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Todays Parsha #53: Haazinu (Give ear/listen)

Special Teaching, Moedim/Tishri 2015 Schedule
For more information, please see the 2015 Calendar under Other Resources and then
Calendar Tab. This schedule will be in the Notes throughout the Set-Apart season.
Please note Feasts and other Moedim run sunset to sunset.
(Bonus Audio, Video and Written Teachings Will be Available for the Following):
Friday, September 11th Nitzvaim Torah Portion
September 11-14Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanna Special (Feast: 9/13- 9/14)
Friday, September 18thVayelech Torah Portion with Shabbat Shuvah readings1
September 18-21Yom Kippur Special (Fast: 9/22-9/23)
Friday, September 25thHaazinu Torah Portion
September 25-27Sukkot Special Part 1Days 1-2 (Feast begins: September 27th)
Friday, October 2nd Sukkot Special Part 2/Shabbat Chol Ha Moed2
October 2-5Sukkot Special Part 3Days 7-8/Simchat Torah-Ve-Zot Ha-Barachah
Friday, October 9thTorah Recycles to Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8)
Reminder: The Walking Dedicated Men Series!
Under Teachings and then Free Teachings please find the Walking Dedicated
Men videos for your review and consideration.
If you want to understand the Biblical calendar in a fresh and exciting new way, see how
going in chronological orderfrom Adam to Enoch to Noah and beyondreally helps
clarify many long-standing misconceptions. Who knew what and when did they know it?
Did we always use the moon or the sun and how do the stars factor in? If you have any of
these or other questions about the calendar, this series is for you! It is explained with
plenty of clear graphics, slide animation and without excessive technical jargon. Enjoy!
The latest installment Abraham Counts the Stars! is now up, along with these
others:
Adams Calendar Revelation Part 1
Adams Calendar Revelation Part 2
Enochs Calendar Revelation
Noahs Two Calendars, Part 1
Noahs Two Calendars, Part 2
Jobs Star Catalog
Abraham Counts the Stars!

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1

Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Returning, will have the normal Vayelech portion but Haftorah and NT
readings are replaced: Hosea 14:2-10, Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-17 and Hebrews 4:1-8.
2
Special readings for this Shabbat in the middle of the Feast: Exodus 33:12-34:26; Ezekiel 38:18-39:16;
Yochanan 7:1-36.

PART 1: THE LAST AND CURRENT TORAH PORTIONS

1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Haazinu means give your ears or listen. It is the opening stanza of Moshes last
song that he spoke of at the end of the previous portion. Although the language is
poetic, the graphic imagery is meant for easy remembrance and its warnings are
definitely LITERAL. There is no other poetry done as well in Tanakh except perhaps
Job 38-42.
Please understand that my intention here is to prepare you for the rigors of these SetApart days, not necessarily do all the readings for you. I want to lay a firm foundation
in terms of plain spoken meanings of the text and historical context but the actual
efforts I cannot do for another person.
2) Parsha (English-Deuteronomy 32:1-52). This week we will read the entire
portion.
3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.
4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:
HAAZINU (32:1) = give your ears (literal) or listen well.
LEKACH (32:2) = lesson, denotes an oral teaching. However, that doesnt meant it wont
be preserved in the written Torah later, as this clearly was.
KI SHEM YAHWEH EKRA (32:3) = when I shall proclaim YHWHs name. Rabbis
have twisted this to say YHWHs teachings because His Name is under the ban. EKRA
(proclaim, call) can also mean read which implies that we are to both shout out and
write down YHWHs Name.
HATZUR TAMIM PAOLO (32:4) = Literally: The Rock, perfect are His Deeds. Others
idiomatically render the rock as Mighty One or Elohim, as Septuagint translates.
Also appears in 32:18 and 32:31.
SHICHET (32:5) = destruction. From Bibleort.org: (Ralbag; Malbim; HaKethav
VeHaKabbalah). Literally, 'Destruction to Him not His children their defect.' Or, 'They
have hurt themselves, not Him, faulted children' (Targum); 'The defect of His nonchildren is that they have been corrupt to Him' (Ibn Ezra; Ramban; Sforno); 'They were
corrupt to Him, not [like] children; this is the defect of the warped and twisted generation'
(Saadia; cf. Lekach Tov); 'They have been corrupt, not Him, it is His children's defect'
(Ralbag); 'The ones who have corrupted His [name] are not His children because of their
defect' (Abarbanel); 'Is destruction His? No! It is the fault of His children' (Moreh
Nevukhim 3:12; Chizzkuni); 'Have they corrupted Him? No. It is [merely] their own
defect' (Abarbanel); 'He destroyed His non-children, but it was their own fault'

(Chizzkuni); 'Their defect has corrupted it so that they are no longer His children'
(Hirsch); or, 'They were corrupt, not [pleasing] Him, defective children' (Septuagint).
HEVEL (32:9) = lot, but can also mean rope.
YELEL (32:10) = can mean parched which is the probable meaning, but also
howling, perhaps a reference to the winds blowing sand.
NACHAH (32:12) = guided, but also can mean to give rest. So perhaps YHWH did
both, i.e. guided them to rest/comfort.
YESHURUN (32:15) = the one who sees, or according to others, the upright one (from
Yashar). Septuagint renders it the beloved one meaning Israel.
TAHPUCHOT (32:20) = reverses itself. Literally, to go the adverse direction off of the
right road. Perverse in other words.
VELO EL (32:21) = and no-Elohims. However the root of el is also mighty ones so
it could read and those of no power; also see Galatians 4:8.
PAAH (32:26) = literally corner or to remove them from every corner, banish, utterly
destroy wherever they are.
VEAMAR EY ELOHEYMO TSUR CHASAYU VO = (32:37) = Elohim will say,
Where is THEIR ROCK in whose power they trusted? This brings new meaning to on
this rock I will build my assembly, with Yshua calling all back to proper worship in
part through Peter but most especially through Torah observance.
CHAY ANOCHI LEOLAM (32:40) = I am Life forever or I am Life everywhere (i.e. for
the universe).
PAROTH (32:42) = can be related to Pharaoh or to having long hair.
VAYAVO MOSHE VAYEDABAR (32:44) = Moshe came and proclaimed (this song).
He actually does this three times, in Deuteronomy 31:22 to those around him,
Deuteronomy 31:28 to the elders and Deuteronomy 31:30 to all of Israel.
ASHER ANOCHI MEID BACHEM HAYOM (32:46) = that I warn before you today,
but literally, I bear witness. See notes for Deuteronomy 6:4 on how the WITNESS is
embedded in the Masoretic text for the words of the Shema.
HAYOM HAZEH (32:48) = that very day. Some rabbis think this references the noon
time on the day of Moshes death and birth where all these things are being proclaimed
from 32:1 to the end of the book.
END PART 1

PART 2: Spotlight Teaching on the Ark of the Covenant!

Bonus Teaching:
Isaiah, Jeremiah and the Location of the Ark of the Covenant!
Introduction: Not in Jerusalem
(Jer 3:16) And it shall be, when you have increased, and shall bear fruit in the
land in those days, declares , that they no longer say, The ark of the
covenant of . Neither would it come to heart, nor would they remember it,
nor would they visit it, nor would it be made again. (Jeremiah 3:16-17 TS 1998)
This line from Jeremiah suggests a few things. First, that he may know where the Ark
is, or he wouldnt sound so sure it would never be remembered again and second, that
wherever the Ark of the Covenant is, it is not in Jerusalem or Israel proper.
Later on, we will see the exact circumstances that drove the Ark out of the city, but
even if it somehow stayed, the antechamber it might have been inper Ron Wyatt
and others who have suggested suchwould surely have been destroyed by Babylon
or Rome. In both cases, the destruction levels went down well below the foundations,
which were completely overthrown, with fire and other damages so total that any said
antechamber would have been destroyed and the Ark, assuming it did survive, would
simply be irretrievable from its current position. Therefore, I am quite happy to report
the Ark was most certainly taken out of Jerusalem long before Nebuchadnezzar
invaded. Just how long ago, under what circumstances and where it may be now are
the subjects of this essay.
The timing of this prophecy by Jeremiah is also very important. Old Testament
Survey (Eerdmans: 1982, p. 482) by William Sanford LaSor dates this in harmony
with the vast majority of Biblical scholarship as having been uttered between 627 and
621 BCE. At that same time, King Josiah is on the throne of Judah, and in his 18th
year, 622 BCE, the following happens:
(2Ch 35:1) And Yoshiyahu (Josiah) performed a Passover to in
Yerushalayim, and they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first
month. (2Ch 35:2) And he set the priests in their duties and strengthened them for
the service of the House of , (2Ch 35:3) and said to the Lwites who were
teaching all Yisral, who were set-apart to , Put the set-apart ark in the
house which Shelomoh son of Dawid, sovereign of Yisral, built. It is no
longer to be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve your Elohim and His
people Yisral, (2Ch 35:4) and prepare by the fathers houses, according to your
divisions, by the writing of Dawid sovereign of Yisral and by the writing of
Shelomoh his son. (2Ch 35:5) And stand in the set-apart place by the divisions
of the fathers houses of your brothers the lay people, and the portion of the
fathers house of the Lwites.

(2Ch 35:6) And slaughter the Passover, and set yourselves apart, and prepare for
your brothers, to do according to the word of by the hand of Mosheh.(2Ch
35:7) And Yoshiyahu gave the lay people lambs and young goats from the flock,
all for Passover offerings for everyone present, to the number of thirty thousand,
and three thousand cattle these were from the sovereigns possessions.
(2Ch 35:8) And his leaders contributed a voluntary offering to the people, to the
priests, and to the Lwites. Hilqiyah, and Zekaryahu, and Yehil, leaders of the
House of Elohim, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six
hundred, and three hundred cattle; (2Ch 35:9) and Konanyahu, his brothers
Shemayahu and Nethanl, and Hashabyahu and Yeil and Yozabad, chiefs of
the Lwites, gave to the Lwites for Passover offerings five thousand, and five
hundred cattle. (2Ch 35:10) And the service was prepared, and the priests stood
in their places, and the Lwites in their divisions, according to the command of
the sovereign, (2Ch 35:11) and they slaughtered the Passover. And the priests
sprinkled out of their hands, while the Lwites were skinning.
(2Ch 35:12) And they removed the burnt offerings, to give them to the divisions
of the fathers houses of the lay people, to bring to , as it is written in the Book
of Mosheh, and the same with the cattle.
(2Ch 35:13) So they roasted the Passover offerings with fire according to the
right-ruling, and they boiled the set-apart offerings in pots, and in cauldrons, and
in bowls, and brought them speedily to all the lay people. (2Ch 35:14) And
afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the
sons of Aharon, were offering burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Lwites
prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aharon.
(2Ch 35:15) And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according
to the command of Dawid, and Asaph, and Hman, and Yeduthun the seer of the
sovereign. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their position,
because their brothers the Lwites prepared for them.
(2Ch 35:16) And all the service of was prepared that day, to perform the
Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of , according to the
command of Sovereign Yoshiyahu. (2Ch 35:17) And the children of Yisral
who were present performed the Passover at that time, and the Festival of
Unleavened Bread for seven days. (2Ch 35:18) There had not been a Passover
performed in Yisral like it since the days of Shemul the prophet. And none of
the sovereigns of Yisral had performed such a Passover as Yoshiyahu
performed, with the priests and the Lwites, and all Yehudah and Yisral who
were present, and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim. (2Ch 35:19) In the
eighteenth year of the reign of Yoshiyahu (622 BCE) this Passover was
performed.

What this passage of Scripture tells us is that the Ark of the Covenant was not in its
expected place. King Josiah then had assumed the priests had temporarily hidden it in
some antechamber, perhaps underground as some Jewish tradition suggests, but the
reality is quite different: The priests had already taken the Ark out of the country! The
question is: Why? The answer, I believe, has to do with Josiahs grandfather, Manasseh,
who was the most evil king either Judah or Israel every produced:
(2Ch 33:1) Menashsheh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned fifty-five years in Yerushalayim. (2Ch 33:2) But he did evil in the eyes of
, according to the abominations of the gentiles whom dispossessed from
before the children of Yisral. (2Ch 33:3) For again he rebuilt the high places
which Hizqiyahu his father had broken down, and raised up altars for the Baals,
and made Ashrim, and bowed himself to all the host of the heavens and served
them.
(2Ch 33:4) And he built altars in the House of , of which had said, In
Yerushalayim is My Name, forever.(2Ch 33:5) And he built altars for all the
host of the heavens in the two courtyards of the House of .
(2Ch 33:6) And he made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of
Hinnom, and practiced magic, and used divination and witchcraft, and consulted
mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of , to provoke Him.
(2Ch 33:7) And he placed a carved image of the idol which he had made, in
the House of Elohim, of which Elohim had said to Dawid and to Shelomoh
his son, In this house and in Yerushalayim, which I have chosen out of all
the tribes of Yisral, I put My Name forever, (2Ch 33:8) and no more shall I
remove the foot of Yisral from the soil which I have appointed for your fathers
only if they guard to do all that I have commanded them, according to all the
Torah and the laws and the right-rulings by the hand of Mosheh.
(2Ch 33:9) Thus Menashsheh led Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim
astray, to do more evil than the gentiles whom had destroyed before the
children of Yisral.
In the last five years of his reign however, Manasseh was seized and brought into
Babylon for a time, and this crisis forced him to humble himself before Abba YHWH.
Manasseh prayed and repented of his sins and, while Abba YHWH heard him and
restored him to power, the damage was already done.
I believe the event bolded and underlined above, the placing of an idol where the Ark
rested, simply could not be tolerated by priests still loyal to Abba YHWH. They
remembered well the plagues the Ark inflicted on the Philistines when it had been taken
to their temple to Dagon, their fish Elohim. They may have also linked the Ark to the
destruction of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers who were camped on King Hezekiahs doorstep,
and that was without the Ark directly being threatened.

On the other hand, though Abba YHWH restored Manasseh and was later on very
pleased with King Josiah, Josiahs excellent deeds were not enough to compensate for
what Manasseh did:
25

No king before him turned to Yahweh as he did, with all his heart, all his soul, all
his strength, in perfect loyalty to the Law of Moses; nor did any king like him arise
again. 26 Yet Yahweh did not renounce the heat of his great anger which had
been aroused against Judah by all the provocations which Manasseh had caused
him. 27 Yahweh said, 'I shall thrust Judah away from me too, as I have already thrust
Israel; I shall cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the Temple of
which I have said: My Name shall be there.' 28 The rest of the history of Josiah, his
entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? (2
Kings 23:25-28 NJB)
That is why Abba YHWH also decided that Josiahs mercy would be to die in battle so
his eyes would never see his beloved Jerusalem fall. For now though the main point is
this: The latest time the Ark of the Covenant could have been taken out of Jerusalem was
622 BCE, Josiahs 18th year when he noticed the Ark was missing.
Setting the Range of its Disappearance
But if 622 BCE is the latest time the Ark could be in its rightful place, when was the
earliest time it could have been taken? The last certain direct reference to it was in
Solomons 20th year, or about 951 BCE, just after he married the daughter of Pharaoh (2
Chronicles 8:11).
In more recent years, some historians, not to mention a few ambitious Hollywood
screenwriters, dreamed up a scenario that the invading Pharaoh Shishak took the Ark in
Rehoboams 5th year, which is to say 926 BCE, and then relocated it back to Tanis, his
capital city. This was of course the theory advanced in the famous movie Raiders of the
Lost Ark, but in spite of the fact three Jewish scholarsGeorge Lucas, Steven
Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdanadvanced this idea, it has long since been discredited
in the scholarly community.
The chief reason why is simple: A careful reading of both 1 Kings 14 and Shishaks own
account of the campaign reveals he never entered Jerusalem to sack it. Instead, he seems
to have besieged the city for a short time and then advanced on it to collect a bribe
from Rehoboam to stop invading (1 Kings 14:25-31). The majority consensus now is that
Shishak did carry off a lot of Temple treasure, as both 1 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 11
suggests, but that it wasnt everything since Rehoboam picked what treasure to let go,
especially his famous silver shields, and with Rehoboam doing the picking it is extremely
unlikely he would give up the Ark if he didnt have to.

Furthermore, in spite of language like he carried off all the Temple treasure, Scripture
tells us plainly much of it survived intact in Jerusalem, because we also have treasure lists
of what went into captivity into Babylon.
But if the Ark of the Covenant did not go with Shishak, when exactly was the earliest
time it could have left Israel? The answer has to do with listening to a very special
prayer:
(Num 7:89) And when Mosheh went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him,
he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the lid of atonement
that was on the ark of the Witness, from between the two kerubim. Thus He
spoke to him.
(1Sa 4:4) And the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of
the covenant of of hosts, dwelling between the kerubim. And the two sons
of li, Hophni and Pinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of Elohim.
(2Sa 6:2) And Dawid rose up and went with all the people who were with him
from Baal Yehudah, to bring up from there the ark of Elohim, that is called
by the Name, the Name of Hosts, who dwells between the kerubim.
(1Ch 13:6) And Dawid and all Yisral went up to Baalah, to Qiryath Yearim of
Yehudah, to bring up from there the ark of Elohim, , who dwells between
the kerubim, where the Name is called on. (1Ch 13:7) And they placed the ark
of Elohim on a new wagon from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahyo
were leading the wagon.
(Psa 80:1) Give ear, O Shepherd of Yisral, Who lead Yosph like a flock; Who
dwell between the kerubim, shine forth! (Psa 80:2) Before Ephrayim,
Binyamin, and Menashsheh, Stir up Your might, And come and save us!(Psa
80:3) Cause us to turn back, O Elohim, And cause Your face to shine, That we
might be saved! (Psa 99:1) shall reign; Peoples tremble! He is enthroned on
the kerubim; The earth shakes! (Psa 99:2) is great in Tsiyon, And He is high
above all the peoples.
Paying particular attention to 2 Samuel 6:2, we see plainly the Ark itself acquired the
Name of Him Who dwelt near itYHWH of Hosts Who dwells between the kerubim.
The Ark became the physical embodimentmuch like the Burning Bushof the Spirit
of Abba YHWH on earth.
Furthermore, every time this phrase appears in the narrative or as a prayerHe who
dwells between the kerubimthe Ark is either directly present or it is from a time period
that we know it was still in Israel. The same is true of the last two references, Isaiah
37:16 and 2 Kings 19:15, which reference a particular historical event that can only
happen when the Ark is present:

(2Ki 19:14) And Hizqiyahu received the letters from the hand of the
messengers, and read them, and went up to the House of . And Hizqiyahu
spread it before . (2Ki 19:15) And Hizqiyahu prayed before , and said,
O Elohim of Yisral, the One who dwells between the kerubim, You are
Elohim, You alone, of all the reigns of the earth. You have made the heavens and
earth. (2Ki 19:16) Incline Your ear, O , and hear. Open Your eyes, O ,
and see. And hear the words of Sanhrib, which he has sent to reproach the living
Elohim. (2Ki 19:17) Truly, , the sovereigns of Ashshur have laid waste the
nations and their lands, (2Ki 19:18) and have put their mighty ones into the fire,
for they were not mighty ones, but the work of mens hands, wood and stone, and
destroyed them. (2Ki 19:19) And now, O our Elohim, I pray, save us from
his hand, so that all the reigns of the earth know that You are Elohim, You
alone.
Notice Hezekiah goes into the inner shrine and spreads the letters from the hands of the
messengers before YHWH, and then utters the line who dwells between the cherubim.
This can only mean Hezekiah put the letters on the Table of Displaytheres no other
place to put themand that same table is directly facing the Ark of the Covenant! Since
the phrase dwells between the cherubim is not said unless the Ark could be there
chronologically or is in fact mentioned directly as being there, the Ark had to still be in
Jerusalem on this occasion, when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah in 700
BCE.
So these details tell us the Ark was still in Jerusalem in 701 BCE, and yet it was not in its
proper place for King Josiah in 622 BCE, so obviously something terrible happened in
the intervening 81 years.
As we saw, that something was the entrenched and deadly paganism of Manasseh, which
forced the priests to at least get the Ark out of that evil kings clutches. The question was,
where could they take it to keep it safe?
Where Did it Go?
One prominent researcher, Graham Hancock, suggested the answer had to be Ethiopia. In
his 1994 book Sign and Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant, Hancock noted
that the Ethiopians have the oldest continuous form of Judaism on the planet; this
Judaism is very likely rooted in First Temple times and the State of Israel seemed to
agree, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the
1980s.
On these general points, I have no quarrel. Nor is there any doubt in my mind that the
Ethiopian cultures strong veneration of the Ark as a symbol in both its Jewish and
Christian population, its early legends about the Ark and their kings, point to some kind
of possible contact with Aaronic priests and possibly the Ark itself.

Hancock posits that during Manassehs rule, priests spirited the Ark first to Elephantine
island of the coast of Egypt because, according to his view, a Temple to Abba YHWH
with a sanctified altar and working priesthood resided there. Then, when the Temple
burned down, it was supposedly taken to Tania Kirkos, an island off of Ethiopias coast
near the Blue Nile.
The only problem with Hancocks theory is there is no hard evidence the Temple to
YHWH at Elephantine existed that early, and this is borne out by the prophet Isaiah:
(Isa 19:18) In that day five cities in the land of Mitsrayim shall speak the
language of Kenaan and swear by of hosts, one is called the City of
Destruction. (Isa 19:19) In that day an altar to shall be in the midst of the
land of Mitsrayim, and a standing column to at its border. (Isa 19:20)
And it shall be for a sign and for a witness to of hosts in the land of
Mitsrayim. When they cry to because of the oppressors, He sends them a
Savior and an Elohim, and shall deliver them.
The phrase City of Destruction which is ir-ha-heres in Hebrew is widely believed to be
a word play for what the Greeks call Heliopolis and what is otherwise known as ir-haheresa, that is the City of the Sun, the ancient Egyptian center for sun worship and
astronomical observation. Ezekiel also prophesied about the same city, known also as On
or Beth Shemesh, the House of the Sun (Jeremiah 43:13).
My point is this: Isaiah is saying a Temple to Abba YHWH will be built in Heliopolis,
and this does happen about six centuries later, but if there was already a Temple to
YHWH in Egypt at Elephantine when Isaiah made this prophecy in around 712 BCE
(20:1 refers to an uprising in Ashdod that took place in that year), wouldnt the prophet
have mentioned it, if only to distinguish it from the later one he is prophesying about?
Then between 712 and 585 BCE, it seems the five cities Isaiah prophesied about speaking
Hebrew do in fact arise, and Jeremiah comments on four of them when he is forced to go
to Egypt the year after the Jerusalem Temple is destroyed:
(Jer 44:1) The word that came to Yirmeyahu concerning all the Yehudim who
were dwelling in the land of Mitsrayim who were dwelling at Migdol, and at
Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the land of Pathros, saying, (Jer 44:2) Thus said
of hosts, the Elohim of Yisral, You yourselves have seen all the evil that I
have brought on Yerushalayim and on all the cities of Yehudah. And see, this day
they are a ruin, and no one dwells in them,(Jer 44:3) because of their evil which they
have done to provoke Me, by going to burn incense by serving other mighty ones
whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers.
Migdol, which is also the Hebrew word for tower was an Egyptian town near the Suez
Canalit may be the Jews actually founded that community and gave it its Hebrew
designation. Noph and Pathros are the Hebrew names for the old and new capitals of
Memphis and Thebes, respectively, and Tahpanhes is Tell Defenneh, a city about 20

10

miles southwest of Pelusium, also known in Scripture as Sin, in the eastern part of Lower
Egypt.
The point is, we see a clear establishment of these Jewish communities, four by
Jeremiahs time and the fifth, Heliopolis, is yet to be established as a center for Yahwistic
worship by Egyptian Jews.
However, wherever large numbers of Jews gathered there should have been in this period
some remnant of a priesthood with sanctified altars to service them, and so the Ark could
have come to one of these Jewish communities for safe keeping in the decades leading up
to the destruction of Solomons Temple.
On the other hand, it is also possible the fleeing priests from Manassehs day did go to
Ethiopia after all, but bypassed Elephantine Island on their way. In the context of the
time, a southwards journey, first overland to Egypt across the Sinai desert where trusted
Jews could help them and then loading the Ark on to a barge to float down to the source
of the Nile, best makes sense with the facts as we have them.
Once at the source of the Nile, I do believe the Ark was taken to Tania Kirkos, agreeing
with longstanding Ethiopian legends. The Aaronic priests then would have trained some
of the locals how to care for the Ark and do animal sacrifices, thus explaining the ancient
form of their Judaism that continues to exist today, as well as how that time might give
birth to various legends of the Ark still being in their country now.
Unlike their legends however, the Ark of the Covenant probably never made it further
into Ethiopia proper, so it was not taken to Axum to reside in the Church of Mount Mary
of Zion, as is often alleged by Hancock and others.
Not Returned to Judah?
What I believe happened instead is that the priests who fled Manasseh stayed with the
native Ethiopian converted Jews for a long time, perhaps two centuries or a little more,
but when they heard that by 516 BCE that the Temple in Jerusalem had been rebuilt and
restored, they must have considered returning home.
However, per Jeremiahs teaching, the people in Israel no longer needed nor remembered
the Ark as their religion had changed. In fact the prophet Haggai declared the following
about this new Temple without the Ark:
(Hag 2:7) And I shall shake all the nations, and they shall come to the Delight of all
the nations, and I shall fill this House with esteem, said of hosts. (Hag 2:8) The
silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares of hosts. (Hag 2:9) Let the
esteem of this latter House be greater than the former, said of hosts. And in
this place I give peace, declares of hosts.

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So with their own homeland seemingly not caring about the Ark, where could they take it
next? Surely not to other pagan nations like the emerging Persian Empire who would
have little idea what to do with it, and the Northern Tribes of Israel of course still had not
returned from their Assyrian captivity to care for it either. So the Aaronic priests
probably just bided their time in Ethiopia, waiting for a better opportunity.
A New Altar and Place for the Ark Rises at Elephantine
That opportunity came when the first altar dedicated to Abba YHWH was constructed in
Egypt, on Elephantine Island. While we dont know exactly when this Temple was built,
in the Letter to Bagoas dated to 407 BCE, the Jews were asking for assistance in
rebuilding parts of the structure that had been recently damaged. One statement in that
letter read in part:
'Now our forefathers built this temple in the fortress of Elephantine back in the
days of the kingdom of Egypt, and when Cambyses came to Egypt he found it
built. They (the Persians) knocked down all the temples of the Elohims of Egypt,
but no one did any damage to this temple.
The reference to when Cambyses came to Egypt is clearly about Cambyses II, the son
of Cyrus I of Persia, who ruled from 530 to 522 BCE, and this is the earliest certain date
for the Temples construction, although it is very easy to imagine that it could have been
built several decades earlier, in response to the flooding of Jewish exiles into Egypt after
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. This again brings us back to the possible force
behind building that Temple, Jeremiah himself!
(Jer 43:5) And Yohanan son of Qarah and all the commanders of the army
took all the remnant of Yehudah who had returned to dwell in the land of
Yehudah, from all nations where they had been driven (Jer 43:6) the men,
and the women, and the children, and the sovereigns daughters, and every
being whom Nebuzaradan, chief of the guard, had left with Gedalyahu son of
Ahiqam, son of Shaphan, and Yirmeyahu the prophet, and Baruk son of
Nriyahu. (Jer 43:7) So they went to the land of Mitsrayim, for they disobeyed
the voice of . And they went as far as Tahpanhes.
(Jer 43:8) And the word of came to Yirmeyahu in Tahpanhes, saying,
(Jer 43:9) Take large stones in your hand, and you shall hide them before the
eyes of the men of Yehudah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the
entrance to Pharaohs house in Tahpanhes. (Jer 43:10) Then you shall say to
them, Thus said of hosts, the Elohim of Yisral, See, I am sending, and I
shall bring Nebukadretstsar the sovereign of Babel, My servant. And I shall set
his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he shall spread his canopy
over them.
Jeremiahs advice to these exiles in Egypt is also very telling:

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(Jer 46:24) The daughter of Mitsrayim shall be put to shame. She shall be given
into the hand of the people of the north.(Jer 46:25) of hosts, the Elohim of
Yisral, has said, See, I am bringing punishment on Amon of No, and on
Pharaoh, and on Mitsrayim, and on their mighty ones, and on their sovereigns,
and on Pharaoh and on those trusting in him.
(Jer 46:26) And I shall give them into the hand of those who seek their lives,
into the hand of Nebukadretstsar sovereign of Babel and into the hand of his
servants. And afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares
.(Jer 46:27) But as for you, do not fear, O My servant Yaaqob, and do
not be discouraged, O Yisral! For look, I am saving you from afar, and
your descendants from the land of their captivity. And Yaaqob shall return,
and shall have rest and be at ease, with no one disturbing.
(Jer 46:28) Do not fear, O Yaaqob My servant, declares , for I am
with you. Though I make a complete end of all the gentiles to which I have
driven you, yet I do not make a complete end of you. But I shall reprove you in
right-ruling, and by no means leave you unpunished.
This passage suggests that some Jews will remain in Egypt, and if in fact they do stay
there for centuries on end they most certainly will need that Temple in Elephantine and
its accompanying priesthood to continue in Covenant. The same is true with their
Babylonian counterparts, as history shows that while many returned to Judah when the
captivity was concluded, about 90% stayed behind in that nation as well.
Therefore, if the Elephantine Temple was not built shortly after the destruction of the
First Jerusalem Temple, it must have been sometime in the next few decades after that
time. If we split the difference then from 585 (when Jeremiah and other exiles from Judah
arrived in Egypt) to 525 BCE (the approximate time Cambyses II would have seen that
Temple at Elephantine), we come to a middle average of about 555 BCE, give or take a
decade, for the most likely time for the Egyptian temple to Abba YHWH to arise. This
date fits in with all the primary evidence we have seen from Scripture and history.
And this is where we go back to Ethiopia. I believe that when the Aaronic priests heard
that a Temple to YHWH was now functioning in Egypt, that was their cue to get the Ark
off of Tania Kirkos Island, and float the Ark back up to the other end of the Nile and
eventually to that Jewish Temple.
Then, sometime after 350 BCE, the Temple at Elephantine fell into disuse and the Ark
went missing again for a time. Perhaps it stayed with prominent Jewish families in one of
the five cities Isaiah prophesied about, much as it had shifted from Shiloh to private
houses before being installed in a permanent house by Solomon. The probable demise of
this shrine was brought upon by a resurgence of the Elohim Khnum, which Egyptians
insisted they use the altar right next to the one dedicated to Abba YHWH.

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One Temple Dies, Another is Born, to House the Ark

About another two centuries later, just before the Maccabean Revolt in 171 BCE, another
Temple dedicated to Abba YHWH in Egyptthe one actually prophesied by Isaiah to be
rise in Heliopolisbegan to be built. The story begins when a potential high priest
named Onias is denied the opportunity to serve in that capacity in Jerusalem. This was
done despite the fact that Onias was from the right Aaronic family to be high priest and
the man who beat him out for that position was not.
In desperation then, Onias writes to King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, asking
for permission to build a Temple to Abba YHWH on the ruins of pagan temple that had
fallen into disrepair. The King and Queen, very much surprised by the request,
nevertheless give this response to Onias:
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``King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra to Onias, send greetings. We have read
your petition, wherein you desire permission to be given you to purge that temple
which is fallen down at Leontopolis, in the nome of Heliopolis, and which is
named from the country of Bubastis; on which account we cannot but wonder that
it should be pleasing to Elohim to have a temple erected in a place so unclean, and
so full of sacred animals. 71 But since you say that Isaiah the prophet foretold this
long ago, we give you permission to do it, if it may be done according to your
law, and so that we may not appear to have at all offended Elohim herein.'' 72 So
Onias took the place, and built a temple, and an altar to Elohim, like indeed to that
in Jerusalem, but smaller and poorer. I do not think it proper for me now to
describe its dimensions or its vessels, which have been already described in my
seventh book of the Wars of the Jews 73 However, Onias found other Jews like
himself, together with priests and Levites, that there performed divine service. But
we have said enough about this temple. (Antiquities, 13:70-73)
This Temple will actually stand until about 73 CE, when the Romans destroy it for fear
the Jews they just defeated will rally around the one remaining shrine. I believe the Ark
of the Covenant was in this Temple at least until that time, and in fact it could have been
hidden deep under the ground of what is now the modern city of Cairo today, and it could
still be there today, just waiting to be found.
Incidentally, the Onias Temple was apparently given a major endorsement by the Greek
editors of the Septuagint. While the first five books of the Torah were first translated into
Greek around 260 BCE, the rest of the Tanakh took place ata fairly leisurely place over
the next century and a half. By the time these editors got around to translating Isaiah 19,
they had decided to change the phrase City of Destruction which referred to Heliopolis
and its Jewish Temple to City of Righteousness (polis atsedek- -) and this
may even reflect an ancient Hebrew variant the Septuagint came from, since atsedek,
which is not the normal word in Greek for righteous seems to be derived from the
Hebrew word, tzedek, meaning the same thing.
Dead Sea Ark?

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Finally, there is one more possibility to discuss. It still remains possible that at some
point the Ark was taken out of Heliopolis and brought to the only other serviceable altar
dedicated to Abba YHWH: At Qumran.
At the end of the Maccabean Revolt, the original priests of Zadok who had served
continuously for 800 years from Davids time, were driven out into the desert by the
Hasmonean Kingdom, who wanted to serve Israel as both rulers and priests. These are the
same Zadokites that are praised by the prophet Ezekiel as the ideal servants that Abba
YHWH longs to have return to service (Ezekiel 44:15-16).
At that same time another dissident group known as the Essenes had split from another
group called the Sadducees, and declared the Temple in Jerusalem corrupt, again
establishing their own altar, priesthood and sacrificial system. It is these same Essenes
whom many believe wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.
All these facts also suggest Qumran as a possible resting place for the Ark, but in
November of 2013 I met someone who appeared to think he could confirm this as fact.
His name was Jim Barfield, and I met him in a ministry trip out to New Mexico.
Jim explained that he had been able to prove to the Israeli Antiquities Authority that the
outline and design of Qumran was meant to be a mirror image of Jerusalem, and that
Qumrans sole purpose was to be the Real Jerusalem, the one place worthy to house the
Ark near its own sacred altar.
Unfortunately, while the Powerpoint he discussed was compelling, I did not have an
opportunity to follow up on Mr. Barfields research to the degree that I could confirm his
theory. I could only admit it seemed plausible, but could find no other hard evidence to
explain how or why the Ark of the Covenant, if it were residing in Heliopolis, somehow
made its way to Qumran. As a result, Qumran remains a tantalizing possibility that I can
neither prove nor disprove.
Therefore, until better evidence surfaces, I will continue to research the idea that the Ark
of the Covenant is in fact laying beneath the remains of ancient Heliopolis and the special
Temple for Abba YHWH that was built there.

Torah Question of the Week:

What is the one image in this weekly portion that has not been seen since the days of
Adam?
END PART 2

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PART 3: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
What is the one image in this portion that has not been seen since the days of Adam?
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If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render
vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. (Deu 32:41 NAU)
The last time Abba YHWH had a flashing sword was when He commanded the cherubim
with a flaming sword to keep the way to the tree of life.
1) Haftorah portion (Haazinu): (English- 2 Samuel 22:1-51) and discuss common
themes with the Torah portion. Read entire portion first.
2) Our linguistic commentary
CHEBEL (22:6) = cords, as in of Sheol/death. This same word was thought to be pains
of death in Acts 2:24 but there is no pain in death itself, only in dying or perhaps in
future judgment. The same word however can mean pain/travail/corruption in Acts 2:27
and other places, so it is easy to see where the mistranslation into Greek came in.
SUKKOT (22:12) = booths. It is very interesting that darkness would be said to have a
dwelling place or booths where it is stored. It sounds similar to statements in Job.
Darkness then is not merely the absence of light but a force in its own right. At least, it
was before the light was born.
YAREM MIN SHAMAYIM YAHWEH (22:14) = and thundered from heaven YHWH.
This word for thunder RAAM is the same word in Aramaic that Yshua uses to name
his disciples sons of thunder. Actually, Yshua says BENAY RAGSHEE but since
RAGSHEE has a bunch of meanings, Mark picked REAMA in 3:17 as his translation
to make it clear which meaning was intended. REAMA and RAAM are the same word.
SHUB (22:21) = recompensed, but literally, restored, turned me back.
TAMIM (22:24) = blameless, but the real meaning is I was complete before Him
meaning that his righteousness was complete, perfected.
TZARAPH (22:31) = tested, but literally smelted, refined as in a great fire.
HA EL MAUZI CHAYIL (22:33) = the El is my strong fortress. CHAYIL, the word for
strong, powerful in Aramaic is CHAYLA and designates specifically the power for
Yshua to do miracles for his Father YHWH. It is referenced in the Lords Prayer as
Kingdom, POWER, glory.
3) Renewed Covenant portion (Haazinu): (English) is Romans 10:14-21

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Romans 10:15
62) Isa_52:7; Nah_1:15. The Hebrew b'sorah (good tidings) originates from the prime
word basar; tidings or news. David says, "I have preached righteousness in the great
congregation" (Psa_40:9). The Good News is that YHWH and His Mashiyach are
righteous and Just, and all who put their Faith in YHWH are being called into
righteousness to walk as Mashiyach walked.
Romans 10:16
63) In Isa_53:1 Master YHWH (MarYah) is in conversation with the prophet, referenced
by the words, "who has believed our report." But Rav Shaul points out that the "arm of
YHWH" is Y'shua who, while on Earth, is addressed in human terms, where Mari (my
Master) is more appropriate. This does not mean that Y'shua is not called YHWH
elsewhere but, rather, is a forceful way of identifying the source of this "arm" which
relates directly to YHWH's name and His chosen messenger. He is the only "messenger"
in the Tanakh with the ability to forgive sin and to officiate in the Name of YHWH, as
opposed to the title of "El" (Exo_23:20-22).

4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):

5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (So many
works to show our faith and our love. Just look at all this Scripture we have to
go through to even remotely do the sacred occasions justice!)
6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(They Repented Not, p. 974-977).
Again, the unique time of year requires reflection as opposed to mere study. This is a
time to assess ourselves in all our relationships, whether to YHWH or to humanity.
Therefore this requires active participation with each other that abstract study does
not allow. Use the time you would have for the Study Questions to carefully think
about your good and bad deeds over the past year. The best study you could do is
to seek forgiveness from those you may have wronged.
Torah Thought for the Week:
Actually, the Song DOES Remain the Same
So last week for Shabbat Shuvah we looked at the hymnal People Get Ready, had a
little fun (at least I hope we did) putting a Hebrew Roots spin on it and concluded, The
song does not remain the same. For those of you who didnt catch the pop culture
reference the problem is you are too young and I cant help you.

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But suffice to say we are all hoping for a good experience in the Houses of the Holy so
that if we are worthy we might climb that Stairway to Heaven and get a Whole Lotta
Love. Hopefully now we are all on the same Page and I have PLANTed a good seed. If
not, its Nobodys Fault but Mine.
In any case though, sort of seemingly contradicting the version of myself from last week,
in another sense the Song DOES remain the same, and by that I mean THIS song in THIS
parsha of Haazinu. In fact, the song actually IS the entire parsha!
Its interesting to me because for most of us I believe we tend to skip over Moshe and
look to David as the quintessential Biblical composer and/or musician. With more than
70 songs memorialized in Scripture, David could actually come out of with a Box Set
sure to be on everyone Hanukkah list later this year.
Others might even skip over Moshe from among his own siblings and focus on
everyones favorite tambourine folk singer-songwriterMiriam. Aaron and his friends
would make great roadies hauling around all the equipment and it has all the makings of a
great tour. Aaron could say something like, we put some of these wood planks together
and out came this stage!
But Moshe? Well, he never seems to make the hit parade except, in a way, he really did
have a number 1 hit with the only Critic that really matters: Abba YHWH!
Moshe is the one who gets to sing one of the most important songs of them allan
amazing piece part prayer part pleading and part desperation that makes it basically the
oldest blues song ever written. And while legend says that a blues singer named Robert
Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for some fame, this blues song is no legend
at all and we know Moshe sold his soul to Father Yah. And it is put to music so that it
can never be forgotten.
But while I am approaching this topic with a fair amount of levity here, that in no way is
meant to take away from the absolute seriousness of this Number 1 hit which, if I were in
that band 3,500 years ago probably would have called the song the Stiff-necked Israelite
Blues. And no, I dont plan on rewriting Deuteronomy 32 and putting it to the melody of
an Eric Clapton song although I admit, its not a bad idea. Or maybe Stevie Ray
Vaughan:
Face to face
Eye to His eye
We all wait in awe at Sinai
At His voice, they want to flee
Say hey Moshe come and rescue me
We were standingright in His crossfire
.

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But before going any further, really I think it is more important to understand WHY
Moshe clearly has got the blues. I mean if you had the same job for 80 years and had to
do it under those conditions are you really going to tell me you wont need to vent just a
little bit? How much more then might you vent if you knew this was really your farewell
tourthat at the next sunset you are literally dead?
And so, like we saw at the start of Deuteronomy, everything here is tinged with a sense of
extreme urgency. If Moshe cant get his points across now, he never will have another
opportunity to do so. In fact, about the only comforting thought Moshe may still have at
this point is that at least his right hand man Joshua got the job to succeed him. But then,
he probably also feels sorry for Joshua at the same timeso like I saidhe still has the
blues.
Also throughout time songs have always been used as memory devices. Learning music
theory, knew that Do-Re-Mi song from the Sound of Music was how kids in Europe
actually memorized notes, and I myself put hard to remember information to music all
the time growing up and used the songs I had memorized in my head to ace tests in
school. Music is a very powerful tool for assisting in remembrance, a fact that Moshe
knew all too well and that I discovered when I had to chant 51 lines from 2nd Samuel at
my Bar Mitzvah.
As a result, the question sometimes comes up: Can we know with any certainty Andrew
if the Hebrew melodies for the Torah as preserved by the Rabbis were the same ones
sung by Moshe or by David? My answer, as I hinted at last week or so, was that it is
possible at least some of those traditional Hebrew melodies went back either to Second
Temple times or in fact to David or Moshe, depending on what we are talking about. I
have a very healthy respect for oral transmission of information, especially if the vehicle
is through melody and song.
I remember for example, a DJ named Casey Kasem who had a radio program called
American Top 40and its TV equivalent Americas Top 10and he would answer
trivia questions sent in by this very obscure thing called the Postal Service.
In any case, one of the questions he got was Who was the earliest writer who
contributed lyrics to a top 40 hit in the modern era? The answer was I think kind of
surprising to many: Casey Kasem said the winner was as he said, That old Jewish king
Solomon who, three thousand years ago, penned the book of Ecclesiastes which was in
turn used by the folk rock group the Byrds in their hit Turn, Turn, Turn (There is a
Season). Part of me wondered how old Caseybest known for playing Shaggy in
Scooby-Doo and who was also of Arab descentfelt about giving that old Jewish king
Solomon the credit, but since he is gone now I suppose we will never know.
But now we see a song even older than Solomons and its message should never, ever
leave us, so long as we cling to the Word of Abba YHWH. With those thoughts in mind,
let us take a look at the number 1 blues song of all time.

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First off, since every great blues singer must have a great audience, Moshe starts calling
on them to come:
Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
Let my instruction fall as rain, my speech drop down as dew, as fine rain on the
tender plants, and as showers on the grass. (Deuteronomy 32:1-2, The Scriptures
1998)
Then, with the Universe now properly in attendance, Moshe starts his official prayer by
sanctifying Father Yah and His precious Namewhere have we heard that before? I
think a certain carpenter from Nazareth comes to mind.
But by verse 5, Moshes focus has shifted to sinful Israel, and in a move that Yshua will
also later emulate, Moshe decries the sinfulness of this generation in almost the same
words Mashiyach uses 15 centuries later:
A twisted and crooked generation has corrupted itself, Their blemish, they are
not His children. Do you do this to , O foolish and unwise people? Is He not
your Father, who bought you, Who created you and established you? Remember
the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father and let
him show you. (Deuteronomy 32:5-7, The Scriptures 1998)
Or, as Yshua put it
But what should I liken this generation? It is like children who sit in the street
and beseech to their friends and say, 'We sang to you, and you did not dance.
And we mourned to you, and you did not lament.' For Yochanan came not eating
or drinking, and they said that there was a demon in him. The Son of man came
eating and drinking and they said behold a gluttonous man, and he drinks and is a
friend of tax collectors and of sinners, but wisdom is justified by its works."
(Matthew 11:16-19, AENT)
And he answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks a
sign, and a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Yonan the prophet. For
as Yonan was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, likewise will the
Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
Then after a length rebuke concerning more details of rebellious Israel, Moshe in
particular puts a lot of emphasis on one sin:
But Yeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick.
You have become sleek. Then he forsook God who made him, and lightly
esteemed the Rock of his salvation ( ) . (Deuteronomy 32:15, AESV
Torah)

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The Rock of His YshuaMashiyach himself, also had much to say about this
problem:
Anyone, therefore, who hears my words, these, and does them, will be likened to
a wise man who built his house upon a stone. And descended the rain, and came
the rivers, and blew the winds, and they beat on the house and it did not fall, for
its foundation was laid upon a stone.
And anyone who hears my words, these, and does them not, will be likened to a
foolish man that built his house upon sand. And descended the rain, and came the
rivers, and blew the winds, and they beat on the house and it fell, and its fall was
great."
And it happened that when Y'shua finished these words, the crowds marveled at
his teaching. He would teach them as an authority and not as their scribes and the
Pharisees. (Matthew 7:24-29, AENT)
So to follow the words of the Rock of His Yshua is to build ones house upon a rock and
be safe from storms. Maybe thats why Yshua also named his chief apostle Rockhead (Keefa or Peter).
Then in Deuteronomy 32:16-17 and also earlier in Leviticus 17:7, Moshe makes the point
that the Israelites didnt just offer up sacrifices to idols but actually to demons:
They moved Him to jealousy with foreign matters, with abominations they
provoked Him. They slaughtered to demons not Eloah Mighty ones they did
not know, new ones who came lately, which your fathers did not fear. (The
Scriptures 1998)
On this point both Yshua and Rav Shaul totally agree:
Again the accuser took him to (a) mountain that (was) very high and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said to him, "These all I will
give to you if you will fall (and) worship me." Then Y'shua said to him "Leave
enemy, for it is written that you will worship Master YHWH your Elohim
and Him alone you will serve." (Matthew 4:8-10 AENT)
What then do I say? That an idol is anything? Or, that an idol's sacrifice is
anything? No. But that what the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons,
and not to Elohim. And I would not that you should be associates of demons.
You cannot drink the cup of our Master (Y'shua) and the cup of demons; and you
cannot be partakers at the table of our Master, and at the table of demons.
Or, would we provoke our Master (Y'shua's) jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
(1 Corinthians 10:19-22 AENT)

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Just a few lines later, a prophecy uttered by Moshe is also continued by Yshua in graphic
detail:
For a fire was kindled in My wrath and burns to the bottom of Sheol, and
consumes the earth and its increase, And sets on fire the foundations of
mountains. (Deuteronomy 32:22, The Scriptures 1998)
I have come to cast fire on earth. And I desire it had been kindled, if not
already. And I have an immersion to be immersed with, and I am greatly
afflicted until it is fulfilled. Do you think that I have come to place tranquility on
earth? I say to you, No, rather division. (Luke 12:49-51, AENT)
And truly there are many more parallels where those came from. Sometimes Moshe
seems to be anticipating Yshuas Second Coming (Deuteronomy 32:35-39, comp. to
Revelation 19:11-21) and other times Moshe seems to be doing the fact finding for a
debate that Rav Shaul will have many centuries later (Deuteronomy 32:6, comp. to 1
Corinthians 8:6).
In short, Moshe pours his heart out so greatly here that his strands of prophecy seem to go
out in multiple directions to so many believers yet born from his day.
However, I should also point out that effort was definitely not in vain and it was well
received by so many of the earliest believers who embraced it, cherished it and
memorialized it, as we see here:
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful; seven Messengers having
seven plagues, the last in order, because with them the wrath of Elohim is
completed. And I saw as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire: and they, who had
been innocent over the beast of prey and over its image, and over the number of
its name, were standing on the sea of glass; and they had the harps of Elohim.
And they sing the song of Moshe the servant of Elohim, and the song of the
Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Master YHWH Elohim
Almighty; just and true are your ways, O King of worlds. Who will not Fear
you, O Master YHWH, and glorify Your Name? Because You only are Set
Apart and just: Because all nations will come and worship before you, since
your righteousnesses have been revealed." (Revelation 15:1-4, AENT)
And so it is that the Song of Moshe isnt just was, it clearly is and will continue to
be for the rest of this age, right up until the moment Yshua Ha Mashiyach. Therefore, to
read Haazinu is not just about honoring our Scriptural pastbut about embracing our
eschatological future.
In other words, the Torah is not passing away, until everything is accomplished and as
long as heaven and earth are still here. And thats why this song will always remain the
same!

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Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!
Next week our 2015 Sukkot Special begins and its the first of three parts this year! Stay
tuned!

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