young,] Adonai replied. [You shall go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. You must not fear the people, for I will be with you and protect you.] Adonai put out His hand and touched my mouth. Then He said to me: [Look! I have put My words into your mouth. Today I have placed you over nations and kingdoms, to warn some that they will be destroyed and to encourage others that they will be built, making them strong and great.] Then Adonai spoke again to me. [What do you see, Jeremiah?] He asked. [A rod made from an almond tree,] I answered. [Right! And I will use this rod to make sure My Word is followed,] Adonai said. Adonai asked me another question: [What do you see now?] [A boiling pot, ready to tip over toward Judah from the north,] I answered. [Great trouble will boil over from the north, spilling upon the people of this land,] Adonai said. [I will call forth the armies of the northern kingdoms to come to Jerusalem and place their thrones at the city gates and along its walls, and also along the walls of the other cities of Judah. This will be My judgment against the people for burning incense to other gods and worshiping the idols they have made with their own hands.] [Now tie up your robe to prepare for travel,] Adonai continued. [Tell them whatever I Command you to say. Do not fear them, or I will make you look foolish before them. I want you to see that today I have made you like a fortified city which is too strong to capture, and like an iron pillar and bronze gates too massive to break down. None of these people will subdue you, neither the kings of Judah, her princes, or her people. They will struggle to overcome you, but I will protect you.] Adonai gave me further Instructions. [Go to the gate of the temple of Adonai and warn them with this message from Me,] He said. [Tell them to listen to My Message, for I am warning them to change their ways if they want to continue living in this land. Warn them that they must not listen to those who say I would not destroy My temple. Tell them they may stay in the land only if they change their ways, stop taking advantage of orphans, widows, and foreigners. Tell them they must stop their needless killing and putting other gods in My place. Only then will I let them remain in this land which I gave to their ancestors. Are these people foolishly thinking I will not destroy Jerusalem because the temple is here? Do they think they can murder, commit adultery, lie, worship Baal and these other strange gods, and then come to this house which bears My Name and say that they are safe, only to go out again and keep up their evil practices? Has My house become a den of thieves in their eyes? I see all these wicked things that are going on!] Adonai also said, [Tell them to go to Shiloh, where I first dwelt in the tabernacle. Show them what I did to that city because of the wickedness of the people. Now I will do the same to My house in which they trust, the temple at Jerusalem, because they keep on doing these evil things and refuse to listen to Me or answer Me when I call. I will send these people away from Me, just as I did their relatives, the descendants of Ephraim. You, Jeremiah, must not even pray for these people or cry out for them or plead with Me for them, for I will not hear you. Don’t you realize what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? Can’t you see how their children gather wood, and the fathers build fires, and the others make cakes for the queen of heaven? Don’t you see them worshiping other gods, and provoking Me to anger? Are they hurting Me? Not really; they are just hurting themselves. Therefore, I will pour out My anger and wrath upon this place, on both man and animal, as well as on the trees and plants. The fire will burn and not be put out.]

COMMENTARY --- THE PROPHETS: WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY DID

In the Old Testament, prophets discovered they had been chosen by YHVH in several different ways. Sometimes they had a vision, either of YHVH Himself in some form or of something mysterious that could be explained only by YHVH. They might hear a voice, YHVH’s voice, telling them of their role. Whatever way it happened; the prophet’s call could occur at any time in his life. It could mark the beginning of a lifetime function, or it could mean he would be used by YHVH only once. The prophet was YHVH’s messenger. Having received the divine message, the prophet could not rest until he had spoken it to the people. And proclaim it he did, often at the risk of his own life. Part of the reason a prophet’s life was such a dangerous one was because the Hebrews believed speech had some magical powers. If someone prophesied a bad event, the fact that he said it aloud helped make it happen. It is no wonder that there were so many false prophets, predicting peace and good times. It was not only what people wanted to hear; it was also what they believed the {prophet} was helping bring about. Especially in the time of the judges and early kings of Israel, several prophets sometimes lived together in a community. Others lived with temple workers. Some married and had families. Still others lived and worked alone, except for a small circle of disciples who devoutly followed the master’s teachings. These early prophets were easy to recognize. They dressed in unfinished animal skins or some sort of rough simple clothing. It is believed they had some kind of mark on their foreheads, but just what is not known. They may have cut their hair in some identifying way, since the Hebrews believed that the essence of a man’s strength and personality lay in his hair. Prophets appeared most often during difficult times in the life of the Hebrews. Both socially and politically, things were changing quickly. The people had begun to turn from YHVH and His Laws and rely instead on warfare and wealth to make their lives pleasing. The prophets reminded them of their error and punishment if they did not change. There were far more prophets whose names and works were not recorded in the Bible than those who were, especially during the time of the kings and the time of the Exile. Malachi was the last of the prophets recorded in the Old Testament. No other is mentioned from his time until the time of John the Baptist, a period of more than four hundred years.

BIBLE STUDY -- ELISHA DIES

THE DEATH OF ELISHA

From 2 Kings 10:35; 13:1-25; 14:15-16

After a reign of twenty-eight years, King Jehu of Israel died and was buried in Samaria. Thus, while King Joash of Judah was repairing the temple and doing other things in Judah and Jerusalem, Jehoahaz became the new king in the northern kingdom of Israel. In fact, it was the twenty-third year of King Joash’s reign when this took place. Jehoahaz then ruled for the next seventeen years over Israel. Jehoahaz was an evil king and followed the practice of idolatry which Jeroboam had begun, causing Israel to sin. This made Adonai angry with Israel and He permitted King Hazael of Syria and his son Ben-hadad to defeat them. Hazael made life so miserable for the Israelites that Jehoahaz prayed to Adonai for help. Adonai listened to him and rose up able leaders to rescue Israel from the Syrians. But as soon as things settled down, Israel began to sin again. They kept on worshiping idols, as Jeroboam had led them to do and they also kept the Asherah idols in Samaria. Before long Jehoahaz had only fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten-thousand-foot soldiers left, for Syria had destroyed all the others, trampling them like dust under their feet. Then in the thirty-seventh year of the reign of King Joash of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign along with his father in Samaria and continued as king for sixteen years. At last, Jehoahaz died and was buried with his ancestors in Samaria. The rest of his adventures are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. After the death of Jehoahaz, his son Jehoash (Joash) ruled as sole king over Israel. He also was an evil king and followed the idolatry which Jeroboam had introduced into Israel, causing Israel to sin. During the reign of Jehoash, Elisha was confined to his home with the illness which caused him to die. Jehoash went to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he sobbed. “You are as important to Israel as our chariots and horsemen.” Then Elisha told the king to do something. “Take your bow and arrows,” Elisha said and the king did as he was instructed. “Now put your bow in your hands,” Elisha added. When the king did that, the prophet put his hands on the hands of the king. “Open the window toward the east,” said Elisha. When the king did that, Elisha ordered him to shoot, which he did. “That was Adonai’s arrow!” Elisha shouted. “He will give you victory over Syria, for you will conquer them at Aphek. Pick up those other arrows and strike the ground with them.” Jehoash picked up the other arrows and struck the ground three times. That made Elisha angry. “You should have struck the ground five or six times,” he said. “Then you would have completely defeated Syria. Now you will have only three victories over them.” After that, Elisha died and was buried. Some time later, a band of Moabites was coming through the land as they frequently did in the spring. They came near Elisha’s tomb as some men were burying a friend nearby. When these men saw the Moabite band, they quickly slipped their friend’s body into Elisha’s tomb so they could hurry away. As soon as the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, he came back to life and stood on his feet. Throughout the reign of King Jehoahaz of Israel, the Syrians had oppressed them. But Adonai graciously kept Israel from being totally destroyed by King Hazael of Syria, for He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When Hazael died, his son Ben-hadad became king of Syria in his place. As predicted by Elisha, King Jehoash of Israel had three victories over Ben-hadad and recovered the cities which Israel had previously lost to the Syrians. The other adventures of King Jehoash are recorded in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. When he died, he was buried in Samaria with the previous kings of Israel and his son Jeroboam II reigned in his place.

COMMENTARY --- TOMBS OF PALESTINE

The earliest tombs found in Palestine, from thousands of years before the Israelites, were simply graves dug in the floor of cave dwellings. These were usually communal graves, with food, weapons and tools buried alongside individuals. Much later, people placed the dead in large pits with plastered sides. Flat stones covered the top, and stones marked it as a tomb. The same pit was used for burials over many years. Stone tombs called “dolmens” were the first ones built above ground. Stone slabs were braced together to form a three-sided room; a fourth slab across the top formed a roof. The tomb was covered with earth and never reopened. Eventually people began digging graves into the soft limestone hills, and they became the major type of tomb. Bones of the dead were placed in small chests called ossuary’s and then set in the cave. The same cave continued to be the collecting place until it became full. A simpler type of burial chest was the “cist” grave; a burial chamber cut to fit the individual and lined with stone slabs, forming a kind of underground chest. By Old Testament times, tombs were cut directly into rock-veined hills. The most common type was the shaft grave, in which a deep tunnel led to an underground cavern. The shaft was sealed at the bottom with a large stone. The Israelites carried the body into the tomb on a bier and placed it in the centre of the chamber. The bones were moved aside for each new burial. The need for more space led to the use of benches along the chamber walls, where funeral biers were placed. These benches eventually developed into niches hollowed into the walls. The shafts also disappeared, becoming steps leading to a main chamber room. Passageways inside the vault led into other rooms containing these burial niches. The great expense of cutting such tombs limited their use to families of wealth. The poor buried their dead as they had for centuries in shallow graves, cists and open caves.

Something that causes such confusion with the Paul’s letters today is, we are reading them through two thousand years of tradition and man made doctrine while trying to defend those same traditions and doctrines that have no defense. We can’t say on one had Paul writes the law was done away with while on the other hand he writes 1 Thessalonians 4:7— 8, “For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness. Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.” Paul is explaining how to apply Leviticus and Ezekiel to shelves of the people who would have first read his letter.