You may recall that the Hebrews were said to be building the storage cities of Pithom and Rameses. You can read this in …

Exo 1:11 So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Problem. We have studied that the Hebrews left Egypt in 1446 B.C. and Rameses the Great (a.k.a. as Rameses II), the supposed pharaoh of the Exodus as per the late date (the wrong date) did not come to power until 1279 B.C. reigned until 1213 B.C. So there are no cities named Rameses in the Nile Delta in 1446 B.C. The city, later called Rameses, is called Avaris in the 15th century B.C., the time of the Exodus. You can visit this site today. It is called Tel el-daba. So, what’s going on?

Also, in this lesson, we deal with the city of Dan in the days of Abraham. The events in chapter 15 are close to 2091 B.C. when Abraham and Sarah entered Canaan. The city of Dan was named by the tribe of Dan – Dan is the son of Jacob the grandson of Abraham – when they moved north and captured the city of Laish (pronounced Lay Esh). This is clear when we read …

Jdg 18:29 They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel; however, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

So, Abraham comes to a city called Dan, as we read in the Bible, and the city of Dan is not even there yet! This is nuts! What is going on? Is the Bible wrong? Was it written later in 3rd or 2nd century B.C.? We need to find out and again show the truthfulness of the Bible.

In lesson 30 in Genesis 15 we then come across this verse …

Gen 14:17 Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

Who is this guy? There are some who say it’s Jesus! That’s crazy. Some rabbis say it is Shem or the son of Shem the son of Noah. Consider a few references from ancient Jewish (non-biblical) literature …

• Melchizedek was Shem the son of Noah, a priest most high." (Pirke De Rabbi Eliezari)
• "And Melchizedek is Shem, the son of Noah." (Rashi, Commentaries, Genesis 14:18)
• "And Melchizedek is Shem, the son of Noah." (Talmud, Tr. Nedarim32)

That Melchizedek is Shem or his son is a major error since Melchizedek is the king of Salem. Salem is probably Jerusalem. At this time when Abraham and Melchizedek meet, Salem is a Jebusite city. The Jebusites are a clan of the pagan Canaanites. The rabbis show they dismiss real history and make up their own opinions which are in total conflict with historical truth.

So, who is this guy? Not Jesus. Not Shem. Not the son of Shem. How do we understand this enigmatic Bible character?

Come and join us in lesson 30. Come and do what your Lord commanded you to do if you are a TRUE Christian, a real disciple of Rabbi Yeshua.

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - click here for the teacher's background

AUDIO SESSION

Jacob wants out and wants to go home. It has been 14 years serving his crooked uncle Laban just for Rachel. Well, Jacob has Rachel and Leah and 11 strong boys and 1 beautiful daughter, Dinah. Time to go home.

To settle up Jacob seems to use a weird way of making sheep have spotted lambs. If they are spotted Jacob gets those and Laban the rest. The story shows that the sheep had more spotted lambs and Jacob's flocks grew immense. The International Varsity Press Bible Commentary of the Old Testament suggests that the method Jacob uses is just folklore. It was something that those in the ancient near east believed worked but modern genetics shows it does not. Here's the commentary from the International Varsity Press Bible Commentary of the Old Testament.

Gen_30:32-33. sheep breeding. The coloring chosen by Jacob (dark lambs and variegated goats) generally made up a very small proportion of the herd. Jacob seems to be settling for a share that was far smaller than usual, in that contracts of the day designated sometimes as much as 20 percent of new births for the shepherd (Bedouin studies today suggest that 10 percent is common). Byproducts (wool, milk products) are not mentioned here, but a percentage of those were also often part of the shepherd's compensation. Gen_30:37-43. use of rods. Jacob's solution to Laban's treachery contains elements of scientific breeding and folklore tradition. Clearly, shepherds would have been aware of the estrus cycle of their sheep (which runs from June to September), and observation would have demonstrated that breeding healthy animals would produce vigorous lambs. What is not scientific, however, is the principle that certain characteristics (coloration in this case) can be bred for through visual aids. The stripped rods which Jacob places before the troughs of the sheep cannot genetically affect the sheep. This type of sympathetic magic is found in many folk traditions (including modern tales of colors worn by a mother determining the sex of her child). It plays a part in the trickster theme of this narrative and is reflective of a culture which depended on a mixture of magical and commonsense methods to produce results. (The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament Copyright © 2000 by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas)

But, Jacob says something in Gen. 30:33 that most of us would miss. It is an awesome statement and it implies Jacob says from now on he will be honest and righteous so that this will come back to him in the future. In essence Jacob is saying "what goes around comes around." This concept among the people of the Middle East is called, "Measure for Measure" or in Hebrew

מדה קנגד מדה

Meedah K'negged Meedah

This one verse is an awesome teaching that the Lord is giving us. It takes us to Jesus and even to Paul. It is a characteristic of a true disciple of our rabbi Jesus.

Lois Tverberg, an awesome Bible scholar and author of key books on being a disciple of Jesus our "rabbi" has an excellent article on the concept of measure for measure. Here's the link -

https://ourrabbijesus.com/articles/jesus-jewish-logic-measure-for-measure/#:~:text=Jesus%E2%80%99%20Jewish%20Logic%3A%20Measure%20for%20Measure%20July%2028%2C,mee-dah%29%2C%20which%20means%2C%20literally%2C%20%E2%80%9Cmeasure%20corresponding%20to%20measure.%E2%80%9D

So come and study with us. Come and consider מדה קנגד מדה MeedahK'neggedMeedah or measure for measure and again see how all scripture testifies of Jesus as He taught in John 5:39.

Who is this guy, Rev. Ferret?

Ferret - teaching at the temple of Augustus ar Omrit in the Galilee)

What's his background? Why should we take time to listen to him? Here's a link to check out his background ... - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

The Hebrews go deeper and deeper into the wilderness of Sinai. To the Egyptians, and the Hebrews who had assimilated into the Egyptian worldview and culture, this was considered the area of death, disorder, danger, confusion, evil or in ancient Egyptian IZFIT. Sometimes translated into English as CHAOS. Only the narrow area of fertile around on either side of the Nile was considered the place of truth, goodness, righteousness, life, harmony, prosperity, peace. The Egyptian word for this beautiful order is MA’AT. In Egypt the king, Pharaoh, was dedicated to preserving MA’AT – order and peace – and preventing IZFIT – chaos and death – for all Egyptians. The Egyptians looked to a man who must provide this order, harmony, prosperity, and truth. What’s interesting is that God, the God of the Bible, the LORD, Adonai who is known by His name, the tetragrammaton, יהוה, pronounced mistakenly as YAHWAY but probably should pronounced YAH VAY (no W sound in Hebrew), He brings His people into the Sinai wilderness. He purposely brings them into CHAOS, into what the Egyptians believe is the land of evil, death, disorder, and danger. Why? Why is the Lord doing this? In lesson 43 in Exodus 17 we face this issue and its lesson is for them THEN and for us NOW.

In this podcast I mentioned key lessons that are related to this podcast. If you are serious about Bible study. If you are serious about your interest in the end of days, the return of Jesus, and the day of the Lord. If you want to expand your knowledge of God’s word and to understand what Jesus meant when He said that all scripture testifies of Himself, these lessons are a must. These lessons provide an expansion of the ideas of how this chapter in Exodus is possibly connected to the end of days. In chapter 17 we study the attack of the Amalekites on Israel and Rephidim. We find this has amazing connections to the feast of Purim (pronounced “poo reem”) and again in Jesus’ day all they way to Rome, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union and finally to the end of days and the defeat of the ultimate evil one, the enemy of Israel, the church, the one who has been always anti-Christ and anti-God. The first link (see below) is to Truth Nugget #15 on the feast of Purim as related to the end of days and the return of Messiah Yeshua. The 2nd is the link to lesson 65 in the Torah series on Genesis where we study the origins of the conflict between Jacob and Esau, between those who are anti-Christ and those who are the chosen of God. The 3rd link is to the chapter in my book on the feast of Purim. This chapter provides more depth as its related to the Truth Nugget 15.

Link 1 – https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-15-vidcast-purim-not-by-chance-but-by-design/?token=bde2fde2d0c848fcba88d12d1f3354df

Link 2 – https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/genesis-65-gen-271-289-and-361-512-anti-israel-anti-torah-and-anti-christ/?token=bed70612df49352d1c8555ff1f4a1821

Link 3 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/lm0442r2glx4djh/Esther.Haman.Purim.Jesus.pdf?dl=0

Who is this guy, Rev. Ferret?

(Ferret - in the Elah Valley of the Shephelah of Israel)

What's his background? Why should we take time to listen to him? Here's a link to check out his background -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

We continue to study Rachel and Leah. The two wives of Jacob. Both women part of God’s continuing plan of redemption for Jew and Gentile in Messiah Yeshua. But how?

We see glaring differences in these two women. It is clear that Rachel is Jacob’s choice over Leah. Leah is not in a primary position in Jacob' eyes as her sister. The Hebrew is clear. The Hebrew word שָׂנֵא SAHNAY H8130 has the conceptual meaning of not being in first place and can even mean to hate or being hated. In Leah's case she is not hated but certainly not loved at the same level as Rachel.

In this God shows us again how He choses between one or another. One of these women is a picture of man’s choice and the other is a picture of God’s choice. It’s like Saul and David. Saul was handsome and strong and tall and macho. But, David. Not so. He was a young man and perhaps a pre-teen when David was anointed king. But there are glaring differences in Saul and David. One seems to be the way men would choose and the other is the way God chooses. This seems to relate to Rachel and Leah.

One goal of this series is to see how the Hebrews coming out of Egypt may have understood these events in Genesis 29 with Rachel and Leah. They are the first ones to hear God’s word written by Moses, the Torah. It is clear that they are the first audience. So, how does the story of Leah and Rachel relate to them. It has everything to do with the plant below …

This is ancient Mandrake plant that some call “love apples.” It supposedly is an ancient aphrodisiac or fruit when eaten that excites sexual desire. This was only a folk legend then and it is proven not to be an aphrodisiac. But, when the Hebrews hear about this in the story of Rachel and Leah, everything takes on a new aspect. God once again is teaching His elect, His “bride,” His chosen people He redeemed and delivered from the house of slaves, Egypt.

So, come let us return to Haran. Let us return to the tents of Jacob. Let’s return and go deeper in our understanding of the main books of the Bible in Jesus’ day. The books that testify of Yeshua HaMashiach, the Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Christ.

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?

(Ferret in Timna Park just north of Eilat Israel)

What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

AUDIO SESSION

We now come to Haran with יַעֲקֹב Ya'akov, or, as we know him, Jacob. He is now about to meet two great women of the Bible, Rachel and Leah. In this lesson we start considering each of these women and to study their traits and characteristics. One thing for sure is the creation of the state of Israel (which is Jacob's other name) all began because Jacob was so taken in by Rachel's physical attractiveness and beauty. God knew this. He knew the effect Rachel had on men. Clearly, God engineered the meeting at the well so that the rest of the story would unfold as per יְהֹוָה Yahvay's, the Lord's, plan.

So, Rachel was ravishing, a beauty of Haran, but Leah, what about her? Some say she had "weak" eyes. Some say Leah was hated. Some say Leah as less preferable than Rachel. Really? Once again if you only focus on the English and not the Hebrew we get the wrong ideas of Leah and the amazing lady she was. Moses, who wrote all this under God's inspiration, actually writes to show us that it is God, it is יְהֹוָה Yahvay, the Lord, that Leah recognizes right from the get go as she begins to have children by Jacob. But, how did Leah know the personal name of God? God said to Moses at the burning bush that not even Abraham or Isaac or Jacob, or anyone else for that matter, knew His personal name which was first revealed at Sinai. What's going on? We need to study this further.

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0