Weekly Parasha: 2024

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Parsha Bamidbar (In the Wilderness)

From Rabbi Jack

John {13:21} “After He had said this, Yeshua was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray Me.” {13:22} His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. {13:23} One of them, the disciple whom Yeshua loved, was reclining next to Him. {13:24} Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask Him which one He means.” {13:25} Leaning back against Yeshua, he asked Him, “Lord, who is it?” {13:26} Yeshua answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, He gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. {13:27} As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So, Yeshua told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” {13:28} But no one at the meal understood why Yeshua said this to him. {13:29} Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Yeshua was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.”

These passages of Scripture were part of our Bible Reading Plan for June 3. Often, I have been asked how Yeshua and His disciples could be celebrating the Passover Seder if He was crucified on the Passover. In reading these scriptures this verse caught my attention:

John {13:29} “Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Yeshua was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.”

A Passover tradition which has extended from biblical times until present day, is to give charity to the poor before Passover. Most often it is done by giving baskets containing food for the Passover Seder. What is interesting is that it was and still is done before Passover, not on the Passover. The second observation I made is that the disciples thought that Yeshua gave Judas money to buy what was needed for the Festival. Obviously, the Festival they were referring to was the upcoming Passover because they already had all they needed for the meal they were eating; Yeshua having instructed His disciples to make the necessary preparations to celebrate.

Luke {22:8} “Yeshua sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

Without a doubt part of the preparation was the food. Considering that the disciples, during the meal with Yeshua, thought He was sending Judas out to buy food for the Passover, the meal they were celebrating could not have been the Passover Seder meal. Yes, it was the “Last Supper”, but it obviously was not the Passover Seder because the Passover and Yeshua’s crucifixion were the following day.

From Ellen

I write this in hope that we have all increased in our relationship with the God Most High and Mighty!

I often write about sin. Sadly, this subject is ever present in not only individuals but nationwide; no worldwide! You have read and heard often that if we say we do not sin then we are liars…oops, yet another sin on top of our other sins. I am not without sin that is why I can recognize it.

Another common sin that we all commit is calling others out about their sin when we know we have done the same at one time or another.

Mishlei (Proverbs), lists seven sins that God hates in the sixth chapter, verses 16 –19: “These 6 things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

A proud look,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that are swift in running to do evil,

a false witness who speaks lies, and

one who sows discord among brethren.”

Ouch! Although you and I have not committed all those listed intentionally, we still stand guilty of at least a few.

Have we repented? Without repentance and swift repentance, at that, we are not forgiven. I am not talking about the person that has been sinned against, although we need to apologize to them, but repenting to GOD!

So, think about it. How many times a day, an hour, a minute or even a second do we think of lying, glance at someone with haughty look, wish someone was gone from your life so as not to have to deal with them, devising a plan that will trip someone up because they have exposed some sin in your life, run to join in on revealing the wickedness in others, said something terrible about someone that does not take your side, and whether right or not speak ill of fellow Believers, primarily to vindicate ourselves of our sin.

One of the big things about sinning is that we have to remember the first time we sinned so we can keep face…you know what I mean, saying we could not keep a promise when we did not even remember the promise we originally made. Life is confusing enough so why add sin to it.

Here are some reasons…

you may want to make yourself look better than the other person;

you are envious of someone’s life;

you were not chosen first;

you exaggerate your situation to keep up with the next and so many more.

If you are reading this then try to keep count of how many times you sinned by just thinking about what was listed.

I pray that you become strengthened in your faith in God and in yourself so sinning will not be prevalent in your life but repentance will. BTW, I pray the same for my life in Yeshua!

CLICK the link below to view the video sermon of the week: “Old Testament Torah and the New Testament Believer”

https://youtu.be/C-5M9Gg_ym0

CLICK below to view the video commentary on Parsha "Bechukotai" by Samuel Mangara Kibi

https://youtu.be/SSSpbH7BqZk

VISIT our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel. Click the link below:

youtube.com/@EtzChaimKenya

CHECKOUT our website and visit us when in Kenya:

www.etzchaimkenya.com

If you are being blessed by the teachings, sermons and commentaries we share, please consider supporting the ministry. Contact us for more information: daatbina@gmail.com

DONATE using PayPal. No PayPal? No problem! Contact us for other options.

https://paypal.me/kenyamission

Titus {2:13} “…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua.”

Yours in Messiah Yeshua,

Shabbat Shalom

Jack & Ellen

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Parasha Kedoshim

From Rabbi Jack

Isaiah {28:9} “Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. {28:10} For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

If you are coming to a congregation week after week, service after service, listening to the sermons but it is having no effect on your life and you are not changing or growing, then you are just like Israel during Isaiah’s time. You are not willing to learn, hear, listen or change your life to be more like Yeshua. So why are you attending? If the sermons and teachings are not affecting change in you for the better, then you might just as well get one of the kids out of nursery and let them stand and preach to you. You would get just as much out of what they had to say as you are out of what God has to say. That is what God was saying about Israel and I believe He is still saying the same thing to some of us today.

“Line upon line,” God repeats His message over and over again in the simplest way possible, trying all the while to take us deeper into His will. He does not teach us the deeper things of the Spirit until we have understood and practiced the simple things of His Word and consider this basic teaching as something wonderful. He teaches people who love to hear about God’s love, mercy and grace. Those that listen, learn and hear He moves into the deeper things of His Word. There is always something deeper for us to learn and one of those deeper things is learning more about living in victory! We also need to learn more about God’s will and how to walk in it! We need to learn more about faithfulness, spiritual discernment and waging spiritual warfare! We do it by building on the basics we have already learned; we have to grow!

Self-righteousness just will not measure up! Good works are not good enough! Just learning the basics and then playing around in the world will not measure up either! We have to grow in Messiah and do all that we can to measure up to God’s standard, to God’s Word and learn to be like Messiah Yeshua. Our life has to produce the fruit and the works that come from a heart of true repentance. Works of righteousness and a life that is fully committed to Yeshua is a requirement, not a suggestion. You can either stay stuck as a beginner and face the judgment of God and His wrath for your disobedience, or you can grow to maturity in the Messiah. The choice is yours!

From Ellen

1 Samuel {16:7} “But Adonai said to Samuel, “Do not pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. Adonai does not see the way humans see – humans look at the outward appearance, but Adonai looks at the heart.”

Remember, when Saul was chosen to be king he was a head taller than everyone else and very handsome, Although he looked good, he did not do the job according to God’s standards. Saul was a man for himself, not a man for God. Saul was prideful, greedy and self-absorbed tyrant and only thought of himself. When we enter into the service of God all these “traits” that I just mentioned should have been repented of and delivered of as well. Being in ministry for God and always coming to Yeshua first in everything is the only path to take. Keep in mind there are no wide paths to accomplishing the will of God, only very narrow ones and Saul was on a wide path but God knew David was His man. Paul said he must die daily and we should as well.

There is a very sad situation in ministry that we have seen throughout the years and that is putting self-absorption and self-interest before God’s interest…remember what the Word says: ‘Seek the kingdom of God first and all things will be added unto you.’ Are you seeking the Kingdom of God in your life? Are you seeking God first in the ministry God has entrusted to you?

Do you want to look good on the outside for all to see? Be careful, we become what we worship. Is it better to look good and lack the anointing or to be true to yourself and receive the anointing equal to the challenge? These are all simple and really everyday questions. You do not have to be the rabbi or the worship leader…maybe you are ministering at home to an unsaved family or neighbor. Maybe the Lord Yeshua has placed you in a job among pagans and idol worshipers or maybe you are alone. The Holy Spirit sees and knows all.

A Word of warning…this world is speedily spiraling downward into Hell. As I write this last sentence it was like the flushing of a toilet. So again, I will ask a really simple everyday question…are you worshiping God or yourself? Before your next “flush” take a long good look in the mirror and seek Yeshua for the answer. Your Abba in heaven has all the answers.

CLICK the link below to view the video sermon of the week: “Final Day of Hag HaMatzah”

https://youtu.be/Sft7MnNCsI4

CLICK below to view the video commentary on Parsha "Pesach the 7th day" by Eugene Omondi