Study Notes Week 16

Torah Study Notes for Week 16 of the Torah Reading Cycle

Read
Aloud together to hear the Word (Leviticus 23:1-3; Nehemiah 8:1-4; Luke 4:16-17)

  • Torah (T): Bereshiyt (Genesis) 16:1-16
  • Prophets (P): Judges 13:2-22
  • Apostolic (A): Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25
  • Additional (ADD): Jubilees 14:21-24

Bereshiyt (Genesis) 16:1-16

16:1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had a maidservant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram, “See now, [Elohim](LXX) has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my maidservant. It may be that I may obtain children from her.” Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maidservant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. 4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was belittled in her eyes. 5 Sarai said to Abram, “[My violence is upon you].(MTT) I gave my maidservant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was belittled in her eyes. May [Elohim](LXX) judge between me and you.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maidservant is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes.” Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face. 7 The angel of [Elohim](LXX) found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. 8 And [the angel of YHWH](LXX) said, “Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, where did you come from? Where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of YHWH said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands.” 10 The angel said to her, “I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be counted for multitude.” 11 Then the angel of [Elohim](LXX) said to her, “Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because [Elohim](LXX) has heard your affliction. 12 He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. He will [dwell before the face of](LXX) all his brothers.” 13 She called [his name, the one](mss) who spoke to her, “You are El Roi,” for she said, “Here I have seen the one who sees me” 14 Therefore the well was called Be'er Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Torah Portion Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
    1. Sarai means “to rule” שָׂרַי Sarai (H8297) is a female ruler (higher than a princess) from the masculine noun שַׂר sar (H8269) which is translated as prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, and captain in the Bible. The significance of her name will come later in Genesis 16:4.
    2. Hagar is of Egyptian origin and likely means “flight”
    3. Maidservant = שִׁפְחָה shiphchah (H8198) means to be joined to a family, specifically the “mistress” (female master) of the family. שִׁפְחָה shiphchah is equivalent to the Greek word παιδίσκη paidiskē (G3814) which is a young girl or a young unmarried woman (damsel) and specifically refers to a maid-servant or a young female slave; also a maid servant who has charge of the door.
      1. שִׁפְחָה shiphchah is related to the word מִשְׁפָּחָה mishpachah (H4940) which means family or clan
      2. Mistress (n.) c. 1300, “female teacher, governess; supervisor of novices in a convent,” from Old French maistresse “mistress (lover); housekeeper; governess, female teacher” (Modern French maîtresse), fem. of maistre “master,” from Latin magister “chief, head, director, teacher” (see master (n.)). Sense of “a woman who employs others or has authority over a household and servants” is from early 15c. Meaning “woman who has mastered an art or branch of study” is from mid-15c. Sense of “kept woman of a married man” is from early 15c. As a polite form of address to a woman, mid-15c. Meaning “woman who is beloved and courted, one who has command over a lover’s heart” is from c. 1500. (More on the word mistress later in Genesis 16:4.)
    4. Hagar was joined to the family or clan of Abraham 
      1. Genesis Apocryphon 1Q20 Column 20 …And he returned Sarai to me, and the king gave her a [la]rge quantity of si[lver and go]ld together with a large quantity of clothing of linen and purple that …. before her, and also Hagar. So he restored her to me, and he appointed people to accompany me who would take me out of Egypt…
      2. Targum But Sara, the wife of Abram, had not borne to him. But he had a handmaid, a Mizreitha, and her name was Hagar, a daughter of Pharoh, whom he gave to him as a handmaid at the time that he received her, being struck by the word from before the Lord.
  2. Genesis 16:2 Sarai said to Abram, “See now, [Elohim](LXX) has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my maidservant. It may be that I may obtain children from her.” Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
    1. Restrained = עָצַר atsar (H6113) means “to stop” in the sense of stopping something from occurring; halting, shutting, or restraining. Here, עָצַר atsar is equivalent to the Greek word συγκλείω sygkleiō (G4788) which means to shut up together or enclose as in a shoal of fishes in a net; to shut up on all sides, shut up completely.
    2. “I may obtain children from her” was a custom and tradition of the Hebrews at this time when their wives were unable to bear children and only done with a maidservant of the husband’s wife. This is demonstrated here by Abram’s lack of hesitation to comply and shown by Rachel in Genesis 30:1-4 and Leah in Genesis 30:9-10.
      1. The understanding that a maidservant who births children would be children of their master is confirmed by YHWH in the Torah in Exodus 21:4: “If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.”
  3. Genesis 16:3 Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maidservant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
    1. “To be his wife” – This is because intimacy between a man and woman join them together as “ish and ishah” as one body.
      1. 1 Corinthians 6:16 Or don’t you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, “The two”, he says, “will become one flesh.” (cf. Genesis 2:24)
    2. In Hebrew there is no word for “wife” as אִשָּׁה ishah (H802) is translated as “woman” from the root אִישׁ ish (H376) which means “man.” “…She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.” (Genesis 2:23 cf. 1 Corinthians 11:7-12). אִישׁ ish is equivalent to the Greek word γυνή gynē (G1135) which also translates as both “woman” or “wife.” Neither Biblical Hebrew or Greek have a definitive word for “wife.
  4. Genesis 16:4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was belittled in her eyes. 5 Sarai said to Abram, “[My violence is upon you].(MTT) I gave my maidservant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was belittled in her eyes. May [Elohim](LXX) judge between me and you.”
    1. Belittled = קַלֵּל qalel (H7403) means to regard or portray as less impressive or important; to be light in weight; to belittle in the sense of making light. Commonly translated as “blaspheme” or “revile”
    2. Mistress = גְּבֶרֶת geveret (H1404) is the woman in the home with great strength of authority and from the Hebrew word גָּבַר gavar (H1396) which means “to prevail with strength as a warrior” (i.e. “El Gibbor” which means “Mighty God”) גְּבֶרֶת geveret is equivalent to the Greek word κυρία kyria (G2959) which is a lady, madam, mistress and derived from the masculine noun κύριος kyrios (G2962) which means lord or master.
    3. Targum And Sara said to Abram, All my affliction is from thee. Being secure that thou wouldst do me justice, I left the land and house of my father, and came up with thee to a foreign land; and forasmuch as I was not able to become a mother, I set free my handmaid, and gave her to lie in thy bosom; and she seeth that she had conceived, and mine honour is despised before her. But now is my affliction manifest before the Lord, who will spread peace between me and thee, and the land will be replenished from us, nor will we need the help of the progeny of Hagar the daughter of Pharoh bar Nimrod, who threw thee into the furnace of fire.
      1. Sarai means “to rule” and specifically means “my princess or my noblewoman” as the “yod” (י) ending in Sarai (שְׂרַי) is a possessive marker, thus meaning “my princess”.
      2. Genesis 17:15-16 “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.”
        1. The name Sarah drops the possessive “my” to simply being a noblewoman who will be the mother of nations whom kings of people will come.
        2. שָׂרָה Sarah (H8283) = noblewoman or ruler (feminine) of nations
        3. Galatians 4:22-26 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman. 23 However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. 24 These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. 25 For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
        4. 1 Peter 3:5-6 For this is how in the past the holy women who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands. 6 So Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you now are if you do well and are not put in fear by any terror.
      3. Genesis 17:4-5 “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
        1. Instead of just “exalted father” (אַבְרָם Abram), אַבְרָהָם Abraham (H85) means “father of a multitude”
  5. Genesis 16:6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maidservant is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes.” Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.
    1. Hagar is of Egyptian origin and likely means “flight”, possibly defined from this event
  6. Genesis 16:7 The angel of [Elohim](LXX) found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. 8 And [the angel of YHWH](LXX) said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant, where did you come from? Where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of YHWH said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands.”
  7. Genesis 16:10 The angel said to her, “I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be counted for multitude.” 11 Then the angel of [Elohim](LXX) said to her, “Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because [Elohim](LXX) has heard your affliction. 12 He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. He will live opposed to all of his brothers.”
  8. Genesis 16:13 She called [his name, the one](mss) who spoke to her, “You are El Roi,” for she said, “Here I have seen the one who sees me” 14 Therefore the well was called Be’er Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
  9. Genesis 16:15 Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Prophets Portion Summary
Judges 13:2-22

  1. Themes in the book of Judges – Sin, Judgement, and Rescue.
    1. “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and another generation rose up after them who did not know the LORD, nor even the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them; so they provoked the LORD to anger” (Jud. 2:10-12).
    2. “And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who tormented and oppressed them” (Jud. 2:18).
  2. There are several unique and interesting aspects of Samson’s life.
    1. Prior to Samson, each judge had been chosen by God as an adult.
      1. Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
    2. Samson and his mother were to be Nazarite; Samson from before his birth
      1. Reference Numbers 6:1-21.
        1. Special vow of separation to the Lord – consecrated to the Lord.
        2. Abstain from wine or other fermented drink.
        3. Not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins or anything from the grapevine.
        4. No razor is to be used on his head.
        5. He must not go near a dead body.
        6. Additional detailed instructions for fulfilling the vow.
  3. Comparing the prophecies of Samson with Isaac (e.g. Abraham and Sarah), John the Baptist (e.g. Zechariah and Elizabeth), and Yeshua (e.g. Mary and Joseph), 
    1. Abraham and Sarah – Barren
      1. The Lord communicated to Abraham several times about Isaac.
        1. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;…” (Gen. 2:2).
        2. “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I will give this land” (Gen. 12:7).
        3. Also, reference Genesis 13:15-16 and 15:4-6.
      2. Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands (see Gen. 16:25).
    2. Zechariah and Elizabeth – Barren
      1. Zechariah did not believe what Gabriel told him but Elizabeth blessed the Lord for his extravagant kindness and incredible blessing
        1. “Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years’” (Luk. 1:18).
        2. “Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, ‘This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among people’” (Luk. 1:24-25).
    3. Joseph and Mary – Betrothed
      1. Joseph wanted to divorce Mary, but Mary believed God
        1. “And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (Luk. 1:38).
        2. “And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly” (Mat. 1:19).
    4. Manoah and his wife – Barren
      1. The angel of the Lord appeared first to the wife and she did not ask any questions or express doubt.
      2. Manoah trusted his wife and asked the Lord for wisdom
        1. The woman did not bring the man to her husband but brought her husband to the angel of the Lord.
      3. Manoah asked to know the name of the angel of the Lord – the Lord replied that it is a secret, wonderful, beyond understanding.

KEY POINT:

If we read, learn, and understand how God works through scripture, we will be prepared to respond appropriately when God acts in similar ways in our life.

Apostolic Portion Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. Today’s Apostolic portion focuses on the relationships between slaves and masters.
    1. It connects to the Torah portion through Hagar, who was the maidservant of Sarai.
  2. Our study and discussion will explore more broadly what our relationships look like in Christ.
    1. The term “in Christ” or “in Messiah” could best be described as a state of being – a reality of existence for Believers.
    2. Occurs 91 times in the Apostolic scriptures — a worthy topic study!
  3. The two most important aspects of being in Messiah are Identity and Relationships.
    1. aspect(n.) late 14c., an astrological term, “relative position of the planets as they appear from earth” (i.e., how they “look at” one another); also “one of the ways of viewing something,” from Latin aspectus “a seeing, looking at, sight, view; countenance; appearance”.

KEY POINT:

Our status or position in Messiah has fundamentally changed the aspect by which we know ourselves (e.g. identity) and know others (e.g. relationships).

  1. Two keys to understanding our change in aspect.
    1. #1 – When we came to faith, you and I died and were resurrected to new life in Messiah.
      1. “So, you too, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Messiah Yeshua” (Rom. 6:11).
      2. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).
      3. “For you have died and your life is hidden with Messiah in Elohim” (Col. 3:3).

KEY POINT:

The most foundational part of your being – i.e. your identity – exists and finds its meaning and significance in Yeshua; by extension, apart from Him you cannot know your true identity.

  1. #2 – The second key to understanding this change in aspect is that Messiah is now our point-of-reference, not Self.
    1. Human existence outside of Messiah is fundamentally “Self-ish” – i.e. the pursuit of the temporal needs and wants of Self.
    2. Once we are in Messiah, He becomes the point-of-reference and Self no longer dictates and directs our behavior.
      1. “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Messiah in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Yeshua that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:17-24).

KEY POINT:

Life in Messiah reflects a fundamentally different perspective on how we see ourselves (Identity) and how we relate to others (Relationships).

  1. Discipleship in Messiah is the process whereby we grow into this reality.
    1. No one has arrived! [Story of the armrest].
  2. We will only become what we are when we stand on His Word and not on what we see.
    1. “By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible” (Heb. 11:3).
      1. We are going to talk about what relationships are in Christ not what they should be.
  3. Children and young adults, in Messiah you honor and obey your parents. 
    1. “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you” (Exo. 20:12).
    2. “Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord (Col. 1:19).
    3. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise)” (Eph. 6:1-2).
    4. Straight Talk Time:
      1. “Kids, how does it feel to be under the control of your parents? If they tell you to do or not to do something, you have to obey. If you disagree with them, guess who gets to be ‘right’? They do! This definitely seems unfair and can very tough at times. Do you ever see them act in a way that is inconsistent or even hypocritical? Or maybe you look at how they run the house and you think, ‘That’s definitely not how I would do it’. Sometimes it probably feels like they don’t deserve honor. It’s even harder when you start becoming an adult yourself, isn’t it?
      2. Reconsider your perspective in the reality of life in Messiah:
        1. With Yeshua as your point-of-reference, every time you obey your parents and show them honor, you obey and honor Him. And in situations when doing it feels the hardest, that’s when He is most pleased and gets the most honor.
        2. Teens and Young Adults, the pull of Self can feel so strong at this time in your life. You’re coming into your identity at breakneck speed and sometimes you just want your parents to understand and respect you for who are, distinct from who they are. Just remember, you no longer live – it’s Messiah living in and through you. This will put your need for Self-expression and Self-validation in its proper perspective especially in the context of your parents deep and unconditional love for you.
  4. Men, we are to relate to our wives in a self-sacrificial way that focuses on meeting their needs, consistently and unconditionally, regardless of how we feel or what we think we might deserve or need ourselves. 
    1. “Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered (#4087) against them” (Col.1:19).
      1. G4087. pikrainó — “make bitter, embitter; grow angry or harsh”.
    2. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without defect. Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes (#1625) and cherishes (#2282) it, even as the Lord also does the assembly” (Eph. 5:25-29).
    3. G1625. ektrephó — “to bring up to maturity, to nourish”.
      1. The head provides what is needed in the home to enable its members to fulfill their God-given callings, beginning with the one who keeps the home. 
    4. G2282. thalpó — “to warm, to cherish; figuratively, “to warm someone up”
    5. Straight Talk Time:
      1. “Men, it can be hard to love our wives sometimes, right?  Especially when we don’t feel appreciated or acknowledged for all that we do. Sometimes when it comes time to provide what she needs emotionally, we’re all tapped out. What we really deserve is some cave time — a little self-care with our favorite diversion. We are the heads of our homes after all. Surely this entitles us to a little slack around the house. Sometimes it just feels like we can’t do enough, doesn’t it?”
    6. Scripture gives a reality (in Christ) check:
      1. You and I represent Yeshua to our wives, which means we do what He did.
        1. We love our wives and give ourselves up for them.
        2. We love ourselves by loving our wives, not by selfishly seeking to meet our own needs.
        3. In the tough times and the arguments, you might be tempted to think, “But what about me?”
          1. What about “you”? Didn’t you die in Christ so that you no longer live but He lives in you?
            1. “Therefore, since Messiah has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:1-2).
      2. Remember – you are the head in your marriage and home, and manifesting that reality depends on what you do, not what your wife or kids do. 
        1. “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Messiah also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23).
  5. Ladies, you were created to be in submission to male headship, regardless of how well that has been modeled or exhibited in your life up to this point.
    1. “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (Col. 3:18).
    2. “Wives, be subject (#5293) to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Messiah also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject (#5293) to Messiah, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything” (Eph. 5:22-24). 
      1. G5293. hupotassó – “to subject, to subordinate, to submit, to be under obedience”. 
        1. HELPS Word-studies: 5293 hypotássō (from 5259 /hypó, “under” and 5021 /tássō, “arrange”) – properly, “under God’s arrangement,” i.e. submitting to the Lord (His plan).
    3. Straight talk time:
      1. “Ladies, it can be hard to submit to your husbands, right? I mean, sometimes he really doesn’t remind you much of Jesus, especially when he’s not holding up his end of the bargain. After all, aren’t you just filling a void that he leaves open. How do you follow a leader that isn’t really leading and doesn’t seem to be that submitted in his own relationship with Christ?”
    4. Remember the reality of life in Messiah:
      1. Yeshua is the one who decided that your husband was fit to be His representative in your marriage. Did He get it wrong? When you submit to your husband, you submit to Yeshua (Eph. 5:22).
      2. Your husband’s leadership in your relationship is not conditional, any more than his love for you is. Faith requires that you trust the Lord to fashion both according to His perfect plan and design.
      3. We’re human and in the tough times, you might be tempted to think, “But what about me?” Note that Paul reverses the body metaphor from his commandment to the husbands. Whereas they love their wives as they would their own bodies, the wives submit to their husbands as they would their own head. 
        1. Paraphrase of Ephesians 5:28-29 for the ladies: “No woman ever hated her own head but respects and serves it because she knows it’s in her own best interest to do so”.

KEY POINT:

Life is built upon the foundation of the relationships within the family – first a husband and wife in marriage, then parents and their children. Only in Messiah will these relationships reach their God-intended telos (e.g. “goal; purpose; fulfillment”).

  1. A critical point of clarification – absolute and unconditional submission is reserved for Messiah alone. 
    1. There is no protection of or justification for physical or emotional abuse in any relationship, especially those of the family unit.
    2. We will not be a community that excuses or tolerates abuse of any kind.
      1. In any marital difficulty situation, the Cord elders will follow Elohim’s example of the Father and hold the husband accountable first.
        1. “Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you*?’” (Gen. 3:9).
          1. *In the Hebrew, the “you” is in the masculine singular.
        2. In serious marital strife, it is a mistake to lead with the assumption that both spouses are mutually at fault.
      2. We will never discipline a wife for contumacy, either formally or informally.
        1. Contumacy – “a stubborn refusal to obey authority”.
      3. In our community, physical or sexual abuse will not be tolerated, ignored, or treated as a “private matter”.
        1. In other words, domestic violence is not a marriage problem, it is a legal one.
        2. “Abuse is a matter of personal responsibility, not a shared relational culpability” (Hambrick, Brad. “Self-centered Spouse: Help for Chronically Broken Marriages (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2014), 19).
        3. In the context of protecting them from harm, the children belong to all of us and when it comes to abuse, we must all be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Mat. 10:16).
    3. For further reading and education:
      1. “Chapter 14: A Cure for Marital Cancer – Healing Abuse in Christian Families” in The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy Pearcey.

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/warning-signs-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/

Questions for additional study and discussion:

  1. What does it mean to you that your identity is in Messiah? How does it affect how you relate to others?
  2. How does it change your perspective to know that it is no longer you who lives but Christ who lives in you?
  3. What’s one area of family relationships where you struggle the most with submission to Messiah in the manner He has called you?

Does anyone have specific questions or need any clarification from what was said during the Summary or Exhortation?

Application & Discussion
Living the Word and following Yeshua (Acts 2:37; Romans 2:13)
Questions, input, and sharpening (Proverbs 27:17; Luke 2:46)

Romans 2:13 For it isn’t the hearers of the Torah who are righteous before Elohim, but the doers of the Torah will be justified.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

    1. What questions or comments came up during your family’s discussion of this week’s study?
    2. “What other related Scriptures did you find during your study of this week’s portion?”
    3. Have you ever experienced something from this study or something related to it?
    4. “What changes do you need to make in your life to align with what you learned during this week’s Torah Study?”
Additional Study Notes