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Hebrew Bibles = Deut 23:10-21
Tevet 16, 5764 / January
10, 2004
Tevet 16, 5767 / January
6, 2007
Tevet 16, 5770 / January
2, 2010
Tevet 16, 5773 / December 29, 2012
Tevet 14, 5776 / December 26, 2015
Tevet 14, 5776 / December 22, 2018
Ki-tetzei Machaneh
/ When a Camp
SCRIPTURES should be read first
We know that sin is abomination
before God, and righteousness is comely. We should also understand that
reminders of sin – our resultant states from the fall – are uncleanness in His
sight, and reminders of His righteousness – such as ordinances – are pleasing to
Him.
(V.10-14) In today’s portion, we
see that natural bodily functions representing death (unfulfilled life) and
waste, which are results of the fall, should be taken care of “outside the
camp”. In order for us to see God’s ultimate provision for our undertakings for
Him, there must be holiness in the camp.
(V.14) “Since Yahweh your God
walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before
you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent
among you lest He turn away from you.”
“Thus you shall keep the sons
of Israel separated (holy) from their uncleanness, lest they die in their
uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them” (Leviticus
15: 31).
While “uncleanness” was to be
kept out of the camp, representations of God’s righteousness were to be
performed only within the camp – at the Tabernacle.
“But in the place which Yahweh
chooses in one of
your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do
all that I command you”
(Deuteronomy 12:14).
After the Sabbath Millennium,
this earth will have all of the works and results of sin destroyed by fire, and
will thus be renewed by fire more completely than by the great flood.
“But the present heavens and
earth by His Word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and
destruction of ungodly men. . . and the earth and its works will be burned.”
(2 Peter 3:7, 10).
“Uncleanness” is not sin, but a
result of sin – a result of the fall. In uncleanness there may is seen a factor
of death or destruction, which was not present in the original creation, and
will not be present after the restoration– when Eden / Paradise is restored to a
renewed earth. [Note: “Paradise” is a translation of “Eden” – Gr. “Paraditzo”
= Heb. “Edan”.]
“Repent therefore and return,
that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come
from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed
for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things
about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time”
(Acts 3:19-21).
“He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to
eat of the tree of life, which is in the Eden / Paradise of God.”
(Revelation 2:7).
“And
I saw renewed heavens and a renewed earth; for the first heavens and the first
earth passed away. . .
And on either side of
the river was the tree of life”
(Revelation 21:1, 22:2).
In our eternal future, there will
be no more “uncleanness” as a remembrance of sin:
“For I will forgive their
iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).
Adam was created in God’s
likeness (Genesis 1:26), but after the fall, and after he was a hundred years
old, he had sons in his own image.
“When Adam had lived one
hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness,
according to his image, and named him Seth. Then the days of Adam after he
became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and
daughters”
(Genesis
5:3-4).
In the
restored earth, a man will become accountable to observe Torah at the age of
one-hundred years, and younger men will not be held in positions of leadership.
“No longer will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his
days; for the youth will become of age (accountable) at the age of one hundred,
and the one who has not reached the age of one hundred shall be lightly esteemed”
(Isaiah 65:20).
Isaiah
relates the above matters: God hates ordinances that are performed with wrong
motivations.
“Bring
your worthless offerings no longer, your incense is an abomination to Me. . .
New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure iniquity and
the solemn assembly”
(Isaiah 1:13).
Then God
says:
“Wash
yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil”
(Isaiah 1:16).
When we are
fighting God’s battles, immoral conduct is turning our backs on God, and He will
then turn His back on us.
David sings
of whole-hearted worship toward God’s Temple: “I
will give Thee thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to Thee before the
gods. I will bow down toward Thy Holy Temple”
(Psalm 138:1-2).
(V.15-16)
When going to battle, some of the enemy’s slaves may desert to follow you. You
shall not turn him back to his foreign master, but allow him to dwell with you,
and treat him kindly.
(V.18) While
the money is not of itself evil, we cannot dedicate sin-earnings to God, because
it is a reminder of sin.
(V.19-20) We
are not to cause another to sin: “You
shall not cause your countryman to take interest”.
We are to
fulfill any agreement to a foreigner, so as not to impugn God’s name: “You
may cause a foreigner to take interest”.
Matthew 8
We learned
from Leviticus 12:1 – 13:59 (commentaries Y2-33 & 34), that the disease
tzaraat
(commonly mistranslated leprosy) was a skin disease put upon a slanderer. The
metzorah
(diseased person) was unclean, and forbidden to enter the camp.
Now we see
Yeshua stretching out His hand and touching a
metzorah,
then proclaiming him clean, and instructing him to fulfill the Torah’s
requirement of having a priest’s certification before entering the camp.
Touching him would seem to imply that Yeshua had first healed him of the sin of
slander, and such healing would be the normal precursor to physical healing of
tzaraat.
In the following chapter
(Matthew 9), Yeshua first states that a certain man’s sins are forgiven, then
heals him.
“For which is easier, to say,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, and walk’?
But in order that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins (then He said to the
paralytic) ‘Rise, take up your bed, and go home’
” (Matthew 9:5-6).
Readings:
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who chose us from among all peoples by
giving us Your Torah.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
Reader 1*
Amen 9 “When a camp goes out against
your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing. 10
If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission,
then he must go outside the camp; he may not reenter the camp. 11 But
it shall be when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water, and at
sundown he may reenter the camp.
12
You shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there, 13 and
you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down
outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn to cover up your excrement.
14 Since Yahweh your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you
and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He
must not see anything indecent among you lest He turn away from you.”
Reader 2*
Amen 15 “You shall not hand over to
his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He
shall live with you in your midst, in the place which he shall choose in one of
your towns where it pleases him; you shall not mistreat him.
17
None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the
sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. 18 You shall not bring the hire
of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of Yahweh your God for any
votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.
19
You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or
anything that may be loaned at interest. 20 You may charge
interest to a foreigner, but to your countryman you shall not charge interest,
so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land
which you are about to enter to possess.”
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living
Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
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"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets, delighting
in their words which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the
Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and the prophets of truth and
righteousness."
Isaiah 1:10-18
Reader 3*
Amen 10 Hear the word of Yahweh, You
rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah.
11 "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?" Says Yahweh. "I have
had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no
pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. 12 "When you come to
appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? 13
"Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New
moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the
solemn assembly.
Reader 4*
Amen 14 "I hate your new moon
festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary
of bearing them. 15 "So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I
will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not
listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 "Wash yourselves, make
yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the
orphan, Plead for the widow. 18 "Come now, and let us reason
together," Says Yahweh, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white
as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
Psalm 138 (To be sung.) A
Psalm of David.
1. With all my heart my thanks I’ll bring,
Before the gods Your praises sing;
I’ll worship in Your Holy Place
And praise Your Name for truth and grace;
2. For You above Your Name adored,
Have magnified Your faithful Word.
The day I called, Your help appeared;
With inward strength my soul was cheered.
3. All kings of earth shall thanks accord
When they have heard Your Word O Lord.
Yahweh’s ways they’ll celebrate;
The glory of Yahweh is great.
4. Although Yahweh is most high,
On lowly ones He bends His eye;
But those that proud and haughty are
He knows only from afar.
5. Through trouble though my pathway be,
You will revive and comfort me.
Your outstretched hand You will oppose
Against the wrath of all my foes.
6. Your hand, Yahweh, shall set me free
And perfect all that concerns me;
Your mercy, Yahweh, always stands;
Leave not the work of Your own hands.
Matthew 8:1-4
1
When Yeshua came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2
And a (metzora) leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said,
"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 Yeshua stretched
out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And
immediately his (tzaraat) leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Yeshua
said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and
present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
"Blessed are You, Yahweh
our God, King of the Universe,
Rock of Ages, righteous
throughout all generations.
You are the faithful God,
promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,
for all Your words are true
and righteous.
Faithful are You, Yahweh
our God, and faithful are Your words,
for no word of Yours shall
remain unfulfilled;
You are a faithful and
merciful God and King.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."
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