Covering our bodies with clothing is an essential task we do at the start of every day. With the work I do, covering myself protects my body by working up firewood, constructing a wood shed, wrenching as a mechanic, doing yard maintenance, etc. A workman dresses appropriately for the job at hand.
Parents rightly dress their little ones before they go out into public. A moral person would never go out in public without covering their flesh first.
Many of us are intrigued about prophecy in these end times and want to learn more. Many of us have come to understand that the fall festivals of YHWH (Lev 23) are prophetic and they are rehearsals of the Messiah’s second coming.
What do you call two paralyzed doctors with good standing in the community?
A paradox, lol!
What is a paradox? How do we understand one found in the Scriptures?
The dictionary definition of ‘paradox’:
‘a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense, and yet is perhaps true.’ ‘A self-contradictory statement, yet perhaps true.’
Why do dark, negative headlines dominate not just the news, but also social media feeds and good old rumor mills? If it’s a ‘slow news day,’ fake news stories are fabricated, and the powers that be will make up stories to satisfy the demand, trying to grab the attention of more viewers. And yes, they have an agenda for the world. But so does YHWH Elohim.
During the phases and chapters of life, many times we need to submit to different earthly authorities. Most importantly for a child of God – how do we submit to the authority of our Lord and Savior Yeshua in every area of our lives?
A good father sets before his children clear choices with clear consequences.
I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
A blessing if you shall shema (hear, believe and obey) the commandments of YHWH your Elohim which I command you today… Deuteronomy 11:26-27
More than anything else, what motivates me to study the meanings of ancient Hebrew words and letters is that they reveal our Messiah in original ways. It’s like drinking from the pure headwaters of a mountain stream on a hot summer day. And, the plan of salvation for fallen man is pictured from the very beginning. On the heels of this Torah portion, the seeker of the God of our Salvation – Adonai Yeshua, need not be disappointed, but will surely be rewarded for the study. Let’s begin.
When times are confusing, complicated, and chaotic, what do you do to get your feet back under you?
The fundamental matters of my faith are being held in question and are challenged – that Yeshua is not divine, the festival calendar I believe in is “wrong,” principles of giving to the poor are challenged, how to relate with Jews or Christians. You have your challenges on how you understand the Scriptures as the basis for what you believe and act upon (Romans 10:17).
War, war – and more war. It’s all over the news. Prophecy watchers see a Gog and Magog war on the horizon.
Like Yeshua said it would be: wars and rumors of wars are on the rise in these end times.
We often divert our thinking to the Middle East, the Ukraine, or the streets of a large American city. Or, we could face a war much closer to home to each of us.
In the movie “Anne of Green Gables,” an orphan girl is adopted by an elderly couple, the gentleman being a man of few words. Anne grew to deeply love her hard-working and compassionate father, even though he wouldn’t talk much. What kind of guy could her father represent?
How did Israel go so fast from the blessing of Ma Tovu (how goodly) to the defiling sin and fatal tragedy of Ba’al-Pe’or? Why did the javelin of a zealous Phineas have to come so quickly?
There are so many varieties of people in the world! Cultures, dress, foods, festivals, tribal characteristics, and national practices are amazingly diverse, even among the people of God in His Kingdom. But human beings easily judge others by what they see on the outside and what they hear with their ears. For those who aren’t like us in a lot of ways, we feel estranged and disconnected, if we are not connected by the Spirit of YHWH, our Creator. So how should we see our brothers and sisters from other tribes through Abba’s eyes?
What is wrong with this painting? You’ve seen it many times. Typically, the serpent is talking Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. But could there be a clue in this event as to how the brazen serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness was fulfilled by the Messiah Yeshua? What could the answer say about our human nature and the work of our Messiah to redeem mankind from the fall of Adam?
Last Shabbat we learned that rebellion is defined by the Scriptures as unbelief that says “God can’t. God won’t.” What is at the root of rebellion in this Torah portion?
Why do Torah-keeping leaders brace themselves every time of the year that this portion comes around? I’ve witnessed this myself. How can we be proactive to keep rebellion from dividing us and bringing a plague to the camp? What unbelief do we guard against?
Whose report do we believe today? Do we believe the mainstream media, rebels in town squares, preachers of replacement/dispensational theology, or even the voices of doubt among our mishpocha? Are the alarming reports out there leading us to believe that we’ll never make it out of here to the land that He promised His people? What about the predicament you may be in that seems so insurmountable and never-ending?
Would you agree that we have a leadership crisis in America today? From the highest offices in the land to the lowest, the corruption is so bad we no longer wonder what a good leader is like. Why aren’t righteous men stepping up? What do the Scriptures teach us about the characteristics of a good leader? Is Abba working in you or me to step up and lead others to do His will?
Don’t you just love it when the Spirit of Truth reveals something about the Messiah to you in the ‘Old Testament’? Seeing the Messiah and His Divinity in the Torah and the Haftorah is an incessant passion of mine, something never exhausting, nor boring, but reviving and encouraging to my soul! So darash, dig deep, test everything, and you will find Him in the volume of the Book. For the Scriptures are they which testify of Yeshua!
What is the Haftorah connection to Shavuot?
When the going gets tough, who do you count on? Who do you lift up as the authority in your life that can truly make a difference over what oppresses or keeps you down? Who is the one who lifts your head up with purpose, helping you know that you count and truly matter in life?
Back in the days of horse and buggy, our ancestors went one-stop shopping at the old general stores. Those old superstores had all the necessities of life. No cheap plastic disposable items – goods were durable. Tools were made to hold up to hard work. Foods were wholesome and were stored in bulk without the glittery packaging. Nobody checked labels for organic, gluten-free, or non-GMO.
now-covered mountain peaks are beautiful to behold on a sunny spring day in the Cascades. Although the Santiam Canyon is free of snow in the lowlands, the mountain tops are still covered in pure white snow. Spring is here – an exhilarating time to be alive!
The pagan roots of Christianity and the evil origins of rabbinic Judaism are subjects many well-intended theologians and intellectuals like to study. Why? Is it to expose where others may be falling short in the area of true holiness in our congregations? To expose hidden idolatry that others may be committing unaware?
The Torah forbids the uncovering of nakedness outside of the undefiled marriage bed. Yet where in the world do people uncover nakedness more than any other?
- 43% of all internet users view pornographic material online
- 75% of people “accidentally” view pornographic site(s)
Whenever you have kept the festival of unleavened bread or are now keeping it, what did you think of when you ate matzah? What does it mean to digest, to internalize unleavened bread?
A Hebrew Roots leader once told me he did not believe that there is ‘power in the blood.’ He just couldn’t find it in the Scriptures. Where are the witnesses to what the blood of the Lamb can powerfully accomplish in the heart and soul? Like with every doctrine, the foundation for what is claimed about the blood of the Messiah starts with the Torah.
The disease was killing me.
It wasn’t a virus that ran its course, nor was it an infection that antibiotics could kill. There was no natural cure. No doctor on earth had a remedy. It was destroying me. It was destroying my ability to think straight and talk coherently. It was robbing me of ambition, and energy and killing my relationships.
What does it mean to live free? Some say the Law is bondage. If you want to be free, I’m told not to live under the ‘Old Testament,’ live by the New! My mother told me that, attempting to get me to eat pork just to prove it. Why is there so much confusion about what it means to be free from the Law, free to do what ‘New Testament’ believers do?
Most of you wouldn’t give a chocolate Easter bunny to a loved one. But would you give that special someone Dove chocolates? Okay, so their ingredients are not so healthy. I am not advertising for Dove chocolates here, but I do wonder why they are so popular. Here’s my question:
Why do chocolate and the dove make for a token of true love?
No one was allowed on the other side of the fireline where the fire was burning. Of all my duties with the Forest Service, fighting forest fires meant meeting the strictest protocols under the most authoritative regime to which everyone involved had to submit. Everyone is obliged by a strict dress code. Each tool and each piece of equipment must meet the code for firefighter standards. Everyone is required to follow orders at all times. Not following protocol or breaking the rules could result in serious injury or even death. The fear of the fire kept even the rowdiest of loggers in line.
Leslie and I love to walk a sandy beach together as close to the waves as we can. The Pacific Ocean was named for its generally pacifying nature.
There’s something about the cycle of waves washing onshore, and then retreating until the next wave rolls in, that is so relaxing and peaceful, yet invigorating.
Surveying streams in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon often made me hot and thirsty in the summer. Mapping a stream up to its source usually took me to steep, rocky ground in the mountainous National Forest where I worked.
Everybody loves a go-to guy. He comes through for you like no one else can when you’re in a pinch. He’s Mr. Clutch – always right on time with just what you need! When no one else can get the job done, he delivers. He’s the selfless team player every coach and his teammates love. He’ll do anything he can for you, and he’s really good at it.
Something so cool about YHWH is how His ways are paradoxical, boggling the mind of the worldly, but clicking right on with the righteous. A paradox is a self-contradictory statement that makes no sense and is impossible on the surface level. Let’s see how YHWH works with the impossible about letting go and giving.
piritual gifts – what do we need spiritual gifts for? For what purpose should we seek the Father in Heaven to grant us spiritual gifts to manifest in our midst? Why do spiritual gifts seem to be a mystery to many Messianic and Hebrew Roots believers?
Fathers have standards. I like to call it ‘the Torah of the house.’ When a father raises his children, he teaches them what those standards are, how to measure against them, and how to apply those standards. It’s part of raising godly children.
As a keeper of the Torah, why do I focus on the Messiah, the Son of God, and not on the Father so much? Partly because I love the One Who gave His life for me and saved my sins; but also because I have seen far too many Hebrew Roots folks sideline Yeshua and focus too much on the Torah. I try to be part of swinging the pendulum back. Paul focused on the Messiah – he wrote that the goal of the Torah is the Messiah unto righteousness. (Romans 10:4) For this, Paul was accused of teaching against Moses. But did Paul lead people away from respecting and obeying our Father in Heaven?
Ever wonder – how in the world I ended up in this trouble and how can I find my way out? All I can do is cry out to YHWH for help! Hoshiyana – save me now! Abba, I’m listening! Somebody tell me how I can make it out of this mess! Somebody tell me what to do!
Anything having to do with Zion has a bad rep these days throughout the world. The avowed enemies of Israel use it in an accusatory way all the time. Bad actors have hijacked the concept of ‘Zion’ to deceive the religious into supporting their agendas to control and dominate people. The devil counterfeits, corrupts, and hijacks everything righteous possible. Zion is in travail over the ‘controversy of Zion’ (Isaiah 34:8) as the birth pangs of Zion are upon us (Isaiah 66:8, Jeremiah 4:31, Micah 4:10, Romans 8:18-23)
But should we allow the adversary to control and dominate the narrative on what ‘Zion’ should mean to the believer? Should we give the term over to be the stronghold it is in narratives against the people of Israel? What do the 161 Scripture verses say about Zion? What are Yah’s purpose and plan for Zion and is it in the Torah?
To Be in Beulah or to Be Beheaded?
Many of us would love a vacation enjoying a beautiful land in a far-away, mysterious place. Travel agencies portray vacation destinations as delightful places to be married, or for a honeymoon. The problem for most of us is that we’re shackled in local areas by our jobs and limited incomes. But the people of YHWH do have a delightful destination that Abba calls ‘your land, Beulah (Married).’ How are we ever going to make it there?
One of the last things most of us want to do is to talk to a group of people or speak to someone who holds a position of authority above us. It’s especially difficult if it’s something you believe they don’t want to hear but is critically important to say. Be encouraged, we can stand on the shoulders of men of faith who were much like us.
View past articles from Klug’s Korner for 2023!
View past articles from Klug’s Korner for 2022!