Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Metzorah” (Leviticus chapters 14 and 15) — which to some extent is almost “Part 2” of the story of a ‘plague’ not seen for over a thousand years, although perhaps “more’s the pity.”
And for reasons that will continue that related theme from last week (Tazria, and the plague of “tzaraat” which is most certainly NOT what is called ‘leprosy,’ or Hansen’s Disease, this parsha is one of those that you “may have heard” is now irrelevant, “done-away-with”, and basically not worth studying — but for EXACTLY those reasons is probably more important now than ever, even if not for the reasons we’ve been lied to about.
This week, Mark looks at it from the opposite perspective, the ‘other half of the cycle’, if you will.
In the Erev Shabbat review, the study picks up with “this is, no SHALL BE, the <em>torah</em> of the ‘metzorah’,” or person who has ‘<em>tzaraat</em>’. What is to be done about it, and, yes, it can even infect a house.
In the Sabbath day teaching, Mark takes a look at something else the world has “turned upside down.”
It’s not merely that “evil” is being called ‘good’, and vice-versa; he suggests that what we are seeing run rampant in the world today is literally a ‘satanic (adversarial) imitation’ of a malady once intended by our Creator for our correction into an instrument of Evil:
not only to censor and suppress speech associated with Scripture and Truth, but to literally, turn His people into ‘social[ist] media outcasts’…and worse.
This is yet another portion that thus touches the heart of so very much that is wrong today, and why. How very much like our Creator to show via His Word that the very things we’ve been lied to told are “done away with” by way of the “opposites” and devilish imitations that have replaced them.
In a world that has become “unclean, unclean!” — those who speak His Truth are being shamed and shunned:
Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Tazria” (Leviticus chapters 12 and 13).
And for reasons that will hopefully ending up BEING clear, this parsha is one of those that you “may have heard” is now irrelevant, “done-away-with”, and basically not worth studying — but for EXACTLY those reasons is probably more important now than ever, even if not for the reasons we’ve been lied to about.
In the Erev Shabbat review of what that means, the story begins with childbirth, some “not politically-correct” instruction that admittedly can’t be done here in “exile,” and then a litany of what looks like medical text information – but isn’t.
And – in this case, since it’s SO relevant – the recording includes a news summary that helps make that same point, even if “in reverse”.
The Sabbath day teaching is time for a more in-depth look at just WHY something that we’ve “inherited lies from our fathers” about (’cause it’s ‘<em><em>done away with</em></em>,’ doncha know…’) is more relevant than ever, precisely BECAUSE we no longer have that “<em>plague-that-ISN’T-leprosy</em>” (tzaraat) to worry about, or correct us.
And again, this portion touches the heart of so very much that is wrong today, and why. How very much like our Creator to show via His Word that the very things we’ve been lied to told are “done away with” are central to the curses and plagues now running so rampant.
Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Shemini” (Leviticus chapters 9 through 12).
And for reasons that will be made clear, Mark refers to this particular portion as one that might represent the heart of “Torah 101”.
In the Erev Shabbat review of what that means, the story begins with the events of the ‘eighth (shemini) day’ and continues to the tragedy of the deaths of Nadav and Abihu after they offer something NOT commanded (aka, ‘strange fire’).
In the Sabbath day teaching, Mark explores in more depth the “Torah 101” aspects of the parsha, and the things that men have said He SHOULD have said, if only He was as smart as they think they are. Ironically, the thing that got Nadav and Abihu killed.
And the rest of the story only STARTS with food. More things that haven’t changed, but will get more people killed. But again, just for starters…
…this portion touches the heart of so very much that is wrong today, and why. It’s at the core of what we need to “come out of” given what He has long warned is coming.
Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Tzav” (meaning ‘command,’ from Leviticus/Vayikra chapters 6 through 8).
This week Mark’s internet connection was devastated for the Erev Shabbat service, so the ‘overview teaching’ didn’t really happen, until a recap during the Sabbath Day session.
The parsha begins with an admonition to “command” Aaron and his sons — the cohenim — concerning the instruction of YHVH about the things outlined in last week’s parsh, the olah, minchah, chattat (and asham), and shalamim offerings. The associated haftorah portion for this week, from Jeremiah chapter 7, offers an interesting and very instructive contrast. And it’s one which is not in the least less dramatic today, because we still are being conditioned to “trust in lying things, which are of no avail.”
Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Vayikra” (the first parsha in the Book of the same name, AKA “Leviticus”, chapters 1 through 5).
This parsha begins with very different, perhaps even grammatically ‘problematic’ verse, that essentially says somebody “called out to Moshe” in an evidently loving way. And it includes one of those “jots and tiddles”, too!
In the Erev Shabbat review of what that means, Mark notes that the Book begins with the word “And…” – so it’s a continuation of SOMETHING, and notes that much of this whole Book also makes the vitally important point that it’s in there for a reason!
And if we ignore that reason, or – worse still – try to convince ourselves that what He said hasn’t changed somehow DID, then what He really do for us after all? Scripture draws a clear bright line between “unintentional sin” and – well, whatever it should be called when the choice is ignorance instead.
Vayikra is a call to ‘intimacy’ with YHVH — and after the events that closed out the Exodus, perhaps specifically a RETURN toward intimacy. And as part of that process, it includes some specific procedures for how that works, when one chooses to make “an offering of themselves” to Him.
And right there, SOME of the issues with what has become dogma surrounding what is now called “sacrifice” begin to come into focus.
After the overview introduction of Erev Shabbat, Mark follows up with the hardcore Scriptural proof that the reason not only a ‘whore church’ that ignores His Word is STILL in exile but a whole society now chooses death over life is that what once passed for ‘priests’ “FAILED to teach the difference” between the clean and unclean, holy and profane, good and evil. We don’t even understand the difference between an offering and a sacrifice, much less what has been “done away with” as opposed to done for us.
Yes, this one is hard-hitting, certainly not “politically correct” (much less filled with ‘socialist just-us’) and not to be missed.
Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Pekudei” (Exodus 38:21 through the end of the Book) and more of the value, and vital importance, of ‘redundancy’.
This parsha begins with an ‘accounting’ of the elements, materials, and even workmanship that makes up the ‘mishkan’, or tabernacle.
In the Erev Shabbat review of what that means, Mark points out again just how often we might think that “we’ve heard all of this before” there’s more to it — with an emphasis on obedience:
Pekudei begins with an “accounting” (which even Mark, while inclined often to the ‘nerdy’ admits is not the most exciting subject in his opinion) but that’s where the real questions begin. Like “Why do we still study this?” (especially if as I Corinthians 3 suggests, “WE are the ‘temple of God'”).
More disturbingly (since we are also told to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling”) we see quite a few things in Scripture which again make the point that there really still IS a reason why the pattern or ‘template’ of the mishkan matters. More than we’ve probably been told. Especially now.
Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for a look at parsha “Vayakhel” (Exodus 35:1 – 38:20) and some of the beauty, and vital importance, of ‘redundancy’.
This parsha begins Moses “assembling” the entire congregation of the ‘sons of Israel’ to hear something, that at least in part, they’ve heard before. And therein lies much of the story!
In the Erev Shabbat review of what that means, Mark points out again just how often we might think that “we’ve heard all of this before” (and yet, there really is “no idle word in Scripture”) — and that’s kinda the whole point. At least, if we are “wise-hearted,” “willing hearted,” and have hearts that are stirred up when they need to be.
During the Sabbath Day teaching, Mark goes in a “whole ‘nuther direction”, based on the idea that while cycles in history and prophecy repeat, SOMETIMES we are on the ‘opposite half cycle.’ Like today.
Vayakhel is about Moshe “assembling” the people of Israel together, so that those who were “wise-hearted, willing-hearted
and those whose hearts stirred them up to create a place where YHVH would dwell among them were able to come together to create set-apart, “holy” works of beauty and literally ‘return to Him’ after the failure of the ‘golden calf’.
Today, in a polar opposite contrast, hard-hearted people who literally HATE the God of the Bible come together to destroy His house and all that is beautiful in His creation. And there’s a lesson there, too, in several ways.
Parsha “Ki Tisa” (Exodus 30:11 through chapter 34) may be the most “story- and theme-packed” parsha in the Bible.
This parsha begins with the census, or literally “head-count” — by means of the silver half-shekel — and continues with some of the most important, and repeated issues and admonitions in all of Scripture, from His Sabbaths, to the tragic story of the ‘golden calf’ and the prohibitions (plural!) against any form of idolatry.
And that obviously should include SO much of what has been incorporated into the various flavors of the ‘Whore Church’ by making those forbidden ‘treaties’ with fake gods.
In the Erev Shabbat review of all of that, Mark Call points out again just how often (because Scripture itself does!) we are told things that contradict the more ‘modern’ teaching that “the law is <em>done away with</em>” when in fact even the rhetorical devices in sections like this reveal the degree of THAT particular lie!
During the Sabbath Day teaching, Mark explores the myriad themes that support the story (or vice-versa) in not only the Torah portion itself, but related pictures from Scripture, and things that show us why the pattern there is still SO important today.
Perhaps primary among those, in this world today, is the “blessing and curse” of being stiff-necked. It almost got “kol Israel” killed after the idolatry of the ‘golden calf,’ but may conversely be the kind of “stubbornness” that is needed to face the even more pervasive myriad of idolatries today.
Parsha “Tetzaveh” (Exodus 27:20 through 30:10) is another ‘semi-controversial’ teaching from the Torah. Is it a proof text of “why the Law is done away with,” or the converse?
This parsha continues the description, among other things, of the clothing “for beauty and for splendor” to be worn by the ‘cohenim’ (priests, of the line of Aaron) and particularly the special garments of the ‘Cohen Hagadol,’ or High Priest.
Join Mark Call first for the Erev Shabbat review of all of that, and another demonstration that even though neither the cohenim NOR the place they were called to serve still exist as they once did, when Scripture says that the commandments associated with them are “forever,” it’s a good reason for us to listen to Him, rather than what we’ve been told He should have said:
During the Sabbath Day teaching Mark again takes a look at the ‘bigger picture,’ of not only the Torah portion itself, but related pictures from Scripture, and things that show us why the pattern there is still SO important today.
There are reasons why ‘the priesthood’ no longer wears those garments, or even has a place to. To listen to the Whore Church, it might have something to do with Melchitzedek. But based on fruit, and warnings associated with scattered and lost tribes, maybe “sackcloth and ashes” is better garb anyway.
Here is another, continued lesson those who would like to be part of a ‘holy priesthood’ should ponder.
Parsha “Terumah” (Exodus 25:1 through 27:19) is one that has been called all kinds of derogatory names by the <em>Whore Church</em> that would prefer to believe all that “Old Testament” stuff was “done away with” — even ‘nailed to the cross’ — rather than admit it doesn’t make sense because people would rather be “destroyed for lack of knowledge”.
It is also the first of several that have to do with the ‘mikdash’, or the ‘mishkan’ (tabernacle) where He “may dwell in us”. Maybe some call it ‘boring’ because they’d just as soon He didn’t.
Join Mark Call first for the Erev Shabbat review of all of that, and a first look at the possibility there’s more here than meets the eye, or the pulpit:
During the Sabbath Day teaching Mark explores the disturbing question of ‘the temple’, which the whore church tells people who don’t actually obey Him is still somehow WITHIN them. But if David, a “man after Yah’s own heart” was not allowed to build the first temple because of the blood on his hands…’how much more so’ a land, a people who celebrate the blood on theirs?
The Truth is the essence of “politically incorrect,” because to be PC is to worship another god, whether that fake is called Baal, Molech, Beelzebub, Ole Scratch, the Almighty State, or just HaSatan.
This is a lesson those who truly seek to be “indwelled by His Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh)” literally need to ‘take to heart.’