Greetings saints of the Most High. This is Rod Thomas coming to you from the DFW on a rather steamy but blessed Sabbath. I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to fellowship with me here on upcoming day of rest in Yeshua Messiah. And as always, it is my hope, trust, and prayer, that this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer finds you, your families, and your fellowships well and blessed.

As I am recording and publishing this installment of TMTO, it is July 13, 2024. Just five days ago we entered the 4th Month of Yah’s Biblical Calendar Year. And for those of you who are new to this Faith-walk, or new to Father’s reckoning of time, there are no mandated moedim or feasts of the LORD this month. Thus, we spend these non-feast months working the fields and producing good fruit, in anticipation of the soon arrival of our King, Yeshua Messiah, and Him ushering in His Father’s eternal Kingdom.

I’ve chosen to entitle this teaching “Operating in a Set-Apart-Kingdom Fashion: Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 140.” It is the 140^th reading of our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle, and is contained in Deuteronomy/Devarim 18:1-20:9.

Given the length of this week’s reading, we will not read the text, but instead reserve that privilege for you all to do as you are so led. And so, what follows is my thoughts and reflections on the reading. It is my hope that each of you will conduct your own study and meditate on this reading according.

Yehovah Will be the Levitical Priests’ Inheritance! (18:1-8)

The Tribe of Levi would not receive the promised inheritance of Land that the rest of their Israeli brethren were to receive. Yehovah would be their inheritance. How so and why? It doesn’t seem fair, does it? After all, weren’t the Levites also descended from Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov like the rest of their brethren? Weren’t they also entitled to receive and enjoy the fatness of the Land of Promise?

The Promise of the Land to our ancient cousins served several purposes. But the one purpose that stood out among any other is that the promise of Land provided every son of Ya’achov the wherewithal to make a viable and secure living for himself and his family. This land ownership has always been about in the Ancient Near East: Having the God-given wherewithal to provide for one’s self and family under the reign of Yehovah Elohim.

Well, as it would pertain to our Levitical brethren, having no Land inheritance meant that someone else would have to provide for all their physical needs. And that someone else would be Yehovah, who, through the Tabernacle sacrificial system, would provide for every physical need (and the needs of their families as well) of our Levite kin. For Yah declared through Moshe that YHVH is his (i.e., the Levite’s) inheritance (18:2). And so, the Levites would receive an allotted portion of the meat of certain qualified sacrifices for their meat; a portion of the firstfruits of the peoples’ grain offering for their vegetables and bread, and the fleece of the sheep offerings made by the people for their clothing and such.

Why did Yah set up such a system? He stated through Moshe: “For יהוה your Elohim has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to serve in the Name of יהוה, him and his sons forever. The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Dt 18:5. The ministerial work of the Levite was a full-time job, leaving no time for agricultural work to physically sustain them. Yah required of his priests that they dedicate their lives entirely to Him; to serve Yah and act as intermediaries between Yehovah and the people.

Now the question challenging or facing our beloved faith community is, since the Levitical priesthood is on a temporary hiatus — at least until the Kingdom age let’s say (Eze 45:5; 48:11-13) – are we Netsarim priests operating in place of our retired ancient Levi cousins? Does our Master’s Exalted role as the Cohen Gadol/High Priest over the Michaelian priestly order demand, by spiritual default, that we somehow assume priestly offices and duties today? Did not Yah declare that we, his chosen-elected ones were destined to become a royal nation of priests and a holy nation (Exo 19:5-6; Isa 61:6; 66:21; 1 Pet 2:9)? Was this in fact Abba Yah’s intent and purpose for us from the beginning?

We know that the Church Triumphant took this concept to heart when they began developing and employing a cadre of so-called priests to oversee the affairs of their hijacked, bastardized version of the true faith once delivered. Clearly, there is some iteration of the “every believer is a priest” through Yeshua’s Melchizedekian High Priesthood Doctrine that is true. John foresaw in his revelation of Yeshua the essence of this reality, did he not (Rev 1:6; 5:10)? He most certainly did. Unfortunately for us today, we’re seeing how this priesthood, especially in the Kingdom realm, is going to actually play out through “a glass darkly.” But we believe it must come to pass, somehow, some way. Right? At least for the time being, we are obliged to operate in the semblance of a priest. As the Levitical priests of old Ministered to the High Priest/Cohen Gadol and to Israel/Yisra’el, we must do likewise in this dispensation. We are called to serve the Master Who is presently operating in the heavenly Temple/Mishkan as our High Priest, as well as serve one another. Yeshua commanded us to love one another (Joh 13:34). In this sense — the sense that our lives reflect or epitomize priestly character – it stands to reason that we must certainly operate as a nation of priests being members of the Netsari Faith Community.

No, we are not offering animal sacrifices to Yehovah on behalf of the nation, but rather, we are offering unto Yah, as Paul/Shaul described it, sacrifices of praise (Heb 13:15) and producing fruit that is worthy of our priestly calling. The question, however, is are we doing these priestly things, or are we simply sitting on our hands waiting for the Master to return, having done little to nothing to increase the number of talents that He left us with when He ascended on high (Mat 25:14-46)? If we are indeed a kingdom/nation of priests as the Apostle Peter/Kefa declared, then we have work to do. Our Melchizedekian High Priest is counting on us to support Him and operate in our God-given Kingdom function and purpose. If we don’t operate in our kingdom priestly purpose and function, we stand the very good chance of being denied entry into our Master’s glorious Kingdom when He returns (Mat 7:21-23).

So, for now, we are compelled to operate in our priest-like function and purpose the best we can, in fear and in trembling (Psa 2:11; Phi 2:12) and be careful as to not fall prey to the Dispensationalists’ snare of Replacement Theology thinking. Our priestlike function in the Kingdom – that being the Kingdom that exists in each of us who are in a true covenant relationship with Abba Yah – does not mean that Yah abolished His holy and eternal Torah and all of its provisions and structures such as the Levitical Priesthood. For us, we are simply following the lead of Yah’s walking-talking-Torah: doing what He instructs us to do. As far as we must be concerned, Yah’s Torah remains as our constitution and the foundation of our covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. We are not, then, replacements to the Levitical Priesthood, but rather, priestly servants to our Melchizedekian High Priest. Because of our High Priest Yahoshua, we enjoy a direct covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. Yeshua Messiah is the only means – He is the bridge – that we have to Abba Yah. Without Yeshua, as Torah Teacher Tim Hegg so beautifully puts it, we “have no entrance into the Holy Place” (Hegg, T.; Commentary on Deuteronomy; p. 127). This is in great part the reason we customarily conclude our petitionary prayers with the adage “in Yeshua’s Name I pray, Amein” (ibid., p. 127).

Our reading’s instructions as it relates to the support that Yah incorporated into His Torah to provide for His Levitical Priesthood should translate over to how our Netsari leaders and teachers are cared for, in Spirit and in Truth of course. Our faith community leaders; and teachers’ day-to-day needs, like the Levitical Priests of old, should be taken care of by those of us who they feed. Our faith community leaders and teachers, if at all possible, should not be forced to work secular jobs to take care of themselves and their families. They, like the apostles of the Jerusalem Assembly, should be afforded the opportunity to operate in “Yah’s word and not tend to tables” so to speak (Act 6:2). This is not in the least to suggest that our faith community leaders should use their blessed positions to gain material wealth, power, and influence in the community. On the contrary, they must be at the proper place physically and spiritually to serve their Master Yeshua and their brethren in the community. They must abhor and avoid the pursuit of accumulation of mammon.

Prohibitions Against Adopting the Religious-Pagan Practices and Ways of the Nations (18:9-14)

The religious, pagan practices and ways of the Canaanites were detestable to Yehovah, and He vehemently declared that we were never to imitate or adopt any of those nation’s ways. In part, it was for the reason of the wholesale paganism of the Canaanites that Yah was driving them out of the Land before us (18:12).

For Yehovah, it wasn’t enough that we not adopt the ways and religious practices of the Canaanites, but that we walk “blameless before Yehovah” our God (18:13). This was in fact the same instruction that He gave our patriarch Avraham: And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect (aka “tamim,” to be complete in all your ways). The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ge 17:1.

Yah demands that we walk blamelessly before Him, turning neither to the right nor left in our ways (Deu 28:10). We are to stay within the confines of His instructions in righteousness. And Yah gives this instruction in conjunction to the potentiality that we might “go after other gods to serve them” (Deu 28:14). Of this reality, Yah declared: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me…The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Dt 5:9–6:15.

The Canaanites, according to Yehovah, had given themselves to their gods. They effectively belonged to the Canaanite pantheon of gods. But Yah redeemed us from the gods of Mitsrayim (aka Egypt) and from any other gods of this world (Deu 7:8; 9:26; 13:5). We belong to Him. This being the case, we are compelled to do as He commands (Deu 24:18).

Yah’s Prophets and the Prophet to Come Whom We Must Shema (18:15-22)

Moshe prophesied Yehovah was going to raise up unto us a prophet, somewhat like Moshe, whom we must listen (aka “Shema”-to hear, listen, and obey). That prophet we know would be none other than our Master Yahoshua Messiah. We refused to hear from Yehovah’s mouth directly as we stood before His presence back at Horeb. Yah honored our cries of fear and instead would deliver His words to us via His designated prophet, Moshe. But to hammer this reality even further, Yah promised to raise up Yeshua, the ultimate Prophet, again very much like Moshe, Whom Yah would place my words into his mouth, and he shall speak to them ⌊everything that I command him⌋. 19 ⌊And then⌋ the man that will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I will hold accountable. W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 18:18–19. If we fail or refuse to listen to The Prophet whom Yah will raise up in our midst, Yah would hold us accountable and we would perish. If we refuse to walk in the ways of Yeshua Messiah, we will indeed perish.

This prophetic utterance prompted Moshe to comment about those kinsmen who, on their own accord, claim to speak having Yehovah’s authority but not having received any words whatsoever from the Almighty. In particular, Moshe singles out those who would come from among us who would claim to be speaking on behalf of Yah, but who seek to turn the people to the worship and ways of pagan gods would, by necessity, be executed. That prophet is not of Yehovah. Anyone who dares to sway the hearts, minds, and souls of the people to go after other gods is to be marked for destruction.

The test of a prophet who claims to be operating under the authority and direction of Yehovah — claiming that Yah placed His Word in their mouth — but that which he foretells does not come to pass, is not a sanctioned prophet of Yehovah. That individual was acting under his own motivations or the influence of the enemy. That one is not to be feared nor followed.

Now, as it relates to 18:15, Yah’s Torah regarding His raising up a Prophet like Moshe from our midst and of whom we must hearken, should in no way be limited, at least in our minds, to the Person of Yeshua HaMashiyach. For as clearly as this passage points directly to Mashiyach/Messiah, the Spirit and Truth of 18:15 most certainly applies to any would be prophet who has ever claimed to have been called of Yah to declare “Thus saith the LORD.” Certainly, the same proofs and restrictions and rules that we read about in the Parsa that is before us today, must apply to any and all would be prophets.

We know that Yah’s true prophets of old spoke the words to Yisra’el that Yah placed in their mouths. These were holy emissaries of the Most High Elohim. Their foretelling when heeded by us led to Yah sparing us from His wrathful judgments. But when we refused to heed their foretelling, then their forthtelling function came online and we became subject to Yah’s wrathful judgments.

Do we have true prophets in operation today? I believe we most certainly do. So, does Yah’s Torah regarding these modern-day prophets still apply to us and to them? Absolutely. Those present-day prophets who direct us to abandon and reject Yah’s Way of Life (i.e. Yah’s holy Torah and Yeshua’s instructions) must be rejected and treated as an anathema within our community. However, those would be prophets whose words have been shown to be consistently true and that align perfectly with scripture, we should Shema them as the Holy Spirit operating within us directs.

The Torah Regarding the Setting Aside Cities of Refuge in the Land of our Inheritance (19:1-20)

Please either read or listen to our post entitled “The Torah of the Cities of Refuge — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 125.” In that post, we did a detailed study on the workings of and the spiritual implications of the Cities of Refuge that Yah commanded us to set aside in the Land of Promise.

Our God Will Fight For Us as we Take Possession of our Inheritance (20:1-9)

Yah through Moshe instructed us to not fear the battles that were ahead of us and the enemy that stood in the way of our taking possession of the Land of Promise. Yah adamantly declared that He would do the heavy lifting on our behalf for “יהוה your Elohim, who brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim, is with you.” The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Dt 20:1.

If Yah be for us, Who then can stand against us? For even the appearance of the numbers of armored and weaponed enemy, arrayed with their horses and chariots, is not to be of any concern to us (20:2).

Because this generation was operating within the exacting confines of Yah’s purpose and will, when they would finally take possession of the Land, they would be under the Almighty’s divine protection and provision. Thus, they would have no need to fear the enemy and the battles that were ahead of them were already won.

Of course, the Spirit and Truth application to this instruction should be apparent. When we abide in the will and purpose of Yehovah our God, and obediently operate in our Kingdom function, we need not fear any man, as Yehovah, our Elohim has promised that He will fight for us.