How Yah views race and skin color 

This past week’s interaction with Faith and Race. Not a direct interaction, but an interaction that directly affected friends of this ministry. And these friends ended up having a very troubling experience with a member a black Israelite sect. This gentleman, it turns out, befriended one of our friends, and over time he introduced race as the one thing that would determine her eternal destiny. He used race as a means to control our friend and create fear and uncertainty. The race was coupled with misogynistic verbal abuses that began to directly impact all 3 of our friends. And it turns out, upon our looking into the matter further that this gentleman ‘s understanding of the True Faith once delivered is entirely built upon misogyny and bigotry and outright hatred toward anyone who is not a dark-skinned male. Unfortunately, one of our friends gave into this charlatan’s teachings and has separated herself from her friends and our ministry. 

Racism and Faith have over the centuries co-existed and driven a great number of religious doctrines, beliefs, and vicious behaviors towards anyone who is physically not like them. 

The irony is scripture clearly reveals Yehovah is color blind. He can care less about the color of one’s skin. He is a judge of the hearts and intentions of people. 

No male nor female, no Jew or Greek in Yeshua (Gal. 3:28). We are no longer under the Levitical priesthood, but the Melchizedekian priesthood with Yeshua as our high priest (Heb. 5-7). Our faith walk is no longer founded upon the natural but founded in Spirit and Truth (Joh. 4:23-24). Folks, I have news for some of you and that news might be a surprise and it might be a disappointment, but we’ve left the base of Mount Sinai nor are we still wandering about in the Sinai wilderness. We are supposed to be walking in covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe who, through His renewed covenant, is in the process of today, inscribing His Torah upon our hearts and in our minds (Jer. 31) and we are all grafted-in members of Yah’s set-apart family—the commonwealth of Yisra’el and are all considered children of the YHVH. Yah remains color and ethnicity blind, as He was from the very beginning, and even more so today within the framework of His renewed covenant. Praise be to YHVH from whom all blessings flow.  

Father did not select a race of people through whom He would work the plan of salvation, restoration and redemption. He selected a man who kept His commandments and instructions, and that man was Avraham. Yah established a covenant with Avraham and His seed and chose to bring Mashiyach through the line of Yitschaq and Yaachov. Yah’s choice in choosing a people to work with and through had nothing to do with their skin color. In fact, Abba made provision for all the goyim to enter into covenant relationship with Him. Unfortunately, Yisra’el never fully learned nor embraced this essential Truth. 

Racism is all the buzz today both within and without Faith communities. It is indeed hasatan’s weapon of choice to foster chaos, hatred and anti-faith among the nation peoples of the world. And we’re seeing a new twist to racism today: any who will not buy into the race gospel are themselves labeled as racists. And those who are labeled as racist are then subject to terrible persecution. 

Racism is of hasatan, be it within the Faith community or without. It is incumbent upon those who find themselves dabbling in racism, to repent and reject racism at every level. Embrace the love of Mashiyach and see the peoples of this world the way Father sees them: potential children of the Most High. He made the various colors and ethnicities of His human creation to His good pleasure and glory.

This foolishness of Torah being based upon race needs to stop and stop right now, while there is still time. Soon, Y’shua will return, and He will judge all peoples. And He will judge the peoples of the world equally. Race will NOT be a factor whatsoever. And those who have set out to make race a factor, will have to face judgment in that arena and as it is written, there will be a lot of gnashing of teeth on that day.

We can’t stop the non-believing world in their racist endeavors. They are blinded to the truth. We, on the other hand, should have the heart and love of Mashiyach within us and we should know the Truth of this matter and walk out that Truth accordingly.

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What Walking in Torah With a Circumcised Heart Looks Like—Parashah 134 

 

Deuteronomy 10:1-11:25; 2 Kings 13:22-25; 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9

Let’s Read Deuteronomy 10:1-5 and see what Father has for us to learn today.

 

The Ark That Housed the Tablets

 

The ark that Moshe had built here (reference verse 1) in this section of our reading (which hearkens back to Exodus 34 and it served to house only the two tablets) is likely NOT the Ark of the Covenant that would be the central element of the Tabernacle that would feature the presence of the Almighty (which goes back to Exodus 37, was built by the artisan Bezalel and overlaid with gold).

 

This being the case, the ark Moshe is referring to here was likely a temporary repository for the tablets of stone. What happened to it once the Ark of the Covenant was built, is uncertain. Jewish tradition says it was “destroyed or hidden away” once the Ark of the Covenant was built (reference t.Sota7.18; y. Shekalim6.149, c; Rashi on Numbers 10:1).

 

The Foreshadowing of the Renewed Covenant

 

What we see portrayed here, albeit portrayed in the roughest, most crude way, is a sneak preview or a foreshadowing of the Renewed Covenant (10:1-5).

 

The writer of Hebrews describes Torah as follows:

 

“For the law having a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that draw nigh” (Heb 10:1 ASV)

 

This beautiful enactment of Moshe taking a replacement set of stone tablets to Yah to have Yah’s Words written upon them, and then the tablets being placed in a ark to “shamar” or “guard and protect” the Words, points us to the renewed covenant. And the renewed covenant is explained by Yehovah Himself accordingly:

 

 ³¹ Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

 ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.

 ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:

 ³⁴ and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more. (Jer 31:31-34 ASV)

 

So it is, that we, the redeemed of the Most High, when we enter into covenant with Him, bring ourselves to Him—we offer ourselves unto Yah. And Yah takes our circumcised hearts (which we’ll talk about in a few) and He inscribes upon it His Word; His Ways.

 

And so it is through the sanctification process that we begin to walk in Yah’s Way, with the help and guidance of His Ruach HaKodesh. And we walk in His Ways joyfully. We seek to walk in Yah’s Ways because we desire above all else to please Him. And thus we are compelled to walk in a Way of Life that runs contrary to the ways of this corrupt and dying world.

 

We die to self and we trust Yah to do the good work He promises to do in us and to successfully bring us to His promised Land—His Malchut Elohim, His Kingdom. 

 

Our Shamar of Yah’s Eternal Words

 

In addition to this ark and its content–the tables of stone where the 10-Words were written–being a foreshadowing of the Renewed Covenant that is written on our circumcised hearts and in our minds, it emphasizes to us today the importance of guarding and protecting (the word here in the Hebrew is “shamar”) Yah’s Torah in our lives; in our hearts; and in our minds. 

When we guard and protect Yah’s Torah, His Word in every aspect of our lives, we should by default walk in those instructions. Praise Yah. 

The guarding or protecting, rather “shamar” of the Word in our lives, beyond our simply remembering it and walking in it, also carries with it the understanding that we are to ensure that the integrity of Yah’s Word in our lives does not suffer deterioration or destruction. And we should understand this from every aspect of the word “shamar.” For our physical and spiritual wellbeing, we cannot afford for Yah’s Word to be altered or tossed aside as the Church Triumphant has done in many ways throughout the centuries. 

The Psalmist beautifully put the importance of “shamar” of Yah’s Word this way:

 

“Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee. (Psa 119:11 ASV)

 

So “shamar” of Yah’s Word in our hearts and minds is not a one-way concern such that we do so only because Yah said to do it. Yes, it is certainly incumbent upon us to do whatever Yah commands us to do. But in this case, Father’s concern that we “shamar” His Word from destruction or deterioration, is also for our wellbeing:

 

“…charge you today (to shamar Yah’s Word) for your own good” (10:13b; Alter)?

 

Therefore, if we desire to walk in the abundant life our Master taught us about in John 10:10; to receive blessings and to walk in the power and might of His Ruach HaKodesh, it is incumbent upon us that we walk in obedience to Yah’s Word. And walk in all of it with unshakable Faith. 

In 10:6-9 we come upon 4-verses that are parenthetical. And since they were added by unknown entities at some point in either it’s translation or in copying of the text, we will bypass it in our discussion here today.

 

The Essence of Torah and its role in the Elect’s life is laid out for us in verses 12-22:

 

Continuing with our Reading, let’s consider verses 12-22.

 

What we see laid here before us in these verses is Yah’s perspective of Torah’s role in the elect’s life.

1. Fear YHVH (vs. 12, 20).
2. Walk in YHVH’s Ways (vs. 12).
3. Love YHVH (vs. 12; 11:1).
4. Serve YHVH with our whole heart and soul (vs. 12, 20).
5. Keep Yah’s commandments and statutes always (vs. 13; 11:1).  Yah is the King of the Universe. Yet it was as a result of YHVH’s love for Yisra’el’s fathers that He chose this generation of Hebrews above all the nations’ peoples of the earth to be His.)
6. Circumcise our hearts, which is the remedy for the nation’s debased character, which is to be a stiffneck people (vs. 16).  Yah is no respecter of person (vs. 17-18; Rom. 2:11).  And being no respecter of person, Yah loves the sojourner or stranger as He loves Yisra’el (vs. 19).
7. We are to love the stranger among us, as we were once strangers or sojourners in Mitsrayim (vs. 20).
8. We are to cleave ourselves unto YHVH (vs. 20).
9. We are to swear oaths by the Name of YHVH (vs. 20).
10. Yah is to be our praise and our Elohim (vs. 21).

 

Yisra’el was Chosen of Yah to Be His Special Possession in the Earth (10:15)

 

We see here in 10:15 an important Truth that we all must be acutely aware of. For this verse puts our covenant relationship with the Almighty into a proper perspective for us. (And of course, the only perspective any of us should be concerned with in our Walk with Mashiyach is Yehovah’s perspective. I would encourage you, if you are interested in studying the topic and issue of our adherence to Yah’s perspective, to pick-up a copy of my beloved friend and Torah-Teacher, Robert Bill’s book, which is entitled: “The Perspective Factor: Our Perspective vs. Our Creator’s Perspective.” For in this well-written, content-rich book, Robert lays out a case for Yah’s people to adopt and then to always—always—operate in Yah’s perspective in every area and aspect of our lives. It’s a must read for every disciple of Y’shua Messiah. Yes, I just plugged my friend’s book.) 

The perspective that we must have as it relates to our covenant relationship with the Eternal is that Yah chose us to be His set-apart people. Just like our ancient Hebrew cousins that are featured here in our Reading today, Yah is the one who decides who He will enter into and keep covenant with. Entering into and walking in covenant with Yehovah has nothing to do with the perspective believer’s race, creed, ethnicity or station in life (reference my earlier commentary on Race and Faith). It all has to do with Yah’s choice in those He falls in love with. His Ruach HaKodesh is constantly scouring the world in search of those who have the “Right Stuff,” so to speak, to be named as one of His set-apart children. 

Yah chose Avraham out of all the peoples of the earth at that time, to enter into covenant with. Avraham had the right stuff; the stuff Yah was looking for to establish a relationship with him. So close was Yah to Avraham, that he became known as Yehovah’s friend (Jas. 2:23). And so Yah established a covenant with Avraham, and that covenant would be extended to Avraham’s descendants. However, Yah chose which of Avraham’s descendants He would enter into covenant with: He chose Yitschaq (aka, Isaac) over Ishma’el; Ya’achov over Esau; David over his many brothers; and so forth. 

Father reveals to us why He chose Yisra’el to enter into covenant with:

 

 ⁷ The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:

 ⁸ But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

 ⁹ Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

 ¹⁰ And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

 ¹¹ Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. (Deu 7:7-11 KJV)

 

The Heart of a Person is the Criteria YHVH Uses to Enter into Covenant With Them

 

And what criteria is Yah looking for in a perspective set-apart child. Essentially, Abba is a searcher of hearts. The heart of a people is at the crux—the core–of any decision on Yah’s part to enter into a covenant relationship with: 

“But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart.” (1Sa 16:7 ASV)

 

“I, Jehovah, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer 17:10 ASV)

 

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jer 29:13 ASV)

 

Circumcision of the Heart is a Must (10:16)

 

We find in verse 16 of the 10th Chapter of our Reading today that Father requires of those He enters into covenant relationship with, that they possess a circumcised heart. He requires a circumcised heart from His would be people because it leaves open THE door for a true and substantive relationship between Him and His beloved. 

According to Torah Commentator and Teacher Tim Hegg of Torahresource.com:

 

“The heart that is circumcised produces an attitude which is opposite of a “stiff-neck” or stubborn spirit, and unwillingness to submit joyfully to Yah’s leadership and his commands. It is the natural tendency of mankind to make himself the sovereign and to submit to no one. Rebellion, the sin of hasatan and that into which Adam and Chavah fell, is at the root of the sinful bent mankind inherited from our first parents” (Parashah One Hundred Thirty-Four Commentary).

 

For me, defining exactly what circumcision of the heart means is somewhat challenging. But what I can say regarding it is what it involves in the life of a disciple of Y’shua Messiah. 

Over all, circumcision of the heart is a commitment to living a life of Faith. Faith. Trusting and believing Yah. Trusting and believing in who He is (I.e., our all-in-all and our sovereign) and that He will faithfully keep the promises He made to us. 

As it relates to this trusting Faith we’re supposed to possess as Yah’s elect, the writer of Hebrews penned:

 

 ⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6 KJV)

 

Thus, we as Yah’s uncircumcised hearts elect have shed our stiff-neck ways—we’ve discarded the baggage we brought with us into Faith, and we have cast all our cares upon Him. We enter into a life of seeking the Malchut Elohim (aka the Kingdom of God) and our Elohim’s righteousness. And in so doing, all of our needs and cares are taken care of by our loving and faithful Elohim (Mat. 6:33). Thus, we no longer are reliant upon ours or anyone else’s efforts to take us to the place we need to be. In fact, our whole being and focus shifts from that of satisfying and fulfilling our own desires and even our own needs, to that of pleasing and glorifying our Heavenly Father. We want to get this covenant relationship—this walk we’ve entered into right and we don’t want to take any risks in damaging or impeding that relationship. So we look to the example and teachings of our Master Y’shua to keep us in check and show us how to walk in proper, covenant; in Malchut Elohim (I.e., Kingdom of Elohim) relationship with Yehovah each and every day of our lives. 

With a circumcised heart, it no longer is about us, but it becomes all about Him. 

In a nutshell, circumcision of the heart is “dying to self.” Doing everything Yah’s Way and doing it so that He—Yehovah—receives the glory and honor and praise He so richly deserves. 

 

The Rewards for Obedience (Chapter 11)

 

Moving on into the 11th chapter, let’s consider verses 1-7. 

In verses 1-7, Moshe continues his rehashing—his narrative on Yisra’el’s Exodus journey, but specifically targeting  this second generation that actually saw Yah’s wonders. He reminds them what they witnessed and experienced. Experience and witness are powerful things in anyone’s life. And anyone who is not a witness or who has not experienced what another has, is hard pressed to identify with that individual.  For that experienced individual walks in the power and might of that experience and testimony. And in their preparation  for going in to receive the Land of Promise, Moshe tapped that power–that experience—that witness and testimony brings to one’s walk, and he says to this 2nd generation, you’ve seen first hand what YHVH has and can do. So, from this point forward, walk in that witness in power and might by keeping Yah’s Torah. 

Whenever there is a major outpouring of Yah’s Word and His Ruach (His Spirit), powerful works (aka, the miraculous) often accompanies that outpouring. When Y’shua taught and preached the Gospel, which I view as the Director’s Cut of Torah, He often solidified His teachings with His performing of mighty miracles. This is one of Yah’s many ways of solidifying His Words in the hearts and minds of His people. 

When Yochanan the Immerser was imprisoned, he sent messengers to query of Y’shua, his biological cousin, whether or not Y’shua was indeed The One who was prophesied to come–the Mashiyach. And Y’shua responded to His cousin’s query this way:

 

“…Go relate to Yochanan that you have heard and have seen. The blind are seeing, and the lame are walking, and the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf are hearing and the dead are rising, and the poor are given hope (or the poor are having the gospel preached to them)” (Mat. 11:4-5; AENT).

 

Now, we can only imagine the full impact the personal ministry of Y’shua had on the poor (i.e., the common folk) of His day who heard His preaching of Torah and saw the marvelous works that He wrought through the power and might of His Father’s Ruach HaKodesh. It most certainly left a powerful testimony and impression upon them. 

However, allow me to be clear on the issue of belief and the miraculous: The working of miracles was NOT nor should not be the determining factor for one’s belief. For we know, from the story of the Samaritan Woman at Ya’achov’s well, that the people of Samaria who came to receive Y’shua’s teachings following His talk with the woman at the well, believed Y’shua, not because of what he prophetically spoke to the woman, but because of the Words Y’shua spoke to them:

 

 ⁴¹ And many more believed because of his own word;  ⁴² And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (Joh 4:41-42 KJV)

 

So Moshe cements his admonishment (that is, to keep Torah) to this 2nd generation Hebrews by bringing to their remembrance the miraculous that they themselves witnessed (no doubt as children at the time). These had an advantage over their children–the 3rd generation to have come out of Egypt (aka, Mitsrayim), because they did not witness nor experience the miraculous things their parents witnessed (vs. 7). 

Moshe believed that, if this generation that was hearing his words as revealed to him by Yehovah, if they remembered from whence they’d come and hearkened unto Yah’s Torah, they would be made “strong” (some English translations enhance the strength aspect with, “that you may be strong enough”) such that they will be able to go in and possess the Land of Promise. 

Now, the spiritual extension of this is simply amazing to me. For when we take in the great things–the great events and history and workings of Yah–that are contained in our bibles–when we take them and couple them with our steadfast, faith-based keeping of Yah’s Torah–when we walk in covenant relationship with YHVH our Elohim with full understanding of the miraculous and the workings of the Ruach HaKodesh, both in the lives of Yah’s people in scripture and in our personal lives, we will be made “strong-enough” to go in and possess the Malchut Elohim. What Moshe was essentially telling this 2nd generation of Hebrews, was to put on the whole armor of Yah that the Apostle Shaul is renown for writing to the Ephesian Messianics about. Remember that Shaul wrote:

 

“Finally, my brothers, be strong in our Master (Y’shua), and in the energy of His power: And put on the whole armor of Elohim so that you may be able to stand against the strategies of the Accuser…that you may be able to meet the evil (one); and, being in all respects prepared, may stand firm” (6:10-13; AENT).

 

When you think about it, we find that this is exactly what Moshe was doing to the Hebrews here in our reading: He was preparing them to make a stand against the evil inhabitants of the Land of Canaan, just as Shaul was preparing his Ephesian Messianic readers to prepare to stand against the coming evil–the coming persecution and tribulation of His day, and ultimately receive the Malchut Elohim (aka, the Kingdom of Yah). And we, in the same vein, must be prepared to stand against the enemy and receive the Malchut Elohim. Like our ancient Hebrew cousins, we are not slated to do the fighting: YHVH our Elohim has promised to do the fighting for us, just as He promised to do for our ancient Hebrew cousins. Hearkening back to Shaul, we must keep in mind that our conflict, in all reality, is not against flesh and blood: It is against:

 

“…principalities and with those in authority, and with the possessors of this dark world, and with the evil spirits that are under (subject to) heaven” (Eph. 6:12; AENT).

 

It is my sincerest desire that we all have eyes to see and ears to hear and minds and hearts to recognize the tremendous spiritual applications and implications that these Torah Readings have for us–we who are walking in faithful-obedient covenant relationship with YHVH. We are essentially in the same boat as our ancient Hebrew cousins. So Yah has blessed us with the example and teaching of His Son, Y’shua Messiah, who brought the fullness–the teaching and example–of Torah to us; as well as we have the wisdom that Yah gave to Moshe in passing His Torah down to our ancient Hebrew cousins, preparing us to stand against the enemy and receive the Malchut Elohim. 

You know, beloved, we are set to face the biggest conflict of our lives. And Father is saying to us–Moshe and Y’shua are saying to us–prepare yourselves–remember all that you’ve experienced and witnessed and learned, and walk in obedience to Yah’s instructions in righteousness, so that you may be strong-enough to receive the Kingdom. Praise Yah!

 

Deuteronomy 11:10-15

 

And then from verses 10-15, Moshe extols to the ancients the desirable virtues and characteristics of the Land of Promise. He asserts that the Land in which they were about to receive was a land that YHVH their Elohim was particularly fond of, for His eyes were upon the Land “perpetually…from the year’s beginning to the year’s end” (vss. 11-12). Thus, the land would be a tremendous blessing to the ancients if they remained in obedient covenant relationship with YHVH. 

But in verse 16, once again, Moshe warns the ancients not to be “seduced” and “swerve and worship other gods and bow to them” (vs. 16) lest “Yah’s wrath flare against them” and He withholds from them the Promised Land’s great and bountiful potential and blessings (vs. 17). And we certainly saw this warning come true in 2 Kings 17 when a 3-1/2-year drought came upon the Land because of the nation’s disobedience and their giving themselves over to paganism.  Today, if we falter as Moshe warns the ancient Hebrews and as seen in the Eliyahu (aka Elijah) and Zeraphath story, we may not experience a drought in the sense of not having any water to drink or any food to eat, but we certainly may experience significant spiritual drought which can, if the reason for that spiritual drought is not corrected or healed, lead to our physical and spiritual death.  For just as when we draw near to Yah He draws near to us. When we separate ourselves from Yah, He remains distant from us. He is in fact a jealous Elohim (Exo. 20:5)–His Name is Jealous–He is Yisra’el’s husband—and because we are grafted into the commonwealth of Yisra’el, He is our husband too (Eph. 2:12)–and He will not tolerate the presence of or competition with any other would-be suitors and or lovers of his people.  

It’s quite interesting to find here in our reading that Moshe introduces the concept of the people’s hearts being “seduced” by the demigods of the land (vs. 16). Clearly, Yah takes His relationship with Yisra’el so seriously, that He likens Himself in that relationship to that of a jealous husband. 

And thus, Moshe goes on to expound upon what will happen to the nation when they violate the terms of their marriage agreement with the Eternal  (vs. 17). YHVH would hit his cheating wife, Yisra’el, right where it hurt the most: He would directly threaten the source of their sustenance–their crops–their livestock–by causing the much needed rains to cease in their appointed times. And thus, Moshe sought to impress upon this generation the importance of keeping their relationship with the Almighty–its maintenance and their faithfulness—at the forefront of their lives. 

And we have yet again, laid out before us, an emphasis on having these lessons incessantly taught to their—our  children; written on the doorposts of their—our homes and the gates of their cities; and in their—our thoughts and deeds and utterances throughout every waking hour of the day (vss. 18-19). Only then, according to Moshe, would they stand a chance of not falling prey to the seductions of the Land’s demigods. If Yah’s Word was in every conceivable facet of their day-to-day lives, then and only then, would these people have a fighting chance of overcoming the “wiles [the strategies; even the seductions]of the enemy.” 

The only security one has as it relates to receiving and possessing the Kingdom of Yah–the Malchut Elohim–is remaining faithful and monogamous and obedient to the King of the Universe. For only the righteous of YHVH will inherit the Malchut Elohim (Mat. 25:34-36; 1 Cor. 6:9-10). And again, like our ancient Hebrew cousins, our receipt of the Land of Promise–the Malchut Elohim–is fully contingent on our walking in faithful-obedient covenant relationship with the Eternal (vss. 18-25).