Torah
Exodus 21:1-24:18

1) Did Israel accept the Torah before or after hearing what it would contain?

2) The word mishpatim means “rules” or “ordinances”. What do the rules or ordinances in this portion address?

3) What are the rules about having slaves?

4) What laws carried the death penalty?

5) Make note of any rules that confuse you?

6) Make note of any rules that intrigue you?

7) What Feasts and Festivals are spoken about in this portion?

What promise is given by God to Moses after giving these rules?

9) What response did Israel have to the instructions Moses brought from the Lord?

10) What altar did Moses build and what did he do with it?

11) Describe the “covenant affirmation meal”. Who was there?

12) What are the circumstances of Moses’ second ascension? How long was he up there?

Haftarah
Jeremiah 34:8-22; 33:25-26

1) What command about Hebrew slaves did the people of Judah violate?

2) What was the consequence?

Brit Chadashah
Matthew 5:38-42; 17:1-11

1) The sages were teaching “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” but how did Yeshua properly interpret the verses being referred to?

2) Who did Yeshua stand on the mount of transfiguration with?

3) What did Peter want to build for them? What holiday does this suggest this event took place on?

4) What did the voice of God say?

1 and 2 Kings Timeline

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Bible at only 21 verses. It was a great example of how people tend to take sections of scripture and fill in whatever isn’t there to make it say whatever they want it to say. We found all sorts of commentaries on Obadiah that try to claim the references to the Edomites are actually talking about this group or that. Our goal was to compare everything to what was actually there and with that approach it was pretty simple to figure out what ideas to keep and what to throw out.

Obadiah means “servant of God” and that is all we know about the author of this book. No actual claim is made for authorship and there are 12 men found in Scripture with this very common name. As for the dating of the book, there are arguments for it being dated between 889-312 BC. In other words, we have no idea when it was written.

The book does speak to God’s plan for the Edomites and it is not hopeful. When Judah was taken into captivity in Babylon some Jews escaped and ran to Edom. Instead of welcoming their relatives (these are the descendants of Esau, after all) they rejoiced in their destruction, captured many fleeing Jews and returned them to the Babylonians and killed others. They also went through and ransacked what was left of the city. This is described in more detail in Ezekiel 36. God’s Word to them is—what you did to the Jews will be done to you. In fact, their utter destruction is prophecied.

After the Babylonian captivity the area was called Idumea and Edom had been incorporated into Hebron. The Pharisees objected to them being counted among them but 20,000 appeared before Jerusalem to fight on behalf of the zealots. There are references in other sections of Scripture to Idumea and Seir is near Petra. Herod was actually descended from a family line that merged Edomite and Jewish blood. There is a lot of speculation about who might be the modern day Edomites but history reveals that they ceased to exist as a people-group in the 2nd Jewish-Roman War in around 135AD. After that rebellion there is no record of them, however, as a nation. Though the geographical region is referred to at the time of St. Jerome

Later Jewish scholars refer to the Arabs as “Ishmael” and to Rome as “Edom” and “The Remnants of Amalek”.

There seems to be general consensus that starting in verse 15 the book is talking about the End of Days. Verse 15 reads “The Day of the Lord is near for all nations.” The book goes on to describe the return of Jacob from captivity in all sorts of areas, including Spain, where they did not go in the Babylonian captivity. To support the idea that from verse 15 on we are reading about the End Times is the presence of the Alef Tav from verse 17 on. Yeshua said He is the Alef Tav and it is the untranslated word that appears throughout the Tanakh. Alef Tav appears as a word 8 times between verses 17 and 21. 7 is the number of perfection in the realm of nature and 8 is what is beyond that perfection. We want to pay attention in future weeks to whether or not Alef Tav appears specifically in the sections of prophecy that appear to speak to specifically End Times.

The final verse in the book is very final when it says, “Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.”

There is SO MUCH in this book! And many thoughts to share about it. For one thing, I have realized how challenging the way the books of Kings are laid out for my right brained mind. We read about one king in this chapter and who succeeds him and then we jump to the other kingdom and read about one or more kings there and then we go back to the other kingdom and learn about the successor, but by then I’ve forgotten what we were reading about his father—or whoever he killed to get the throne! Add in one period of time where the kings in both kingdoms had the same name and another king who reigned 54 years but is called by two different names during the telling of his story and it makes for some confusing reading for me. And this isn’t the first time I’ve read through this book!

So I tried something new—I created an outline for the book that is unlike any I’ve seen for it before (and when I was done I went back and did 1 Kings according to the same style of outline). It doesn’t just have the name and date of each king, but it has a lot more! I realized most study tools out there were developed by left brained thinkers because they are organized enough to develop study tools! But I am a right brained thinker and they are of limited use to me. Most right brained thinkers aren’t organized to create outlines and study tools but God has been preparing with me 5 years of research into right brained organizing. This outline gives the names and dates of each king, but is divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. It then gives important details of what events took place during the reign of that king (who invaded or who they invaded, if Scripture says something specific about the king or his reign, how old he was when he took the throne and how long he (or she) reigned). It also shows in what year of the king of the other kingdom’s reign they took the throne in their kingdom. So it shows visually how they overlapped. This helped me to move beneath the big details and start to see the little details.

For instance, it was under the reign of Omri in Israel that the hill of Samaria was purchased and the city of Samaria, which became the capital of Israel, was built. He was a military commander who was the father of Ahab who married Jezebel. And while I’d heard of Josiah, a faithful king in Judah, I learned that he started his reign at 8 years old and in the 18th year of his reign the high priest found the Torah. When he read it he tore his robes and thoroughly purified all of Judah, causing the citizens to hear the reading of the Torah and to renew their covenant with God. Scripture says there never had been and never was again a man who loved God more than Josiah. That is a HUGE praise! Especially since Solomon, wisest and most discerning man who ever lived, is the cause of the Kingdom splitting under his son’s reign. This man who knew better more than anyone else ever ended his life with 700 wives and 300 concubines and engaging with them in idolatry including child sacrifice. But Josiah, so many generations later, loved God more than anyone—and he didn’t hear the Torah until he was 26! He was killed in the battle against Egypt, who had invaded under the rule of Pharaoh Neco, at the Valley of Har Megiddo. This is what led to Jeremiah’s prophecy that Babylon would invade and defeat Babylon.

After Josiah, the last 4 kings of Judah included 3 of Josiah’s sons and his grandson. It is his grandson (2nd to last king) who was taken captive to Babylon and in the 37th year of the exile of Judah in Babylon he was released from prison by the new king of Babylon and elevated to a place of honor in his court. This began the turnaround that allowed Hezekiah, 13 years later, to be sent back to Jerusalem with the funds and the resources to rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem.

Context is key.

As for what prophets we actually read about in 2 Kings, we have Elijah, who defeated Jezebel’s prophets of Baal and was taken away in a chariot of fire, Elisha, who gets a double portion of the spirit of Elisha, Ahijah, who prophesied, among other things, that Jereboam would split the kingdom and take 10 of the tribes with him, Micaiah, who prophesied the defeat and death of Ahab, among others. Isaiah appears in chapter 19 when Hezekiah sought him out and on his counsel cleansed Judah—mostly. And we encounter man false prophets. We also hear several stories about the group of prophets who followed Elisha around and were sent out on errands for him.
This is a book full of so much information that I’m sad I never had it in the presentation that I’m putting together. So much was missed by me and so much was out of context so that it didn’t fully make sense. When I was reading Jeremiah for the Haftorah portion last weekend and realized I knew the context—I knew exactly what he was talking about—I did a happy dance in my heart. I’m looking forward to going into the other prophecy books and learning more about what they were saying and who they were saying it to . . . and why.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.”

I think this is really key as a foundational statement about Prophets. And it certainly is played out over and over in 1 Kings. We don’t actually meet Elijah until chapter 17 where he appears seemingly out of the blue. He is certainly not the only prophet we see in this book. He is not even the only Prophet of the Lord that we read about.
There seems to be a black and white distinction made, in fact, between “Prophet” and “Prophet of the Lord.” The Prophet of the Lord will always speak for God. The Prophet is shown to sometimes have it right, sometimes have it wrong. And so long as they are hearing from God it is wise to follow them. When they are not, however, it is to our detriment to follow them.

In Chapter 13 we meet a “man of God” who brought a message and was told to not eat or drink in that place and to go home by a different route. These were his marching orders from the Lord. But while he was going home by a different route a “prophet” came to him and said that God said for him to come and eat with him. So the man of God did. And during the meal the prophet spoke out the Word of the Lord and prophesied the man’s death because he did not heed the instructions from the Lord.

Macaiah is another example of this distinction. The 400 prophets of the king of Israel are prophesying victory in battle but the King of Judah asks, “Don’t you have a prophet of the Lord we can ask about this?” The king of Israel doesn’t want to call him because he never has anything good to prophesy but they call him anyway and, sure enough, the news is not good. They go to war anyway and the Prophet of the Lord turns out to have spoken correctly where the prophets, as was revealed, were being deceived by a lying spirit.
Similar scenarios appear throughout the book. It is clear that we are not able to just follow anyone who calls themselves a prophet without being held accountable for what we are supposed to know. where their instruction does not line up with God’s Word (first in Scripture and second to us specifically) we are accountable for heeding God’s Word.

One interesting thing about Solomon is that God spoke directly to him several times that are noted. One of the most well known times is when God asked him what he would have God grant him as king and while it is often taught that he asked for wisdom that is not entirely correct. He asked God for only the discernment to know right from wrong and be able to govern God’s people well. God was pleased with his request and granted him, “a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover I will give you what you have not aksed for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.” He was also promised a long life if he would walk in the ways of God.

Sadly, even with discernment and wisdom unrivaled by anyone before or since, in his old age he allowed his 700 wives and 300 concubines to pull him into idol worship to the level that he caused the Kingdom to be divided into Judah (In the South) and Israel (in the North). This was not to be done in his lifetime because of God’s love for David, but was done in the life of the next generation to sit on the throne.

As for Elijah’s role . . . he is most noted for taunting the prophets of Baal while they try to call down Baal to burn up a sacrifice in a battle of the gods. Of course Baal doesn’t show up and then Elijah speaks to the Lord and says, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” (vv 36-37) Of course God burns up everything (even though Elijah had water poured over the altar 3 times) and the people are convinced and obey his command to take out and destroy the prophets of Baal. This is a key moment in the downfall of Ahab and Jezebel. After this Elijah is told to anoint a king over Aram, a king over Israel, and a prophet (Elisha)

The vineyard of Naboth is a sad story where Jezebel conspires to have false witnesses testify against Naboth so that he would be stoned and Ahab could take over the vineyard that Naboth refused to sell him (because it was on land that belonged to his family and was not to pass from them). Some other key events that took place in this Valley:

The great valley between Saul the Philistines

It was at the Spring of Harod, at the foothills of the Gilboa that Gideon chose the warriors who would help defeat the Midianites

One of the key cities in this valley in Biblical times was Megiddo

This is the Valley referred to in Revelation as the Valley of Armageddon. Armageddon means “the hill or city of Megiddo.”

According to blb.org
“1) In Rev. 16:16 the scene of a the struggle of good and evil is suggested by that battle plain of Esdraelon, which was famous for two great victories, of Barak over the Canaanites, and of Gideon over the Midianites; and for two great disasters, the deaths of Saul and Josiah. Hence in Revelation a place of great slaughter, the scene of a terrible retribution upon the wicked. The RSV translates the name as Har-Magedon, i.e. the hill (as Ar is the city) of Megiddo.”

One of the most interesting excavation reveals in Megiddo is the horse stables built by King Ahab during 9th century BCE.

1 Kings 21:25-26 reads, “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.” In contrast to Solomon who with all his wisdom and discernment did evil in the eyes of the Lord later in his life, Ahab repented when he was confronted with the consequences of his sin. And because of his humble repentance the consequences were held off until after his death. This distinction is very interesting because it is not how we often think things should be handled. Yet it reveals God’s patience and perfect timing, as well as the idea that these things are not being done to make those who disobey Him suffer, but because disobedience to God’s instructions leads to destruction.

Outline for Prophecy Class
Week 1: What is a Prophet?
Week 2: Elijah (1 Kings)
Week 3: Elisha (Israel) (2 Kings)
Week 4: Obadiah (Judah)
Week 5: Joel (Judah)
Week 6: Jonah (Israel)
Week 7: Amos (Israel)
Week 8: Hosea (Israel)
Week 9: Micah (Judah)
Week 10: Isaiah (Judah)
Week 11: Jeremiah (Judah)
Week 12: Zepheniah (Judah)
Week 13: Nahum (Judah)
Week 14: Habbakuk (Judah)
Week 15: Ezekiel (Israel)
Week 16: Daniel (Judah)
Week 17: Zechariah (Unified Remnant)
Week 18: Haggai (Unified Remnant)
Week 19: Malachi (Unified Remnant)
Week 20 Summary and Review