Welcome to The Crimson Thread. the teaching web site of Jon Behrens, pastor of Restoration Messianic Fellowship in the Boulder/Longmont area of Northern Colorado. You will find here articles on various Scriptural subjects as well as Bible studies that have been recorded at RMF.
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Zechariah writes, 'On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.' What might that mean?
Between smashing the first set of tablets because of the Golden Calf and ascending the mountain again to get the second set, Moses spent 40 days in the tent of meeting outside the camp. What was the purpose of that time and what did Moses accomplish? (The song referred to is "The Family of God.")
Looking in Exodus at the sequence of events by which God took Israel away from Egypt and brought them to Mt Sinai, it becomes clear that, having once freed them, He did not want them again to descend into slavery. Thus we can regard Shabbat and the Torah as His prescription for their continued liberty and prosperity.
In Luke 12 and Luke 16 Y'shua gives a discourse on what He expects of the managers over His kingdom during the time of His absence. In Luke 12 the master is away at a wedding and will return at a time the servants do not expect. In Luke 16 the parable of the dishonest manager turns on the manager's estimation of the character of the master.
Moses' reaction to the sin of the Golden Calf strongly resembles the procedure for dealing with a woman suspected of adultery in Numbers 5.
The writer first establishes from the Psalms that the Christ is not an angel and is, in fact, the Son of God. He also establishes that He is fully human and has experienced what all men experience - including death. As one of us, He is able to understand what we go through and treat us sympathetically.
In Pharaoh's time, magic was advanced technology. The idea that court magicians could manipulate the gods gave them a sense of power and contempt for the common folk. That attitude is prevalent today.
The Hebrew word 'beged' means both clothing and betrayal. This duality is important because we use clothing to communicate - status, sexuality, position, power, etc. Realizing that clothing can lie and betray is an important part of navigating in society. The High Priest's vestments are thus a statement that can either be true of the man or false. So too with others who wear the robes of authority.
The Bible urges us to become more like Christ in our character. Like His Father, Christ was patient. Like all disciplines, developing patience is unpleasant, but the fruits are sweet.
The Luke 16 discourse on God and mammon is a continuation of the running conflict Y'shua had with the Pharisees over money. The Pharisees, being lovers of money, had a warped attitude toward the things of this world.
Exodus 35:1—38:20
I Kings 7:13-26
Matthew 27:27—44
Thus said the Lord:
"Stand by the crossroads
and consider,
Inquire about ancient paths:
Which is the road to happiness?
Travel it, and find tranquillity
for yourselves."
(Je 6:16)