Pekudei “Accounts”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Dallas, TX.
While customs are not commandments, there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Pekudei is the Hebrew title for “Accounts” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Exodus starting in chapter 38 verse 21 and going through chapter 40 verse 38.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of 1 Kings in chapter 7 verse 51 through chapter 8 verse 21.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Luke in chapter 16 with verses 1 through 13.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
The twenty-third Torah Portion reading is called Pekudei. Traditionally this Portion is read as a part of a double Torah Portion that includes the previous Torah Portion Vayah’kel. Pekudei is the last reading in the book of Exodus and means “accounts.” The title of this Torah Portion comes from the first words in the first verse, “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle.” As we conclude the book of Exodus we see this portion begin with an audit of how the contributions that were given for the building of the Tabernacle were used. The Torah Portion continues on by telling of the conclusion of the building of the Tabernacle and tells of the Lord entering into the Tabernacle with all of His glory.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Exodus 38:21 Materials of the Tabnernacle
Exodus 39:1 The Priesthood vestments
Exodus 39:32 The completed work
Exodus 40:1 The Tabernacles and equipment is installed
Exodus 40:34 The cloud and glory of the LORD
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
1 Kings 7:13 Products of HIram the Bronzeworker
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Luke 16:1 The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
Luke 16:10 Faithful with a little
The Book of Exodus “Misrayim” which means “Departure from Egypt”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the first book of the Bible (Genesis) is B’reisheet. The name “B’reisheet” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Genesis which means “In the Beginning.”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Departure from Egypt” called “Exodus.”
The English name for Exodus comes from the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Exodus means "Departure from Egypt." The term Exodus is abbreviated from Exodus Aigyptou. The book of Exodus gives us the story of the children of Israel. It outlines their enslavement, their deliverance, through the idolatry of the golden calf, the giving of the Torah, and the Tabernacle. As we study the book of Exodus, we will learn a great deal about God but even more about ourselves. After all, this is the story of our ancestors. When properly understood, the story of our ancestors journey with God we see glimpses into how God works with us today.
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Genesis and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
