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Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”
Genesis 42:37 ESV
Reuben's actions and words in Genesis seem random and a bit crazy until you put them all together, and then they start to form a consistent pattern. Reuben was a firstborn son who saw himself being bypassed by his younger brothers. Most of his seemingly bizarre interactions with Jacob, Bilhah, Joseph, and Benjamin can be explained as a series of attempts to regain his position at the head of the family.
Wild Branch Community is a home fellowship of Torah-observant believers in Texas between Houston and Austin. Find out more about us at https://WildBranchTX.org.
Heirs according to the promise.
Prelude – rebuilding the wall of separation. Attractive for both sides. One wants the commandments to be exclusive. The other wants nothing to do with the commandments. In effect, both sides want the law to be exclusive, I suppose. Out of pure practicality, this answer can’t be true. For people to accept anyone as Messiah, they must understand what a Messiah is. That is established solely though the Law and the Prophets. It’s not a concept for the nations. A Messiah is one who has been anointed by God for a mission. The Messiah, the Son of God, is the very image of God and our Mediator between us and God. It’s impossible for those who accept the Messiah to then not accept the law because there would be nothing to mediate. Let’s get into the details.
Ephesians 1: 3-7 Paul refers to “us”. He does not make a distinction. He includes himself in the adoption. This is strange as he was surely native born. Ephesus is where Paul started a riot preaching against idolatry so at a minimum it’s a mixed congregation of both native and grafted in.
The promise – Galatians 3: 26-29 Abraham was promised to be the father of countless people. This promise is fulfilled in this adoption. That through His seed, Yeshua, we have the opportunity to join the family of God. We do not replace that family, but we join in. We have the choice to accept adoption. The native born have the choice to also accept Yeshua.
The wall is broken down – Eph 2: 11-13 Commonwealth of Israel. You understand Paul is including gentile converts as Israel here. Not as a replacement for Israel, but a joining, a grafting in. Both groups into one. The gentiles who accept Yeshua as Messiah become part of Israel. Grafted in, not a replacement. Not a separate class of people, either. The goal here is unity.
Acts 15: 19-21. The gentiles are showing up at synagogue on Shabbat all over the world. They are accepting Yeshua as the Messiah and following the commandments. The question is whether conversion to Judaism is requires through circumcision prior to allowing them to commune and study. The answer is no. Many take this to mean that’s the end of the story, that these directives issued by the council of Jerusalem are the permanent ordinance and all people have to do to be consider Christians forever. That all who accepted Yeshua from the nations forever were to just stop right here and be done. Believe in the Messiah, learn, and basically continue to live as you did prior expect with these few requirements. This cannot be true because it would legalize sin for most of mankind. It would make the rest of the New Testament gibberish as there would be nothing for converts to learn or do. What would they be persevering in? If their behavior barely changed from prior, how would anybody even know they changed? It’s bizarre this concept keeps coming up on both sides. Mainstream Christians believe the law doesn’t apply to them and Jews concur. This is the divide between us and mainstream Christianity.
1 Cor 5: 4-8 become a new lump. Written to a gentile area in the Name of Yeshua. Assuming a mixed group of prior Jew and Gentile. And they are expected not only to know Torah but to be keeping ULB. Does this sound like this group stopped at the few things commanded in Acts 15? Of course not. Because Acts 15 is just a starting point. The believers were expected to keep attending Shabbat, hearing Moses, learning, and doing as they learned.
Rev 14:12 – the remnant are those who keep Torah and believe in Yeshua. You want to be the remnant.
https://firstcenturychristianity.net/
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11-12 ESV
Paul often wrote as if he expected Yeshua to return at any moment. Was he making a false prediction in this passage? Or was he just longing for that day whether it comes tomorrow or in ten thousand years? What did he mean by salvation? What is the night and the day?
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
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If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Romans 11:16 ESV
What does "firstfruits" and "root" refer to in Romans 11:16? The context makes it clear. This chapter is talking about how God will never forsake the natural branches of Israel because of the promises he made to Israel's patriarchs. The firstfruit of the dough and the root of the tree are the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
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Messianic Torah Portion Vayigash (and he approached)
The Torah portion is about Joseph’s revealing of himself to his brothers and bringing Israel into Egypt. The parallels between these scriptures and the New Testament are plentiful. Our discussion covers the despair of Jacob and parallels this to the grief of Yeshua’s disciples and the despair of the world as it awaits Yeshua’s return. We also discuss the joy Jacob experiences when he learns Joseph is alive and compare this to the resurrection of the Messiah. The theme established that Joseph’s brothers meant it for evil when they sold him into slavery but God meant it for good compares remarkably with the resurrection of the Messiah and the sermon given by Peter in Acts 2. We also touched on topics of end times studies and how the concept of the Noahide laws are folly.
https://firstcenturychristianity.net/
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Romans 14:5-6 ESV
These verses don't mean that we can choose what day we observe as a Sabbath or no day at all. It's possible that Paul was talking about arguments over ambiguous aspects of the calendar, such as when exactly a day begins and ends. He could also have been talking about days on which one might encounter meat that had been sacrificed to idols offered for sale in the market. However, the most likely explanation is that he was talking about controversies over which days of the week should be set aside for fasting. There are no commanded weekly fast days, so this would be entirely a matter of personal opinion, not obedience to God.
If Paul wasn't saying that God's commandments concerning the weekly Sabbath no longer apply, then how can we know exactly which day is the seventh day of the week? It's been thousands of years since Creation! This video addresses that question too.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
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The parallels between Joseph and Yeshua (Jesus) aren't just remarkable, they are prophetic and establish our understanding of the relationship between Yahweh and His Son.
Division in the body of Messiah does not bring glory to God. Although such division is prophesied throughout Scripture in stories like that of Joseph and his brothers, it's a shameful thing. We need to submit to one another on matters of opinion on which the Bible is silent or ambiguous.
The story of Judah and Tamar is inserted in the middle of the story of Joseph so that we can see the contrast between the two men. There are numerous parallels between their stories. Here are just a few:
-Signs of authority: Joseph's robe and Judah's ring/staff/cord
-Identity via signs: Whose robe is this? and Whose ring/staff/cord is this?
-Relation to Father: Joseph is favored and Judah seeks favor
-Separated to foreigners: Joseph by force and Judah by choice
-Priest's daughter: Asenath the Egyptian and Tamar the Canaanite
-Tempted: Potiphar's wife and Tamar
-Twin swap: Ephraim/Manasseh and Perez/Zerah
-Loss of sons: By adoption and by death
Wild Branch Community in Brenham, Texas, also talked about the adoption of foreigners (such as Tamar, Rahab, you, and me) into Israel, the reasons for levirate marriage, and some of the cultural norms behind this controversial story.
Wild Branch Community is a home fellowship of Torah-observant believers in Texas between Houston and Austin. Find out more about us at https://WildBranchTX.org.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:6-8 ESV
God gives everyone a range of skillsets that we can use in service to his kingdom. Leadership, administration, mechanics, languages, etc. The list of possible gifts of God is endless! In this passage Paul mentions several of those gifts, and here's what each of them is really about.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
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Messianic Torah Portion Vayeshev (and he lived) is about Joseph being sold into slavery by his own brothers. There are many parallels between Joseph and Yeshua, the Messiah, which we discuss in this study. The focus of our congregational discussion is on prophecy and its ultimate purpose, which is to further the kingdom of God.
For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Romans 15:18-21 ESV
Why was Paul so intent on preaching the Gospel where nobody else had been? To avoid building "on someone else's foundation"? This sounds like he's treating his ministry as a competition, but when you realize that he saw himself as fulfilling the prophecy he quotes in this passage, his statement takes on another character. It wasn't a competition, but a great blessing from God, and he wanted to honor that blessing with his whole being!
Thumbnail background image adapted from an original work by Cristiano64 at https://commons.wikimedia.org/....wiki/File:Claudio_41 under CC 3.0 license.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.
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Messianic Torah Portion Shemot is the beginning of the book of Exodus. This study is prefaced with the origin of the word Exodus and how there will only every be the one Exodus. We spoke about the remarkable parallels between Shemot and the end times. And, as always, why the Torah is so important to the New Testament.
https://firstcenturychristianity.net/
How can you bless someone who curses you? Is it just saying nice things about them? Or is it taking an active role in repairing the broken relationship?
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.
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Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Romans 14:18-19 ESV
The one who is accepted by God isn't the one who serves himself, but who serves Christ and the body of Christ. Pursue peace with your fellow believers, not conflict. Build each other up; don't tear each other down.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.
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Revision 2 of a message about the myths that circulate the commandment keeping Christians such as Messianic, Hebrew Roots, and Sacred Name Movement folks.
A print of the pdf is available at https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/myths-versus-
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Romans 12:19 ESV
"Vengeance is mine, says the Lord" does not mean we shouldn't pursue justice or restitution, but it does mean that we shouldn't be trying to get even, to make other people hurt just because they made us hurt. Our goal should always be to make the world a better place, not to make everyone equally miserable.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.
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Is Palm Sunday Pagan? Holiday Roots Occult Satanism Baal Tammuz Worship Astrology Paganism Christian
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For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 13:9 ESV
Was Paul saying that "Love your neighbor as yourself" sums up only the Ten Commandments and not all the rest of God's instructions? No! Because all of the rest of God's commandments are summed up in the Ten. To love your neighbor is to keep all of God's commandments, not just the Ten.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.
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Did DOGE Accidentally Reveal the Babylon of Revelation?
There have been some significant developments with the world’s economy in recent years that shows us who the Babylon from Revelation may be. This video also includes a lesson on when to take the bible literally and when to not.
