Prison weekly February 14, 2004

Yitro For the week of February 14, 2004 / 22 Shevat 5764 Torah: Shemot / Exodus 18:1 - 20:23 Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1 - 7:6; 9:5 A Broken Contract And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (Shemot / Exodus 20:1,2). Have you ever had a contract? Most of us have. There are many different kinds of contracts: business contracts, marriage contracts, rental contract (leases), even a bill or sales receipt may serve as a contract. Contracts may be written or verbal. You may initiate or inherit a contractual agreement. What most contracts have in common is that there are usually two parties. Each party may be an individual or a group. The contract will usually include a purpose, conditions, benefits for adhering to the conditions, and consequences for failing to meet them. What God established at Mt. Sinai is a type of contractual agreement called a covenant. This covenant was imposed by God upon the people of Israel, based on God's rescuing them from slavery in Egypt. Its purpose was to establish a unique relationship between the nation and God. Its conditions were adherence to its specified regulations. Among the many benefits to the people were physical and mental health, security within their borders, and renown among the nations. The consequences for breaking the covenant included famine, exile and death. It is essential when relating to a covenant or contract that we understand our current relationship to it. If a contract is time limited, it is no longer in force after the stipulated ending date. I once had a six-month employment contract with a training facility. I could have gone there the day after the date of completion, but the work relationship established by the contract would no longer exist. Acting as if the contract was still in force would have caused considerable trouble. Contractual relationships can end for other reasons, depending on the details of the contract. This is all to say that it is not merely the existence of a contract that establishes its current status. The Sinai covenant is very specific as to the conditions of its enforcement. One does not have to read that much of the writings of the Nevi'im (Prophets) to be confronted by God's warnings due to the people's neglect of the covenant’s conditions. These warnings for the most part were not heeded and the covenant was broken. And if it is broken, it is no longer in force. Those who reject this notion, claiming that the Sinai covenant is eternal and its conditions are still binding, have introduced religious activities and concepts into the covenant. These things are intended as substitutes for foundational aspects of the covenant that have been lost, as in the case of the sacrifices. This is not to say that Israel has no covenant relationship with God. The earlier covenant made through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was unconditional and forever binding, but we won’t get into that here. Notice that I have not used the word Torah when referring to the Sinai Covenant even though the two are commonly spoken of interchangeably. Torah is actually the direction and teaching of God. It was through the Sinai covenant that God’s Torah was most extensively expressed up unto that time, which justifies referring to the covenant as Torah. But in reality expressions of God’s Torah have also been given prior to as well as following Sinai. Torah is actually both the direct commandments of God and his interpretations of those commands, whether expressed within the strict confines of the Sinai covenant or not. In so far as the Sinai covenant contains the revelation of God, we have much to learn from it. But to try to relate to it in the same way that it was intended for the people at that time, is to ignore the reality of both our ancient failure to truly keep it, and God’s provision through the Messiah as a result of our failure. TorahBytes God's Sacrifice "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand" (Isaiah 53:10). Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing a particular concern regarding Mel Gibson's upcoming film, "The Passion." Some people feel that the depiction of the Jewish people in the movie will result in increased anti-Semitism. My heart has been heavy as I have been reading a variety of articles addressing this issue. I find that on one hand there is, on the part of some Jewish people, a lack of understanding regarding the Gospel story, and on the part of Christians a lack of sensitivity to the centuries old abuse of the Jewish people in the name of Jesus and the Church. The Jewish people's understanding of the New Testament arises out of almost two thousand years of the Church's ongoing refusal to recognize the place of Israel in the plans and purposes of God. The result of this is a repulsion to anything from the New Testament. Since Christianity claims that this document is its authority, some conclude that it must be a book that promotes hatred toward the Jewish people. While many Christians have renounced the ancient anti- Semitic teachings of the Church, there is a tendency among Christians to think that the words of the New Testament can stand apart from years of misapplication. There is also a hesitancy to accept that, even among well-meaning people, there still is anti-Jewish sentiment in the church, both conscious and unconscious. Somehow we need to understand what was really going on in those last twelve hours of Yeshua's life, regardless of Mel Gibson's or anyone else's version. Last week we looked at how since Yeshua died for the sins of the world, we are all to blame for his death. But that is not the whole truth. The Old and New Testaments are clear that the mission of the Messiah was a mission of sacrifice. Because of our need of reconciliation with our God, he himself determined to meet that need by sending his own Son as a perfect and effective sacrifice for sin. God used our intolerance of godliness as the instrument of sacrifice. Our rejection of the Messiah is in keeping with human nature, but God knew what he was getting into when he sent Yeshua. Yeshua fully cooperated with God's plan. He himself declared: "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father" (John 10:16,18). The giving up of Yeshua’s life was initiated by God, because he loves us. It was his death that opened the way for us to receive eternal life. Therefore we have no right to blame anyone or any one people group for Yeshua’s death. Once we realize that it is for each one of us that he gave himself, then each one of us may find ourselves able to accept our responsibility for his rejection. Truah/TorahBytes Parsha: Yitro (Exodus 18-20) Family Parsha Yitro 5764 By: Nesanel Safran We are being watched. The way we act sets an example for those around us. When the Jewish people were given the Torah, they were called upon to be a 'nation of priests' by setting a good example through their upright behavior for the rest of the world to emulate and grow from. Each of us as individuals also has the chance to set a good example for others by living by our values and doing what's right. In our story, a girl learns that her choices affect more than just herself. "CLOSING UP SHOP" "Shira, are you sure your parents left?" my friend, Dina, asked me with a conspiratorial grin. "Absolutely. I just saw the car pull out," I answered, as I typed the special code scribbled on a piece of paper into the computer's keyboard. I knew my parents really didn't like me to use the computer when they weren't home, and they said that since I was the oldest, I should set an example by not using it when they weren't home to supervise. But it just wasn't fair. I could understand why the younger kids shouldn't go online alone, but what did it have to do with me? After all, I was careful not to break anything, and I almost always visited only the websites on their approved list. That's why I didn't think it was so bad for my friend and me to play a couple of games on a rainy, boring afternoon. We found an amazing game called Shopping Spree, where they give you a million dollars and take you on a virtual shopping tour through the world's most elegant stores and boutiques, and were having a great time. Then we both got a severe case of the munchies, and decided that only real - and not virtual - chocolate double-crunch cookies would fill the bill. So we put the game on temporary pause, and told Joanie, my kid sister, not to touch it while we braved the weather to make a quick dash to the not-so-elegant corner mini-market to get the goods. The trip took a bit longer than expected, as we ran into a couple of friends and just had tochat. We dashed home, looking forward to virtual visiting the boutiques of London, or were we up to Paris? But as I got close to our front door, I heard some unfamiliar music playing. I quietly walked into the den, and there was Joanie and two of her friends with their eyes glued to the computer! They were watching some kind of video that while it didn't seem so terrible, certainly wasn't the kind of thing that our parents, and even I, for that matter, thought kids her age should be watching. "Hey, what's going on!?" I nearly screamed. Joanie and her friends jumped from surprise, but then my sister gave me a kind of confused look, and said, "What's the problem? Why are you yelling like that?" I started going into a long speech about how she knows she isn't allowed to use the computer without first checking with Mom or Dad, and how she wasn't being trustworthy, and on and on. But Joanie didn't look impressed, or even regretful. She just looked me right in the eye and said, "Well, you do it Shira, don't you?" Her words hit me like a bullet. "Yeah, well ... but um, that's different ... that's not the point ... um..." As I stuttered and stammered and tried to think of an answer, I realized that there wasn't one. The little squirt was right; I had really been doing exactly the same thing I was telling her not to do. And not only that, without knowing it, I had been teaching her to follow my example and do the same thing. I felt awful and didn't know what to do. Then it hit me. If I could set a bad example, I could set a good one too, though it wasn't going to be easy for me. I swallowed hard and said, "Joanie, you're right. I did it, but not any more. I admit it was a big mistake." With that, I pulled out my paper with the special code, (which Joanie knew how important it was to me) and in front of everybody, ripped it into 20 pieces, and shut down the computer. Joanie's eyes opened wide and I saw that I had made my point, and felt great. "But what about London?" Dina protested meekly. I smiled and said, "We'll just have to wait for my parents to come home, or until then, save our shopping sprees for the corner mini-market from now on." Aish.com BE MY VALENTINE You’ve likely signed a letter with Xs and Os. Have you ever wondered where the idea came from? Copyright 2004 / Leslie A Turvey Valentine day is one of those nice warm fuzzy days, a seeming innocent celebration honouring love and romance. It’s one of the days the mercantile community perpetuates to improve their bottom line.Where did valentine day come from, and who was this saint called Valentine? There are at least three – some sources say seven – different saint Valentines, whose lives were mixed together to form one legend. They include a Roman priest, a bishop, and a young man who helped Christians during a time of persecution. He was beheaded on February 14, 269 A.D. for refusing to worship the Roman gods. One legend says the youthful Valentine restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter, and on the eve of his death wrote her a farewell note signed, "From your Valentine." The ancient Roman church often replaced pagan gods and goddesses with Christian saints. Sometimes these saints actually existed; in other cases the story of a Roman god or goddess was cleaned up and Christianized. A biography was created so they would appear to have been real human beings. Valentine, an imaginary Christian, was apparently composed of the features of various love-gods and godesses including Juno Februata, Eros, Cupid, and Priapus, and was proclaimed the patron saint of lovers. The crocus, which flowers about mid-february is Valentine’s flower, so save your money fellas: be politically correct and give her crocuses instead of roses. February was sacred to Juno Februata, the goddess of the febris (fever) of love. February 14, the day before the Roman festival of sexual license, the Lupercalia, was her festive day. During the Lupercalia eligible girls placed their names in an urn and the bachelors drew them out. The couple would form a liaison for the erotic games to follow, and paired off until the next Lupercalia festival. He wore her name on his sleeve, and was duty-bound to attend and protect her. Guess where the expression "wear your heart on your sleeve" came from. French and English literature of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries contain allusions to similar practices. Those who chose each other under such circumstances called each other their valentines. In an attempt to abolish the custom several Roman catholic priests substituted the names of the girls with the names of saints. The young men and women were expected to emulate the life of the saint whose name they had drawn. It was soon apparent, however, the public preferred the old ways. Love letters are often signed with a string of Xs to represent kisses, but why? Years ago those who couldn’t write marked documents with an X to represent their name. In the presence of witnesses the X was kissed to show sincerity. An X then became synonymous with a kiss. The idea of Valentine day is admirable – love – but the entire concept of the day is unchristian, and too often translates to erotic and sexual practices, especially among the youth. In most cases the values of true love are cast aside in favour of lust. In so doing more honour is given to an imaginary mortal named Valentine, than to the source of true love, our heavenly father, God. Considering the chicanery, contrived legends, and eroticism involved in valentine day, it certainly seems time for Christians to stop observing it.If God wanted such celebrations he would have told is in his holy word. But the only celebrations he commands for Christians are catalogued in Leviticus 23. Spend some time there: you’ll be amazed at what you discover.Leslie A Turvey A servant of the only true and living God MB UPDATES Greetings Saints In His Perfect Peace, We hada wonderful day at the Mission on Friday. kathy fed dozens of Egg and cheese sandwiches. Then of course we went through many donuts and coffee. Everyone was very glad to see me back and expressed concern over my health. We need stockinghats bad at the Mission. I was able to but 20 from Wal-Mart because they had a sale and there was $10 in pay-pal I was able to use. You see for $10 I got 20 hats they are on sale right now for $.50 per hat. I would like to be able to but up the rest I guess they might have 40 more. But I will have to wait on some donations. The Family that said they would Bless us this month has started sending money but two things one I need to save gas and the next thing is brakes for the mercy van. The Father is blessing them for what they are doing as the below is from them...... Blessings, I wanted to let you know that since we made this dicision to bless your minisrty we have had 1079.00 come in from outside resources and this is a real blessing for us. You can not out give the Lord and the lessons I have learned have been life changing. There is great liberty when being obedient to the Lord.My wife and I just want to serve Him and we love the Lord more and more each day, Blessings, This makes us real happy for them. The more I pray about the talk radio offer I posted the better I feel about it. I am praying some people will come forward with donations for this. Monthly supporters. It will be like a radio talk program. I will suggest a subject each week and then they will handle the call in numbers. Yes you will be able to listen and call in yourself!!!!! So this will help out ministry greatly. I think it will also being in more donations for the Mission. This is a desire of the type program I have wanted for sometime. We must come up with $430 to start with. Then it will be $185. a month there after but I am praying that either I will get some people who will support the airtime monthly or I am able to raise a few more months to start so I it will have a chance to take care of it's self. Please pray about this. I do not want anthing that you normally send or are sending directed away from what you already send it for. The Father must provide through a specific doantion for it. Please pray about this.I got a good teaching tape about Blood covenants made this week from the Mission. I will make availble on-line soon...It has some things that will clarify some major parts of the Word to you...... The Newsletter mail out has went out! Another Blessing! Please pray about supporting this work, you can online by the links or by the mailing address. I pray this is a good month. Our family had a Good Sabbath I hope you did to. I was really blessed with getting some extra time with my wife who happens to be the other half of me. I am so blessed by the Lord to have her. The FATHER bless thee and keep thee;The FATHER make His face shine upon thee,and be gracious unto thee;The FATHER lift up his countenance upon thee,and give thee shalom. (peace)Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26 In Yeshua's Name, Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch Shalom In Yeshua Our Messiah, Friday Kathy made 3 dozen egg & Cheese sandwiches and there were plenty of donuts throughout the day but not many came as it was the first week of the month. Dan was down with the flu Tuesday and for the very first time since we started he couldn't go. I set out beans to send but when he didn't go I made them into chili. When I went to load the chili Friday to my surprise it was spoiled so I had to throw it out. I went to our freezer and grabbed three bags of chicken breast to sent with Dan so Kathy could make chicken-n-noodles. OOPS she BOO BOO'd she put macaroni in instead of noodles so we had Chicken Mac, mashed potatoes,green beans and bread-n-butter. It was very good and all but a few servings was eaten. Kathy baged the remains in quart size bags and stuck them in the freezer for late walk ins that we have occasionally. Grandpa is out of the hospital and back at home. Kathy said her back wasn't hurting like it had been that it mostly hurt at night. The newsletters were all mailed out Friday so many of you should of recieved them by now. We need blankets, large & xtra large coats,socks, gloves and stocking hats. Walmart has a clearance on stocking hats 50 cents a piece. Bills will be coming in next week again and we really need a better printer for the Ministry. I print out Torah portions weekly for the prison ministry besides all the other things we print. The printer we have catches the paper and pulles it down into the printer causeing ink to spill out on the paper and the print to overlap making it unreadable and wasting the expensive ink. Pray about supporting this work Yahweh will let you know if and where He wants you to help.Blessings to you all Thanks for your Love, Prayer and support. Stay warm and in His Word ! Shalom Last weeks Answers:1. Who was made mute because he did not believe the words of Gabriel regarding his wife's pregnancy?A. Zacharias Luke 1: 18-20 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Question & Passage How old was Abraham when Isaac was born?. Find This Passage: Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?with much love sisterlinda Mark 9:23,10:27 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible

ANSWERS DO NOT INCLUDE:

How old was Abraham when Isaac was born? A. 100, Genesis 21:5 5: And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him

John 5:39-47 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 41 I receive not honour from men. 42: But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 43: I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. 44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?with much love sisterlinda Mark 9:23,10:27 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible