Author: Steven R. Bruck

Why did David have an Idol in his Household?

Leave a comment

In 1st Samuel 19, we are told that Mikhal, David’s wife and daughter of Saul, told David to hide from the assassins Saul had sent, and in verse 13 of that chapter we read that to fool the men sent to kill David, she took the household idol and placed it in his bed.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

So, nu? Here is a man who God, himself, said was a man after his own heart, yet he was violating the second commandment! And this isn’t the first time we read of God’s chosen people having idols in their homes.

Rachel stole the household idols from Laban when she fled with Jacob. Now, we won’t be surprised when we hear Laban had the household gods with him because he wasn’t a fearer of Adonai. Not really. But why did Jacob, who did fear Adonai, allow Rachel to take them? And why don’t we read of him getting rid of them, at least after Rachel died?

And then in the Book of Joshua, we read how when Joshua was ready to die, he told the people he and his house will serve the Lord, and to rid themselves of their idols.

And the prophets told the people to get rid of their idols, even when it is apparent that the people were also worshiping Adonai, since Adonai said (through more than one prophet) that the offerings were no good because the people didn’t really mean it (in other words, they were going through the motions without any real heartfelt desire), or that they had prostituted themselves serving other gods.

Yet, despite this blatant violation of one of the Big Ten, so many times God granted peace to the people and didn’t punish them. If Shaul (Paul) was relating this, he probably would say something like, “So, since the LORD didn’t punish them for having idols, does that mean idol worship is acceptable to God? Heaven forbid!”

(Because this is the way Shaul wrote to his congregations that he has been so misunderstood, with Christian scholars teaching the question as doctrine and ignoring the response.)

Putting this situation in modern terms, are there household idols in people’s houses, today? What about the TV? The computer? Cell phones? Have these replaced having dinner as a family, sharing experiences with each other? Or are we just people eating food while staring at our technological toys?

Being a Baby Boomer I grew up eating dinner with the family while watching TV (generally, it was “Superman”, followed by “Batman”) and I confess I have never really broken that habit. Donna and I still have our dinner watching TV. But when we are out together on a Date Night, we do a quick “Check in” on Facebook, then the phones are put away. And when we are cruising or on vacation, the phones are left in the safe in the stateroom, taken out only to take pictures with when at some port or on an excursion.

Maybe there are more idols in our lives than we care to admit, or even recognize since so much of what we do every day becomes habit, as we “auto pilot” our way through life. So, I would ask you to take a moment and look around- do you see anything, or do you do anything that in some way interferes with your worship of God (which must include close relationship with family and friends)?

I am not saying to Deep Six the 72″ HDTV, or to throw the cell phones in the river, but maybe, just maybe, once in a while we can all have a dinner without interruption, or spend time playing a board game with the family instead of binge watching “The Walking Dead”.

Who knows? You might find out you all have something in common.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages. Remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

An Uncomfortable Similarity

Leave a comment

I read a little in my Bible every day. I start at Genesis and go through to Revelation, then I start all over again. Recently, going through the Book of Joshua, I have seen some very discomforting similarities between what happened in those days, and what is happening today.

If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to this ministry on both my website and YouTube channels. Share these messages with everyone you know, and if you like what you get here, you will like my books, as well. I also invite you to “Like” this message and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”, although you really have to agree to the rules, or I can’t let you post.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

When I read about the way the Israelites destroyed the enemies of God when they entered Canaan, killing men, women, and children, as well as their animals, then totally destroying what was left, I can’t help but think that it isn’t any different than what Hamas has been doing in Israel, today; even the taking of hostages is the same as back in ancient days, except that the men were never taken hostage, only the women.

So why is it that these things were OK in the Bible, but when Hamas does them today, they are atrocities?

Don’t get me wrong! I hate Hamas, and all terrorists who are doing these terrible things. They aren’t doing anything out of a sense of justice or to regain property, all they want to do is murder Jews. They aren’t freedom fighters, they aren’t doing God’s work (they are working for the Enemy of God), and they are nothing more than cowards and murderers.

I believe that if the Jews never got back to Israel, that land today would be just as fallow and barren as it was when we first came back in the late 1940s.

The enemies of Israel do not want peace, they want genocide.

When God has the Israelites destroy the people in Canaan some 3500 years ago, it was to cleanse the land of paganism and allow them to reclaim the land that was theirs, by God’s promise. If Joshua had done as he was told to do, we wouldn’t have these problems, today. But what Hamas is doing is very different. They aren’t trying to reclaim land promised to them; instead, their only desire is the destruction of all Jews.

Yes, 3500 years ago, when the world was a different place and societies were ruled by different laws of ethics, the Israelites did things as terrible and horrible as what is being done today, but it was done to rid the land of pagans who worshipped gods that required human sacrifice, were sexually debased, and cruel.

The need for total destruction of the people, even the children, was to rid the land of an infection of evil. Even so, God restricted this destruction to only those who were living in the land God had promised to Abraham. The surrounding lands and people were just as bad, but they were not on God’s “Hit List” because they didn’t live on the promised property; as such, they were allowed to remain (unless they came out against God chosen; if they did, they were decimated).

So, thinking more about it, I realize there is a difference, and that difference is the Jews destroyed pagans who were polluting the land, and they did so not from hate or desire to kill them, but to recover the land that was promised to them by God, and cleanse it of sinfulness.

But Hamas is destroying homes, schools, hospitals, and killing innocent people of all ages, not for land or to cleanse it of sin: NO! They are performing these atrocities just for fun.

I have it from a source living in Israel that the atrocities they have performed while killing babies includes accosting the mothers who were forced to watch. That is way more horrible than anything ever done by the Israelites of old.

The only motivation behind what Hamas is doing is not for land, or money, or religious cleansing- it is genocide, pure and simple. They don’t want the land: how do I know? Because they had it for centuries and they did nothing with it!

So, as horrible as the destruction done to the people who were the enemies of God back in the days when Israel first entered and recaptured their land may have been similar to the types of atrocities being done by Hamas, today, there is a significant difference: back then, they did what they were told to do by God in order to reclaim the land that belonged to them and cleanse the land of sinfulness.

What Hamas is doing today, and what the surrounding peoples have been doing to Israel ever since we came back into our land, has no justifiable reason, religious or otherwise- it is, pure and simple, murder for the sake of murder.

Hamas does not want anything other than to see every Jew in the world, starting with Israel, dead. Why? Just because we are Jews.

And, sad to say, that isn’t any different than what we Jews have heard for millennia: from the Crusades to the Inquisition to Nazi Germany to the Middle East, today. Hatred of the Jews will never end as long as HaSatan (the Devil) exists.

There is one thing, though, that also will never end- the God of Israel will not allow his chosen people to be destroyed, and when God has had his fill of these atrocities, he will send the Messiah back to finish off his enemies, for all eternity.

That’s it for today. Remember that I always welcome your comments, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

There Are Sinners in Heaven

Leave a comment

First off, let’s set the record straight- heaven is the domain and abode of God and the angels. According to everything we read, especially in Revelation, we who are written in the Book of Life will be on a new Earth, with a new Jerusalem lowered from the heavens.

If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to this website and my YouTube channel, and I invite you to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”, but make sure you agree to the rules or you can’t be allowed to post. I also ask that you share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow, as well as buying the books I have written.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Okay, then- how do I know there are sinners in heaven, or more correctly, that there will be people who have sinned but will still be in the Book of life, and a member of that fraternity which will live eternally in the presence of the LORD?

Simple…Yeshua tells us it will be this way.

In Matthew 5:17-19, what must be one of the MOST misinterpreted, misused, and misunderstood verses in the entire word of God, he tells us that he hasn’t come to change anything, especially not the Torah or the requirements to obey the Torah, and as he finishes telling us that, he also warns that anyone who tries to change even so much as a letter in the Torah, and then teaches others to do so, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. But those who obey the Torah and teach others to do so will be considered greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Besides this clear statement that there will be those who disobey the Torah, yet will still be allowed into the kingdom of heaven, is the undeniable truth that every single one of us, even those written in the Book of Life, are still sinners, and will continue to be sinners

We can’t help it- it is the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) that we are all born with, also called Iniquity (the desire to sin), and Christianity calls it Original Sin. Any way you look at it, we are all sinners (Oy! How many times are we told that in the Bible, right?) and we will continue to sin throughout our lifetimes.

That’s why God sent the Messiah- he is our only hope for finding forgiveness when we accept him as our messiah and, by means of his sinless life and sacrifice, we can be washed clean of the stain of sin by his blood, shed for all.

Now, does this mean that you do not have to obey the Torah, at all? Of course not! Just because we are all sinners, and those who disobey Torah can still be a member of the kingdom of God, that’s no excuse to purposefully disobey.

In Leviticus Chapter 4, God talks about the way people can be forgiven for inadvertently sinning, and I believe that God considers his sacrificial system based on people sinning by accident, or in ignorance. In fact, he also includes a means for receiving forgiveness when a sin is committed, but the person is unaware of it.

Here’s what scary about that- even if someone sins by accident, or is unaware of their sin, they are still guilty! When they are made aware of it, then they must do what God commands, under the sacrificial system- which still exists! The only difference is that instead of sacrificing an animal at the temple in Jerusalem, which was the Torah commandment, Yeshua’s sacrifice has replaced that step. However, still need to confess the sin, repent of it, and ask forgiveness.

As for me, to be safe I ask for forgiveness of whatever sins I have committed against God every, single morning. I think this is a really good idea, and strongly recommend you do the same.

You are asking yourself now:

“So, what is the requirement? Do I have to obey the Torah completely or not?”

I wish I could give you an absolute answer, and even if I think I know, I am going to say, simply, that the choice is up to you.

I will say this, though: I believe that God is more concerned with our desire to be obedient than the actual act of obedience. He states clearly, in Isaiah 1:11-17, that just going through the motions, without really feeling or desiring to do as he says, is meaningless to him. In fact, not just meaningless, but he says they are a stench in his nostrils, and the reason for his disgust is this (Isa. 1:12):

“Who wants your sacrifices when you have no sorrow for your sins? “

This is all I have to say on this topic, at least for now. The bottom line is this: as I see it, the Bible is clear that trying to be Torah observant is more important to God than actually being in complete accordance with the Torah. The fact that no one can obey Torah completely, for more than a minute or so, is why he sent Yeshua, who also is very clear that obedience to his father’s commandments is still important until everything has come to pass.

And it seems pretty obvious that the kingdom of God is still coming, so I would suggest you listen to Yeshua and not some religion.

Unless you would rather be assigned a seat at the kiddie table on the new Earth.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Why Bother Praying?

Leave a comment

We are told that God knows the heart and mind of everyone (Chronicles 28:9, Jeremiah 17:10), so if he is able to know what we are thinking and feeling, why then do we need to speak to him in prayer?

If you haven’t already subscribed, please do so now, to both this website and my YouTube channel. Also, I invite you to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be allowed in). I would very much appreciate you sharing these messages, as well, and if you like what you get here, you will also like the books I have written.

And if you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

I have always been reluctant to pray from the Siddur (prayer book) because I felt that if God really wants me to speak to him, why use someone else’s words? How can I make a heartfelt prayer when the words aren’t even mine?

This has always been an issue with my prayer life. And recently I have come to understand the value of praying to God, even though he already knows what it is I want, how I feel, and, much better than me, what I need.

The reason we need to pray to God, even if we use someone else’s words (although I still prefer to use my own) is to establish that personal relationship, a relationship that isn’t just one-sided. You see, if we don’t speak to God, purposefully letting him know what we want and how we feel, as well as thanking him, then the relationship is really one-sided: God to us, but not us to God.

We need to acknowledge who God is, how he has helped our lives to be better, and to allow him to hear our voice- even if it is a silent prayer- because that is our communication to, and with, him.

True, for 99.99999% of the time (5-9’s after the decimal point is an IT thing) God will be listening without responding- at least, not verbally- to us when we pray, but it is not a one-sided thing because we are both involved in specific and directed communication.

We pray: God listens; we wait for an answer: he does.

Sometimes it’s exactly what we want; sometimes it isn’t what we want but it is what we need; sometimes it comes when we ask for it; sometimes it comes when we least expect it; and sometimes it is just, plain “No.”

But whatever we pray for, and whichever way God answers, the important thing is to establish and maintain that interpersonal communication, which strengthens our relationship.

Even within human interpersonal relationships, talking to each other is essential to create and maintain that intimacy. Sharing our thoughts, desires, and problems helps us to strengthen the bonds of love between ourselves.

That is why prayer is so essential in our relationship with God, and why I pray every single day.

I started to do this when I first wanted to test if God really existed, and there was no answer for months, Then, one day, at Shabbat services in aa Messianic temple I was attending, I was ready to accept Yeshua as my Messiah; the Rabbi anointed me, and I felt the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) enter my body. It was a life-changing experience, and even though it was more than a quarter of a century ago, I still get chills when I recount it to myself or others.

That was the answer to my prayers. At that moment I knew- absolutely- that God existed, Yeshua was the Messiah he promised to send, and since that day I have received answers to prayer. And I know he is listening.

So even though God knows what we want, what we need, and what is truly in our hearts, we MUST pray to him to maintain that interpersonal relationship. Often enough, when I talk to God, I know even if he doesn’t reply, that I am not just talking to him, but with him because he is listening, compassionately, lovingly, and intently.

How he can do that, hear me among the billions of people all praying at the same time, and give each and every one of us the same level of attention, well…it’s beyond me.

But, then again, he is God, isn’t he?

Thank you for being here and please remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for today, so L’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Why God Told Moses to Repeat the Blessings and Curses on Mts. Gerizim and Eival

Leave a comment

In the Book of D’varim (Deuteronomy), Moses is recounting the last 40 years to the people, and in Chapter 11 he reviews all the miraculous events that God performed, including the blessings that he will give for continued obedience, and the curses that he will send for disobedience.

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to this ministry on my website and YouTube channel. Share these messages with everyone you know, and I invite you to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but you have to agree to the rules to post). And if you like these messages, you will love the books I have written, so buy a ton of them and give them out to friends and to your place of worship.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Moses reminds them that God had commanded that after they enter the land they are to split up, with half the tribes going on Mount Gerizim, and the other half on Mount Eival, and then to proclaim these blessings and curses.

So, nu? What could possibly be the reason for this? Well, maybe I can give you one.

These mountains are known as the Shoulder Mountains. They are positioned next to each other, and between them lies the Shechem Valley. When you have half a million people on each of these two mountains, shouting out these blessings and curses, the sound will reverberate down the mountain sides and throughout the valley, where (it just so happened) many of the people they were to destroy were living.

The result of this is that the people who were already there heard that there was a new sheriff in town.

Now, was this a means of giving them the chance to repent? I don’t think so, since God had already ordered the Israelites to totally destroy the peoples there, so those living in the Shechem Valley were not going to be there much longer. Maybe God was giving them a chance to get the heck outta Dodge before the fecal matter hit the air circulation unit?

I don’t know, but I am certain that by having the people repeat these blessings and curses on the Shoulder Mountains, it was a way to reinforce the covenant they made with God, way back when, when they were at Sinai some 40 years before, and also again when Moses reviewed the laws with the people just before they entered the land.

I was fortunate to be able to see those mountains, even though the Shechem Valley and area is forbidden to Jews, when I was there in 2016. When you see how they form a perfect echo chamber, you can imagine how the sound of those thousands of voices must have shaken the ground, and given the people living there a start, as well.

What a shame that this event was as soon forgotten as it was performed. If only we had gotten rid of all the people living there, as God commanded, we wouldn’t have the problems in the Middle East that we have today.

Thank you for being here and please remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

PS: Please pray for a speedy end to the war in Israel right now, and for the total destruction of Hamas.

Examples of God’s Compassionate Understanding

Leave a comment

In Numbers 15:32-41, we read about a man who was out gathering sticks on the Shabbat, well after the commandment about not doing any work on the Shabbat was known to all, and he did this in full view of all the people. His punishment, which Moses asked God to proclaim, was to be taken outside of the camp and then stoned to death by all the people.

Please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. If you haven’t already subscribed, please do so now on both this website and my YouTube channel. Join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (make sure you agree to the rules to be allowed to post), and if you like what you get here, you will love the books I have written.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Many years later, after the people had entered the land and destroyed Jericho, in Joshua 7 we read about a man named Akhan who disobeyed God’s commandment regarding the booty of Jericho, which resulted in God abandoning the people at their very next encounter during their attack on the city of Ai, causing the death of 36 Israelites.

God had told Joshua that no one was to take any of the booty from Jericho, it was all to be destroyed or dedicated to God. But Akhan took some silver, a block of gold, along with some nice clothing and buried them all in his tent.

The people didn’t know of this, and when they went to attack a much smaller, easier target – a town called Ai- they were routed, with 36 of the Israelites killed. After their miraculous victory at Jericho, this loss had them totally demoralized, wondering why God had abandoned them. Not only that, but now they were scared for their lives, knowing that once this defeat was known, the other people they were to fight would have a renewed sense of courage.

God told Joshua what had happened, and after throwing lots to find the one person responsible for this defeat, the lot fell to Akhan. The punishment decreed by God was to have him and his entire family stoned to death buy all the people, and then their remains and all their possessions burned to ashes.

What do these two seemingly different events have in common?

They both are examples of the first time someone disobeyed a direct commandment from God. And God came down hard- REALLY hard- to demonstrate to everyone else the terrible consequences of disobeying the LORD.

“But Steve, your title for this message is about God’s compassionate understanding. Sorry to say, he doesn’t sound very compassionate, or understanding from what he did to those people.”

You’re right- the punishment God exacted on those people was terribly harsh, but it was done to set an example for all the others. Although most “compassionate” people don’t want to accept this, the punishment was to show compassion for the rest of the people, in that by this example of the terrible consequences of disobedience, God might put the real fear of him into the people who were thinking they might do the same thing.

Let’s go back to the man stoned for collecting sticks. The very next commandment God gave Moses after they stoned the man was that everyone should make and wear tzitzit-

  • because when everyone sees the other person’s tzitzit, they will all be reminded to obey God’s commands.

The compassionate understanding here is that God recognized our weak nature, and how easily we succumbed to “Out of sight, out of mind”, so he ordered us to wear the tzitzit to keep anyone else from making this mistake. He was protecting us from ourselves.

When Akhan took the booty that was to be dedicated to God, not only did he disobey God’s command, but he stole from God! That was a double-sin, and God made the punishment doubly terrible because he wanted the people to realize that even what is done in secret is known to God.

The man who collected sticks wasn’t sneaking out at night- he was in full public view. People could think it was easy for God to know about it. But what Akhan did was in secret, yet God was still well aware of what happened. The people needed to know that nothing- absolutely nothing- is unknown to God.

So where was God’s compassion after Akhan and his family were destroyed?

It was that God decreed that when the people destroy Ai, and from that point on, they may take whatever booty they want. Again, God recognized and compassionately allowed for our weak natures.

Clearly, if Akhan had gotten away with what he did, it would eventually become known, and then others would figure, “Hey! If he could do it, why not me?” So, God headed off that sin by allowing them to take the booty.

Now there will be those who disagree with my understanding, and that’s OK- I am not the “Duty Expert” on the Bible. And there are those people who say they don’t believe in God because he is supposed to be loving and compassionate, but he kills men, women, and children, so something is wrong. They come to their own conclusion that since God kills people, he isn’t compassionate and loving, and since he isn’t what they say he is, he must not be real.

God is compassionate and loving, and that is the very reason why he punishes those who disobey. I think the real reason people choose to reject God, thereby not having to practice any religion, is because they don’t like the idea of someone having absolute power over them.

Pridefulness and obstinacy are the main reasons many people will not have a very enjoyable eternity.

You can decide for yourself if God’s punishments were a loving or unloving thing to do, despite how terrible some of those punishments were. But remember this: God doesn’t exist on the same plane we do- he is eternal, we are mortal, and whereas we can’t really see beyond this existence, he sees things from an eternal viewpoint. As such, he isn’t so much concerned with how long we live this life as he is with where we spend eternity.

The bottom line is this, whether somebody likes it or not: God makes the rules, and we either obey them or get our tuchas in a sling.

The most compassionate and loving thing God has ever done was to send the Messiah to us, so that we have the ultimate means of receiving forgiveness when we repent of the sins we commit.

Thank you for being here, and please remember to subscribe, and I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

The Hidden Covenant

Leave a comment

I think we all know the 5 covenants that God made with us, all of which are found in the Tanakh: the Noahide, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New covenant. But in the book of D’varim (Deuteronomy), Moses states that the people there, that day who are listening to him, are also making a covenant with God.

By the way, if you haven’t yet subscribed, please do so on both this website and my YouTube channel and click on Notifications so you know when I post another message. Also, I invite you to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (please ensure you agree to the rules to be let in) and if you like what you get here, you will love the books I have written.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Throughout D’varim, Moses reiterates to love and obey God, and not to follow other gods. He reviews the Big Ten, he reminds the people that they are being given this land because of God’s promises to their ancestors, and not because they deserve it. In fact, he tells them they are stiff-necked and rebellious, and have been since he took them out of Egypt.

Moses tells the people that they are the ones- not their children- who saw with their own eyes all the miraculous works of the Lord that he did to the Egyptians, and that the covenant they are making that day with God will also be applicable to their children, as well.

This hidden covenant is found here:

D’varim 29:12-15: You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.

The Torah has all the commandments, regulations, laws, and ordinances that we are to follow, but D’varim is the recap of the previous 4 books. The first 4 give us the details on how to obey these laws, but D’varim is the one that pulls it all together and, as such, I believe that is why Moses treats agreeing to what he is saying in this one book as a separate covenant.

God’s covenants are never exclusive, they are always inclusive: each new covenant includes and builds on the previous ones. However, this covenant seems to be separate from the previous covenants.

How is it different?

Even though Moses says that God is making this covenant with the people, to be their God, it seems to me that this covenant isn’t from God to the people, but it is Moses’s idea, and that he is telling the people that they are making this covenant with God, the conditions of the covenant being that it won’t be just those people who are required to obey all that God has told them to do, but their children, as well.

I often think that the book Moses refers to throughout D’varim is just that one book- the book of D’varim, not the entire Torah, and that could make sense if we consider D’varim is a recap of the Torah. It reviews the travels, the miracles, the problems along the way, the giving of the Torah and the different times the people sinned, the Big Ten, the rules of Kashrut (Kosher), and many of the other laws and ordinances in the other books of the Torah.

Not to say that D’varim is all we need, no- the other books give us the detailed instructions on how to follow the laws in D’varim, so they are essential, but D’varim is sort of the entire Torah, in a nutshell. If I was to say what D’varim tells us to do, in 25 words or less, I would say “obey God and do not follow other gods” (that’s only 8 words).

So, there you have it. A separate covenant that is kind of hidden from general knowledge, but one that unquestionably affirms the Mosaic covenant is required for all those who wish to obey God, throughout all our generations.

Thank you for being here: please share these messages and remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Could “When Shiloh Comes” Mean the Time of the Judges?

Leave a comment

We all know when Israel blessed his 12 children before his death (Genesis 49) that he stated the scepter shall not pass from Judah until Shiloh come, which in many other translations is not “Shiloh” but indicates a specific person to come and rule.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video. Please subscribe to this website and my YouTube channel, “like” this and click to get notifications. I also invite you to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”, but please agree to the rules so I can let you in.

I agree that “Shiloh” represents the Messiah, and this is easily proven because when Messiah came, the scepter- i.e., the rulership- had been taken from the descendants of the tribe of Judah. Rome was the government and legal authority, and it appointed Herod as king.

As far as we know, Herod was not even born a Jew, or a descendant of Judah; according to one source, Herod’s father was by descent an Edomite with a Jewish mother whose ancestors had converted to Judaism. However, Herod was raised as a Jew.

I was thinking there might be a different interpretation of this prophesy. Not one that denies its meaning as being to indicate the coming of Messiah, but one that might have a dual meaning: one for the immediate future and one for the distant future.

The distant future meaning is the one where Messiah will come when Judah is no longer the leader of the Jewish people. The more immediate meaning is that “when Shiloh come” means when the Ark of the Covenant is located at Shiloh.

I know, I know- that seems to be too literal, but stay with me here.

During the time of the Judges in the 12th to 11th century B.C. the Tabernacle, where the Ark was located, was in the town of Shiloh, and it remained there for around three and a half centuries until it was captured by the Philistines in 1050 B.C. (1 Samuel 4).

Here is why I am thinking this may have been part of the warning about the scepter being removed from Judah- in the book of Judges, we read (no less than three times) that during that time, everyone did as they wanted to because there was no king.

Joshua was alive when the Ark was placed in Shiloh (Joshua 19:51) so there was a rulership of Israel, but it wasn’t Judah at that time. Joshua was the son of Nun, an Ephraimite. Caleb, the only other original spy who did not die in the desert, was from Judah, but he was not the one in charge.

And before this, Moses was the BMOC and he was a Levite. So, wait a minute! Until David took over, the scepter was not in the hand of Judah, at all!

I am writing this off the top of my head, and now I am beginning to see that maybe the prophesy was only about when the Messiah comes, and not really about the town of Shiloh, at all.

So why am I still posting this? I mean, look- I started out with a message and ended up denying my own message! Why would I want all of you to see me prove myself wrong?

It’s because there is now a different message, one that arose from verifying what ended up being an incorrect message, and going through this process of learning is what a true Berean of the Bible should be willing to do.

I had an idea, I thought about it, I started to share it with you all, but as I researched it, I realized that what I was thinking really can’t be substantiated by the Bible, so that means what I thought something meant is not what it means.

So, nu? What started out in my mind as a unique interpretation of a well-known passage, has ended up as a lesson in honest interpretation and proper biblical exegesis. I couldn’t be happier that I found out I was wrong, especially before sharing that wrong idea with others.

That is why I have not just deleted this entire mishigas because I hope sharing this example of the importance of verifying everything you hear or think something in the Bible means with what is actually in the Bible will be of use to you in the future.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

How Many 10 Commandments Are There in the Bible?

Leave a comment

You may be thinking there are only the 10 Commandments- the ones God gave Moses on the mountain. So, how can there be any other “10 Commandments”?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

In Deuteronomy 5 (I am quoting from the CJB), Moses recites the 10 Commandments, but his version is significantly different than the one God gave him on Mount Sinai!

Here’s what I am talking about:
1st Commandment:
God said: “I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery.” (Ex. 20: 2)
Moses said: “I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves.” (Deut. 5:6)

3rd Commandment:
God said: “You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.” (Ex. 20:7)
Moses said: “You are not to misuse the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who misuses his name.” (Deut. 5:11)

4th Commandment:
God said: “For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.” (Ex. 20:11)
Moses said: “You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Adonai your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore Adonai your God has ordered you to keep the day of Shabbat.” (Deut. 5:15)

5th Commandment:
God said: “Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which Adonai your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12)
Moses said: “Honor your father and mother, as Adonai your God ordered you to do, so that you will live long and have things go well with you in the land Adonai your God is giving you.“ (Deut. 5:16)

10th Commandment:
God said: “Do not covet your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Ex. 20:17)
Moses said: “Do not covet your neighbor’s wife; do not covet your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’” (Deut. 5:18)

So, nu? So many differences between what God said, and what Moses repeated many years later. If Moses had truly written down all that God said, as we are told he did, then why such significant differences?

Does this mean we can’t really trust what the Bible says?

No, a Bible is trustworthy: it’s the people writing them who aren’t.

C’mon, Steve… how that can be? Either the Bible is true and accurate, or it isn’t. The hard to accept truth is that both are true- the Bible is an accurate narrative of the relationship between God and his chosen people and the history that occurred during the times we read about. But these events are recorded in different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and the interpreters cannot avoid their own bias as to what the words mean, in the context they are found. Also, there is the unavoidable “lost in translation” issue: for example, when a Hebrew text is translated into English, there will be some loss of meaning simply due to the fact that there were cultural and linguistic differences between what those words meant then, and what the current words they translate into mean now.

Later, when the Hebrew to English version is translated into Chinese, or Dutch, or whatever other language, after which that version is then translated into another language, and so on, these differences will be multiplied.

And then there is the copywrite law, which says no one can exactly duplicate a copywrite version, so there must be (literally) hundreds of words different in order to be a legal version.

So, the truth is that no two Bibles can be the same, and the differences may be significant.

As for Moses, we are told at the very beginning of this book (D’varim 1:5) that “Moses took it upon himself to expound this Torah.” In other words, Moses repeated what God said, but apparently, he felt that in some places he needed to emphasis the point in his own words.

God said he brought them out of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery, but Moses said out of Egypt, where they had lived as slaves. This isn’t so great a change, but when we look later at the 4th Commandment, God said he created the Shabbat as a day to rest, as he did, but Moses completely changed that to say God ordered them to rest on the Shabbat because they had been slaves. Perhaps Moses wanted them to know the Shabbat not as something God created as a result of his resting, but in order to be a blessing to the people? That could be why there is a relationship between the 1st and 4th commandments, as Moses gave them, that wasn’t there in God’s original version.

Moses also added to the 5th commandment that not only will they live long in the land (if they obey), but that things will go well with them. Maybe this was more prophetic than we realize? After all, we see that when the people disobeyed God, they still lived in the land but under the yoke of oppressors; however, when they obeyed God, they lived in the land peacefully.

Finally, in the 10th commandment, when God said not to covet, he placed the person’s house first, then his wife and property, but Moses said the first thing not to covet was the wife, then his house and field, then the property (remember slaves were considered property then).

Moses did this reversing of priorities earlier, when the tribes of Reuben and Gad asked for the land won from kings Sichon and Og (Numbers 32); they said they would first build enclosures for their animals and towns for their wives and children, then go ahead of the other tribes into the Land and not return to their portion until everyone else had conquered the people living there. When Moses approved this, he said they would first build towns for their wives, then enclosures for their animals. Moses placed the value of humans before that of property, and we see here, repeating the 10th commandment before entering the Land, that he did so, again.

You may be thinking this is all interesting, but what is my point? I’m glad you asked that.

The point is that if Moses, one of the greatest prophets ever and unquestionably as faithful and respectful of God as any human could ever be, could repeat something as important as God’s commandments with his own “spin” to it, then clearly any teaching or Oral Law (that includes the Talmud) passed down orally through the centuries, must be questioned and verified to what is quoted directly from God, in the Bible.

That means what is taught in seminaries, in Yeshivahs, in churches and synagogues, or anywhere else people teach about the Bible and God (which includes this ministry), you must verify it for yourself from what God says. The only time we can be sure- at least, as sure as possible- what we are reading is really accurate, is in the Hebrew Torah, where we are told “And God said to Moses, tell the children of Israel… (whatever)”. Because of the strenuous and detailed actions taken by the Sopherim (those trained to write the Torah), we can be certain that any Hebrew Torah is exactly the same, letter for letter, as the prior Torah, all the way back to Moses!

The Hebrew Torah is accurate, and any translation from the Hebrew will be as accurate as the skills and unbiased attitude of the translator. So, when you read whichever version of the Bible you prefer, please make sure that you have an open mind, and relate what you read in any one part of that Bible to what is written in other parts, and use multiple biblical sources, as well, to get the biggest picture of what is being said that you can.

Using just one Bible, listening to just one teacher, and accepting whatever you are told is like trying to see the entire house when looking through the mail slot in the front door.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know, subscribe to my website and YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules, or I can’t let you in).

I would also ask that you check out the books I have written- if you like what you get here, you will like my books, as well. There are links to them on my website, and you can find them in the Amazon bookstore.

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Yom Kippur 2023 Message

Leave a comment

Hello to all you bad-breath, caffeine headache, grumbling stomach, short-tempered faithful followers of Torah out there.

I am going to borrow a sermon… from myself. The following message is one that I had delivered many years ago when acting as the (temporary) Rabbi for the Messianic synagogue I used to attend in Northeast Philadelphia.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

There is an undeniable relationship between Yom Kippur and Passover, and together they provide total atonement which allows us to have life everlasting.

Yeshua is the Lamb of God, often referred to as the Pesach Lamb. His death was the atonement for our sins, but it wasn’t just as the Passover lamb that he accomplished this. In Exodus, when we read about the Passover lamb, we see clearly that the lamb’s blood was not a sin atonement- it was a covering (a “Kippur”) for us, which identified us as God’s people and protected us from the Angel of Death.

The blood of the Passover Lamb ensured life for the people of God. Despite the fact that Yeshua’s sacrificial death as the atonement for our sins did occur at Passover, it is actually the fulfillment of what the Yom Kippur goats do.

The two Yom Kippur goats (one is killed and the other one is released) are the blood that provides for our atonement (Lev. 16:9-10). The scapegoat had the sins of all the people transferred to it before being released into the desert, or as the Bible tells us, to Azazel.

Let’s take a second here to answer the age-old question: Who is “Azazel?

The Talmud interprets this word to mean a steep mountain, and for many years the scapegoat was thrown off a steep mountain in order to fulfil this command.

Another interpretation, this one from the Book of Enoch, says that Azazel is a fallen angel. Of course, it is unthinkable that God would tell us to sacrifice a goat to a god-like satyr in the desert.

Now, according to Rabbi Hertz, who was once the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire and edited the 1965 edition of the Soncino Press Chumash, Azazel is a rare Hebrew noun that means “dismissal” or “entire removal”. I believe this is the most reasonable and best fitting definition because the transference of the sins of Israel by the Cohen HaGadol onto the goat released into the desert symbolized the total removal of sin from us.

You know, I’ve always wondered: Why do we need two goats? We transfer our sins onto both, then we kill one which is the sin sacrifice (because sin can only be forgiven by the shedding of innocent blood), so why do we have to release one alive into the desert if our sins have already been forgiven?

Well, I believe the answer is that the goat released into the desert represents our T’Shuvah– it shows our willingness to let go of our sinful desires and remove them totally from our lives. That is why all the people are present when the goat is released because we all are giving up our sinful ways and desires.

Atonement comes from three things:

1. Recognizing and taking responsibility for our sins.

2. Our desire and willingness to do T’Shuvah and remove sin from our lives.

3. Asking forgiveness from God once we have done the first two things.

Yeshua’s death as the atonement for our sin represents the Yom Kippur goats. As the released scapegoat, he took upon himself all our sins, carrying them forever to a place we would never see them again- not just into the desert but beyond the grave. He also was the sacrificial goat, the one whose blood atoned for our sins and made it possible for God to forgive us.

His death as the Pesach lamb made it possible for us to commune with God, ensuring our lives, just as the blood over the doors did in Egypt.

Yeshua is the Pesach Lamb of God and Yom Kippur scapegoat for the world.  When he said he was the beginning and the end he didn’t mean some sort of timeline: he is the beginning of our eternal life, and he is the end of our sin.

Yeshua’s sacrificial death demonstrates to us that Passover and Yom Kippur, although two separate things in reality, are spiritually one thing: the Passover blood represents protection from death and the Yom Kippur blood is our forgiveness from sin. Together these two things provide our salvation, both being accomplished by Yeshua. In the Acharit haYamim (End Times), when Yeshua returns and we are all gathered up into the clouds with him, then will the ultimate fulfillment of both of these festivals be realized.

Thank you for being here; please share these messages and subscribe to my website, my YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”(you must first agree to the rules!)

That’s it for now, so l’hitraot… and may you have an easy fast!