VAYAK'HEL/PEKUDEI
Exodus 35:1-40:38
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18
Apostolic Scripture: John 13:1-19; Luke 16:1-13
Reading #7 - Exodus 40:1-38
My Thoughts:
They finish the Tabernacle and Hashem’s cloud descends and glory fills the entire place (verse 37). Can you even imagine the excitement, the awe and the amazement of all of this? They have been traveling with the cloud and fire, but as the cloud fills the Tabernacle the GLORY ARRIVES. So much, that Moses could not even enter it. I don’t think we have any idea or concept what this would be like, but we can imagine it all. When read Torah we have “life”. When we read about the glory we experience this “life”. Spend some time today meditating on this particular incident.
Challenge:
The cloud by day and fire by night. They don’t move and travel -- until the cloud does. They only want to be where Hashem is. My challenge today is, do we “move” with the glory of Hashem? Do we watch where He is manifesting Himself on a daily basis? Meditate on this today. And see if you can “move” and follow Hashem wherever He is traveling. You will get a sense, because your spirit will be stirred. It may simply be an encouragement to someone, or helping some person to do something or giving of time and money to a good cause. Just check in with the Father and see if it is from Him. You will be blessed.
Reading #7 - Exodus 40:1-38
40 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 3 You shall put the ark of the covenant in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the lamp stand, and light its lamps. 5 You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the covenant, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.
6 “You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 7 You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein. 8 You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.
9 “You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture, and it will be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and the altar will be most holy. 11 You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.
12 “You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water. 13 You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. 14 You shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them. 15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 Moses did so. According to all that Hashem commanded him, so he did.
17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up. 18 Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. 19 He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on it, as Hashem commanded Moses. 20 He took and put the covenant into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the covenant, as Hashem commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside of the veil. 23 He set the bread in order on it before Hashem, as Hashem commanded Moses. 24 He put the lamp stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 25 He lit the lamps before Hashem, as Hashem commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil; 27 and he burned incense of sweet spices on it, as Hashem commanded Moses. 28 He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 29 He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as Hashem commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash. 31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. 32 When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as Hashem commanded Moses. 33 He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and Hashem’s glory filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Hashem’s glory filled the tabernacle. 36 When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys; 37 but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of Hashem was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Haftarah
My Thoughts:
We are reading about the FUTURE Temple in these verses. We can read about this Temple in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and other prophetic books. The point is -- there is a future Temple and in it we will be making offerings unto Hashem. If you have been taught that there will be no more Temples and offerings, I believe from Scripture, you have been taught in error. Study the future Temple and figure it out. It is our future. It is eternity. Heaven on earth, the Mashiach ruling and reigning from Jerusalem and Hashem’s glory once again filling the Temple.
Challenge:
The challenge today is to simply start studying the future Temple and its implications. You may want to go the the Temple Institute website for more information. See: Temple Institute
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18
16 “All the people of the land shall give to this offering for the prince in Israel. 17 It shall be the prince’s part to give the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, and the drink offerings, in the feasts, and on the new moons, and on the Sabbaths, in all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the meal offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel.”
18 “‘Hashem says: “In the first month, in the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without defect; and you shall cleanse the sanctuary. 19 The priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering, and put it on the door posts of the house, and on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the posts of the gate of the inner court. 20 So you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who errs, and for him who is simple. So you shall make atonement for the house.
21 “‘“In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. 23 The seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to Hashem, seven bulls and seven rams without defect daily the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 He shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah[a] for a bull, and an ephah for a ram, and a hin[b] of oil to an ephah.
25 “‘“In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, in the feast, he shall do like that for seven days; according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meal offering, and according to the oil.”
46 “‘Hashem says: “The gate of the inner court that looks toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 2 The prince shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate outside, and shall stand by the post of the gate; and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 3 The people of the land shall worship at the door of that gate before Hashem on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. 4 The burnt offering that the prince shall offer to Hashem shall be on the Sabbath day six lambs without defect and a ram without defect; 5 and the meal offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin[c] of oil to an ephah. 6 On the day of the new moon it shall be a young bull without defect, and six lambs, and a ram. They shall be without defect. 7 He shall prepare a meal offering, an ephah for the bull, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as he is able, and a hin of oil to an ephah. 8 When the prince enters, he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and he shall go out by its way.
9 “‘“But when the people of the land come before Hashem in the appointed feasts, he who enters by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he who enters by the way of the south gate shall go out by the way of the north gate. He shall not return by the way of the gate by which he came in, but shall go out straight before him. 10 The prince shall go in with them when they go in. When they go out, he shall go out.
11 “‘“In the feasts and in the solemnities the meal offering shall be an ephah for a bull, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah. 12 When the prince prepares a free will offering, a burnt offering or peace offerings as a free will offering to Hashem, one shall open for him the gate that looks toward the east; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out; and after his going out one shall shut the gate.
13 “‘“You shall prepare a lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering to Hashem daily. Morning by morning you shall prepare it. 14 You shall prepare a meal offering with it morning by morning, the sixth part of an ephah,[f] and the third part of a hin of oil, to moisten the fine flour; a meal offering to Hashemcontinually by a perpetual ordinance. 15 Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the meal offering, and the oil, morning by morning, for a continual burnt offering.”
16 “‘Hashem says: “If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance. It shall belong to his sons. It is their possession by inheritance. 17 But if he gives of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons. 18 Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession. He shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession, that my people not each be scattered from his possession.”’”
Apostolic Scripture
My Thoughts:
In this reading Yeshua is teaching His disciples about servanthood. The Son of G-d takes time to wash their feet. Which is an example of holding others higher than yourselves. And it is true. We should not be selfish and always looking for ways to serve others. Following Yeshua is following Torah. He teaches Torah and He is a Rabbi. Listen to Him and learn the “heart” of Torah.
Challenge:
Verse 16:10 we read that Yeshua teaches this: If you are faithful in little, you will be faithful in much. In other words if you follow Torah even in the small things in life, you will be likely to be able to follow it in large things. An example could be how you treat those whom you love. Are you respectful even in the little things? Do you encourage, compliment and treat others you care about with total respect? Do you put their needs ahead of yours? If not, I encourage you to start doing so today. When you are faithful following Torah in this way, you will be surprised how the large Commandments will be easier to follow. You can do it.
Apostolic Scripture: John 13:1-19; Luke 16:1-13
13 Now before the feast of the Passover, Yeshua, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Yeshua, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came from Elohim, and was going to Elohim, 4 arose from supper, and laid aside His outer garments. He took a towel and wrapped a towel around His waist. 5 Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “L-rd, do you wash my feet?”
7 Yeshua answered him, “You don’t know what I am doing now, but you will understand later.”
8 Peter said to Him, “You will never wash my feet!”
Yeshua answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10 Yeshua said to him, “Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew him who would betray Him, therefore he said, “You are not all clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, put His outer garment back on, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me, ‘Rabbi’ and ‘L-rd.’ You say so correctly, for so I am. 14 If I then, the L-rd and the Rabbi, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you. 16 Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither is one who is sent greater than He who sent Him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I don’t speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.' From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am He.
Luke 16:1-1
16 He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
3 “The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ 5 Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred batos of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 “His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. 9 I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. 10 He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve Elohim and Mammon.”
