Paired Parallelisms in Genesis 44:16

Who are we to tell God that we are innocent? He is our Creator, our Judge, and our Vindicator. No matter what we might think of ourselves, He knows our hearts, and He knows what constitutes guilt and innocence. He has said there is no innocence apart from Yeshua and we have no recourse but to accept His divine judgment. Rail against the wind all you like, tell it you're a "good person", but unless you turn to Yeshua and repent of your sins (yes, you have sins), you are lost. We are His servants, and that is the end of the story.

I'll be sending more on this verse in my newsletter later today (12/30/2016). Subscribe here: American Torah.

Full Impulse Power Ahead

The security asked of Judah by Tamar in Genesis 38:18 was extraordinary. Why did he agree to this?
Remember, when something in the story seems out of place, look deeper. Ring, cord/bracelet, staff are symbols of authority. 3 times, Tamar asked to hold Judah's authority in her hands. Failure to control your impulses will give your impulses control over you. Just like Delilah, Bathsheba, and Jezebel. In each of these cases, the greatest fault was with a weak man.

Multiple Chiasms and Parallelisms in Exodus 33

God made us so good at spotting patterns that sometimes we see them when they aren't there. I have to wonder if this might be one of those times. Although the presence of patterns in this passage is certain, I am less confident that I have diagrammed them correctly.

A Chiasm in Exodus 33:7

• And Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it outside the camp, far off from the camp. 
• And he called it the tabernacle of the congregation. 
• And it happened that everyone seeking Jehovah went to the tabernacle of the congregation which was outside the camp.

A Chiasm in Exodus 33:8

• And it happened as Moses went to the tabernacle, 
• the people all rose and stood, each one at the door of his tent.
• And they looked after Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 

A Parallelism in Exodus 33:9-11a

• And it happened as Moses went into the tabernacle, 
• the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the door of the tabernacle. 
• And He spoke with Moses. 
• And all the people would see the pillar of the cloud standing at the door of the tabernacle. 
• And all the people rose and bowed themselves, each one at the door of his tent. 
• And Jehovah would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

A Chiasm in Exodus 33:11b-12a

• And he would return to the camp. And his attendant, Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the middle of the tabernacle. 
• And Moses said to Jehovah, Behold, 
• You are saying to me, Cause this people to go up.
•  And You, You have not told me whom You will send with me. 

A Chiasm in Exodus 33:12b-17

• And yet You have said, I know you by name, and 
• also you have found favor in My eyes. And now, if I have found favor in Your eyes, please make me see Your ways, and let me know You, so that I may find favor in Your eyes; and consider that this nation is Your people. 
• And He said, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. 
• And they said to Him, If Your presence does not go, do not cause us to go up from here. 
• And now by what can it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your eyes? Is it not in Your going with us? And we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the nations which are on the face of the earth? And Jehovah said to Moses, This thing which you have spoken I will do. For you have found favor in My eyes, and 
• I know you by name. 

A Chiasm in Exodus 33:18-23

• And he said, I pray, let me see Your glory. 
• And He said, I will cause all My goodness to pass before your face. And I will call out the name of Jehovah before your face. 
• And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. 
• And He said, You are not able to see My face; for no man can see Me and live. And Jehovah said, Behold, a place by Me! And you shall stand on a rock. 
• And as My glory is passing it will be that I will put you in a cleft of the rock; and I will cover My hand over you during My passing. And I will remove My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face cannot be seen.

Jacob's Divided Camp

On the whole, division weakens a people, but not always. Jacob showed wisdom in dividing his camp before Esau in Genesis 32-33
►Many small good deeds can be more powerful than one great favor. It's easy to forget something that happens once, no matter how good it is. "Repetition is the mother of learning," they say.
►Esau wasn't a future-thinker. Jacob's servile abasement appealed to his pride & impetuousness. Once again, Jacob got what he wanted by giving Esau what he wanted. Nevermind that Esau would regret it many years later.
►A gentle answer turns away wrath. Esau expected anger, but found love instead. How do you respond to someone who answers your threats with gifts and a hug?
►In the face of a superior enemy, divide your forces. This is an oft-used guerilla tactic. If your amassed forces stand no chance, divide them up. Smaller groups are more mobile and force the enemy to expend more resources for every meaningless victory. In doing this, Jacob hoped and worked for peace, but prepared for war.

A Chiasm Centered on the Deception of Isaac

A: V18 – Who are you?
    B: V19 – I am Esau
        C: Your firstborn
            D: I’ve done what you asked
                E: Get up and eat so you can give me your blessing
                    F: V20 – God granted success
                        G: V21-22 – Parallelism, part 1
                                1. Come near
                                2. Isaac feels Jacob’s hands
                            H: V23-25 – Isaac believes the lie

                        G: V26-27 – Parallelism, part 2

                                1. Come near

                                2. Isaac smells Jacob’s clothes

                    F: V28-29 – Isaac blessed Jacob

                E: V31 – Get up and eat so you can give me your blessing

            D: I am your son

        C: Your firstborn

    B: Esau

A: V32 – Who are you?

Words Are Just Labels

Sometimes when people start getting back into Scripture, they discover things they never knew were there, they get convicted, they get excited... And sometimes they get a little carried away by things they read or hear without considering the greater context. For example, in Exodus 23:13, God said "Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips."

Years ago, when I was first getting really serious about trying to obey God, I thought this meant we needed to stop using "Tuesday" and "January" because they were named for pagan gods.

Some people take that even further and say we shouldn't use words like "lord" and "god" because the True God shouldn't be made to share his titles with false gods.

But then there's this:

For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. Isaiah 54:5

We all know this is talking about YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (The all-caps LORD always means that the original Hebrew read "YHWH".) There's absolutely no question about it. Isaiah is relaying a message from God about Himself to the people of Israel. Did you also know that the Hebrew word God used to describe himself as a "husband" is ba'al, the exact same word used as to refer to the chief Canaanite god? It can be translated as husband, master, lord, etc.
In other places, God YHWH calls himself El and Adonai, which translate almost exactly to god and lord, respectively.

All words and sounds are abused and co-opted at times for sinful purposes, but there is no such thing as a "pagan" word or sound any more than there can be a pagan hammer or a pagan screwdriver. Words are just tools used to convey information, and, just like hammers, they can be misused.

Some nouns carry more information than others, but in the end they're just labels. God, lord, ba'al... these are generic nouns that are sometimes used as proper nouns, just like Father, Doctor, or President. The chief Canaanite god was often called Ba'al, but YHWH also called himself ba'al.

If pagans worship a god of the trees and they call it Tree, are we then forbidden to use the word "tree" ever again? Of course not. Even if there was a real being masquerading as the god of the trees, that word doesn't belong to him, and it's not really his name.

When God said "Don't let the names of false gods pass your lips" in Exodus 23:13, he didn't mean, "Don't speak the phonetic equivalents of their names and don't ever use those nouns again." No. What he meant was, "Don't call on false gods. Don't swear by their names, don't honor them by talking about them in a favorable manner, don't pray to them, don't act in their names, and don't speak for them."

Words are just tools to represent information through speech and writing. Don't confuse the labels for the realities, and don't let the world dictate your speech.

The Law, Rightfully Used

Making Torah (aka the Law) the object of our lives leads inevitably to failure. We ought never to keep God’s Law for the sake of the Law itself nor for the sake of the veneer of righteousness that it provides, but for the sake of the Lawgiver who gave us His Torah out of love for us and a desire to see us succeed as children of God and citizens of His Kingdom. Torah is a blessing and a guide to those who keep it out of love for our Creator and Redeemer. It is a curse and an obstacle to those who attempt to keep it pridefully. (Romans 9:30-32)

Suggested Apostolic Readings for Parsha Toldot

Some Apostolic passages that go well with Parsha Toldot:

• Romans 9:3-33
• Colossians 3
• Hebrews 12:11-17
• James 5:14-18
• 1 Peter 3:1-7

More Reading on Parsha Toldot:

• Soil from Stone
• American Torah

A Toldot Playlist on Youtube:

Yeshua Is More Real than Caesar

99.9% of all history is based on documentary evidence. You cannot reasonably claim to believe in a historical Julius Caesar based on historical documents and claim to disbelieve in a historical Jesus based on a lack of historical documents. There is more documentary historical evidence for the physical existence of Yeshua than for that of Julius Caesar, Senacharib, or Plato.

Reality Wins, Every Time

Rejecting an argument because you don't like its conclusions reveals a fundamental irrationality, an inability to make sound decisions. An argument should be judged by its truth, not by your gag reflex. Because you are human, you are prejudiced, while the truth is not and cannot be. Truth is never sexist, racist, phobic, or elitist. It simply is.

We can accept the world for what it is and tack accordingly, or we can close our eyes in fantasy and let the winds and currents of reality steer us wherever they will.

Resurrection at the End from the Beginning

In Luke 20:37-38, Jesus said that the title "God of Abraham" proves the resurrection of the dead because God is the God of the living, not the dead. However, Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that the resurrection of the faithful is still to come.

How to reconcile these two statements?

In v38, Jesus said "All are alive to God," meaning, from God's perspective, all the righteous are alive today. But God's perspective isn't ours, as He sees the end from the beginning. Abraham, with all the faithful of every age, is alive today in God's eyes, whether or not he has already been resurrected today, because God isn't limited to a linear experience of time.

To HaShem, tomorrow is today.

When Truth Becomes a Crime

In today's political discourse "racist" just means "expresses (or openly associates with people who express) opinions that meet any of the following criteria":

1. Not approved by enlightened progressives. 
2. Respectful of various ethnicities of European origin or commonly referred to as "white". 
3. Acknowledges the possibility that inherited genes of non-whites might have the slightest undesirable effect on anything that cannot be clearly seen, such as hair color, skin tone, etc.. (The inheritance of undesirable emotional, intellectual, etc., traits by whites can be freely acknowledged without being considered racist.) 
4. Acknowledges the bad behavior of any non-white individual or group. 
5. Questions the integrity, capabilities, or genius of any non-white individual or group.
6. Fails to weight credit for any achievement in favor of non-whites.
7. Gives whites, especially white men, credit for achievements.

When a person is backed into a corner so that he can no longer even move without breaking some rules, when he's guilty merely because he exists, eventually he stops caring about the rules.

Qualities Common to Great Men

Everyone has the capacity to be successful. Nobody is a born loser. I think the difference between a success and a loser is more a matter of making appropriate choices concerning where and how to apply one's abilities rather than the nature of the abilities themselves. If you're short and uncoordinated, for example, you'll find more success away from the basketball court than on it. If you're exceptionally tall and athletic, but not especially bright, professional basketball might be a better choice than medicine or electrical engineering. By compensating for shortfalls, developing skills, working hard, and walking the right path, everyone can become better than average at something, even better than most, since most of their peers will choose not to expend the same effort.

On the other hand, not everyone has the capacity to be great.

Qualities common to great men in no particular order:

► Self discipline
► Self confidence
► Consistent vision
► Constancy of purpose
► Faith in God
► Community minded
► Intelligence
► Idealism
► Irrational optimism
► Generosity
► Interest in people
► Strong ambition
► Sense of destiny

Not every great man has all of these qualities--I would be surprised to find anyone who did--but the more of them a person has, the more they will be predisposed to greatness.

If you don't see yourself in the list above, don't despair. Greatness is, by definition, very rare. Most successful people will never be great. Even so, every one of these qualities can be developed to some degree, some more than others. Everyone can be better than they are.

Parallels between Isaac and Yeshua

Some parallels between Isaac & Yeshua:

• Isaac & Yeshua were both conceived under miraculous and apparently questionable circumstances.
• Abraham loved Isaac. The Father was "well pleased" with Yeshua.
• 3 days journey to the binding of Isaac & 3 days in the grave for Yeshua.
• 2 men accompanied Isaac & Abraham, while 2 men were crucified beside Yeshua.
• Both men were accompanied to the locale of Jerusalem by a donkey.
• Yeshua and Isaac both went willingly & carried the wood that would be used in their sacrifices.
• Isaac was symbolically "resurrected" at God's intervention. Yeshua was actually resurrected.
• A ram replaced Isaac on the altar, while a Lamb replaced all of mankind.
• Just like Yeshua, Isaac disappeared from the Biblical scene until the Servant had prepared his bride.

Election Day 2016

I'm not thrilled with the candidacy of Donald Trump. If I remember correctly, he got a D on my conservative score card. Better than Romney, Christie, or Bush, but still not good. On the other hand, I understand his emotional--and even intellectual--appeal to patriotic voters. Despite some serious problems with his character and politics, at least he has made some noises about protecting America from our most serious threats. If he wins the election today, I'll be nervous about America's future. There are a lot of potential problems.

On the gripping hand, I have no reservations whatsoever about condemning Hillary Clinton and everyone around her. She is evil, wicked, foul, disgusting...Whatever pejorative you care to toss her way, it will stick.

Gary Johnson... Please. What a joke.

If Trump wins, I'll be nervous. If Clinton wins, I'll be ashamed and sickened by what has become of America.

The Briefest Introduction to Chiasms

The Bible is full of chiasms (kai'-a-zumz), literary structures used to provide a framework to a story--what a novelist might call a story arc--or to convey additional meaning to what is contained by the bare text. The singular is technically chiasmus and the plural is chiasmi, since the word is derived from Greek and Latin. Since I speak English, I prefer chiasm/chiasms. In a chiasm, a series of phrases or concepts in the first half of the narrative are mirrored in the second half, usually--but not always--with one, unmirrored statement at the center.

Chiasms were used extensively by writers in many ancient cultures, and sometimes they are still used today, especially in poetry and song. Along with parallelisms, thematic allusions, Hebrew word play, and a number of other literary devices, chiasms can give fascinating insight on the meaning that the original Biblical writers intended to convey. They can be as short as a single verse or span multiple books. Most commonly they span a few verses or a chapter.

A typical chiasm might look something like this:

A - God speaks to prophet
  B - Prophet speaks to people
    C - People respond to man
      D - God acts
    C - People respond to God
  B - People speak to prophet
A - Prophet speaks to God

Sometimes they are very easy to see, but often they are obscured by translation from Hebrew or by artificial chapter and verse divisions. Being able to read the Hebrew (which I cannot), definitely makes them easier to find. Tony Robinson has a lot of great teaching on chiasms and thematic connections in Scripture. You can check them out here: Restoration of Torah Ministries.

And I have a growing list of them here: Index of Biblical Chiasmi and Parallelisms.

If you want to learn how to find and understand Biblical chiasms for yourself, sign up for Common Sense Bible Study, where I host The Chiasm Course!

Thematic Connections between the Flood and Sodom

Tony Robinson has a number of great teachings based on thematic connections between different stories in the Bible. In this video, he illustrates a parallelism between Genesis 6:9-9:23 on one side and Genesis 18:23-19:37 on the other. Be sure to give him a thumbs up and share the video.

Video from Tony Robinson:

What Was Ham's Sin and Why Was Canaan Cursed

Here is the same parallelism graphically illustrated:

...and again in text for the search engines:

A: 6:9 - Noah was the only righteous man in a wicked generation.
    B: 6:13-22 - God will destroy the earth because of its violence
        C: 7:3-16 - Noah and family enter the ark to save their lives
            D: 7:17-24 - All life destroyed in the flood and rain
                E: 8:1 - People and animals saved because God remembered Noah
                    F: 8:4 - Ark rested on the mountains of Ararat
                        G: 9:20-23 - Ham committed a sexual sin while Noah was drunk
A: 18:23-24 - Abraham asks, Would you destroy the righteous with the wicked?
    B: 19:13 - God will destroy Sodom because of the outcry against it
        C: 19:14-22 - Lot and family leaves the city to save their lives
            D: 19:23-28 - All people of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by sulfur rain
                E: 19:29 - Lot and family are saved because God remembered Abraham
                    F: 19:30 - Lot and daughters settled on the mountain above Zohar
                        G: 19:31-37 - Lot's daughters had sex with him while he was drunk

This parallelism shows that Ham's sin was almost certainly sexual in nature, but why would Noah curse Ham's son instead of Ham himself? I think the two most likely explanations are that 1) Ham permanently broke the relationship of Noah with one of his sons, so Noah's curse against Canaan broke the relationship between Ham and one of his sons or that 2) Ham's sin was actually against his own mother, and Canaan was the offspring of that sin, much as Lot's daughters gave birth to Moab and Ammon through their sin.

A Chiasm in Genesis 9 around Eating Blood

A chiasm in Genesis 9 surrounds death and the abuse of life with promises of life and blessing. Perhaps the purpose of this arrangement is to say that, if you want to live a long, productive life with lots of children and joy in the the things that God has given you, start by respecting those gifts as well as the people around you.

• V1 – Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
• V2 – All moving things delivered into the hand of man
• V3 – All living things given to man
• V4 – Don’t eat blood
• V5 – God requires a reckoning for the life of man
• V6 – Man delivered into the hands of man
• V7 – Be fruitful and multiply, increase in the earth

Or to put it in more narrative terms...

"Go fill the world so you can manage it. To help you, I've given you these resources, but if anyone takes a life that I have not put under your authority, you are to take his life. Did you hear me? I'm giving you authority over all of these lives, but if any of you go beyond that, I will revoke your authority even over your own life. Don't bring blood guilt on yourselves, whether by murder of another human or by eating the blood of an animal." -God

A Double Chiasm in Exodus 13:2-18

Remember to Whom you belong. Remember Who has redeemed you from bondage. He doesn't need you. You need Him.

• v2 – First to open the womb is mine.
• V3 – Moses said, Remember how YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand
• Don't eat leavened bread
• V4 – This is the month of Aviv
• V5 – The land YHWH swore to give you
• Keep it in this month
• V6-7 – Eat unleavened bread
• V8-10 – Tell your son, Remember how YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand
• V12 – Set apart the first to open the womb.
• V13 – Redeem the firstborn
• V14 – When your son asks, tell him “YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.”
• V15 – Pharaoh was stubborn & disobeyed
• YHWH killed their firstborn.
• I sacrifice firstborn to YHWH & obey
• V16 – Redeeming the firstborn prompts us to remember that YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.
• V17-18 – God redeemed Israel from the land of Egypt

Eliminate ALL Healthcare Regulations ASAP

When Obamacare first passed, I said it would be a disaster (no brainer, that), but that the disaster was a feature, not a bug. It was sabotaged or allowed to fail on every level so that the American people would beg for a total government takeover of the healthcare industry. Now even the Republicans want to "fix" Obamacare or replace it rather than the more sensible alternative of a total repeal.

The ONLY way to fix the American healthcare system is to get the government completely out of it. Remove all regulation while holding everyone accountable for their actions. No more protections for pharmaceutical companies, no more government mandated insurance scams, no more fake "privacy" rules, no more denying care to people who want it, no more forcing people into "care" that they don't want... Just get government out of it and keep it out.

If you want to see an allopath, an osteopath, naturopath, or a witch doctor, then do it. If you want to help people, then help people. If you want help, then ask for it. If you want certain standards in the handling of your own medical info, then demand it and hold your providers accountable. Just quit meddling in everyone else's business.

One day Is as a Thousand Years

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8 ESV)

Peter originally wrote this in reference to this prayer written by Moses:

For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:4 ESV)

In context, neither of these writers meant that a thousand of our years is actually just one day to God. Both writers were trying to describe God's ageless perspective. If "a thousand years is as one day" is to be taken literally, then what do we do with the first half of Peter's statement, "one day is as a thousand years?" They can't both be literally true. The only reasonable conclusion is that he meant it as a rhetorical device to illustrate how God is never impatient or in a hurry. Like Gandalf, He arrives precisely when He means to.

In Genesis 2:17, God told Adam that he would die in the day that he ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, yet Adam didn't drop dead on the day he ate. In fact, he lived for another 930 years. Some explain this discrepancy by pointing to Psalm 90 or 2 Peter 3. Yet using 2 Peter 3, one could also say that Adam lived for 339,450,000 years because one day is as a thousand years.

When God told Abraham that Sarah would have a son in one year, did He mean one of Abraham's years or one of God's years? If He meant God's years, did He mean the short one or the long one? As you can see, taking a metaphorical passage literally leads to absurd conclusions.

There are clearly prophetic implications to God's inhuman perspective of time, but I very much doubt that they are mathematically dependent on the 1:1000 ratio. It's a theological principle, not an algebraic one.

God's People, Like Stars

I heard a preacher say that God doesn't want us to follow rules. I gotta wonder if he's ever read the bible.

Adonai is a God of order. Every gluon & galaxy follows ironclad laws because that's how God likes it. He wants us to move in His Torah like stars, obedient by instinct, by nature, not with resentment or frustration. "If you love me, keep my commandments," He says. Also: "My yoke is easy & my burden is light." There's no contradiction here.

It's true that God doesn't want us to have to read & study His rules. He wants them to be written on our hearts and someday He will accomplish that for us, because it's not something we can do on our own. Don't make the mistake of thinking it's already done. If you don't know God perfectly, right this second, with no more need for Scripture or teaching, then you don't have God's Law written on your heart.

Scriptures Related to Sukkot

I think there must be more prophecy directly related to Sukkot than to any of God's other holy days.

This is a partial list of Scriptures related to Sukkot. Feel free to add more in the comments, and I'll update this list over time.

• Genesis 33:17
• Exodus 23:16
• Exodus 34:21-23
• Leviticus 23:34-43
• Numbers 29:12-40
• Deuteronomy 16:13-16
• Deuteronomy 31:10-13
• Judges 21:15-24 ?
• 1 Kings 8
• 1 Kings 12:32
• 1 Kings 18
• 2 Samuel 22:12-20
• 2 Chronicles 5:1-7:10
• 2 Chronicles 8:12-13
• Ezra 3:4
• Nehemiah 8:14-18
• Job 36:26-33
• Psalm 18
• Psalm 31:19-24
• Psalm 120-134
• Isaiah 4:2-6
• Isaiah 12
• Isaiah 27:12-13
• Isaiah 54:1-56:8
• Isaiah 60-62
• Jeremiah 23:7-8
• Amos 9:11-15
• Zechariah 12
• Zechariah 14
• Ezekiel 37:26-28
• Ezekiel 45:25
• Matthew 17:1-13
• Matthew 22:1-14
• Mark 9:2-13
• Luke 2:1-39
• Luke 9:28-36
• John 1:14
• John 2:1-11
• John 4:4-42 (See Zech 12)
• John 7-9
• Acts 7:48-50
• Acts 15:12-18
• Revelation 7
• Revelation 21:1-22:7

The Four Species of Sukkot

I've been reading about the four species of Sukkot, and I am convinced that the traditional interpretation is not correct. Leviticus 23:40 says...

And you shall take on the first day the [1] fruit of splendid trees, [2] branches of palm trees and [3] boughs of leafy trees and [4] willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

For at least 2000 years, the popular interpretation of these are

1. Etrog or citron
2. Palm fronds
3. Myrtle
4. Willow

In an ancient ceremony filled with symbolism, the celebrant takes a lulav made of a single palm frond, two willow branches, and three myrtles that have been bound together using palm leaves in his right hand and recites a blessing. He then takes an etrog in his left hand, recites another blessing, and then waves the lulav and fruit gently in six directions: south, north, east, up, down, and west.

There are various meanings ascribed to each of the four species and the waving. The most popular is that they represent four types of Jews:

1. Etrog: those with Torah knowledge and good works.
2. Palm: those with Torah knowledge but not good works.
3. Myrtle: those with no Torah knowledge, but with good works.
4. Willow: those with no Torah knowledge and no good works.

All Jews will be united by Messiah, regardless of merit. The waiving of the lulav probably evolved from a combination of popular holiday activities of the common people and Temple ceremonies sometime between the times of Nehemiah (who knew nothing of it, according to Scripture) and Yeshua.

It's a beautiful tradition that I don't have any particular problem with. It doesn't break any commands; it's not contrary to Torah. I appreciate the long history, the ceremony, the symbolism... I've waived the lulav many times before and I'll probably do it again, but unless I find some new information, I just don't think it's what God meant.

The meaning of the Hebrew for palms (tamarim) and willows of the brook (va-aravah nakhal) is pretty clear. Those words definitely refer to palm trees and willows, although they don't specify a particular species, part of the plant, nor what we're supposed to do with them.

The meaning of the Hebrew for the other two species, the beautiful/splendid/goodly tree (ets hadar) and boughs of leafy trees (va-anof ets abot) isn't so clear. We can only tell that the first is a fruit tree and the second is a densely leafed tree, but based on the text of Leviticus 23:40, that's all we can tell. I believe the intent wasn't to say it must be two specific varieties of tree, but that the trees selected must be healthy and productive. The fruit must come from a good tree and the bough must come from a tree with full foliage.

The meaning of this is, of course, up to interpretation.

Why an Etrog at Sukkot?

Torah says to use fruit, branches, boughs, & willows in celebrating Sukkot, and tradition names specific species for each. The fruit is said to be an etrog, also known as citron, but this particular fruit wasn't grown in Israel or Sinai until 1000 years or more after the Torah was given to Moses, so it seems unlikely in the extreme that an etrog (and only an etrog) was the original intent. I doubt that God intended it to be limited to any particular variety of fruit at all. Since Sukkot is a harvest festival (the third on God's calendar), He probably mean *any* fruit that ripens at or just before the holiday.

There's no reason you can't use an etrog with your lulav, but it's not absolutely required by the written Torah. My advice is to stick with tradition if you find it especially meaningful, or use whatever fruit is naturally ripe at this time of year in your locale. Whatever you choose, just make it the best you can find and can reasonably afford.

The Blessing of Isaac and Yom Kippur

Connections between Isaac's blessing and Yom Kippur:

• Isaac sent Esau to hunt the game "that he loved." In preparation for a future Yom Kippur, God will send fishers and hunters to bring his people back from exile. (Gen 27:3-4 & Jer 16:16)
• Rebekah told Jacob to bring two goats. Two goats are required for Yom Kippur. (Gen 27:9 & Lev 16:5)
• Isaac chose blindly between his two sons. The High Priest cast lots (choosing blindly) on the two goats. (Gen 27:1 & Lev 16:8)
• Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. The goats of Yom Kippur are to be alike in appearance. (Gen 25:24 & Yoma 62a)
• Jacob was a man of the tents and Esau was a man of the field. Jacob was accepted, while Esau was rejected. One goat was taken into the Tabernacle, while the other was driven into the wilderness. (Gen 25:27 & Lev 16:8-10, Mal 1:2-3)

Do you see any others? I'm sure there must be more.

Scriptures Related to Yom Kippur

As always, expect this list to change over time.

• Genesis 27
• Exodus 30:1-10
• Exodus 34:28-33
• Leviticus 16
• Leviticus 23:26-32
• Leviticus 25:8-12
• Numbers 26:52-56
• Numbers 29:7-11
• Numbers 33:54-34:15
• Numbers 36:1-12
• Joshua 2:17-21
• Proverbs 16:33
• Proverbs 18:18
• Isaiah 1:18-20
• Isaiah 58
• Ezekiel 40:1
• Joel 1:13-15
• Joel 2:12-18
• Luke 4:16-30
• Acts 27:9
• Hebrews 9:6-28
• Hebrews 13:11-15

L'shana Tova! (or not...)

Messianics need to quit obsessing over obscure conspiracy theories. No mortal on earth knows the real origin of 99% of all of the extra-biblical traditions surrounding Biblical holidays (like Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot). Maybe this or that ancient prayer was influenced by some old rabbi getting too cozy with a shaman or maybe not. Maybe the date got shifted a bit so the Jews could blend in with the Romans or Babylonians a little better. But really, there's no way that you or anyone else will ever know.

So stop getting so crazy about it. Say "Shana tova!" or don't say it. Build a sukka of reeds and fronds or put up a tent or don't do either, whichever you and your community believes honors the commandment.

You're not a cohen serving in the Tabernacle, so keeping the commandment is far more important than keeping it perfectly. Unity in the Kingdom is far more important than baseless witch hunts for anything that might somehow, somewhen have been remotely connected to someone's pagan uncle's nickname.

Relax. Do the best you can and let God worry about details that are hopelessly outside of your scope of knowledge and power. Enjoy God's appointed times. Be at peace.

L'shana Tova!

Rosh Hashanah Miscellania

There are five common names for Rosh Hashanah:

• Yom ha-Zichron (Day of Remembrance)
• Yom Teruah (Day of Shouting/Blowing Trumpets)
• Yom ha-Din (Day of Judgment)
• Rosh ha-Shana (Head of the Year)
• Feast of Trumpets

Teruah means shouting, noise-making, or trumpet blowing.

This is a partial (I'm sure) list of scriptures related to Rosh Hashana:

• Genesis 1:1-5
• Genesis 22:1-18
• Leviticus 23:23-25
• A day of solemn rest
• A memorial of trumpets/shouting
• A holy convocation
• No ordinary work
• Present a burnt offering to YHVH
• Leviticus 25
• Year of Jubilee begins in the 7th month on Yom Kippur
• Yom Teruah is preparation for the beginning of the Jubilee
• Numbers 10:5
• Teruah used for the sound of trumpets as a signal to break camp and move out. “Noise of Teruah”
• Numbers 23:21
• Balaam: “YHVH is with Israel & the shout/trumpet of a king is among them.
• Numbers 29:1-6
• 1st day of the 7th month
• A holy convocation
• No ordinary work
• A day of trumpets/shouting
• A burnt offering
• 1 bull
• 1 ram
• 7 male yearling lambs
• Grain offering with oil
• 3/10 ephah for the bull
• 2/10 ephah for the ram
• 1/10 ephah for each of the 7 lambs
• 1 male goat for a sin offering/atonement
• New moon offering with grain
• Regular (daily?) burnt offering with grain and drink offering
• Numbers 31:6
• Teruah as the sound of the silver trumpets when going into war
• Joshua 6
• 1 Samuel 4:5-6
• 2 Samuel 6:15
• 1 Chronicles 15:28 
• 2 Chronicles 15:14
• Ezra 3:11-13
• Psalm 47:5
• Psalm 89:15
• Job 8:21
• Job 33:26
• Job 39:25
• Jeremiah 20:16
• Ezekiel 21:22
• Ezekiel 40:1
• Amos 1:14
• Malachi 3:16-18
• Matthew 24:29-51
• 1 Corinthians 15:51-57
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
• Revelation 10:5-7
• Revelation 11:14-18
• Revelation 20:12-15

Teruah (or Trumpets in the NT) in Scripture

Some of these are based on my assumptions and could be incorrect. Some are certainly missing some instances.

• Assembly
• Numbers 10:2-4
• Joel 2:15
• Matthew 24:31
• Victory cry
• Jeremiah 20:16
• Ezekiel 21:22
• 1 Corinthians 15:51-57
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
• Revelation 11:15-17
• Arrival of a king
• Numbers 23:21
• 2 Samuel 15:10
• 1 Kings 1:33-40
• Psalm 47:5
• Joel 2:1
• Matthew 24:29-51
• 1 Corinthians 15:51-57
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
• Revelation 10:7
• Revelation 11:15-17
• Arrival of the Ark of the Covenant
• 1 Samuel 4:5-6
• 1 Chronicles 15:28
• Battle signals
• Numbers 10:9
• Numbers 31:6
• Joshua 6
• 2 Samuel 2:28
• 2 Samuel 18:16
• Job 39:25
• Jeremiah 4:21
• Jeremiah 20:16
• Ezekiel 21:22
• Amos 1:14
• Amos 2:2
• Zephaniah 1:14-16
• Zechariah 9:14
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
• Revelation 11:15-17
• Yom Teruah
• Leviticus 23:23-25
• Numbers 29:1-6
• Jubilee (50th Yom Kippur)
• Leviticus 25:8-22
• Joel 2:15
• Repentance
• 2 Chronicles 15:14
• Joel 2:12-17
• Call to move
• Numbers 10:5
• Resurrection
• 1 Corinthians 15:51-57
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
• Shouts of Joy
• Leviticus 23:23-25
• Leviticus 25
• Numbers 23:21
• Numbers 29:1-6
• Ezra 3:11-13
• Job 8:21
• Job 33:26
• Voice of God
• Exodus 19:16-19
• Exodus 20:18-19
• Numbers 23:21
• Psalm 47:5
• Psalm 89:15
• Warning of danger
• Jeremiah 6:1
• Ezekiel 33:1-9
• Joel 2:1
• Amos 3:6
• Worship
• Leviticus 23:23-25
• Numbers 10:10
• Numbers 29:1-6
• Joshua 6
• 2 Samuel 6:15
• 1 Chronicles 16:42
• Ezra 3:11-13
• Job 8:21
• Job 33:26
• Psalm 98:4-6

The term "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in Scripture, but that doesn't make it wrong. "September 19" isn't in Scripture anywhere either, but there's nothing wrong with calling the 19th day of the month of September "September 19".

Rosh Hashanah is called a New Year's Day. Although God said that the month of Passover is to be the "first of months", there is no command in Torah to call any day "New Years" nor is there any command not to call any day "New Years".

A "year" is one orbit of the earth around the sun. It's roughly a circle and circles don't have beginnings or ends. There is no "first day" in the earth's orbit. In a sense, every single day is the start of another orbit. Every anniversary, every feast day is the start of a new year in the sense that we begin counting the days until this same event comes around again next year.

Every calendar in every culture has multiple calendar years and "New Year's Days". We have tax years, fiscal years, school years, agricultural cycles, etc. The Biblical calendar is no different. There is a year for trees and a year for planting barley and a year for setting slaves free and returning to ancestral inheritances.

Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the Fall Feasts. It is the traditional date of the creation of Adam and of the Day of Judgment. It is the beginning of a period of repentance and reflection leading up to the Day of Atonement, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur. On Yom Teruah our sins are judged and we are warned by the voice of the shofarim to repent and appeal to God's mercy. On Yom Kippur, depending on our faith and state of penitence, our sins are atoned and we are set free or else we are condemned. 

Like it or not, there is an annual cycle in Scripture that begins and ends at Yom Teruah. I don't particularly care what the ancient Babylonians did or didn't do. 

If that's not enough for you, I hope you can still see that "Rosh Hashanah" is just a label for a day, not the day itself. The term "Day of Trumpets" isn't in Torah because Torah was written in Hebrew, not English. If you reject the term "Rosh Hashanah" because it's not found in God's original instructions, you must also reject "Feast of Trumpets", "September 19", and all other English labels, because they aren't there either. Call it "Apples and Honey" day or "First of Seventh" (1st day of the 7th Hebrew month) if you want. Changing the label for the day doesn't change the day.

Don't get bent out of shape over mere words. Focus on the substance, not semantics.

Antinomianism Is Biblical Nonsense

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
(Acts 15:28-29 ESV)

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
(1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV)

Those who say that Acts 15 (among other passages) means God's commands about what animals we should and shouldn't eat no longer apply need to explain the enormous contradiction between these two passages. Of course, the only way to explain this apparent contradiction scripturally is to conclude that the apostles did not throw out all of God's commandments about what is appropriate to eat.

God has always cared what we eat. From Eden to Revelation, even in Acts 15, the stuff we put in our mouths has been at the very center of obedience to God's commands.

Sacred Namers

Can anyone point me to a single verse anywhere in the Bible in which God tells us how to pronounce the tetragrammaton? Just one. No? Then get over yourselves. If it were that important, He would have given us some hint as to where the vowels and stress are supposed to go.

The ungodly obsession that some people have over getting the pronunciation right is indeed ungodly. It comes from a spirit of pride and gnosticism, a spiritual addiction to false mystery. It's not even really His name! It's just a label designed to teach us things about Him and you do not need to know how to pronounce it correctly to learn the lessons. I don't care if you say Yahuah, Yahweh, Jehovah, Yehovah, Yahwah, or whatever your current favorite is. It's still yod-heh-vav-heh,

When you, who barely knows any Hebrew at all, tell people that you know more than all of the greatest Hebrew scholars of the last 2000 years, when you tell them that the exact pronunciation is more important than whether or not they're feeding the poor or keeping the Sabbath, know that you have strayed way off the path and become nothing but a tool for Satan to divide God's people. You are making God's people weak and ridiculous.

Spheres of the Kingdom

As I read the prophets, I am getting a picture of a Millennial Kingdom in which the world is organized into spheres with Messiah at the center.

Sphere 1: Messiah Yeshua
Sphere 2: Kohanim
Sphere 3: Levites
Sphere 4: Natural Israel
Sphere 5: Naturalized Israel (The Mixed Multitude)
Sphere 6: Believing Nations
Sphere 7: Unbelieving Nations

Remember that Paul's statement about Jew & Gentile, male & female, slave & free, was made only in the context of salvation. It was never meant to be applied more broadly than that.

This scheme of spheres in the Kingdom of God probably is not 100% accurate, especially in Spheres 4-6, but I suspect it's in the neighborhood.

Peace with Islam

There are two ways to live at peace with Islam:

1. Keep it far away and don't mess with it. Like a hornets nest.
2. Turn Muslims into disciples of Yeshua. It's going to happen for many of them someday anyway (Isaiah 60:6-7) and there's no better time than now.

What you can't do is invite them to live among you as Muslims and tell yourself that America (or Germany, etc.) will be different than India, Sudan, Afghanistan, and everywhere else that Islam has colonized. That's not living at peace with your neighbor. It's not "loving". It's just national suicide.

Jeremiah on the New Covenant

Reading Jeremiah 31 this week and sharing a few brief thoughts:

1. The New Covenant is promised to Israel & Judah, not to "the church". As Paul pointed out, converts from the nations are grafted into the tree of Israel, not the other way around. Jer31:31
2. The only difference between the Old Covenant & the New Covenant is the medium on which the Law (aka Torah) is written. Stone vs hearts. Jer31:33
3. David's covenant didn't cancel Moses' which didn't cancel Abraham's which didn't cancel Noah's. No covenant annuls an older one. Neither does the New Covenant replace the Old. Rather, it restores it.
4. The existence of denominations, missions, etc., are all proof that the New Covenant is not fully in force yet. As long as one person need to teach another about God & His Law/character, the New Covenant is still waxing, but not full. Jer31:34

Declare God's Faithfulness

A parallelism in Deuteronomy 26:3-10 instructs us to declare God's faithfulness in fulfilling the promises He made to our fathers.

Deuteronomy 26:3-4	Deuteronomy 26:5-10
Declare to YHWH the priest’s God	Speak before YHWH your God
I have come into the land	Our father went to the land of Egypt
YHWH swore to give to our fathers	YHWH brought us back to this land
Priest shall take the basket	Now I bring the firstfruit of the ground
Set it before the altar of YHWH	Set it down before YHWH

A couple observations...

• The petitioner is to say "A wandering Aramean was my father". (See v5.) This is usually assumed to be Abraham, but that doesn't fit all of the details of that verse. Abraham and Jacob are actually combined into a single character, just as Israel is an amalgamation of the natural children of Jacob and the believers who have been grafted in from among the nations. They became a great nation in Egypt together and they left Egypt together.
• The petitioner isn't to tell the story in chronological order. Instead, he is to begin his offering by declaring that he has taken possession of the land that God promised to the patriarchs, and only then tell of how his ancestors were oppressed in Egypt. Then he is to state again God has brought Israel into the Promised Land. This is a chiasm embedded within the offering.
• I have come into the land
• God swore to give this land to our fathers
• The Firstfruits offering
• Our fathers didn't see the fulfillment of the promise, but went to Egypt instead
• God brought us into the Promised Land

Oppressing the Oppresser

This parallelism in Joel 3:19-21 illustrates the principle at work in Deuteronomy 19:19, which says regarding a false accuser, "You shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst."

Egypt and Edom attacked Judah and Jerusalem without cause, but God turned their violence back on them and multiplied it.

Egypt and Edom	Judah and Jerusalem
V19 – Egypt shall become a desolation	V20 – Judah shall be inhabited forever
…and Edom a desolate wilderness	…and Jerusalem to all generations
…for violence done to Judah	V21 – I will avenge their blood
…because they shed innocent blood	…because YHWH dwells in Zion

Lest Egypt's punishment seem overly harsh, remember who created whom. Who is the potter and who is the clay?

An Index of Biblical Chiasmi and Parallelisms

This list isn't even close to exhaustive. I'll add to it as time goes on. If you want more, there are other lists on the Internet. Just search for "chiasm" or any variation thereof.

If you want to learn how to find and understand Biblical chiasms for yourself, sign up for Common Sense Bible Study, where I host The Chiasm Course!

Click here for a brief introduction to chiasms.

- Genesis 1:5, Chiasm
- Genesis 1:9-10, Chiasm
- Genesis 2:4, Chiasm
- Genesis 2:9, Chiasm
- Genesis 2:15-3:7, Chiasm
- Genesis 6:8-9, Chiasm
- Genesis 6:10-9:19, Chiasm
- Genesis 6-9 & 18-19, Parallelism
- Genesis 6:11-13, Parallelism
- Genesis 6:18-7:24, Parallelism
- Genesis 7:16-8:6, Chiasm
- Genesis 7:20-24, Chiasm
- Genesis 8:22, Chiasm
- Genesis 9:1-9:7, Chiasm
- Genesis 9:6, Chiasm
- Genesis 9:12-17, Both
- Genesis 10:22-11:26, Chiasm
- Genesis 11:8-9, Chiasm
- Genesis 12-14, Parallelism
- Genesis 12:10-11, Chiasm
- Genesis 12:11-17, Parallelism
- Genesis 12:6-13:18, Chiasm
- Genesis 17:1-17, Chiasm
- Genesis 17:10-11, Chiasm
- Genesis 17:12-13, Chiasm
- Genesis 17:22-18:1, Chiasm
- Genesis 21:13-21, Chiasm
- Genesis 22:16-18, Chiasm
- Genesis 27:18-32, Chiasm
- Genesis 28:10-32:2, Chiasm
- Genesis 31:1-2, Parallelism
- Genesis 37-50, Chiasm
- Genesis 42:15-20, Chiasm
- Genesis 44:16, Parallelism
- Genesis 44:18-45:15, Chiasm
- Genesis 45:18-20, Parallelism
- Genesis 47:2-20, Chiasm
- Exodus 1:8-2:15, Chiasm
- Exodus 2:11, Chiasm
- Exodus 2:23-3:9, Chiasm
- Exodus 4:14-31, Chiasm
- Exodus 6:2-8, Chiasm
- Exodus 6:6-8, Chiasm
- Exodus 6:10-30, Chiasm
- Exodus 6:26-27, Chiasm
- Exodus 12:18-22, Chiasm
- Exodus 12:27, Chiasm
- Exodus 13:1-16, Parallelism
- Exodus 13:2-12, Chiasm
- Exodus 13:13-18, Chiasm
- Exodus 15:22-16:4, Parallelism
- Exodus 15:23, Chiasm
- Exodus 15:25-26, Chiasm
- Exodus 18:1-11, Chiasm
- Exodus 18:10, Chiasm
- Exodus 18:11, Chiasm
- Exodus 19:5 - Leviticus 27, Chiasm
- Exodus 19:20, Chiasm
- Exodus 20:8-11, ?
- Exodus 21:12-14, Chiasm
- Exodus 21:12-17, Parallelism
- Exodus 25:1-27:21, Chiasm
- Exodus 25-40, Chiasm
- Exodus 31:12-18, Chiasm
- Exodus 31:16-35:3, Chiasm
- Exodus 33:7, Chiasm
- Exodus 33:8, Chiasm
- Exodus 33:9-11a, Chiasm
- Exodus 33:11b-12a, Chiasm
- Exodus 33:12b-17, Chiasm
- Exodus 33:18-23, Chiasm
- Exodus 39:43, Chiasm
- Leviticus 1-27, Chiasm
- Leviticus 6:12-13, Chiasm
- Leviticus 8:1-5, Chiasm
- Leviticus 15:2-12, Chiasm
- Leviticus 15:2-33, Chiasm
- Leviticus 19:3-30, Chiasm
- Leviticus 19:3-36, Parallelism
- Leviticus 23:9-22, Both
- Leviticus 23:33-43, Chiasm
- Leviticus 24:13-23, Chiasm
- Leviticus 26:1-46, Chiasm
- Leviticus 26:34-35, Parallelism
- Numbers 3:2-3, Chiasm
- Numbers 3:12-41, Chiasm
- Numbers 4:1-49, Parallelism
- Numbers 4:1-7:88, Chiasm
- Numbers 4:49, Chiasm
- Numbers 7:1-88, Parallelism
- Numbers 7:10, Chiasm
- Numbers 9:17-23, Parallelism
- Numbers 22:3, Parallelism
- Numbers 28:1-8, Chiasm
- Numbers 30:1-16, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 4:15-31, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 8:7-9, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 9:3-16, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 9:26-29, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 12, Both
- Deuteronomy 14:29-15:18, Parallelism
- Deuteronomy 16:9-20, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 16:16-17:12, Both
- Deuteronomy 18:1-2, Parallelism
- Deuteronomy 20-21, Parallelism
- Deuteronomy 22:13-29, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 26:1-2, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 26:1-4, Parallelism
- Deuteronomy 26:3-10, Parallelism
- Deuteronomy 26:14, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 27:1-10, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 28:2-7, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 28:8-11, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 28:20-48, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 29:8-13, Chiasm
- Deuteronomy 31, Chiasm
- Joshua 1:1-11, Chiasm
- Joshua 2:3-7, Chiasm
- Joshua 4:2-4, Chiasm
- Joshua 4:23-24, Chiasm
- Joshua 9:14-18, Chiasm
- Joshua 13:1-14:5, Chiasm
- Joshua 23:1-16, Chiasm
- Judges, Chiasm
- Judges 1:4-7, Parallelism
- Judges 6:1-8:32, Chiasm
- Judges 14:1-15:13 & 21:11-21:25, Chiasm
- 1 Samuel 17:58-18:5, Chiasm
- 2 Samuel 1:19-27, Chiasm
- 2 Samuel 18:33, Chiasm
- 2 Samuel 21-24, Chiasm
- 1 Kings 12:32-33, Chiasm
- 2 Kings 13:14-25, Chiasm
- Psalm 9:16, Parallelism
- Psalm 12:1-8, Chiasm
- Psalm 18:9-12, Parallelism
- Psalm 32, Chiasm
- Psalm 37, Chiasm
- Psalm 66, Chiasm
- Psalm 67, Chiasm
- Psalm 70, Chiasm
- Psalm 81, Chiasm
- Psalm 82, Chiasm
- Psalm 86:1-5, Parallelism
- Psalm 107, Parallelism
- Psalm 142:1, Parallelism
- Psalm 142:2, Chiasm
- Psalm 148, Parallelism
- Proverbs 3:1-12, Chiasm
- Proverbs 3:1-4, Parallelism
- Proverbs 3:5-8, Parallelism
- Proverbs 3:9-12, Parallelism
- Proverbs 4:18-19, Parallelism
- Proverbs 9, Parallelism/Chiasm
- Proverbs 9:7-9, Chiasm
- Proverbs 10:11, Chiasm
- Proverbs 10:16-17, Parallelism
- Proverbs 11:10-11, Parallelism
- Proverbs 12:5-6, Chiasm
- Proverbs 12:20, Chiasm
- Proverbs 15:5, Chiasm
- Proverbs 20:1-2, Parallelism
- Proverbs 29:5-6, Chiasm
- Jeremiah 17:19-21, Chiasm
- Isaiah 44:6-8, Chiasm
- Ezekiel 47:21-23, Parallelism
- Joel 3:9-13, Parallelism
- Joel 3:19-21, Parallelism
- Habakkuk 3:2-9, Chiasm
- Matthew 5, Chiasm
- Matthew 5:2-10, Chiasm
- Matthew 6:6-17, Chiasm
- Matthew 6:24, Chiasm
- Matthew 6:25-31, Chiasm
- Matthew 11:21-24, Parallelism
- Matthew 11:29-30, Chiasm
- Matthew 12:9-14, Both
- Matthew 12:41-42, Parallelism
- Matthew 19:5-6, Chiasm
- Matthew 21:1-27, Parallelism
- Matthew 23:12, Chiasm
- Matthew 26:30-50, Parallelism
- Mark 5:22-42, Chiasm
- Mark 6:5-13, Chiasm
- Mark 11, Chiasm
- Mark 12:9-14, Both
- Mark 12:41-42, Parallelism
- Mark 14:27-46, Chiasm
- Luke 19:1-20:26, Chiasm
- Luke 22:1-7, Chiasm
- Luke 22:31-62, Chiasm
- John 1:1-18, Chiasm
- John 1:10-11, Parallelism
- John 3:31, Chiasm
- John 4?, Parallelism
- John 4:46-54, Chiasm
- John 5:19-30, Chiasm
- John 11:1-7, Chiasm
- Acts 6:1-7, Chiasm
- Acts 9:2-3, Parallelism
- Romans 5:15-16, Parallelism
- Romans 5:17-19, Parallelism
- Romans 7:19-20, Chiasm
- Romans 8:12-17, Chiasm
- Ephesians 1:11-14, Parallelism
- 1 Timothy 6:3-21, Chiasm

All Power Ultimately Belongs to God

A chiasm in Exodus 6:26-27

• V26 - Aaron and Moses
• To whom the LORD said, bring Israel out of Egypt
• By their armies
• V27 - They who told Pharaoh, let Israel leave Egypt
• Moses and Aaron

The intent is underscored by Exodus 7:1: And the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet."

Ultimately, all armies, weapons, and power belong to God, and when it comes to divine injunction, resistance is truly futile. ALL knees will eventually bow from the greatest to the lowest.When God's prophets speak, pay attention.

The Many Faces of God

There's a parallelism in Ezekiel 28:22-36 that shows some of the attributes of the various faces that God shows us, depending on circumstances and our relationship to Him and His people.

Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and I will manifest my glory in your midst. And they shall know that I am the LORD when I execute judgments in her and manifest my holiness in her; I will send pestilence into her, and blood into her streets; and the slain shall fall in her midst, by the sword that is against her on every side.

Then they will know that I am YHVH. (1)

And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt.

Then they will know that I am the Adonai YHVH. (2)

Thus says the Lord GOD: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt.

Then they will know that I am YHVH Elohim. (3)

 Notice how, in each statement, God changes how we will know him.

(1) YHVH is the God of relationship. He is Israel's husband, teacher, and protector. When Sidon abuses Israel, they answer to YHVH. Like any good husband when his wife is attacked, YHVH responds with even greater violence.

(2) Adonai means "lord" or "master", and when God says that Israel will know that He is Adonai YHVH, He is indicating that, not only will they know that He is their husband, but also that He is their master. Israel will never be free from persecution or danger by their own power, but only by the power of God. "Never again" ought to be a call to repentance, instead of to arms and activism.

(3) Elohim is the Creator and the Judge of all that He created. He has authority over all nations and lands because he created them. He scattered Israel among the nations and He will call them back again. He never forgot or lost them. He knows exactly where every one of His creations is hiding, and He will rescue or destroy them as He chooses.

A Long Parallelism in Deuteronomy 20:1-21:9

See Wise Choices Early in Life Make Happier, Stronger Families for some exposition of this parallelism.

A Chiasm Framed by 2 Parallelisms in Deut 16-17

Let every house keep the feasts focused on Jerusalem and as God prescribed, be very careful to ensure fair and objective justice for all people, and do not tolerate open idolatry among the people or the disease will even infect the most sacred place and function of the Temple. Whether in church or state, the people usually get the leadership they deserve.

• Deuteronomy 16:16-17 – Parallelism A, part 1
  1. Three feasts every year
  2. Don’t appear empty-handed
  3. Every man give as he is able
  4. According to God’s blessings
• Deuteronomy 16:18-20 – Parallelism B, part 1
  1. Appoint rulers in the towns God gives you
  2. Be very careful to follow justice and not pervert it
  3. You will live
• Deuteronomy 16:21 – Don’t plant a sacred tree beside the altar
• Deuteronomy 16:22 – Don’t set up a pillar
• Deuteronomy 17:1 – Don’t sacrifice a blemished animal
• Deuteronomy 17:2-5 – Parallelism B, part 2
  1. In the towns God gives you, someone has done evil
  2. Inquire diligently and convict only if judgment is certain
  3. The perpetrator will die
• Deuteronomy 17:6-12 – Parallelism A, part 2
  1. Two or three witnesses
  2. By the hands of the witnesses
  3. If you are unable to judge
  4. The Cohanim will judge for you

Galatians and Torah, the short version

Peter said that Paul's writings are difficult to understand and easily distorted by those who don't already have a solid Scriptural education. He called them ignorant, unstable, and lawless. (2 Peter 3:15-17) Keep that in mind whenever Paul seems to be clear and straightforward. Verify what he wrote against what the rest of Scripture says.

The controversy that Paul battled throughout his ministry was never about whether the Torah was good or worth keeping. He claimed to have kept the Law his whole life. The controversy was always about the definition of Torah, its purpose, and how it should be taught.

Is God's Torah defined only by the five books of Moses? Does it also include oral traditions? Does it include all of the Jewish traditions as well as the complete set of all Sanhedrin rulings? Can a person be "saved" by obedience? Can a gentile convert be allowed into fellowship without being fully converted to Judaism, including having been circumcised? Or can gentile converts ignore Torah altogether? These were the questions over which Paul argued with the "party of the circumcision". (Acts 15)

The Letter to the Galatians wasn't written to Jews; it was written to formerly pagan gentiles. When Paul talks about them returning to slavery under "weak and worthless elementary principles of the world", he can't possibly be talking about God's Law. (Galatians 4:9) They weren't keeping the Law before, so how could they return to it? And how could he justify calling God's Law weak, worthless, or worldly, when the Bible says the opposite literally hundreds of times? (See Psalm 119 for a number of examples.) The Galatians were keeping the laws of false gods and of men before they met Paul, things that are truly weak, worthless, and worldly, so it seems logical that these are the things Paul meant.

The voluminous traditions of the scribes and Pharisees, the rules for ritual conversion to Judaism (although it wasn't called that at the time), the circumcision of grown men, extra-Biblical fasts and feasts...all of these things are the laws of men, not of God. Paul never taught against the Law of God, but he incessantly taught against the anti-God laws of men.

He also taught that obedience to God's Law was not necessary for salvation, and the Jerusalem Council clearly agreed with him. (Acts 15 and 21) The law can't do anything for a faithless sinner except to point out and prove his sin. That's a useful function, but it's not where the Torah truly shines. Although Paul taught that obedience to Torah was never a requirement of salvation, all of his teachings were founded on Torah. Every instruction he gave to the gentile congregations was based on the five books of Moses. He called Torah good, just, and holy.

In claiming that salvation was by faith and not by strict obedience to rules, whether God's or man's, he didn't nullify the Law, but he established it. (Romans 3) We, whose hope is in Yeshua rather than in ourselves or some mere prophet, establish God's Law as the light it was intended to be by walking it out in our lives. Not instantly or as a prerequisite for salvation, but learning it gradually, working out out our salvation through study, prayer, and by every day walking a little closer to God's standards with full faith in His mercy to forgive our inevitable missteps.

Fear God and keep His commandments, for this remains the whole duty of a righteous man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

See also The Multifacted Law of God, Does Acts 15 Say We Can Ignore God's Law?, and Choosing to Sit in a Prison of Your Own Making.

Messianic, Emphasis on "Messy"

Messianic Jews, and especially Torah-observant former gentiles (aka Messianic Christians, Hebraic Christians, Hebrew Roots, Messianic Believers, Netzarim, and a thousand variations of these), have taken a bold step in rejecting many things that they were wrongly taught as children by parents, churches, and schools. It's a hard and admirable thing to have done.

Unfortunately, once you decide that one long-held belief is based on a lie, it's easier to suspect other beliefs of the same faulty foundations. Far too easy. Here's how it often goes:

His name wasn't Jesus? The Sabbath wasn't changed to Sunday? The Torah wasn't thrown out? Hmm. What if everything else I was taught is wrong too!?

• Should this or that book be thrown out of the Bible?
• Should this or that book be added to the Bible?
• Should I be calling Paul "Shaul"?
• The word "god" was once used as a generic title for all supernatural beings. It still is! Maybe I should stop using it.
• I'm named for a pagan god. Should I change my name?
• The days of the week are named for pagan gods. Should I use those names?
• A month is sorta-kinda four weeks. What if the month changed and it used to be exactly four weeks and the first day of the month is supposed to always fall on the first day of the week and the Sabbath should always be on the 7th day of the month! (pant, pant, pant...)
• Was God's name replaced with "LORD" in the Bible as part of a conspiracy to keep us from knowing His name?
• The word "lord" is used to translate the word "ba'al". Is "lord" pagan?
• Are the Jews really Jews?
• Where did the ten northern tribes really go?
• Is the Pope the antichrist?
• The letter J is only 600 years old. Are all names starting with "J" based on a lie?
• What if His name isn't even Yeshua? Maybe it's Yehoshua or Yahshua or Yehusha or Yeshayashahushawayahoheyushua?
• Should we use the word "Bible" since it's an English transliteration of a Greek transliteration of an Egyptian place that was named for a pagan god?
• Is the earth really flat and all the governments, pilots, sailors, and scientists lying to us about the earth being round so that we will lose faith in God...I mean the Lord...I mean Jehovah...I mean YHVH. No, I don't know how that would make me question my faith, but someone told me it should, so...

This is completely insane! Messianics are jumping wholesale off the Cliff of Paranoid Delusions. STOP it! 

Just because something at some time was used by pagans doesn't make it pagan. The English language derives from an older language used exclusively by pagans. Are you going to stop speaking in English? What are you going to replace it with? Hebrew, which was also used extensively by pagans and is still used in Kabbalistic "magic"? Get a grip on yourselves. Have a drink. Take a pill if you have to. (Pharmakeia, I know. Can you hear my eyes rolling all the way across the country?)

Listen, unless you're a linguist, don't get too caught up in theological gymnastics that rely on obscure lingusitic theories that no linguist in the world could even verify, let alone agree with.

The letter J isn't evil. It's just a letter, and like all other letters used in English, it evolved from an older Latin letter, which evolved from a Greek or Etruscan letter, which came from Phoenician or Hebrew. Languages change over time. There's no conspiracy. It's not sinister. It's just people.

If your latest theory relies on centuries of coordinated, air-tight conspiracy by a large number of people, I absolutely, unquestionably guarantee you, that your theory is wrong. There is ZERO possibility that there is a conspiracy to hide that the Earth is actually flat. You cannot possibly believe such a thing without suffering from a serious mental or spiritual disorder. I'm not exaggerating. I'm not kidding. Get on your knees and get help right now.

Please.

For the sake of the example you are setting in the world, for the sake of the Kingdom... relax and have a little faith.

A Chiasm in Psalm 12 that Reveals the Master of All

From our low perspective it appears that the godly are disappearing from the earth, that the wicked are winning everywhere, but God has a much broader view than we do. He can see over the mountains and into the deepest valleys. He will guard the righteous forever, no matter how numerous the wicked might be. He has said He will, and He keeps His promises. After all, who is master over us all?

What Does It Mean To Be Holy?

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:14-16)

Where is that written “You shall be holy, for I am holy?”

That would be right here:

"Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten. Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable. You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.” (Leviticus 11:41-44)