Paul on Physical Circumcision for God’s People–A Question of One’s Jewishness Part 3

by | Jun 20, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Opening Remarks on Paul on the Question of Physical Circumcision for God’s People 

In this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, we return to our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series and to our series within a series entitled: “A Question of One’s Jewishness.” Today, we’ll pick-up where we left off in Part 2 of our series within a series—Blaspheming the Name of God. Our focus passage will be verses 25 through 29 of Romans 2. And the focus of these 5-verses touches heavily upon the issue and hot-topic of circumcision or the circumcisions (I.e., physical circumcision and circumcision of the heart).

 Outline of Discussion

So today what I want to accomplish is to first briefly examine the historical and cultural background that is associated with physical circumcision. Then we’ll take a brief survey of physical circumcision as spelled out in the Tanakh. And lastly, we’ll begin a rather detailed  examination of our focus passage of Romans 2:25-29.

In so doing all that I’ve just outlined, we will answer the following two questions: (1) What is physical circumcision and what purpose does physical circumcision hold for those men of the Bible who received it? (2) What is the difference between physical circumcision and circumcision of the heart as recorded in Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6?

And then looking ahead to the next part of this discussion on circumcision, we’ll seek to answer the questions: (1) Has circumcision of the heart annulled or replaced physical circumcision as instructed in Torah? And (2), is physical circumcision something that males with circumcised hearts who are walking in covenant relationship with the Eternal should look into having done?

 Circumcision is an Emotionally Charged Hot-Topic

As I just mentioned, this is an extremely hot-topic that whenever discussed within and outside of our Faith Communities, it induces a great amount of emotions; contrasting personal and cultural perspectives; opposing doctrinal challenges; conflicting religious beliefs and the like. Rarely does the discussions stay within the confines of scripture. Instead, emotions typically take over and before you know it, tempers flare and words and perspectives are exchanged that often defy what scripture actually has to say on the topic. And when it’s all said and done, many end up leaving these discussions with hurt-feelings and unchanged attitudes on the subject of the circumcisions.

 The Intent is to Arrive at a Biblically-based Understanding of the Circumcisions

What I hope will come out of these two discussions, is an emotionless, biblically-based understanding of the circumcisions and the roles they may or may not play, respectively, in the lives of Yah’s people. Whatever the bible states regarding the circumcisions, mind you, within the framework of scriptural context, that’s what the bible states about the circumcisions. We will endeavor to not add to or take away from that which scripture has to say on the issue. From time-to-time during our discussions, I will give you my perspective or opinion on specific aspects of the circumcisions as I normally do on whatever topics or issues we discuss on this program. But as always, my opinion on the subject matters only as far as my desire to elicit discussion and to insight further digging into Yah’s Word on the specific topic or issue at hand.

So with that bit of introduction out of the way, let’s begin our discussion entitled: “Paul on the Question of Physical Circumcision for God’s People.”

 

Circumcision From a Historical, Cultural  and Global Perspective

 

Historically speaking, the ritual of (physical) circumcision is ancient (we’re talking several thousand years) and is not limited to the circumcision that Hebrew or Jewish newborns customarily experienced and presently undergo (I.e., the “bris”), as some might erroneously believe.

It was practiced among several of the West Semitic peoples and in the priestly class of ancient Egypt (Alter). Interestingly, knowledge of the exact origin or etiology of physical circumcision, other than that which is first mentioned in Genesis 17, has been lost over millennium.

Even today, according to wikipedia, circumcision remains as one the world’s most widely performed medical procedures, affecting “approximately 37% to 39% of males worldwide…about half [the physical circumcision performed are] for religious or cultural reasons” (Morris, Brian J.; Wamai, Richard G.; Henebeng, Esther B.; Tobian, Aaron AR; Klausner, Jeffrey D.; Benerjee, Joya; Hankins, Catherine A.(2016)—”Estimation of country-specific and global prevalence of male circumcision”).

Interestingly, circumcision is most common in many Muslim nations and communities; in Israel, South Korea, the U.S., and parts of Southeast Asia and Africa.

Conversely, physical circumcision is rare in Europe, Latin America, parts of Southern Africa and Oceania (that being the Pacific Islands) and most of non-Muslim Asia (Wikipedia.org/wiki/circumcision).

From a personal perspective, when I was raised as a child of the 1960’s,   circumcision was commonly administered to a great many young black males, if not most; primarily because it was a practice or custom that was handed down for cultural, hygienic, and to a lesser degree, religious reasons.

 

Circumcision’s First Mention in Scripture

 

Circumcision as a commandment to the  males of Yah’s people, and a symbol between YHVH and His elect, is first mentioned in Genesis 17:10-14. 

As an aside, regarding the Principle of First Mention in Scripture, the issue or topic of concern, where it is first mentioned in scripture, Yah’s perspective on that issue or topic is firmly established and generally does not change later on in scripture (generally speaking that is). Thus, the initial mention of any issue or topic in scripture must by necessity, significantly influence our understanding of those issues and topics we are attempting to understand. First mention in Scripture should always be one of the tools we use when attempting to understand any bible topic or issue of discussion.

Returning to Genesis 17:10-14, which reads:

 

“This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you must be circumcised. You shall circumcise  the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.” (Which covenant is Abba referring to? The unilateral covenant He established between Avraham and Himself, as recorded in Genesis 15, which is related to Avraham and his seed possessing the Land of Promise; and in Genesis 17, which is related to the multiplicity of Avraham’s seed; of Avraham being the father of many nations and He, YHVH, being Avraham’s and Avraham’s seeds’ God or Elohim.) 

Continuing:

“Eight days old every male among you shall be circumcised through your generations, even slaves born in the household and those purchased with silver from any foreigner who is not of your seed. Those born in your household and those purchased with silver must be circumcised, and My covenant in your flesh shall be an everlasting covenant. And a male with a foreskin, who has not circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his folk. My covenant he has broken” (Alter).

 Physical Circumcision’s Link to Covenant

When we talk about the establishment of ancient covenants—about formal agreements that are made between people and those made between YHVH and His people, whether they be one-sided covenants, unilateral, unconditional covenants such as the covenant that is recorded here in Genesis 17; or bilateral or conditional covenants such as the covenant that was established between YHVH and the nation coming out of Egyptian bondage as recorded in Exodus 19, that covenant is typically sealed or indicated by the shedding of blood (in some form or another) and often by the construction of some type of edifice or monument or another. And in the case of the covenant Yah established with Avraham and his seed, circumcision served as a token; as a seal or indicator of that everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:13).

 Although Circumcision Likely Predated Avraham, the Circumcision Handed Down to Him Was Different in Purpose and Scope

Now, few with any true understanding of history will argue that circumcision, as a ritualistic and cultural practice, likely predated Avraham. As a ritual practiced by the ancient Mesopotamian peoples, it was likely linked to their pagan worship and pagan-based cultural norms.

However, when circumcision was introduced to Avraham as a symbol or token of his relationship with YHVH and the promises of a Land that He would provide for his seed, as recorded here in Genesis 17, it would stand as one of the most defining symbols or tokens of that covenant that we, as Yah’s people, would come to know and appreciate. And one of the unique aspects of this YHVH-ordained circumcision ritual was that it would be a requirement of all Avraham’s male seed on the 8th day after his birth (verse 12).

 The Symbolism of Physical Circumcision

Physical circumcision as given by Yah to the male segment of His set-apart people, for all intents and purposes, could be viewed as a wedding band or ring. A wedding band is an outward symbol of one man’s marriage commitment to the woman he has married. It serves as not just a physical symbol and reminder to this man or to this woman that they are in an unbreakable marriage covenant with one another, but it also serves as a visible, physical symbol to the world that this man and this woman are in a marriage, covenant relationship, which is not to be broken or tampered with. Our wearing of tzitzits may be viewed from a similar, physically symbolic, covenant perspective as well.

 Abraham’s Physical Circumcision Came Well After His Faith in God Had Been Firmly Established

It should be noted that YHVH DID NOT instruct Avraham to be circumcised and to circumcise his sons and their progeny till way-after Yah called Avraham to walk in covenant with Him (Gen. 12); till way after Avraham and Sarai sojourned in Egypt for a time (Gen. 12); till way after Avraham and his nephew Lot had their fall-out over the Land (Gen. 13); till after the Melchizedek event (Gen. 14); even till way after Yah established a covenant relationship with Avraham (Gen. 15—of which the record notes that Avraham’s Faith in Yah was counted unto him as righteousness—vs. 6); and even before Ishmael was born to him through Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden (Gen. 16).

And so what we see here in this chronology leading up to the mitzvah of circumcision that was given to Avraham and to Avraham’s seed, is that circumcision was given to Avraham AFTER Avraham’s steadfast faith and friendship with YHVH had been firmly established.

 The Establishment of One’s Faith Must Be Firmly Established First and Foremost as Abraham’s Was

Now, I would ask you to pay particularly close attention to this point as it will factor into some of our understanding as to the proper perspective Yah’s people should give to physical circumcision in their walk with Mashiyach. Avraham’s physical circumcision came after his faith in Yah was firmly established. Thus, as it relates to us today, one’s Faith and belief in YHVH must always precede any inclination toward physically keeping Yah’s statutes. The reason for this is simple: If one doesn’t believe Yah and he or she does not believe that Yah is a rewarder of any who diligently seek after Him (Heb. 11:6), well, more times than not, the one who does not believe Yah will fail to properly keep Yah’s instructions.

Avraham trusted Yah from the moment Yah called him to leave his father’s house and the country of his birth and kindred (Gen. 12). And because Avraham trusted Yah so, passing every test of loyalty and faith that was put forth to him by Yah (Gal. 3:6), Yah  imputed unto Avraham righteousness and established with Avraham what we know today as the Avrahamic Covenant. And that covenant was sealed and physically symbolized through the ritual of circumcision.

 Physical Circumcision Passed Down Through Abraham’s Generations

And so it was that the mitzvah of circumcision was passed down to all of Avraham’s children, including Ishmael; down to Yitchaq (Gen. 21:4); down to Ya’achov and on to Ya’achov’s 12-sons (by implication in Gen. 34). It would seem reasonable to me to conclude that our enslaved ancient Hebrew cousins circumcised their sons during their embittered sojourn in Mitzrayim (aka Egypt), although it’s likely that not every Hebrew family honored this covenant-based mitzvah as evidenced in Moshe’s neglecting to circumcise his son, Gershom, leading to Zipporah, Moshe’s wife, carrying out the circumcision in order to stave off the deaths of either or both Moshe and Gershom (Exo. 4:24-26).

 

Circumcision as a Requirement to Participate and Partake in the Pesach 

And from this mysterious incident in the wilderness involving Zipporah having to circumcise her and Moshe’s son in order to save the lives of the males in her life, the mitzvah of circumcision is not mentioned again until the mitzvot surrounding Passover (aka Pesach) is revealed in Exodus 12. In giving instructions for this Pesach ceremony, circumcision is introduced as a requirement in order for any male of the community to participate and partake of the Pesach:

 

“And YHVH said unto Moshe and Aharon: ‘This is the statute of the Passover offering: no foreigner shall eat of it. And every man’s slave, purchased with silver, you shall circumcise, then shall he eat of it. A settler or hired worker shall not eat of it. In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not take out any meat from the house, and no bone shall you break in it. All the community of Yisra’el thus shall do. And should a sojourner sojourn with you and make the Passover offering to YHVH, he must circumcise every male of his, then may he draw near to do it and he shall be like a native of the land, but no uncircumcised man shall eat of it. One law shall there be for the native and for the sojourner who sojourns in your midst.’ And all the Yisra’elites did as YHVH had charged Moshe and Aharon, thus did they do. And it happened on that very day that YHVH brought the Yisra’elites out of the land of Egypt in their battalions” (Exo. 12:43-51)

 

And so we see here in this passage, that Abba made physical circumcision a requirement for any male who would elect to participate and partake of Pesach (aka, Passover), at least in ancient Yisra’el. And it is this mitzvah, or statute, that is of intense interest to those of us in the Hebrew Roots—Messianic—Set-apart Faith, who keep the appointed times and holy days of YHVH our Elohim. Therefore, the instructions and commands related to Passover, or Pesach, it being one of the set-apart days (or evenings) of YHVH of His annual biblical calendar, is extremely special and important to us. And to see here in Torah that any male who desired to participate and partake in Pesach who is NOT circumcised would not be eligible to participate and partake in the event, can be a bit concerning to those of us who may not be circumcised, to say the least.

 Is Physical Circumcision Still a Requirement to Partake of Passover?

And thus the question that demands an answer from us here in this discussion is this:

Is circumcision a requirement for the men of Yah’s set-apart people, here in the 21st century, for them to keep Passover? More so, is circumcision a requirement for any man or male child of Yah today?

And the short answer to these two-probing questions is: Yes. But not in the way a Torah-observant disciple of Y’shua Messiah might naturally perceive this instruction to be. For there are some intricacies with this Torah instruction as it applies to us today that many, including myself, may have overlooked and or misunderstood in relation to the question of the circumcisions. And my intention, Abba-willing, is to arrive at a biblically-sound answer to these questions, in part today, and finally in full in our next installment addressing the question of the circumcisions.

 

First Mention of Circumcision of the Heart

 

But moving on with our survey of circumcision in the Tanakh.

We have a one-verse mention of circumcision in Leviticus 12:3, where Abba reiterates the mitzvah of physical circumcision for all of the newborns of Yah’s set-apart people, on the 8th day after their birth (Levi. 12:1). The fact that this mitzvah involving circumcision of 8-day old Yisra’el babies is given more than once in Torah seems to indicate that Yah is serious about this Mitzvah being carried out by His people.

But nothing more on circumcision is to be found in Torah until we get to Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6, when Yah introduces the concept of “circumcision of the heart” being the decisive characteristic of Yah’s covenant-keeping people:

“And you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, nor shall you show a stiff neck anymore” (Deu. 10:16; Alter). 

In this verse, contextually speaking, Moshe is addressing the 2nd generation Hebrews in preparation of their taking possession of the Land of Promise. And in giving the people, sort of a pep-talk before the big battle ahead of them, Moshe reviews the nation’s difficult wilderness journey that led them to this point in their history. And much of this review by Moshe, as we discussed in “Racism and Faith-What Walking in Torah with a Circumcised Heart Looks Like—Parashah 134 (www.themessianictorahobserver.org/2021/05/29/racism-faith-walking-torah-with-circumcised-heart), consists of an admonishment to this 2nd generation, not to take on the stiff-neck character and nature of their parents and to not fall into the trap of seeking after pagan Canaanite worship practices once they’d conquer the Land. Thus, Moshe instructs these young Hebrews to make themselves available for Yah to do His work in them and for them to walk in Yah’s covenant without wavering to the right or left, and not being a spiritually stubborn people as their parents were.

I would argue that this is not the first mention of “circumcision of the heart,” per se. For we find in Deuteronomy 5:29 where YHVH laments to Moshe over the terrible state of the ancients’ feelings and behavior towards Him:

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever” (Deu. 5:29). 

You see, to me, Father is clearly stating here that the people suffered from a serious heart condition. They did not have a spirit that would permit Yah to lead them and to grow them and to fashion them into that peculiar treasure; that kingdom of priests; and that holy nation that He purposed to make them into in His covenant with them (Exo. 19:5-6).

And then circumcision is also mentioned later on in Deuteronomy as follows:

“And YHVH your Elohim shall circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being for your life’s sake” (Deu. 30:6; Alter).

 Circumcision of the Heart of God’s Elect Foretold

From a contextual standpoint, we find what I believe to be a confirmation of chapter 10, verse 16, in the form of a prophesy or prophetic utterance on Moshe’s part. For Moshe tells this generation of Hebrews that Yah is going to circumcise their’s and their seed’s hearts so that they will love HIm with their whole heart/their whole being, and thus they shall live. I say prophetic in the sense that in verses 1 through 5, Moshe frames this pending circumcision of Yisra’el’s hearts within their future scattering and exiling amongst the nations of the world. But there would come a time that after their exile and scattering among the nation peoples of the world, Yah turns their situation around and returns them to the Land of their fathers and blesses and prospers them. And thus it will be after that time that Abba would circumcise their hearts and the hearts of their seed so that they will love Him with all their being.

Clearly, in my opinion, no time in Yisra’el’s history has this circumcision happened to Yisra’el as Yah describes here in this passage of Deuteronomy. Indeed, Yisra’el has remained a stiff-neck people throughout her history. And because of her stubborn, stiff neck character and her refusal to honor and walk in covenant with her espoused Elohim, YHVH, they’ve endured a multitude of curses and they have been scattered among the nations a number of times throughout their history. And I get that many people, both within and outside our Faith Community, will point to modern Yisra’el’s miraculous return to the land and their establishment as a nation, being the de-facto fulfillment of this prophetic utterance by Moshe and the prophets of old. However, the nominal modern day Jew in the Land of Yisra’el remains stiff neck and he/she, as a nation, has rejected Y’shua as their Mashiyach and refuses to walk fully in covenant, Torah-keeping relationship with YHVH. Indeed, the nominal Jew, and the nation as a whole, has not had their hearts circumcised and they have not entered into a proper covenant relationship with YHVH. They, however, remain in covenant with their culture, religion and people—the very same mindset as the rhetorical Jew of Shaul’s diatribe in Romans 2.

So I would argue that maybe Deuteronomy 30:6 will be fulfilled as it is written here and alluded to in the various prophetic writings of the Tanakh, sometime near or upon the return of our Master Y’shua Messiah.

One subtle thing I would like to point out here before we move on in our survey of physical circumcision in the Tanakh, is that in Deuteronomy 10:16, Yah instructs the 2nd generation Hebrews to circumcise their own hearts and to stop being a stiff neck people. But then in Deuteronomy 30:6, Yah stipulates that He would circumcise the heart of His set-apart people and their seed so that they would be capable of loving Him with their whole being. Clearly what we see here in Deuteronomy 30:1-6 in particular, is a foreshadowing of the renewed covenant which reads:

“Behold, the days come, saith Yehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Yisra’el, and with the house of Yahudah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Yehovah. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Yisra’el after those days, saith Yehovah: I will put My law (My Torah) in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Yehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more” (Jer. 31:31-34; cf. Heb. 8:8-13; 12:24). 

Circumcision of the Flesh Versus Circumcision of the Heart

 The circumcision of the flesh, as outlined throughout the small handful of verses we find where it is mentioned in Torah and in Joshua, when contrasted with Yah’s preferred circumcision, which is circumcision of the heart, a transcendence of the ritual that puts into the flesh of the males of Yah’s people, a token—a sign—similar to a wedding band if you will—as it relates to the covenant that is supposed to exist between them and YHVH. For overshadowing this physical circumcision is the removal of the natural impediments within a would-be child of Yah, that prevents him/her from being open and responsive to Yah’s Way of Life—the tenets of Yah’s covenant with them—Yah’s Torah—a true and substantive relationship with YHVH.

 An Inextricable Link Between Physical Circumcision and Circumcision of the Heart

In essence, there was an inextricable link between a circumcised heart and physical circumcision. For without a circumcised heart, physical circumcision was of no value. Certainly, most of the first-generation males that came out of Mitsrayim were circumcised. But their uncircumcised hearts led to them all dying in the wilderness. Thus, the people’s physical circumcision became absolutely worthless to them. This is in keeping with what we will see that Shaul writes regarding physical circumcision that is absent a circumcised heart:

“…but if thou be a breaker of the law (I.e., of Torah), thy [physical] circumcision is made uncircumcision…For he is NOT a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that [physical] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of Yah” (Romans 2:25-29). 

Does Circumcision of the Heart Nullify Physical Circumcision?

Does circumcision of the heart, then, nullify or abrogate physical circumcision since Yah seems to place greater value on circumcision of the heart over that of physical circumcision? Well, at the risk of giving away part 2 of this series within a series on Paul and Circumcision, I do not believe that circumcision of the heart replaces or nullifies physical circumcision. And I will go deeper into why I believe physical circumcision remains valid for today’s covenant walking disciple of Y’shua Messiah in the next post of this series.

But suffice to say today at least, that a great many bible scholars and teachers, both within and outside our Faith community feel strongly that Shaul unilaterally replaced physical circumcision with circumcision of the heart, and they rely heavily upon this and related passages of Romans 2:25-29 as support for anti-physical circumcision doctrine. But we must recognize, with full transparency, that Shaul NEVER made such a pronouncement. And knowing what we know so far about the apostle and his true position on Messianics keeping Torah (I.e., that Torah-keeping is required for Yah’s set-apart people, whether they be a Jew or a non-Jew), would it make sense that the Great Apostle to the Gentiles would stand on the side of physical circumcision having been done away with and replaced by circumcision of the heart? I don’t believe so.

In fact, Shaul, having ample opportunity to come right out and denounce the mitzvah of circumcision to his Roman Messianic readers, failed to do so, but instead, actually certifies that physical circumcision still has value and purpose for Yah’s set-apart people:

“Circumcision profits INDEED if you fulfill (or are a doer of) Torah” (Rom. 2:25). And the term fulfill or doer here, as used here by Shaul, is “prasso,” which means to properly understand and manifest or do that which you’ve come to learn and understand from the mouth of Yah and that which was delivered unto us through Torah; and to practice that which we’ve been taught and instructed to do with a circumcised heart that is inscribed with Yah’s Torah.

 

Additional Tanakh Passages Involving Circumcision 

There are only a small number of remaining passages in the Tanakh that address the issue of physical circumcision that we should all be aware of. We find in Joshua chapter 5 the recorded history of Joshua circumcising (or having circumcised) this 2nd generation of Hebrews that conquered the Land of Promise. Many have sought to answer the question of why specifically were these 2nd generation Hebrews not circumcised. The specific reason as to why the first generation Hebrews failed to circumcise their baby boys is only vaguely alluded to in scripture.

We do know that the first-generation of Hebrews were a stiff neck, stubborn people who more times than not, ran afoul of Torah while they lived. Also, we know that this first generation of Hebrews all died in the wilderness, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. And this is that alluded to passage that answers the question why the conquering Hebrews weren’t previously circumcised:

Joshua 5:4-7—”And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people that came forth out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt. For all the people that came out were circumcised; but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, they had not circumcised…And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them did Joshua circumcise: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.”

 Jeremiah’s Call for Judah to Circumcise Their Hearts

So we could safely surmise that scripture’s silence on the question of why specifically these 2nd generation Hebrews had not been circumcised by their parents was because of that first generation’s uncircumcised hearts, heh? Thus, it fell to Joshua to do the right thing, honor YHVH, and circumcise this incoming generation of Hebrews.

Then in Jeremiah, we find the prophet calling his people, Yisra’el to repentance as follows:

“If thou wilt return, O Yisra’el, saith Yehovah, if thou wilt return unto Me, and if thou wilt put away thy abominations out of My sight; then shalt thou not be removed.” (I.e, overrun by their invading enemies—house of Yisra’el had been uprooted and scattered to the far-reaches of the north by an invading Assyrian army, while house of Judah stood in peril of being taken into captivity by an invading Babylonian army.) 

Continuing:

“And thou shalt swear, as Yehovah liveth, in truth, in justice and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory. For thus saith Yehovah to the men of Judah and Judah to Yerushalayim, break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns. CIRCUMCISE yourselves to Yehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah, and inhabitants of Yerushalayim, AND take away the foreskins of your heart, lest My wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jer. 4:1-4; ASV). 

Here the prophet admonishes House of Judah to make themselves ready to receive Yah’s Truth—His Word—His Torah—by ridding themselves of the things that hinder the implantation of Yah’s Word within them. This they were to do as they would do in breaking up the “fallow soil” of their land and ridding that fallow soil of the “thorns” that choke out their seedling plants, which is symbolic of the Word of Truth that is to be implanted in their lives (reference Y’shua’s Parable of the Sower in Mat. 13:22—And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the Word; and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful).

 Judah’s Dross Nature Signaling Her Lack of a Circumcised Heart

Indeed, in Ezekiel’s and Jeremiah’s time, Judah had become prosperous, in part, because of their rather disingenuous turning from their wicked ways to Yah. These were fearful of that which had happened to their northern brethren, also happening to them if they did not turn to Yah and at least make a half-hearted attempt to walk in His Ways. But in their tepid turning to Yah, Judah ended up becoming dross or withdrawn in their hearts and love for Yehovah and His Ways. In other words, they went through the motions of fulfilling Yah’s instructions, while often finding ways to bypass Torah and also dabble in various pagan practices and worship (Eze. 22:18-19).

So Father also instructs Judah to remove the foreskins of their hearts, just as one would circumcise their flesh in obedience to the commandments of Yah. For the only way Judah could possibly be saved from her impending doom was for them to keep His Commandments—His Torah—with a willing and loving heart towards Him. Otherwise, they faced His wrath that would come in the form of a Babylonian military devastation and captivity. And they, Judah, would be powerless to stave off Yah’s coming wrath.

 Paul’s Letter Highlighting the Circumcision Linked to a Key Prophesy Passage

And lastly, in the Tanakh, we have Jeremiah 9:25-26, which Shaul seems to loosely reference our focus passage for this discussion (specifically Romans 2:25-29):

“Behold, the days come, saith Yehovah, that I will punish all them that are circumcised in their uncircumcision: Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off, that dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Yisra’el are uncircumcised in heart” (ASV). 

Indeed, the parallels to Shaul’s teaching regarding circumcision in Romans 2 cannot be overlooked or overstated: Those who are circumcised in their flesh, but who also do not walk in covenant relationship with YHVH—those who choose to willfully transgress Torah—who steal, fornicate, adulterate, rob pagan temples for financial and personal gain; hate and despise the Goyim for no reason; those that do the very evil things that they themselves criticize others of doing in opposition to Torah, are no better than their Gentile, uncircumcised counterparts in the world. They are as if they were never circumcised. And they too will be judged accordingly: They will be judged within the framework of Torah, while their non-circumcised counterparts will be judged outside the framework of Torah—I.e., by the evidence that the laws of creation naturally provide humankind.

So with that, let’s return to our focus passage of Romans 2:25-29 and see if we can break down what Shaul is trying to say regarding the  circumcisions to His Roman Messianic readers.

Paul Writes About the Circumcisions 

Romans 2:25-29—”For circumcision profits indeed if you fulfill (that is, if you properly understand and manifest that understanding of Torah through a proper halach in) Torah: but if you depart from Torah, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision (that is, if someone is circumcised because of their culture but not taught that it is a sign of the covenant with Avraham and that they are obligated to walk unwaveringly in that covenant, then his circumcision is irrelevant for purposes of receiving and entering the Malchut Elohim or the Kingdom of YHVH). And if uncircumcision (I.e., “akrobustia” or the Gentile) should keep the precepts of Torah, would not that uncircumcision (I.e., his uncircumcised station in life) be accounted as circumcision (I.e., peritome, which, metaphorically, is to be separated from the unclean multitude and truly consecrated to God)? And the uncircumcision (that is, “akrobustia,” the Gentile who is set-apart and walking in covenant relationship with YHVH), which from its nature fulfills Torah, will judge you; who, with the Scripture and with circumcision (that being, one who is circumcised and who claims possession of Yah’s Torah), transgresses against Torah (cf. Mat. 12:41-42). For he is not a Jew who is so in what is external (alone): nor is that (only physical) circumcision, which is visible in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is so in what is hidden: and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not from men, but from Elohim” (AENT). 

Here in these 5-verses, the term circumcision and uncircumcision is used numerous times. And if one is not careful to tease apart each verse within context of their preceding and proceeding verses, one can certainly miss the whole of what the apostle was attempting to convey to his Messianic Roman readers.

 Biblical Uses of the Word Circumcision

Circumcision and uncircumcision, again, depending on the context in which it is used in each verse, can hold the meaning of:

  1. Physical circumcision—the removal of the foreskin of a male disciple’s privates; or the lack thereof.
  1. Speaking of either a religious Jew such as a Pharisee or Scribe as in “those of the circumcision,” or a Gentile, as in the uncircumcised.
  1. Circumcision of the heart; circumcision that is in the Spirit (I.e., the Ruach); circumcision that is not in the letter whose endorsement comes directly from YHVH.

 The Anti-Physical Circumcision Crowd  Led by a Misrepresentation of Paul’s Writings

Now, this and other related passages which we will examine in future postings of this series, are often used by those who I would describe as the anti-physical circumcision crowd, to denounce physical circumcision by Yah’s set-apart people. These further contend that they are “Spiritual Israel,” having replaced fully physical Israel as God’s set-apart people. In their replacing of physical Israel, these believe that statutes such as physical circumcision belong only to the Jew whom they’ve replaced. And thus according to these, being Spiritual Israel, the only circumcision that a believer should receive is the circumcision of their heart. And, according to these, we find here in this and related Pauline passages Shaul’s abrogation or annulment of physical circumcision as it relates to God’s people.

I contend, however, that Romans 2:25-29 is not in any way, form or fashion a proof-positive scriptural passage for believers in Yeshua Messiah being Spiritual Jews or Spiritual Israelites and replacing the physical Jew as Yah’s favored people. Contextually, there is no such thing as a spiritual Jew or Israel. The whole concept of a spiritual Jew or Israel is derived from a spiritualizing of Shaul’s writings. It is part and parcel of what some have labeled “Replacement Theology.” Replacement Theology and its sister, Dominion Theology, are the very doctrinal positions that are leading many down a road towards destruction.

What Shaul is trying to convey to his Roman Messianic readers is the fact that true biblical circumcision is not about an outward mark in the flesh, such is seen in the mitzvah of physical circumcision. Furthermore, that one who places their eternal destiny on their physical circumcised state, as well as on  their culture and heritage and Jewishness, but NOT on a true, obedient and substantive relationship with the Eternal, is in danger of Yah’s judgment and wrath (Rom. 2:11-12).

 Outward Physical Trappings Including Circumcision Fall Short of Yah’s Approval and Favor

Shaul’s bottom line here is simply this: Physical circumcision, biological heritage, culture, history, or lineage is not enough to make it into the Malchut Elohim or to escape Yah’s judgment. For Yah demands the obedience and love of His elect. And that obedience and love comes about as a result of a circumcised heart.

Like Avraham, we have been called to enter into a faith-based, obedient covenant relationship with YHVH. And we must never forget that Yah is unique in the judging of His human creation. For He judges the heart (e.g., 1 Sam. 16:7—”But YHVH said unto Samuel, ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him, for YHVH seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but YHVH looketh on the heart.’”). Yah requires a circumcised heart in order for that individual to be named as His child—His set-apart one (Deu. 30:6—”YHVH your Elohim will also cleanse your heart and the hearts of your descendants so that you may love Him with all your mind and being and so that you may live”). This circumcision of one’s heart, Shaul also refers to as a “circumcision not made with hands (Col. 2:11-12—”In Him (I.e., Messiah) you also were circumcised—not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Mashiyach.”).

 Circumcision of the Heart and the New Creation

Circumcision of heart in this case involves taking off the old man/woman (I.e., the flesh and donning the new man/woman. For that old man/woman is supposed to have been dead and buried with Mashiyach and the new man/woman is supposed to be raised up with Mashiyach through our obedient Faith in Yah’s Plan of Salvation-Redemption-Restoration.

Within this machination of the old man/woman dying (having a dead spirit) and the new woman/man being raised to life, Yah’s Spirit—His Ruach—awakens our once dead spirit (dead because of sin) and does a work within us such that we begin to walk in the newness of life—we, in essence, come into an obedience of Faith. We are really talking about a heart operation or even a heart transplant being done on us by our Creator under the auspices of His renewed covenant. But we must willingly, and humbly bring Him our hearts to have this circumcision done. We’re talking about being sincere; our intentions pure. This is what the apostle in great part was writing to the Roman Messianics about. True biblical circumcision involves that of the heart. For Yah is never deceived by our pretenses nor our outward actions. He sees right through us.

 Circumcision of the Heart Treats Spiritual Heart Disease

Yah’s biggest ought against the wandering ancients in the desert was their uncircumcised hearts:

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever” (Deu. 5:29; KJV). 

This circumcision of heart not only applies to the issue of physical circumcision, it also applies to baptism/mikveh. Baptism is in every respects supposed to be an act of the heart that is done via one’s awakened spirit within them. Baptism, like circumcision, is not a letter thing—it’s not something that we of Faith simply endeavor to do or perform as an item on our to-do or task-list in order to gain membership into an organization or religion. Unfortunately, millions of souls have needlessly gotten wet throughout the history of the Christian and Messianic Faith through the baptism ritual. However, many of these souls’ hearts were never right going in to their baptism. Thus, their praises were not of Yah, but of men—those who head up these organizations in many cases, are the ones that gave them their praises.

 Baptism and Physical Circumcision Related

It must be said at this juncture, that baptism and circumcision of heart has in no way abrogated or nullified the Torah commandment for physical circumcision. We’ll certainly touch upon this critical aspect of our overall circumcision discussion in our next post.

Shaul wrote in 2:25-26—”For circumcision verily (the Greek being “men” meaning certainly, truly surely or indeed) profiteth (the Greek being “opheleo” meaning advantageous), if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?” 

Let’s read this again, but this time more plainly:

“For circumcision profits indeed if you fulfill (receive, comprehend and then walk out) Torah: but if you depart from Torah, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision” (vs. 25).

 Physical Circumcision is Valuable to He Who Keeps Torah and Loves God

We know that physical circumcision is a sign or token for the one who is circumcised, of the Abrahamic Covenant that involved Avraham’s and his seed taking possession of the Land of promise; Avraham being the father of many nations; and Yah being the God of Avraham’s  and his seed. Thus circumcision requires the circumcised to walk steadfastly, willfully and studiously within the framework and precepts of that covenant. The one who receives physical circumcision is obligated to imitate, not just Yeshua Messiah, but also faithful Avraham in every aspect of their life.

 The Circumcisions Must be Framed Within their Proper Perspectives

When one misrepresents and or misunderstands the purpose of circumcision and misapplies the concept as merely a cultural practice without actually applying the precepts of that covenant to their lives, then their circumcision has absolutely NO relevancy to them, much less to their making it into the Malchut (Kingdom of) Elohim. It is indeed crucial that one enter into a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe in order for that circumcision to be of any worth or value them as a member of Avraham’s family.

 The Physically Uncircumcised Gentile Who Keeps Torah is Better Off Than the Physically Circumcised Jew Who Doesn’t Keep Torah

Shaul continues by asking this rhetorical question of the religious Jew:

“And if uncircumcision (that is, if a Gentile let’s say) should keep the precepts of Torah, would not that uncircumcision (that being his uncircumcised status) be accounted as circumcision” (vs. 26)? 

The act of walking in Faith as Avraham did (ie., according to the precepts of Torah—Yah’s instructions in righteousness); such that one walks in the obedience and knowledge of YHVH, must always “precede the act of physical circumcision if one is led to do so. Avraham’s obedient Faith was counted as righteousness by YHVH, BEFORE he was circumcised.

“And the uncircumcision (that is the uncircumcised non-Jew or Gentile) which from its nature (or who naturally) fulfills Torah, will judge you; who, with the Scripture and with circumcision, transgresses against Torah “ (vs. 27). 

What Shaul is saying here is simply that, the uncircumcised non-Jew or Gentile who naturally—who lovingly—who willfully walks in Torah—again, although they are not as yet physically circumcised—has every wherewithal and right to stand in judgment of those who are physically circumcised and who possess knowledge of Yah’s Word and Way of life, but who choose for whatever reason to transgress the very Torah they lay sole claim to.

 Jewish Outward Signs and Behavior Mean Nothing

The Apostle continues:

“For he is not a Jew who is so in what is external (alone): nor is that (only physical) circumcision, which is visible in the flesh (vs. 28). 

Here, Shaul is stripping away the rhetorical Jew’s claim that his salvation and eternal destiny rests in his circumcision and Jewishness. For Shaul reveals that one’s true Jewish identity is not founded upon or rest on any outward cultural appearances and rote rituals and actions, and certainly not on his physical circumcision.

“But he is a Jew who is so in what is hidden: and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not from men, but from Elohim” (vs. 29).

 Physically Circumcision of Gentiles as a Pretext For Faith Became a Major Concern of the Faith in Paul’s Day

We know from the Cepher of the Acts of the Apostles as well as from various Pauline writings that there was a furious push for non-Jewish men just entering the Faith to be circumcised. This push for immediate circumcision placed the new convert at an extreme disadvantage in a number of ways. The most poignant disadvantage was that the new convert in more cases than not did not possess any understanding of covenants and what covenant relationship truly meant and involved. Thus, upon them being circumcised right off the bat coming into the Faith, the relevance of their circumcision, not just to them, but to those pushing the circumcision (ie., the Judaizers), was misunderstood and sorely misapplied.

 God’s Perspective on Cultural Circumcision

We read of the Eternal’s view on cultural circumcision that is not attached to a proper covenant relationship with the Almighty:

“Thus says YHVH: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom; let not the mighty man boast in his might; let not the rich man boast in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me; that I am YHVH who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares YHVH. Behold, the days are coming, declares YHVH, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh—Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart’” (Jer. 9:23-26; ESV). 

So we see here in this passage of Jeremiah, that Yah required of His set-apart people, that they both be circumcised in their flesh, but in particular, that they be circumcised in their hearts. Those who for whatever reason failed to possess these two things, in particular the circumcision of the heart, would face judgment-punishment-according to the Eternal.

 God’s Pending Judgment Upon Those With Corrupted-Uncircumcised Hearts

Recall in Part 4 of our “Paul on Being Under the Law” series that Shaul made this impending judgment of the hearts of Yah’s human creation a foundational element of “his gospel.” (Reference: “The Gospel According to Paul: www.themessianictorahobserver.org/2021/04/13/the-gospel-according-to-the-apostle-paul) For we recognized that Yah is a judge of the hearts of men (Jer. 17:10). And the apostle’s mention of this critical element of Shaul’s gospel-this impending judgment of the hearts of people—seems to be in direct response to the legalistic activities of certain Messianic Jews operating within the Roman assemblies.

 He Who is Physically Circumcised Must be a Torah-Keeper 

In his letter to the Galatian Messianics the apostle backs up his contention here that circumcision has innate value to Yah’s people IF they indeed keep Torah:

“For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law” (5:3). 

Now, I won’t go into too much depth on this particular verse since we’re eventually going to study it when we get to Shaul’s hard to understand writings in his letter to the Galatians. But suffice to say, the apostle makes a crucial link between “circumcision” and “obedience” to Torah in both passages. Unfortunately, Shaul’s wording and the English translators’ troublesome rendering of this passage seems to be the basis upon which a great many fundamentalists, orthodox and evangelical Christians rest some of their anti-Torah doctrine upon. Because the erroneous thinking on the part of these anti-Torahites is that keeping Torah, especially keeping the whole of Torah (that being the commandments that apply to us as individuals and as a community that we can keep) by Yah’s people is an impossibility, and thus, attempting to do so is a really bad thing to do because Yeshua kept Torah perfectly so we don’t have to. And for any who would be God’s elect to even contemplate keeping Torah, would be an act of undermining Yeshua’s earthly ministry and an indicator that he or she has fallen from grace. But the truth of the matter is that this is not at all what the apostle means by one being “a debtor to do the whole law.” The short and to the point meaning to this Galatians verse is that circumcision is an outward, physical marker that you are in fact a keeper of Torah by virtue of you being a Son of YHVH—being in covenant relationship with YHVH. If you embrace your circumcision, you then are obligated to embrace and keep the whole of Torah: not just the parts of Torah that appeal to you and your sensibilities and preferences. This is really what the apostle is contextually saying here.

Clearly there’s a problem that the apostle is working towards somehow rectifying here in our Romans 2 focus passage. For one to embrace the symbol or token of their covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe (or their physical circumcision), fundamentally requires him to freely and lovingly adhere and conform to the tenets of that covenant relationship—which is Torah. And of course the core tenet of this covenant relationship is obedience to Torah (Exo. 19:5-6—”…if you will diligently listen to me and keep My covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations…”). Unfortunately, the contrary rhetorical Jew of Shaul’s diatribe in our passage here was picking and choosing which Torah laws and instructions he would keep, while at the same time, intentionally violating the Torah instructions and laws that he didn’t want to keep; all the while judging others for violating the very laws and instructions they themselves were transgressing (Romans 2:21-24). Thus, this contrary Jew’s circumcision—the token or mark of his supposed covenant relationship with the Creator—because of his contrariness and his uncircumcised heart, was forfeited or annulled.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

 

Irresistible Holiness-Torah Portion-26-Eighth-Shi’mini–TMTO-23

by | Mar 29, 2019 | ,

What Father is essentially saying here to us through this shadow picture—this lesson—this Torah Portion—is, “Look, I’m going to get the glory and my holiness is going to be proclaimed and demonstrated to all the world. Now this can be done by and through your actions of obedience and worship of me. And if you choose to glorify me and extol the virtues of my holiness to the world, you’re going to have to do it my way. For if you don’t choose to do it my way, then I’m still going to get the glory and my holiness will be demonstrated and manifested through my chastising of you. You see, it’s going to be done my way; or it’s going to be done my way. Either way, I’m going to be glorified and deemed holy to all the world.”

 God’s Food Laws-Tithing-Walking in Obedient Covenant Relationship with God-Parashah 136

by | Jun 11, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

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

This Week’s Torah Reading is found in Deuteronomy 12:20-15:6. I’ve entitled this discussion: Gods Food Laws-Tithing-Walking in Obedient Covenant Relationship with God-Parashah 136

Personal Perspective—Opening Remarks

 

Our obedient covenant relationship with the Eternal defines our identity. That covenant relationship that defines our identity is a Way of Life that is unlike any the world has ever known. Unfortunately, that identity, the Way of Life, and our obedient covenant relationship with the Almighty runs contrary to this world’s paganistic and evil systems.

 

I trust that you can see as I see the repeating, undulating themes that reverberate throughout the Cepher of Deuteronomy: (1) Keep Yah’s commandments precisely as He has prescribed; and (2) Be careful to guard one’s self from being enticed and becoming ensnared by the demigods and worship practices of the Canaanites.

 

Many people who come into this beloved Faith of ours seek more to be tradition-led than Torah-led and Spirit-led  in their walk with Mashiyach. What I mean by that is simply this (and please understand what I am saying here as I am not aiming to criticize any who choose to follow a certain path in their walk (I.e., their halachah) with Mashiyach): A great many folks that enter this Faith of ours are more interested, specifically, in establishing a covenant with Judaism and Judaism’s various trappings than they are with establishing a true and substantive, obedient covenant relationship with the Eternal. So these will make every effort to look and perform as orthodox Jews in their day-to-day halachah. And to their credit, that which separates them from Rabbinic, orthodox Judaism seems to be their profession that Y’shua is their Mashiyach.

 

But my point is this: We’ve all been called to a higher walk than that which is embodied in rote, Jewish traditions and the rules of Jewish sages. We’ve been called to imitate and be like our Master Y’shua Messiah: to become children of the Most High. We’ve not been called to become Messianic Jews or Messianic Christians or Hebrew Rooters.

 

Look, if that’s the course of halachah one feels they’ve been called to walk, that’s between that individual and their Elohim. But what I’m tasked with putting forth to you here on this platform is that Yah is interested in each of us as prospective children of His; not as perspective members of a denomination or religion.

 

Yah, in His infinite wisdom and grace, spelled out in this very parshah reading of ours here today, the very things that He requires of those who would be His children. And those things don’t include traditions and manmade rules that are supposed to form fences around Yah’s Torah. (Look, there’s nothing wrong with traditions. However, traditions and manmade rules become a problem when they take precedence over Yah’s Word and His Torah. And we can clearly see that in many of our Faith Communities operating out there today, traditions and manmade rules are getting in the way of Torah and the teachings of our Master Y’shua. And I dare say that some of those traditions and rules are even pagan-based. We must therefore heed the words of Moshe: Beware not to become ensnared in the ways of man and in idolatry.)

 

And as He states throughout the entirety of Torah, we are not to add to nor subtract from His instructions in righteousness.

 

 

Critical Points Contained in this Parshah:

  1. Blood Cooking/blood consumption/use of blood in worship and pagan practices.
  2. The humane nature of slaughtering animals based upon Abba’s Eternal Word.
  3. Food Laws—consuming that which is clean versus that which is unclean.
  4. False prophets and the penalty for causing Yah’s people to swerve over into paganism and demigod worship.
  5. We are children of YHVH–chosen to be a treasured people unto YHVH of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth.
  6. What is required to walk in Covenant Obedience with YHVH.
  7. The Tithe belongs to YHVH.
  8. Forgiveness of debt by Yah’s set-apart people.

 

 

Prohibition Against Consuming Meat Outside Worship Reversed by YHVH

 

Chapter 12:20-27: Abba provided us with new food instructions. Prior to our entering the Land, we were not permitted to consume meats, presumably outside the framework of worship as Yah stipulated in His instructions. The domesticated animals we brought with us from Mitsrayim (and their offspring) were exclusively for worship purposes. However, according to YHVH, upon our taking possession of the Land, if we desired to consume meat, we would be permitted to do so, even within the confines of our own towns and cities. We were also given instructions of how to slaughter the meats, the instructions of which seem to underscore the Jewish Kosher practices of today to a moderate degree.

 

In the previous Torah Reading, Parashah 135 (Deu. 11:26-12:19), Abba outlined the process by which worship would be conducted. We would not worship YHVH as the former occupants of the Land did to their demigods. The Canaanites designated various locations throughout Canaan where they’d set up monuments and local sites to worship their demigods. Nevertheless, YHVH was adamant, for we see this reiterated several times throughout the Deuteronomic narrative, that Yah would select one central location for which we would journey to and worship Him. He described this central location as the place where He chooses to set His Name and make it dwell there (12:5).It would be there, according to YHVH, that we would journey and bring with us our tithes and offerings and celebrate or “feast before YHVH our Elohim” (12:7). And it would be at the Place where Abba chose to set His Name and to make it dwell, that we would “rejoice in all our undertakings and to the prosperity that came as a result of our undertakings.” Our worship of YHVH when we entered the “abiding estate–a haven–that YHVH our Elohim was about to give to us” would be very much regulated and not as we did when we were wandering about in the Sinai Wilderness (12:9). Our worship and feasts would include the care of the Levites who dwelt within our towns and cities, as they had no income apart from the provisions established by Torah (12:12).

 

And it is here, in 12:15 where YHVH lifts the prohibition of slaughtering and consuming meats apart from sacrifices. It appears that this prohibition against the slaughtering and consumption of meats applied to the entire nation. And this makes sense in that Yah had provided us with manna for sustenance throughout our 40-year-long sojourn in the wilderness. No longer was our consumption of meat (i.e., flesh) restricted to the confines of worship at the Tabernacle once we took possession of the Land. If we desired to consume meats (obviously those sanctioned by YHVH) and we had it available to us, we could eat meat. But Yah made it abundantly clear that our consumption of meats must be done properly, whereby we would not also consume the animals’ blood (12:16).

 

Now, YHVH gave this adjustment to the consumption of meat for the previously stated reasons, but also for the following reason. We should understand that during our sojourn in the wilderness, the Levitical priests had become the only people in the nation who were privy to slaughtering animals which, again, were solely for worship purposes at the Tabernacle proper. As it related to the slaughtering of animals by the Levitical priests for worship purposes, that mitzvah or instruction did not change. However, under this adjusted mitzvah, after we would enter the Land of Promise and we elected to have a meal consisting of meat or flesh, we would not have to take it to the Place where Yah chose to place His Name in order to have a Levitical priest to have him slaughter our meal for us. We would be permitted to slaughter the meat ourselves as long as we followed Abba’s humane way of processing our meats for consumption.

 

Now, some may become confused by what appears to be a contradiction regarding the consumption of meats within and without the confines of worship as described here in this passage (12:15-18). But the confusion can easily be overcome by our gaining the understanding that the Hebrew terminology for slaughtering animals as used in these key passages means, according to Robert Alter:

 

“The two acts of slaughtering and sacrificing in ancient religion were inseparable. But now that sacrifice at local shrines has been abolished, some mechanism must be established to enable the Israelites to eat meat even when they cannot come to the central place of worship. What follows are [then] innovative regulations for the practice that the rabbis called “shehitat hulin,” or “secular slaughter”” (Robert Alter, “The Five Books of Moses;” pg. 943).

 

Thus, prior to this, what Alter describes as innovative regulations, only the Levites were permitted to slaughter the animals that would be used for worship and consumption, although, again, previous to this time, all consumption of meat would be restricted solely to worship.

 

The other thing that Yah introduced to the regulations for meat consumption was the understanding of who among the nation peoples qualified to consume meats. Prior to this edict and regulation, only those of us who were clean could worship at the Tabernacle and thus partake in the feasts that accompanied the sacrifices. However, under these new regulations, the status of one’s ritual purity would no longer be a determinant as to who could consume meat outside the framework of worship—such as to consume meat in one’s own home. Ritual purity would always remain intact when it came to worship and the accompanying feasts. But now, anyone could consume meat, regardless the state of their ritual purity. Just as long as the person adhered to Yah’s slaughter and meat consumption regulations (12:18).

 

Prohibition Against the Consumption of Blood by Yah’s People

 

But returning to our Reading, we find that Yah was quite adamant about our making sure we did not consume the blood of our meals (12:23). In fact, Father adds to His concerns regarding this prohibition against blood consumption, that we “only be strong not to eat the blood.” It is unclear to us, and even to Rabbinic sages such as Rashi, what Father meant by “only be strong” not to consume our meats’ blood. There could obviously be a number of reasons which range from a simple admonishment to not be tempted to cut corners in the preparation of our meals which might result in our consuming the animals’ blood; or develop to some degree the desire for or the taste for blood that some ancient peoples were known to have developed. Father was adamant that our consumption of blood was off limits as blood was the “life-force” of all living creatures. In fact, the Levites were trained to pour out the animals’ blood upon the alter as instructed by Yah. So serious was Abba’s prohibition against the consumption of blood that our personal wellbeing was tied to this prohibition (12:24-25).

 

So this prohibition against consuming blood, even to this day, remains an important mitzvah for the people of Yah. For a great portion of the world today, in one form or another, consumes blood. And that blood consumption can occur intentionally such as in pagan-based rituals (e.g., satan worshipers; blood cooking; etc.) or in local customs and traditional foods (e.g., blood sausages). As well as blood consumption can occur unbeknown to some, whereby certain food-products are produced  or even enriched using the blood of various animals (e.g., into cakes and cookies to replace egg whites). Regardless, we are obliged to be very conscious of what goes into our mouths and into these temples of ours. And guarding against the intentional and or unwitting consumption of blood should be one of the things we remain vigilant of.

 

12:29-31 we find Moshe, yet again, admonishing us to watch ourselves such that we NOT become ensnared or enticed by the religious practices of the Canaanites; such that we become curious about these demigods and the worship practices surrounding them. And the modern-day applications, yet again, cannot be overlooked by us. For of late, with recent advancements and findings in the fields of archeology and anthropology, there exists almost an obsession floating about within and without our Faith Community regarding Babylonian-Egyptian demigods and associated religious practices. Unfortunately, many folks are finding themselves consumed by this field of research, which in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. What is concerning about this stuff, however, is the attention that is being given to the enemy, which conversely amounts to the taking away of attention from YHVH our Elohim. In fact, Abba commanded the following:

 

And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. (Exo 23:13 KJV)

 

 

Our focus must not be these demigods or the worship practices of ancient pagan peoples, regardless the dangers they pose to us spiritually. For our focus, when it is centered on walking in obedient covenant relationship with YHVH, through Y’shua our Mashiyach, will leave little to no room for such distractions and enticements. Indeed, these demigods are real entities who were and continue to wage war against the people of Yah. But our concerns regarding them or anything else must always be to seek the Kingdom of Yah and His righteousness. And if these demigods and their ilk intrude into our space, we’ve been given the authority and power through Yah’s Ruach HaKodesh to cast them out. We’ve also been given the Armor of Yah to aid us in standing against the wiles of these entities.

 

 

Chapter 13:4

 

In Chapter 13, Moshe provides us with six essential actions Yah’s people must take in order for them enter into and maintain an obedient covenant relationship with the Almighty. Moshe stated:

 

“You shall WALK (halach) after YHVH your Elohim and FEAR (yara’) Him and KEEP (shamar) His commandments and OBEY (shema’ which is to hear, listen and obey) His voice, and you shall SERVE (’avad) Him and HOLD FAST (davaq, or cling) to Him” (ESV).

 

Let’s breakdown this verse into the six essential actions we are compelled to take.

 

  1. When we walk after YHVH, we adopt His perspectives on life exclusively and entirely. Thus, we “halach” or walk or behave throughout our lives in the exact Ways that Abba would and that He would require of us to do. And if we become confused as to what exactly Yah’s perspectives are on any given thing (I.e., how we should act or behave in any given circumstance), we have at least three-powerful resources at our disposal: (1) Yah’s Word; (2) the example and teachings of Master Y’shua our Mashiyach (if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father—John 14:9); and (3) Yah’s precious and powerful Ruach HaKodesh—Yah’s Holy Spirit—that operates within these temples of ours.

 

To “halach” means to die to self—discarding—killing-off the “old man,” and putting on the “new man,” having been raised to a new life with our Master Y’shua HaMashiyach (Col. 3:9-10; Rom. 6:4-23).

 

Folks, this is the very thing that Moshe was attempting to get this generation of Hebrews who were preparing to take possession of the Land to understand and embrace. They were no longer their own people. They now belonged to YHVH, the Creator of the Universe. Thus, any old baggage they may have, especially left-overs from Mitsrayim, and any prospective trappings that they may run into in their taking possession of the Land, had to go. There was no room for such foolishness. Like us, our ancient Hebrew cousins would be required to die to self and become children of the Most High by following the prescription given here in 13:4.

 

It was in this same vein of thinking that our Master, during His Personal ministry, gave the following requirements to any who would seek to become a child of the Most High:

 

“…He who wishes to follow after me (I.e., walk after me), let him deny himself (I.e.., die to themselves) and take up his staff and follow after me” (Mat. 16:24; AENT).

 

The Apostle Peter or Kefa echoed this instruction when he penned the following:

 

“…Because the Mashiyach also died for us and left us this pattern that you should walk (I.e., halachah) in His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21; AENT).

 

This simple instruction of dying to self, picking up one’s stake and following Him, incorporates our Deuteronomy 13:4’s 6-part instruction. And why wouldn’t it, for Y’shua our Master was in every sense the walking, talking Torah.

 

  1. The one who biblically fears or “yara’” YHVH, is doing far more than simply showing reverence or respect for Him. Yara’g YHVH also involves actually being “fearful” of Him. For it was the Apostle Shaul (aka Paul) who admonished us, in his re-phrasing of Psalm 2:11:

 

“…push through the work of your life more abundantly, with fear and with trembling” (Phi. 2:12; AENT).

 

Yes, we are supposed to be fearful of our Elohim, despite the fuzzy, warm feelings and attitudes that popular religion has so devilishly taught many of us to do. For when we come to a place in our halachah (I.e., our walk) where we accurately recognize who we are and who He, our Elohim is, then we truly learn to fear Him as Torah instructs. Indeed, our Elohim is frightfully awesome and beyond our ability to fully comprehend. He holds the power of the universe in His hands.

 

The Psalmist accurately put this whole question of fearing Yah in proper perspective when he penned:

 

“what are human beings, that you take notice of them— mere mortals that you care about them?” (PSA 8:4 QBE)

 

Our ancient Hebrew cousins, unfortunately, lost sight of this essential instruction, and it was the Psalmist who sought to call Yisra’el out on their transgression of this mitzvah in the following passage:

 

 21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. 22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.  (Psa 50:21-22 KJV)

 

  1. To “shamar” Yah’s commandments is, as we discussed in a previous post, to “guard” or “protect” Yah’s instructions. To “shamar” Yah’s commandments is slightly different than “shema’g” Yah’s commandments, although both actions go hand-in-hand. To guard or “shamar” Yah’s commandments is to (1) ensure that we keep Yah’s instructions as He has prescribed them to us; and (2) that we protect His Torah from deterioration or degradation within our own lives and within our Faith Communities. In other words, we don’t allow charlatans and shysters to come along and feed us pablum that serves to supplant and alter Yah’s eternal Torah and the teachings and example of Y’shua our Mashiyach. We literally “guard” Yah’s Truth against enemy intrusion. This is why, in great part, brethren of like mind and myself do what we do in expounding the Word of Truth on various audio and video platforms. We are essentially “shamar’g,” in addition to “shema’g” YHVH’s commandments.

 

  1. And of course, to “shema” Yah’s commandments is simply to “hear (the voice of YHVH), listen and obey.” To “shema” Yah’s commandments is the epitome of being engaged in an obedient, covenant relationship with YHVH. And in order for us to properly “shema” Yah, we must possess circumcised hearts. That is, we must have hearts malleable enough and focused enough to want to hear Yah’s voice in the first place. Which means, we have to be in the proper place and position in our walk so that we may actually hear his still, small voice throughout each and every day (1 Kin. 19:12).

 

Folks, the reason so many of us find ourselves not living the abundant life that our Master promised us (Joh. 10:10), is because our respective walks are not what they should be. Many of us are, in fact, walking out our Faith in compromise; many of us are walking out our Faith in sin and indifference to the Will of our Heavenly Father. And when we are in such degraded spiritual states, we are distant from YHVH and we are not in a position; we are not close enough; or we are simply too deaf to hear Yah’s still small voice (I.e., through Yah’s Word and Holy Spirit revelation).

 

Thus, it is incumbent upon each of us to ensure each and every day we breath air in this life and on this planet, that our walk in Mashiyach is in alignment with Yah’s Word and that we are being properly led by Yah’s Ruach HaKodesh. For when we are diligent in doing that—which is seeking Yah’s Kingdom and Yah’s righteousness (Mat. 6:33), then we are in an optimal position—proper halachah—to “shema” YHVH our Elohim. So we simply have to get rid of the baggage of the old man/old woman that prevents us from “shema’g” YHVH (Heb. 12:1), so that we can hear, listen and obey Him.

 

  1. And then there’s the requirement that we are to “’avad” or “serve” our Elohim. The Hebrew concept of serving YHVH is founded in ‘avad’s corresponding noun, which is “’avodah,” which is service or work, or better, worship.

 

Our Master responded to one of hasatan’s temptations by quoting Torah to Him:

 

“Leave enemy, for it is written that you will worship (I.e., you will ‘avad) Master YHVH your Elohim and Him alone will you serve” (Mat. 4:10; AENT).

 

This whole concept of exclusively serving/worshiping or “‘avad’g” our Elohim takes us right back to the central understanding and reality of who and what we are from Yah’s perspective. We are children and servants of YHVH. Like our ancient Hebrew cousins before us, we were redeemed from the enemy for the exclusive purpose of serving YHVH. And this critical understanding is missed by the majority of self-professing “believers” in the world today. So many self-professing believers are not recognizing that they were saved—redeemed for the exclusive purpose of serving YHVH. Adam and Eve (and by extension each of us) were created for the sole purpose of serving/worshiping YHVH. Yet many would-be, self-absorbed, religious do-gooders, by evidence of their walk and their works, serve themselves and their denominations, and not YHVH. And Abba is not in the least happy with that reality.

 

  1. Moving on, we come to the requirement of “holding fast” or “davaq” YHVH. “Davaq” means to cling or cleave to YHVH. The term was first used back in Genesis 2:24 where Abba held:

 

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave (davaq) unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Gen 2:24 KJV)

 

The entire concept of this cleaving or clinging to another is founded in great part on true biblical love. It denotes what Messianic Commentator and Teacher Tim Hegg describes as “love language” that “speaks of the closest friendship and companionship” (Parashah One Hundred Thirty-Six-”You are the Sons of the Lord your God).

 

In every sense of the word “davaq” we’re talking about staying loyal and faithful to our Elohim. And that loyalty or faithfulness should grow stronger and stronger over time (that is, during the sanctification process that we all undergo during our walk with Mashiyach). It should get to the point that our loyalty and faithfulness towards YHVH is unshakable, regardless the level of challenge and temptation the enemy throws at us. And this was essentially what Moshe was trying to convey to this young generation of Hebrews, ready and preparing to take possession of the Land. Moshe was essentially saying to them:

 

“Look, you’re about to take possession of the Land that was promised to your forefathers. That conquest is already done as far as you should be concerned. It will be an effortless endeavor on your part because Yah is going to do the fighting for you. Yet you may come out of this thing haughty and in a position that will make you susceptible to the enticements of Canaanite pagan worship. You will see for yourself the overwhelming signs of their worship and demigod influence throughout as you set out to conquer the Land. Do not, however, go off course nor go off script. Stay focused beloved. In fact, smash and destroy every place and every monument or thing of worship that the Canaanites will leave behind. Stay glued to your Elohim. Don’t even entertain in your thoughts things related to the enemy’s worship. Like a small child, cling to your Father and He will in turn stay close to you. For He is your strong tower and refuge.”

 

And so it must be with us today: When we cling or cleave to Him, Yah draws near to us (Jas. 4:8). This is part and parcel of what it means to seek out the Kingdom of Yah and His righteousness (Mat. 6:33). And when we do all six of the things Moshe outlined for us in 13:4 of our reading here today, and we do them with circumcised hearts and steadfast, dedicated minds, we will become children of the Most High.

 

 

False Prophets and Idolatry

 

In Chapter 13, we learn of Yah’s perspective on the issue of false prophets is not based upon the acute abilities of such individuals to perform “signs and wonders.” His perspective, instead, is based upon the content of their teachings and their instructions to their followers. Is the content of their teachings and instructions consistent with Yah’s teachings and instructions? For if the content of their teachings and instructions is in alignment with Yah’s Word and their prophetic office or calling is verified by signs and wonders, we are obliged to follow their instructions. However, if that prophet’s words run contrary to Yah’s Torah, especially if it encourages Yah’s people to follow after the ways of paganality, despite that prophet manifesting signs and wonders, that prophet must not be listened to and must also be executed.

 

Overall, the summary execution of those who would seek to lead Yah’s set-apart people astray–away from obedient covenant relationship with YHVH–would serve as a strong deterrent to any who had designs to engage in such insidious behavior.

 

The test of a true prophet, again, is not found in his or her signs and wonders. The litmus test of a true prophet, quoting Tim Hegg, is “whether his words conform to those of the Scripture. If they do not, they are not to be heeded or followed” (Parashah One Hundred Thirty-Six).

 

And this mitzvah is all the more relevant to us today, as we are deluged with a great many self-professed, so-called prophets who are putting out all kinds of pablum and foolishness regarding a great many things going on within and without our Faith Community today. And these so-called prophets go about their calling, encouraging Yah’s people to abandon Yah’s Torah and the teachings of Y’shua HaMashiyach, and following either them or their organizations traditions and instructions. And I went over some of the concerns surrounding such modern day false prophets in my blog post on this very passage earlier this year, the link of which I will place in the transcript to this discussion.

 

 

 

And then Yah turns to instructions that any town or city and their inhabitants who, after diligent inquiry is made, are found to have shifted over to pagan worship, were to be wiped out by the edge of the sword, no doubt by neighboring communities and the Levites. in fact, the entire town, without exception, including the women, children and livestock, were to be destroyed. All of the material possessions of the people of that town/city was to be burned in a pyre. The town/city itself was never again to be inhabited or occupied by Yah’s people.

 

Now, some have throughout the centuries, viewed this instruction from their own self-righteous perspectives, actually deeming our holy and righteous Elohim as evil , cold, callous and unjust because He commanded that whole towns/cities that engaged in idolatry be wiped out without any sympathy given the condemned. Hebrew/Jewish sages and religious leaders, for instance, were led by their personal perspectives, to construct what some have described as insurmountable prerequisites to the carrying out of this mitzvah, in the event such a thing were to actually occur. (And we can see instances throughout the Tanakh where violations of this mitzvah occurred throughout Yisra’el history.) And the excuse given by these religious leaders for countermanding Yah’s mitzvah here was that the would be executioners would fall into the trap of mob rule and become irredeemable, blood-thirsty criminals. It is believed by many Jewish scholars and historians that this mitzvah was never once carried out in all of Yisra’el history.

 

In Chapter 14, Moshe puts us as a people, into proper perspective. He names and identifies us as “children to YHVH our Elohim…a holy people to YHVH our Elohim…a chosen and treasured people to Him” (vs. 1-2). And sandwiched in the middle of his identifying us as Yah’s Children, Moshe instructs us not to “gash ourselves” and not to “make bald” places on the front of our head for the dead. It is unclear whether or not this odd placement of this mitzvah against gashing oneself and making bald spots on our foreheads is a misplacement of the verse. But in reality, it doesn’t matter one way or the other. The context here, regardless, is again, what I would call a “Perspective Factor,” to borrow from the title of Messianic Teacher Robert Bill’s book. What I mean by that is that Moshe is putting into proper perspective how Abba views us and in doing so, what He expects from us and how we should view ourselves and respond to Father’s perspective of who we are. Essentially, being children to YHVH, we would be expected to act accordingly (recall my recent post regarding “A Question of One’s Jewishness” where I talked about behavior that is becoming versus behavior that is unbecoming of whatever—in this case, behavior that is becoming of a child of the Most High). We are expected (and thus we should fashion our lives accordingly) to walking in obedient covenant relationship with YHVH. In so doing, we will act and look differently than all the other peoples of the earth. Because in our conforming to Yah’s Ways, and knowing Yah’s Ways are not humankind’s ways, we will not do such things as gashing ourselves in our heads and making bald spots on the front of our skulls to honor the dead (a form of ancestor worship). According to Robert Alter in his commentary of “The Five Books of Moses,” such practices were common to Ba’al worship. And Mr. Alter references in his commentary, the account recorded in 1 Kings 18, where the priests of Ba’al did things to themselves, similar to what is described here in this passage, in order to “encourage the descent of divine fire by spilling blood” (pg. 950).

 

Today, it is popular, both within and without our Faith Community, to violate these mitzvah that pertain to the altering or damaging of one’s body. People who claim to be children of the Most High are not hesitant to get tattoos, style their hair in questionable ways and wear their beards in the style of goatees and with etchings into their flesh. Such practices, likely unbeknown to those who choose to do such things to their bodies, are clearly pagan in origin. And we find here that Father prohibits “His children” from doing such things to their bodies.

 

Now, I’m not criticizing in the least those who, before they came entered into a true and substantive relationship with the Most High, because of their unconverted lifestyles, engaged in such behavior (I.e., they got tattoos, disfigured or altered their bodies, etc.). What happened in the past happened in the past, and is no longer of any consequence. For the child of Yah is, upon their entering into covenant relationship with YHVH, are new creations; the old has passed away.

 

The problem, however, is with those who foolishly go out and violate this mitzvah in the name of honoring YHVH. Such behavior, my friends, is not honoring Yah. In fact, such behavior is dishonoring to YHVH.

 

The Food Laws—The Clean Versus the Unclean Foods

 

Then from 14:3-21, Moshe discerns between what is to be and what is not to be considered as food for us. And Moshe provides a rather detailed list of those specific creatures that we may consume (this coming after releasing the ban against our consumption of meats earlier in our reading) as well as those creatures we are prohibited from consuming.

 

Now, many folks have gone out of their way to question this list, citing animals and foods many people consume today that are not on this list. And the truth of the matter is that the animals cited here in our reading were germane to the region and time that this mitzvah was given. So it would not be uncommon for many of the animals available to us today and in the areas of the world in which we reside, to not be found on this list. Conversely, some of the animals mentioned in this list are not germane to many of the regions we reside in today as well.

 

So what do we do, in order that we may not violate or break covenant with Yah by inadvertently consuming prohibited or unclean foods? I know a great many folks have trouble discerning what foods are permissible and which are not. Yet, I think for the child of Yah who truly wants to walk in obedience with the Almighty, if in doubt, just don’t bother eating the thing. As for us, we keep our meat diet pretty simple and we avoid running into problems. For we limit our meat intake to organic chicken; beef; lamb; and for fish, wild-caught cod and salmon. And we don’t veer beyond these items. We are very careful to read and question menus when at restaurants; and we are avid readers of ingredients when making food purchases at grocery stores.

 

As we discussed earlier, as children of Yah, our bodies are supposed to be Temples of Yah. Thus, we must not do anything to defile our temples such as damage or alter our bodies; or put into our systems anything that is abhorrent or unclean. Regarding foods, Abba states that “we shall eat no abhorrent thing” (14:3). And the prohibitions against consuming abhorrent things goes beyond consuming the prohibited meats on this list. Because a great many things that are classified as permitted foods/meats here in this list, may in reality today be abhorrent to Abba. Many things that one may on the surface believe we are permitted to consume are actually deleterious to these bodies of ours, and thus are not suitable for consumption. Many of the food products we take for granted and stock in our refrigerators and in our pantries are man-made–made in a lab–products, which if consumed in large quantities and over an extended time period will prematurely age us, damage our bodies (recall the mitzvah against damaging our bodies); and open the door to chronic and acute illnesses that rob Father of our service and rob us of the opportunity to serve Yah in power and authority.

 

(Example McDonalds food; processed foods; augmented foods; etc.)

 

Many of us who venture into various places of the world, are often introduced to meats and foods we are not to consider as food: dog; cat; bat; predators; shell fishes; etc. And because we often are fearful of offending our hosts, we tend towards eating such things and find ourselves having to repent for doing so. And some of us even turn to Paul’s writings about all creatures being created of God and nothing to be rejected and to be received with thanksgiving as justification for violating Yah’s food laws in certain circumstances (1 Tim. 4:4). Well, this is one of those Pauline writings that are often taken out of context and misused as proof-passages that it’s okay to transgress Yah’s Torah. But such passages, as I’ve mentioned often throughout the history of this program, are not at all condoning transgressing Yah’s Torah; in particular, they are not saying at all that we can eat whatever is convenient or desirable to us. Shaul is simply stating: every creature that Yah has created that YHVH has deemed as food—that is clean, Yah’s people may eat these meats, and they should consume these meats, if desired, with thanksgiving.

 

 

The best thing to do when we find ourselves in such challenging situations is to not put ourselves in the situation in the first place. It is always better to let the people we know and love and who may be hosting us for a meal, what we will and will not eat ahead of time. That way, there won’t be any embarrassment on our part and on our hosts’ part.

 

Look at it this way: if you were to have a severe allergy to certain foods that may land you in a hospital or even in the grave, the least of your worries would be your offending your hosts, wouldn’t it?

 

The Food Laws Revisited

 

The relevance of Abba’s perspective as it relates to what is to be consumed or eaten by His people is multifaceted:

 

  1. Based on context, Yah’s mitzvot on what can and cannot be eaten by His people is in some part associated with idolatry. For certain animals, when sacrificed to demigods, would also be consumed by the attending ancient pagan priests and worshipers. And it turns out that swine was a preferred animal sacrifice by the pagan. Thus, it should be easy to understand that Yah stipulated what animals were to be used in terms of His set-apart peoples’ worship of Him and their consumption of the meats offered in those sacrifices to Him.

 

  1. Yah from the beginning categorized animals, as it relates to food, into one of two groups: the pure or clean; and the impure or unclean (Gen. 7:2-8:20). Those foods that were considered impure, or unclean, or abhorrent by Abba, if consumed by Yah’s people, would make them impure and disqualify them from worship. This issue of purity in relation to food consumption by Yah’s people is the foundation of Yah’s overall food laws, which are also spelled out in Leviticus 11 and 20. We, as Yah’s elect, are set-apart in great part by virtue of our exclusive affinity for the things of Yah and that which are pure or clean. Thus, if we want to walk in obedient covenant relationship with the Almighty, we must consume only that which is sanctioned—which is permitted—by Abba.

 

Certainly, the application of these mitzvot go beyond just the classes and types of meats, fowl, fish and insects mentioned here in this parashah. This parashah and the other related passages, should cause us to think really hard about the things we consume for food each and every day.

 

I would venture to think that most every individual who either listens to or reads the content of this online ministry, adhere to the food laws to a lesser or greater extent. So it’s a given that the word is already out as to what is acceptable and what is unacceptable as it relates to general categories and types of foods for Yah’s people. However, we know very well today that a great deal of what is sold out there in the various supermarkets and grocery stores of our communities is in fact NOT food, but instead, something entirely other than food. Many of these items are chemicals and stuffs that were created and manufactured in food labs and sold to unsuspecting consumers for the purposes of making a dollar and a cent for their organizations and companies. Many of these items have been shown by health advocates to be detrimental in the long-run to the health and wellbeing of those who choose to consume them. These items are not food and they have no business being consumed by Yah’s people. Yet many of Yah’s set-apart people will consume these items without second thought, rationalizing that since they do not contain or consist of pork, shellfish, predator birds or bat or cat or dog or snake and such, that they are good to go and that their selecting of these items to eat is acceptable to YHVH. But I’m here to tell you today, that these items are not acceptable to Yah. For these bodies of ours are supposed to be “temples of YHVH;” dwelling places for Yah’s Ruach HaKodesh (1 Cor. 6:19). And we know that Yah’s Ruach will not dwell in any place where He is not wanted nor in any unclean, impure place. So when we defile ourselves with trash such as these processed foods and so-called enhanced food stuffs, we are creating an inhospitable environment for Yah’s Ruach, not to mention we put our long-term health at risk.

 

  1. Yah said what we can and cannot eat—and because of that, the thing to do without reservation is to do what Yah says do and don’t do what Yah says not to do. So why waste the brain cells rationalizing why Yah picked certain foods for consumption over others. I know that a great many folks have gone to great lengths to somehow prove that many of the prohibited foods found in this parashah are dangerous to consumers’ health. But the truth of the matter is, there’s no definitive proof that this is in fact true. I personally know of some family members and acquaintances who have lived into their 90’s and even reaching in to their 100’s whose meat staples were pork-based; shellfish-based; predator-animal-based; and other nasty animal-based things that I won’t mention here. So our going about and trying to rationalize and think past Yah on things like food laws is a frivolous endeavor. Why not simply accept the fact that Father revealed to us what He wants us to consume as food and what He doesn’t want us to consume, and walk out our Faith with fear and trembling?

 

 

In 14:21; we have an iteration of Exodus 23:13: the prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother’s milk. Since the specific reason for this prohibition has likely been lost to the sands of time, there remains a couple possibilities to explain this prohibition: (1) This prohibition was against a callous pagan-based cultic practice and delicacy of boiled kid in its mother’s milk. And (2), this prohibition was in response to either the immorality of causing the mother to be subject to her kid’s death in her milk or just the immoral absurdity of mixing elements of life and death together into a meal. Interestingly, Rabbinic tradition has yet again, taken this mitzvah to add to Torah, whereby meats and dairy products are prohibited from co-existing together in orthodox communities. I understand, for instance, that you could not order or purchase a cheese burger in certain orthodox communities throughout the world.

 

The Tithe Belongs to YHVH

 

14:22-29, we have another mitzvah regarding tithing–the 10% of our increase that we are to set aside for YHVH (cf. Lev. 27:30, 32; Num. 18:26; Deu. 12:17). Here Yah establishes that the tithe could only be consumed during one of the 3-pilgrimage feasts (Unleavened Bread, Shavu’ot and Sukkot), and only at the place where Yah chose to have His Name reside.

 

Although this mitzvah is given within the general paradigm of the pastoral economy of Yisra’el, I strongly believe that the spiritual and real life application of the tithe still remains in-force today. I’ve come across several articles on-line and a few books that put forth the position that because we no longer are an agricultural society and because the Yerushalayim Temple no longer exists, we are not subject to the tithe or the keeping of this mitzvah. Granted, most of us are not farmers, nor is the temple in Yerushalayim in existence today. But again, just because these elements do not manifest in our lives today, doesn’t mean the tithe has be done away with.

 

Tithing is a faith-based, reverent practice of Yah’s people that predates the Revelation at Mount Sinai–certainly to some extent the giving of tithes to Melchizedek by Avraham after the defeat of the Kings of the Plain could easily be construed as a manifestation of tithing; some even contend that tithing traces back to the Cain and Abel incident where the brothers offered unto YHVH sacrifices of their increase. So it stands to reason that the Yah-given institution of the tithe predates Torah and it no doubt extends beyond the dissolution of the Yerushalayim Mishkan (aka Temple). I believe tithing remains a mandate for Yah’s covenant walking people (e.g., Yeshua Himself espoused and endorsed tithing in Matthew 23 and Luke 11). I will say, how we attend to this mitzvah of the tithe—how we actually administer the tithe of our increase–because of the mitigating factor of there being no operating temple and no agricultural society, is left up to each of us and up to the leading of the Ruach Kodesh.

 

Tithing, as Moshe states, is not a mindless, rote commandment from YHVH that we are obliged to keep. Yes, we tithe because Yah instructed us to do so. But we also tithe to teach us to fear YHVH at all times: to put us in the place where we learn to trust Yah to provide for us as He has promised. For many of us, tithing introduces great challenges to our monthly/bimonthly budgets. And if we are focused on being obedient, covenant-walking people of Yah, we’ve learned to trust Yah to provide for and meet all of our needs despite the challenges that tithing may cause to our personal and family budgets. I guess the understanding or perspective we must adopt is that the tithe does not belong to us: it in reality belongs to YHVH our Elohim. And when we really start to own and walk out that perspective or understanding, our Trusting and Believing Yah is not far behind to provide for our all our needs despite our giving of the tithe (Lev. 27:30).

 

It is also interesting, that even though the Church Triumphant adamantly rejects the keeping of Torah by God’s people, they sure do love the concept of the tithe and many sects and denominations claim the tithe is mandatory for God’s people. I tell you, the love of money is the root of all evil, and this is the reason the Church Triumphant continues to embrace the tithe (1 Tim. 6:10). I don’t believe there’s any other reason.

 

And the remainder of chapter 14 (vss. 24-29) here in our reading shows forth Yah’s grace, whereby Yah makes it easy for His set-apart people to parlay their tithe and transport it to the central location where He would place His Name. Essentially parlaying the raw agricultural tithe into currency, taking that currency in hand to the Tabernacle or Temple, and using it within the Will and instructions of YHVH. Within this use of the tithe in attending the Feast, Yah’s grace required that the Levite, the sojourner, the orphan and widow be taken care of since these did not have a source of income. The overall idea was that no one, regardless one’s station in life, was to be left out of the Feasts of YHVH. We were, in every sense of the word, to be our brothers’ keeper.

 

The 7th Year Remission

 

And lastly, 15:1-6, Moshe revisits the 7th year which He calls a “remission” (Alter) or “release” (ASV). This idea of the 7th year being a very special year for the Land and for Yah’s people was first introduced to us back in Exodus 23:10-11:

 

“And six years you shall sow your land and gather its produce. But in the seventh you shall let it go and let it lie fallow, and your people’s indigent may eat of it, and what is left, the beast of the field will eat. Thus shall you do for your vineyard and your olive grove” (Alter).

 

Often referred to as the Sabbatical Year and the Shemitah, every 7th year was to be a period of time that provided the Land a rest. It was good for the Land in that it gave the Land the opportunity to recover from 6-years of producing its agricultural bounty. It was good for Yah’s people because it provided us the opportunity to exercise our Trust/faith in YHVH as our eternal provider and to obey Yah’s instructions (see my previous discussions on the Shemitah). So serious was Yah about the Shemitah that He gave the Hebrews over into Babylonian Captivity for 70-years, in part because they neglected to keep the Sabbatical Year, or rather the Shemitah–which means to “let something slip out of one’s hand.” In this case, it is referring to the letting go of our cultivated Land; in other words, allowing our cultivated Land to lie fallow during the Shemitah period.

 

What we see described here in our Reading for today is something a little different than the Shemitah described in Exodus 23. The Remission or Shemitah spoken of here occurs at the END of the Shemitah Year (15:1). The term used for remission here remains as Shemitah, which again refers to the letting go of something. This remission or letting go involves the releasing of or letting go of loans or debts in the nation. It was a remission of debts, the spiritual applicability of which, cannot be overlooked (such as Y’shua’s atoning sacrifice served to remit the sin debt that each of owed unto Abba). At the end of every Shemitah or Sabbatical Year, all Hebrew debt was to be remitted (although the debt of the foreigner did not have to be remitted. Again, we see the tremendous spiritual foreshadowing that is implied here in relation to the Plan of Salvation-Restoration-Redemption).

 

The releasing of debt in the Land served the purpose of equalizing Yah’s people who lived exclusively within the framework of Torah. This mitzvah was certainly illustrative of Yah’s grace, whereby the idea was that when His set-apart people were compliant with His Torah with circumcised hearts, there would be no poverty in the Land (15:4). For obedient Torah-living by Yah’s people brings about abundant blessings for every true citizen of heaven (5:4). And those abundant blessings are tied to the Land. Those abundant blessings would be such that we would have no need to borrow, but instead, lend to many nations as the prophesy contends.

 

Is this mitzvah still applicable and in-force? Well, from a practical standpoint–or shall I say from a physical standpoint–because the original time-frame for the Shemitah has been lost to the sands of time, we have no true understanding or knowledge of when the time for remission of debt is supposed to be, or for that matter, when the Land Shemitah is to take place. So I personally do not believe there’s any biblical standing or applicability for Shemitah today, especially for those of us who reside outside Yerushalayim.

 

You know, when I posted my discussion on the Shemitah a few years ago, I commented that certain Messianic-based teachers and popular Christian preachers were making a dollar and a cent from the concept of the Shemitah, especially here in America. These individuals were putting forth teachings that many of the problems that this nation was experiencing was due to the United States not keeping the Shemitah. I found such teachings to be inconsistent with scripture and frankly, foolish. All that these teachings accomplished was to line the pockets of these individuals who were putting forth such unsubstantiated content and perpetuating chaos and confusion in the Body of Mashiyach.

 

Well, I stand on the side that such teachings are erroneous. The only Land that the Shemitah applies to is the Land of Yisra’el. And because of Yisra’el transgression of Yah’s Torah by the ancient Hebrews, knowledge of when the Shemitah and Jubilee years were to take place were forgotten or lost over millennia. And thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that the Shemitah has nothing physically to do with this nation today.

 

However, I contend that spiritually speaking, the mitzvot regarding the Shemitah and the Remission or Release or Letting Go of debt should be given serious consideration by Yah’s people. The spiritual application of these mitzvot transcend the simple rote, Land of Yisra’el connection that the text provides us. Practically speaking, it is probably a good idea to allow the land that Yah has blessed us with to rest and lay fallow every so often, and to allow for those who are hungry to partake of the natural bounty of our pastures. When it comes to the holding of debt and the releasing of debt, Master taught that if we have a brother or sister who is in need and we have the wherewithal to provide for their need, give it to them. If one asks to borrow money from us, we are to loan them the money if we have it to loan, expecting to receive nothing in return.

 

“And he that desires to go to court with you and take your coat, leave to him also your cloak. He that compels you to go one mile, go two with him. He that asks you to give to him and he desires to borrow from you, you should not deny him” (Mat. 5:40-42; AENT).

34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the ungrateful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. (Luk 6:34-36 KJV)

 

We have an opportunity here in these mitzvot—these Readings–to show forth our Kingdom citizenship and walk in this dark world as Children of the Highest. Torah is indeed Yah’s grace in action; Yah’s eternal love for His human creation. So let us walk in obedient covenant relationship with the Most High as we’ve been called to do. And walk out our Faith with fear and trembling, knowing that our salvation draws ever so near.

Irresistible Holiness-Torah Portion-26-Eighth-Shi’mini–TMTO-23

by | Mar 29, 2019 | ,

What Father is essentially saying here to us through this shadow picture—this lesson—this Torah Portion—is, “Look, I’m going to get the glory and my holiness is going to be proclaimed and demonstrated to all the world. Now this can be done by and through your actions of obedience and worship of me. And if you choose to glorify me and extol the virtues of my holiness to the world, you’re going to have to do it my way. For if you don’t choose to do it my way, then I’m still going to get the glory and my holiness will be demonstrated and manifested through my chastising of you. You see, it’s going to be done my way; or it’s going to be done my way. Either way, I’m going to be glorified and deemed holy to all the world.”

Racism and Faith–What Walking in Torah With a Circumcised Heart Looks Like—Parashah 134

by | May 29, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

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

How Yah views race and skin color 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

____________________________________________________________

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

 

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

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

 

The Ark That Housed the Tablets

 

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

 

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

 

The Foreshadowing of the Renewed Covenant

 

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

 

The writer of Hebrews describes Torah as follows:

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our Shamar of Yah’s Eternal Words

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

The Rewards for Obedience (Chapter 11)

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

Deuteronomy 11:10-15

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Irresistible Holiness-Torah Portion-26-Eighth-Shi’mini–TMTO-23

by | Mar 29, 2019 | ,

What Father is essentially saying here to us through this shadow picture—this lesson—this Torah Portion—is, “Look, I’m going to get the glory and my holiness is going to be proclaimed and demonstrated to all the world. Now this can be done by and through your actions of obedience and worship of me. And if you choose to glorify me and extol the virtues of my holiness to the world, you’re going to have to do it my way. For if you don’t choose to do it my way, then I’m still going to get the glory and my holiness will be demonstrated and manifested through my chastising of you. You see, it’s going to be done my way; or it’s going to be done my way. Either way, I’m going to be glorified and deemed holy to all the world.”

 Humility-Pride-Remembering-God’s Grace and God’s Faithfulness—Parashah 133

by | May 22, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Our Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 9:1-29—Humility-Pride-Remembering-God’s Grace and Faithfulness—Parashah 133

 

Father’s Faithfulness Stands Despite Our Debased Nature

 

How are we to understand Father’s faithfulness towards us despite our incessant propensity to give into our debased nature and characteristics such as selfishness, arrogance, stubbornness?

 

What I believe we see illustrated in these 29 verses, along with the Haftorah and Apostolic readings for this week is a portrait of many of us today. That portrait reveals to us that despite our debased nature and character, even our breaking covenant with Him, Abba remains faithful to His covenant promises.

 

Our Past Often Gets in the Way of Our Walk With Messiah

 

Each of us received the call to enter covenant [relationship] with the Creator of the Universe. Unfortunately, a significant number of us enter this covenant relationship with a great amount of spiritual, emotional and psychological baggage. And unless that baggage is effectively dealt with, it has the potential of creating stumbling blocks in our walk with Messiah.

 

We Often Create Challenges for Father

 

Despite our ready acceptance of the terms of that covenant relationship we enter, few of us are willing to do what it takes to make the changes in our lives that are necessary to facilitate an upright walk.

 

Thus, so much like our ancient Hebrew cousins, we unwittingly create challenges for Father. In many cases we possess and exercise the same debased characteristics as our ancient (for that matter modern) Hebrew cousins: stubbornness and our propensity towards spiritual apostasy or adultery. Yet, again, like our ancient Hebrew cousins, Abba remains Faithful towards us.

 

Many of Us Suffer Hardships Because of our Debased Character

 

To me, there’s little wonder why so many of us in our Faith Community perpetually suffer hardships and less than the promised abundant life that our Master promised. And I believe the reason for the hardships and the absence of the abundant life is because we, in many cases, have failed to learn the lessons Yah placed in Torah for our spiritual benefits.

We Have An Advantage Over our Hebrew Cousins

 

In a great many ways, we have it made (spiritually and even physically speaking) over our ancient Hebrew cousins as it relates to our covenant relationship and walk with YHVH. For our ancient Hebrew cousins had to live on the fly and learn from the school of hard knocks. What I mean by that is that they often suffered severely, in many cases right on the spot, because of their stubbornness and spiritual adultery. These did not have written, historical examples to refer to and learn from to get their spiritual and physical lives in proper covenant order, so to speak.

 

And sadly, most never learned from their mistakes, especially those of the generation that came out of Mitsrayim (aka Egypt). That entire generation ended up dying in the Sinai Wilderness, save two—Caleb and Y’shua—because of their stubbornness and idolatrous ways.

 

We are most blessed to have their story written out for us in Torah. Thus, we have the benefit of heeding and learning from their varied and many mistakes. Unfortunately, most folks aren’t interested in getting rid of their baggage; with coming to terms their debased character; in working through and overcoming their stubborn steak and resisting the urge to go a-whoring after false gods and such.

 

Moshe’s Warnings Often Went Unheeded by the People

 

Despite Moshe’s best efforts to warn us not to do this and that but do this other thing instead; or simply to teach us Yah’s ways, we resisted Moshe’s warnings and teachings. And to add insult to injury, we even dabbled in paganality whenever the opportunities presented themselves. It’s not that we didn’t know the consequences for our stubbornness and spiritual adultery. We knew the penalty was always going to be, in one form or another, death and separation from YHVH our Elohim. But we simply could not escape our debased nature and character.

 

Yet, despite our contrary, wayward, and adulterous manner; and despite our breaking Father’s heart and frustrating Him on so many turns—breaking the terms of the covenant over and over again (cf. Exodus 19-24), Yah remained faithful to us. He fed us; kept us; led us; protected us; provided for us.

 

The Hebrews Lived on the Fly and Had to Learn From the School of Hard Knocks

 

Learning on the fly and from the school of hard knocks is never an easy path for one to take in life. There are numerous pitfalls along one’s way. And when one falls, it’s usually pretty painful and frustrating.

 

For the first generation coming out of Mitsrayim, their walking in covenant with YHVH was like a baby learning how to walk.

 

A baby’s struggles with learning how to walk are made easier if they have a loving and caring parent who is always there by their side, encouraging and correcting them as needed throughout their journey. If the child has come to fully trust—to fully believe in their parent, their challenges in learning to walk (even learning to talk; potty training, riding a bicycle; etc.) are made easier, especially if they heed their parents’ teachings.

 

Babylon Reign in the Hebrews’ Members

 

Similarly, YHVH was always there with the first generation, guiding them each step along the way. But they sadly never learned to walk. They never made it easy on themselves. For they never learned from their mistakes. Their falls and failures were made all the more frustrating for both Father and themselves because they did not believe YHVH. They refused to believe Him for a handful of reasons, the most glaring being the baggage they brought with them from Mitsrayim (Egypt). They could not shake Babylon from their systems. Their hearts remained in Egypt. They craved that which Egypt offered them in abundance—the food; the demigods; even their way of life to some degree.

 

Yah’s Way or Yah’s Way

 

But in the new life—the covenant life they agreed to walk in (Exodus 19) with YHVH as their Elohim—the things that Babylon formerly provided them were no longer theirs to possess. Yah set the rules; Yah would be their provider; Yah’s Way of life would be their way of life.

 

But true to human form, the first-generation Hebrews wanted what we wanted. They wanted to do things their way; they preferred Babylon’s Way of life over the Life of Freedom that YHVH was offering them. And so, there was this constant warring between YHVH the nation: Yah says to them, you’re going to do things My way, while the nation insisted on doing things their way. But we know how the story goes: They were either going to do things Yah’s Way or they were going to do things Yah’s Way.

 

The Self-Fulfilling Prophesy

 

Thus, that generation’s baggage—their stubbornness and love of Babylon—stood in the way of them learning from their mistakes, their missteps, and their falls throughout much of their wilderness sojourn. They even developed a twisted impression of what Yah was aiming to do with us, believing that He somehow had it in for them; that He was toying with them and that He had plans to harm them in the end (Num. 20:4; 21:5).

 

But Abba made it clear that He only had plans for their good; plans for their success; plans to prosper and bless them—certainly not to harm them whatsoever (Jer. 29:11).

 

And because they bought so heavily into the enemy’s lie—the lie that YHVH had brought them into the wilderness to destroy them—well Abba allowed for their delusion to become a self-fulfilling prophesy (Num. 26:65).

 

So, they ended up killing themselves; they summarily deprived themselves of the abundant blessings and favored status that were promised to them if they were to simply keep their end of the covenant bargain and allow Yah to work in their lives in accordance with His Plans and Will for them (Exo. 19:5).

 

 

A New Generation of Spiritually Conscious Hebrews Emerges

 

Despite the first generation failing to meet the qualifications for entering the Land of Promise, Yah remained true to the promises He made to the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitschaq and Ya’achov. The second generation came to truly fear YHVH. These no longer had Babylon embedded within them as their parents did.

 

Finally, Yah had a people He could work with.

 

That Fine Line

 

However, Abba realized that this generation would be walking a fine line between succeeding and failing in their covenant walk. And the greatest threat to their succeeding was, ironically, their obedient-covenant walk in the Ways of YHVH.

 

How so?

 

Pride Goes Before Destruction

 

Laying in the wake of most successful human endeavors is “pride.”

 

What was it that the writer of Proverbs wrote regarding this:

 

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Pro 16:18 NET)

 

Father recognized the spiritual dangers facing this second generation. These succeeded where their parents utterly failed. And in order that there not be a repeat of the first generation’s horrendous missteps, Abba, through Moshe, required them to remain humble and to resist the tendency to become prideful in their becoming a blessed and favored nation before YHVH, especially once they succeeded in conquering the inhabitants of the Land of Promise. For they were about to embark on an amazing adventure that involved the take-down, not just of established, military-experienced nations, but also nations of giants (Read Deu. 9:1-4).

 

Moshe Warns the New Generation to Resist Pride

 

The point behind Moshe warning this new generation of the potential of becoming prideful in their impending YHVH-given successes, was not to take away any joy or exuberance that would come because of their conquering the nations of Canaan through YHVH’s strong and mighty arm. The point was to place all of those successes into proper perspective in their hearts and minds.

 

Putting It All into Proper Perspective

 

It was indeed a given that Yah would fight on behalf of His people and deliver on His promises. This promise is recorded in at least 4-places in Deuteronomy (1:30, 42; 3:22; 20:4). Thus, the conquest of the Land would come about solely by the strong arm of the Almighty. The conquest would not be of the nation’s personal doing.

 

The other thing that Moshe could not overlook in his warning to the people was that the nation did NOT deserve to be put into any favored status with YHVH, despite that fact that YHVH was going to do the fighting for them; and despite their succeeding in walking in covenant with the Eternal where their parents failed.

 

The Role Grace and Mercy Plays in the Elects’ Successes

 

The perspective they needed to possess, and embrace was that every good thing that has and would come to this generation, came about because of YHVH’s grace and mercy.

 

Like salvation, Yah’s elect can never earn Yah’s blessings and mercies. These will always come about because of Yah’s unmerited favor—His grace.

 

Of course, one may naturally reason within his/herself the point behind walking in obedient covenant with YHVH if in fact all blessings and salvation comes about because of Yah’s grace and faithfulness. Isn’t this essentially the mindset of Evangelical Christianity and their grace-perversion mindset? Indeed it is.

 

Well, walking in obedient covenant relationship with YHVH is essential to the would-be child of the Most High because there are rewards and incentives to be had when one lives in accordance with Yah’s Ways (Deu. 28—the blessings versus the curses); Yah sets the rules and has told us to walk in His Ways and not walk in the ways of Babylon; and walking in his Ways is simply the right thing to do. When Yah’s people reject or neglect to walk in Yah’s Ways, but instead choose to walk in ways that seem good to them, they end up reaping what they’ve sown, it’s just that simple (Gal. 6:7).

 

The Natural Tendency

 

Nevertheless, when Yah’s elect reap the blessings of walking in obedient covenant with YHVH, the natural tendency of some is to become haughty, judgmental, self-absorbed and such. Recall, we discussed this very thing in our Question of One’s Jewishness Series, “You Are a Jew” installment to be specific. In that post, we examined the characteristics of Shaul’s rhetorical, religious Jew who took great pride in his Jewishness—his heritage, culture, biology, his possession and knowledge of Torah and such. These believed they had it made with YHVH because of their Jewishness, all the while their hearts remained in an uncircumcised state. These were contrary and hypocritical in their ways. The non-Jewish nations naturally recognized their hypocritical ways and blasphemed the Name-the sovereignty-the Person-the character-the holiness and righteousness of YHVH their Elohim.

 

The Scourge of Religiosity

 

What we’re talking about here beloved is religiosity. Religiosity as I see it is that an individual’s focus and sense of fulfillment and purpose is based on his/her own religious endeavors, efforts, perspectives and such. It tends to be self-focused (hey, look at me—see what my pious ways have resulted in—I’m favored of God because I did blah, blah, blah). Religiosity is never Yah-focused; it is not covenant relationship focused. So then, one’s boasting is not based on the fact that he/she knows Yah and that he/she has a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe. Instead, their boasting is based on themselves and what they perceived they’ve done to earn Yah’s grace; on their accumulation of knowledge; what they’ve achieved for their Faith Community and such.

 

The Insidious Nature of Pride

 

What we’re talking about on more precise grounds here is “pride.” Pride. And it’s no secret that we have a great many folks in our Hebrew Roots/Messianic Faith Community today that sadly fall in the realm of religiosity and or pride.

 

Folks, religiosity or pride for that matter, is dangerous and can, if steps aren’t taken to prevent it in one’s covenant walk, lead to blasphemy of Yah’s Name and then on to physical and spiritual destruction. I guess one could label pride as the gateway spiritual drug, if you will, that leads to a great fall and destruction (Pro. 16:18).

 

Moshe sought to prevent such a scourge among this new generation. And so, we find here in our reading, that he sets out to put the people in their place. Thus, Moshe calls them out for who and what they truly were: a “stiffnecked people”—that is, a rebellious people (vs. 6). And he then proceeds to speak history to them: their parents’ history. And Moshe reminds them that they “infuriated YHVH their Elohim in the wilderness from the very day they came out of the land of Mitsrayim until they came to this place” (vs. 7).

 

Moshe Recites the Nation’s History

 

And so from verses 8 through 29, we see Moshe reciting the nation’s adulterous and rebellious history to the 2nd generation Hebrews who were about to go in and take possession of the Land of Promise. And throughout this whole rehearsing of the nation’s wilderness history, Moshe admonishes his people to “remember.” Remember (Read).

 

Moshe knew, through Yah’s Spirit (I.e., Ruach)—Yah’s wisdom, that the nation was at a somewhat precarious place in their history: They were walking in Yah’s favor and in covenant relationship with the Almighty. Furthermore, they were about to do something so amazing, through Yah’s mighty outstretched arm, that it would boggle the minds, hearts and imaginations of historians for centuries to come. The small nation of Yisra’el, comparatively speaking that is, was about to take on the powerhouse nations that were inhabiting Canaan at that time. Part of those inhabitants were the sons or offspring of the Anakyim and Rephayim—giants, whose biological line can be traced back to the union of the watchers-the sons of Yah—and human women (Genesis 6). These were marked or devoted for destruction (Deuteronomy 7). There was to be no mercy shown to them—because of who they were and what they were known to do—their wickedness and worship practices.

 

Because of their biology-being giants—they would be formidable military opponents, and nothing short of the miraculous would result in their defeat. Consequently, because we’re talking about YHVH defeating these creatures on His people’s behalf, Moshe framed the giants’ defeat as an already done deal.

 

So, Moshe tells the 2nd generation Hebrews preparing to conquer the Land: YHVH’s got you (He’s got your back, your side, your front). Just be warned: don’t get big-headed; haughty; arrogant; full of yourselves because these unbelievable things are about to happen to you. For none of it is happening because you earned it. All that is about to happen in the miraculous, is happening on your behalf because of Yah’s boundless grace. And oh, by the way, you did nothing whatsoever to earn Yah’s favor in their lives. In fact, all that was about to happen in their sight was about YHVH: His holiness, righteousness and Will would be behind the judgment and justice that would be brought down upon the Canaanites. Furthermore, Yah was intent on remaining faithfulness to the promises He made to Avraham, Yitchaq and Ya’achov.

 

Remember from Whence You’ve Come

 

And it is here that Moshe admonishes the people to remember from whence they’ve come. And in that remembering, to remain humble. In fact, these were to humble themselves before YHVH by remembering who and what they were and all that has and will occur on their behalf. For the bottom line of it all was: It’s all about YHVH: not about them.

 

A Clarion Call to Us—Yah’s Elect

 

Moshe’s admonishment to the 2nd Generation Hebrews is a clarion call to us today. For he is warning us to resist the urge to become prideful or haughty because of any perceived favored status that may come to our minds and hearts. For at the end of the day, we are no better than any other human on the planet. Yah is no respecter of person (Act. 10:34; Rom. 2:11). We are His workmanship, chosen to perform good works in Mashiyach (Eph. 2:10). Yah chose us in accordance with His perfect will and purpose. Thus, we are called to humble ourselves before Yah:

 

The Apostle Peter wrote:

 

“…you juniors submit yourselves (humble yourselves) to your seniors; and clothe yourselves, stringently, with lowliness of mind one towards another; because Elohim resists them who exalt themselves, and gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the powerful hand of Elohim: and He will exalt you in due time. And cast all your anxiety upon Elohim; for He cares for you. Be sober and guarded because hasatan, like a lion, roars and goes about and seeks whom he may devour. Therefore, resist him, being steadfast in the Faith: and know that the same sufferings befall your brothers that are in the world” (I Pet. 5:5-9; AENT).

 

Similarly, the biological brother of our Master Y’shua wrote:

 

“Our Master (Y’shua) has given us more grace. Therefore He said: Master YHVH brings low the arrogant and gives grace to the humble. Subject yourselves therefore to Elohim; and stand firm against the accuser and he will flee from you. Draw near to Elohim and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners: sanctify your hearts, you who are divided in mind (I.e., indecisive ones). Humble yourselves and mourn: let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into grief. Humble yourselves before Master YHVH and He will exalt you (Jam. 4:6-10; AENT).

 

How Do We Humble Ourselves Before YHVH?

 

So, there are a couple ways we go about humbling ourselves. One of the first things we need to do is to “die to self.” In other words, we give ourselves over to the Will of YHVH. We dump—we discard the baggage we brought over into Faith with us from Babylon and we take on the nature of the new man/woman (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Rev. 18:4).

 

As it relates to dying to self, Shaul wrote to the Galatian Messianics:

 

“For by Torah I am dead, that I might live to Elohim. And I am executed on a stake with Mashiyach, so it is not I that live but Mashiiyach lives in me; and the life I live now in the flesh in faith of the Son of Elohim who loves me and give His life/soul for me. And I do not frustrate the grace of Elohim, for if righteousness came by Torah, then Mashiyach died for nothing” (Gal. 2:19-21; AENT).

 

We do not achieve righteousness nor Yah’s favor—His Salvation and grace-through walking in Torah. Torah and our Master Yeshua Messiah shows us what righteousness looks like. YHVH’s grace—He being our Righteousness—through the work of Yeshua Messiah and the Ruach HaKodesh, makes us righteous before a holy Elohim. When we choose to walk in Torah and in covenant relationship with YHVH our Elohim, as Yah’s Word is embedded in our hearts and minds, we receive Yah’s purifying and salvific grace and we then walk in Yah’s righteousness.

 

But we must first and foremost, deny ourselves—that is die to self, pick-up our respective execution stakes and follow Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach (Mat. 16:24).

 

Pray without ceasing that Yah remove the stony heart and nature that resides in us—left overs from Babylon. Focus on Him and His Ways. Believe Yah. Trust Yah. If we draw near to Him, He will surely draw near to us.

 

The other things we need to do to avoid falling into the trap of becoming jaded and proud, which inevitably leads to falls and destruction, is to remember; to learn from the example of those who came before us, such as in the story of the Hebrews in the wilderness. Learn from their example. Do not repeat or imitate the mistakes they made. With our circumcised hearts, fear YHVH and walk exclusively, solely in His Ways, knowing that everything comes from Him and Him alone.

 

It doesn’t hurt to also remember from whence we came: examine our past; who we were before we came to Faith; the successes and the failures; identifying our weaknesses and our strengths. Assess the integrity of our present spiritual mettle. And based upon that assessment, walk out our Faith accordingly:

 

“Therefore my beloved, as you have at all times obeyed, not only when I was near to you but now when I am far from you, push through the work of your life more abundantly, with fear and with trembling. For our Elohim is operating in you, both to purpose and also to perform that which you desire” (Phi. 2:12-13; AENT).

 

In other words, we must take nothing for granted whatsoever in our Faith Walk. It falls upon us to recognize from “whence cometh our help” (Psm. 121:1). For we have a great work ahead of us as we continue on in these perilous and end times. We have our fair share of giants to slay by the mighty Arm of YHVH our Elohim. For we can be confident that the battle is already won. But we cannot become prideful or haughty in our own accord. All of our successes come from and through YHVH Elohim.

Irresistible Holiness-Torah Portion-26-Eighth-Shi’mini–TMTO-23

by | Mar 29, 2019 | ,

What Father is essentially saying here to us through this shadow picture—this lesson—this Torah Portion—is, “Look, I’m going to get the glory and my holiness is going to be proclaimed and demonstrated to all the world. Now this can be done by and through your actions of obedience and worship of me. And if you choose to glorify me and extol the virtues of my holiness to the world, you’re going to have to do it my way. For if you don’t choose to do it my way, then I’m still going to get the glory and my holiness will be demonstrated and manifested through my chastising of you. You see, it’s going to be done my way; or it’s going to be done my way. Either way, I’m going to be glorified and deemed holy to all the world.”

Who and What is Yeshua Messiah-My Personal Perspective on the Person of Yeshua Messiah

by | May 16, 2021 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Recently, a dear sister discovered this ministry through our website, www.themessianictorahobserver.org. She reached out to me via a couple email messages. And she posed the question: Who or what I believe Yeshua Messiah to be?

 

And she prefaced her question by informing me, along with some other information that I’ll not mention, that she had perused our website, but could not find the answer to her question.

 

I knew immediately what she was asking me. And I realized right then and there that this was a topic or issue I needed to re-address, sooner than later.

 

Now, I actually published two posts that addressed this issue: The first one on 12/3/2016, and that one was entitled simply the Divinity of Yeshua Messiah, Part 1. I apparently did not post a 2nd or concluding part to this post. However, I did another post entitled, “My Last Word on the Cepher Bible and the Divinity of Yeshua Messiah-Till Next Time,” which I posted on 1/4/2019. (If you are so led, I would invite you to check out either or both of those posts.)

 

Obviously, I did not do justice to this topic and that’s probably not acceptable. At least not acceptable to me.

 

My understanding of who and what Yeshua Messiah is, in the grand spiritual scheme of things means nothing. But to you, my listeners and readers, it is important that you understand and know where I presently stand on this topic. It’s important to you because it will give you a reference point and help you understand, in some ways, how and why and from what perspective I frame certain Yeshua-related topics and issues.

 

Now, I will say at this juncture, that my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah does not jive with the understanding that some brethren in our Faith Community have.

 

I would describe my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah as “scripturally pragmatic.” In other words, my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah is based exclusively on the identification He either gave or affirmed of Himself to us, as well as the Creator’s identification of who Yeshua was and is. To me, this is the only criteria I need to establish my understanding of who and what Yeshua Messiah was and is.

 

When I was in Denominational Christianity, I based my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah on the teachings and traditions of the handful of denominations I was a part of. And generally speaking, that understanding was trinitarian based. However, prior to my coming into this beloved Faith of ours, I began having serious doubts about the biblical accuracy of the Trinitarian Concept and my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ at the time) became uncertain.

 

Upon my coming into the fringe area of our Faith Community that houses the splinter groups of Herbert W. Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God—namely United Church of God and the Church of God, International—my understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah shifted.

 

It was in these groups that I came to partially accept the so-called Binarian or Binary Nature of God—God the Father and God the Son, although I still struggled with assigning Yeshua the title “God.”

 

 

But it wasn’t until I transitioned out of the Churches of God and began receiving substantive, meat level teachings from some of our Communities most prominent teachers that my understanding of the Person of Yeshua finally moderated. And allow me to just say: My understanding of the Person of Yeshua Messiah didn’t moderate because of the doctrine or teaching of these Messianic/Hebrew Roots teachers. My understanding shifted because I had finally become free from the influence and indoctrination of organized religion for the first time in my life.

 

The other thing I will admit to you is that I am still a student of this critical subject of our Faith. I don’t pretend one bit to think that I know all there is to know about the subject. For the truth of the matter is, I only know what I know.

 

Thus, I don’t feel that I am in any place to criticize brothers or sisters of our Faith as it relates to their understanding of the Person of Messiah, just as long as we can agree on the basic Truths of who He was and is:

 

  • He was born of a virgin through the agency of the Holy Spirit (Mat. 1:20; Luk. 1:35).
  • He is the Son of the Living Elohim (Mat. 16:16; Joh. 6:69).
  • He bled suffered and died for our sins and His Heavenly Father raised Him from the dead on the 3rd day.
  • He has been exalted above all creation where He sits at the right-hand of the Creator and intercedes on our behalf before YHVH (Act. 2:33; 5:31; Phi. 2:9; Heb. 7:25; 9:24).
  • And He was without sin (Heb. 4:15; 9:28).

 

By the way, I did respond to the dear sister’s inquiry. And it is my response to her inquiry that I will frame my discussion here today.

 

I’d like to begin the discussion first and foremost by stating my understanding of the prevailing theories as it relates to the identity of Yeshua. Some of these “theories” are based upon the various rulings by the early Catholic Church (aka the Church Triumphant) through the leadership and influences of the so-called [Patristic] Church fathers.

 

The Trinity=There appears to be at least 2 primary lines of thought regarding Yeshua’s relationship to a Trinity.

 

The first is a Godhead that consists of 3 co-existing Entities or Persons. These Entities or Persons make up this Godhead and they include, of course: The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost. Each Person in this Godhead is equal in every respect, but they are said to execute different functions in the work of redemption, salvation and restoration.

 

The Trinity is not in any true sense biblical, although those who hold to this understanding of God and Jesus contend that scripture heavily points to the Trinity as the only viable understanding of the Persons of Yeshua and YHVH.

 

Another aspect of The Trinity has the Godhead consisting of One God or Entity. This one God or Entity, however, functions in 3-differing capacities. Those 3-differing capacities are often described separately by employing the title “God” and a definite article such as: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Contrary to the previous iteration of the Trinity where there were 3-separate, but equal Persons or Entities, this form of the trinity has just One Person or Entity who serves 3-roles, depending on which role is at play at any given time in creation history. The visual example that was given to me that best describes how this manifestation of the trinity can be understood involves “water.” We know that water can take on a solid form which we know to be ice; a liquid form which we know to be water; and a gaseous form which we know to be steam. I guess one could say that this iteration of the Trinity is a form of “monotheism,” whereby there is one supreme Being. But this supreme Being functions in varying capacities or roles. 

 

Next we have what can only be labeled as a Binary understanding of Yeshua. The binary theory holds that the Godhead consists of 2 co-existing persons: God the Father or Creator and His Son, the Messiah. These are equal Persons in a 2-Person Godhead, although the Son is said to have willfully subordinated His authority and power to the Father or the Creator. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is simply the Spirit of God, which is not a Person or Entity of that Godhead. In this theory, Yeshua has always existed and worked with and for the Creator or Father.

 

There seems to be another form of Binarianism, which borders greatly on monotheism. It borders on monotheism because this theory holds that there is just a single God who functions as either the Creator (or Father) or as the Son (or Savior). Sort of like that second form of Trinitarianism. In this form of binarianism, Yeshua is both Messiah and the Creator: or better, Yeshua and Yehovah are one in the same Person. In certain Evangelical circles, this theory was or is known as “Jesus Only.”

 

Lastly there’s Monotheism, which holds that YHVH is the only God or Elohim. Yeshua, on the other hand, is His Son who Yah has exalted to His right hand and given Him His Name (Adoptionism). The thing about Monotheism is that it can be manipulated to include both the trinitarian and binarian theories. And it is capable of housing both theories because the various proponents of these theories hold that there is indeed just One God. However, they will proffer, the One God is manifested in three or two Persons. One version takes the liberty of stating that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost all consist of the same divine substance—cut from the same divine cloth. And so forth.

 

Who and What I Believe Yeshua Not to Be

 

So, having now dispensed of that denominational noise, let me get to the crux of the discussion for today. And I’ll start by discussing who and what I believe Yeshua NOT to be.

 

I believe wholeheartedly that Yahoshua is NOT the Creator of the Universe. He is not YHVH, although YHVH His Father gave Yahoshua His Name. And yes, I get the whole John 1:1 and other similar passages that seem to suggest that our Master was the Creator of the Universe; that He, being the Word from the very beginning; that He was with God; and that He was God, and that He created all things. But my position on such passages is that what many believe these passages are saying regarding Yeshua being the Creator of all things, is not what the original authors meant when they penned their witnesses.

 

I believe to place Yeshua on equal par—equal footing–with YHVH, when neither He nor YHVH attested to such a thing–would run contrary to YHVH’s Torah, in particular Deuteronomy 6:4, 5. (Reference my recent blog post on Parashah 130 where we discussed in some detail the Shema.) 

 

I contend that passages such as John 1:1 that English translators have worded in such a way that supports a multi-Person, co-reigning and co-equal powered Godhead are not what they are perceived by many to reveal about our Master and His relationship with the Eternal. For I truly believe what we have here in these passages are most likely linguistic-challenges (such as phraseology and word order and such) that are often seized upon by savvy teachers and so-called apologists who use these difficult verses to promote their doctrinal agendas such as the Trinity.

 

The nature of our modern English language often runs afoul with the unfamiliar, unique nature of the Hebrew and the Koine Greek. And it is this disparate nature between the languages that often leave room for interpreters to re-imagine for the reader what the original writer was actually trying to convey.

 

Things such as word order, punctuation placement, and archaic turn of phrases, often present challenges and impediments to a true and accurate understanding of scripture. And certainly the best way to overcome these uncertain challenges is to allow the whole of scripture to interpret itself and not read into those challenging passages the things we want them to say.

 

Abba said that He is the only true and living God and that there is no other. And so, why is it that these aforementioned savvy teachers and apologists feel they must work around definitive scriptural passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 (I.e., the Shema) and the very words our Master used to identify and describe Himself as the Messiah, Son of the (One) Living Elohim, in order to make the man Yeshua Messiah Someone and Something He obviously is and was not?

 

Even Shaul reminded his mentee Timothy:

 

For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, (1Ti 2:5 ASV)

I have to say that a safe haven for the true student of scripture when it comes to such challenging scriptural topics and issues as the one we’re discussing here today is for him/her to ask him/herself if any of Yeshua’s disciples understood Yeshua to be YHVH or another God in a Godhead? Probably not.

 

And another thing I mention here as well is that I reject this whole idea of progressive revelation card that many well meaning folks have given as their excuse for reading into scripture a Greek or Roman god identity for Yeshua Messiah.

 

Now, Abba willing, sometime in the future I’ll share my understanding of John 1 with you. But for now, in order that we stay on topic and not go down too many rabbit-holes, I’ll simply say, regarding John 1:1, that I do not believe Yochanan is making the definitive statement that Yahoshua and YHVH are one and the same Person. I, in fact, believe quite the opposite: That Yochanan is actually expressing a view that Yeshua and YHVH are NOT one and the same Person or that Yeshua is the Creator of the Universe.

 

Furthermore, I do NOT believe that our Master was the “Angel of the LORD” as mentioned and described throughout Scripture. For nowhere in scripture are we told that Yeshua started out as an angel or messenger. Those who believe Yeshua was the Angel of the LORD are essentially nullifying or dismissing the Trinitarians’ and Binarians’ position that Yeshua co-existed alongside or with YHVH before time began–that He is without beginning nor without end. There are at least two reasons I would argue: (1) Because angels are created beings. And (2), the Angel of the Lord appears in the Brit-Hadashah on a couple occasions contemporaneously with Yahoshua here on earth. The whole Angel of the Lord being Yeshua Messiah just doesn’t work.

 

Along the lines of an angelic origin for our Master, Yeshua is NOT the brother or of any relation to Lucifer. There is No scriptural backing for such blasphemous thinking. This I believe is a doctrine of Mormonism exclusively.

 

And contrary to the thinking of some in modern academia, Yeshua is not the product of a union between Miriam (His mother Mary) and some unnamed Roman soldier. Nor did Yeshua marry Mary Magdalene and produce a line of children as suggested in the popular Dan Brown novels surrounding the DaVinci Code.

 

There are other points as to Who Yeshua is not that I could go into, but I’ll simply leave it at what we’ve just discussed.

 

Where I Stand on the Question of Who or What is Yeshua

 

Moving on: At the further risk of alienating some, I will state emphatically that I am a staunch “Monotheist.” By that I specifically mean the following:

 

I subscribe to the understanding that the so-called “Shema” of Deuteronomy 6:4,5—Hear O’ Yisra’el, YHVH your Elohim is One”—means what it seems to be clearly saying: There is no other God but YHVH. Period. This does not leave any room, in my mind that is, for Yeshua being God—that is, equal to YHVH; co-existing from eternity with YHVH and such. For me, my understanding and position on YHVH as the One True and Living Elohim leaves no room for Yeshua being one and the same Person as YHVH. It leaves no room for three-co-existing, co-equal members of a so-called Godhead. 

So where does that leave Yeshua for me?

Well, my understanding of the Person of Yeshua is built solely upon scripture’s direct description or identification of Who He is. I find the opinions of the Patristic Church Fathers and the various Christian denominations on this subject interesting. But that’s pretty much where I end my affiliations and references to them on this subject.

Yeshua Is Messiah (the Christ)

 

I’ll start off with: Yeshua Himself affirmed and even declared to us that He is the Messiah (aka the Mashiyach; Mat. 16:16-20; Mar. 8:29; Luk. 9:20; 22:64; Joh. 4:42; 10:24-26; 11:25-27).

 

Mashiyach/HaMashiyach or Messiah simply means “the anointed One.” The reference to one being “anointed” simply means that individual has received a special calling or appointment from YHVH. King David was described as an anointed one (Psm. 28:8).

 

No, I do get that Yeshua being the Mashiyach or Messiah carries with it a much higher calling or appointment from Yah than any other human being who has ever lived. His calling or appointment was established from the very beginning of time. (Now, we could get into a detailed study on the concept and term of Mashiyach and anointed, but for the sake of not getting off topic, we will visit that subject at another time.)

 

Yeshua is the Son of the Living God

 

Secondly, scripture affirms that Yahoshua is the Son of the Living God (Mat. 16:16; Joh. 6:69). 

Yehovah certified our Master Yeshua to be His beloved Son, of whom He was well pleased (Mat. 3:17; 17:5; Mar. 1:11; 9:7; Luk. 3:22; 9:35).

 

Son of Man—Lord—I Am Descriptors Can Be Misleading

 

I won’t comment here on the miscellaneous titles and descriptors that were used either by Yahoshua or others to describe or identify Him such as “Son of Man,” “Lord” or “kurios,” and the utterance “I Am.” These elements require a ton more unpacking than I wish to devote here in this discussion. But suffice to say, from my perspective, the lack of clear, truthful/transparent understanding of the context and language in which these elements were used, has led to a great many folks of Faith falling for the various denominationally derived explanations or descriptions of our Master. 

 

Yeshua is the Last Adam

 

Along the lines of Yahoshua being referred to as a Son of Man, the Apostle Paul described Yeshua as the 2nd or “Last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45). And it is this perspective of Yeshua being the Last Adam that we find the Apostle in a handful of his writings describing Yeshua in relation to Adam (the first human) (Rom. 5:14; I Cor. 15:22, 45). And this plays heavily in my understanding of Who and What Yeshua is. For in Shaul’s handful of Adam references in relation to Yeshua, we get this beautiful understanding that Yeshua is the start of a whole new line of humans who have been adopted as children of the Most High. And if Yeshua is YHVH or God (let’s say), there is a major disconnect in this whole stream of understanding of YHVH bringing His human creation into a true and substantive covenant relationship with Him: Not by Him physically putting on flesh and coming down to earth and dying for human-kind’s sins, but through a special human being who would pick-up where Adam utterly failed.

 

The Exalted One at the Right Hand of the Most High

 

Other writings describe Yahoshua as the most unique, special man to have every lived. Special because He was without sin (I.e., sinless) and because of His miraculous birth (He had His mother’s human DNA and His Father’s divine DNA—let’s say). So yes, in a sense, our Master was of divine origin since half of His DNA make-up came from the Creator of the Universe. But let us not forget that the first Adam was also of divine origin as well, having received his life force directly from the breath of YHVH.

 

But getting back to the uniqueness of Master Yeshua, it was his unwavering obedience to His Father’s Will, even unto His death, that Yeshua—the anointed one–was exalted to Yah’s right hand where He also serves as our intercessor and mediator in the heavenly Temple (Psa. 110; Rom. 5:15; Act. 2:33; 5:31; I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).

 

Personal Beliefs About the Person of Yeshua Beyond Scripture

 

Outside of scripture, what do I personally believe about Yeshua?

 

Well, I don’t believe He is a member of a so-called Trinity nor Binary Godhead as denominational Christianity teaches. I believe, however, that Yeshua was in the heart, mind and purpose of our Father, Yehovah, from the creation of time (Joh. 1:1). How that actually manifested—whether He existed in some form beyond Father’s thoughts and heart and purpose or plan, scripture does not say. But I do believe He is a created Being, albeit the most unique created being of all creation.

I do not believe that Yeshua and Yehovah are one and the same Being. For YHVH our Elohim (God) is eternal and He cannot die. Our Master died for our sins and it took His Heavenly Father to raise Him from the grave.

Riddle Me This Batman

During His Personal ministry, our Master was adamant that He received His marching orders directly from His Father. Furthermore, He prayed to His Father and clearly stated that He did not know when He would return and establish His millennial kingdom, as that information belonged exclusively to the Father.

So riddle me this batman: If indeed Yeshua and YHVH are somehow one and the same Person in some unified Godhead, was He receiving His marching orders from Himself? Was Master praying to Himself? And if He was the Creator of the Universe, why did He not know the details of His own Plan of Salvation, Restoration and Redemption?

Furthermore, our Elohim cannot be tempted nor does He tempt any human being as recorded in James 1:13. But we know that our Master was tempted in every way by the Enemy. But praise be to Yah the Eternal Yahoshua overcame those temptations and proved worthy of His calling as the Prophet (Deu. 18:15-18), the Mashiyach (Heb. 4:15) and the Lamb that took away the sins of the world (Joh. 1:29, 36).

By virtue of Yeshua—a special, unique human being–being sinless, He was indeed worthy to atone for our sins—to serve as propitiation for sinful human beings; to stand in our stead and take on our sins so that we, members of His human creation, may be restored to a right relationship with our awesome Creator. Praise Yah! Halleluyah!

I see this as the greatest news to have ever come to the hearing of Yah’s human creation. In every sense, it is the Gospel. For if our Master was indeed a human being which I wholly believe Him to be—albeit the most unique human being to ever grace this planet for the above stated reasons—we have the divine opportunity to be like Him—to walk as He did—to resist sin as He did (for we have Father’s Holy Spirit as Yeshua did)—to do great works, even greater than He did declared our Master (Joh. 14:12)—we are even authorized through His mighty, powerful and holy Name to do that which He instructs us to do.

If, on the other hand Yahoshua and YHVH were one and the same Person, we are asked, as Yah’s elect, to fill a very tall-order: to do greater works than that of the Creator of the Universe. Just saying. But if Yeshua was indeed human, we have a very real and workable example in Him: to conform to His image, which is the image that Father has always wanted us to conform to.

Aside from His sinlessness and unwavering righteousness, I believe Yeshua had His Father’s eyes (to borrow from a popular Christian song of I believe the 70’s). While being fully human, He possessed His Daddy’s Ways; His mind, heart and the love He possessed for His human creation. We know from the Gospel record that He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luk. 4:1). Furthermore, He was the human manifestation or expressed manifestation of His Father’s divine character (Joh. 14:9) as well as He was the Perfect human that Yah requires us all who would be His child to be like (Rom . 8:29).

I, of course, could go on and on. Nevertheless, I recognize that my position on the Person of Yeshua Messiah runs contrary to many peoples’ thinking. And I’m okay with that. And I’ll also add that I’m still searching, like many of you, as to the most complete understanding of the Person of Yeshua that our Heavenly Father would entrust me with. I do believe that to a great extent, much about Who and What He was and is today remains a mystery that will be revealed to us when He comes and establishes His millennial kingdom. But for now, I am resting on this stated understanding until such time Father reveals differently.

Irresistible Holiness-Torah Portion-26-Eighth-Shi’mini–TMTO-23

by | Mar 29, 2019 | ,

What Father is essentially saying here to us through this shadow picture—this lesson—this Torah Portion—is, “Look, I’m going to get the glory and my holiness is going to be proclaimed and demonstrated to all the world. Now this can be done by and through your actions of obedience and worship of me. And if you choose to glorify me and extol the virtues of my holiness to the world, you’re going to have to do it my way. For if you don’t choose to do it my way, then I’m still going to get the glory and my holiness will be demonstrated and manifested through my chastising of you. You see, it’s going to be done my way; or it’s going to be done my way. Either way, I’m going to be glorified and deemed holy to all the world.”