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When evil is in the minority, it tries to be attractive and seductive. When it is in the majority, it becomes ugly and coercive. It is thus possible to gauge the moral state of a society by the prevalence of coercion in service of things that God clearly says are wrong.

John closes his first letter with what seems almost like a throw away line, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Far from being a non sequitur, that line summarizes the entire letter.

Over the past three millenia calamities have happened to the Hebrew people on the ninth day of the month of Av. Remembrance of those events have shaped the Israelite character and community. So too with everyone; community history and personal experience shape our character and perspective. The past cannot be changed, but the future is not yet written. If circumstances have brought you to an unsatisfactory place, with a decision and the help of God that can be changed.

John speaks of Messiah abiding in us, we in Him and we in God. The criteria for this are belief that Y'shua is the Son of God who came in the flesh and obedience to His commandments.

Numbers ends with a list of the places where Israel camped in the wilderness. The message here is that between liberation and the Promised land there is a long period of testing and travel and that this process takes more than a single generation. Indeed, between the Exodus and present day, Israel has spent the majority of the time sojourning away from the land. This says something important about God's plans for the world.

Loving your brother is practical, not ethereal. So if your brother has worldly needs, you shall not close your hand against him. This is Torah 101.

The Declaration of Independence and the formation of the United States were a watershed in human history. Only two times have nations been established based on the word of God and the Bible - Israel and the United States. In both cases God's project has been to show the rest of the nations the superiority of His ways.

The love of the Father and the sacrifice of Messiah has allowed us to be children of God. In this we are, in a sense, estranged from the world because He was also.

On His way to Jerusalem a number of people offer to become disciples. He turns them down, perhaps because He sees that they do not understand what will be required of them. Looking at the various figures in the Bible, it becomes clear that the dividing line between those who are approved and those who are rejected is their willingness to accept responsibility. So too with discipleship. Those who shun responsibility are cast out.

John speaks of the Torah as both an old commandment and a new commandment. In this view, the text has not changed but our understanding of it must be adjusted in light of the sacrifice of Y'shua. His light shines upon us and allows us to understand the spirit of the Torah as well as the letter.

According to an article by Rabbi Dunner, romantic love is unique to humans and defies explanation. His conclusion is that it helps us understand and relate to God. Consider a human family, the man typically works to sustain and support those he loves. He also does things like bring flowers to his wife on special occasions. Looking at all of the opportunities to give to God in the Torah, we can see how each of them can become an expression of our love for Him.

John is writing to address heretical confusion sown among believers as to the nature and person of the Messiah. He starts by stating that he has personally seen, heard and touched Y'shua.

In Numbers 13 Moses sent twelve men to look at the Promised Land and report back. Two of those men brought a good report and urged the nation to rise up and begin the invasion. Ten, however, did not believe it was possible for Israel to prevail and they spread panic among the people. Why did they bring a bad report? Why did God punish the entire nation for their failure?.

During his time in the cave at Mount Sinai, God gave Elijah a task to perform. It is only toward the end of his ministry that Elisha actually completes it.

Numbers 11 is a watershed for Israel. When they complained about the manna and said it was better for them in Egypt, they began the slide that would result in a whole generation perishing in the Wilderness. Bread, first mentioned in Genesis 3 is a metaphor for the thing that people eat who are going to die eventually. Bread from heaven then is a metaphor that something better is coming. Y'shua explains this in John 6.

Being a prophet of God was tough duty. Very often powerful people did not appreciate what you had to say and would have you to be slapped around or worse. The Syrian siege of Samaria.

In Luke 8 Y'shua casts a legion of demons into a heard of pigs. Why did He not cast them into the abyss? What does that mean for us as we navigate a world where there are still demon about? What is it about our current culture that is so demon friendly? Clearly, dealing with demons was a big part of Y'shua's ministry and when He sent his disciples out, he gave them authority over demons.

As a prophet, Elisha wields the power of God with a confidence and accuracy that seems more like sight than faith. He cures Naaman the Syrian of leprosy in so casual a manner that Naaman does not initially have any faith that the cure will work.

When God met with Israel at Mt Sinai. He established a relationship of a type that had never existed before. He asked for their consent to the relationship - other 'gods' and rulers had simply taken power. He spoke to everyone, not just the elite - before only the adept were initiated into the mysteries of their gods. He told them all what He expected, not just a small occult group. This relationship became the model for the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Elisha succeeds Elijah asking for a double portion of Elijah's anointing. He raises the Shunamite's son from death.

Writing to Hebrews, James does not present a balanced approach to wealth. Rather he simply condemns its unjust accumulation and use. Since God uses wealth to motivate us, Proverbs presents both sides of wealth. James' advice on healing mirrors that of the Great Commission.

In the world as we know it, there are great spiritual forces contending for human worship and dominance. In this, the world is a battleground. On side is YHVH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. On the other side is everything else. While the forces on the other side may offer many temptations, their goal is ultimately our destruction. God, on the other hand, loves us and wants us to live and flourish. Further, the census in the wilderness, is taken by name. He cares for each of us as individuals known to Him by name.

Idol worship eventually leads to murder and Jezebel is not above murder to obtain what she wants. Elijah passes on his mantle to Elisha.

Every six years God promises a bumper crop so Israel will let the land have a sabbath in the seventh year. Obeying this command requires no faith - the farmer can see the sixth year bounty. If he plants on the seventh year, he is taking more than God is offering. Such ill-gotten wealth creates all sorts of societal problems.

Elijah, distressed by the behavior of Israel, turns off the rain. The resulting drought sets up the remainder of his ministry.

James talks about pride in the context of wealth, slander and boasting. Those who live for their wealth will find no peace and that wealth finally desserts them. Those who slander others will find themselves shunned. Those who boast of their plans may find that God has other plans for them.

In Scripture there are three distinct voices: the king, the priest and the prophet. The king speaks of the wisdom people have learned over the centuries of human existence. The priest speaks of the things that have been revealed to man by God. The prophet speaks for God when a society has drifted away from God's plan. Y'shua embodies all three roles and speaks with each of the three voices at different times. It is important to determine which voice He is using in each situation. Without that understanding one may misinterpret what He is saying.

Elijah, distressed by the behavior of Israel, turns off the rain. The resulting drought sets up the remainder of his ministry.

The tongue is both hidden and visible. It serves as the gateway for the things of the heart to be revealed. When governed by wisdom, it promotes societal well being. When the heart is wicked or foolish, it can cause great harm.

Leviticus is the center of the Torah and, since it describes how God is to be approached and worshiped, it is the most important of the books in the TANAK. In Leviticus 19 and 20 God defines how Israel is to behave as a holy people in the presence of a holy God. This behavior is to the benefit of the nation. They will be blessed if they follow God's instructions. More important, however, is that Israel's holiness is important to God's purposes. When they follow His laws, they become ambassadors of His goodness.

David's reign comes to an end. Bathsheba short circuits Adonijah's attempt to succeed his father and David anoints Solomon. David also alerts his son to a list of people to either watch or execute because they will be a threat to his reign.

James writes of unrighteous partiality based on perceived wealth. In God's eyes, a faithful poor person is preferred over an unrighteous wealthy one. He then goes on to speak of the proper attitude toward works., basically saying that a profession of faith that does not translate into good works is in vain.

In the sermon on the plain, Y'shua is speaking to His disciples and explaining what He expects of them. He describes His own character as the Lamb and tells them to emulate that. He also tells them that whatever standard they use with others will be applied to them and that, if they are successful, they will have a great reward.

Toward the end of his life David decided to number the men in his kingdom. Joab thought that was a bad idea but was overruled. God was displeased with David's hubris and sent a plague upon Israel. This incident lead to the purchase of a threshing floor that would become the site of the Temple.

Attributed to the brother of Y'shua, James focuses on practical application of the Word of God to a believer's life. In chapter 1, he starts with a paraphrase of Proverbs 2 - how to seek God's wisdom - and finishes with an admonition that the believer should put God's Word into practice or risk becoming futile in his religion.

During the dedication of the Tabernacle, Nadab and Abihu died when they brought unauthorized fire before the Lord. Despite an abundance of speculation as to their motivation, that is not what is important here. Rather, the problem is that they tried to introduce something common into holy space. That was not permitted.

After putting down the rebellion of his son, David had the task of restoring and reuniting the kingdom. In this process he acted with his usual political skill. He refrained from acting in anger and taking vengeance upon those who sided with Absalom.

Peter closes out his letter with an exhortation not to be led astray by scoffers who mock the belief that Christ will return and establish His reign of righteousness. He assures his readers that, just as God destroyed the previous creation with a flood, He will destroy the present one by fire and create a new heaven and earth.

At Passover we remember and celebrate the birth of God's firstborn; when the Hebrews went out through the bloody door, Israel was born. Today there are powerful forces seeking to eradicate Judaism and Christianity from the world and replace it with Islam or some secular form of collectivism. Instead of uniting to resist, Christians are fragmented and arguing. One of the wedge issues splitting us is the question of who are the Jews and what is Israel.

Bathsheba's grandfather, Ahithophel, advised Absalom to pursue David immediately. When that advice was not followed, the rebellion was essentially lost. Although David prevailed, the death of his son was devastating. Especially since he knew that the whole thing was his own fault.

After having instructed his readers on the way to godliness, Peter switches to warning them about false prophets and teachers. These, he says, will preach sensuality which will be attractive to those who are unaware or are so inclined. Those who follow such teachers will wind up worse off than if they had never know Christ.

When Job is suffering, his three friends keep accusing him of hidden sin for which he is being punished. His response is that they have the platitudes correct but that is not his situation and those platitudes don't apply. With the rise of AI people are turning to chatbots for answers to all sorts of questions. It is inevitable that some of those questions will be spiritual. The very grave danger is that such people will see the bot as an intermediary between themselves and God. That is precisely the sin that Israel committed in the wilderness with the Golden Calf.

After his adultery with Bathsheba, God cursed David saying that evil would come upon him from his own family. David's son Absalom would be the vehicle for the outworking of that curse.

1 Peter closes with an exhortation to good behavior especially in the face of worldly persecution. 2 Peter opens with the description of a process or algorithm for increasing ones fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God.

Leviticus is the central book of the Torah and as such is arguably the most important. This is where God tells humanity how He wants to be approached and how we safely can interact with Him. The book begins with sacrifice. Contrary to the perception of many, most of the sacrifices in the Tabernacle had nothing to do with sin. Those that did concern sin only covered unintentional sins. As such they do not conflict with the work of Christ in any way.

David's firstborn son, Amnon, raped his half sister Tamar. Tamar's brother Absalom secretly planned vengeance. As prophesied by Nathan, this began a string of tragedies within David's family.

Peter exhorts his readers to good conduct, first in the family, then in the exile community and finally in society at large. This is to serve several purposes. First, because it is pleasing to God. Then that it will strengthen the family and the exiles. A bad example will also hinder the spread of the Gospel. Finally, it is the best defense against persecution. Although persecution may come, it is best not to deserve it.

Christians today do not typically observe Shabbat, believing that everything changed after the Resurrection. Some, citing Colossians 2, assert that it was nailed to the cross along with the rest of the law. Is this correct? If not, does it really matter?

There is more to the story of David and Bathsheba than you were probably taught in Sunday school. This is a complex story of court politics which will have ramifications for the remainder of David's reign.

A popular web site had an article accusing Messianics of being 'Judaizers' and heretics. The article asserted that one did not have to become a Jew to enter the Kingdom of God - which is absolutely true. It also said that the Torah had been abrogated by the Messiah - which is absolutely false. That assertion is based on a misreading of Colossians 2.