Example Of A Torah Lesson
From Tony Robinson’s Restoration of Torah Teaching: http://restorationoftorah.org/resources/parasha/43-torah-portions-english
First a note from Tony:
One of my goals in producing these Torah lessons is to teach the body of Messiah that the B'rit Chadasha (New Covenant Scriptures) is in total harmony with the Torah. Many believe the Torah has been abolished, or that it was for the "Jews." This is nonsense. The Torah is for all who would call upon the Elohim (God) of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There is one message from Genesis to Revelation.
Yahshua In The Garden Of Eden?
A. What was the immediate effect of Adam and Chava's (Eve’s) sin? They noticed that they were naked. In the Torah, nakedness is always a Torah Picture of shame and guilt. See Isaiah 47:3, which makes the thematic connection between nakedness and shame. Therefore, the Torah uses Adam and Chava's nakedness to teach us that shame and guilt are the consequences of sin.
B. What did they do concerning their nakedness? They made aprons by sewing together fig leaves. This is a picture of man's works or efforts at trying to cover the shame and guilt that results from sin. Titus 3:5 states that we are not saved by works of righteousness we have done (the aprons of figs). The covering given to us by the Holy One saves us.
C. After sinning, Adam and Chava hide from the Holy One. Who initiates restoration of the broken relationship? The Holy One. This teaches us that it is Adonai who seeks us to restore us to relationship with Him. As Isaiah says in Isaiah 53:6, “We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way.”
D. Do you think the coverings Adam and Chava made were adequate, why or why not? It appears as though they were not, because Adonai replaced them with animal skins. Where did these coats of skins come from? Obviously, Adonai had to sacrifice an animal in order to provide the skins for the covering. Thematically, we learn the following: only the Holy One can provide the covering that will truly cover the shame and guilt resulting from our sins.
Now for one last question. Concerning the animal that was slain to provide the coverings for Adam and Chava—was the animal at fault in any way? No. This teaches us that in order for Adonai to properly cover the shame and guilt that resulted from our sin, an innocent substitute had to die for us! As you can see, the story of Adam and Chava's fall into sin and the Holy One’s subsequent provision (atonement—covering), has beautifully taught us about the work of Messiah Yeshua! Yeshua is our innocent substitute who was slain to provide a covering for the shame and guilt of our sins! Apart from analyzing Genesis 3 thematically, this wonderful picture of the work of Messiah Yeshua would remain hidden. This is just one of many, many ways the Torah teaches us the Gospel! It is also one of the many ways Moses (the writer of the Torah) teaches us about Yeshua. Now you can appreciate John 5:46.
For had you believed Moses, you would believe me; for Moses wrote about me (John 5:46, emphasis mine).
Farmer/Hunter/Man of the field vs. Shepherd
We have already seen that the Torah portrays the righteous through the occupation of shepherds. We know that Esau was a man of the field. He was a hunter! Can you show thematically how this is the antithesis of the shepherd? The shepherd is concerned with nurturing animals and providing life for them. The hunter is mainly concerned with killing them. Therefore, we can see a heart of compassion in the shepherd more so than in the hunter.
Once again, we see how occupation gives us a window into the heart. Also, think about this: the shepherd has to trust that he’ll find food wherever he travels with his herds. He cannot worry about getting food for himself. He trusts he’ll find it. On the other hand, the farmer is constantly worried about whether or not his crops (food) will be produced. He’s trying to make it happen. Earlier, we asked why Adonai used the profession of the “tiller of the earth” as a metaphor for the unrighteous. Let’s see if the Torah and B’rit Chadasha can shed more light on this issue.
A. Read Hebrews 11:11-16 and Genesis 23:1-4. How are these two passages thematically connected? They both teach us that Abraham was a sojourner on the earth. Which lifestyle, the farmer or the shepherd, is most consistent with a sojourner and why? The lifestyle of the shepherd is more consistent with a sojourner. The farmer must own land in order to farm it. The shepherd owns no land, but must travel from land to land in search of pasture for his flock. The farmer will tend to be more possessive of land since he must own it. The sojourner is not too concerned about making a claim on land. The farmer is more apt to not want to leave his land. The shepherd is willing to go wherever he must go for the sake of his flock.
B. After reading Hebrews 11:11-16, do you now know why the profession of shepherds was chosen as a picture of the righteous? Yes. Because the shepherd is like the sojourner. He recognizes that the earth isn’t his and is willing to move wherever he must. So likewise, the righteous recognize that this earth is not their final home. They are willing to follow Adonai (as Abram did) as a sojourner on the earth. They look for a city with foundations, the new Jerusalem!
C. Now we can understand the real reason why shepherds were chosen as pictures of the righteous. It all has to do with their willingness to forego their own “rights” in order to follow the Holy One wherever He leads them. This deep spiritual lesson is taught in the Torah through the use of the professions of farmers and shepherds.
How is the fact that most of our Patriarchs were shepherds teach us about the Messiah? We will learn later that Joseph and David are clearly pictures/foreshadows of the Messiah. The fact that both of them were shepherds is a picture of Yeshua, the Good Shepherd.
A. Read I John 2:15-16.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world (I John 2:15-16).
Would you be surprised if I told you that John got this teaching from this week's Torah portion? Read Genesis 3:6.
• saw that the tree was good for food = the lust of the flesh
• that it was pleasant to the eyes = the lust of the eyes
• and a tree desirable to make one wise = the pride of life
Abraham and Isaac
Isaac was a picture Yeshua on His way to execution and resurrection, and Abraham was a picture of the Father, offering His only begotten son, whom He loved!
Since Isaac found himself in nearly every situation that Abraham found himself, he had to respond to each situation as did his father Abraham. In other words, the Holy One "forced" Isaac to do the same works of his father Abraham by putting him in the same situations that Abraham found himself! We can easily state Isaac did the works of his father! Chaverim, the fact that Isaac experienced everything that Abraham did paints a beautiful picture of the relationship between Yeshua and the Father.
We know that 1) Abraham is a picture of the Father and 2) Isaac is a picture of Yeshua, right? Therefore, by 1) thematically connecting Abraham to the Father, 2) thematically connecting Isaac to the Son, and 3) thematically connecting Abraham and Isaac through almost identical life experiences, the Torah has taught us about the oneness of Yeshua and the Father! Wow, what a revelation!
First a note from Tony:
One of my goals in producing these Torah lessons is to teach the body of Messiah that the B'rit Chadasha (New Covenant Scriptures) is in total harmony with the Torah. Many believe the Torah has been abolished, or that it was for the "Jews." This is nonsense. The Torah is for all who would call upon the Elohim (God) of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There is one message from Genesis to Revelation.
Yahshua In The Garden Of Eden?
A. What was the immediate effect of Adam and Chava's (Eve’s) sin? They noticed that they were naked. In the Torah, nakedness is always a Torah Picture of shame and guilt. See Isaiah 47:3, which makes the thematic connection between nakedness and shame. Therefore, the Torah uses Adam and Chava's nakedness to teach us that shame and guilt are the consequences of sin.
B. What did they do concerning their nakedness? They made aprons by sewing together fig leaves. This is a picture of man's works or efforts at trying to cover the shame and guilt that results from sin. Titus 3:5 states that we are not saved by works of righteousness we have done (the aprons of figs). The covering given to us by the Holy One saves us.
C. After sinning, Adam and Chava hide from the Holy One. Who initiates restoration of the broken relationship? The Holy One. This teaches us that it is Adonai who seeks us to restore us to relationship with Him. As Isaiah says in Isaiah 53:6, “We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way.”
D. Do you think the coverings Adam and Chava made were adequate, why or why not? It appears as though they were not, because Adonai replaced them with animal skins. Where did these coats of skins come from? Obviously, Adonai had to sacrifice an animal in order to provide the skins for the covering. Thematically, we learn the following: only the Holy One can provide the covering that will truly cover the shame and guilt resulting from our sins.
Now for one last question. Concerning the animal that was slain to provide the coverings for Adam and Chava—was the animal at fault in any way? No. This teaches us that in order for Adonai to properly cover the shame and guilt that resulted from our sin, an innocent substitute had to die for us! As you can see, the story of Adam and Chava's fall into sin and the Holy One’s subsequent provision (atonement—covering), has beautifully taught us about the work of Messiah Yeshua! Yeshua is our innocent substitute who was slain to provide a covering for the shame and guilt of our sins! Apart from analyzing Genesis 3 thematically, this wonderful picture of the work of Messiah Yeshua would remain hidden. This is just one of many, many ways the Torah teaches us the Gospel! It is also one of the many ways Moses (the writer of the Torah) teaches us about Yeshua. Now you can appreciate John 5:46.
For had you believed Moses, you would believe me; for Moses wrote about me (John 5:46, emphasis mine).
Farmer/Hunter/Man of the field vs. Shepherd
We have already seen that the Torah portrays the righteous through the occupation of shepherds. We know that Esau was a man of the field. He was a hunter! Can you show thematically how this is the antithesis of the shepherd? The shepherd is concerned with nurturing animals and providing life for them. The hunter is mainly concerned with killing them. Therefore, we can see a heart of compassion in the shepherd more so than in the hunter.
Once again, we see how occupation gives us a window into the heart. Also, think about this: the shepherd has to trust that he’ll find food wherever he travels with his herds. He cannot worry about getting food for himself. He trusts he’ll find it. On the other hand, the farmer is constantly worried about whether or not his crops (food) will be produced. He’s trying to make it happen. Earlier, we asked why Adonai used the profession of the “tiller of the earth” as a metaphor for the unrighteous. Let’s see if the Torah and B’rit Chadasha can shed more light on this issue.
A. Read Hebrews 11:11-16 and Genesis 23:1-4. How are these two passages thematically connected? They both teach us that Abraham was a sojourner on the earth. Which lifestyle, the farmer or the shepherd, is most consistent with a sojourner and why? The lifestyle of the shepherd is more consistent with a sojourner. The farmer must own land in order to farm it. The shepherd owns no land, but must travel from land to land in search of pasture for his flock. The farmer will tend to be more possessive of land since he must own it. The sojourner is not too concerned about making a claim on land. The farmer is more apt to not want to leave his land. The shepherd is willing to go wherever he must go for the sake of his flock.
B. After reading Hebrews 11:11-16, do you now know why the profession of shepherds was chosen as a picture of the righteous? Yes. Because the shepherd is like the sojourner. He recognizes that the earth isn’t his and is willing to move wherever he must. So likewise, the righteous recognize that this earth is not their final home. They are willing to follow Adonai (as Abram did) as a sojourner on the earth. They look for a city with foundations, the new Jerusalem!
C. Now we can understand the real reason why shepherds were chosen as pictures of the righteous. It all has to do with their willingness to forego their own “rights” in order to follow the Holy One wherever He leads them. This deep spiritual lesson is taught in the Torah through the use of the professions of farmers and shepherds.
How is the fact that most of our Patriarchs were shepherds teach us about the Messiah? We will learn later that Joseph and David are clearly pictures/foreshadows of the Messiah. The fact that both of them were shepherds is a picture of Yeshua, the Good Shepherd.
A. Read I John 2:15-16.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world (I John 2:15-16).
Would you be surprised if I told you that John got this teaching from this week's Torah portion? Read Genesis 3:6.
• saw that the tree was good for food = the lust of the flesh
• that it was pleasant to the eyes = the lust of the eyes
• and a tree desirable to make one wise = the pride of life
Abraham and Isaac
Isaac was a picture Yeshua on His way to execution and resurrection, and Abraham was a picture of the Father, offering His only begotten son, whom He loved!
Since Isaac found himself in nearly every situation that Abraham found himself, he had to respond to each situation as did his father Abraham. In other words, the Holy One "forced" Isaac to do the same works of his father Abraham by putting him in the same situations that Abraham found himself! We can easily state Isaac did the works of his father! Chaverim, the fact that Isaac experienced everything that Abraham did paints a beautiful picture of the relationship between Yeshua and the Father.
We know that 1) Abraham is a picture of the Father and 2) Isaac is a picture of Yeshua, right? Therefore, by 1) thematically connecting Abraham to the Father, 2) thematically connecting Isaac to the Son, and 3) thematically connecting Abraham and Isaac through almost identical life experiences, the Torah has taught us about the oneness of Yeshua and the Father! Wow, what a revelation!