Weekly Torah Commentaries UMJC - Union Of Messianic Jewish Congregations

This week, as I looked back to the opening words of the haftarah portion,
did I truly understand what it means to find comfort in the presence of
God? How does that prophetic word penetrate our world, fractured,
conflicted, and now in constant turmoil?

The Exodus was historical and the Seder forces it to be experiential.
Yeshua’s life was historical. Yet, when we follow him, it becomes
experiential and transformational. Each generation is called to be the
Joshua generation that enters the promises of God and showcases gratitude
for God’s salvation by living out a life that reveals his character.

We live in a culture of addiction. Alcohol and drug addiction rates,
already elevated before the COVID pandemic, continue to rise steeply. And
if you include what we call “process addictions”—like gambling or
compulsive shopping, screen time, or pornography use—nearly everyone is
touched by addiction in one way or another.

“Human life is but a series of footnotes to a vast obscure unfinished
masterpiece.” The quote is haunting, the implications are troubling, but
the meaning speaks to a sense of anxiety to which I think everyone can
relate.

Our current world situation prompts us to cry, “how long, O Lord, how
long?” The promised star out of Jacob has come, yet we still live with war,
famine, pestilence, and death. As we walk through these tumultuous times,
remember three points drawn from Balaam’s oracles.

“Christians worry about eternal judgment and whether they’ll go to heaven
or hell when they leave this world. Jews are concerned about life in this
world, and how to make it a better place while they’re here.”