We shall take a journey with this devotion—the Ark of the Covenant through the Bible. FIRST: The furnishings of the Tabernacle, including the ark of the covenant which is the special focus of this devotion, were all made from the TERUMAH (free will offerings) of the people: gold, silver,...
FI Y5 WK 18 P. MISHPATIM (JUDGMENTS) – THE LAW OF BETROTHAL IN THE TESTAMENTS
Torah texts: Exodus 21:7-11 with Leviticus 19:20-22 Gospel texts: Matthew 1:20 seq. with 1 Corinthian 7:25 seq. The law of betrothed women immediately follows the law of the bondservant in the ordinances of practical living that follow the exalted passage that contains the ten commandments. A parallel text in...
FI Y5 WK (17 P. YITRO (JETHRO) – GOSPEL ROOT FOR THE NATIONS
Exodus 18:1-6 Please read this passage before reading the commentary and devotion below. COMMENTARY & DEVOTION: The theme of this devotion is: There is a root of the Gospel for the Nations that is involved in the matter of the relationship of Jethro and his family to Moses. The STONE...
FI Y5 WK 16 P. BE’SHALACH (WHEN HE SENT) – WAR ON THE WAY
Exodus 17:14-16 16, VA’YI’VEYN MOSHE MIZ’BEY’ACH VA’YIK’RA SHE’MO YHVH NISI VA’YOMER CI-YAD AL-CEYS YAH MILCHAMAH LA’YHVH BA’AMALEK MI’DOR DOR And Moses built an altar And he called its name JEHOVAH NISI And he said, (WITH) A HAND UPON THE THRONE* OF YAH, War with Amalek will Yahweh...
FI Y5 WK 15 P. BO (GO) THE LORD THE JUDGE
EXODUS 12:12 UV’KOL-ELOHIM MITZ’RAIM EH’EH’SEH SHE’FA’TEEM ANI YHVH “And against all the gods of Egypt will I execute judgment—I THE LORD.” Translations generally insert the stated verb “am” into this text, saying “I am THE LORD.” But a straightforward reading without the stated verb makes YHVH the subject...
FI Y5 WK 14 P. VA’EIRA (I APPEARED) SIGN OF THE SNAKE: GOD SUPREME OVER DEATH
EXODUS 7: 8-13 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, “When Pharoah shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then you shall say to Aaron, Take your rod, and cast it before Pharoah, and it shall become a snake.” (v. 8-9) [Continue reading in...
FI Y5 WK 13 P. SHEMOT (NAMES) THE WATERSOURCE (MOSES SAT BY A WELL IN MIDIAN. JESUS SAT ON A WELL—JACOB’S WELL—IN SAMARIA, IN THE PROVINCE OF JOSEPH)
Exodus 2:15 VA’YIV’RACH MOSHE MIP’PNEI PAROH VA’YI’SHEV B’ARETZ-MIDYAN VA’YISHEV AL-HAB’BE’EYR “Moses fled from before Pharoah and dwelt in the land of Midian. And he sat by the well.” John 4:3-6 “[Jesus] left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then he comes to...
FI Y5 WK 12 VA’YECHI (HE LIVED) JACOB & JOSEPH: FINAL MATTERS
Genesis 48:1-12 contains many items on which I could elaborate. But we will briefly consider just a few of them. 1 Verses 1-2 tell about Jacob becoming ill, Joseph hearing of it, and taking with him his two sons—Manasseh (Forgetting) and Ephraim (Fruitful)—to see their Grandfather before his death....
FI Y5 WK 10 MIKEITZ (AT THE END [of two full years to the day]) –PAGAN PHAROAH’S AWAKENING TO THE LIVING GOD—THE GOD OF HOPE – December 24th – December 30th
VERSE 7b: VA’YI’KEYTZ PAROH—"Pharoah awoke.” A curious insight into the verb for “awoke” (va’yi’keytz)—root YUD-QOOF-TZADEE—is that the interior root QOOF TZADEE means “end”—especially with regard to a period of time (BDB). So then, at the end of his two troubling dreams about the cows and the ears of corn,...
FI Y5 WK 9 VA’YEISHEV: (HE DWELT) DWELLING IN THE LAND OF THE FATHER’S SOJOURN – December 17th – December 23rd
VA’YEI’SHEIV YAAKOV BE’ERETZ ME’GU’REI A’VIV BE’ERETZ CE’NA’AN Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojourn, in the land of Canaan. It was a sobering but scintillating experience I had in 2022, walking down a path in the hills of Jerusalem which is known to be a place where...