Shamar Shabbat – and - Agol or “golden calf”….
Ki Tissa – “When you take” -Parashah 21
March 2, 2013 ~ Adar 20, 5773
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Torah – Sh’mot (Exodus) 30:11-34:35
Haftarah – Yechezk’el (Ezek) 36:16-38; M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 18:1-39
B’rit Chadashah – Matt 9:35- 11:1; Luke 11:14-20; Acts 7:35- 8:1; 1Corin 10:1-13; 2 Corin 3:1-18
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Sh’ma
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This Torah portion starts with…
Taking a census and everyone over age 20 being required to give half a shekel – offering.
Then the making of a bronze basin – for the priests to wash in…
Then the making of the anointing oil for the Temple…
Interesting to note that this is made with olive oil and essential oils… and many of these oils are antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal… imagine that – the place is going to be a place of a lot of blood – and YHWH requires them to cover it in antibacterial essential oil! !!
Then it talks about the making of incense for the Temple.
31:1 – interesting that B’tza’el is “filled” “with the Spirit of YHWH”…. And he is the artesian in charge….
His name – B’tza’el = in the shadow of Elohim/YHWH.
But it is interesting that – he is not an important person – before this….
Yah doesn’t seem to “call” important people… but ones not likely…. Nobodys….
So how does that relate to you?? J
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Sh’mot 31:12-17 cjb p 96
“you are to observe” in vs 12 and 16 = “observe” = shamar in Hebrew.
Shamar = to guard, to protect, and to keep.
This is like a man who wants to marry a woman…. He gives her an expensive diamond engagement ring as a sign of his commitment to her. This ring is a sign between him and her. It represents the covenant of betrothal…. And she guards it, and cleans it and takes care of it. She keeps it safe…. It is a TREASURE!
Yah told Moshe – Sh’mot 31:13 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are to observe (shamar) my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am YHWH, who sets you apart for me. 14 Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you.’”
The nineteenth-century secular Zionist Asher Ginzberg once said, “More than the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jewish people.”
Shabbat is an anchor of the identity of YHWH’s people throughout all generations.
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Keeping 7th day Shabbat as the Word says… as YHWH instructed His people to do – forever… is essential.
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Now let’s look at Sh’mot (Exodus) 32:1-15….
The word “calf” in 32:4 = Agol = Ayne – gimmel – lamed
Agol = path/ cycle…..
We learned a couple sermons ago – that this word is a brother/sister word to agal = the word for the path/cycle that the oxen in Samuel – wear into the ground as they grind the grain…
This path/cycle – refers to the path of Torah – and the Cycles of YHWH – the Sabbaths – the new moons, and the high Sabbaths…
But here in Sh’mot 32 – Isra’el has made a calf – an agol – or better translated – a path or cycle of their own….
Here was man stepping away from Yah’s cycles and creating their own!!
Another thing…. In 32: 6… “then they got up to indulge in revelry.”
“indulge in revelry” – these words in Hebrew mean that these people got up to MOCK YHWH.
- No wonder YHWH was so angry that he was going to kill them!!
32:7 “Go down! Hurry! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt…”
- Those words translated “your people” =
= ar riv rov = “corrupting on purpose”
And Yah is going to kill them all….. and start over with Moshe…
So then look what happens… “Moshe pleaded with YHWH…”
- Isn’t this interesting… Yah is offering to make Moshe the Father of His people….. and Moshe doesn’t seem to think twice about it….
- Moshe wasn’t focused on himself….
And then Moshe becomes the intercessor for Isra’el…. And prays for their lives and YHWH to do His promises.
If you ever wondered if praying makes a difference…. You might start with this story!
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Further in the story – Moshe has a talk with Aharon to see what he was thinking to do such a thing….
Sh’mot 32:25- 35
Vs 32 – first mention of YHWH’s book of life =
= Sefer ha Chayim.
= the book of living = all who are created/ ever living – are written in this book…. Everyone starts in the book of the living.
This is not Seh Sefer ha Chayim = “the Lamb’s Book of Life” …
… everyone needs the blood of Y’shua to get into “The Lamb’s Book of Life”.
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Sh’mot 34: 6 = “The 13 Attributes of Mercy”
1. Yud – heh-vav- heh
2. Yud – heh- vav – heh
3. God/ (Elohim)
4. Merciful
5. Compassionate
6. Slow to anger
7. Rich in grace
8. And truth
9. Showing grace to the thousandth generation
10. Forgiving offenses
11. Crimes
12. Sins
13. Not exonerating the guilty
Sh’mot 34:10- 18
Does this sound familiar to our day?? !!
Today ~ we have come from people who embraced paganism but meant well.
They don’t understand…. But they mean well.
They don’t follow YHWH’s cycles – his feasts….
But clear back in Sh’mot – the people who had seen Yah perform the plagues of Egypt and the very same people who walked across the sea on dry land…
…these people… get in a situation they can’t see the answer of….(sound familiar??) and they decide they need another mediator – b/c they didn’t know when, if ever Moshe would come down….
These people…. Panic – fear comes in… and they make a golden calf…
And in so doing – the create their own cycles… the cycles of man….
And leave the cycles of YHWH.
So the question becomes – how will we live?
And …. There’s another question….
Can we live this way – keeping Torah as best as we understand….
And carry the light to light the world….
And not burn people with it?
This is really really hard…
I am excited in what I am learning… I am excited in actually being fed and being satisfied – for the first time in my life….
And people don’t want to hear…
Oh but I so want them to know….
How do I handle this moment??
b/c if I do it wrong – they won’t want the LIGHT that I have….
So how do I live …. Keeping Torah and loving others ….???
How do you live??
We go back to Sh’ma…
Lev 19:18 - “ love your neighbor as yourself.”
May we have Yah’s love that we can do this.
Amein.
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