Greetings from the DFW on this warm but glorious Shabbat. We commenced the 4th month of Yah’s sacred calendar year earlier this week, and we’re trusting in His keeping mercies as we progress throughout the month.
These are my thoughts and reflections on the 89th reading of our 3-year Torah Reading cycle. It is contained in Leviticus 18: 1-30.
It is one of the more direct and to-the-point readings of the Torah, dealing primarily with forbidden marriages and sexual relationships and the worship of Molech.
Almost 3-years this day, I did a teaching on this reading that I believe, if you are so led to read or listen to, will sum up well that which Abba Yah puts forth to us in today’s reading. It is entitled: “Torah’s Forbidden Sexual Relationships.” So, this week, I have been led to put the link to that teaching here for your reference as opposed to my repeating much of that content and reinventing the wheel, so to speak. I trust and pray that you will be blessed by this teaching.
But before I leave you with that post, let me just say that these weekly readings are so pertinent to us, especially today, as “wokeness” attempts to drown out Yah’s eternal words of truth and righteousness.
Although the general themes of this reading fall within the categories of forbidden marriages and sexual relationships and prohibitions against child sacrifice to Molech (shocking that Yah would have to prohibit such a terrible thing, huh), we clearly see the United States today in critical and terrible transgressing of Yah’s commandments regarding these categories.
Yah was concerned for His bride’s wellbeing, having just brought them out of Egypt and now leading them to the promised land of Canaan. Egypt and Canaan were the most morally corrupted, pagan nations in the world at that time. The nation had just come out of Egypt/Mitsrayim, brought with them terrible pagan worship practices that Yah had to purge out of them while positioning them to reject the equally terrible pagan worship practices they would encounter going into taking possession of Canaan. The nation whom He chose to establish a covenant-marriage relationship with, Yisra’el, would not continue in the ways of their former taskmasters, nor would they be permitted to adopt the ways of the Canaanites that He would flush out of the land.
Regarding this, Abba Yah to our ancient cousins: (2) I Am Yehovah your El. (3) After the doings of the land of Egypt/Mitsrayim, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do, and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. (4) [But rather] ye shall do My judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein, [for I AM] Yehovah your El. (5) Ye shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments: which if a man does, he shall live in them: I AM Yehovah (chapter 18; KJV modified).
The world in which our ancient cousins were existing back in the day was rife with paganism that disgusted Yehovah. As His bride, Yah sought to make it abundantly clear that Yisra’el belonged exclusively to Him. And because she belonged exclusively to Him, she was required to keep only His instructions. In so doing, they would be distinguished among the nations of the known world as His set-apart people. They would image and glorify Yehovah before the nations and be a light to the world.
Most people, in particular those who profess faith in the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov, see the instructions contained in this and other readings as utterly outmoded or antiquated, having absolutely no relevance to them. But these fail to see the overriding point behind these instructions in righteousness. For Yah is separating His children from the peoples of this world by way of how they conduct themselves. The world possesses its own set of statutes and judgments (just as the Egyptians and Canaanites). Unfortunately, the world’s statutes and judgments run contrary to those of Yehovah. But worse, the world’s ways–i.e., their statutes and judgments and ordinances–tend to be abominable to Yehovah. And because Yah’s children are to be holy/perfect as He is, they are compelled to despise the ways of the world. Thus, they walk contrary to the ways of the world. And in their walking contrary to the ways of the world, they glorify and image Yehovah in the world.
Much of the abominable ways of the world, even the world today, with ancient Egypt and Canaan being clear references, are derived from forms of idolatry or pagan worship: Yes, even the prohibited marriages and sexual relationships were linked to idolatry. And because these nations were so steeped in abominable paganism, Yehovah vowed to have them purged from the land.
The United States, once the beacon of hope for the world in terms of her being entrusted, I believe, with the Word of Yehovah just as Yisra’el was, has forfeited her blessing. In every category of evil outlined in our reading here today, she is found guilty and wanting:
Idolatry: Her people worship “wokeness,” climate change; COVID; politics; decadence and entertainment and technology; violence; and so much more.
Sexual Deviance: Her people have embraced wholly the LGBTQ+ agenda, and in so doing, she has engaged herself in abominable idolatrous sexual sins.
Child Sacrifice: Her people are complicit in child trafficking, and through her lust and demand for abortion–killing the unborn–she effectively is deep in the worship of Molech.
I believe that this nation’s days are very much numbered. The United States has become no different than its predecessor Canaan. And thus, she is subject to Yah’s wrath and judgment. We see clear signs of this already:
- Foreign nationals, many of whom are military-age men, coming into this nation at her unprotected borders and melding into the fabric of this nation. What are their ultimate intentions?
- The United States enemies, such as China, are conducting spying operations against her.
- The world’s nations are demanding that she give over her sovereignty to foreign governing bodies.
- Unfettered violence, in particular violence perpetrated by young people, in many of the nation’s liberal cities.
- Young people dropping dead for inexplicable reasons.
- The nation’s food supplies are being purged.
- The average citizen with limited means is being forced into poverty.
- The church triumphant has become all but persona non grata.
- The justice system has become weaponized and made into an unrecognizable two-tiered system, used to target any and all who oppose the idolatrous ways of the nation’s elite.
- And so forth.
Indeed, if it hasn’t started already, judgment is right at this nation’s door.
But we, who are redeemed of Yehovah, have been called, despite the distress that we see occurring all around us, to walk/live by our faith (Habakkuk 2:4). We are not to succumb to and adopt the ways abominable, idolatrous ways of this so-called “woke” world as the emasculated church has done. We must become that light and salt to this sick and dying world that Yeshua our Master has called us to be (Matthew 5:13-14).
May these sobering words incite us to double down in our commitment to the true Faith once delivered. Let us stay informed of the happenings about us, but also, let us always be “Kingdom-focused” and always in search of Yah’s righteousness. May Yah’s Kingdom come and His Will be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven. Maranatha beloved.
Shabbat Shalom, Shavu’tov, and may you be most blessed fellow saints in training. Take care.