Study Notes Week 59

Torah Study Notes for Week 59 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) 9:1-35
  • Prophets (P): Nehemiah 9:1-10
  • Apostolic (A): Mark 8:1-21
  • Additional (ADD): Jubilees 48:9-11

Torah Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

Shemot (Exodus) 9:1-35

9:1 Then YHWH said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what YHWH, the Elohim of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still, 3 behold, YHWH’s hand is on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks with a very grievous pestilence. 4 YHWH will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt; and no word shall die of all the sons of Israel.” ’ ” 5 [Elohim](LXX) appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow YHWH shall do this word in the land.” 6 YHWH did that word on the next day; and all the livestock of Egypt died, but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. 7 Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the livestock of the [the sons of](DSS)(LXX)(SP) Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he didn’t let the people go. 8 YHWH said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh [and before his servants].(LXX) 9 It shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be boils and blisters breaking out on man and on animal, throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 They took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward the sky; and it became boils and blisters breaking out on man and on animal. 11 The magicians couldn’t stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the magicians and on all the [land of Egypt].(LXX) 12 YHWH hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he didn’t listen to them, as YHWH had spoken to Moses. 13 YHWH said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what YHWH, the Elohim of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is no one like me in all the land. 15 For now I would have stretched out my hand, and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the land; 16 but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the land, 17 because you still exalt yourself against my people, that you won’t let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. 19 Now therefore command that all of your livestock and all that you have in the field be brought into shelter. The hail will come down on every man and animal that is found in the field, and isn’t brought home, and they will die.” ’ ” 20 Those who feared YHWH’s word among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses. 21 Whoever didn’t respect YHWH’s word left his servants and his livestock in the field. 22 YHWH said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man, and on animal, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and YHWH sent thunder and hail; and lightning flashed down to the land. YHWH rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was very severe hail, and lightning mixed with the hail, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and animal; and the hail struck every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. 27 Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. YHWH is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Pray to YHWH; for there has been enough of mighty thunderings and hail [and fire].(DSS)(LXX) I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to YHWH. The thunders shall cease, and there will not be any more hail; that you may know that the land is YHWH’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you don’t yet fear YHWH Elohim.” 31 The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley had ripened and the flax was blooming. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they had not grown up. 33 Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to YHWH; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he didn’t let the sons of Israel go, just as YHWH had spoken through Moses.

Apostolic Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. The first section of Mark 8 recounts the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand.

    1. Only two chapters before in Mark 6, Yeshua had performed a similar miracle with five thousand men (Mar. 8:43), which probably about ten to fifteen thousand people.

    2. We also have a narrative in John 6:1-34 that describes the same events.

    3. There are many things we can discuss from these passages.

      1. One of them is what we can learn about prayer.

  2. We see in both narratives that Yeshua felt compassion for the people.

    1. “He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd and He began to teach them many things” (Mar. 6:34).

      1. They had stayed and listened to Him teach in spite of their physical needs.

        1. “[M]an shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deu. 8:3; cf. Mat. 4:4; Luk. 4:4).

      2. Yeshua also felt pity for the people for their physical needs.

        1. “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance” (Mar. 8:2-3).

    2. Prayer is a conversation where the Lord will tell us what’s on His heart.

  3. Yeshua demonstrated for us that thanksgiving is a precursor, or starting element, of prayer.

    1. “[A]nd taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them” (Mar. 8:6b).

    2. “And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves” (Mar. 6:43).

  4. When we give thanks, we properly position ourselves before God.

    1. We remember that He is the Sovereign and we are His subjects.

    2. We remember that He is our Father who cares for us as children.

    3. Our faith is increased because we remember all the good things He has already provided in our lives.

      1. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phi. 4:6).

      2. “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2).

      3. “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all people” (1 Tim. 2:1).

  5. Next, we offer whatever resources we have back to Him.

    1. Each of the miracles begins with the limited resources of the disciples – “five loaves and two fish” (Mar. 6:38) and “seven loaves and a few small fish” (Mar. 8:5).

  6. YHWH then multiplies and magnifies them for His glory and our satisfaction.

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

  1. In today’s portion, after the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand, Yeshua interacts with the Pharisees, and it leads Him to make the following statement again to His disciples.

    1. “And He was giving orders to them, saying, ‘Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mar. 8:15 NASB).

      1. Just two verses before, we read that the Pharisees had challenged Him to produce a sign.

        1. “The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, ‘Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation” (Mar. 8:11-12).

    2. So, what is the connection here to leaven and why does Yeshua give such a stark warning to His disciples?

    3. Lest we end up like the disciples talking about gluten free bread, let’s take advantage of the fact that there are two other Gospel accounts that discuss the leaven of the Pharisees.

      1. “The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.” Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away. And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees’” (Mat. 16:1-6).

        1. Note a couple of things from this account.

          1. Despite just witnessing the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand, the Pharisees are full of unbelief and have the audacity to test Yeshua again. He also calls them an evil and adulterous generation that completely lacks discernment.

    4. “Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (#5272). But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luk. 12:1-3).

      1. G5273. hupokrisis – “hypocrisy”.

        1. Usage: 5272 /hypókrisis refers to “someone acting under a mask”; literally, “under-judging”.

        2. Lexicon: Strong’s Greek 5272 names the interior duplicity that pretends to be something it is not. In Scripture it denotes a conscious, willful contrast between outward appearance and inward reality, especially in religious matters.

  2. So, what is hypocrisy and how does it function as leaven?

    1. Our modern definition of hypocrisy focuses on the contrast between one’s words and one’s actions.

      1. Hypocrisy (def.): a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not: behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel.

  3. However, central to the biblical meaning of “hypocrisy” is that the duplicity between your interior (i.e. thoughts/feelings) and your exterior (i.e. words/actions) results in self-righteous judgment.

    1. “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy (#5273), with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy (#5273). But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’” (Gal. 2:11-14).

      1. First, it’s important to note that the issue here is dogma not Torah commandments.

        1. “He used to eat with the Gentiles…but then began to withdraw”.

          1. Which Torah commandments forbid eating with Gentiles?

      2. Second, Paul found fault with Cephas because he was conforming himself to the attitude and behavior of the men from Jerusalem in order to avoid their judgment or derision of him (i.e. “fearing the party of the circumcision”).

        1. In other words, Peter put on the mask of hypocrisy to avoid being judged and in the process became one of the judges.

          1. “The fear of man brings a snare, But one who trusts in the Lord will be protected” (Pro. 29:25).

      3. Ironically, Peter ended up being judged by Paul anyway.

        1. “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known” (Luk. 12:2).

KEY POINT:

Guard your heart against the fear of man, for it will end up producing hypocrisy in your life.

  1. Yeshua clearly warned us not to judge others.

    1. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite (#5273), first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Mat. 7:1-5).

      1. When we place ourselves in judgment of another person’s righteousness, we automatically put on the mask of the hypocrite and lose the ability to see our own sin.

    2. Many have misunderstood Yeshua’s teaching here because they miss the connection to hypocrisy.

      1. “Jesus is saying that we can never judge anyone else because we’re all sinners.”

        1. If this is true, then how was Paul – the “chief among sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15) – was able to judge Cephas with righteous judgment in Antioch?

KEY POINT:

The plank in our eye is not our own sin, but the mask we put on to hide it from others.

  1. We also see from this story in Galatians that hypocrisy is contagious — i.e. it tends to spread and contaminate others.

    1. “The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away (#5273) by their hypocrisy” (Gal. 2:13).

      1. G 4879. sunapagó – “to take off together”.

        1. The verb sunapagó (Strong’s 4879) pictures a person being swept along with a group or current. It carries both a neutral sense of “accompanying” and a warning sense of “being dragged off.” In each New Testament occurrence, the word underscores the power of corporate influence—either to humble fellowship or to harmful error.

    2. How is it that both Peter and Barnabus, mighty men of God, were dragged off by what they knew to be a lie?

      1. “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mar. 8:15).

  2. We live in a time where the currents of corporate influence are very strong.

    1. Think about the COVID Plandemic.

      1. The combination of fear, external authority and peer pressure caused all of us to play the hypocrite to a certain extent.

      2. So many lessons can be learned from this time, but the one that is most relevant for today is that we all need to be aware that we are susceptible to the leaven of hypocrisy.

  3. Question: “In general, is it easier to lead people to follow the truth or to follow deception?”

    1. “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars (#5573) seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” (1 Tim. 4:1-2).

      1. G5573. pseudologos – “mendacious”.

        1. Usage: properly, a liar passing on false conclusions because working with false premises (used only in 1 Tim 4:2).

        2. Lexicon: The term occurs only once in the New Testament (1 Timothy 4:2), yet it belongs to a larger biblical vocabulary of falsehood that includes “false witness,” “lying tongue,” and “deceit.” Scripture consistently treats any distortion of truth as rebellion against the God whose very nature is truth (John 14:6).

  4. Hypocrisy is lying and violates God’s covenant – specifically, the ninth commandment, “you shall not bear false witness”.

    1. This is a sin that God cannot and will not leave unpunished.

      1. “A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who declares lies will perish” (Pro. 19:9).

    2. God’s standard for justice is that those who lie receive the punishment they intended towards others.

      1. “If a malicious witness rises up against a person to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both people who have the dispute shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. And the judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has witnessed against his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had planned to do to his brother. So, you shall eliminate the evil from among you” (Deu. 19:16-19).

  5. When we violate the 9th commandment, we receive the consequence of self-deception.

    1. When we lie and allow ourselves to be swept into the currents of hypocrisy, we slowly let go of the ability to discern truth from deception.

      1. “[T]hat is, the one who’s coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 The. 2:9-12).

    2. The activity of Satan is the deception of wickedness.

      1. This world is full of deception because it is influenced by the prince of the power of the air (see notes at https://thecord.life/notes/week53/).

  6. However, if we are willing to receive it, God gives us what we need to overcome deception and walk in the truth.

    1. As part of His covenant with us, God graciously offers us the love of the truth.

      1. God is love which means that He rejoices with the truth.

        1. “[Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6).

    2. The Father’s gift of His love for the truth can be thought of as a desire deep in our spirit to be able to separate truth from deception, to renew our minds to reality, so that He might bring His order and design to every aspect of our lives.

      1. He wants us to bear truthful witness in all things so of course He’s going to give us what we need to do it…if we’ll receive it from Him.

    3. Remember that deception is a consequence of sin, not the other way around.

      1. From Week 56:

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

KEY POINT:

If we choose to take pleasure in wickedness, or fear others more than we fear Elohim, or surrender to the currents of popular opinion, we will end up putting on the mask of hypocrisy and slowly allow more and more deception into our hearts.

  1. So, how do we apply these truths to our lives?

    1. #1 — Rejoice with the truth and accept that with it will likely come suffering and rejection.

    2. #2 – Ask Holy Spirit to show you the masks of hypocrisy that you wear so you can repent and take them off.

    3. #3 – Stay vigilant against the leaven of religiosity.

      1. I would define this as anything that causes you to elevate yourself to a place of judgment over someone else.

        1. This does not mean that we ignore sin and what is clearly prohibited in scripture.

        2. Rather, we thank the Father that everything in darkness will be brought into the light and in love we labor to expose deception with the truth of God’s Word.

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 have you understood the leaven of the Pharisees?
    6. Do you think it is it easier to lead people to follow the truth or to follow deception? Why do you think this is?
    7. What else impacted you from the portion today? The teaching?

Additional Notes

Hebrew Words for “Foreigner”

“ger (resident alien, sojourner), nokhri (foreigner from another nation), toshav (temporary settler/dweller), and zar (outsider, stranger in blood or law), conveying concepts from permanent residents needing protection to temporary visitors or outsiders not bound by Israel’s laws, highlighting different relationships with the community.”

  • Ger (גֵּר) H1616 “to sojourn as a settler”: The most common term, referring to a resident alien or sojourner living among Israel, often a refugee or immigrant due to famine/war, who was to be protected and treated fairly (e.g., Leviticus 19:33-34).
  • Nokhri (נָכְרִי) H5237 “to know”: A foreigner, one from a different nation, often used for those outside the land of Israel or not bound by Israelite customs (e.g., Deuteronomy 15:3).
  • Toshav (תּוֹשָׁב) H8453 “to turn to a seat; a returning to ones place of residence where one sits”: A settler or settler, sometimes synonymous with ger, but implying less permanence (e.g., Exodus 12:45).
  • Zar (זָר) H2114 “to be scattered abroad; to be strange”: An outsider, stranger in blood, or one not belonging to a specific group (e.g., a non-Levite), used for those outside the covenant community (e.g., Proverbs 27:2)