Out of Zion with Susan Michael

Some people skip over the book of Deuteronomy thinking it is just repetition of the law. What a mistake that is! One Bible scholar says it is the most important book in the Old Testament and the key to understanding the entire Bible. It is made up of the parting words of Moses to a new generation of Israelites in which he describes their covenant with God. It is a covenant between them and a lovin...

The book of Numbers comes to an end this week with a reminder of what the whole story is all about. God had promised to give the children of Israel a certain land instructed them how to live on that land, all so He could dwell with them there. Their holy and pure God wanted to live amid His people. He still desires this today, and we can learn important lessons from this story for our own life. 🔔...

This week we read two significant stories—both illustrating qualifications for godly leadership. God promised Aaron’s grandson, Phinehas, an everlasting priesthood due to his zeal for God and commitment to righteousness—a necessary requirement for the high priest. And Joshua was chosen to succeed Moses because of the Holy Spirit that was in him. That was necessary because it would be through the S...

God uses an unusual character to confirm the calling on the children of Israel to be a people set apart from the world until the day they birth the reign of the Davidic Messiah on Earth. In the meantime, you and I are called to bless them. These foundational elements of the Abrahamic covenant are repeated in this week’s Torah portion, when God not only makes a donkey speak but a Moabite diviner pr...

Being upbeat and positive is more than just a matter of personality—it is an expression of faith, of acceptance of the will of God, knowing there is always a bright side of His will if we wait for it. In contrast, negativity and complaining can be expressions of unbelief and even rebellion against God. We must be mindful of our words and realize that it is out of the abundance of the heart that th...

The children of Israel had been made ready to enter their promised land and take possession of it. But something went terribly wrong. They went in to take a quick look around and returned in unbelief. They were afraid of the people in the land! God saw their unbelief as a rejection of Him. As a result they would not enter the promised land. Only Joshua and Caleb—men of faith—would realize God’s pr...

Moses had a special role and relationship with God. God spoke with him face to face and in plain language. He even gave Moses a glimpse of His image on Mount Sinai. It is no coincidence that Numbers 12:3 tells us Moses was the humblest man on the face of the earth. Perhaps this is the secret to Moses’ unique role. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Shalom blessing each week! https://www.youtube.com...

We serve a God who loves to bless His people. The Bible is full of examples of this going all the way back to Abraham. God so wanted His people blessed that he instructed the High Priest Aaron how to pronounce blessing over them. Known as the Aaronic or Priestly Blessing, these verses are some of the most popular in the Hebrew Bible. They are also the oldest-known biblical text found in Israel, at...

The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew) occurs exactly 50 days after the first Sabbath after Passover and is largely associated with the wheat harvest. However, there is a strong rabbinic tradition that this holiday also commemorates the giving of the law which occurred 50 days after the exodus from Egypt. Why did the Lord choose this day to pour out the Holy Spirit in Acts 2? Listen in for the exc...

This week we begin the book of Numbers—named after two different numberings of the children of Israel contained in its pages. While God is numbering and preparing His children to take possession of their promised land, He also positions them for access to His presence. Each tribe is positioned an equal distance from the tabernacle—except for one tribe. The Levites are numbered and consecrated for...

The book of Leviticus comes to an end this week with one of the most amazing passages in the entire Bible. It explains the last 2,000 years of history and the miraculous return of the Jewish people to their ancient land that was promised to Abraham. It proves the faithfulness of the God of Israel to remember the covenant with Abraham and the Land promise in that covenant. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a...

God has a calendar, and it is full of appointed times to meet with Him and remember events of the past, while thanking Him for the present and anticipating the fulfillment of all His promises in the future. These appointed times—called “feasts”—are rich in meaning and are as valid today as they were the day He instructed the children of Israel to observe them. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Sha...

If we don’t understand Leviticus and this week’s reading about the Day of Atonement and the sanctity of blood, we will never understand what Jesus came to do and what He accomplished through His death. The need for atonement is everlasting, but we can be thankful that Jesus paid the price with His blood—once and for all time. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Shalom blessing each week! https://www...

Little boys love to terrorize little girls with things most girls find disgusting like bugs, snakes, mice, and … Well, this week you may feel squeamish reading God’s rules regarding several very disgusting things! But the point is to define those things that made His people unclean. Then we learn how they were to remedy it so they could freely enter His holy presence. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Sha...

The ICEJ is hosting two gala dinners to celebrate Israel’s 75th Anniversary in May 2023, and today we want to discuss why. When commemorating this anniversary, we are celebrating a miracle of God. Israel’s birth was against all odds in 1948. Her survival throughout 75 years of war and terrorism has been astounding. However, Israel has not just survived—she is thriving and emerging as a world leade...

As children we all learn the difference between being dirty and being clean! It is drilled into us by our mothers who make sure we take our baths and wash our hands. The lesson of cleanliness helps us learn the spiritual difference between the holy and the unholy. Many of the laws in the Torah were purposed to teach the people how to differentiate between the two so they would live lives of holine...

We have been busy at work building new resources and tools for you as well as planning two exciting events to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary. I hope you will listen in to learn about these resources and opportunities to be inspired and involved. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Shalom blessing each week! https://www.youtube.com/c/OutofZion/?sub_confirmation=1 Text “Zion” to 72572 to sign up...

This week is the Feast of Passover and the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These two feasts may overlap in their commemoration of the Exodus, but there is deeper meaning found in each and their respective observances. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Shalom blessing each week! https://www.youtube.com/c/OutofZion/?sub_confirmation=1 Text “Zion” to 72572 to sign up for text alerts. Show...

This week we are going to learn about the purpose of the laws and regulations found in Leviticus. God took a people out of Egypt who knew next to nothing about Him—nor how to approach Him—and began to lovingly reveal Himself to them. We can learn so much from some of the smallest of details in this book. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Shalom blessing each week! https://www.youtube.com/c/OutofZi...

We are starting the fun book of Leviticus this week! Yahoo! It is a tedious book to read through, but together we will highlight the importance of this book and what God was revealing to His people in it—namely, how they were to approach this Holy God and make restitution for their sins. If we don’t understand Leviticus, we cannot understand what Jesus came to do for us. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a...

We can learn many wonderful lessons from the design and construction of the tabernacle in the book of Exodus. But overarching them all is the fact the tabernacle is not a permanent monument as seen in Egypt but a temporary dwelling that could be packed up and carried when God began to move. The lesson for us today is to be a mobile people. If you want to experience all God has for you, be ready to...

To understand the feast of Purim and the story of Esther, we must first understand the story in Exodus of the unprovoked attack by Amalek upon the children of Israel. It helps to explain how, centuries later, a descendant of Amalek devises a plan to annihilate the Jewish people. The story outlines the choice facing all of us. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Shalom blessing each week! https://www...

One biblical character we don’t hear that much about is Aaron. It sounds like Aaron was a wonderful person and one we would all like to know. In fact, the Bible hints that God knew Aaron’s humble heart and intentionally chose Him to carry the burden of the tribes of Israel into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the people. 🔔 Subscribe to receive a Shabbat Shalom blessing each week! https:...

Once the children of Israel agreed to be God’s covenant people, God instructed them to build Him a house to dwell in. Why would the God of the Universe choose to limit Himself to a particular place to meet with a particular people? It was all for the benefit of the world. And when God designed the place where He would meet with His people, it was a place of love and mercy. 🔔 Subscribe to receive...

As we read through the Torah this year, we will be wading through many rules and laws! To twenty-first-century ears, those rules and regulations seem antiquated and restrictive—even harsh. But how did they sound to the ears of the children of Israel some 3,500 years ago? They sounded so good the people quickly agreed to follow them! Maybe we need to take a second look at those laws! 🔔 Subscribe t...