The Righteousness of God Rests Upon the Faithfulness of Yeshua Messiah

The Righteousness of God Rests Upon the Faithfulness of Yeshua Messiah

by | Dec 8, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

 

This is “The Righteousness of God Rests on the Faithfulness of Yeshua Messiah.” This is Part 4 of our series within a series that is entitled: “The Righteousness of God is the Place Where Obedience and Faith Intersect.”

 

Our focus passage for this installment will pick up where we left off in Part 3, looking primarily at Romans 3:22 and 23. In these two verses we will see the apostle continues his discussion of the Righteousness of Elohim.

   

Recall in part 1 of our series within a series (as well as in other installments of our overall Paul and Hebrew Roots series), we discussed how Yah’s Righteousness is manifested through His goodness and mercies; His Word, prophets and Yahoshua Messiah; as well as through His righteous judgment.

 

And then in part 2 we broke down what living by or walking by one’s faith looks like. And so, in that discussion, we linked Shaul’s teaching on the necessity of faith for one’s salvation and for a netzari’s or an elect’s walk in Messiah, to Habakkuk 2:4, where we saw that the impending wrath and judgment of Yah upon unrepentant Yisrael in the prophet’s day, required Yah’s remnant people to trust Yah to do what He’s going to do, and they simply continue to walk by/walk in/live by their faith.

 

Then in our last installment to this series, part 3, we set out to differentiate or distinguish between the terms or concepts of belief and faith. In that discussion, we concluded (or rather, I concluded) that belief is in fact different than faith. Belief is a more cognitive manifestation of one’s convictions or understanding of the things and ways and Person of Yehovah, while faith is manifested in action. And that action, in addition to a great many things, manifests in a netzari’s or elect’s entering into an obedient covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. The vast majority of people on this planet believe Yah exists: humans are hardwired to believe in Yah in some form or fashion. The distinction between Yah’s elect and the rest of humanity is that Yah’s elect trust in Yehovah to such a degree that they operate in an obedient covenant relationship with the Holy One of Yisra’el. We have as our example, Avraham, who not only believed that Yehovah existed and that He would fulfill every promise He made to Him, but He trusted Abba to the point of doing that which Abba instructed Him to do: to remove himself from his land, people and father’s home, and journey to a place that Yah would show him, as well as to go to the very brink of offering up his son Yitshaq in sacrifice unto Yehovah. 

 

And thus, the Righteousness of Yah is manifested to the whole of humanity in a number of ways. The sad, and unfortunate fact of the matter is, however, that with the exception of a small, remnant of souls on earth, humanity has in the past and in the present, turned a blind heart, mind and eye to the reality of Yah’s Righteousness. But an additional reality is that Yah’s Righteousness has a shelf-life, if you will. Yah’s Righteousness in all of its manifestations will remain accessible to unrepentant, unconverted humanity only for so long before it is removed.

And so, as it relates to our focus passage here today, if we were to compare and contrast it to these four manifestations, it would on the surface appear that the apostle is reiterating that aspect of Yah’s Righteousness that is manifested in His conferring of right-standing or justifying those who possess and exercise for the duration of their walk, a trusting faith in Him and in the atoning sacrifice and Person of His Son Yahoshua Messiah.

 

But today I want to bring to your attention a very interesting nuance of verse 22 that I believe, highlights probably the greatest manifestation of Yah’s Righteousness. Unfortunately, because the vast majority of us are not versed in ancient Greek, nor biblical Hebrew, we are held captive to whatever English translations of the Bible we have available to us. And so, we have the tendency of missing key elements and truths that our ancient counterparts no doubt understood, but because of our ignorance of the ancient languages, we miss entirely.

 

So, what I hope comes from this discussion today is a renewed appreciation and commitment towards deeper exegetical study of Yah’s Word, using the tremendous resources that He has provided us, which is indeed, a manifestation of Yah’s Righteousness.

 

And know that when I reference exegetical study of Yah’s Word, I’m not talking about conducting a critical analysis of Abba’s Word. You know, a great many so-called Biblical scholars are as wolves in sheep’s clothing when it comes to exegetical studies. Their life’s work is geared towards casting or creating doubt in the primacy and accuracy of Yah’s Word. That my friend, is not in the least what I mean by us committing ourselves to greater exegetical studies. I’m talking about a digging deeper into the Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew texts if at all possible, and identifying those things in those ancient texts that the English translators of our Bibles may have failed to catch and exposit or comment on.

 

I’m also not talking about taking Hebrew or Greek. Learning ancient Hebrew and Greek is a sizable undertaking to say the least. Maybe even a calling. But if one is not called to study and learn ancient Greek and or Hebrew, there are tremendous, user-friendly resources out there—software, books, on-line resources—that fill in the gap of us not knowing these languages. It’s just a matter of finding out what resources are out there and of those resources, which will provide us the study content that will take our understanding of Yah’s Word to the next level.

 

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For without further ado, let’s get into this.

 

Our focus passage reads as follows:

 

(21) But now the righteousness of Elohim without Torah, is manifested: and Torah and the prophets testify of it. (22) Even the righteousness of Elohim, which is by faith in Y’shua the Mashiyach for every one and on every one that believes in Him: for there is no distinction;(23) For they have all sinned, and failed of the glory of Elohim. (AENT)

 

Verse 3:22

 

If we take this passage at face value, without any outside resources to influence our understanding of the text, it seems as though Shaul is expounding further on this subject of Yah’s Righteousness. And it is the understanding that the Righteousness of Elohim is brought about by faith (I.e., trusting faith) in Yahoshua Messiah by everyone individual who believes in the sacrifice and Person of Yahoshua, be they Jew or Gentile.

 

And so, the object of Yah’s Righteousness here in this particular passage is this trusting faith in Y’shua Messiah (vs. 22), as opposed to the object of Yah’s Righteousness being Torah and the prophets. Prior to Yahoshua, Torah and the prophets witnessed to and were manifestations of Yah’s Righteousness. Yah gave humanity His Torah and He sent His prophets to testify of Yah’s Righteousness and to grease the spiritual skids, so to speak, in anticipation of Yahoshua Messiah and the renewed covenant. These are all part and parcel of Yah’s Plan of Salvation, Redemption and Restoration.

 

And so, some (primarily denominationalists) would take this passage to mean that salvation is all about believing in Jesus Christ and accepting Him into our hearts as our personal savior: Whatever that truly is supposed to mean and what it truly looks like. And that everything concerning humanity’s salvation opportunity points exclusively to Y’shua, not Torah.

 

This being the case, according to Shaul, there is no distinction of person whatsoever as it relates to anyone being saved. Judaism vehemently holds that for any individual to be saved, they must convert to Judaism. Denominationalists contend the only way for one to be saved is to say the sinners’ prayer and adhere to the ideals of their chosen denomination.

 

Neither realizes nor promotes the relationship component of this trusting faith that leads one to receiving Yah’s Righteousness. For the reality of the matter is that Faith in Y’shua is about a complete giving up of one’s will for that of YHVH’s Will; walking in covenant relationship with Elohim; trusting not just His promises and His statements, but trusting Him as one’s sovereign. It’s dying to self. It’s trusting in Yah and His Word and in the Ministry and Person of Y’shua Messiah.

 

Remember, we’re talking about that which is required for one to be declared righteous by YHVH, regardless if the one be Jew or Gentile.

 

And the point of Shaul’s “there is no distinction” statement at the tail end of verse 22 is to address the issue of all of humanity being given the opportunity of receiving the status of righteous or justified by Elohim or by the Court of Heaven, regardless of their human distinctions. 

 

The contrasting of the terms “faith” and “belief” in verse 22 caused me to doubt the conventional English renderings of this verse. I felt, given there is a clear distinction between “faith” and “belief” as discussed in Part 3 of this series, had to be taken into consideration in our interpretation of the verse; in particular the statement “all who believe [in him].” My first inclination was that a more accurate interpretation of that phrase was “all who possessed a trusting faith [in Him].” And so, when I came across Stern’s translation, I felt my suspicions were spot-on confirmed.

 

Stern’s translation reads:

 

 21 But now, quite apart from Torah, God’s way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear- although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well- 22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, 23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God’s praise. (Rom 3:21-23 CJB)

 

 

Now, there are two things that stand out in Stern’s translation of this verse that deserves closer attention.

 

  1. The “righteousness that comes from God through the faithfulness of Yeshua Messiah.” And,

 

  1. “to all who continue trusting.”

 

 

So, why did Stern settle upon such a drastic translative interpretation of verse 22?

 

According to Hertz, the “subjective genitive” understanding of verse 22 makes the best contextual sense here.

 

When we’re talking about subjective versus objective genitives in language, literary elements that have all but become lost in English language, we’re attempting to answer the question of “what is that object that is possessed” in the “objective” sense, versus “who possesses the object” in the subjective sense.

 

The subjective genitive phrasing would render this phrase: “Messiah’s faith” or “Messiah’s faithfulness.” Thus, “pistis” in this sense is best understood as “faithfulness” as opposed to simply “faith” or “belief.”

 

Shaul uses the phrase “dia pistis Iesou Christou” in:

 

  • 3:26–26 and it vindicates his righteousness in the present age by showing that he is righteous himself and is also the one who makes people righteous on the ground of Yeshua’s faithfulness. (Rom 3:26 CJB)
  • 2:16 (X2); 3:22–16 even so, we have come to realize that a person is not declared righteous by God on the ground of his legalistic observance of Torah commands, but through the Messiah Yeshua’s trusting faithfulness. Therefore, we too have put our trust in Messiah Yeshua and become faithful to him, in order that we might be declared righteous on the ground of the Messiah’s trusting faithfulness and not on the ground of our legalistic observance of Torah commands. For on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, no one will be declared righteous. (Gal 2:16 CJB) 22 But instead, the Tanakh shuts up everything under sin; so that what had been promised might be given, on the basis of Yeshua the Messiah’s trusting faithfulness, to those who continue to be trustingly faithful. (Gal 3:22 CJB)
  • 3:12– 12 In union with him, through his faithfulness, we have boldness and confidence when we approach God. (Eph 3:12 CJB)
  • 3:9– 9 and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own based on legalism, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah’s faithfulness, the righteousness from God based on trust. (Phi 3:9 CJB)

 

With similar rendering found in Col. 2:12 and 2 The. 2:13.

 

And so, when we are forced to deal with Greek construction in our Pauline passages, which may or may not be something some of us are too interested in doing, we will discover that words, word order and phrasing of words really do matter in relation to our understanding of these ancient texts.

 

This entire passage of Romans is intricately linked to Psalm 143, the author of which declaring to his readers the virtues of Yah’s faithfulness to His people.

 

Therefore, Yah’s Righteousness is demonstrated directly in the Person and Ministry of Y’shua, not upon Torah. Torah is understood as the believer’s constitution. But Torah is not to be understood as the Righteousness of Yah unto salvation for humanity.

 

 

Now, Shaul does assign one’s justification to Y’shua’s faithfulness; or rather His trusting obedience, as in Romans 5:19:

 

 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the other man, many will be made righteous. (Rom 5:19 CJB)

 

And so, the righteousness of Yah is revealed through the faithfulness of Y’shua Messiah and it is revealed to all those who trust in Him.

 

As we survey Shaul’s writings, we find that Y’shua’s faithfulness is the uniting factor or element among the Galatians and Roman assemblies (Gal. 2:16 and Romans 3:22).

 

Now, this is diametrically contrasted with the Judaism of Shaul’s day, whereby the uniting element of the people was “works of law” or “halachah.” (And we cover this issue in our series within a series entitled: “A Question of One’s Jewishness.” If you’ve not had the opportunity to read or listen to that post, I will provide a link to part one in this post’s transcript for your convenience.)

 

 

Verse 23

 

And so, who are the “all” who Shaul asserts have sinned and fallen short of Yah’s glory?

 

It would seem the “all” Shaul is referring to here are those who are in the process of being saved or being justified as a result of their faith in Y’shua Messiah. Those “all” who believe—”pisteuo”—may be either Jew or Gentile: It matters not to YHVH. Both Jew and Gentile are sinners: A commonality of the human condition.

 

So, when read and understood in context with verse 22, the “all who have sinned here” is not a reference to the universality of sin to the human condition. The “all who have sinned here is strictly” referring to those who “believe;” at least, that’s what a rote understanding of the passage would suggest. But if we factor in that which we discussed in Part 3 of this series, where we differentiated between “belief” and “faith,” we have to ask ourselves in this context, whether the all who believe is really the “all who possess a trusting faith-an obedience of faith—a trusting, obedient covenant relationship with the Eternal.  Because the fact of the matter, as we stated earlier in this discussion, a great many folks around the world “believe” in Jesus Christ; even believe in Yahoshua Messiah. And we’ve affirmed that belief in general is cognitive in nature. Even the demons believe in Yehovah and in the Person of Yeshua Messiah. So, does the apostle mean to suggest that all that is necessary for receiving Yah’s Righteousness is a simple, cognitive acknowledgment of the Person and Ministry of Yahoshua? I would question that.

 

Certainly, one must possess a baseline cognitive understanding and persuasion that Yehovah exists and that Yahoshua bled, suffered and died for our sins. But Yah requires more in order for Him to confer upon us His Righteousness.

 

Stern words the falling short of Yah’s glory as one coming short of earning Yah’s praise. J.K. McKee interprets the falling short of Yah’s glory as a hearkening back to the glory “adam” (man) possessed and enjoyed in the Garden prior to his fall, being made in the image of YHVH (Gen. 1:26); that image or glory ultimately diminished by sin.

 

The Tanach has always held to the universality of the human sin condition:

 

  • 7:20–For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Ecc 7:20 KJV)
  • 59:1-2–Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (Isa 59:1-2 KJV)

 

 

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Personal Commentary

 

And so we have it: The righteousness of Elohim, having been manifested in a number of ways throughout human history, is now, in Shaul’s day, manifested in Y’shua Messiah’s faithfulness.

 

As you may have been tracking from our discussion, there is no word for “faithfulness” apart from “pistis,” which we know to be the English term or principle, “faith.”

 

So how did Stern and others know to translate ““dia pistis Iesou Christou” as “through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ,” and not as “by faith in Jesus Christ?” Well, he chose to pay attention to the “subject genitive” of the term “pistis” which denoted ownership of the faith belonged, not so much to believers in the Faith once delivered, but rather, it belonged to Yahoshua Messiah. So the best wording for this situation seems to be “the faithfulness of Y’shua Messiah,” which adds a whole different flavor to the verse than the conventional interpretation provides.

 

And as an aside, it turns out that the KJV was actually in lockstep with Stern’s and McKee’s interpretation/translation of the phrase:

 

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Rom 3:22 KJV)

 

So the question to be asked, of course, is what does the “faithfulness of Y’shua Messiah” mean or what did it look like? Quite simply, “the trustworthiness;” “the loyalty;” “the steadfastness;” “the “commitment;” “the dependability;” “the reliability” of Y’shua Messiah to His mission; His purpose; His love for the Father and for humanity; to Yah’s Word; to the destruction of the enemy and the enemy’s works; and to the Kingdom of Elohim. Yahoshua’s faithfulness could even be summed up as His faithful obedience to the Father.

 

Shaul described Master Yahoshua:

 

 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Phi 2:5-8 KJV)

 

Yahoshua was faithful in every aspect of His Person, Mission and Purpose. And because of this, we are the benefactors of Yehovah’s Goodness; Yehovah’s Righteousness; salvation and admittance to the Kingdom.

 

If Y’shua was not faithful, we would not receive the fullness of Yah’s Righteousness; Yah’s salvation; Yah’s grace. Y’shua’s faithfulness is at the epicenter of Yehovah’s Righteousness.

 

The “there is no distinction” phrase the apostle mentions in the tail-end of verse 22 simply denotes the reality that Y’shua’s faithfulness is the key to humanity’s receipt of Yah’s Righteousness, and that it “makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile” (3:22b; CJB).

 

As we alluded to in previous discussions related to this letter, Shaul’s position as written here likely caused a firestorm in the Assemblies of Roman Messianic Believers. Remember, it is believed that this Assembly was founded, not by Gentile Romans (as widely postulated by denominationalists who want to distract from the Jewish or Hebraic foundations of our Faith), but converted, Messianic Jewish Romans. These likely being of those who came to or converted to the Way Movement in the wave of Jewish converts who experienced the Outpouring of the Ruach Kodesh on that Great Day of Shavu’ot/Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:1-12. (I touch heavily upon this premise in our discussion entitled, “To Whom Was the Book of Romans Written?” I would encourage you, if you’ve not already done so, or if you simply would like to refresh your memory on the content of that discussion, to either listen to or read that post at your leisure, simply by clicking this link.)

 

Although these who returned to their synagogues and possibly established Messianic Assemblies within their Roman synagogues, may have been converts to the Way Movement or Faith, many, if not most of them no doubt held tightly, some more tightly than others, to their orthodox rabbinic halachah. For the Way Movement, at this juncture at least, was seen by most Jews throughout the Roman Empire, as a Jewish-sect; no different to some, in fact, as were the distinct sects of the pharisees, sadducees, essenes and such. And so, when Gentiles began entering the movement/Faith, they, or many of them, were discipled into Judaism as well as in the teachings of Yahoshua. Many of these Gentiles were being indoctrinated and schooled as if their very salvation relied on their properly walking/halachah in Judaism, which included of course, the stipulated requirement that the men be circumcised above all else, if they were to be members of the assemblies and be saved (Rom. 2).

 

Shaul is writing here, though, making the shocking claim that one’s Jewishness gets you nothing in the eyes of the Court of Heaven. The only thing that does, is one’s trusting faith in the Person and Ministry of Yahoshua and being in an obedient covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. This pathway to eternity/salvation/the Kingdom was no doubt viewed as scandalous by some of the Jewish Messianics of the Roman Assemblies who strongly believed salvation came through the works of the law or Jewish halachah.

 

Verse 23

 

…since all have sinned and come short of earning God’s praise. (Rom 3:23 CJB)

 

This is the capstone to Shaul’s point that there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to the critical topic and issue of salvation and righteousness. For both Jew and Gentile alike have failed to meet Yehovah’s exacting standards of righteousness because of sin. And the penalty for failing to meet that high standard or mark is of course death (both physical and spiritual). Adam simply ate of the forbidden fruit and in so doing, he and all of humanity are condemned. Torah-keeping, which is a version or form of Works of Torah/Law, in no way reverses this situation. Because the sin problem is not just limited to actions, but is more-so endemic to the condition of the human heart. For the heart, according to Yehovah is deceptive and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). It is incompatible with the Will/Purpose/Person of Yehovah. And the only solution to this desperate problem is a trusting faith in the Personal Ministry—the atoning sacrifice of Mashiyach. That trusting faith in Mashiyach leads one into entering a trusting, obedient covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe, where the believer gives up his/her will entirely for the Will/Purpose of Elohim.

 

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Practical Halachah

 

And so, because we are to imitate our Master in every way, Yahoshua’s faithfulness must extend over to us, Yah’s elect. Because our Master was faithful, we are called to be faithful.

 

On this very thing Shaul wrote to the Galatian Messianics:

 

16 even so, we have come to realize that a person is not declared righteous by God on the ground of his legalistic observance of Torah commands, but through the Messiah Yeshua’s trusting faithfulness. Therefore, we too have put our trust in Messiah Yeshua and become faithful to him, in order that we might be declared righteous on the ground of the Messiah’s trusting faithfulness and not on the ground of our legalistic observance of Torah commands. For on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, no one will be declared righteous. (Gal 2:16 CJB)

 

Shaul instructs his Galatian readers to be faithful to Yahoshua in order that they might be declared righteous.

 

As an example of the faithfulness we are supposed to imitate as disciples, even unto death, our glorified Master Yahoshua declared to the Kehila of Smyrna:

 

 10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Rev 2:10-11 KJV)

 

So how does our faithfulness today translate into Yah’s Righteousness?

 

Our faithfulness is manifested first and foremost in our entering into and maintaining a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. This covenant relationship is based on Trust in Yah and His Word. That trust or faith, if you will, translates into obedience and love. We do what Yah instructs us to do and we fall completely in love with Him. Over time this whole process, who some refer to as sanctification, causes the would be child of Yah to conform or be transformed into the very image of our Master Yahoshua. And the ultimate goal is that we become like our Creator-that we image Him throughout all creation and literally become His beloved children.

 

Indeed, the Righteousness of God is the place where faith and obedience come together through the Person and Ministry of Yahoshua Messiah. His faithful obedience to Yehovah becomes our faithful obedience, even unto death. And when this miraculous combination of faith and obedience manifests in our walk with Mashiyach, we receive the Righteousness of Elohim. Praise Yah.

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 For a detailed study on the critical topic of covenant, I refer you to Robert Bills’ 7-Part teaching series entitled: “The Importance of Being in Covenant with our Father from Alef to Tav.”

 

 

The Niddah Laws–Still in Effect Today ?

by | Apr 23, 2020

The Question of Niddah  One question that seems to pop-up a lot from members of our Faith Community has to do with the Laws related to Niddah. Are the laws of Niddah still valid for today’s Torah Observant Disciples of Yeshua Messiah? And in case you aren’t familiar...

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The Abrahamic Covenant Holds the Key to God’s Plan of Salvation-STAR 10

The Abrahamic Covenant Holds the Key to God’s Plan of Salvation-STAR 10

by | Dec 3, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer's Sabbath Thoughts & Reflections

This Sabbath’s Torah Reading is found in Genesis 12:1-13:18. I’ve chosen to title this discussion:

The Abrahamic Covenant Holds the Key to God’s Plan of Salvation—STAR 10.  

That key that is derived from the Abrahamic Covenant that unlocks the Plan of Salvation for us, we will find in our discussion, is something that we’ve been incessantly talking about over the course of the last year or so of this program: a Trusting-Obedient relationship with the Most High. 

Today’s post will be shorter than most of our installments, as we’ve already posted a Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections installment earlier this week on the topic of Hanukkah. If you’ve not had the opportunity to read or listen to that installment, I will put the link to that post in this week’s transcript for your convenience. 

As in our previous Sabbath Thoughts and Reflection posts, I will be reading from the Robert Alter translation of Torah. And for purposes of today’s discussion, we will be restricting our reading to just the first 5-verses of the reading.

 12:1—And Yehovah said to Avram, “Go forth from your land and your birthplace and your father’s house to the land I will show you.

 

12:2-And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you (I.e., with all goodness) and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing (I.e., a blessing to humanity as a result of the goodness—the righteousness of Yah—that manifests in and from Avram as a result of His obedience of faith).

 

12:3-And I will bless those who bless you (I.e., those who come after you Avram, will enjoy My favor), and those who damn you, I will curse, and all the clans of the earth through you shall be blessed.

 

12:4-And Avram went forth as Yehovah had spoken to him (I.e., without question, Avram obeyed Yah) and Lot went forth with him, Avram being seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

 

12:5-And Avram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew and all the goods they had gotten and the folk they had bought in Haran, and they set out on the way to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.

 

Here, Avram becomes the main, individual focus of the Genesis storyline, whereas in the previous chapter and verses, he was simply a footnote of Shem’s genealogy.

 

Avram is essentially the first official patriarch of the True Faith once delivered. For here in this opening verse, it is Yehovah who appears to Him (how He appears to Avram is not spelled out in the text, but clearly Abba manifests Himself to Avram in a very personal and direct way; not in a dream or vision, but in a clear and personal way), the appearance unprovoked, if you will, by anything specific that Avram had done. Which suggests to me that Avram was selected/chosen of Yehovah to be the father of a new creation of people who would be set apart from all humanity as a special possession unto Him.

 

The text does not reveal anything that Avram says in response to Yehovah’s Words and instructions. Avram’s words are instead manifested in Avram’s unquestioning obedience to the Creator’s instructions.

 

At this early juncture in the storyline, Avram is not told where he was to go. And Avram’s obedience speaks volumes as to his trusting faith, not just in the Words of Elohim here, but also trusting faith in the very Being, the very Person of Yehovah. That same miraculous trusting faith will be manifested later on the Avrahamic-story line when he is called upon by Yah to offer up His son Yitshaq as a sacrifice (chapter 22).

 

Here, Avram is instructed by Yehovah to separate himself entirely from the life that he knew as a son of Terach in pagan, evil Ur of the Chaldees. Yah’s instructions could not be more clear and precise: Leave your land, your birthplace and your daddy’s home and go to a place I will show you, period. These, as described by J. H. Hertz in his Torah-Haftorah commentary, are “the main influences which mold a person’s thoughts and actions” in life.

 

And Avram responds with simple trusting obedience. This is the foundation upon which a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe is built. Yah sets the terms and we in response obey without question. Certainly not an easy thing for any rational human to have to experience.

 

Let us not be blind to the fact that this abrupt, powerful instruction given by Yah to Avram was the very start of a series of tests that the Eternal would bring upon Avram. He was being instructed by Yah to completely cut himself off from all that he knew growing up and living as a younger adult before the call.

 

And certainly, this is not in the least an aberration of history. For each of us who are called to Faith are instructed to spiritually do the very thing Avram was being instructed of Yah to do. This is especially underscored in the renewed covenant, as we are called to die to self—abandon our former life with all the baggage therein, and walk in His footsteps, as He leads us to a land and introduces us to a life of His making. And the thing He requires of us, as He did of Avram, is to trust Him and obey. And when this circuit is complete, we enter into and operate in covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. Like Avram, we don’t know starting off where we’re going or what life is going to be like from that point moving forward, but our trust in Yah is all we need to function.

 

And so, we have here in our reading the beginning of a new nation of peoples, starting with just a single man of faith. And from this single man of faith would emerge a nation that would become a “light to the world/the nations” (Isa. 42:6):

 

“I, Yehovah, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations” (CSB).

 

Has Yisra’el always excelled in this calling? No. More times than not, she has faltered in her call. But Yah will always be shown to be true and every man a liar. For despite Yisra’el failures at times to be a light to the world, Yah has always maintained unto Himself a remnant, whose light has shined ever so brightly for the world to see. Yah, in the end, will always receive the glory and honor He so justly deserves.

 

And so, all the families of the earth have been blessed through Avram’s seed’s possessing and living and teaching of Yah’s holy and righteous oracles. But even more so, the families of the earth are blessed through the seed of woman (Gen. 3:15), coming down through the lineage of Avram, ultimately coming on the scene and crushing the serpent’s head and making unto humanity a way to become sons and daughters of Yehovah Elohim.

 

What we have here in the story of Avram and the Avrahamic covenant, is the Gospel. It is the good news of the Kingdom of Yehovah. Indeed, despite the work of the enemy and the evil that seemed to dominate the world at the time, Yah was announcing that He was indeed, getting the band back together (I.e., the first announcement of the coming Kingdom of Yah to the earth and to humanity). And this Gospel message would be inaugurated through a single man from Ur of the Chaldees: Avram.

 

Another interesting history-spiritual parallel to be drawn from our reading is that with Yah’s instructions to Avram, and the establishing of His unconditional covenant with Avram, Avram would live the remainder of his life as a pilgrim; a sojourner; despite Yah granting Him title-deed to the Land of Promise. He himself would not fully realize that possession apart from implication and promise; a promise that existed as though it was an existing reality.

 

We, like Avram, are called to dwell in this world as though we are sojourners. For to remain attached to the world (e.g., uncoverted family and the old way of life) while being called to walk in a covenant relationship with the Creator is but a fool’s errand at best. It can never work out.

 

This world is not our home, so says the writers of Hebrews:

 

 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 15 By him therefore let us offer the  sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. (Heb 13:13-16 KJV)

 

The same writer of Hebrews described Avraham’s faith in some of the most brilliant prose every written:

 

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.  9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Heb 11:8-13 KJV)

 

This is the level of trust we must all aspire to. For this is the faith that our Master is returning to this earth to find:

 

 when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luk 18:8 KJV)

 

The tragedy that is modern day denominationalism and religiosity is the insistence that Torah and the whole of the Tanach has been done away with, and replaced by the writings of Paul and bolstered and underwritten by hyper-grace. This mindset is such that Torah/Tanach is of no consequence to anyone’s salvation. But the truth of the matter is, my friends, that what we have embodied here within the Avrahamic Covenant is the Plan of Salvation. For without the Avrahamic Covenant, there is no Plan of Salvation. The Avrahamic Covenant spells out Yah’s Plan of Salvation. This is the very essence of what Abba meant when He told Avram that all of the clans of the earth through him would be blessed (12:3).

 

The Avrahamic Covenant, as well as the Mosaic, the Davidic and the Renewed Covenants, are all founded upon two essential elements: Trusting Faith and Obedience. Without these elements, there is no covenant and no basis for salvation. The Avrahamic Covenant in essence holds the very key to Yah’s Plan of Salvation. But this is seen only by those who possess eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts and minds to receive and implement these eternal principles in their walk with Mashiyach.

 

That trusting obedience is the stimulus by which we receive Yah’s blessings; Yah’s goodness; Yah’s eternal mercies; Yah’s Righteousness (12:3).

 

Practical Halachah

 

I have reflected of Avram and the other patriarchs of our Faith, whether these were spiritual superheroes. And the answer is a resounding yes, but these were flawed superheroes. These were no different than us. Each had their own, individual issues that Abba was not at all hesitant to reveal to us in His Words.

 

Avram had miraculous faith if you ask me. But Avram also stumbled at times in his Faith walk. Just within this Torah reading, we find that because he did not trust Yah to protect him during his sojourn in Mitsrayim (aka Egypt), he coerced Sarai to essentially deny to the Egyptians that she was married to Avram. Later, Avram’s faith also wavered in him taking matters in his own hands, so to speak, to bear a promised son, not through his wife Sarah, but through Sarah’s handmaid Hagar.

 

Avram’s trusting faith, regardless was legendary. But regardless his couple faith missteps, Yah did not waver one tittle in his honoring of the covenant He made with Avram.

 

And so, Yah, under the auspices of the renewed covenant, expects nothing less from us: if you will, Avrahamic level faith.

 

Some of you may be saying to yourself: I don’t have anywhere near this level of faith: The faith to pick-up my entire life and head to an unknown place that Yah says He will show me. I don’t have that level of faith that would take me to the very brink of carrying out the sacrifice of my only beloved as commanded by Yah. And so forth.

 

And that’s okay. I don’t possess that level of faithful obedience either. But I know Yah is working with me in that department.

 

The question is not whether we possess and exercise such a high-level of faithful obedience today, but rather, until we get to that Avram level of faith, what do we do in the meantime? Well, we exercise and operate in the faithful obedience level we currently possess. It’s not hard at all. Simply keep and honor Torah. Keep the feasts; keep the weekly Sabbath; eat clean; keep the moral laws; love Yah with our whole hearts, minds and souls and love our neighbors as ourselves; walk in covenant with Yehovah our Elohim. I tell you, if we simply focus on excelling in these fundamental elements of our faith, we will lay the groundwork within for the Ruach Kodesh to broaden and deepen our faith to that of an Avram and the other heroes of faith noted in Hebrews 11.

 

Indeed, many of us are being made to grow up in our faith a little quicker than maybe we would feel comfortable with. It’s one thing to keep the instructions of righteousness, but it’s an entirely different matter to stand toe-to-toe against the enemy and refuse to bow a knee to Ba’al. Many of us are being oppressed today and coerced into taking vaccines and conforming to certain mandates in order to operate in society and even to provide for our families. And so, those of us who find ourselves in such a position are having to step out in faith and exercise faithful obedience that is on par with that of some of the biblical patriarchs. And don’t be fooled beloved, what’s happening right now to some of our dear brethren may not be happening to us today, but it’s only a matter of time before the badboys come a’calling for the rest of us.

 

So it behooves us to step up our faithful obedience game. And I can’t think of any better template for such a stepped up game than that which is recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:

 

 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 5:6-23 KJV)

 

Beloved, when we honor Yah, He will honor us.

 

Hold on to your faith, come what may.

 

 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (Pro 3:5-7 KJV)

 

And know, salvation comes to those who endure to the end through a faithful, obedient covenant relationship with the Almighty (Mat. 24:13).

 

 

 

The Niddah Laws–Still in Effect Today ?

by | Apr 23, 2020

The Question of Niddah  One question that seems to pop-up a lot from members of our Faith Community has to do with the Laws related to Niddah. Are the laws of Niddah still valid for today’s Torah Observant Disciples of Yeshua Messiah? And in case you aren’t familiar...

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Hanukkah-Truth and Spirituality Versus Traditions of the Rabbis

Hanukkah-Truth and Spirituality Versus Traditions of the Rabbis

by | Dec 1, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer's Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections

 

This is Hanukkah: Truth and Spirituality Versus Traditions of the Rabbis.

 

As I’m recording this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer’s Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections, depending on which calendar you’re using, many Jews and Messianics around the world are celebrating or observing the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

 

Now, if you’re new to our Faith Community, Hanukkah is not a mandated feast of Yehovah. As you will come to learn in our discussion here today, it is a celebration that was put into place by one of the Maccabean leaders to honor the re-dedication of the Temple in Yerushalayim after Antiochus Epiphanes had defiled it.

 

Since that time, Hanukkah has been a holiday practiced by mainstream and orthodox Jews. And all indications are that Yahoshua even celebrated this holiday (Joh. 10:22-23).

 

Now, I realize there are many within our Faith Community who are strongly opposed to Yah’s set-apart people having anything to do with Hanukkah. And to a slight extent I agree with them. However, I believe the argument against Hanukkah observance by Yah’s set-apart people should not be an argument against the keeping of a manmade, traditional, national holiday, as opposed to the celebrating of a Jewish holiday that has been terribly twisted by traditions and falsehoods. That I can certainly understand, because there are a lot of falsities and errors associated with Hanukkah that are not corrected by Judaism but are rather fostered and encouraged by the religion. Unfortunately, some folks within our Faith Community, wanting to be more Jewish than being a disciple of Yahoshua, play fully into the frivolity and errors and misinformation of this holiday as opposed to recognizing the true meaning behind this fascinating and important Jewish holiday observance.

 

It is my goal today to bring to the surface a little bit of truth and spirituality that is associated with the true observance and meaning of Hanukkah.

 

Hanukkah Traditions:

 

  1. Hanging the Menorah on the Wall or Adjacent to the Mezuzah (Ashkenazi). Some Chabad Jews follow this practice following the tradition as recorded in Shabbat 22a. The instruction is for the menorah to be placed “on the left so that the Hanukkah lamp will be on the left and the mezuzah on the right. Then, one who enters the house will be surrounded by mitzvot.”
  2. Neighborhood Wine Tastings
  3. Lighting a hanukkiah for each of the 8-nights of Hanukkah.
  4. Jelly-Filled donuts
  5. Playing Dreidel
  6. Exchanging gifts, especially for children

 

Referred to traditionally by Jews as the “festival of lights.” It is generally kept 8-consecutive nights of menorah or hanukkia lighting, special prayers and fried foods.

 

The Hebrew term “hanukkah” (also chanukah) in English means “dedication.” It is aptly named in joyous acknowledgment and memory of the rededication of the Temple during the times of the Maccabees.

 

Hanukkah begins on the eve of the 25th of the 9th biblical month, which rabbinically speaking is the Month of Kislev. This year, according to the calculated Jewish calendar, it runs from 11/28 through 12/6.

 

I’d like to share with you a few verses from 1 Maccabees that I found to be powerful and spiritually significant, and that I believe best underscores the true meaning of Hanukkah. Along the line of my reading these to you, I’ll add commentary accordingly.

 

1 Maccabees 1-4 (Cepher).

 

As you may or may not recognize, the story of Hanukkah is tightly embedded in the story of the Maccabees. However, much of the Truth of Hanukkah has been lost to Rabbinic tradition that took liberty with recorded history and sought to spice up that history somewhat. For according to the Rabbis, when the Maccabees went to resurrect the Temple and light the Temple’s Menorah, they were only able to locate a “single cruse of olive oil” that qualified to be used to light the lamps. Beside that single cruse of oil that the Maccabees recorded, the rest of the oil supply had been contaminated or profaned by the occupying Greeks.

 

As the story goes, however, that single cruse of oil burned miraculously for 8-days until such time that sacred oil could be prepared and used according to Torah. And thus, the Rabbis take responsibility of creating this Jewish holiday or festival to commemorate, what we’ll find out here in short order, as erroneous miracles.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the story of Hanukkah is tightly embedded in the story of the Maccabees. And that story of the Maccabees is recorded in the Books of the Maccabees or the Sefer Hamakabim.

 

There are some 8-books that bear the title Maccabees that can be found in various canons of the Bible:

 

  1. 1 Maccabees–Originally written in Hebrew, the only extant copies are in Greek. It records the history of the Maccabees from 175 to 134 BCE.
  2. 2 Maccabees–a Greek “abridgment” written by Jason of Cyrene records the history of the Maccabees from 176 to 161 BCE. It’s main focus is on the leader Judas Maccabaeus.
  3. 3 Maccabees–a Greek narrative that provides an historical accounting of Egyptians Jews that were delivered from martyrdom at the hands of Ptolemy IV. Philopator.
  4. 4 Maccabees–a philosophical work using as its backdrop, the Maccabean martyrs.
  5. 5 Maccabees–an Arabic-language history from 186-6 BCE.
  6. 6 Maccabees–a Syriac poem.
  7. 7 Maccabees–a Syriac that is based on the speeches of the Maccabean Martyrs.
  8. 8 Maccabees–drawing on Seleucid sources, this book provides a brief account of the Maccabean Revolt.

 

1 and 2 Maccabees are considered canonical by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, which the remaining 6 books are considered apocryphal books.

 

The miracle of the cruse of oil for the menorah of the temple that supposedly last for 8-days is a rabbinic invention (Shabbat 21b).  There is no record of such a miracle to be found in the Cepher of Maccabees account.

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Themes and Spiritual Concepts 

 

A time of reflection, planning, affirmation, resolve, dedication, zeal, covenant, courage in the midst of an overwhelming enemy, trusting faith in the delivering power of the Elohim of Avraham, Yischaq and Yaachov, Torah-keeping even in the midst of overwhelming persecution among several other things.

 

It’s a time for consideration of what we’re gonna do when they come for you.

 

Indeed, we are living, in a great many ways, in the days of the Maccabees.

 

We see today how the so-called Christian leaders and their organizations have happily gone over to the side of the pagan government of this nation to promote and use their influence to coerce would be people of God to severely compromise the very tenets of their faith: homosexuality, vaccinations, watering down the Word so as to not offend, pledge allegiance to the primacy and sovereignty of the government, promote the dissolution of the family, promote poverty in their communities as a means of encouraging and forcing dependence on the government, and so many more spiritual crimes.

 

We are all called to be as Maccabean Warriors. Our warfare, however, is not like that of Mattithyahu Ben Shimon (or Mattathias, son of John, son of Simeon) and Yahudah Maccabees (or Judas called Maccabeus). For our warfare is not against flesh and blood beloved, as Shaul taught that our warfare, unlike that of the Maccabees. Instead, it is against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12).

 

  • And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Gen 3:15 NKJ)

 

  • So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Jam 4:7 NLT)

 

  • Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. (1Pe 5:8 NET)

 

  • And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children– all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus. (Rev 12:17 NLT)

 

Our fight must begin against our own flesh:

 

  • But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (Rom 7:23 NLT)

 

  • Self-denial–25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1Co 9:25-27 KJV)

 

  • The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. (Gal 5:17 NLT)

 

  • Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. (1Pe 2:11 NLT)

 

  • With confidence– The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be (Psa 27:1-3 KJV)

 

  • Without personal baggage to bog us down– Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. (2Ti 2:4 NLT)

 

The Captain of our Warfare is Mashiyach and we fight under the banner of Yehovah our Elohim.

 

Our primary weapon that we take into battle must be our faith: 1 Tim. 1:18-19.

 

We conduct our warfare primarily through prayer: Psa. 35:1-3; 6:18.

 

We must fight with all earnestness: Jud. 1:3.

 

We must be watchful: 1 Cor. 16:13; 1 Pet. 5:8.

 

We must be sober at all times: 1 The. 5:6.

 

We must realize that this war requires endurance: 2 Tim. 2:3, 10.

 

3:25–Does the enemy know who we are and what we’re capable of such that they dread us?  So dreadful became the comparatively small forces of Yahudah to Antiochus that he sent greater and greater number of forces to war against Yahudah.

 

In chapter 4 we have the rededication of the overrun, defiled Temple, that the Maccabees rebuilt and purified. Hanukkah is also about the profane and the holy: Discerning the difference between the profane and the holy. Are we in a place in our walk with Mashiyach that were are capable of discerning the difference between the two? There is a stark difference indeed. And Yehovah’s people are called to not only discern between the two, but to also do something about those things in their lives that are profane and to guard those things that are holy.

 

And we also realize that these bodies of ours have replaced the physical temple. And so, we must treat our bodies–our whole self–as holy. And anything that may potentially defile it must be purged and in some cases, we must rededicate our bodies, hearts and minds for service, just as the Maccabees rebuilt and rededicated the temple in Yerushalayim.

 

 

So, I would suggest that Hanukkah, despite it not being numbered among the Feasts of Yehovah, and especially as it falls here upon us in 2021, is more of an annual reminder of that which we have in our covenant walk with Messiah that can so quickly and even violently be taken from us if we’re not careful. If we compromise in anyway in our walk with Messiah we run the very real risk of having the mantle of anointing, power and authority that Abba has placed over our individual, family and worship lives removed from us. And so, Hanukkah must become more than a silly, drummed up tale of menorah lamps miraculously burning for 8 days on a single cruse of oil. Anyone who chooses to focus on that lie or tale, and then teach one’s child these falsehoods is only asking for continued blindness to the lessons and instructions that Abba desires for His children to receive from the things He has allowed to happen to Yisra’el. For us, Hanukkah must serve as a life and spiritual lesson; a memorial; a confirmation and affirmation of that which is most important to all of humanity: The establishing and maintaining of a trusting Covenant Relationship we possess and enjoy with our heavenly Father.

 

The Maccabean Warriors recognized from the very beginning, when they were being told by the enemy that if they would simply compromise their faith, they would be on good terms with the Antiochus government, that any level of compromise meant their lives were over. You see, they recognized that their entire existence was their Faith; the covenant they possessed with Yehovah. And so, they fought without fear of losing their lives because compromise meant death for them anyway. So, they had little to lose, but everything to gain.

 

As we see played throughout the whole of Scripture, Yah’s people are always called to take the path less traveled; to abhor the paths of least resistance; to declare through our living and through our words that “if serving Yehovah is not your thing, simply choose whom you will serve; be it the gods of this world and the land in which we dwell, but as for me and my house we will serve Yehovah (Jos. 24:15).

 

We must have that Maccabean mindset in our walk with Messiah today. If Hanukkah offers us any true meaning and significance, it must be this one thing: What do I have to do in order that I maintain my covenant relationship with Yehovah, because to compromise means my covenant relationship will summarily end the second I say yes to compromise.

 

However, you are led to memorialize Hanukkah, I say do so from a perspective of Spirit and Truth. Yah saw fit that the Maccabean story be passed down to us for a reason. As Yah’s set-apart people, we are not called to find ourselves hung-up and practicing the traditions of men that only cause us to take our eyes off of our Elohim, but instead, place them on men. So then, instead, let us take Hanukkah for the life and spiritual lessons it offers us as we fight the good fight; work the fields while it is still day; and await our Master’s soon return.

 

Shabbat Shalom and if you are so inclined, have a blessed and meaningful Hanukkah season.

The Niddah Laws–Still in Effect Today ?

by | Apr 23, 2020

The Question of Niddah  One question that seems to pop-up a lot from members of our Faith Community has to do with the Laws related to Niddah. Are the laws of Niddah still valid for today’s Torah Observant Disciples of Yeshua Messiah? And in case you aren’t familiar...

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The Towers and Nimrods of our Life that Separate us From God

The Towers and Nimrods of our Life that Separate us From God

by | Nov 27, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer's Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections

This is The Towers and Nimrods of our Life that Separate us From God. It is the 9th Reading or Parashah in our 3-year Torah Reading Cycle.

 

I will be reading from the Robert Alter Translation of Torah, reading our focus verses with commentary as we go along.

___________________________________________________

 

11:1  And all the earth was one language, one set of words.

 

 

[”One language or speech” means “few words” or small vocabulary.]

 

 

11:2  And it happened as they journeyed from the east that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.

 

This “Plain of Shinar” appears to be the cradle of the most ancient of civilizations.

 

 

11:3  And they said to each other, “Come, let us bake bricks and burn them hard.” And the brick served as stone, and bitumen served them as mortar.

 

The bricks used in ziggurat construction was customarily composed of clay formed into bricks that was sun-dried. These were then baked for purposes of making the sun-dried, baked bricks more durable. Bitumen, or slime, was used as mortar or cement to bind the bricks together.

 

 

11:4  And they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower with its top in  the heavens that we may make us a name, lest we be scattered over all the earth.”

 

It is believed by conservative biblical commentators within our Faith Community that the description of the tower’s top reaching or scaling the heights of the heavens was common hyperbolic literary license used by the ancients to describe Mesopotamian ziggurat of the day. And the reason for the hyperbole is that in most cases, these ziggurat served as a lasting monument to a nation people’s culture and purpose which is  suggestive of the phrasing in our text of the Babylonians wanting to “make a name for themselves.”

 

The description of the tower rising with its top in heaven could be literal, if we choose to believe some of the fantastic extra-biblical accounts of the tower’s dimensions. Or it simply means that the tower was fortified and tall as other such edifices were in Deuteronomy 1:28. The ideology behind the ancients seeking to make a name for themselves seems more akin to the people seeking to be a powerful, secure and united citizen nation.

 

 

11:5  And the LORD  came down to see the city and the tower that the human creatures had built

 

Yehovah sees for Himself the extent of human rebellion portrayed here at the tower construction site before rendering judgment.

 

This seems to conjure up more questions than answers as to the nature of Elohim. If Yehovah is indeed omniscient (which I whole-heartily believe He is), why then would He feel the need to come down to earth to see for Himself the extent of human rebellion and depravity before responding to the rebellion with judgment? Would He not have already possessed full knowledge and understanding of what humanity had accomplished? Of course He would have!

 

Or is this possibly saying to those of us with eyes to see and ears to hear, that Elohim has and will always intervene into the affairs of His human creation? That He’s not aloof as most might feel and think Him to be?

 

This use of anthropomorphic descriptors as this would certainly cause the people of Yah to remember that despite the evil and lawlessness that may be ongoing round about them, Yah sees all and He will respond in a time and manner of His choosing. Yah is an Elohim of heart testings. He gives humanity just enough rope I which to hang itself before stepping in to sort things out and mete out justice and righteousness accordingly.

 

 

11:6 And the LORD said, “As one people with one language for all, if this is what they have begun to do, now nothing they plot to do will elude them.

 

Humanity here is united in an unholy endeavor. Unabated in the thrust of their united purpose, to storm heaven and unseat Yehovah, or simply to unseat Yah as Elohim in their lives altogether, humanity would certainly lead to both its physical and spiritual destruction.

 

 

11:7  Come, let us go down and baffle their language there so that they will not understand each other’s language.”

 

“Let us go down” may be another hint of the existence of a heavenly council, consisting of Yehovah as Creator and King of the Universe; and created beings of angelic or some other spiritual existence, all who support and carry out Yehovah’s Will and purpose in the earth. Of course, there remains insufficient information to confirm or even deny such thinking.

 

Clearly, there’s an expressed polemic against urbanism and trust in human ingenuity and accomplishments at work here.  It was not Abba’s Will for humanity to be urbanized. Urbanization leads to a great many spiritual and physical problems that serve only to lead citizenry further and further away from Yah and His Ways.

 

Interestingly, Messianic Author and Teacher Tim Hegg downplays any expressed or perceived notion that the tower was of any great importance in terms of its size. He describes the building of the tower as “puny.’ So puny, he states, that the building effort required Yah to come down and see it for Himself. Hegg contends that the text should not be taken literally, but taken more from a satirical sense. A mockery of the tower as being unworthy of Yah’s attention or of Yisra’el as a foe.

 

 

11:8  And the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth and they left off building the city.

 

 

11:9  Therefore, it is called Babel, for there the LORD made the language of all the earth babble. And from there the LORD scattered them over all the earth.

 

The diversity of language is not a blessing or even a good thing to have been experienced by humanity. But rather, it is another judgment against humanity that was meted out and piled on to the human condition by Elohim in response to humankind’s transgressions, revolt, impiety and immorality. Clearly, it was Elohim’s original Purpose and Will that humanity  be of one language/tongue. But more so, that humanity would be fruitful, multiple and swarm the earth to borrow the terminology employed by Robert Alter in his translation of these post flood commandments of Yehovah to the sons of Noah.

 

Here’s a question for you: What was the sin did the people of Babylon commit? Yehovah didn’t prohibit them building the tower did He? No. There is no scriptural proof that such a prohibition from Yehovah existed.

 

So maybe it’s not accurate to see the confounding of the single human language as a form of judgment  that Yehovah meted out or rendered unto humanity in response to their building of the Tower of Babel. But rather, the confounding of the language was a form of necessary course correction for humanity that Abba placed upon humanity.

 

You know, there have been times in my life where I have endeavored to do certain things—career wise; purchase-wise; relationship wise; etc. And despite my best efforts, those endeavors came to naught. And although those things seemed good to me at the time, I believe Yehovah, in His infinite wisdom and righteousness, influenced my efforts such that those endeavors came to naught for my own good. Who knows where I’d be if those things that I aspired to do would have caused me to be helplessly lost and never to enter into covenant relationship with the Almighty. So from time-to-time, I believe Abba employs course corrections for us to ensure that we get on or remain on His track.

 

Just thoughts and reflections.

 

 

Verses 10 through 32 entails the 10-generation lineage of Shem up through Avraham.

 

There is a distinction from this lineage account and the one given in chapter 10 that detailed what is popularly referred to as the Table of Nations.

 

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Extra-Biblical Resources Contribution to this Parashah

 

Jasher 7

 

The Book of Jasher intricately attaches the infamous Nimrod to the entire Tower of Babel Story, which I find to be quite interesting. And of course, if you’ve been in our faith community any length of time, you would know that Nimrod is held responsible by a great many commentators and teachers for introducing paganism, idolatry and tyranny to ancient Mesopotamia. And from there, as detailed in books like Alexander Hislop’s well known book “The Two Babylons,” paganism grew throughout the world and has since infiltrated every aspect of humanity, including religion. It is said by many that Nimrod, his wife Semiramis and son Tammuz, are essentially the reason for the season: for Christmas and all its trappings; Easter; Greek and Roman mythology; Eastern Religions; etc., just to name a few. Some have pegged Nimrod as being a Nephilim, cuing in on such phrases as “…he (Nimrod) began to be a mighty one in the earth” (Gen. 10:8).

 

I’m not entirely sure if the allegations of Nimrod being a Nephilim are true. But I do believe in the Biblical description of Nimrod as one who became a mighty hunter—hunter of animals and eventually humans: That he likely became a tyrannical overlord in his day and that he founded a number of fortified cities, the most notable being that of our focus passage today: Babylon or Babel.

 

Jasher pinpoints Nimrod’s birth and day as the time in post-flood human history where “the sons of men AGAIN began to rebel and transgress against Elohim.”

 

Nimrod descended from Ham’s line, Nimrod being the son of Cush.

 

The text notes that Nimrod sacrificed unto Yehovah of the animals he hunted. Furthermore, Nimrod is described as being strengthened of himself, and “rising up from amongst his brethren” and fighting the “battles of his brethren against all their enemies round about.” And it is in the context of these conquests that Jasher notes Nimrod received Yah’s favor, Nimrod, being “prospered” as the text notes in the battles he waged against the enemies of his brethren. This conquering spirit and life led to Nimrod reigning over a people in the earth. Thus, as young men would be trained and groomed for warfare, it became customary, according to the text, that they would be trained in the spirit and likeness of Nimrod, their leader.

 

The people admired him so much that they officially crowned him as their king. Thus, Nimrod is said to have established a formal government over his subjects, consisting of princes, judges and rulers. And one of those rulers happened to be Terah, Avraham’s father.

 

The text goes on to entail that Nimrod oversaw the building of an extensive, elaborate city that he called Shinar, the name of which has something to do with Nimrod’s enemies having been routed and destroyed. And thus, Nimrod dwelt and reigned in Shinar “securely” as the text describes, his kingdom becoming great.

 

Jasher then takes a very interesting turn, whereby it denotes that Nimrod’s fame and greatness caught the attention of “all nations and tongues” on the earth. And thus, the whole earth came under Nimrod’s lordship/kingship, with Shinar being sort of this central capitol of the known world.

 

The text states:

 

“…and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noah, and they were all under his power and counsel.”

 

At this point in post-flood history, humans spoke just one language.

 

Consequently, as the text continues, Nimrod in his greatness moved away from the worship of Yehovah. In so doing, Nimrod is described as being “more wicked than all the men that were before him, from the days of the flood until those days.” Of course, such life-behavior inevitably led Nimrod to making for himself and the people he ruled over, idols made of wood and stone. (Where would he get such a notion or inclination to do such a thing?) This of course led Nimrod and the whole of his subjects to rebel against Yehovah.

 

Jasher notes that the tower of babel was a concept created by officials of Nimrod’s government who sought to build the structure to enlarge their nation’s fame or make a name for themselves and to provide protection from their enemies and not be scattered upon the face of the earth.

 

Interestingly, Jasher words the building of the tower as being to that people “a transgression and a sin” and that their building of the structure was “against the Lord God of heaven” whom they imagined in their hearts they were warring against. The people imagined that they were ascending to heaven to fight  Yehovah and ultimately they were ascending to heaven to depose Yehovah and put in His place over creation their gods and serve them accordingly. It wasn’t just the tower that became a concern to Yehovah, it was the whole building of this monolithic city and Yah recognized the evil of the people’s thoughts that operated in conjunction with their works in building the city and tower.

 

The building of the project is said to have taken the builders some time to construct: Years. And the building project consumed the people such that the building went on non-stop, daily, without end. There are other aspects of this rendering of the story that we won’t get into, but suffice to say that at the point that Abba takes notice of the situation along with the elders of heaven, that He intervenes in the affairs of Nimrod’s people to put a stop to the building project.

 

Jasher details that Yehovah’s confounding of the people’s tongue or language not only stymied communications between the people in their building of the tower, it also led to violence between them. In fact, the Jasher account entails that Yehovah smote certain of the people who were behind the evil intention to unseat Him and destroy Him, while others’ skin color was changed and still others were simply scattered throughout the earth.

 

All in all, when the people saw what happened as a result of their evil intentions to build the tower, they abandoned the building of the tower. The story goes on to entail that the earth opened up and consumed a third of the tower, while a fire from heaven consumed a third part of the tower, while yet the remaining third part of the tower remained visible to the writer of Jasher in his day. Of the size of the tower that remained, Jasher records that it takes a person three days to walk around the circumference of it. Of the number of lives lost in the whole Tower of Babel affair, it was great, but the number is unknown.

 

But, believe it or not, the story of Nimrod did not end with the confounding of the language of the people and the destruction of the tower by Yehovah. In fact, Jasher entails that Nimrod remained and ruled from Babel. The text describes Nimrod as being unrepentant and that he continued to rule wickedly along with his son, Mardon. Another name the text renders unto Nimrod is Amraphel.

 

The remaining story is long and there is a story also involving Nimrod and Avram that must be told at another time as it falls outside our Genesis 11 account.

 

Jubilees 10

 

The Book of Jubilees takes an interesting road in explaining how humanity devolved into being utterly evil, despite Noah being righteous and passing down to his sons the Truth and righteous ways of Yehovah.

 

According to Jubilees, Noah’s sons actually came and complained to Noah that their sons were being led astray by demons. These demons, according to Noah’s sons, were “leading astray and blinding and slaying his son’s sons.”

 

After the death of Noah, his descendants (not sure how many because the text doesn’t tell us) traveled eastward from the Mountains of Ararat/Lubar, over to Shinar. And the people built unto themselves a city and a tower. Unlike the Genesis and Jasher accounts, Jubilees is silent as to why the people endeavored to build their city and the tower, although the text states the people said “Go to, let us ascend thereby into heaven.” Some have concluded that this implies an intention on the part of the people of Shinar to storm heaven and unseat Yehovah from His throne as Creator. But there is nothing beyond this statement to this effect.

 

The text, however, is quite detailed as it relates to the tower’s dimensions, which we won’t discuss here.

 

Nevertheless, Jubilees stays pretty much aligned with the Genesis storyline as it relates to the confounding of the peoples’ language and their scattering upon the face of the earth. However, Jubilees does mention that the tower was overthrown by a wind from Yehovah.

 

Interestingly, I could find no direct link between Nimrod and the Tower of Babel here in the Jubilee text leading up to the confounding of the language.

 

Here’s something to think about: Where did the post-flood descendants of Noah learn enough about engineering to build a structure such as the Tower of Babel? Assuming stories of the tower being of great height and strength are in fact true, one would have to conclude that the post-flood ancients possessed great knowledge that were passed down from generation to generation. However, at some point a great amount of that knowledge was lost. Simply consider the Egyptian pyramids: Even to this day, there is no widely accepted explanation as to how they were built.

 

Some have offered that the Watchers of Enoch’s day passed on such technological knowledge to humans. Scripture does not confirm nor deny such thinking. But clearly, even our heavenly Father was somewhat impressed by the advancements that humanity had become capable in making, stating of His human creation: “…and this is what they begin to do; and now, nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do” (11:6).

 

Antiquities of the Jews 4 Josephus

 

Josephus annotates a number of key post-flood, historic human trends:

 

  • Noah’s descendants descended from the mountains (presuming the Mountains of Ararat) down to the plains of Shinar.
  • There was a hesitancy to transition from the mountains to the plains for some time due to the fear that Yah might send forth another Great Flood and having their numbers separated and divided.
  • Nevertheless, Yah’s expressed Will was for humanity to populate the whole of the earth.
  • The descendants of Noah had developed a “contempt of Yah.

 

Leading this contempt of Yah was Nimrod, grandson of Ham.

 

Josephus describes Nimrod as being of great physical strength. He despised Yehovah to such a degree that he convinced the people that the source of their wellbeing was due to their own wherewithal. In other words, Yehovah had nothing whatsoever to do with their wellbeing.

 

Concerned that the people would ultimately fear and trust Yehovah, Nimrod resorted to establishing a tyrannical government over the people. Nimrod’s aim was to force the people to place their trust and wellbeing in him. Does this not sound very similar to what we’re seeing played out in many of the Western Governments of this world today?

 

To appease the people even further, Nimrod promised to avenge them if Yehovah “should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers.”

 

And so Josephus entails that the people loyally followed after Nimrod and began to build the tower. Josephus details that the tower was of great height, width and strength.

 

Josephus does discuss the confounding of the language, but he also makes the point that Yehovah was not incited to the place where He sought to destroy humanity.

 

It is interesting that Josephus does mention Sibyl Oracle that mentions the tower and the confusion of the language:

 

“When all men were of one language, some of them built a high tower, as if they would thereby ascend up to heaven; but the gods sent storms of wind and overthrew the tower, and gave everyone his peculiar language; and for this reason it was that the city was called Babylon.”

 

But for this part, this is where the story of Nimrod begins and ends it would seem.

 

Our parashah is a commentary on humanity’s continuous moving away from and resistance to Yehovah-government rule, choosing instead that of man-ruled government.

 

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Thoughts and Reflections on our Parashah and Practical Halachah

 

The ancient Mesopotamian ziggurat should serve as a reminder to us of humanity’s impiety and its desire to “make a name for itself” and be united under a central purpose that is utterly devoid of Yehovah Elohim. Of that central purpose, depending upon what resource you study and read, they include the goal of storming the gates of heaven; unseating Yehovah as Elohim of elohim from His throne; installing their own elohim to worship in Yehovah’s place; to escape the threat of another Great Flood; to revolt against and defy Yehovah’s commandments and turn completely away from anything having to do with Yah and His Ways. Although fascinating to those who get some sense of intellectual stimulation from the study of ancient civilizations, these structures are nothing more than symbols and ancient testimonies to humanity’s utter disregard for and hostility towards Yehovah and His Ways. They are clear indicators of the extent to which humanity will alienate itself from the Creator of the Universe, as well as they should serve as reminders of Yah’s wrath against the unrighteous  (reference Romans 1:18-32). These edifices in all reality should never be revered as marvels of human ingenuity and accomplishment as the worlds of science and archeology would have us embrace. They should, instead, be objects of derision and cause those who are Elohim-Conscious to be all the more fearful of our holy and righteous Elohim.

 

Much of humanity in those days built their trust and hope in these structures and the human leaders that governed their societies. But our hope and trust, conversely, is to be built upon Yahoshua our Messiah: His Person and Ministry; and upon our Creator and His Ways. There should be no edifices, monuments or symbols to look upon to bolster and affirm our reverence and loyalty to Yehovah, such as crosses, church edifices, religious relics and clergy. No. Our hope and trust, as the psalmist so poignantly asserted:

 

Is [to be] built on nothing less than Y’shua’s blood and righteousness. [For] we dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Yahoshua’s Name. [For it is] on Messiah the solid rock we stand, [because] all other ground is sinking sand” (Robert Critchley).

 

So, in our thoughts and reflections on this parashah for this Shabbat, I would endeavor to ask ourselves: How many towers have we, and possibly are now, building in our lives for the expressed purposes of rebelling against Yehovah? How tall and fortified are those towers? What do those towers represent to us  or do for us? Do they provide us a sense of security or purpose? Or do they simply fulfill a desire or perceived need in our lives? How do those things add to or take away from our trusting, obedient covenant relationship with the Eternal?

 

And when I mention towers here, I’m talking about those things we allow and foster in our lives—even our day-to-day walk with Messiah—that consume us; that influence us; that have the inherent tendency to take our eyes, hearts and minds off our covenant relationship with the Almighty. Things like technology; social media; possessions and riches; relationships; careers; religion; politics; ideologies and the like. No. For the average of us, we don’t necessarily erect ziggurat or towers today. Those are of a bygone era. Our towers of today are a bit more sophisticated and less obtrusive. They tend to define who we are and where we think we’re going? They also serve to unite us with others of like mind and heart.

 

However, over time, these towers in our lives serve only to distance us from our Creator. They blind us to our dire need for a savior and a deliverer. They tell us that we make our own way—we make our own name for ourselves: Yehovah has no say in what I do with my life. He’s not in control. I’m in control. But deep down within the very depths of our souls, we are wired to realize that we are not in control. Our very existence is entirely reliant upon Yehovah’s providence and goodness.

 

 

All ancient accounts of the tower builders in Nimrod’s day was that they had devolved to that of being a Godless and inhumane people. In fact, humanism, albeit humanism in its nascent form, was at the very heart of their tower-building efforts.

 

Those individuals who died in the course of their tower building, such as those that fell or were fatally injured in connection to the building efforts, were of no concern to their fellow tower builders. But rather, the breaking of a single brick, as reported in some extra-biblical accounts, became an occasion of great sorrow and grief to the entire building effort.

 

So again, in our thoughts and reflections on this parashah this Shabbat, I ask: What does this say about the society we dwell in today? Do we mourn and consternate over lost elements of the emerging towers we’re building in our lives? Or rather, do we even care about the souls that are lost every single day to the overall tower building efforts of this humanistic-based world we dwell in? What do the prayers to our just and holy Elohim evidence of the things that exist in our hearts and minds to that end?

 

That which ultimately befell the Tower of Babel in our parashah, so will the towers and ziggurat of modern humanity. These too will become relics of a dispersed and cursed people along with their descendants.

 

Some rabbinic sages did not hold the popular view that the tower was intended to be a platform by which humanity might ascend and war against the Creator. Some viewed the tower along the simple ideological premise that it served as a “rallying point” for the ancients who sought to “make a name for themselves” and remain united under one centralized humanistic government.

 

This I contend, could just as easily been the thinking of a great many in that day as well. And this ideology certainly plays into the modern ideology of the global elite: To create a system of government that elevates them while eliminating those who they view as expendable and useless. These, of course, have no mind or thought for the things and ways of Yehovah. But, like the ancients of Shinar and Babylon, they will be brought down and ultimately dispersed.

 

The flood did not in any way alter the depraved heart of humanity as indicated by previous textual mention that “the thoughts of his (that being humanity’s) heart were only evil continually.” And this clearly seems to have remained the case here. The thoughts of humanity’s heart remained evil continually beyond the Great Flood within the persons of Noah’s descendants.

 

In thinking and reflecting on this conundrum, I can’t help but wonder why Yah chose not to use the flood as His opportunity to transform the human heart—starting with Noah and His sons—and through that transformative process, usher in the paradise that was lost and His government as was the original plan at creation?

 

I guess it’s reasonable to conclude that it simply wasn’t time and it wasn’t His Plan to work salvation, restoration and redemption in this specific manner.

 

Even after the flood, hasatan still possessed the title deed to this earth as well as he would continue to hold sway over humanity as a whole. Therefore, Yah who does everything within the confines of Truth and Righteousness, will bring about the paradise that was lost and the redemption of humanity legally; all the while respecting humanity’s freewill to choose.

 

Nevertheless, humanity’s natural bent is to always be in contention with and hostile towards Yehovah and His Ways (Rom. 8:7).

 

The previous parashah explained how humanity recovered from the devastating flood, evolving into a unified nation people who were generally hostile towards Yehovah.

 

This parashah, in great part, explains how the human race of nations evolved and separated into nations that ultimately became enemies of Yehovah, and the emergence of the one nation from that sea of nations that would produce The Seed that would crush the head of the serpent and bring about a nation people loyal to and governed by Yehovah.

 

Many have concluded that Avraham was alive for the last 58-years or so of Noah’s life. And look just how far humanity in those handful of years had devolved to levels reminiscent of the days prior to the Flood. Noah was the only one of his generation who found favor in Yah’s eye because of His unwavering faith and trust in Yehovah and the covenant relationship He shared with Yehovah.

 

Scripture suggests, and certain extra-biblical texts describe Noah having preached a message of salvation to humanity for 120-years, which none of his contemporaries would receive. Avram was the only one of his generation who appeared to have found favor in Yah’s eyes, as least as far as scripture reveals. For we find in Acts 7 that Yehovah revealed Himself to Avram before Avram departed Mesopotamia. Avram would have been about 48-years of age at that time.

 

Despite what may appear to be the case of humanity being entirely and utterly separated form Yehovah, Yah always possesses unto Himself a remnant that images and glorifies Him in the earth.

 

Humanity unified themselves in their rebellion against Yah through their culture, who some believe is manifested in their single language), their ziggurat or tower, and their disregard or contempt of Yehovah. Over a brief period of time, these adopted the erroneous mindset and heart (perspective) that their wellbeing was a product of their own efforts; ergo humanism.

 

Humanism fueled and sustained the people’s mundane and often arduous existence. Consider just how purposeless a life that sets out to intentionally deprive itself of the presence and governance of Yah?

 

 

The urbanization of humanity served to garner dependence of its citizenry through human ingenuity and brutal leadership. In such a paradigm, Yehovah has no place.

 

What does that say about modern western urbanization of humanity? Government and society becomes the perceived source of human sustenance, provision and protection.

 

Conversely, the rural existence, that being the spreading out of humanity to live out their days in peace and labor and reverence of Yah, garners reliance and trust (I.e., faith) in Yehovah. For humanity in such a paradigm, realizes that it has no control over the elements and other natural circumstances that may or may not affect their overall wellbeing.

 

Yah’s expressed concern that “nothing which they purposed to do would be impossible for them” is a clear statement against humanity’s inherent purpose and desire to reverse Yah’s human created purpose, which was for humans to exist in a trusting relationship with Him. Yah’s Will was always for humanity to be united in a covenant relationship with Him.

 

Despite humanity’s disregard for the Creator’s commandment that it be fruitful, multiply and “swarm”/fill the earth, in their unifying themselves in the Plain of Shinar, humanity ended up doing things Yah’s way anyway. For Yah confounds the single language of humanity, which had the after-effect of causing separation and dispersion among the nation peoples of the plain. The one thing that incites separation in a people the most is culture. In this sense, culture was primarily the people’s language and singleness of purpose around rebelling against Yehovah.

 

Thus, a common reference spoken by any group of unified people against another group of unified people is that of “those people” over there…and such.

 

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As the Days of Noah Were…Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections 8

As the Days of Noah Were…Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections 8

by | Nov 19, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections

Let us pray for the brethren throughout the world who are enduring tremendous oppression and persecution as a result of the leaders of the nations they reside exercising their evil powers over them (Australia; Austria; New Zealand; Germany; Greece). 

 

We’re seeing the beginnings of these things happening here in this nation. We must stand fast and walk obediently and steadfastly in our faith, and carry forth the great commission while it is still time. We gotta be like Noach in many ways. Despite the futility of our efforts sometimes, we are expected to keep on keeping on in our declaring of the Gospel and making disciples for our Master Yahoshua Messiah. We must also continue to image Yehovah in all the earth as we await our Master’s return. We must maintain true biblical faith in the earth, despite a drought of the Word and faith in the World. Master asked,  “When the Son of Man comes, will He find true biblical faith–trust–on the earth at all” (Luk. 18:8; CJB).

 

The organization “United in Yah” is leading a “Come Let Us Gather Together For Prayer & Fasting 28th Nov 2021.”

 

https://www.unitedinyah.org/

 

I post updated news article links that I feel may be of use to the brethren throughout the week on themessianictorahobserver.org landing page.

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Points of thoughts and reflection on Parashah 8–Genesis 9:18-10:32

 

  • Despite the cleansing of humanity through the instrument of the Great Flood, the depravity of the human heart bled through to the other side.  Of the human heart, Yehovah, through the Prophet Jeremiah described it as being “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). And the interesting thing is that Yehovah is a trier of the human heart–He searches out the content and state of people’s heart (Jer. 17:10).  And this is key. Despite those in our day who claim vociferously that they are out there doing what they’re doing for the good of humanity, Yehovah see through their evil.

 

  • Much is made in various commentaries and other extra-biblical writings on Noach planting a vineyard and getting drunk from the wine that came from the harvested grapes. But the truth of the matter is that Father’s intent in bringing this story to our attention was not to prohibit the consumption of wine nor to show the depravity of Noach. Noach, because he was overcome by the effects of the alcohol, found himself in a position where the corrupt heart of his son Ham was able to take advantage of him. Ham, Noach’s son, violates his father leading to Noach’s cursing of Ham’s offspring; specifically Canaan. (It’s possible that Moshe was led to ping on Ham’s descendant Canaan as opposed to specifically Ham himself, because the Canaanites were the nation peoples Yisra’el would seek to uproot through the hand of Yehovah.

 

 

  • The blessing of Shem and Japheth. We find in 9:27, that Noach blesses Yapheth such that Yapheth’s line would be enlarged. But of Shem, Noach’s blessing was that Yehovah’s Shekinah would dwell in the tabernacles of Shem. And indeed, this did happen as Noach prophesied.

 

  • Indeed, Noach’s covenant relationship with Yehovah carried weight. For whether Noach was speaking in accordance with the leading of the Ruach haKodesh or via some other inspiration, we see Noach’s blessings and cursings trickled down through humanity’s generations. This says to us that our covenant relationship with Yehovah carries significant weight with it.  Our Master instructed His disciples that He would build His ekklesia upon the truth of His Person and Ministry, and that the gates of hades would not be able to overcome it (Mat. 16:18). In so doing, Yahoshua granted them–and by extension us today–the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, such that whatsoever we prohibit here on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatsoever we permit on earth will be permitted in heaven (Mat. 16:19).  Just as Noach received and maintained a righteous mantle over him to image Yehovah and promote Yehovah’s kingdom here on earth, we as well possess that same righteous mantle over us.  What will we do with that mantle? Are we doing with that mantle that which we have been instructed to do?

 

  • Noach is the last of the millennials as the longevity of humanity quickly began to wane. Yehovah recognized that the longevity of humans only exacerbated the iniquity that existed on the earth.

 

  • The provision of the Table of Nations: No other such explanation of the origin of the nations has been provided in the world. This is the only such known documentation.

 

  • Nimrod is singled out as the first mighty man on earth (10:8). The extra-biblical, apocryphal books  and modern commentators have awarded Nimrod as the mighty one who ushered in the age of paganism on the earth–the whole Semiramis-Nimrod-Tammuz story, as convoluted and uncertain as it is, is the basis of a great deal of discussion and finger pointing as it relates to paganism, the Catholic Church and the destiny of humanity.

 

  • There is somehow a breakdown in righteousness in Noach’s/Ham’s line.

 

 

  • Shem is highlighted as the father of Eber; Shem being the father of the nation people who would become the Hebrews (i.e., ‘ibrim). Eber means: “From the other side” (of the river).

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Matthew 24:36-39; Luke 17:26; cf. Genesis 6–As in the days of Noah, thus will be the coming of the Son of man.

 

  • People eating, drinking and marrying. Humanity is oblivious to the coming wrath and judgment.
  • Powerful men holding humanity sway in evil (cf. Gen. 6:1-4). The Nephilim.
  • Wickedness was great upon the whole earth.
  • Earth was filled with violence.
  • There was total corruption of humanity in every way.
  • Idolatry; hearts were hardened (the love of many waxed cold); their ears dull; there is no repentance; there is no seeking after the things and ways of Yehovah.

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Jubilees 5

 

  • The human population had exploded.
  • There was the sin of the Watchers.
  • Yehovah’s living creation was corrupted in every conceivable and possibly every inconceivable way.
  • Iniquity increased in the earth.
  • Every imagination of the thoughts of man was evil continually.
  • Blatant evil was committed by humanity before the eyes of Elohim, despite humanity’s inherent knowledge of Yehovah and its ability to discern good from evil and right from wrong (Rom. 1:18-2:1).

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Jasher 5

 

  • The righteous ones had all died out with the exception of Noach and Methuselah. And so, in obedience to Yehovah, Methuselah and Noach preached 120 years of the coming wrath and judgment to humanity; to teshuvah and escape Yah’s coming wrath and punishment. But alas, humanity “would not hearken to them, nor incline their ears to their words, and they were stiffnecked.” This was twice iterated in Jubilees.

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Enoch

 

  • The sin of the Watchers (Chap. 6).
  • The corruption of the human genome (Chap. 7).
  • Humanity was taught by the fallen ones forbidden arts of sorcery; enchantments; cutting of roots; warfare; cosmetology and seduction; astrology.
  • The animal kingdom was corrupted.

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Practical Halachah

 

  • Shaul warned his student the Evangelist Timothy of the end times in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

 

  • Everything humans thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. There was no regard for the things of Elohim. Yah’s people, however, are required to live by/walk by/halachah in their faith regardless (Hab. 2:4–Look at the proud: he is inwardly not upright; but the righteous will attain life through trusting faithfulness…they shall live by their faith).

 

  • Only a small remnant finds favor in Yah’s eyes. Noach was a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 11:7). Yehovah’s patience was sustained for many years (1 Pet. 3:20).

 

The Niddah Laws–Still in Effect Today ?

by | Apr 23, 2020 | ,

The Question of Niddah  One question that seems to pop-up a lot from members of our Faith Community has to do with the Laws related to Niddah. Are the laws of Niddah still valid for today’s Torah Observant Disciples of Yeshua Messiah? And in case you aren’t familiar...

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