Teshuvah, Tefilla and Tzedakah Yom Teruah 2014

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Sep 25, 2014

News Letter 5850-027
1st day of the 7th month 5850 years after the creation of Adam
The 7th Month in the Fifth year of the Third Sabbatical Cycle
The Third Sabbatical Cycle of the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Earthquakes, Famines and Pestilence

September 27, 2014

Shabbat Shalom To the Royal Family of Yehovah,

The following are the Holy Days for the fall season. The moon was not seen on Thursday evening so the month was 30 days by default.

Yom Teruah – Sunset Sept 26 through sunset Sept 27
Yom Kippur- Sunset Oct 5 through sunset Oct 6
Sukkot Day 1 – Sunset Oct 10 through sunset Oct 11
Shemini Atzeret – sunset Oct 17 through sunset Oct 18

It would not be Yom Teruah with out all the controversy over when the 1st day of the seventh month was. Many are keeping it according to the conjunction calendar. Others according to when they site it over their local area. And then the endless arguments or debates about when the month begins.

What are you doing and why? Have you taken the time to prove which one is the correct one to use. Or are you one of those who waffle back and forth with the teacher of the month you are following? It is time you all grew up and become mature in the faith. Prove it and do so because your life depends on it. Stop arguing with everyone trying to convince them to join your team so you feel good because you have more people on your side.

It is time you all grew up. Stop sucking milk and begin to eat the real food mature people eat.
We have proven it. You can search for our article Conjunction or Sighted which? if you want to learn how to prove it. If you don’t want to learn then go and start reader the hebrew roots teachers that teach what you believe then. Things that will not hurt your head.
Each of you should be able to prove that Yehshua died on the 14th of Nisan which was a Wednesday. And He rose from the grave 3 days and 3 night later at the end of Sabbath. And you all should be able to prove that the year was 31 C.E. How does this prove it, some of you may ask?
The month on Nisan must begin at such and such a time, so that 14 days later the Tuesday evening and Wednesday day are the 14th of Nisan. A conjunction moon 14 days before Wednesday the 14th will prove it or a sighted moon 14 days before will prove it. So just go and prove this one way or the other.

IN our article Conjunction of Sighted which we show you Revelation 12 which tells you about the birth of the Messiah on this day of Yom Teruah. IN that article we show you the moon is under her feet and the sun is in mid body of the constellation of Virgo. When we run our computer programs this shows us that in 3 BC when Yehshua was born it was September 11 and it was Yom Teruah and this moon under her feet was a crescent moon. It was NOT IN CONJUNCTION!!!

But every year people forget they ever read this article or they never go and prove it. Each of you needs to do this in order to stop this waffling that goes on each year over this issue.

Another issue. Do we reckon from Jerusalem or from our own backyards? A growing number of you do not want to reckon from Jerusalem or submit to the authority of the sighting because it is led by Nehemiah Gordon and you say in your smugness, or self righteousness that because he does not believe in Yehshua you will not take his word. So you go to the conjunction people instead. (Led by most of Judah by the way; Hypocrites)
I consider Nehemiah a friend first of all. Let me say this, and I know many of you will not understand. Like I said it time all of you grew up and stopped sucking on the breast of your mother church. Nehemiah Gordon knows the Messiah better than most of you who claim to be following Him. Most of you say one thing and do the other, showing yourselves by your actions to be hypocrites. You are not following the Messiah, but are worshipping another god and do not know it. Again it is time to grow up. Read Isaiah 43:11 in as many translations as you can find and think about it. Then read John 1:1-14 and then stop and think.

So you will not submit to the sighted moon being seen in Jerusalem but will follow the words of people you do not know in other parts of the world. Or you will follow the conjunction moon methodology which again is ordained by Jews. Again you show yourselves to be hypocrites.
I am telling you all to grow up and prove it one way or the other and to stop this seasonal bickering that goes on and on and on each Nisan and each Tishri. The choice you make now will either save your life or get you killed. So do your homework with fear and trembling and ask Yehovah to show you the truth. Not some man and not me.

Next issue this week, there are many. Satan has been on a rampage preventing us from getting out this message. Our teachings on the Blood Moons was edited and about to be released when the computer with all of it and the many other things we had recorded was attacked by a virus and it was all lost. Each step of the way as I show these truths, I have seen this happen all in a effort to prevent us from sharing with you the huge events about to happen that are only revealed by understanding the Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles.

Yes I know Rabbi Cahn is out with his new book about the Shemita. I am reading it and I will report to you about it later. Right now I see nothing but swiss cheese. He is promoting the subject, just not the truth about it and when it is the truth, it is mixed in with hypocrisy. If the Shemitah is just for the land of Israel then why are you telling us about the curses that are happening to the USA. Hypocrisy.
I have read people’s comments that they believe Rabbi Cahn and not me about the Shemitah because Rabbi Cahn is Jewish and I am not. And that the Jews have had the law for over 3000 years. That’s their proof? Really?

You will not believe Nehemiah because he is Jewish and does not believe in Jesus. So you believe in the Rabbinic calendar because they are Jewish, even though they do not believe in Jesus. Really? You believe Jonathan Cahn because he is Jewish. You do not believe me because I am not Jewish. Really? And you think you are going to be a King in the Kingdom of Yehovah, based on how you determine the facts; by ones ethnicity?
Are you aware that the Black Hebrews know they are the true Jews or the true Israelites simply because they are black? That is their proof. And as idiotic as that sounds many of you are doing the exact same thing basing your belief on the basis of ones Jewishness.

Well just for the record I am Jewish! So now you must believe me because I am Jewish. After all doesn’t Paul say one is a Jew who is one inwardly? I did not believe Yehovah simply because He said He was God. I had to prove it. I had to go to Noah’s Ark and prove it was true. I had to prove Yehovah was true as if in a court of law. Not because He was Yehovah nor because He was or was not Jewish. I have proven my lineage and my ethnicity beyond a doubt, but I do not use it in order to convince you. That would be stupid. Yet that is exactly what many of you are doing.
If your Kingdom is going to be run by that standard then I will refuse to be a member of your kingdom because it will be full of hypocrisy just like so many of you are now.

We are told to PROVE “ALL” THINGS. So prove it and and stop being so lazy. As a King you must make decisions in a court of law, not because someone is a Jew or not. Each king was required to write out the law so they KNEW it.

Yehovah is seeking those who will be Kings and Priests in His Kingdom right now. Do you think your going to be one if you can’t prove the calendar? Do you think your going to be a King or Priest in His Kingdom if you can’t prove the law, the Sabbath, the Holy Days and the Sabbatical years, or should I say Shemitah so I sound more Jewish?

It is the Glory of Yehovah to CONCEAL a matter, and it is the GLORY OF KINGS to search out that matter and to prove it as if in a court of law. So how are you doing? Are you on the road to being one of HIs Kings or one of Priests? Can you prove it from the law, the Torah, why you do what you do or is your fall back proof based on whether or not someone is Jewish or not. Again stop being so lazy and start proving all things.
Nor should you rely on your messed up messianic leadership. I have had some of those leaders tell me personally that they will do an in depth search of the Sabbatical years, only to find out later that research consisted of them asking two Rabbis for their opinion as to when it was. These same leaders then go around and spread poison about me(slander is Lashon Harah or the speaking of evil about a person-it is to murder that persons character) in order to have some of you turn away just as we learned last week in our own home fellowship where they were put on trial before the assembly and the brethren were allowed to read the very words they were spreading behind the scenes. (Our home fellowship has now split because of this poison) Do not believe people because of their ethnicity nor because they are Messianic or church leader; PROVE ALL THINGS! Prove it as if you had to go to trial to defend yourself.

I want to announce to you right now, that the book The 2300 Days of Hell is now available through my web site, Xlibris, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. So please get a copy of this book and be ready to be shocked and awed at the amount of information and the details that are contained therein. If you have watched the DVD series then this is going to stun you again and more so. And please, do write your favourable comments in Amazon and Barnes & Noble to help other get this book. This book is based on more proof’s than you can imagine. And I provide them all for you so that you too can prove these things true or false.

Also before anything else happens now that we are in the 10 days of Awe, ( you can read about this on my web site by entering it in the search engine) we are now to be in deep repentance, and deep introspection sorting out and removing any other sins we may have. Ask Yehovah to reveal to you, your secret sins.

I want to make available to you as my gesture of charity the video about the Blood moons. I could have charged for this teaching as many have done. So I ask that you think of me in the weeks to come and help support the work we are doing here, so that we can do more to help you grow in your walk. Once your Feast is over and you have some extra,  please consider us. This video and the others we have done, do cost money to make and edit and produce and we are sharing them all with you for free. We do sell them on DVD and hope you will want to buy them to share with others.

We began this note with a rebuke about the sighted moon or conjunction moon. The Elephant in the room that no one is looking at is exactly that. And we address this very thing in our blood moon teaching. Once that is done we then can take you right back to the days of Adam and then to Noah and show you the many blood moons and the Dark Moons and then come down to our day now. What does it mean and why should you care? The answer is in the presentation. I hope you will watch it and share it and then help to support our work going forward.
Go to our media page and watch it there or go to our shop and order your own copy after Shabbat.


Teshuvah, Tefilla and Tzedakah

 By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

The following talk by the Rebbe is about the difficulties of translation itself.

  • The act of translation assumes that for every word in one language, equivalents can be found in another. But this may be untrue, especially when we are dealing with ideas that are central and unique to Judaism. We may then fall into the error of equating a Jewish idea with one drawn from another culture when the two are in fact dissimilar, even opposite. This is the case with the three words constantly on our minds during the Ten Days of Teshuvah. In English they are repentance, prayer and charity. How far these differ from their Jewish counterparts – teshuva, tefillah and tzedakah – the Rebbe emphatically explains. The Service of the Ten Days We express the hope that on Rosh Hashanah G-d blessed us with a “good and sweet year” to come, a year made fruitful by children, health and sustenance. But there is no limit to goodness and blessing. Thus, during the Ten Days of Teshuvah we have the opportunity through our service, to cause G-d to grant us yet greater benefits from His “full and expansive hand. “What is this service? It is, as we say in our prayers, “repentance, prayer and charity” which avert evil and bring the good. But the words “repentance, prayer and charity” are misleading. By thus translating the Hebrew terms teshuvah,  tefillah and tzedakah we are led into a false comparison of these three elements of the religious life as they exist in Judaism and outside it. In fact, there are crucial differences. Teshuva is not repentance. Tefillah is not prayer. And tzedakah is not charity.

  • Teshuvah and Repentance

    “Repentance” in Hebrew is not teshuvah but charatah. Not only are these two terms not synonymous. They are opposites.
    Charatah implies remorse or a feeling of guilt about the past and an intention to behave in a completely new way in the future. The person decides to become “a new man.” But teshuvah means “returning” to the old, to one’s original nature.
    Underlying the concept of teshuvah is the fact that the Jew is, in essence, good. Desires or temptations may deflect him temporarily from being himself, being true to his essence.
    But the bad that he does is not part of, nor does it affect, his real nature. Teshuvah is a return to the self.
    While repentance involves dismissing the past and starting anew, teshuvah means going back to one’s roots in G-d and exposing them as one’s true character.
    For this reason, while the righteous have no need to repent, and the wicked may be unable to, both may do teshuvah.
    The righteous, though they have never sinned, have constantly to strive to return to their innermost. And the wicked, however distant they are from G-d, can always return, for teshuvah does not involve creating anything new, only rediscovering the good that was always within them.

  • Tefillah and Prayer

    “Prayer” in Hebrew is not tefillah but bakashah. And again these terms are opposites. Bakashah means to pray, request, beseech. But tefillah means, to attach oneself.
    In bakashah the person asks G-d to provide him, from above, with what he lacks. Therefore when he is not in need of anything, or feels no desire for a gift from above, bakashah becomes redundant.
    But in tefillah the person seeks to attach himself to G-d. It is a movement from below, from man, reaching towards G-d. And this is something appropriate to everyone and at every time.
    The Jewish soul has a bond with G-d. But it also inhabits a body, whose preoccupation with the material world may attenuate that bond.
    So it has constantly to be strengthened and renewed. This is the function of tefillah. And it is necessary for every Jew.
    For while there may be those who do not lack anything and thus have nothing to request of G-d, there is no-one who does not need to attach himself to the source of all life.

  • Tzedakah and Charity

    The Hebrew for “charity” is not tzedakah but chessed. And again these two words have opposite meanings.
    Chessed, charity, implies that the recipient has no right to the gift and that the donor is under no obligation to give it. He gives it gratuitously, from the goodness of his heart. His act is a virtue rather than a duty.
    On the other hand tzedakah means righteousness or justice. The implication is that the donor gives because it is his duty. For, firstly, everything in the world belongs ultimately to G-d. A man’s possessions are not his by right. Rather, they are entrusted to him by G-d, and one of the conditions of that trust is that he should give to those who are in need.
    Secondly, a man has a duty to act towards others as he asks G-d to act towards him. And as we ask G-d for His blessings though He owes us nothing and is under no obligation, so we are bound in justice to give to those who ask us, even though we are in no way in their debt. In this way we are rewarded: Measure for measure. Because we give freely, G-d gives freely to us.
    This applies in particular to the tzedakah which is given to support the institutions of Torah learning. For everyone who is educated in these institutions is a future foundation of a house in Israel, and a future guide to the coming generation. This will be the product of his tzedakah – and his act is the measure of his reward.

  • Three Paths

    These are the three paths which lead to a year “written and sealed” for good.
    By returning to one’s innermost self (teshuvah), by attaching oneself to G-d (tefillah) and by distributing one’s possessions with righteousness (tzedakah), one turns the promise of Rosh Hashanah into the abundant fulfillment of Yom Kippur: A year of sweetness and plenty.1

    Holy Day Torah Portions

Gen 21-22

Num 29:1-6

Jer 31:1-36

Matt 24:26-51

Rev 19

 


Triennial Torah Reading

We continue this weekend with our regular Triennial Torah reading

Ex 7     1 Kings 13-14  Ps 112-114   Luke 22:1-38

Moses was now in his 80th year. He was beginning the final 40 years of his life in leading the nation of Israel to the Promised Land. Moses and Aaron had been prepared by God to understand that Pharaoh would be very stubborn, regardless of the miracles that were to be performed. Pharaoh also had some “tricks” that could be performed through his magicians—perhaps even with demonic help. Pharaoh’s magicians somehow imitated the first three miracles that Moses displayed (those with the snakes and the first two plagues—the water to blood and the frogs). After that, the magicians could no longer duplicate or simulate miraculous plagues. The ability to work magic with snakes was a skill in which the Egyptian magicians apparently prided themselves: “The power to control and direct the movements of such venomous reptiles was one of the things of which the Egyptian was most proud, and in which he was most skilfull, already in the time when the pyramids were being built” (E.A. Wallis Budge, Egyptian Magic, 1971, p. 5). This could have been akin to snake charming, a fleshly skill, or something supernatural—originating from Satan, the chief serpent. The New Testament tells us the names of the chief magicians were Jannes and Jambres (2 Timothy 3:8). Their magic, though powerful, was not equal to the power by which God worked through Moses. Nevertheless, even after the power of God prevailed, Pharaoh did not listen.

In the future, the Bible reveals, an awesome geopolitical power known as “the beast” will arise on the world scene. Its leader will be a dictator like Pharaoh and, as Pharaoh was with the priests of Egypt, he will be in league with a false religious power that will perform many wonders and miracles. Will we be able to discern the power of God as opposed to the power of this false system? There are those who will be deceived (Revelation 13:13-14). Through His written Word, God promises that if we stay close to Him, we will not be deceived.
Returning now to the chapters of today’s reading, let us examine the first three plagues on Egypt—plagues that even the Israelites experienced.

  1. Waters made blood: Each of the plagues of Egypt was an assault on multiple Egyptian gods. For instance, the plague on the waters was a slap at Khnum, the giver of the Nile; at Hapy, the spirit of the Nile; at Sodpet, the god of Nile floodwaters; at Osiris, whose bloodstream was the Nile; at Edjo, the goddess of the Delta; at Hatmehyt, guardian goddess of fish and fishermen; and at various other deities that should have been looking out for the Egyptians. Whether the waters were turned into actual blood is unclear. It is possible that the waters simply appeared this way. The Nelson Study Bible points out, “The Hebrew word translated blood can refer to a red color, as in Joel 2:31…. [It] might be that God caused torrential rains to flood and pollute the sources of the Nile to create this plague…. Red soil and algae would make the waters of the Nile red, unfit for drinking and deficient in oxygen for the fish” (1997). Indeed, volcanic or meteoric activity could cause a similar pollution of blood-red coloring, as appears to be the case in a prophesied future event in Revelation 8:8. And the Bible does seem to indicate that there was geologic upheaval at the time of the Exodus (compare Psalm 114:1-6). In any case, no matter what the actual change in Egypt’s waters was, and no matter how God brought it about, the important thing to realize is that He brought it about. It was clearly a divine miracle.
  2. Frogs: One of the gods worshiped by the Egyptians was Heket, whose image was a frog or a woman with the head of a frog. Heket was the goddess of birth, midwives and safe deliveries (frogs, in moderate numbers, being seen as signs of life, renewal and happiness). After the overabundance of them, and then the stench of huge piles of dead frogs, it would seem that the goddess Heket would have lost credibility. Furthermore, the court of Hapy, mentioned above, included crocodile gods and frog goddesses. And the primordial gods Nun, Kek and Heh were each depicted as a man with a frog’s head. This plague, though imitated by the magicians, causes Pharaoh to yield. But his stubbornness then prevails and he changes his mind.
  3. Lice: Though the Egyptians revered no specific god of lice, so far as we know, they did worship an insect God—Kheper, who was represented as a scarab beetle. Furthermore, we should see how this plague was a slap at the Egyptian gods in general—who were unable to protect their subjects from the infestation. Indeed, Har-pa-khered (Horus in child form) was invoked to ward off dangerous creatures, while Imhotep was besought as a god of medicinal healing. But beseech as they might, there was no relief. Even Pharaoh himself was considered a god—the divine incarnation of the sky and sun god Horus—yet he personally suffered from this plague. The lice infestation could not be imitated by the magicians. They, therefore, yield—but Pharaoh does not.

The Man of God (1 Kings 13)

To rebuke Jeroboam for his abominable actions, God sent a prophet from Judah, unnamed in the scriptural account, with strict instructions to deliver God’s message, perform a certain sign and depart home to Judah without partaking of any food or drink. The unnamed prophet gave the warning, performed the sign and departed as instructed. Despite the personal effect of the sign upon Jeroboam, the king would not repent. How tragic and foolish! Jeroboam’s stubbornness would yield decades of strife and, ultimately, the destruction of his dynasty and kingdom. We will later read of how Josiah, king of Judah around 300 years later (though prophesied here by name long before his birth), fulfilled this prophecy (2 Kings 23:15-18).

The Judean prophet departed according to the instruction of God, but he was soon pursued by an “old prophet” who dwelt in Bethel. We are not told who this old prophet was, nor if he was indeed a true prophet of God. His conduct does not betray him necessarily as a false prophet—since this one occasion is the only time we know that he lied. The old prophet’s deception of the Judean prophet underscores the vital need to follow God’s instructions precisely. The Judean prophet should have declined the old prophet’s invitation, saying that if the old prophet’s claim were true then he would wait until God revoked his original command in just as sure a manner as He had given it. But, foolishly, he allowed another to dissuade him from strictly following God’s commands.

The story of the Judean prophet contains the same theme as the story of Jeroboam’s new form of worship—namely, that any compromise with God’s instruction has consequences.

Ahijah’s Second Prophecy to Jeroboam; Rehoboam Fortifies His Kingdom (1 Kings 14:1-18; 2 Chronicles 11:5-12, 18-23)

When Jeroboam’s son became ill, he sought out Ahijah, the prophet of God who had foretold Jeroboam’s rise to power. This shows that Jeroboam still knew which religious system was true even as he continued to maintain a false one. By an intended ruse Jeroboam sought to discover what would become of the child. But Ahijah was told by God what was happening and what he should say. Ahijah made it plain that Jeroboam had behaved wickedly and foolishly, and that not only would the child die but also the whole household of Jeroboam would be destroyed and, ultimately, the whole nation of Israel would be cast out of the land—demonstrating, as so many other examples do, that the consequences of sin are often far-reaching.

When Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem he did so as a petty monarch of a much smaller and largely powerless kingdom. He was immediately aware of his vulnerability. There was an unfriendly Israel on the north, a powerful former ally to the south (Egypt) who was now closely allied to Israel’s king, a number of hostile former vassal states to the south and east, and the resurgent Philistines on the west. And Rehoboam no longer had a worldwide trading empire. The future looked rather bleak.

Immediately he began to fortify his kingdom. He established a line of fortified towns along borders, securing water supplies and travel routes. The kingdom of Judah was basically transformed into a small fortress, though its king no doubt still trembled at the thought of attack. Had Egypt attacked, Judah could have been easily defeated. Had Israel attacked, the ferocious fight would have likely ended in Rehoboam’s defeat. Had the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites or Edomites attacked, there could have been years of instability and constant dangers.

Rehoboam did have the foresight to deal wisely with his sons. Like his father Solomon before him, Rehoboam had acquired many wives and concubines. Whatever enjoyment he may have found in this situation was short-lived, though, when a crop of 28 sons matured. With such a large pool of potential heirs, nominating one was sure to antagonize the rest. To reduce the potential for intrigue and infighting, some of his sons were appointed to positions of authority in the fortified cities, while others remained in Jerusalem. In this way, Rehoboam could put some of the danger farther from the capital while keeping a close eye on those who remained nearby. To further control his sons, he sought many wives for them, thereby keeping them occupied with domestic concerns, distracted by sexual pursuits and enamored with the life of a mini-sheik (many wives being a sign of prosperity and social standing). When one stops to consider what Rehoboam was forced to do in trying to control the consequences of his own unrestrained desires, it is really quite sad.

“He Has Sent Redemption to His People”

Psalm 112 is another wisdom psalm with, as noted above, the same acrostic structure as that of Psalm 111. The two psalms form a matched pair. Like Psalm 111, Psalm 112 also begins with “Praise the LORD” or Hallelujah-and follows from the final words of Psalm 111, “His praise endures forever.” Psalm 112 then picks up where 111 leaves off with the benefit of fearing God and keeping His commandments-finding happiness in them (compare 111:5, 10; 112:1).

Comparing the two psalms, we see in Psalm 112 that the righteous, who are like God in the way they live, will be greatly blessed with honor and glory and the perpetuity that God Himself has. Notice that both God and those who follow Him are “gracious and full of compassion” (111:4; 112:4). And of both we are told, “His righteousness endures forever” (111:3; 112:3, 9).

Observe that the wonderful blessings God’s people receive are not for selfishly hoarding-but for sharing with others in need. A godly person will have wisdom to manage his affairs and help others (verses 4-6), and he will not live in fear (verses 7-8). He will remain confident that God will turn things around so that “he will look in triumph on his foes” (verse 8, NIV).

Of course, we should not view Psalm 112 as a promise of material riches and an absence of hardship and harm throughout this life. God often does bless those who follow His ways with material well-being in the here and now, but we should understand the blessings mentioned throughout Psalm 112 as coming over the course of life, through generations as God’s way of life is passed down, and, most importantly, as part of the ultimate inheritance of the righteous in eternity to come.

This is in stark contrast, as the last verse shows, to the wicked, who will ultimately “melt away.”

“He Has Sent Redemption to His People”

As earlier noted, Psalm 113 is the first in a collection of six psalms (113-118) called the “Egyptian Hallel.” These hallel, or “praise,” psalms “came to be used in the Jewish liturgy at the great religious festivals (Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles, Dedication, New Moon; see Lev 23; Nu 10:10; Jn 10:22…)” (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, note on Psalms 113-118). The moniker “Egyptian” is derived from their special use in the celebration of Passover, commemorating the Israelites’ deliverance in Egypt. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states, “The Egyptian Hallel psalms received a special place in the Passover liturgy, as 113-114 were recited or sung before and 115-118 after the festive meal (cf. Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26)” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, introductory note on Psalm 113).

Regarding the customary singing of Psalms 113-114 prior to the traditional Passover meal of Jewish people today, The Nelson Study Bible states: “Both psalms remarkably capture in poetry and song the major ideas of the prose liturgy that is also recited before the Passover meal. That is, they speak of God’s saving works at the time of the Exodus. The first psalm [113] focuses the worshipers on the condescending grace of God. He is the merciful Redeemer who bends from heaven to meet the needs of His people. Then with the singing of Ps. 114, the Jews recall Israel’s deliverance from Egypt-the reason for the Passover celebration and the central act of God’s saving grace” (“INDepth: The Psalms of the Passover,” sidebar on Psalms 113-118).

Psalm 113 opens and closes with Hallelujah-“Praise the LORD.” Indeed, in the opening three verses the psalmist five times calls for the servants of the Lord to praise His name. “In biblical thought a name is not a mere label of identification; it is an expression of the essential nature of its bearer. A man’s name reveals his character…. This was a concept shared by the peoples of the ancient world. Hence to know that name of God is to know God as he has revealed himself (Ps. 9:10)” (“Name,” The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible). So God’s name includes who He is, all He has done and everything He instructs and stands for.

In verse 3, the phrase “from the rising of the sun to its going down” designates not daytime, from dawn to dusk, but rather means from the distant east to the distant west-i.e., in all places God’s name is to be praised.

Though God dwells in unimaginable glory and splendor beyond the creation, He nonetheless humbles Himself to be mindful of it (verses 4-6; compare 8:4). The Mighty God has compassion on His people. He lifts the poor and needy out of dust and ashes-referring to both the physically impoverished and spiritually humble and repentant-to seat them with princes (verses 7-8). He relieves the stigma and desperation of a barren woman by giving her a happy home (verse 9). In these verses we have a picture of God’s salvation and reward of His humble people-raising them in stature to rulers and giving them joy in His family forever.

“He Has Sent Redemption to His People”

Psalm 114, still sung with Psalm 113 prior to the Jewish Passover meal as noted above, is a song about the power of God in delivering the Israelites from Egypt, bringing them into the Promised Land and preserving them in the wilderness in between.

Stating that the Israelites “went out…from a people of strange language” (verse 1) is meant to stress the foreignness of the Egyptians and their ways (compare Psalm 81:5)-particularly their foreignness from God’s ways. This would also seem to indicate that the Israelites retained their own language while in Egypt. Recall that they were not scattered throughout Egypt but had been settled in the land of Goshen in the Nile Delta region. Sadly, the Israelites were nevertheless corrupted from living in Egypt. Thus, coming out of Egypt was representative of coming out of Egypt’s ways. “In terms of ‘biblical geography,’ Egypt represents the world and the bondage of the sinner to its evil forces (Eph.2:1-3)” (Warren Wiersbe, Be Exultant-Psalms 90-150: Praising God for His Mighty Works, 2004, note on Psalm 114:1).

When God led Israel out of Egypt, the nation became His sanctuary and dominion (verse 2)-that is, His temple and sovereign domain or kingdom. God told Moses, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). And in dwelling among them, the people would in an extended sense become His holy dwelling place-His sanctuary. God further said: “I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them” (29:45-46). Today God dwells within His people, true believers, who constitute spiritual Israel-the spiritual temple of God.

Verses 3-6 concern the miraculous parting of the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan River for Israel to cross-at the beginning and end of their wilderness wanderings. The Red Sea is figuratively portrayed as “seeing” the dominion of God among His people and “fleeing” from His manifest power. The Jordan is personified as intentionally turning back from its normal flow. In concert with these events, we also see mountains and hills “skipping” like frightened lambs. This would seem to indicate major earthquake activity on one or both of these occasions.
Continuing the earthquake imagery, verse 7 directs the earth to tremble at God’s presence. This probably also is instruction to all the earth’s people to likewise tremble with appropriate fear and respect before God. Ironically, those with proper fear need not be terror-stricken-for God uses His great power to benefit His people. It was the awesome presence of God that gave the Israelites water in the desert to preserve them from the time they left Egypt to the time they entered the Promised Land (verse 8).

Even so, God’s presence within His people today will preserve them following their personal “Exodus” from the sin of Egypt and “Red Sea baptism,” giving them spiritual drink from the divine Rock (compare 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 11). And by His mighty power He will see us through to the future “Jordan crossing” into the spiritual “Promised Land”-the Kingdom of God.

Luke 22:1-38

It is now the Passover and the priests are seeking how to kill Yeshua. The Adversary enters Judas and he goes to make a deal with the chief priests, scribes, and elders to turn Yeshua in for silver in return. This makes them very happy for they could not find a way to lay hands upon Him. Meanwhile Yeshua is making plans to spend the Festival with His taught ones and He instructs them to prepare for their meal together.
Yeshua instructed them to go and speak with a certain man and obtain the upper room where they would have the meal. They did so, just as He instructed them. At the meal, He took a cup and had them all drink from it and then He broke bread giving each of them a piece saying, “This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.

Also with another cup He gave them saying, “This cup is the renewed covenant in My blood which is shed for you.”
The taught ones began to dispute amongst themselves as to which of them was greater, and Yeshua restated the importance in the Kingdom is the one who serves not the one who is served. He then tells Shim’on what is to happen with him in the coming hours and how he should deny Yeshua three times. But that He has prayed for him and after the ordeal he should turn and strengthen his brothers.

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