Hebrews 13:1-6 - Walking in Brotherly Love and Contentment
Romans 8:5-8 - The Carnal Mind vs. The Spirit of Life and Peace
In this study of Romans (אֶל־הָרוֹמִיִּים), Brother Gideon Levytam examines the sharp conflict between the "mind of the flesh" and the "mind of the Spirit." Drawing parallels from Galatians and Corinthians, Gideon defines the carnal mind as being at enmity with God, incapable of submitting to His law or pleasing Him. He warns that even a believer can walk as a "natural man," resulting in a defeated walk devoid of spiritual power. Gideon exhorts us to instead be "spiritually minded," a state that brings Chayim v'Shalom—Life and Peace. By relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) rather than our own strength, we are called to mortify the deeds of the body and live a life that is truly pleasing to God.
Zechariah 1:17-21 - The Carpenter Who Will Judge the Nations
Continuing his study in the Book of Zechariah (זְכַרְיָה), Brother Gideon Levytam examines the conclusion of the prophet’s first vision and the entirety of his second vision from chapter 1, verses 17-21. The Lord gives a message of comfort, promising that He will again choose Jerusalem and His cities will overflow with prosperity. This is followed by the vision of the four horns and the four carpenters. Gideon explains that the four horns represent the Gentile world powers that have scattered the people of Israel throughout the ages. In response, the Lord raises up four carpenters, or craftsmen, to terrify and cast down these horns. This vision reveals God's sovereign plan to judge the nations that have afflicted His people and points to the ultimate Carpenter, the Messiah Yeshua, who will return to judge the world and build His eternal kingdom in Zion.
Hebrews 12:18-29 - From a Shaking Mountain to an Unshakable Kingdom in Yeshua
From Hebrews 12:18-29, in his study of the Book of Hebrews (אֶל־הָעִבְרִים), Brother Gideon Levytam explores the powerful contrast between two mountains. The author first reminds the Hebrew believers of what they have not come to: Mount Sinai, a place of terror, fire, and a fearful voice that represented the giving of the Law, where the people and even Moses himself trembled in fear. This earthly mountain signifies a relationship of distance and condemnation under the Old Covenant. In glorious contrast, believers in Yeshua have come to the heavenly Mount Zion, the city of the living God. This is not a place of fear, but of grace and fellowship with an innumerable company of angels, the assembly of the firstborn, God the Father, and Yeshua the Messiah, the mediator of the New Covenant. Concluding with the book's final warning, Gideon exhorts us that because we are receiving an unshakable kingdom through the superior blood of our Messiah, we must listen to Him who speaks from heaven and serve our God with reverence and awe, for He is a consuming fire.
Romans 8:1-4 - No Condemnation in Messiah Yeshua
Continuing his verse-by-verse study in the Book of Romans (אֶל־הָרוֹמִיִּים), Brother Gideon Levytam begins chapter 8, which provides the glorious answer to the struggle with sin described in chapter 7. Teaching from Romans 8:1-4, Gideon explains that for those who are in Messiah Yeshua, there is now no condemnation. Our freedom from judgment is not based on our performance but on our new position in Him. Gideon reveals how God provided the solution that the Law could not, as it was weak through the flesh. God sent His own Son, Yeshua the Messiah, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. Now, the righteous requirement of the Law can be fulfilled in those who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Zechariah 1:14-16 - The Lord's Passionate Heart for Zion
From the Book of Zechariah (זְכַרְיָה), Brother Gideon Levytam examines the powerful and comforting message the Lord gives the prophet in verses 14-16. This passage reveals the very heart of God for His people and land, beginning with a declaration of His fierce, covenantal love. Brother Gideon explains the term "great jealousy" (קִנְאָה גְדוֹלָה), not as a human flaw, but as God's passionate and protective fury for Jerusalem and for Zion. This divine jealousy is directly contrasted with God's deep displeasure toward the Gentile nations who, in their ease, went far beyond their role as instruments of discipline and cruelly "helped forward the affliction." The direct result of God's passionate heart is a promise of restoration: He declares His personal return to Jerusalem "with mercies" and gives the divine assurance that His house, the Temple, will be rebuilt in it.
Hebrews 12:14-17 - Don't Despise Your Heavenly Birthright
Continuing his study in the Book of Hebrews (אֶל־הָעִבְרִים), Brother Gideon Levytam explores the powerful exhortation in chapter 12 to pursue shalom with all people and a life of kedushah (holiness), "without which no one will see the Lord." He clarifies that this pursuit is not a means of earning salvation—which is a free gift secured by the Messiah—but is the vital evidence and beautiful fruit of a life truly transformed by God’s grace. This holiness is the goal for every believer as we run the race of faith with endurance. This passage contains a solemn warning, highlighting the danger of falling short of this grace. The life of Esav (Esau) serves as a powerful cautionary example against allowing a "root of bitterness" to grow and defile many. Esav, called a "profane person," despised his spiritual inheritance and sold his birthright for a momentary physical satisfaction, a choice that brought bitter tears but no true repentance. Brother Gideon urges us to learn from this, to value our heavenly inheritance in Messiah Yeshua above all else, and to never treat His grace lightly.
Romans 7:14-25 - Victory Over the Flesh Through Yeshua the Messiah
Continuing his study in the Book of Romans (אֶל־הָרוֹמִיִּים), Brother Gideon Levytam examines Romans 7:14–25. In this deeply personal passage, the Apostle Paul describes the intense inner conflict that every born-again believer experiences. This is not the struggle of an unregenerate person, but the lament of a child of God who delights in God's Law yet finds himself warring against the sin that still dwells within his flesh, leading him to cry out, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24). Gideon explains that this conflict arises from the two natures within the believer: the new, divine nature given to us in Messiah, and the old Adamic nature, which cannot be improved or reformed. Paul makes it clear that the Law, while holy and good, cannot deliver us from this struggle. The victory and deliverance are not found in a system or a set of rules, but in a Person. Paul's lament turns to praise as he points to the only answer: "I thank God—through Jesus Christ [Yeshua the Messiah] our Lord!" (Romans 7:25).
Zechariah 1:7-13 - The Messiah's Intercession Among the Nations
Continuing his study in the book of the prophet Zechariah (זְכַרְיָה), Brother Gideon Levytam examines the first of eight prophetic night visions, focusing on Zechariah 1:7–13. In this vision, Zechariah sees a man on a red horse standing among myrtle trees, which Gideon explains represent the Gentile nations who are "at ease." He identifies this central figure as the Angel of the LORD (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה), a pre-incarnate appearance of Yeshua the Messiah, who is observing the condition of the world in relation to His people, Israel. The heart of this passage is the Messiah's compassionate intercession. After His angelic servants report that the world is complacent, the Angel of the LORD cries out to Jehovah, "how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem?" The section concludes with the LORD's immediate assurance, answering the Angel "with good words and comfortable words.". This serves as a powerful encouragement, revealing the Messiah's heart for His people and God's promise of future comfort and restoration.
Hebrews 12:5-13 - The Loving Discipline of our Abba Father
Continuing his study in the Book of Hebrews (אֶל־הָעִבְרִים), Brother Gideon Levytam explores one of the great encouragements for the believer’s endurance: the assurance of God’s love demonstrated through His fatherly discipline. Gideon explains from Hebrews 12:5–13 that the trials and chastening we experience are not a sign of God’s anger, but proof of our legitimate sonship. As our loving Abba Father, God corrects us because we are His beloved children. By drawing from the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures) and the writings of Sha'ul (the apostle Paul), Gideon shows that this divine correction is always for our ultimate profit, that we “might be partakers of his holiness.” While no discipline seems joyful at the moment, those who are trained by it will bear the peaceable fruit of righteousness. This process strengthens our feeble knees and heals what is lame, restoring us to spiritual health and enabling us to walk in a manner that brings glory to God.
Romans 7:7-13 - The Law Is Not Sin, But It Reveals Our Sin and Need for Messiah
From Romans 7:7-13, Brother Gideon Levytam addresses the crucial question, “Is the law sin?” He affirms that the Torah (Law) is holy, just, and good. Its purpose is not to save but to reveal the deadly nature of sin. The commandment stands as God’s perfect standard—bringing the knowledge of sin, awakening our sinful nature, and pronouncing a just sentence. This lesson shows how the Torah exposes sin as “exceedingly sinful,” stripping away all self-righteousness and revealing our inability to please God. In this way, the Law prepares the heart to receive the grace and deliverance found only in Yeshua the Messiah.