LIGHT OF MENORAH

The Gospel According to Moses - Genesis - Lesson 38 - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

What did the people do in Sodom and Gomorrah that made God to decide to totally annihilate them and their cities?  What sin is so grievous, serious, or grave that God will not back down from bringing down His wrath?  This is a heavy concept to think about. What adds to the seriousness of this lesson is Abraham finally got God to say He’d spare the cities if 10 righteous people could be found.  But, think about it.  What if 10 could not be found but only 9 or 8 or 5?  Now what?  The righteous would suffer God’s wrath with the unrighteous if 10 could not be found.  There’d be no “rapture” for them.  

So, what is the line in God’s eyes that we dare not cross?  Is there a line such that there is no escape, no “rapture?” Perhaps in the midst of experiencing God’s wrath for us we’d be like the Hebrews in Goshen – we’d be miraculously protected by the Lord.  Perhaps the Lord would do the same for the 9 or 8 or 5 righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah if 10 righteous could not be found.  But, this is only speculation.  We don't know. 

The people in Sodom and Gomorrah did not know they crossed the line.  They did not have God’s instruction which is the meaning of Torah.  It does not mean law!  They did not realize the heaviness of their evil actions in the eyes of Adonai.  Sometimes I wonder if today if we too think we are OK and have not crossed the line such that God will bring down His terrible wrath.  Hmm, I wonder.  Just consider one aspect of our culture.  Since Roe vs. Wade over 62,000,000 babies have been murdered due to abortion in the USA.  62 million!!  Haven’t we heard that …

There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. (Pro 6:16-19)

62 million innocent babies have been murdered and this is something that God hates.  Is this the line that if we cross it Adonai says “enough?” 

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background

 

 

 

The Gospel According to Moses - Genesis - Lesson 37 - WHO IS THIS GUY?

Who is Avram – exalted father?  Later God changes his name to Avraham – the father of nations.  Who is this guy?  Why does God pick him?  It is interesting to note that Paul teaches us that God first gave the Gospel of the Kingdom to Avraham and, also, for any of us who are in Christ, we are descendants to Avraham!  Huh?  How are we son and daughters of Avraham and Sarah?  From Paul we are getting the idea that somehow Messiah Jesus and Avraham might be connected somehow.  How?  Perhaps it is in the answer to the question of why did God pick Avraham? 

 

The rabbis make up stories or state their views or opinions as MIDRASH – מִדְרָשׁ or according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Midrash was initially a philological method of interpreting the literal meaning of biblical texts. In time it developed into a sophisticated interpretive system that reconciled apparent biblical contradictions, established the scriptural basis of new laws, and enriched biblical content with new meaning.  The words in bold are critical.  Midrash of the orthodox rabbis sometimes changes the meaning of the Bible text so that the rabbis views and opinions override the Bible text to satisfy their own views.  So, one must be careful to study the midrashim of the rabbis since it can lead to misleading ideas of the meaning of the Bible text.  One must be extra careful when listening to a teacher who quotes the rabbis and their midrashim as “gospel.” 

But in a midrash of Genesis the rabbis seemingly came up with a story (a form of a midrash - a way to explain a "hole" in the Bible text or an unanswered question or unexplained concept) to perhaps explain what Avraham was like so that God saw this and picked him.  The story in unhistorical and unbiblical but is cute.  It can’t be taken as truth but it is a story that seems to say to us that whatever God saw in this guy must’ve been apparent in Avraham’s life earlier on.  Here’s the story …

R' Hiyya said: Terah was a manufacturer of idols. He once went away somewhere and left Abraham to sell them in his place. A man came and wished to buy one. "How old are you?" Abraham asked him. "Fifty years" was the reply. "Woe to such a man," he exclaimed, "you are fifty years old and would worship a day-old object!" At this he became ashamed and departed.

On another occasion a woman came with a plateful of flour and requested him, "Take this and offer it to them." So he took a stick, broke them, and put the stick in the hand of the largest. When his father returned he demanded, "What have you done to them?" "I cannot conceal it from you," he rejoined. "A woman came with a plateful of fine meal and requested me to offer it to them. One claimed 'I must eat first,' while another claimed 'I must eat first.' Thereupon the largest arose, took the stick and broke them." "Why do you make sport of me," [Terah] cried out, "have they then any knowledge?" "Should not your ears listen to what your mouth is saying," [Abraham] retorted.  (Midrash Beresheet 38)

It is a fun story, a fun midrash.  But it is certainly made up, not true, and unbiblical.  However, it makes a point.  Avraham knew that stone idols are not gods probably before God picked him.  That makes sense. 

Here's a link to a credible Jewish website - The Jewish Virtual Library.  Here you can read about Avraham and some of the "traditions" and midrashim associated with Avraham.  Link - click here to access the article

But, it doesn’t answer the question, why Avraham?  What was it that God saw in him to pick him?  The answer is explosive and must be grasped if you are a true disciple of Jesus enduring the chaos and evil of these days. 

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background

 

Genesis 33 - SPECIAL LESSON - "WHY DO THIS?"

SPECIAL LESSON

In lesson 33 we will turn from our focus on the Torah and the book of Genesis to consider the answer to the question, “Why Do This?”  Why should we study the Bible in this manner?  Why should be put the Bible in its historical context and strive to hear the Bible on its own terms; that is, to hear the Bible as to what it says and what it does not say? 

 

Since I returned from my first study tour to the Middle East in Israel years ago and continuing in my learning since those days, I have found that most lessons I hear from Christians are devoid of the historical context of the Bible.  I have found that most teach with no concept of how important it is to understand the word of God as the “first hearers” did.  A classic example is the picture of Jesus with the sharp two edged sword in Pergamum in Revelation 2.  No one ever has ever taught how the sharp two edged sword and Pergamum are related.  No one ever in teachings I heard makes the connection.  Why? 

The Bible was written to them, those who first hear it, and not to us.  As my first teacher said that we must understand the who and the what and the where of the Bible event to understand the why.  This was Ray Vander Laan and I highly recommend you to connect with his ministry, “That the World May Know,” and to start purchasing his DVD’s of Bible lessons in their historical context filmed on site in the Middle East.  Here’s a link to his website.  Link - click here

I urge you to check out his free articles and audio lessons.  Click on LEARN at the homepage of "That the World May Know."

So come and join me.  Let us consider the importance of hearing the Bible on its own terms.  Let us consider bringing our brain to the Bible and use our minds and intelligence that God gave us to come to know Him in a deeper and more passionate way so that the fire in us will begin to burn out of control and we will not be able to keep our mouths shut anymore. 

 

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background

Genesis - 29 - Gen. 13:1-8 WHAT’S WRONG WITH LOT?

What is wrong with Lot?  As we read the events in Genesis 13 without the understanding of the background of the ancient Near East, we do not grasp the full understanding of the answer to the question.  Yes.  Most agree Lot chose poorly; Lot decided to live in Sodom and Gomorrah. 

But, is there more to these events that we can’t see?  Once again, if you have been part of our journey through the Torah, the 1^st five books of the Bible, with are focus on Genesis, you know that as we put the Bible in its historical context, we “see” things in a whole different manner.  It then helps us through the Holy Spirit understand His Word in a more expanded way.

I mentioned a website one can go to study the ancient family structure called the בית אב - Beit Av – the house of the father – the extended family structure lead by the patriarch.  Here’s the link to the article - https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/family

By studying the concept of the Beit Av we can perhaps get a better understanding of what we call the family of God.  We as disciples of Yeshua live in His House, the House of the Father, the Temple.  In Hebrew the Temple in Jerusalem was never called the Temple.  It was called the בית המקדש - Beit HaMikdash – the holy dwelling house of Adonai.  So, we are God’s Temple, His בית המקדש - Beit HaMikdash - as Paul teaches in 1 Cor. 3:16.

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

 

Genesis - 27 - Gen. 12:1-9 DATING IN THE BIBLE

AN IMPORTANT LESSON SHOWING THE VERACITY OF GOD'S WORD.  

Abram arrives at Shechem (lesson 26) in 2091 B.C.  Really?  Who says?  Time goes on and then we read in Exod. 12:40 that the sons of Israel (Jacob) lived in Egypt 430 years till they left with Moses.   Where does that number come from?  Why doesn't anyone explain it?  Also it is taught to us that the early date of the Exodus was 1446 B.C. and no one ever justifies this date.  It is just stated.  Why won't anyone help us understand that this date of 1446 B.C. is supported by REAL archaeology and not someone's opinion or speculation.  Well, I will.  This lesson is to show that the early date of the Exodus, 1446 B.C. is very likely considering the archaeology supporting it and the study of the events in their historical context.  

I mentioned I will provide a number of links to resources to help you study further.  These links and resources are shown below.

Link 1 - slides that may help you put all this together - https://www.dropbox.com/s/jdvuqdvqg6q88fh/Egypt%20W%

Link 2 - an article on Edwin Thiele that shows how he connects the Assyrian King List (calendar) to 1 Kings 6:1 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/m9au2fpr9suktj8/Dating%20Old%20Testament%20History%20Thiele.pdf?dl=0

Link 3 - video from the Associates for Biblical Research on dating of Exodus Part 1 - https://biblearchaeology.org/mediainfo/digging-for-truth/digging-for-truth-episodes/4538-digging-for-truth-episode-43-archaeological-evidence-for-the-early-date-of-the-exodus-part-one

Link 4 - part 2 of the previous video - https://biblearchaeology.org/mediainfo/digging-for-truth/digging-for-truth-episodes/4544-digging-for-truth-episode-44-archaeological-evidence-for-the-early-date-of-the-exodus-part-2

Link 5 - Dr. Bryant Wood's article on setting the date for the Exodus - https://biblearchaeology.org/research/chronological-categories/exodus-era/3288-recent-research-on-the-date-and-setting-of-the-exodus

Link 6 - Dr. Bryant Wood's video on the Hebrews in Egypt part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT6giGYerx4

Link 7 - part of of previous video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJn09u8cYRA

Link 8 - part three of previous video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EMecjtl-MA

 

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

Genesis - 26 - Gen. 12:4-7 PROMISES OF GOD AT ONE PLACE - SHECHEM

If there is a Torah foundation to the Christmas story this lesson and the previous are it.  If you haven’t listened to lesson 25 yet, I urge you to do so since 25 and this lesson go together.  (Link for lesson 25 - click here for lesson 25 )  If you ever wanted to study scripture that testifies of Jesus’ coming and His mission, these are two Torah lessons that are foundational to our understanding of the coming of the Messiah and the REASON FOR THE SEASON and a direct connection to John 5:39.

In this lesson we will focus on one location.  We must turn to geography to see how God picks one place to help us SEE His redemption plan. 

In this lesson I mentioned Joel Kramer.  He is an OUTSTANDING evangelical Christian archaeologist.  He did a Bible study tour recently to Israel when he was studying for his advanced degree in archaeology.  One spot they studied was Shechem – the location I mentioned above that God picked.  Below is a link to Joel’s video on site in Israel at the ancient ruins of Shechem.  You won’t want to miss this.  Also, I provided a link to Joel Kramer’s website as well.  You MUST go to his website and see the free videos from Israel that will blow you away.

Link to video lesson by Kramer at Shechem - click here for the amazing video

Link to Joel Kramer's website - https://sourceflix.com/

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background

Genesis - 25 - Gen. 12:1-3 All Families Will Be Blessed

Get ready for one explosive lesson.  It all focuses on Gen. 12:1-3 ...

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (NASB Gen 12:1-3)

If there is one place in the TORAH, if there is one instance in the Old Testament where God proclaims "good news" for all of us, it is right here. I normally do not rely on Orthodox Rabbinic commentary to help me understand the Bible. Too many times rabbis interpret the Bible in ways that are not based on the historical or cultural context or make up explanations that they need to deal with a scriptural difficulties or issues too tough to answer rationally.  It is like the miracle of the oil at Chanukah.  It never happened.  I am not stating my opinion.  I am just telling you what scholarly Jewish sources teach.  We Christians fall into the trap of assuming the Orthodox rabbis are THE resource for understanding the Bible from a Jewish point of view.  Far from it.  For example the Orthodox say the 1st temple was destroyed in 423 B.C. based upon their personal interpretation of some verses in Daniel. However, they are wrong.  Archaeology and history prove the temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.  So, we need to be very very careful when accessing Orthodox Rabbinic Bible commentary. Here's a link to one of those sources to help you understand that the miracle of the oil never happened on Hanukkah. 

Link - https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/transforming-hanukkah/

However, Rabbinic commentary is not always so off; that is not always the case.  I do access rabbinic commentary, not as my primary source, but I need to glean from their ideas and thoughts.  In the case of Genesis 12:1-3 their commentary blew me away as I think it will you.  Their contributions to understanding these three verses are truly amazing and show us that the foundation of the New Testament is the TORAH.  Here we will see, thanks to the rabbis, the gospel of the Kingdom, their view that this is a new start for all mankind, and that the Hebrew of these verses gave Paul insights into his picture of us Gentiles being "grafted in."  Here's an article you may find interesting that goes into the Hebrew and of these verses that relate to the Gospel, the Good News, that God inspired Moses to write about.

Link - https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/broken-grafted-restored-gods-kingdom/

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

Genesis - 24 - Gen. 11: 1-32 The Tower

The events of the Tower of Babel story are more applicable to us today than we may have imagined.  It is probably something we have not been taught or even considered.  For one thing, the people did not just build a tower.  They also built a city.  They built a city and a tower.  This is huge and must be taken into account.  What's this all saying?

Also, as the events unfold there is no mention of God.  These people probably are not evil.  The Bible does not say they are evil.  But, these people do not seem to the one's who believe in God.  Verses 1-4 they seem to be godless.

God shows up finally in verse 5 when He came and saw not just the tower, but the tower and the city.  God sees both.  The tower is not the focus but the city and the tower.  

Some Bible teachers will say God was angry with the people and what they did.  Huh?  There is no mention of God being angry.  But God sees that they have one language and they are one people and they will not easily be stopped from doing whatever they wish if this continues.  God is saying this is dangerous.  Huh?  Why?  Why is is dangerous.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that humankind never changed after the flood.  In Gen. 6:5 and again after the flood in Gen. 8:21, God tells us through Moses' pen that the imagination of men's hearts is to do evil continually.  This idea is seemingly repeated here.  Is God warning us that mankind as one people with one language and one worldview without God will lead to uncontrolled evil?  Is this perhaps and prediction of the end of days when many will be without God and united as one people and one godless worldview?  Let's go see.

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background

Pentecost and "Big Floyd" (George Floyd)

Today is May 31, 2020.  For Christians it is the day of Pentecost.  Pentecost (meaning 50) is one of the feasts of the Lord as found in the Torah in Leviticus 23.  The feast was to be held 50 days after the feast of First Fruits that occured on the Sunday after Passover - the day Jesus rose from the dead.  In Hebrew it is known as Shavuot, or the feast of weeks - it was to occur the day after 7 full Sabbaths.  

I find it interesting that Pentecost Sunday is a day the Lord can speak and minister to us, the followers of Messiah Jesus, during this awful time that we are going through in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul after the murder of George Floyd.  If we put this feast into its historical context, if we try and learn how the disciples of Jesus may have understood this day, if we study what this feast is really all about, God can minister to us in ways that are truly amazing and awesome and challenging. 

Come Lord.  On this Pentecost Sunday, come and minister to us to help us know Your heart and mind in these awful days.  Come and help us understand what Pentecost can teach us about the murder of George Floyd.  What can Pentecost teach us about us and what we are to be like in these days of chaos and turmoil? 

I reference an article about George in "Christianity Today."  Here's the link to that article so you can learn about George as a disciple of Yeshua.  Link - click here for the article