Today’s Random Psalm: Psalm 143

Hear my prayer, O Yahuah,
Give ear to my supplications.
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.

Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no one living is righteous.

For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.

Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.

I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.

Answer me speedily, O Yahuah;
My spirit fails.
Do not hide Your face from me,
Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust.
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.

Deliver me, O Yahuah, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.

Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my Elohim;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Revive me, O Yahuah, for Your name’s sake;
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.

Bonus

Romans 8:1–17

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Messiah Yeshua, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua has made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, Elohim did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against Elohim; for it is not subject to the law of Elohim, nor indeed can be.

So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please Elohim.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you.

If anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, he is not His.

And if Messiah is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yeshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of Elohim, these are sons of Elohim.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of Elohim.

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Summary of Parashah Terumah

Exodus 25:1–27:19

Terumah stands as a turning point in the narrative of redemption. After deliverance from Egypt, the giving of the Torah, and covenant ratification, the focus shifts from liberation to habitation. Freedom is not the end; it is preparation for presence. Yahuah declares His intention: “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” This statement reframes the entire wilderness journey. The exodus was not merely about escape from oppression but about establishing a dwelling place for Elohim among His people.

The offering (terumah) is voluntary. This is the first critical theological layer. Divine dwelling is built from willing hearts. The materials listed — gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red, acacia wood, spices, oil, onyx stones — reflect both beauty and costliness. Former slaves now possess wealth taken from Egypt, and that wealth is redirected toward sacred purpose. Redemption reassigns resources.

The Ark is described first, not the altar. Presence precedes sacrifice in this construction order. The Ark is a wooden chest overlaid with gold, containing the testimony. It is crowned with a mercy seat, overshadowed by cherubim. This imagery evokes Eden — guardians of sacred space and communion between heaven and earth. The Ark becomes the focal point of divine communication. Yahuah promises to meet and speak from above the mercy seat.

The Table of the Bread of the Presence follows. Twelve loaves represent the tribes continually before Yahuah. Provision is constant, not occasional. Then comes the Menorah — hammered from a single piece of gold. Its almond blossom design recalls watchfulness (the almond tree being first to bloom). Light in the sanctuary symbolizes revelation and guidance.

The Mishkan’s structure is layered with coverings — fine linen with cherubim, goat hair, ram skins, and durable outer layers. Holiness is veiled yet accessible through appointed means. The frames, sockets, and bars create stability. Though portable, the sanctuary is not flimsy. Divine presence travels with covenant people.

The altar of burnt offering anchors the courtyard. Sacrifice establishes approach. Bronze, associated with judgment and endurance, contrasts with the gold of the inner sanctuary. Movement inward symbolizes increasing holiness.

Terumah teaches ordered worship. Every dimension is specified. Creativity operates within obedience. The Mishkan becomes a mobile Sinai — a continuing encounter.

Prophetically, Terumah anticipates greater dwelling realities. The Temple era reflects expansion, the incarnation reflects embodiment, and the final restoration envisions unhindered presence. Yet the core remains unchanged: Yahuah desires to dwell among a sanctified people.

Theologically, the parashah reveals that sacred space is constructed through generosity, obedience, beauty, and reverence. It demonstrates that divine nearness is not abstract mysticism but covenantal relationship anchored in tangible practice.

Terumah ultimately asks a question that echoes through generations: Will the redeemed people build a dwelling for the Redeemer? The answer is found not merely in architecture, but in hearts that give freely so that presence may abide among them.