Study Notes Week 56

Torah Study Notes for Week 56 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): Shemot (Exodus) 6:1-30
  • Prophets (P): Ezekiel 28:25 – 29:21
  • Apostolic (A): Romans 7:1-25
  • Additional (ADD): Jubilees 48:4-5

Torah Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

Shemot (Exodus) 6:1-30
1 YHWH said to Mosheh, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand he shall let them go, and by a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land.” 2 Then Elohim spoke to Mosheh, and said to him, “I am YHWH. 3 And I appeared to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʿaqoḇ as El Shaddai, (cf. Genesis 17:2; Job 5:19) but I did not make myself known to them by my name YHWH. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Kena’an, the land of their sojournings, in which they were foreigners. 5 Moreover I have heard the groaning of the sons of Yisra’el, whom the Mitsrayim keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Therefore tell the sons of Yisra’el,’ I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrayim, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments: 7 and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you an Elohim; and you shall know that I am YHWH your Elohim, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrayim. 8 I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʿaqoḇ; and I will give it to you as a possession. I am YHWH. ‘” 9 Mosheh spoke so to the sons of Yisra’el, but they did not listen to Mosheh for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 10 YHWH spoke to Mosheh, saying, 11 “Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Mitsrayemah, that he let the sons of Yisra’el go out of his land.” 12 Mosheh spoke before YHWH, saying, “Look, the sons of Yisra’el haven’t listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” (cf. Exodus 6:29; Exodus 4:10) 13 YHWH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, and gave them a command to the sons of Yisra’el, and to Pharaoh king of Mitsrayemah, to bring the sons of Yisra’el out of the land of Mitsrayemah. 14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Re’uḇen the firstborn of Yisra’el: Ḥanok, and Pallu, Ḥetsron, and Karmi; these are the families of Re’uḇen. (cf. Genesis 46:9; Numbers 26:5; 1 Chronicles 5:3) 15 The sons of Shimon: Yemu’el, and Yamin, and Ohad, and Jakin, and Tsoḥar, and Sha’ul the son of a Kena’ani woman; these are the families of Shimon. (cf. Genesis 46:10; Numbers 26:12; 1 Chronicles 4:24) 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gereshon, and Qohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years. (cf. Genesis 46:11; Numbers 3:17; Numbers 26:57; 1 Chronicles 6:1; 1 Chronicles 6:16; 1 Chronicles 23:6) 17 The sons of Gereshon: Liḇni and Shimʿi, according to their families. (cf. 1 Chronicles 6:17; 1 Chronicles 23:7) 18 The sons of Qohath: Amram, and Yitshar, and Eḇron, and Uzzi’el; and the years of the life of Qohath were one hundred thirty-three years. (cf. 1 Chronicles 6:18; 1 Chronicles 23:12) 19 The sons of Merari: Maḥli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levi’i according to their generations. (cf. 1 Chronicles 6:19; 1 Chronicles 23:21) 20 Amram took Yokeḇed his father’s sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aharon and Mosheh:*^ (cf. Numbers 26:59) and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years. (cf. Exodus 2:1; Numbers 26:59) 21 The sons of Yitshar: Qoraḥ, and Nepheg, and Zikri. 22 The sons of Uzzi’el: Misha’el, and Elitsaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aharon took Elisheḇa, the daughter of Amminadaḇ, the sister of Naḥshon, as his wife; and she bore him Nadaḇ and Aḇihu,*^ Elʿazar and Ithamar. (cf. Numbers 3:2; Numbers 26:60; 1 Chronicles 6:3; 1 Chronicles 24:1) 24 The sons of Qoraḥ: Assir, and Elqanah, and Aḇi’asaph; these are the families of the Qorachites. 25 Elʿazar Aharon’s son took one of the daughters of Puti’el as his wife; and she bore him Pineḥas. These are the heads of ancestral houses of the Levi’i according to their families. 26 These are the Aharon and Mosheh, to whom Elohim* said, “Bring out the sons of Yisra’el from the land of Mitsrayemah according to their regiments.” 27 These are those who spoke to Pharaoh king of Mitsrayemah, to bring out the sons of Yisra’el from* Mitsrayemah. These are that Mosheh and Aharon. 28 It happened on the day when YHWH spoke to Mosheh in the land of Mitsrayemah, 29 that YHWH spoke to Mosheh, saying, “I am YHWH. Speak to Pharaoh king of Mitsrayemah all that I speak to you.” 30 Mosheh said before YHWH, “Look, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?” (cf. Exodus 6:12; Exodus 4:10)

Prophets Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

Israelites long for Egypt

Released from Slavery

  • Israelites enslaved in Egypt – 
      1. Forced to make bricks, gather their own straw, meet an unreasonable demand, beaten.
      2. They cared more about what Pharaoh thought of them than God’s plan
        1. Exodus 5:21 and the foreman said to Moses and Aaron, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
  • God delivers them out of Egypt – out of bondage (sin)

Exodus 3:10 – Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Isreal, out of Egypt.”

  • God increased the people’s faith through the plagues that He would deliver them. And He did.

Ex 13:16 – So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.

Complaining

  • The people grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 

Exodus 16:2-3 “The sons of Isreal said to them, “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

  • In the wilderness, God gave the Israelites a purpose and a plan for their life – 
    1. Ten Commandments, 
    2. Instructions to build the tabernacle
    3. Made to be skilled craftsman, artistic, gifted 
    4. Allowed to see the real result of their sin in the sacrifice of animals – Real growth

Quick to turn from God – Back to Egypt 

  1. False Idols, disobedience, and fear
    1. Built a false god, the golden calf – a god that they can control
    2. Numbers 14:2 All the sons of Isreal grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
    3. Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter 1 King’s 3:1, 11:1 Loved many women who turned his heart away from God
    4. Hezekiah depending on Egypt 2 Kings 18:21
    5. Johanan leading the people back to Egypt despite the Lord our God telling them to stay in Israel.

Egypt

  1. Like a flailing fish out of water on dry open ground to be consumed
  2. A reed easily broken devoid of life or healing
  3. Desolation, waste, uninhabitable, lowly, small

Israel

  1. Gathered together
  2. Holiness, Life
  3. Security, Building, Growth, Planting, Harvesting
  4. God will be their protector

As I consider the temptation to return to my old sinful ways, I am reminded of Bilbo Baggins at the end of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Bilbo turns to Frodo and asks him if he still has the ring – He might like to hold it one more time. 

We need to see the death and decay of our sin – see our sin for what it is and remember during those times of temptation what it leads to.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Who has made man’s mouth. Ex 4:11

When we remember what God has done for us, we have a greater hope for tomorrow.

Are we more interested in complaining about our situation than actually seeking help from God to solve it? 

How are we playing the victim and remaining in our weakness rather than allowing God to pull us up our of our pit (situation)?

What sin (complaining, whining, resistance to God’s nudging) are we allowing to have a foothold in our life that keeps us from the promised land?

Apostolic Exhortation
Counsel, comfort, and encouragement (Acts 13:14-15)

  1. Our study of Romans 7 today will provide us the opportunity to address some critical questions regarding the Torah.
    1. Why did YHWH give His teachings and instructions to His redeemed people? 
    2. What was the Law’s original purpose, and did it fail or succeed? 
  2. Before we begin, it is important to identify some of the prevailing misconceptions regarding the Law among our brothers and sisters in mainstream Christianity.
    1. Unfortunately, broadly speaking the Law of God is viewed largely in a negative light by most Christians.
      1. At best, it is not relevant and/or has been replaced under the New Covenant.
      2. At worst, it is harmful and a curse.  
  3. Why? What are the doctrinal roots of this belief?
    1. “Salvation is by faith, and the Law is not of faith.”
      1. Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “the righteous one will live by faith. However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, ‘The person who performs them will live by them’ (Gal. 3:11-12).
      2. “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed. Therefore, the Law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith (Gal. 3:23-24).
    2. “We’re saved by grace not works and keeping the Law is works.”
      1. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
    3. “As Believers, we serve in the Spirit not the letter of the Law.”
      1. “But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter” (Rom. 7:6).

KEY POINT:

The roots of Torah-aversion among most Christians are scriptural, even if they are misdirected.

Why the Torah?

  1. Rather than aggressively try to uproot these beliefs, the best start point is affirming the original purpose and function of Torah.
    1. #1 – the purpose of God’s commandments is to produce life (Rom. 7:10).
      1. “So then, the Torah is Holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good” (Rom. 7:12).
      2. “So, you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them; I am the Lord” (Lev. 18:5; ref. Gal. 3:12).
      3. “See, I have placed before you today life and happiness, and death and adversity, in that I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, so that you may live and become numerous, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to take possession of it” (Deut. 30:15-16).
    2. #2 – Life results from healthy relationships, first with the Creator, His creation and then with one another.
      1. “One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “’YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’” On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Mat. 22:25-40).
      2. “For this, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Rom. 13:9).

KEY POINT:

The Torah is first and foremost the guide to healthy and whole relationships.

  1. #3 – Proper obedience to Torah produces the fruit of behavioral righteousness but cannot impart to us positional righteousness.
    1. In other words, we are not “justified by the Law” but rather we “live by [it]” — i.e. thrive and bear fruit (Gal. 3:11-12). 
      1. “[A]s it is written: ‘There is no righteous person, not even one’” (Rom. 3:10).
      2. “Messiah Yeshua, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
  2. Now, let’s take these principles and look again at our portion from Romans 7.
  1. Paul’s audience for this teaching is the Jewish people – “for I am speaking to those who know the law” (Rom. 7:1).
    1. This is significant because by and large the Jewish people already understood principle #1 and #2 regarding the original purpose and function of Torah. 
      1. Specifically, that obeying God’s commandments will produce life in healthy relationships, communities and societies.
    2. The central question of Romans 7 is therefore not, should a Believer in Yeshua, Jewish or not, keep Torah? 
      1. The question is, why did/does Torah fail to produce behavioral righteousness apart from Messiah?
        1. Even more to the point, why does it do the opposite?
          1. That is, produce death by arousing sinful passions (vs. 5) and making sin come alive in us (vs. 9)?

What is sin?

  1. We know that sin affects and has infected every human being.
    1. What are the qualities and characteristics of sin?
  2. The primary effect of sin is damage to relationships.
    1. Think of a marriage where the husband is addicted to pornography.
    2. Or of a church where the sin of gossip and evil speech is allowed to run rampant.
    3. Or, perhaps of a natural ecosystem that has been exploited by greed.
  3. Sin is deceitful. 
    1. “Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called ‘today’, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:12-13).
      1. G539. apaté – “deception; deceit; delusion”.
        1. Usage: a false impression, made to deceive or cheat – i.e. deceit motivated by guile and treachery (trickery, fraud).
    2. By creating a false impression or delusion, sin hides itself from being discovered by the truth.
      1. Delusion (di-ˈlü-zhən): 
        1. “A belief that, though false, has been surrendered to and accepted by the whole mind as a truth”.
  4. Sin is domineering.
    1. “If you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it” (Gen. 4:7 AMP).
    2. “Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have power over me” (Psa. 119:133).
    3. Apart from Messiah, sin is in charge and will get what it wants.
      1. “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin’” (John 8:34).

KEY POINT:

Sin’s qualities of being destructive, deceptive and domineering is why God needed to give us His Torah.

  1. How can the Torah save humanity from something as awful as sin? 
  1. First, because sin cannot be known through the five senses, humans needed something that could make it known. 
  2. One of the key functions of Torah is revealing what sin tries to conceal.
    1. “What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Torah; for I would not have known about coveting if the Torah had not said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COVET’” (Rom. 7:7).
    2. “But sin, taking opportunity (#874) through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Torah sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Torah; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity (#874) through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me” (Rom. 7:8-11).
      1. What does Paul mean that sin “took an opportunity” (“taking occasion” KJV) through the commandment?
        1. G874. aphormé – “a starting point”.
          1. Lexicon: Strong’s Greek 874 paints the picture of a “base of operations”—a starting-point from which some further action proceeds. 
    3. If sin is deceptive, why would it blow its cover and reveal itself through the commandment?
  3. Much of what Paul says in verses 5 through 13 seems to propagate a negative view of the Torah.
    1. For example, Paul tells us that sin is “dead apart from the Torah” (vs. 8), that we were “alive apart from the Law”, and that God’s commandments actually makes “sin come alive” (vs. 9).  
    2. If the Law works in the members of our body to bear fruit for death (vs. 5), wouldn’t we be better off without it?
  4. This leads us to a more foundational question.
    1. If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was how sin entered the world, why did God place it in the garden to begin with?
      1. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die” (Gen. 2:15-17).
    2. If this tree worked in Eve and then her husband to bear fruit for death, wouldn’t they have been better off without it? 
  5. What then was the purpose of this tree and of the commandment not to eat from it?
    1. Would it not be the same as all of God’s commandments – i.e. to produce life (Rom. 7:10)? And yet, it resulted in death.
      1. Consider now this paraphrase from our portion, verses 9 through 12:
        1. “[Adam and Eve] were once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and [they] died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for [them]; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived [Eve] and through it killed [her and her husband]. So then, the Torah is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Rom. 7:9-12).

KEY POINT:

Sin is the desire (i.e. the will) to obtain anything apart from or against God.

  1. Sin’s strongest desire is not for pleasure but for power (i.e. control).
    1. This is why indwelling sin will always “take the opportunity through the commandment” (Rom. 7:8,11).
      1. The Torah’s attempt to restrain sin by force actually excites into living energy, what otherwise would be dormant.
        1. First, it blocks the path of the sinner, opposing his intention and Self-will.
        2. Second, the commandment acts like a lie detector and lays open to view that which was in the heart but was concealed.
          1. Another fitting metaphor would be cancer treatment.
            1. Cancer patients are treated using contrast-enhanced MRIs where iodine-based dyes or tracers are injected so that the scan reveals exactly where the cancer is causing abnormal or unhealthy tissues to stand out.
    2. The restraint of law actually provokes resistance in the human heart.
      1. Think of a child when you tell him that him or her that they can’t have something or do something. Doesn’t this excite them to greater rebellion?
        1. “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” (Pro. 9:17).
        2. “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel” (Pro. 20:17).

The Conflict of Two Natures?

  1. So, what do we truly desire?
    1. Is it to serve God and please Him, to love Him and keep His commandments?
    2. Or is it to pursue our own desires, serve our own will, in rebellion to God?
  2. These questions are the framework for the second half of Romans 7.
    1. For many of us, this is a very difficult portion of scripture to understand. 
      1. Is Paul talking about his current state as a Believer or before coming to faith?
      2. Is the context only for Unbelievers?
      3. Is all this just rhetorical? 
    2. Paul’s argument or conclusion is bookmarked by verses 14 and 25.
      1. “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin” (Rom. 7:14,25).
    3. The uncertainty has led many some Bible Versions to insert a heading before this section.
      1. NASB95: “The Conflict of Two Natures”.
      2. NASB95: “The Conflict of Serving Two Masters”.
      3. MSG: “Torn Between One Way and Another”.
      4. ISV: “The Problem of the Sin that Lives in Us”.
      5. WEB: “Two Laws at War”.
  3. Do you ever wonder who is really in control inside your mind and heart? Paul did.
    1. “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Torah is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” (Rom. 7:15-19).
      1. I think we can all relate to Paul’s struggle, which is why I believe that he was in fact describing his current state as a Believer and not his life before conversion.
      2. The real question is, “Where is the victory over sin that he speaks of elsewhere?”
        1. “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:12;14).
      3. If we’re being honest, it seems like Paul is teaching two different things.
        1. On the one hand, he says we’re no longer slaves to sin but then in chapter 7, he says he feels powerless to live righteously according to God’s commandments. 

KEY POINT:

Knowing true freedom from indwelling sin must begin with knowing the truth (John 8:32).

  1. For many years, my understanding of this portion of scripture came from the translators heading for this section of my Bible, which read, “The Conflict of Two Natures”. 
    1. I believed that my struggle to overcome patterns of sin in my life were simply a reflection of the war between my sin nature and my new creation self.
      1. “But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom. 7:20-23).
    2. Maybe I had watched too many Looney Tunes which depict an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.
    3. Other well-meaning believers gave me sage advice like, “You’ve got two dogs inside you — you just need to choose which one to feed.” 
  2. The problem with the idea that Believers have a dual nature is that it is not scriptural.
    1.  “Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living, she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Messiah, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God” (Rom. 1:4).
      1. Note the clear reality of our death and resurrection with Messiah.
    2. Remember the original effect of Torah from the garden forward – namely, that what was meant to produce life actually activated the power of sin to produce the fruit of death?
      1. The Good News is that this condemning function of the Torah only had an effect on Adam and his seed under the old covenant which bound him to Torah as his master.
        1. “For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse” (Gal. 3:19).
        2. “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters” (Gal. 4:4-5).
        3. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law” (1 Cor. 15:56).

KEY POINT:

Our death and resurrection in Messiah frees us from sin’s power over and the Torah’s condemnation of our nature because that nature no longer exists. 

  1. Has this become truth for you personally? 
    1. We never question the atoning work of Messiah on the cross for our sins.
      1. Indeed, we accept it by faith and enjoy the peace and rest of reconciliation with God.
    2. Why then do we struggle with accepting in faith that “our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin” (Rom.6:6)?
  2. So, what does this look like in practical application?
    1. #1 – Our victory over the flesh is empowered by the same faith that saves our soul.
      1. Don’t let indwelling sin deceive you into giving it power.
        1. Paul says sin “dwells in our members”.
          1. This means that as long as we live in these earth suits, we will struggle against the flesh with its lusts, cravings and desires.
        2. However, this is not the same thing as being a slave to sin, unable to resist its power over and against our desire to love and obey God.
    2. #2 — Quit trying to “crucify the flesh”. Rather, stand on the truth of God’s Word that it has already been crucified!
      1. “Now those who belong to Messiah Yeshua crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24).
        1. Paul uses the Aortist Indicative Tense, which implies the following:
          1. “The aorist tense refers to an action that happened in the past; the indicative mood is used for statements of fact or reality”.
    3. #3 – Keep the commandments and continually foster an awareness your union with Holy Spirit.
      1. Walking in God’s commandments will expose sin in our thinking and behavior.
      2. Dependence on Holy Spirit will prevent us from serving our own will and seeking our own desires.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (Gal. 5:16-18).

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?”
    5. How do you understand the proper function of Torah?
    6. Is Paul’s struggle in Romans 7:14-25 something you’ve experienced? If so, what did you learn?
    7. What is the significance that the old you was crucified with Messiah and the new you has been resurrected to life in Him?

Additional Notes