Tag: joy

Rejoicing with the King – V’zot Haberacha (And This is the Blessing) D’Varim (Deut.) 33:1-34:12 and Shemini Atzeret

: V’zot Haberacha (And This is the Blessing) D’Varim (Deut.) 33:1-34:12 and Shemini Atzeret 

Haftorah Readings: Joshua 1:1-18

Today and tomorrow are both holidays. Today is Shemini Atzeret and tomorrow will be Simchat HaTorah. The celebration today is seen as the beginning of the rainy season in Israel. Tomorrow, Simchat HaTorah is not found in scripture but has been developing over the millennium to be a day to celebrate both the ending of the yearly cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of a new year.

Sukkot

Today is the first day of the seven day holiday of Sukkot. It marks the end of the biblical holidays of the year. It is also the last of the three festival holidays that required Jews to go to Jerusalem to offer their offerings and worship G-d. Sukkot is mentioned in John 7. There it describes Yeshua going up to Jerusalem and teaching.  The biblical cycle of holidays begins with Passover, followed by Shavuot and ending with sukkot.

Shemini (Eighth ) Lev (Vayikra) 9-11

Ki Tavo (When You Come) Deut. 26

Torah Portion: Ki Tavo (When You Come) D’Varim, Deut. 26:1-29:8

HafTorah: Israel 60:1-22

This Torah section covers the blessings and curses that await the people depending on how they relate to the Father in the years ahead. I purpose that we can somewhat apply this to ourselves as well. What does G-d require of us in our walk with Him? In my first question this week I quoted Deut. 28:47. I asked you to tell me what this means to us and how do we acquire this joy in our lives. I got some very good answers to this and I appreciate them. Is joy or gloom a thermometer of our general situation in life? Does it measure our emotional feeling at any given time? What does scripture have to say? Read James 1:2. The real question comes in how we see G-d in the world around us. Do we see everything around us as an opportunity to express our joy for what He has done in our lives? Now in the good things this is usually no problem. But in those things that come to us that are difficult it is more difficult. Even in the good times we can get caught up in what we’ve done or we think we have to protect what we have by worrying or working harder and harder. In fact this verse says exactly that. They did not serve Him with joy when they had everything.

Sukkot Reading: Lev. 23, Exodus 33

Sukkot Reading: Levitcus 23:39-44, Exodus 33:12-34:26

As we go through this teaching think of someone in your life that would be a good example of a person that lives with joy in their life no matter their circumstances.

I want us to look more closely at Sukkot and the aspect of joy as well as New Testament references to the holiday. We have mentioned before the water drawing ceremony that took place each day during Sukkot. This is when the priests would go and bring water from Shiloach Springs and pour it over the altar as they prayed for the blessing of G-d in the form of abundant rain in the coming year. There is a striking New Testament reference to this water in John 7:37-38. See John 7:2 where the holiday is specifically mentioned. In 7:37 He makes reference to water and the spiritual truth that His water satisfies completely. He goes on to say that from us will also flow rivers of living water. How does this happen in our lives? G-d tabernacles with us, He becomes that Sukkah in which we dwell until we reach heaven. So how does water flow from us? It must flow daily as we live our lives here in this world. This happens I think, as we live a joyful life daily. Not just when everything is going well and we grow fat. But especially when things might not be going so well as the world measures well. How else can we read in James 1:2, “Count it all joy or pure joy whenever you fall into various trials.” How are we to do that?

Ki Tavo (When You Come) Deut 26

Torah Portion: Ki Tavo (When You Come In) Deut. 26:1-29:8

HafTorah: Isaiah 60:1-22

Tonight I want us to look at the Torah section and the HafTorah as the beginning and the end of the same story. I think these two sections give us a unique opportunity to see history unfold for us from beginning to end. And I want you to see Israel’s centrality in this story. It begins and ends with Israel.

So in the Torah portion called, “When You Come”, we see Moses laying out the renewal of the covenant between G-d and Israel. He states the benefits of that covenant or the blessings. In these blessings every area of life is covered. What is required of Israel to enjoy these blessings? Read Deut. 28:45, 28:62, 28:46-47 and you will see it is obedience and gladness or joy.  Reverence, also a requirement, is found in Deut. 28:58. So G-d required these three things from the people in response to the covenant between them and G-d. In fact, I think for us the requirements are the same. The New Covenant, which allows us as non-Jews to be grafted in to Israel, also requires us as part of G-d’s people, the same obligations. Read in Romans 16:26 (obedience) Luke 2:10, Romans 15:13 and Acts 20:24 (joy) Hebrews 12:28 (reverence). This is our part in this covenant transaction between G-d and us. What happens if we don’t hold up our end? Is the covenant nullified? No.  Even though much of the church believes scripture states, because of Israel’s sin, G-d has rejected the Jewish people. No, G-d does not walk away. But we do suffer the consequences of our actions when we sin. Here in this Torah portion we read those consequences. They are severe. They take up many more verses than the verses describing the blessings. Why was G-d so clear here about what would result from Israel’s disobedience? They were to be a light to the nations. In fact, the place where they finally ratified this covenant was specifically chosen for that reason – Schem.  This was literally the cross roads of the major trade routes of the ancient world.