Moses with the Tablets of Stone (Art: Adapted from Illustration by Gustave Doré, via Wikimedia Commons)
TORAH: Exodus 30:11-34:35
HAFTARAH: 1 Kings 18:1-39
GOSPEL: Mark 9:1-10
Portion Outline:
Ki Tisa, the twenty-first reading from the Torah, literally means “when you lift up.” It comes from the first words of the second verse of the reading, which could be literally rendered, “When you lift up the head of the sons of Israel to reckon them” (Exodus 30:12). The phrase “lift up the head” is an idiom for taking a head count. The portion begins with instructions for taking a census, finishes up the instructions for making the Tabernacle, reiterates the commandment of Shabbat and then proceeds to tell the story of the golden calf. The majority of Ki Tisa is concerned with the sin of the golden calf, the breach in the covenant between God and Israel, and how Moses undertakes to restore that covenant relationship.
Torah
Exodus 30:11 | The Half Shekel for the Sanctuary
Exodus 30:17 | The Bronze Basin
Exodus 30:22 | The Anointing Oil and Incense
Exodus 31:1 | Bezalel and Oholiab
Exodus 31:12 | The Sabbath Law
Exodus 31:18 | The Two Tablets of the Covenant
Exodus 32:1 | The Golden Calf
Exodus 33:1 | The Command to Leave Sinai
Exodus 33:7 | The Tent outside the Camp
Exodus 33:12 | Moses’ Intercession
Exodus 34:1 | Moses Makes New Tablets
Exodus 34:10 | The Covenant Renewed
Exodus 34:29 | The Shining Face of Moses
Prophets
1Ki 18:1 | Elijah’s Message to Ahab
1Ki 18:20 | Elijah’s Triumph over the Priests of Baal
Portion Commentary:
Favor of Messiah
Some Bible readers believe that, prior to the New Testament, grace did not exist.
And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)
The New Testament speaks about the grace that God bestows upon people through Yeshua. What does that mean? What is “grace”? Many teachers define “grace” as “unmerited favor,” but this definition is not completely accurate.
Some Bible readers believe that, prior to the New Testament, grace did not exist. They imagine a false dichotomy between “law” and “grace.” On the contrary, the Torah speaks of God’s grace frequently, but when we translate the Hebrew to English, we usually translate the Hebrew word chen (חן) as “favor.” The same word stands behind the Greek word charis (χάρις) which we translate as “grace.” In the Bible, grace and favor are the same thing.
Moses insisted that, if he had truly found favor in God’s sight, the LORD would not send him alone to lead Israel. The LORD replied, “My Presence shall go with you.” God promised to accompany Moses, but He did not promise to accompany the nation. His favor rested on Moses but not on Israel.
Moses refused the offer. He refused to separate himself from the people. He implored, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). He intentionally identified himself with the whole nation of Israel so that, if God was going to treat him with any favor, He must also treat the whole nation with the same favor:
For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth? (Exodus 33:16)
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
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