Shabbat Bible Study for 21Aug2021
©2021 Mark Pitrone & Fulfilling Torah Ministries
Devarim 2.1-3.22, Yeshayahu 1.1-27, Tehillim 121, Romiyah 9
Devarim 2 – Moshe has been recounting their travels up to Mt. Seir, and now continues with our travels from Kadesh. Y’hovah told us to leave Seir for Esau, as he had given it to him as a possession. He warned us to be ever watchful of the Edomites, since they feared us, and to be sure not to take what wasn’t ours, but to pay for anything they would sell us. We could enter a business relationship with our brother Esau, but we could not sojourn or partake of their worship with them.
He then told us not to bother the Moabites or their land, since Y’hovah had given it to them as a possession. We were to just skirt Moab’s land and pay for anything we needed and that they would sell.
We were then to cross the brook Zered. Zered is from St. H 2218 and means to be exuberant in growth. Zered must have been in bloom at this time, perhaps the brook had water running all year. The idea of crossing over a brook of exuberant growth puts on in mind of the promise Y’hovah made to Avraham, that his seed would be as the stars of the heaven and the sand of the sea. The time it took to do all that had been described by Mo in these 15 verses was 38 years. IOW, not much happened between Kadesh and Zered except people dying off who had considered the giants in the land more than Y’hovah could handle. We’ll come back to that in a minute.
After we skirted Moab, we would come to the Ammonites, who we were also not to harm or take land from, for Y’hovah had given them their land for a possession, as well. Lot’s children Moab and Ammon were to be left alone, presumably as a reward to ‘righteous Lot’ for his testimony in Sodom.
Now to the giants (in parentheses). Please notice that the Edomites (Horims vv. 12, 22), Moabites (Emims, v.11), Ammonites (the Zamzummims v.20) and the Caphtorim (Avims, v.23) all conquered the giants that lived in the lands they possessed, presumably without Y’hovah to fight for them. Y’hovah is giving us this information to let us know that the 38 years wandering and the death of an entire generation outside the land was avoidable. All we had to do was trust Him to keep us safe, as a chick is safe and warm under its mother’s wing, and to deliver us and his promises to us. I think he rewarded these non-Yisraelite Hebrews BECAUSE they did what we wouldn’t do, as a witness to us.
Then Y’hovah commanded Moshe to take us across the River Arnon to deal with Sihon, king of Heshbon. The land of the Amorites is nearer Kadesh than Moab. How did he get there? Sihon is from H5511, tempestuous, from the root H5477, wipe or sweep. Heshbon is from H2808, contrivance, from the root H2803, to weave, as a plot. Sihon swept into power by contriving a plot to bring instability (a tempest) to the preceding king’s nation.
Sihon was afraid of Yisrael and her Elohim already. Y’hovah began to build on the spirit of fear that already existed among the heathen he planned for Yisrael to conquer. Moses sent an embassage to propose a peaceful passage, like he’d been able to do with the Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites, but Sihon was having none of it. Sihon sent his troops and Yisrael wiped them out, as can be seen in Num.21. When we defeated Sihon, we took possession of all the land of trans-Jordan from the middle of the Dead Sea to about 1/3 of the way between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Chinnereth/Galilee. The battle took place at Yachats (H3096 – threshing floor), where Yisrael tore them apart, killing every man, woman and child. I think that Y’hovah wanted no other spiritual influence in his camp before they conquered the land. Whatever, Yisrael was finally doing it right and obeying Y’hovah and trusting him to do as he said he would. Q&C
Devarim 3 – Our next obstacle was to defeat a giant, so off we go to Bashan, where Og is King. Og was truly a giant. The tallest man on record, according to the Guinness Book was a man named Robert Earl Hughes, who stood some 12 feet tall. Og would have dwarfed him, as he was about 14½ feet tall, assuming his bed fit him. Og’s bed was about 14 ½ feet long and 6 feet wide – twice as tall as the Chinese basketballer, Yao. Goliath was a shrimp by comparison. Y’hovah had us go up against the largest man recorded in scripture, or anywhere else for that matter, just to show us that with Him fighting for us we had no worries.
As Y’hovah told Moshe, Og was nothing to worry about. We wiped out his whole nation, as we’d done to Sihon’s. This is what we ought to do with all those sworn to our national destruction, as Yisrael should have done in their recent skirmish with Hezbollah/Hamas.
Yisrael now controlled all the land between the center of the Dead Sea and Mt Hermon on the East of Jordan. This was the land given to Reuben, Gad and the ½ tribe of Menasheh as an inheritance. These tribes could leave their wives and children, along with their herds and flocks, in these walled cities without worry about the inhabitants of the land causing trouble for them, since all the inhabitants were wiped out and it would be some time before anyone got up the cajones to challenge the conquerors of Sihon and Og, or their Elohim, Y’hovah Tzavaoth. Q&C
Yeshayahu 1 – V.1 tells us that the main topic of this book is Judah and Jerusalem, numerous references to Yisrael and Joseph notwithstanding.
V.10 is addressed to Sedom and gAmorrah, but these cities are NOT who he means. He has likened his people in Yerushalayim to Sodom and Judah to gAmorrah in v.9. The very small remnant has spared the entire nation to this point. This is how Y’hovah works. He will spare a multitude for the sake of just a few, as he would have done for the actual Sedom and gAmorrah, had there been any there besides Lot who were righteous. He was willing even to spare Lot’s daughter’s husbands if they’d been willing to consider that the old man was not NUTZ!
The time is coming, in fact in some places it now is, that you will be thought nutz if you start warning people of impending judgment from Y’hovah. I’m not really worried about it, since most folks think I’m nutz anyway, but if you can’t deal with ostracism and contempt things will not be easy for you.
Those Fox reporters that were taken by Hamas and released after 2 weeks in captivity renounced their religions and submitted to Allah for their captors. Had they not done so, they ran the risk of being beheaded, like Daniel Pearl was (Dan might actually BE the saint the media portrays him as). I’m beginning to think that Moshe Koniuchowski may be correct about the end time beast being Islam, since their favorite form of death to the infidel is beheading. Look at Rev.6.9 and 20.4:
Rev. 6:9 (KJV)
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Rev. 20:4 (KJV)
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
I believe these describe the same group of people. At any rate, I’m going to have to read up on Moshe’s position. Eddie has told us that there are 3 groups vying for control of the NWO, the west, the east and Islam. I recently heard that Iran is backing the insurgency in Iraq because the Ayatollah is convinced that there will be ‘One Caliphate’ that will stretch from the Pacific to the Atlantic with Iraq as its center and, I presume, Babylon as its capital. If they can defeat the Americans in Iraq, by whatever means, they will be a long way toward their goal. Who else will stand up to them and how long will the resistance last? I see bloody scimitars in the west’s future if the US fails (and I believe it will).Q&C
The people had continued in their sacrifices, but their hearts were like those of Sedom and gAmorrah, fulfilling the lusts of their hearts, not the Torah of Y’hovah.
Proverbs 15:8-9 (KJV)
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Y’hovah: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. [9] The way of the wicked is an abomination unto Y’hovah: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
Our sacrifices, Our New Moons, Our solemn assemblies are all an abomination unto him, because we are doing them for our own reasons, or just by rote. He wants our hearts, not just our works. The sacrifices were set apart unto Y’hovah, until the priest began to do them as a ritual and without a heart of repentance and the obedience that comes from it. Then, the sacrifices were just killing and the blood of those animals was on the priest’s hands. Isaiah knew the principle and applied it to Yehudah. Can we apply it to ourselves?
Vv.16-19 are the heart of the passage today, and our link to the Torah portion. The generation of Yisrael that entered haAretz had hearts after Y’hovah’s own heart. They personified vv.16-19.
James 1:21-27 (KJV)
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness (I LOVE that phrase – Mark), and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. [22] But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. [23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: [24] For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. [25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. [26] If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. [27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
That is Ya’acov’s description of a heart after that of Y’hovah. Is yours like it?
Vv.21-24 describe America of the 21st Cent. CE – Money that’s worthless, leaders on the take, Judges who sell themselves and care nothing for justice, and legislators with the blood of innocent babies on their hands.
There is good news, though. Vv.25-27 tell of our future redemption. Even though we did everything wrong, he will graciously give us the true desire of our hearts. The one who wants him will have him; the one who wants his own life and wealth will lose it. Hey, that sounds familiar! Q&C
Tehillim 121 – A song of degrees is a Song of Ascent, one that was sung on the approach to Zion. As we ascend to Jerusalem for the Feasts, we look toward the hills from which Messiah will enter the city, specifically, the Mount of Olives. Our help IS Yeshua haMashiyach, who made all there is by the Word of his mouth.
Notice the use of ‘keep’ (shamar). Y’hovah is our keeper, our guardian. He will not sleep; he will not tire of his guarding us. 3x he keeps or guards us. 3x he preserves us. Preserve is from the same Hebrew root as keep – shamar. He keeps us 3 times, he preserves us three times, and he does it in the past and the present and the future.
‘The sun shall not smite’ – speaks of the time of trouble, when the sun will scorch the heathen. By the miraculous working of Y’hovah, we (assuming our faithfulness) will NOT be scorched by it, quite possibly while standing next to one of the unbelievers who will be in agony. HE will provide shade for us, while not providing it for the guy next to us. Do you suppose THAT might cause a little animosity?
BTW, Eddie Chumney, this is the first psalm I’ve seen that is not about exile and redemption. It only speaks of redemption and protection. Of course, it ASSUMES a previous exile. Q&C
Romiyah 9 – Sha’ul was in bitterness for his brethren according to the flesh, the very men who were after his life, not because they were after him and he feared for his skin, but because they were after him and he feared for their souls. This is an example of turning the other cheek as it was meant. There are some who in their zeal for obedience think a nation has to love its enemies to the point of non-resistance – Yisrael should NOT have gone after Khamas/Khezbollah, but ‘turned the other cheek.’ Well, they finally did turn the other cheek and they are about to pay dearly for it. Yeshua’s context was personal, not national.
Please notice that Sha’ul’s persecutors were Yisraelites. He did not say Jews. He’ll deal with the Yehudim later, but he speaks of Yisrael here. ALL Yisrael is included in the description of vv.4-5. To all Yisrael pertains the adoption. So not just the gentiles are adopted, but the Yehudim and Yisrael are as well. He tells us that not all are Yisrael because they were physically born to Yisrael. To be a part of Yisrael, one must be adopted into Y’hovah’s spiritual family. The covenants apply to the spiritual seed of Abraham, as does Torah and service to Y’hovah AND the promises.
Now, I think the promise in this passage is the delivery of the Spirit of Truth to them that believe. Y’hovah’s Word will not return to him void. In every instance one will either accept its truth or reject it as foolishness. Those who accept its truth are recipients of Y’hovah’s grace and partakers of the Commonwealth of Yisrael – they are the seed of Yitzhak. Those who reject it are of the seed of Esau. Ultimately only these distinctions count. One is either Yitzhak’s seed or Esau’s. One is either after the Spirit of Y’hovah and a son of promise or he is after the spirit of Esau and a son of the flesh.
When Y’hovah said, ‘Ya’acov I have loved, but Esau I have hated’, was he speaking of real hatred or just relative hatred? The quote is from Mal.1.1-5. It says in v.3 that Y’hovah laid waste to everything Esau had and gave them to the dragons of the wilderness. Dragons usually symbolize haSatan, and I don’t think this reference is any different. After Y’hovah destroys Esau’s stuff, Esau says he’s going to rebuild it. Y’hovah will allow him to do so, but he will tear it down again. What happened to Yisrael when the Arabs had it? It became a waste. But within a few years of Yisrael’s return to the land, it was a garden that feeds most of the Middle East and Europe. Do you suppose this curse is still in effect? And the blessing on Yisrael?
Vv.14-16 – V.14 is a question that begs to be asked by the morally conscious man. The problem is that morality is a part of the curse because it was the issue of the fall of Adam and Eve. HaSatan used morality to argue with Eve.
Genesis 3:4-5 (KJV)
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
He effectively said, “You’re more moral than Elohim, who is jealous of you.” Human morality is abomination to Y’hovah, who desires our obedience in righteousness, not our moralizing condescension. This is the point of the passage from vv.14-16. You are unable to work or earn your salvation. Salvation doesn’t come by morally upright acts, or the praises of men that we receive thereby. Only the mercy of Y’hovah is efficacious to us-ward. Q&C
V.19 is a toughie. He just said that only by Y’hovah’s mercy can we be justified. So how can he condemn us for being what he made us, or for not being the recipient of his mercy? He is not willing that any perish, but that all should come to repentance. Do all repent? Who has resisted his will? All who refuse to repent and trust him and his Son, which IS His will for us, have resisted his will.
V.22 is answered by the Exodus, where Egypt filled the vessels of his wrath 400 years, so they could be properly fitted for destruction, while in vv.23&24, chol Yisrael receives the glory of the miraculous deliverance of Y’hovah from the bondage of Egypt. Not just the Jews, but gentiles and Israel as well.
In vv.25-26 Sha’ul relates the whole passage to Yisrael (the 10 tribes) in the dispersion among the gentiles, who was called Lo-Ruchamah and Lo-Ammi, but are now called Ammi and Ruchamah.
V.27 quotes Yeshayahu who said that a remnant would be saved. A remnant is a small percentage of those who claim to be followers of Y’hovah. Remember our haftarah passage, “a very small remnant”, as we’ll see in v.29, kept us from being as Sedom and gAmorrah. Sha’ul changed the word in Yeshayahu from ‘very small remnant’ to ‘seed’, which tells us that the true seed of Yitzhak and Ya’acov will be a very small percentage of the ‘people of faith’. Let’s look at Sha’ul’s arguments:
1) They are not all Yisrael who are born of Yisrael. IOW, being a physical son doesn’t qualify you for adoption as sons of Y’hovah.
2) Only those who are adopted are sons of promise.
3) Children of the flesh are NOT children of Y’hovah.
4) Children of promise ARE the children of Y’hovah.
5) Y’hovah decides who will be adopted.
6) Y’hovah chooses from among the 3 major people groups, Yehuda, Yisrael and the Nations.
7) There may be lots who have a physical claim on kinship, but only a few will be adopted.
So what is it that assures our adoption as sons of Y’hovah? Vv.30-33 tells us that works of righteousness are of no avail in attaining to the adoption. It is the righteousness accrued by faith that justifies us. The gentiles and the dispersed of Yisrael gained their justification by the faith of Yeshua, while the Yehudim, who worked their patooties off to attain to the adoption, didn’t receive it because they were trying to earn their justification. Mercy is never earned, or it is no longer mercy. Mercy is attained by placing one’s trust in the one who grants the mercy.
What is the stumbling block that Messiah laid before men? He told us that Y’hovah must be worshipped in Spirit and in truth, and that Torah must also be kept in Spirit and in truth, not in the letter of the law or ordinances of men. The Yehudim rejected him because they had been taught lies for generations and he told them to reject the lies and return to the Spirit of the Torah. It was ultimately Yeshua that was the stumbling block, as he is the stone cut out without hands, which is the covenant of Sinai that he wrote on stones that he cut out of the mountain himself.
Yeshua is literally all in all. Q&C
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