During his ministry, Y'shua spoke both plainly and in parables. What caused Him to change His delivery?
After having described the often unpleasant process of character development, the author returns to the theme that this world is not our permanent home. Rather, there is a better and permanent home for those who are disciples of Y'shua.
No one is quite sure why God denied Moses and Aaron entry into the Land. Perhaps he struck the rock while grieving the death of his sister. Perhaps a change in leadership was needed because the people had changed. Perhaps a different theological model was needed.
The 50 days between Firstfruits and Shavuot is a replay and a rehearsal of the process by which God takes us from slavery to liberty in Him. For the Israelites, it was literal slavery in Egypt. For us it is the slavery to sin and the flesh. Liberty is not learned over night, it is a process that takes time.
The rally against certification of the presidential election has caused a national uproar. In navigating these tumultuous times it is important to pay attention to what your thoughts dwell on. Thoughts trigger endocrine reactions that can have a long term effect on your well being. As always, Scripture has sound advice.
Paul warns the church not to be taken captive by vain philosophy and man made religion. He also says that because of Christ, the record of our offenses against God have been nailed to the cross. Many take that to mean that the Torah has been nailed to the cross and voided. This is not correct.
There are only two cases of zealotry in the Tanakh: Elijah and Pinchas. In both cases God makes it very clear that their zealotry is a one time event, not a lifestyle.
Faith is the spiritual quality that allows us to act in the present. Since the future is unknown, we must have faith that the thing we are about to do will have the results we want. This especially applies to our relationship with God. He has promised certain things and we are to live our lives in the trust that those promises are reliable.
In the Book of Numbers, Moab was terrified that Israel will defeat him - he needn't have been. Like Bugs Bunny, Israel is never the aggressor outside of their land.
Nations, like people have a life cycle - birth, growth, productivity and death. For Israel, Passover was its birth. Since then it has gone through several life cycles, always being reborn because God has had His hand on them. The United States, like Israel, was also explicitly formed on Biblical principles. We are now undergoing a civilizational crisis. Pray that the current turmoil represents birth pains.