This week, Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship takes a look at teachings associated with the Passover feast and the first day of the week of Unleavened Bread. As you probably have come to expect, he doesn’t pull punches. And, no, it’s not the same as ‘easter’, but yes, it really DOES matter.
This is also a week of unparalleled turmoil in the world, and arguably none of that is a coincidence. Scripture has warned us about the consequences of rebellion against Him for a very long time.
Warning: The focus here is people who have a heart to “search out the Truth for themselves.” This teaching is not going to sit well with many people who would prefer NOT to hear what Yahuah has to say about things He calls ‘abomination’. And that includes pagan traditions that the whore church claims are cute and harmless, but where He clearly says otherwise. ‘Cause if what’s going on – in “such a time as this” – doesn’t at the very least make us angry, or even “sigh and cry” – then what’s happened before will no doubt happen again.
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 “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.
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 B’shalach (Exodus 13:17 – 17:16) may just be the most “miracle-dense” portion in the whole Torah, from the “pillar of cloud by day, and fire by night” perhaps the most famous miracle of all – the “parting of the Red Sea” (ok, Sea of Reeds).
Miracles are only part of the story, however, and perhaps it’s BECAUSE of the level of them that the rest of what follows is all the more poignant, and telling.
Join Mark Call first for the Erev Shabbat review of the whole story.
During the Sabbath Day teaching, Mark explores those miracles a bit more, from several perspectives, and especially for an understanding of what we face.
How could people who literally SAW all of those miracles still follow up almost immediately by “whining,” and then ultimately turning to idolatry right “before His face!”??? And if that’s not a warning for us, then what is?
That first Exodus has much to teach us about the next one.
The page link from Hebrew Nation Radio for the combined part 1 and 2 file for both sections are up here as well, and available for download and off-line listening.
Join Mark Call for a look at the final parsha in the Book of Bereshiet, or Genesis, “Vayechi,” (Genesis 47:27 – end), which completes the telling of the lives of the patriarchs, with the death of Yakov, aka Israel, his adoption of the two sons of Yosef, Ephraim and Manasseh into the ‘twelve tribes,’ and finally their prophetic blessing as well, setting the stage for the descent into slavery and the ultimate Exodus.
First, the Erev Shabbat review of the whole story:
The Sabbath Day teaching begins with what Mark suggests is the central theme of Israel’s “grafting in” of the two in-part foreign-born sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, in the reverse order of their birth.
Join Mark Call for a look at parsha, “Vayashev,” (“and he [Yakov] dwelt,” Genesis through chapters 37 through 40), which now moves on primarily to the story of Yakov’s sons, and especially Yosef (Joseph).
The Erev Shabbat review contains not only the story of Joseph’s sale into slavery by his brothers, and the subsequent false claims by Potiphar’s wife which result in his time in prison, but an “insertion” into the story (AKA, an “atbash,” which is a story in itself) of Judah, and Tamar, and just how important that insertion turns out to be, as well as the importance of dreams, as opposed to direct words from YHVH, to Joseph.
The Sabbath Day teaching is again about only some of the major themes in the parsha, from a few of the apparently ALMOST ‘trivial,’ throw-away elements of the parsha, to an almost enigmatic comment about Yakov dealing with the loss of his son. They are indeed VERY important to us today.
Join Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship for this week’s teaching of “Ki Tetzi,” (Deuteronomy 21:10 through all of chapter 25), which AGAIN seems to literally exemplify so much of what is ABSOLUTELY WRONG with the western world today, especially because this is so politically INcorrect that it speaks volumes!
The Erev Shabbat overview starts with the concept of the “war bride,” and that’s just for starters…
For several weeks running now, the Sabbath Day teaching is arguably even more NOT ‘politically-correct’ than the week before. And this time, there needs to be an “<strong>adult content” warning</strong> as well, since the topics include marriage, sexuality, virginity, and a few things that will be even more offensive to a world which genuinely seems to HATE His Word, especially “as Written”.
From ‘transgenderism’ and ‘sodomy’ to the issue of multiple wives, there is plenty in Scripture that is so at odds with what men say He SHOULD have said if He was as smart as they think they are, it’s no wonder the world is such a mess.
The emphasis, however, MUST be on what is actually Written. What we have “heard it said” is NOT necessarily what He Wrote, for our blessing. So, be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11).