Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] The first rays of sunlight break over the hills surrounding Jerusalem. In the courts of the holy Temple, a lamb is placed upon the altar and its offering ascends toward heaven. Centuries later, the morning is quiet. A Jewish man wraps himself in a prayer shawl, opens his prayer book and begins to pray. The day passes. As the sun sinks below the horizon, another lamb is offered, just as God commanded.
[00:00:25] In another time, in another place, worshipers once again pause what they're doing, turn their hearts toward heaven, and begin the evening prayers. Separated by centuries, different places, different acts of worship. Or are they? What if these two scenes have been telling the same story all along? And what if uncovering that story could forever change the way you approach prayer? Let's discover why in this week's five Minute Torah.
[00:00:58] Shalom and Blessings from Shalom Macon, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect, and grow. I'm Darren, and before we get into five minutes of my five Minute Torah commentary, let's cover a few quick facts about this week's Torah portion. This week we are studying the 41st Torah portion and the eighth portion of the Book of Numbers. We're in the portion of pinchas, numbers 25, 10 through 30, verse one. And here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one. Women of courage. Zelophchad's daughters. And in a powerful display of faith and courage, five sisters, Machla, Noah, Kogla, Milcah, and Tirzah stepped forward to challenge Israel's inheritance laws. Their father, Zlofkad, died without sons, so they ask Moshe to grant them a portion in the Promised Land. God affirms their request, establishing a new legal precedent that allows daughters to inherit where there are no sons. Their courage not only preserves their family's inheritance, but also shapes the future of Israel's laws for generations to come.
[00:01:59] A New generation, Leadership and Legacy with the death of the wilderness generation, a new census is taken to prepare Israel for conquest and inheritance in the Promised Land. As Moses nears the end of his life, he asks God to appoint a successor. God chooses Yehoshua, son of Nun, a man filled with the spirit. Through a public transfer of authority, Moshe lays his hands on Yahushua before all Israel, commissioning him to lead the nation into its next chapter. As one generation gives way to the next, Israel is reminded that God's covenant purposes continue even as his servants change.
[00:02:36] Number three. Sacred time daily and festival offerings. The Torah portion closes with a detailed list of communal offerings for Shabbat or Rosh, Chodesh and the major festivals. These Sacrifices brought at specific times throughout the year, shaped Israel's rhythm of worship and kept the nation focused on God's covenant. By tying the worshiper to the calendar, God transformed ordinary days into reoccurring opportunities to remember his faithfulness and to celebrate his provision. Every week, people ask me how they can go deeper in the Torah. That's why I wrote the Five Minute Torah series. Each chapter is based on the weekly Torah portion and is designed to help you discover practical lessons, spiritual insights, and a fresh perspective that you can apply to your life immediately. They're short enough to read in just a few minutes, but meaningful enough to spark conversations that will last all week. If you're ready to see the Torah in a whole new way, pick up volumes 1, 2, or 3 of the 5 minute Torah today. This week's Torah commentary is called the Bulls of Our Lips and comes from my book, Five Minute Torah.
[00:03:39] This week's Torah portion begins by describing the Tamid offerings, the continual offerings. Two lambs. Every morning and late afternoon, they were offered up as whole burnt offerings in the holy Temple every single day. God considered these daily offerings very special. He lets us know that he desires them at specific times of the day, instructing the children of Israel, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time time. This is chapter, he said. They are my offering, my food offerings, my pleasing aroma. He considered them personal gifts from the children of Israel that He received twice daily, 365 days a year. Today, however, the Holy Temple does not stand in Jerusalem. Only its ruins remain. These offerings that are dear to the Lord can no longer be offered. So what can we do to ensure that we are bringing to God what He has asked in each day? With the destruction of the first Temple during the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people had this same dilemma. How are they supposed to continue giving to God what He required without a functioning temple? Fortunately, they came up with a solution. Our sages looked into the scriptures and realized that God had already provided them with the answer. Nearly 200 years before, the prophet Hosea had written, take with you words and turn to the Lord. Say to him, take away all iniquity.
[00:05:05] So will we offer the 12.
[00:05:08] This is Hosea 14:2.
[00:05:11] In other words, in the place where we would normally offer up bulls as whole burnt offerings, God would accept the offerings of our lips as an equivalent substitution. And if God accepted our prayers in place of whole burnt offerings, then prayer would also be the acceptable solution for for the daily offerings. Until the time when the holy Temple would be restored, prayer would now take on as much importance as these daily sacrifices.
[00:05:38] Therefore, just as the lambs were offered morning and evening each day, our prayers are offered at the same time that these lambs would have been slaughtered as a continuous offering before the Lord. As we can see, our daily prayers are intimately connected with the daily sacrificial services that took place place in the holy Temple and are a crucial component of everyday life. Therefore, we pray at specific times.
[00:06:03] Joining together with the community of Israel in one voice during these favorable times should be the bare minimum of our divine service of the heart. Together, we can be participants to ensure that God is receiving the very thing that these daily prayers connect us back to our ancient past, empower our present life, and help us to anticipate and emphasize epic future event when the Kingdom is restored to Israel and Messiah Yeshua sits upon his throne. Reigning from Jerusalem, Paul Philip Levertov said, if only all of Israel could pray correctly, then the Messiah would already be here revealed Kingdom May we be Kingdom participants in this important daily endeavor, and may we merit to see the return of our King. Super.
[00:06:51] If this idea of daily prayer feels both inspiring and a little intimidating, you're not alone. Many believers know prayer is important, but they've never been taught why the Jewish prayer service developed the way it did, or how it connects us to the rhythm of worship established in the Torah. That's exactly why I wrote my upcoming book, Lost in Prayer. It's an invitation to rediscover the beauty, purpose and joy of daily prayers not as empty rituals, but as a way of drawing near to to God and joining our voices with this.
[00:07:23] So keep an eye out for the official announcement for its release around the first week of August. I can't wait to share it with you, and I truly hope it becomes a companion that enriches your prayer life for years to come.
