Study Notes Week 61

Torah Study Notes for Week 61 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) 11:1-10
Prophets (P): Jeremiah 31:1-9
Apostolic (A): Luke 2:4-7; Hebrews 1:1-6; Colossians 1:9-20
Additional (ADD): Jubilees 48:4-12

Torah Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

Shemot (Exodus) 11:1-10

11:1 YHWH said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh, and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether. 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man ask of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold [and clothing].”^(LXX)^(SP) 3 YHWH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. 4 Moses said [to Pharaoh],^(DSS)^(LXX) “This is what YHWH says: ‘About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maid who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of livestock. 6 There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor will be any more. 7 But against any of the sons of Israel a dog won't even bark or move its tongue, against man or animal, that you may know that YHWH makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel. 8 All these servants of yours will come down to me, and bow down themselves to me, saying, “Get out, with all the people who follow you;” and after that I will go out.' ” He went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 YHWH said to Moses, “Pharaoh won't listen to you, that my [signs and]^(LXX) wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron did all these [signs and]^(LXX) wonders before Pharaoh, but YHWH strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he didn't let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

Exodus 12:12 For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will execute judgments against all the elohim of Egypt. I am YHWH.

נֶגַע nega’ (H5061) literally means to lay hands upon; to touch or strike. When referring to a contaminated substance on skin, cloth, or a building which causes infection, epidemic disease, mold, or mildew, נֶגַע nega’ is most always translated as “plague” in the sense of being a “touch from God.”

Exodus 7:19 This plague was against the Egyptian god Khnum, protector of the Nile
Exodus 8:4 This plague was against the Egyptian frog-headed fertility goddess Heqet
Exodus 8:16 This plague was against the Egyptian god of the earth or land, Geb
Exodus 8:21 This plague was against the Egyptian god Khepri
Exodus 9:3 This plague was against the cow-headed goddess Hathor
Exodus 9:9 This plague was against the Egyptian goddess Isis
Exodus 10:12 This plague was against the locust-headed god Senehem, as well as Osirus, god of harvest and vegetation
Exodus 10:21 This plague was against the Egyptian sun-god, Amon-Ra
Exodus 11:5 This plague was against the Egyptian god of the dead, Anubis

Exodus 11:1-3 YHWH said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh, and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether. 2 Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man ask of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold [and clothing].”^(LXX)^(SP) 3 YHWH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.
1. שָׁאַל sha’al (H7592) means “to request” and comes from a root word which means “to draw out” (cf. Job 27:8) in the sense that to “request” or “ask” is to seek to understand what is not known. שָׁאַל sha’al is equivalent to the Greek word αἰτέω aiteō (G154) which means to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, or require. (cf. Genesis 24:47; Deuteronomy 10:12; Psalms 122:6; Matthew 6:8; Matthew 7:7; James 1:5; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 5:14)
Exodus 11:4-6 Moses said [to Pharaoh],^(DSS)^(LXX) “This is what YHWH says: ‘About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maid who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of livestock. 6 There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor will be any more.
1. בְּכוֹר bekor (H1060) means “firstborn” of the womb of a woman or animal (cf. Leviticus 27:26; Deuteronomy 15:19) and בִּכּוּר bikur (H1061) means “firstfruits” of the crop (cf. Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 26:2); both Hebrew words signify the chosen or elected as belonging to YHWH. בִּכּוּר bikur comes from the root word בָּחַר bachar (H977) which means “to choose” in the sense of an examination to select, or elect, the choicest. בָּחַר bachar is equivalent to the Greek word ἐκλεκτός eklektos (G1588) means to be elected, chosen, or selected.
Exodus 11:7-8 But against any of the sons of Israel a dog won’t even bark or move its tongue, against man or animal, that you may know that YHWH makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel. 8 All these servants of yours will come down to me, and bow down themselves to me, saying, “Get out, with all the people who follow you;” and after that I will go out.’ ” He went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
Exodus 11:9-10 YHWH said to Moses, “Pharaoh won’t listen to you, that my [signs and]^(LXX) wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron did all these [signs and]^(LXX) wonders before Pharaoh, but YHWH strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
1. אוֹת oth (H226) is usually translated as “sign” or “ensign” and is a physical mark that signifies an agreement or covenant between two parties as a reminder (cf. Exodus 31:13) and can be in the form of a standard or flag where the family mark is visible (cf. Numbers 2:1-3)
2. מוֹפֵת mopheth (H4159) is usually translated as “wonders” and literally refers to an amazing sight or event that perforates, fragments or breaks up one’s mind into morsels or pieces (פַּת path H6595 cf. Genesis 18:5), or entices or opens one’s mind (פָּתָה pathah H6601 cf. Exodus 22:16; Deuteronomy 11:16). A simple man (פְּתִי pethiy H6612) is one who is easily persuaded, seduced, or deceived (cf. Proverbs 9:1-4). פֹּת poth or פֹּתָה pothah (H6596) also means to open a hole in the sense of hinges of a door which were made by placing a hole in the door jam with rods set in the holes, allowing the door to swivel in the socket (cf. 1 Kings 7:50) and refers to the pudenda or “secret parts” of a female (cf. Isaiah 3:17).
3. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let’s go after other elohim,” which you have not known, “and let’s serve them,” 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for YHWH your Elohim is testing you, to know whether you love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after YHWH your Elohim, fear him, keep his commandments, and obey his voice. You shall serve him, and cling to him. 5 That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against YHWH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which YHWH your Elohim commanded you to walk in. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

Apostolic Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

The book of Colossians provides us with a rich feast for today’s Shabbat study.
1. We’re going to explore the most profound and meaningful topic in the entire Bible.
  1. “Who is Yeshua?”
2. But first, let’s take a little time to look at Paul’s amazing prayer for the Believers in Colossae.

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

Like a good shepherd, Paul was praying this over his flock:
1. “[M]ay [you] be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light” (Col. 1:9-12).
2. We could explore so many different aspects of this prayer.
  1. For example, being strengthened in God’s power or developing in our steadfastness and patience.
3. But today I want to pursue “the knowledge of His will”.
What is God’s will and how can we know it?
1. It’s kind of an important question (or at least it should be).
2. Even though we owe our very existence to the Creator and the breath we just took was a gift from Him, we probably don’t spend enough time looking at what scripture says about God’s will for our lives.
There’s certainly no shortage of speculation about God’s will these days.
1. From solving prophetic mysteries to discerning the signs of the times in geopolitics, the internet is awash with prognosticators, predictors and self-proclaimed prophets.
  1. Most of them start from the assumption that knowing God’s will is about elaborate or mysterious things instead of “how to please Him in all respects” (Col. 1:10).
It seems that we often emphasize God’s will in grandiose terms.
1. After all, He is grand and His will governs the universe so this must be how He looks at our purpose and destiny.
  1. We seek to find our place in the story of passages like Ephesians 1 that speak to cosmic and monumental events.
    1. “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth” (Eph. 1: 9-10).
2. Modern teaching and a lack of discipleship have caused us to search for knowledge of God’s will on a grander and more global scale.
  1. We frantically run here and there to understand the prophetic significance of the United Nations and the identity of the anti-Christ and the timing of the rapture and His second coming and the building of the Third Temple and the rise of transhumanism and AI and central bank digital currency and, and, and!
    1. Is this really what we’re called to do?
Another reason we approach the knowledge of God’s will on a grand scale is because the Apostolic scriptures were written by individuals that did have extraordinary callings with lives that changed the course of history.
1. In order to find our own significance and feel like we are pleasing the Lord, we might assume that we should also have lives of extreme faith characterized by signs and wonders and “greater works than these”.
  1. “Maybe I need to pursue a radical calling in overseas missions.”
  2. “Or maybe He’s calling me worship Him around the clock at IHOP or Bethel.”
  3. “What if He wants me to reject all worldly success or education to serve Him?”
2. Are these things what the Father wills for your life and mine?
What if His will is much simpler, humbler and less complicated than we’ve made it?
When we’re confused, sometimes we just need to start with some good old catechism.
1. Q. 1. “What is the chief end of man?”
  1. A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
2. Q. 2. “What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?”
  1. A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.
3. Q. 3. “What do the Scriptures principally teach?”
  1. A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
4. Q. 39. “What is the duty which God requires of man?”
  1. A. The duty which God requires of man, is obedience to his revealed will.
    1. Scripture references:
      1. Deuteronomy 29:29. The secret things belong to the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
      2. Micah 6:8. He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
      3. 1 John 5:2-3. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome His will.

KEY POINT:

Like any father, Abba’s will for His children is that we would obey His teachings and instructions from a heart of love and devotion.

Because we have neglected the revealed will of God in His entire Word, we lack a clear understanding of what He expects from us and have attempted to fill the void with our own methods, which amounts to divination.
1. “’You shall not eat any meat with the blood. You shall not practice divination (#5172) nor soothsaying” (Lev. 19:26).
  1. H5172. nachash – “divination”.
    1. Lexicon: The verb נָחַשׁ (nachash) describes the act of seeking hidden knowledge through omens, signs, or supernatural means. In Scripture it is always associated with human attempts to secure information or advantage apart from the direct revelation of God. It consistently exposes the spiritual fault line between trust in the LORD and reliance on forbidden practices.

KEY POINT:

The rejection or failure to understand what God has already revealed regarding His will ultimately leads to divination.

1. The will of God for our lives is clear and obvious if we have eyes to see it – and more important, a heart to receive it.
In our portion, Paul prays that we “may be filled with the knowledge of His will” (vs. 9), so that we will “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of [Him]” (vs. 10).
1. What if God’s primary desire for your life is to walk in a way that pleases Him?
  1. What difference would it make – should it make – if He’s less concerned with what you do with life than how you live it?
In a world that is constantly clamoring for us to accomplish, achieve and attain more, this is a message that we need to receive and embrace by faith.
1. “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Tim. 2:1-3).
2. “But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to excel even more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we instructed you” (1 Tim. 4:10-11).
3. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc. 12:13).
The really good news is that when we walk in covenant faithfulness, we can trust the Father to fulfill His unchanging purpose in our lives “according to His glorious might”, not our own.
1. We discussed God’s unchanging purpose in Week 14 (https ://thecord .life /notes /week 14/ )
  1. Key Point:
    1. “A truly purpose-driven life is one focused on the unchangeable intention of God to bring us to maturity by conforming us to the image and likeness of His Son, Yeshua.”

KEY POINT:

Make it your goal to live a life that pleases your Creator and Savior above anyone or anything else; then trust Him to do it.

Who is Yeshua?
1. He is “YHWH’s salvation”.
  1. This fundamental truth puts Yeshua’s identity and nature at the very center of the Gospel.
    1. From the beginning, the battle lines of faith have been drawn around who Yeshua is.
      1. Was He human? Divine? Angelic?
      2. Did He have a physical body or a spiritual one that appeared material?
      3. Was he a created being (i.e. creature) like Michael the archangel?
2. The history of the church is marked by one attempt after another to undermine or disprove the truth.
  1. “Because we wrestle not with blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
  2. What we see on earth is merely the outworking of a courtroom drama in the heavenlies as the powers of evil seek to veil and distort the truth of YHWH’s Salvation.

KEY POINT:

The congregation of Believers in Colossae were confronting “persuasive arguments” (Col. 2:4) that challenged the sufficiency of Messiah for salvation.

Last week, we discussed how salvation is a Profession, a Person, and a Process.
1. Notes from Week 60: https ://thecord .life /notes /week 60/
Paul’s letter challenges man’s wisdom in each of these three areas and teaches that Messiah Himself is sufficient for all of them.
1. Christ is the image (lit., “mirror-like representation”) of Elohim (1:15), the preeminent being in all creation, a creation which came in and through Him for His glory and honor (1:15-16).
2. Yeshua was not merely God’s agent that brought creation into existence, He is also the One whose sovereignty keeps every created element in harmony (1:17).
3. He is the head, authority and life source of the collective body of Believers who have entered into God’s salvation through covenant (1:18).
4. His sacrificial death achieved a total, once-for-all bringing back into favor with all of creation that leaves no residual hostility or enmity (1:19).
5. He is “God’s mystery” (2:2), the storehouse of all wisdom and knowledge (2:3), the person in whom dwells the fullness of deity (2:9), the head and ruler over all other authority (2:10), the substance of everything prefigured in the Torah (2:17).
6. Yeshua is our very life as Believers (Col. 3:4) and the reason that we can have a confident hope that we will be glorified in the age to come (Col. 1:27).

KEY POINT:

Yeshua’s worth and magnificence exceeds anything we can imagine, and He deserves every bit of adoration, worship, and obedience from us.

So, how do we apply this to our lives?
1. #1 – Live a life worthy of your calling.
  1. Peter exhorts us to “be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you” (1 Pet. 1:10).
  2. Focus on covenant faithfulness and trust Him to guide your steps.
2. #2 – Cultivate your wonder for and appreciation of Yeshua.
  1. Resist the inertia of this world that seeks to diminish Messiah’s glory and worth.
    1. Whether it’s a focus on studying Torah instead of Yeshua’s teachings, or a watering down of His majesty with “Jesus is my boyfriend” T-shirts, or an overemphasis on certain of qualities above others (love, compassion and tolerance versus purity, holiness, and justice), each of us need to be diligent to know and proclaim the truth about who Messiah really is.
3. The more we earnestly seek to know Him, the more we will desire Him above all other things.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.”

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. Have you ever struggled to understand the will of God for your life?
6. Who is Jesus to you? Do you want to know Him more? What’s getting in the way?
7. What are some of the biggest misconceptions about Jesus that you’ve encountered?

Additional Notes