Polygamy and the Bible–A Messianic Perspective

by | Sep 4, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

My Interest Piqued

In my studies of this past week’s Torah Reading, I was drawn to Deuteronomy 21:15-17. Many modern English bibles generally entitle this passage something akin to “The Right of the Firstborn.” That being said, this short passage really is about the birthright is to be given to a father’s oldest son. This mitzvah overrides any potential of the father favoring the younger son over the oldest son. Nevertheless, the issue of immediate interest to me in this passage the that this birthright commandment was given within the framework of polygamous marriage relationships. And my interest become piqued over the issue of polygamy and the bible.

So I asked myself: Does YHVH condone or prohibit elect from engaging in polygamy?

Polygamy–A Convoluted Subject

The bible’s treatment of the practice of polygamy is quite convoluted. On the one hand it appears evident that heterosexual monogamy was the only of marriage relationship practiced in the first-century kehila/ekklesia/church. On the other hand, it is evident that many of our Hebrew forefathers openly practiced polygamy without incurring the wrath of the Almighty. Why this obvious dichotomy? Furthermore, nowhere, apart from Paul’s writings, is there any condemnation of polygamy.

What then is Yah’s real position on His people engaging in the practice of polygamy? And how must we as set-apart disciples of Yeshua Messiah view the practice when we come across it?

By the end of this short discussion today, we will have answered these two questions.

The Torah Passage in Question

Again, our focus passage this evening is taken from Deuteronomy 21:15-17. It reads:

“If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have born him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved who is the firstborn. But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his” (ESV).

Modern Perceptions of Polygamy

I would think that it is a universally accepted understanding that polygamy is a rather outmoded/outdated/impractical, and even immoral marriage relationship. Therefore, it is a lifestyle that is only practiced by heathens remote parts of the world and by a handful radical Mormons in this country.  Scripturally, polygamy was practiced by a  handful of our Hebrew forefathers back in the day.

Consequently, both secular and religious segments of society have overwhelmingly disavowed and rejected polygamy. In fact, polygamy today is considered a crime punishable by imprisonment in most western countries. I would say that there exists an ingrained disdain for the practice among the western nations of the world.

Christianity and Judaism reject and disavow the practice. Despite both faiths’ rejection of polygamy, neither side can prove that the practice is prohibited in scripture.

Torah’s Stance on Polygamy Reveals to a Little Bit About the Mind of YHVH

As irrelevant as this subject may appear to you and me—such that it doesn’t have any bearing on our personal walk with Messiah—I believe this subject does reveal how Yah works with His people despite them engaging in certain activities that He may not endorse. Certainly it behooves each of us to understand and know how Yah’s Mind and Purpose work in relation to these types of issues and subjects.

Father Has Our Backs

And in our understanding of how Yah has and continues to work with His people under varying circumstances, we can walk out our Faith with a secure feeling and purpose. For we will come to recognize that Yah has each of our backs, despite what we may have done or been through in our lives.

So as odd as this may sound, convoluted issues such as polygamy has the potential of showing us how the mind of our Heavenly Father works. And regardless how foolish Yah’s people may have acted in their lives, Father has the ability to work with and through His elect’s missteps to fulfill His purpose and Will in the earth. Therefore, if we are going to walk out this Faith in grace and in victory, we definitely need to know how Yah sees such things.

Defining Polygamy

Let’s first define what polygamy.

Our English term “polygamy” is derived from the Greek term ”polygamia.” Polygamy is the practice of marrying multiple spouses.

As an aside, the term “polygyny” refers to a man who is married to multiple women. This, of course, is the most prevalent form of polygamy practiced throughout the world. The term “polyandry” on the other hand, refers to a woman who is married to multiple men. This form of polygamy is extremely rare. It has been confined to the remote peoples of the world such as the nomadic Tibetans of Nepal, parts of China and Northern India according to Wikipedia.

No Biblical Prohibition Against Polygamy

Biblically speaking, nowhere in scripture will one truly find where Yah either condemns nor condones the practice of polygamy. And this is a mystifying thing, especially when one understands the Creator’s original design and intent of the sacred institution of marriage. (See my YouTube teaching on Biblical Celibacy-Marriage-Divorce-Remarriage where I go into great detail describing the Creator’s original intent and purpose for marriage. Trust me: it’s nothing like that which you’ve all be taught in church.)

Father’s Original Intent and Purpose For Marriage

Father’s original design and purpose for marriage was for a single man and a single woman to come together in union—”echad”—for purposes of serving the Eternal and His kingdom as well as to procreate. And of course Yah’s original intent and purpose for the institution of marriage is clearly illustrated in the life story of Adam and Eve. The “Fall” in the Garden of Eden aside, scripture documents their story as being one of a lifelong monogamous.

The Creator’s Original Intent and Purpose For Marriage Must be Kept in Mind When Discussing Polygamy

From a scriptural perspective, polygamy must be looked at having Yah’s original purpose and intent for marriage and the ANE cultural norms and customs both in mind.

YHVH clearly permitted His people to engage in the practice of polygamy. However, under certain situations the practice was was forbidden:

(1) When marrying sisters (Lev. 18:18);

(2) In the case of kings accumulating multiple wives (Deu. 17:17);

(3) When it involved forsaking/mistreating/cheating on the wife of a man’s youth (Mal. 2:14-16);

(4) Such that it violated the original intent and purpose of marriage (Mat. 19:4,5; Mar. 10:2-8).

In the New Covenant, Apostolic writings, Paul held that overseers, elders and deacons of the congregation be monogamous (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Tit. 1:5,6).

Yah permitted and tolerated His people practicing polygamy (2 Sam. 12:8; Exo. 21:10; 1 Sam. 1:2; 2 Chr. 24:3).

Historically, polygamy was practiced by:

  • Lamech (Gen. 4:19);
  • Abraham (Gen. 16:1);
  • Esau (Gen. 26:34; 28:9);
  • Jacob (Gen. 29:30);
  • Ashur (1 Chr. 4:5);
  • Gideon (Jug. 8:30);
  • Elkanah (1 Sam. 1:2);
  • David (1 Sam. 25:39-44; 2 Sam. 3:2-5; 5:13; 1 Chr. 14:3);
  • Solomon (1 Kin. 11:1-8);
  • Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:18-23); etc.

Polygamy Fraught With Problems

Although Yah seemed to permit His people to practice polygamy, He recognized the practice was fraught with problems:

(1) Husband favoritism (Deu. 21:15-17), such as in the story of Jacob’s wives Rachel and Leah (Gen. 29:30; 30:15);

(2) Rivalry between wives such as in the case of Elkanah’s polygamous marriage to Hannah and Peninnah (1 Sam. 1);

(3) Resulting sibling rivalry as in the story of Rehoboam’s polygamous marriage (2 Chr. 11):

(4) Domestic unhappiness as seen in Abraham’s family (Gen. 16:1; 21:9-16); etc.  

The Earliest Mention of a Polygamous Relationship

It is unclear when the practice of polygamy began. The first hint or mention of a polygamous marriage is found in Genesis 4:19-23. It  reads:

“And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah…Adah bare Jabbal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle…his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, ‘Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt’” (KJV).

Any of Adam’s descendants from Lamech on back could have taken more than one wife. But this is not documented in Scripture. We know from some of the apocryphal books (e.g., Jubilees, Jasher and I Enoch) that men turned away from honoring and worshiping Yah within a few generations of the Cain and Abel incident. It would then seem that the practice of polygamy started to take hold within Lamech’s generation as the population of women had grown commensurate with that of the men.

Polygamy Beyond Lemach

It is quite conceivable that polygamy was widely practiced by succeeding generations leading up to Noah and the Great Flood. Scripture clearly documents that the state of the human heart had begun to turn away from Yah and His Ways. And it would seem pretty safe to conclude that the sacred institution of marriage suffered greatly in those dark days leading up to the Flood.

Despite man’s deplorable state leading up to the flood, scripture is clear that Noah and his three sons led monogamous lives. And since the flood ultimately wiped out all human life save Noah’s immediate family, polygamy could not—would not–have been an option for the four-men who entered the ark with their families to escape the flood.

Now, we know that Noah had a very close relationship with YHVH. In fact, Yah deemed Noah righteous in his generation (Genesis 6:9; 7:1; Hebrews 11:7). Moses recorded that Noah walked in Yah’s Ways such that Yah took exceptional note of him. Yah chose Noah and his family alone to save from the impending destruction.

Obviously, Noah’s walking in Yah’s Ways and living a righteous life included a clear understanding of Yah’s original intent and purpose for marriage. Consequently, it would seem reasonable to conclude that Noah trained his three boys, Ham, Shem and Japheth in Yah’s ways. And it would also seem reasonable to conclude that Noah’s teaching of Yah’s Ways to his sons included the Creator’s original intent and purpose for marriage.

As the sons went their own ways and began raising their own families in the post flood world, their understanding of the sacred institution of marriage should have been passed down to their descendants.

The Desperately Wicked Nature of Man’s Heart

Unfortunately, as scripture records, the heart of man is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). It seeks to pervert every thing that belongs to the Eternal. Consequently, within a few generations of Noah’s grandchildren, the practice of polygamy made its return to humanity.

Polygamy: a Perverted Marriage Construct of Man?

I would submit that it was not Father who introduced to either the pre-flood or the post-flood human race the practice of polygamy. The practice of polygamy was born out of the desperately wicked hearts and imaginations of men (Jeremiah 17:9).

Despite the practice not originating with the Almighty, and given that the practice is fraught with a great deal of strife for the involved family  unit, for whatever reason, Yah did not prohibit His chosen ones practicing it.

Yah’s Chosen Ones Engage in Polygamy

The first post-flood recorded incident of Yah’s chosen ones engaging in the practice of polygamy that we come across in scripture is the polygamous relationship that took place between Abram, Sarai, and Sarai’s handmaid, the Egyptian Hagar (Genesis 16).  And from that polygamous relationship came the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael. These descendants to this day are sworn enemies one with the other. And we can clearly see from this and other examples throughout scripture that one of the common downsides to polygamy is internal and external family strife.

The Almighty Establishes Ground-Rules Around Polygamy

Thus we have laid out before us the holy institution of marriage created by YHVH that Yah’s human creation corrupted into something that deviates from the holy institution’s original purpose and intent. Yet, nowhere do we see in Yah’s eternal Word where he discourages it; where he prohibits it; nor where He instructs against it. In fact, Father in His Torah sets up rules by which His set-apart people are to live by as it relates to polygamous marriage relationships (e.g., Deu. 17:17; 21:15-17 25:5; and by extension all of the restrictions regarding sexual relationships between family members).

Scripture Shows that Strife is a Natural Byproduct of Polygamy

Father not only recognized that polygamy challenged the fundamental tenets of His sacred marriage institution, but that it also had the huge potential of introducing strife into Yah’s people’s homes and family structures. Examples of this strife are seen in the stories of the patriarchs as we’ve discussed above.  

The Great Conundrum Involving the Father and Polygamy

So given that which we’ve discussed up to this point, the Elect of Yah on the one hand is left wondering why the Almighty didn’t just ban the practice altogether, from the beginning? That’s on the one hand. But on the other hand, the Elect of Yah is also left wondering: if Yah sanctions polygamy (despite it’s potential for internal and external family strife), why didn’t He simply instruct His people to adopt it as a viable marriage option?

Is Our Torah Passage Indicative of the Creator’s Endorsement of Polygamy as a Viable Marriage Option?

Some within and without our Faith Community contend that our focus passage, along with other related passages, is indicative of Yah’s endorsement of polygamy. But is this indeed the case? 

According to an article I came across on www.chabad.org, the unnamed author states that Yah does not in anyway deem polygamy, when practiced within the rules He established in His Torah, a sin. However, according to this writer, Yah does not encourage polygamy as an acceptable marriage lifestyle either. Why? Simply because it is tempered with much trouble for all parties of the polygamous relationship.

The article goes on to state that the practice of polygamy in ancient Israel was rare. The requirements that were placed on the man who would dare take on the practice of polygamy were significant, such as the husband being required to see to the individual needs of each of his spouses without fail.

Torah Does Not Forbid Polygamy

Torah does not forbid a man from having multiple wives. For example Avraham, Jacob, David and Solomon (just to name a few) were all polygamists. And despite the inherent problems associated with polygamy, Father did not prohibit His people from engaging in the practice.

Just Because The Almighty Didn’t Prohibit Polygamy Doesn’t Mean it’s a Prudent Thing to Engage In

From a New Covenant and Apostolic Writings standpoint, I’m reminded of Paul’s sage advice to the Corinthians and Romans that can be applied to the question of Yah’s people engaging in the practice. Paul wrote:

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not (I.e., don’t build one up)” (1 Cor. 10:23; KJV).

And in Romans 14:19, the apostle wrote:

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

 

In the Corinthian passage the application is simply: although Father may permit one to take on a polygamous marriage, it doesn’t mean that it’s a wise enterprise to engage in. The key element in this Romans passage being “those things which make for peace in one’s life.” The polygamous lifestyle does not make for a peaceful lifestyle. In fact, more times than naught, it leads to varying degrees of strife.

The Rabbis Step In and Ban Polygamy

Rabbi Gershom ben Judah (aka the “Light of the Diaspora” and Rabbeinu Gershom; c. 960-1040), a renown Talmudist and Halakhist, banned polygamy as a marriage practice in Judaism well over a millennia ago. That ban was accepted as law by all Ashkenazic Jews. Interestingly, this ban was rejected by Sephardic and Yemenite Jews.

Now, this ban was enacted for a number of reasons, the least being the requirement that husbands were required to provide their wives with individual residences. This of course would place a significant financial hardship on most individuals, which would of course introduce into the polygamous relationship added financial and relational problems.

Exceptions to the Hebraic Polygamous Rule

Despite polygamy not being the norm under Rabbinic Judaism, interestingly enough, there were a couple of instances where polygamy was viewed favorably by the Rabbis:

1. The barren state of the first wife might necessitate a second wife to provide the husband children in which to carry on the family name.

2. For monarchs where polygamy might serve as a means of alliance building for the Jewish state (as was the case with King Solomon).

3. Levirate Marriages as mentioned in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, whereby a brother-in-law marries his childless, widowed sister-in-law for purposes of producing children to carry on the diseased brother’s name. The example of Tamar and Ruth provide some degree of support for this form of polygamous relationship.

Strange Hebrew Roots Sect Encourages Polygamy/Polygyny

Strangely enough, I recently came across a Messianic ministry out of Florida, by the name of “Your Arms of Love to Israel International Ministries,” where the leader of the group, through a voluminous series of teachings, advocates polygamy for Yah’s people.

According to the group’s website, the group’s leader is:

“Is a pioneer in the restoration and mainstream acceptance of Torah marriages, as either heterosexual covenant monogamy or polygyny. Sholiach (Hebrew title for a Hasidic apostle) was used to restore the correct understanding of such misunderstood concepts as sexual permissions and forbidances based solely on Torah terms apart from man’s traditions and religious perversions.”

I took a handful of minutes out of my life (which I’ll never recover mind you) and listened to one of this gentleman’s messages advocating polygamy as a marriage option for Yah’s Elect. And the overriding reason that the so-called Sholiach advocated polygamy in that video for Yah’s people is because monogamy as a traditional marriage option is not taught nor mentioned in scripture. Specifically, the term or concept of monogamy is not mention in scripture according to this gentleman; nor is monogamy the original intent for the institution of marriage. In another video, Sholiach stated that YHVH is a polygamist Himself.

The Other Side of the Coin Regarding Polygamy

And then you come to the other side of the coin regarding the question of polygamy where organizations such as 119 Ministries teach a doctrine that Yah outright prohibited polygamy. 

119’s primary scriptural proof passage for this doctrine is Leviticus 18:18 which reads:

“Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time” (KJV).

Now the conventional understanding of this verse, both within and without our Faith Community, is that men were prohibited from marrying literal, biological sisters; I.e., siblings. But 119 sees Yah prohibiting not just the marrying of biological siblings, but the marrying of multiple women altogether.

119 asks: Does “sister” here mean any women or actual siblings? Or is Father prohibiting polygamy outright whereby sister is a generic reference to womanhood or a sisterhood?

The organization goes to great lengths to expound upon the Hebrew word used for “sister” in this verse. 119’s conclusion is that the Hebrew term for sister used in this verse is an idiomatic term for sisterhood and not literal sisters/siblings.

I found the following commentary on this verse by Matthew Henry to be quite helpful:

“That article (v. 18) which forbids a man to take a wife to her sister supposes a connivance (I.e., willingness to secretly allow or be involved in wrongdoing, especially an immoral or illegal act. In other words, there is an intent to incite jealousy in the first wife)at polygamy, as some other laws then did (Exod. xxi. 10; Deut. xxi. 15), but forbids a man’s marrying two sisters, as Jacob did, because between those who had before been equal there would be apt to arise greater jealousies and animosities than between wives that were not so nearly related. If the sister of the wife be taken for the concubine, or secondary wife, nothing can be more vexing in her life, for as long as she lives.”

Putting the concern that such a marriage would potentially vex the first wife aside, this verse is located in a section of Torah forbidding sexual relationships with family members who are not a man’s wife. So from a contextual standpoint, 119’s position that this verse is an overall prohibition against polygamy is a bit off and is stretching the interpretation of this verse a bit too far.

Polygamy is Fraught with Problems

I will, however, agree with 119 that Torah and the rest of Scripture seem to highlight the disastrous relational and spiritual consequences polygamy naturally brings to a household.

Polygamy disappeared from Israel after the Babylonian Exile according to commentary on our focus passage in J.H. Hertz Torah and Haftorah; pg. 932. And the reason given by Hertz for polygamy’s demise within the nation of Israel is because the practice naturally leads to strife. 

I believe that Father did not care at all for the practice of polygamy. However, given man’s selfish nature and hardheartedness as Yeshua stated in Matthew 19, like the act of divorce, Yah permitted His elect to engage in the practice. However, knowing the problems that are germane to the polygamous lifestyle, Father wisely placed regulations around the practice in order to maintain peace in that family’s structure.

Western Practices of Polygamy Going Beyond the Biblical Understanding of Polygamy

Apart from rare incidents of polygamous marriages in extreme sects of Mormonism, the practice of multiple people having consenting relationships one with another remains very much alive in 2020 Western society. The term popularly used to describe such relationships today is “polyamory” or “polyamorous relationships.” In fact, there exists a thriving polyamory community in the West. And although these may not be legal marriage unions, the community contends that these are nonetheless committed relationships as any monogamous marriage would be. Consequently, there are many variations and levels of partner participations in these types of relationships.

Polyamory and polygamy (also known as plural marriages) are illegal across the United States. To be more precise in our terminology, “polygamy takes place when only one person is married to more than one partner, whereas polyamory tends to encompass a broader range of people involved with one another” (Joshua Bote; USA Today; 2/14/2020—”What you need to know about polyamory—including throuples—but were too afraid to ask”). And of course, there’s a lot of terminology associated with polyamory that makes the whole issue a rather convoluted one. Despite the somewhat vague differences, however, both polygamy and polyarmory involve multiple relationship partners, all within a so-called committed relationship. 

It should be mentioned that mainstream Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or LDS) no longer practice polygamy. However, there are rare instances of LDS “splinter sects” that do practice polygamy. Also there are sects of Muslims, Wiccans and certain Liberal Christian groups (people.howstuffworks.com/about-polygamy.htm) that defy the laws against polygamy and engage in plural marriage relationships. Mormons who refused to abandon polygamy were supposedly excommunicated from the LDS Church.

Julia Layton, who posted an article on this subject on https://people.howstuffworks.com, places the number of practicing polygamists in this country somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000. Such groups appear to dwell in small communities in the west. 

Closing Thoughts and Reflections on the Subject of Polygamy

So why should we care about polygamy as an elect of Yah? I think that we all can agree that most of us will never knowingly come across instances of polygamy in our respective day-to-day walks with Messiah. But all things considered, we will from time to time run across this issue of polygamy in our reading and study of scripture. And when we do run across those instances of polygamy in our reading and study, we have to understand what Father is trying to convey to us regarding those instances.

Yah allows His people to do certain things while prohibiting His people from doing other things. The reason why he allows some things but not others may or may not be apparent to us at the time. Torah tells us:

“The secret things belong to YHVH our Elohim, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deu. 29:29).

Father Permits His People to Engage in Certain Things That May Not Be Best For Them

The reason why Abba permits His people to engage in problematic practices such as polygamy and slavery, just to name two, is not always understood by us. But what we can understand from Yah permitting such problematic acts is a grander purpose that is associated with YHVH’s Plan of Redemption, Restoration and Redemption.

Yah’s Purpose and Will

I believe this understanding certainly applies to the ancient’s practice of polygamy. I have no proof of this, but it would seem by the way Father framed the practice of polygamy throughout His word, that He was not a fan of polygamy. However, because of man’s Yah-given free will, Father allows man to do what he wants within the confines of His creative order, purpose and will. Unfortunately, when left to his own devices, man will often reap the negative consequences of their actions, such as marital strife that is common to polygamous relationships.

But Yah has this uncanny way of making lemonade out of lemons and we see this played out over and over throughout His Word; especially in regards to the issue of polygamy.

Polygamy Versus the Original Institution of Marriage

YHVH created the institution of marriage to be a union between a single man and a single woman. It was intended for a single man and a single woman to come together as one entity (i.e., “echad”). This coming together as a echad unit was for purposes of serving and working for Yah and His Kingdom and for procreation.

Unfortunately, man being the mischievous soul that he is, seems to always find new and innovative ways to pervert the Creator’s original intent and purpose for things. Some things Yah will permit/allow such as polygamy and slavery, while other things such as homosexuality and adultery He does not tolerate because they cross the established line of His creative order, will and purpose,

The Sovereignty and Ways of Yah

Yah is sovereign indeed. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8). Yet He is willing to share his ways and thoughts with His elect. It then falls to His elect to learn what He will and will not tolerate from His people and do that which He commands.

And by chance if we’ve done something in our lives that runs contrary to Yah’s Ways, Father is more than willing to forgive us of all unrighteousness and transgressions if we but repent and sin no more.

Yah Can Make Things Right

Regardless what we’ve done in our lives, Yah can make it right if we are simply willing to turn to Him and die to self. He will take whatever bad things have emerged out of what we’ve done in our lives, and work them out in accordance with His Will and Purpose. Despite all the problems that emerged out of all the polygamous relationships portrayed in Scripture, Father was more than able to bring His beloved Son into this world and through His Son’s ministry bring about salvation, restoration and redemption to His people.

Polygamy is not a sin when practiced within the confines of Yah’s Eternal Torah. Like so many things in life, polygamy is not the ideal lifestyle for either the man or woman of Yah. As we’ve discussed, it is fraught with problems. Nevertheless, despite what some Messianic Ministries may be teaching to the contrary, polygamy is illegal in this country. And that’s a good thing I would say.

The Messianic’s View on Polygamy

How should we then process and view the ancient practice of polygamy? Simply that it was a marriage relationship practice that was not Father’s original plan for marriage; that it was born out of man’s tendency to mess with Yah’s creative order. Nevertheless, Yah’s eternal Will and Plan for His elect prevailed despite the many disastrous things that occurred as a result of His people having engaged in polygamy over the centuries. Beyond this, the practice has no place whatsoever in an elect’s life. If anything, the record that Scripture provides us regarding polygamy should serve as an encouragement for us to cherish and respect the monogamous marriages we currently have with the spouses Abba blessed us with. And we should do so to the glory and honor of YHVH, our Elohim.

So let us take stock in our current monogamous marriages and strive to live out the ideals and standards for marriage that Father established for His human creation from the beginning? With YHVH as our “echad” focus, let us love, cherish and minister to our spouses accordingly, being ever so willing to die to self in the service of Yah and the spouse of our youth.

Shalom and Blessings to You Fellow Saints in Training.

 

 

 

 

 

Torah Reading 48–Shofetim–Judges–Reading Outline

by | Aug 21, 2020 | Blog

 

This week’s Torah Reading is contained within Deuteronomy 16:1–21:9 and is entitled Shofetim. In English, Shofetim means Judges. If one were summarize the content of this reading I guess it could be described as a discussion of Yah’s established civil government for ancient Israel.

Deuteronomy 16:18-20

An accompanying Tanach passage to this passage is found in 2 Chronicles 19:5-11 which chronicles the social reforms King Yahoshaphat’s accomplished in ancient Judah:

5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,
6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.
7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.
8 Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of the LORD, and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem.
9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.
10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass.
11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the LORD shall be with the good.(2Ch 19:5-20:1 KJV)

 

But here in our reading in this passage, Yah commands that a local system of civil governance was to be put in place in every city (i.e., tribe) of the nation. Each local jurisdiction was to appointed judges who were called to righteousness.

Yah uses the phrase “justice-justice” in stressing His requirement that these judges be righteous in all their ways. Father states, ” justice, justice shalt thou follow that thou mayest live and inherit the Land.” Abba is essentially saying here that “justice and only justice” will be the judges’ guiding light and way of operating. 

Interestingly, the English terms “justice” and “victory” is the same Hebrew word. When taken together, the Hebrew concept of justice means the triumph of right in the world (Isaiah 54:17). And Father says to Israel:

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. (Isa 54:17 KJV)

When we’re talking about justice as a guiding Hebraic principle, these appointed judges were tasked with the humane legislation/administering of Torah. Interestingly, the Greek concept of justice stresses the “inequalities of humanity.” The Hebrew concept of justice, on the other hand, stresses the “equality of humanity.” For under the Hebraic concept of justice, each person is viewed as having been created in Yah’s image. Consequently, every soul possesses a “divine spark” if you will. Thus, each life is viewed as sacred. Therefore, every person is to be treated as a person with a right to life, honor and the fruits of their labor (J. Hertz). This is where Americans got the concept of every person being endowed by their Creator with certain “inalienable rights.” 

This is seen clearly demonstrated in Yah’s commandment that even the guilty criminal is to be treated with dignity in the midst of his/her condemnation and execution (Deuteronomy 25:3; 21:23).

Back to the Greek perspective of justice: It serves to bring harmony to society. The Hebrew perspective on justice serves to maintain holiness in society. For we find in Isaiah 5:16 that YHVH is sanctified by the exercising of justice by His people. And this is greatly played out in the mind of the Creator when He reveals his disdain towards those who trample over the orphan and stranger in the Land. Yah sees such as His enemy. And the final dissolution of earthly injustice and oppression will be realized when the Kingdom of Yah comes to this earth.

One must recognize that justice is more than abstention from oppression and harm to others. Justice is also the proliferation of peach in society. The proliferation of peace in society brings forth quietness and confidence as suggested by Isaiah 32:17:

 17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. (Isa 32:17 KJV)

Justice and peace are the foundations upon which all charity, philanthropy and social activity designed to uplift the souls of a nation’s citizens rests. Even justice when meted out to the criminals of society must be done so with pity and humanity. When we consider what will happen at the Great White Throne judgment, we see that Abba’s righteous justice will be rendered with pity civility. Those throne in the Lake of Fire will not have to endure eternal torment as is taught by mainstream Christians. The condemned will have a swift and humane end. For justice must always be tempered with mercy.

Furthermore, justice must extends between groups. The poor and the rich (such as in class to class), nation to nation must exist and operate with one another with Godly justice.

Deuteronomy 16:20

Father made these pronouncement to the nation through Moses so that the nation may live. The administration of justice is a non-negotiable condition for Israel’s continued existence. For when justice is perverted in the nation, it portends the decay of that nation. And Abba had a vested interest in Israel’s continued, thriving and blessed existence.

Deuteronomy 16:21, 22–These two verses speak to a prohibition against idolatrous worship. The commandment of the Almighty was for the nation’s armies to completely destroy every asherah and pillar that would be found in the Land during their conquest. 

Deuteronomy 17:1–This verse speaks to a prohibition against sacrificing blemished or injured animals. 

The intentional sacrificing of unqualified animals (i.e., blemished or injured) was viewed by Father as being a profane act. Such actions actually profaned Yah’s worship (25:21; Leviticus 22:20-22; Malachi 1:8). 

Deuteronomy 17:2-7–These six-verses dealt with the detection and punishment of the crime of idolatry and idolatry. 

Here we find the famous pronouncement that many in our Faith use as the basis for their establishing many spiritual matters. For according to this passage, at the mouth of two or three witnesses shall one be punished. And of course, convicting the criminal by the words of two to three witnesses was not the end of the witnesses’ work. For Father established that the hand of the witnesses were to be the first to execute punishment upon the guilty. 

Deuteronomy 17:8-13–These five verses describe what we would recognize as a Supreme Court

The difficult civil court cases were to be brought to the Levites and the residing judge(s)  for a ruling, which then must be abide by. The point Father was getting across to the Hebrews was to exterminate evil from the Land and from the people. 

Deuteronomy 17:14-20–These six verses discuss the selection, qualifications and duties of kings or constitutional monarchs that govern in accordance with Torah. 

Father instructed that Israel’s kings were:

1. Have no standing cavalry to subjugate the people with. 

2. Have no harem to lead the kings’ hearts astray from Torah.

3. To study and obey Torah.

4. To be selected by YHVH. 

5. Were not to seek to accumulate wealth. 

6. To copy Torah for themselves to read and follow throughout the remainder of their days. 

Deuteronomy 18:1-8–These nine verses addressed the priests and Levites not having any land inheritance.

YHVH certified that He would be the Levites’ inheritance. 

Deuteronomy 18:9-22–This section dealt with prophets.

Father denounced soothsayers and wizards (cf. Leviticus 19:26 31). In the eyes of YHVH, soothsayers and wizards were an abomination. The people were called to be wholehearted unto YHVH in all their ways. Father acknowledged that the other nations followed after soothsayers and such. But Yah’s people were not to follow suit. 

The proof of a false prophet is the non-fulfillment of his prophesies. Indeed, the false prophet may in fact perform signs and miracles. The signs and miracles of a prophet is not proof of his calling as a prophet of Yah (13:2, 56). The ultimate criterion of a prophet of Yah was the moral character of the prophet’s prophesies. 

Deuteronomy 19:1-13–This section dealt with the establishing of Cities of Refuge.

Three cities were to be established as cities of refuge or sanctuary cities once we settled into the Land. These cities would provide the manslayer sanctuary (Numbers 35:9-34; Deuteronomy 4:41-43). This was to address the custom of blood revenge that was common among the ANE peoples. The establishment of cities of refuge would also serve to dissuade the practice of providing willful murderers unwarranted sanctuary. The Torah regarding cities of refuge were established for purposes of:

1. Discerning mistaken killing from intentional, purposeful homicide.

2. To create sanctuary for those who committed an unintentional killing. It would serve to protect the killer from the avenger of blood and to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. 

3. Once we were well established in the Land, three more cities would be added to the existing three cities of refuge.

For capitol murder, the elders of the murderer’s city were required to turn him/her over to the avenger of blood. This was for purposes of putting away the blood of the innocent from the nation and bring well being to the Land. 

Deuteronomy 19:14–This single verse dealt with the altering of boundaries of properties. 

In reference to Deuteronomy 27:17, one who would alter their neighbor’s property boundary line to enlarge their own estate was considered cursed by YHVH. At a baseline level, such acts were simply considered acts of thievery by Torah. 

Deuteronomy 19:15-21–These verses dealt with testimonies that would be made against criminals.

Testimonies against criminal acts in the court of law required the testimonies of two or more witnesses: “At the mouth of three-witnesses shall a matter be established (verse 15). 

And unrighteous witness was to receive the punishment originally intended for the accused. Remember Master Yeshua making mention of “an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot?” This was the passage He was referencing. 

Deuteronomy 20:1-9–Here the nation was called to civility even in war times

1. The betrothed soldiers would be exempted from serving in battle.

2. Offers of peace would be extended to the cities that were targeted for attack.

3. Fruit trees were off-limits for destruction in an enemy’s land.

4. Reason and mercy would guide the nation’s fighting. 

The Levitical Priests and officers would encourage the men before battle. The officers would ensure that the above provisions were followed and would remind the troops that Yah was with them and not to fear. 

Deuteronomy 20:10-18–This section discussed the proper dispensing of the spoils of war

Women, children and cattle were considered viable spoils of war for the troops. The men of the enemy nation were to be executed.

This applied to future, far nation. This did not, however, apply to the Canaanite cities that were marked for destruction. Those Canaanite nations that were marked for destruction would receive no mercy. All those nations’ people (regardless who and what they were) were to be killed. Rabbinic sages have over the centuries struggled with the brutality associated with this decree. But these fail to recognize the extent of abomination that the nations marked for destruction had wrought (cf. Book of Enoch). The depravity and sins of the Canaanite nations brought Yah to a place where He determined those nation’s depravities and paganistic ways threatened or were outside the realm of redemption and salvation. These had to be destroyed with extreme prejudice. 

Deuteronomy 20:19-20–Regarding prohibition against devastating enemy lands during war time.

Father established a prohibition against the wanton destruction of that which may be of use to the Hebrew nation such as trees. 

Only those non-fruit trees could be used for material to besiege the enemy.

Deuteronomy 21:1-9–The Unsolved Murder Mysteries of a City

 When one was murdered in a Hebrew city where the murderer was not known, that city was held responsible for the murder by Yah. Despite there being no criminal in custody or identified, that sin still had to be atoned for. 

The elders and judges of the city where the murder occurred were required to kill a heifer. The sacrificed heifer had to have never been yoked and the sacrifice had to take place in a rough valley in that city. With a priest present, the elders and judges were to wash their hands over the carcass of the heifer. These were to disavow having any role in the murder and ask Yah to forgive and expiate the sin. This act would serve to put away the shedding of innocent blood from that city’s midst. 

Shabbat Shalom.

 

 

 

 

The Righteousness of God Revealed From Faith to Faith—Its True Meaning and Reality for God’s People

by | Aug 20, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Today’s discussion is entitled, “The Righteousness of God Revealed From Faith to Faith—Its True Meaning and Reality for God’s People.” 

Why The Church Loves This Romans 1:17

Fundamentalists; traditionalists; and evangelicals absolutely love this passage. Why? Because according to these and their hyper-grace teachers, preachers and ministers, this passage is one of a handful that certifies Torah-keeping and living the set-apart lifestyle that we in the Messianic Faith walk out each and every day, has been done away with. Why do they believe that Torah-living is not something the redeemed of Christ should be doing? Because according to these, all one needs is God’s grace and faith to be in God’s good graces and to receive eternal life. Right? So there’s no need nor room in a believer’s life for Torah-keeping or Torah-living or the like. In fact, if you keep any part of Torah, you’ve fallen from grace because the one who keeps Torah has put their Faith in Torah as opposed to putting their Faith in God for their salvation.

As we’ve spoken about many times on this program, these vehemently hold to a “once saved always saved;” “just as you are; “free to live as you choose;” repeat after me “sinners prayer-based” salvation that has for all intents and purposes drawn countless millions down a road to destruction throughout the centuries.

Yet Again Paul is Falsely Accused of Spiritual Crimes he Didn’t Commit

And of course, the Apostle Paul is the one who stands falsely accused of being the architect for this mainstream Torah-less life of faith that so many have come to put their trust and eternal security in. And this is most unfortunate. It’s most unfortunate for a great many reasons; the least of which is that the truth of this matter is readily accessible to anyone who comes to Yah in faith having a pure heart, a contrite spirit, eyes to see and ears to hear, a teachable spirit; and a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Unfortunately today, it would seem that the Church Triumphant has stripped these character traits away from the would-be Child of Yah.

Many Are Misled By the Church’s False Interpretation of this Passage

Sadly, given the conventional wisdom as it relates to living lives consistent with Paul’s teachings, especially passages such as the one we’re looking at this evening—Romans 1:17—the chance of one actually having that special relationship with the Almighty, the life abundant and inclusion in the coming Kingdom of Yah is certainly a questionable one. Why would I say such a thing? Simply because the false conventional wisdom of the Church Triumphant naturally leads its members astray under the false pretense of religion. People are thus conditioned to place their trust and eternal security in the teachings, doctrines and traditions of the Church as opposed to placing their trust and eternal security in YHVH and His Son Yahoshua HaMashiyach. So the Church’s members follow the instructions and commandments of their denomination and religion and not the instructions and commandments of their Creator.

I Never Knew You Will Be the Result Far Too Many Will Hear in the End

What did Master teach regarding this very thing as it relates to the End Times?

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Master, Master, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? ‘And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22, 23; ESV).

Why should such a heart wrenching thing have to happen to any would-be believer in Messiah when the Bible clearly tells the would-be believer who he/she must follow and believe?

I’ll tell you why? Because people have itching ears that cause them to accumulate unto themselves teachers that suit their own passions and that turn them away from listening to the truth and to wander off into myths (2 Timothy 4:3, 4; ESV). The human soul is naturally rebellious towards the things and ways of the Most High. It has a hardened heart that prevents the would be believer from willfully following in the Ways that Father has prescribed in His Word for His Elect to keep and walk-out. Therefore, for most individuals in the world, apart from one adopting atheism or some religion other than Christianity, the Church is the most appealing option for them because it does not require its members serve Yah, but instead, serve themselves and serve the organization.

 The Normative Value of Romans 1:17

The central truth that the Apostle Paul was attempting to convey to his Roman readers here in this passage is a normative one. The central truth of Romans 1:17 is normative because it applies across the board to any person seeking a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe and whose ultimate goal it is to enter the Kingdom of Yah. For in these two-verses, two of the greatest components of a would-be believer and follower of Messiah’s life are discussed: righteousness and faith.

Faith and Righteousness Are Crucial for Salvation and Relationship With the Almighty

The truth of the matter is that without both “righteousness” and “faith,” none of what we’ve been talking about is possible.

Interestingly, the so-called Christian and his “Torah-focused” counterpart, firmly believe they have the faith and the righteousness all checked off on their list of requirements for salvation. The Christian believes that he/she has salvation because they possess a cognitive understanding that Jesus existed and that He died for their sins and because of Christ’s sacrifice, salvation requiring “righteousness” has been inputted (I.e., granted; applied) to them. And because of this gift or because of God’s grace, nothing more is required of them in order for them to receive eternal life. So for all intents and purposes, these live a lawless life.

The Torah-focused-soul, on the other hand, believes in the centrality of keeping Torah and in many cases Talmudic traditions and laws. These see their righteousness coming from their keeping and walking out of Torah with no true acknowledgment of God’s grace being applied to their life-situation.

Both sides’ understanding of this and other similar Pauline passages are unfortunately living out their faith in great error. And if any of us happen to be living out our faith under one of these error-ridden situations, well, hopefully, after this discussion we will be in a better position to assess our respective spiritual lives and make the necessary adjustments to our understanding and walk. For without faith, it is impossible to please Yah. And without being in a right-standing relationship with our Creator, there is no chance for one to enter the Kingdom of Yah. It’s just that simple.

 

Recognizing True Biblical Saving Grace

 

Despite what the religious mainstreamers may say Romans 1:17 means to today’s believer, the reality of what this verse should truly mean to Yah’s set-apart people requires one to be able to recognize what true, biblical saving faith consist of, and what Abba requires of all people to receive His gift of salvation. And once we understand what the Bible truly says about these critical things, we will be well equipped to accurately interpret our focus passage.

 Begin Unpacking the Focus Passage

 

Our focus passage reads as follows:

 

For therein (Paul is contextually speaking about the Gospel here) is the righteousness of Yah revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).

 

According to Paul, the Gospel (which we learned from verse 16), has the absolute power to bring people to salvation. Whether we realize it or not, unconverted people are in a depraved and desperate situation. Because of sin, every man, woman and child is ultimately destined for eternal damnation. Only Yah’s Gospel has the power and wherewithal to deliver the unconverted person from their hopeless state on over to eternal life.

 Yah’s Righteousness Revealed in the Gospel

Thus the Gospel, in addition to its power to save people, reveals Yah’s righteousness to the world.

 

How does the power that is contained in the Gospel save people? Well, the power the Gospel contains is that which makes the unconverted person righteous in Yah’s sight. And because righteousness is a requirement for salvation, there is no other means by which a person qualifies for salvation. People, however, are naturally incapable of turning to Yah on their own to receive this required righteousness. For the ways and means of Yah seem or appear foolish to people. Of this very thing, the apostle wrote:

 

“For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of Yah” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

 The Carnal and the Converted

The problem is not that people aren’t capable of understanding who Yah is. Neither is the unconverted incapable of understanding just how desperate their eternal life situation is. For the unconverted person generally recognizes that there is a Creator out there who holds the power of all creation in His hands. These also recognize that they have no control over what happens to their souls when they die. Thus there is a very real fear of death and the grave that is implanted in every person. And the only hope people have for life beyond this life is found only in the power of the Creator of the Universe to reverse death and make one an eternal being. 

 

The problem is that people on their own are incapable of truly turning to Yah because their hearts are “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Master described the nature of the wicked heart as such:

 

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23). (Recall that Yah does not tolerate impurity or defilement in His Holy presence. So a defiled person as Yeshua mentioned here can never have a relationship with YHVH unless he/she makes the critical decision to accept the Creator’s provision for making them pure so that they may have that relationship with their Creator.)

 

Paul informed the Corinthian Messianics the following regarding unconverted peoples’ eternal situation:

 

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of Yah? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of Yah” (1 Corinthians 6:9).

 

Indeed, only the righteous will be admitted into the Kingdom of Yah:

 

“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…” (Matthew 13:43).

 

 The Wicked Heart is Incompatible With the Holy and Righteousness Nature of God

The wicked heart is incompatible with the holy and righteous nature of YHVH. Because of peoples’ wicked, unconverted hearts, it is then impossible to have a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe nor will they receive eternal life. That is, it is impossible for one to have such a relationship with the Almighty outside the provisions that the Creator made to address the wicked heart and nature of people. And that provision that addresses the unconverted heart and making one righteous before YHVH is founded in the Gospel that Yeshua and Paul taught and preached.

 The Gospel Can Change the Wicked Heart of the Unconverted

One of the provisions contained in the Gospel is Yah’s power to change the wicked heart of people. This is all accomplished exclusively through the preaching of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:21):

 

“For Yah’s wisdom ordained that the world, using its own wisdom, would not come to know Him. Therefore Yah decided to use the ‘nonsense’ of what we proclaim (I.e., the instrument of preaching the Gospel of Yah) as His means of saving those who come to trust in it.”

 

Thus, Yah brings that crucial change to people’s hearts through the instrument of the preaching of the Gospel.

 The Power of Preaching the Gospel

So the preaching of the Gospel has the immense power to save people. That power that is contained within the Gospel of Yah that brings one to a right-relationship with the Creator of the Universe is the same power that brought creation into existence and raised our Master from the dead and that will also transform Yah’s Elect into glorified spirit-beings. And also contained within that Gospel Message is the righteousness of Yah. The righteousness of Yah, according to Paul, is an essential element to one’s salvation.

Discerning Greek Righteousness from Hebrew Righteousness 

What does Paul mean by the “Righteousness of Yah?” Righteousness means to be “right” or “accepted.” The righteousness of Yah in the Greek is “dikaiosune gar Theos.” The Greek meaning of “dikaiosune” (I.e., righteous/righteousness) is somewhat watered down when compared to the Hebrew term for righteous/righteousness which is “Tzedek.” Tzedek speaks to actions that fulfills God’s-given obligations in the Torah,” or “the demands of a particular relationship.” In other words, the Hebrew term Tzedek is more of an action word than simply a state of being. More so, the Greek concept of righteous or righteousness suggests that one is found to be in an acceptable, proper or right state as it relates to established rules or expectations. The Hebrew concept of righteous/righteousness, on the other hand, suggests that because one finds themselves in an acceptable, proper or right state, he or she will naturally conduct themselves according to the expectations or established rules of whatever Person is in charge.

 

Tzadik speaks to individuals whose conduct and character conform to the administration of justice, or refer to one’s particular status within the community; I.e., innocent or justified. In so being innocent or justified, the Tzadik conducts him/herself accordingly.

 How is God’s Righteousness Revealed in the Gospel?

So the questions that must be asked as it relates to Paul’s statement that Yah’s righteousness is revealed in the Gospel: Is Paul writing about Yah’s righteous character? Is Paul referring to one living a righteous life here on earth that imitates the righteousness of Yah? Or is Paul referring to one’s “right standing before Yah;” that being what is popularly referred to among Christian scholars as an “inputted righteousness;” that being Yah unilaterally assigns or awards a state of righteousness or right standing to the unconverted individual? Unfortunately, this is where it gets a little confusing for some, especially confusing for those who have not been able to give up the Christian-based anti-Torah doctrine.

 Righteousness as a Descriptor

 

The righteous or righteousness that the apostle writes about here, when used as an adjective—that which describes a person, speaks to the saved individual “having been acquitted of guilt by the court of heaven” (Tim Hegg; Romans Commentary). In this sense, Yah has conferred upon the saved person a “righteous” standing. That “righteous standing” leads to a righteous character through the lifelong sanctification process. Remember we just talked about the Hebrew concept of righteous and righteousness being an action word: the righteous status of the individual being naturally leads the converted into a life of obedience and Godly character. Recall also back in verse 5 (I.e., our discussion entitled “Obedience of Faith”) that we expounded upon the apostle’s calling to be the apostle to the Gentiles whose purpose was to bring Gentiles into an obedience of Faith. In other words, Paul’s preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles was intended to bring them, through the power of the Gospel, to a right-standing with YHVH, and by virtue of them coming in to that righteous standing before YHVH, they would natural begin walking out Torah in obedience of their faith profession.

 Imputed Righteousness

 

The “Righteousness of Yah” as mentioned here in our focus passage simply means that Yah, through the atoning work of His Son Yahoshua HaMashiyach, which is all contained in the Gospel of Yah, has appointed or assigned a status of “righteous” or “righteousness” upon those who believe in the Gospel Message. And as a result of one’s belief in the Gospel Message—the work of Yeshua Messiah—Yah’s ability to save him/her—the redeemed individual receives in place of their death-sentence an acquittal because the Creator has deemed them righteous because of their Faith in Him. The simple act of turning one’s life over to the Creator of the Universe is all that is required to receive right standing before YHVH our Elohim. There is absolutely nothing that people can do on their own to receive that critical/crucial righteousness that is required for eternal life and entry into the Kingdom of Yah. This is a gift—grace—Yah’s unmerited favor—originating from the Creator of the Universe down to any human who is willing to turn their lives over to Him:

 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Yah” (Ephesians 2:8).

 Where Does Torah-Keeping Come In?

So where does Torah-keeping come into play in relation to one becoming righteous in the sight of Yah because of one’s faith in the Creator and the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah? Well, the righteousness that Paul is writing about—that righteousness that has been inputted to the person who through Faith turns their lives over to Yah–then naturally begins living a Godly life. The very principles of what living a Godly life is supposed to look like is found in Torah and in the teachings and example of Yahoshua Messiah. Any other lifestyle one would seek to live apart from Torah and the teachings and example of Yeshua Messiah is incompatible with the Ways and desires of YHVH. Peoples’ ways are simply incompatible with the Ways of Yah:

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways, saith YHVH. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8, 9).

 

So the converted person is compelled to adopt and walk out Yah’s ways in their lives, contrary to what the Fundamentalists teach. Although salvation can never be earned through the keeping of Torah, salvation cannot become a reality in a believer’s existence unless they keep Yah’s Word (through the help and guidance of Yah’s Spirit working through a circumcised heart).

 

Master told the Rich You Man who questioned Him about what it would take for him to enter the Kingdom of Yah:

 

“…but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

 

Paul said something similar to this when he wrote to the Corinthians the following:

 

“For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep Yah’s commandments” (1 Corinthians 7:19).

 

Well, so much for those who accuse Paul for disavowing the requirement of Torah-living for the set-apart people of Yah.

 The Biblical Meaning of the Righteousness of God is Revealed from Faith to Faith?

 

So what about the Apostle’s statement that the Righteousness of Yah is revealed to the converted person “From faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith?”

 

Paul in this verse is referencing Habakkuk 2:4

 

”Behold, his soul which is lifted upright in him (I.e., specifically speaking about the arrogance of the Chaldean nation and her army), but the just (I.e., Tzedek, the righteous one) shall live by his faith.”

 

This statement that the righteous or just will live by faith specifically applies to the individual who accepts and submits to Yah’s Word. That submission, which is based on the individual’s faith in Yah and the work of Yeshua Messiah, leads to life eternal; entry into the Kingdom of Yah.

 

Now, that Righteousness of Yah that Paul is writing about here is revealed in the Gospel. The process by which one is made righteous before Yah begins and is dependent upon the individual’s faith.

 

Thus, one’s righteousness (I.e., one’s right-standing before YHVH) comes about through that person’s faith in the work and teachings of Messiah (by faith righteousness). From there, the converted soul is compelled to live in accordance with their faith. Faith is also an action word. When one has faith in something, he or she will behave accordingly. And so righteousness is received only through the exercise of one’s faith.

 Habakkuk 2:4 and Galatians 3:11 in Relation to Romans 1:17

When we compare and contrast Habakkuk 2:4 with the Roman’s companion verse, Galatians 3:11, we learn that “no one is justified by Torah before Yah.” Faith here is put over against “works of Torah” as the means by which people are justified or made righteous. Regardless what some in our Faith may believe, faith has always been Yah’s way of declaring people righteous (e.g., Avraham—Abraham’s faith was reckoned to Abraham by Yah as righteousness. Abraham believed Yah and because of Abraham’s trust in Yah, which led to Abraham’s obedience to Yah’s instructions and commands, Yah reckoned unto Abraham a state of righteousness before Him—Romans 4:9). This whole thing is a gift, which is otherwise known as grace. This gift of Yah makes it so that anyone who is willing to submit to Yah’s revealed Truth (I.e., Yah’s Torah) and live in accordance with it, will receive the opportunity to receive and enter the Kingdom of Yah and have a relationship with the Most High. That submitting that is required is of course an act of Faith. That act of submission leads to one conducting themselves in this life in accordance with Yah’s established Ways which are recorded in His Torah and in the teachings and example of Yeshua Messiah. However, on his/her own, people are incapable of submitting to Yah’s Ways. Such submission requires initiating faith that will begin a process whereby the convert’s heart is changed to a place whereby he/she earnestly desires to please their God and walk in the Ways that He established for them to walk in.

 Faith Comes Before Obedience of Faith

An easy way to understand this is simply this: it’s all about a sequence and order. One must first come to Yah in Faith. Then Yah provides him/her the means by which to walk out their lives in accordance with His ways. Faith first, then obedience will follow. 

 

Habakkuk’s definition of faith (in the Hebrew faith is ‘emunah) is that it is a way of behaving that is born of “inner stability, conscientiousness;” “an inner attitude and the conduct that attitude produces” (Tim Hegg). Thus faith is not just a mental exercise as the fundamentalists have conditioned millions throughout history to view faith. True faith involves the deeds which faith produces.

 Justification and Obedience

One is justified by how one lives (James 2:21—I.e., Abraham’s willing obedience to Yah’s commands which came about as a result of His Faith in Yah). God-given faith produces life in a person; urges growth and brings about salvation. Thus, God-given faith produces faithfulness, which is a life-long process (I.e., the sanctification process). So when Paul writes that the righteousness of Yah is revealed from faith to faith, he’s writing about one growing in faith toward Yah—I.e., the sanctification process. What Paul is referring to here  is a lasting faith whereby one grows in his/her faithfulness (I.e., his/her commitment, trust, obedience) toward Yah and his/her fellow man. Within the confines of this special saving faith, there is no falling away (Rom. 8:24-30). Neither is there carnality. If carnality surfaces, the child of Yah is convicted and immediately seeks Yah’s forgiveness and turns from their carnality, never to repeat it again. Thus, there is a steadfast faithfulness to Yah’s Word, otherwise referred to as an “Obedience of Faith” (Romans 1:5).

 

But it must be realized by one who determines to enter this life of faith that the saving grace that comes only from Yah can only take hold when he/she decides to “die to self.”  What is this “dying to self” really about? Paul explains it quite well in Ephesians. The Apostle wrote:

 

“And that ye put on the new man, which after Yah is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that  stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to  the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of Yah, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Yah for Messiah’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:24-32).

 

All of the carnality that Paul list here is natural behavior to the unconverted soul. Yet the Apostle is telling the Ephesians (and by extension us today) that we no longer are to practice such things in our lives as we once did. In fact, he told the Corinthians that they no longer had the right to live according to their old ways because they now belonged to another Master:

 

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of Yah, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify Yah in your body, and in your spirit, which are Yah’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

 

And this all stems from our Faith that ultimately leads to our obedience of Faith.

 

 Closing and Call to Action

Well, I pray that this brief discussion will strengthen and enhance your understanding of Paul’s teachings on faith and righteousness. And what we’ve discovered in this discussion is that Romans 1:17 is in no way a proof-passage related to a rejection of a set-apart lifestyle of Torah-keeping. To the contrary, we’ve learned that Torah-living is evidence of our faith in the atoning work of Yeshua Messiah and in the saving grace of our heavenly Father.

Father, through His Gospel, revealed his righteousness to the world. That righteousness shows the world that He did not abandon His human creation to eternal damnation. Rather, the Gospel has the power to permanently and profoundly alter the lives and eternal destinies of those who believe in Him and His Ways such that he/she may live in covenant harmony with their Creator and enter His coming Kingdom.

Jews Before Gentiles?

by | Aug 13, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

Jews Before Gentiles

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Today’s discussion is entitled, “Jews Before Gentiles?  How Does that Work?” And the biblical basis for our discussion this evening is found in Romans 1:16 which reads: 

 

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Rom 1:16 KJV)

One of the keys to understanding some of Paul’s most challenging and difficult passages is to also examine all of his other related passages, in addition to related tanach and Yeshua teachings. When all of these related passages are brought together, especially when brought together under the light of responsible biblical contextual understanding, we stand a much better than average chance of accurately understanding the apostle’s most challenging and difficult to understand passages. Which, of course, is what we’re attempting to do in this series. 

We must always keep in the back of our minds that Bible must always interpret itself. And then we must apply this understanding to all our biblical studies. 

It is imperative that we resist the natural urge and tug to grasp biblical isolated, soundbites and create an understanding or doctrine on a loose understanding of those isolated soundbites as so many folks have done over the centuries. 

Case in point:  

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. (1Co 14:34-35 KJV) 

Now, if we were to simply base our understanding of this curious yet extremely controversial passage from an isolated baseline reading of it without taking into account history, context, culture and other related passages, the meaning of this scriptural soundbite (if you will) would clearly suggest that women cannot teach, preach, publicly pray or prophesy in Messianic Assembly gatherings. But as we saw in our extensive examination of this passage where we  employed the very study techniques I just mentioned above, Paul was not in the least excluding women from leadership roles in our Faith Community. Far from it in fact. 

The same thing applies to this and all the other passages we’re going to look at in this series. 

So with that in mind, let’s get into Romans 1:16 and see if we can figure out what Paul means by “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

For most of us with any appreciable degree of true biblical understanding (not talking doctrinal nor denominational understanding mind you), especially when that biblical understanding is from a Hebraic perspective, our focus passage may not be that difficult to understand. For those of us that fall within this category, the challenge is understanding the fullness of what Paul is writing about; the applicability of Paul’s statement to our day-to-day walk with Messiah (I.e., why any of this should matter to you and me); how to explain the meaning of this passage to those who may ask us for an explanation of the passage. 

Obviously, those who find themselves in denominational Christianity, a true understanding of this Pauline passage may be hidden beneath layers of tradition and false teachings and doctrine (e.g., the false doctrine of replacement theology). 

Thus, our aim here this evening is to work through these interpretive issues so that we may reap the spiritual benefits (I.e., the spiritual gifts) that Paul sought to bring to his Roman readers back in the day (verse 11). Indeed, the fullness of this content-rich passage is too good for any true believer in Messiah to simply read over and ignore, hoping that it somehow goes away because it doesn’t support our biases and understanding of how the Kingdom of God is supposed to work.

Quick Review of What We’ve Learned Thus Far in our Studies of Romans

Let’s first step back and quickly review what we’ve learned about Paul and his letter to the Assembly of Roman Messianics up to this point:
The letter was written to a devout assembly made up of both Jewish and Non-Jewish Messianics.
Paul deeply admired the Roman Messianic Assembly and desperately desired and planned to visit them as quickly as the opportunity presented itself.

Paul’s admiration for the Romans was spiritually deep and abiding, leading him to refer to them as saints and praying on their behalf to YHVH through Yeshua constantly.

Despite Paul not being the “Founder” of the Messianic Assembly of Rome, it is apparent that the apostle still saw himself as the assembly’s overseer or spiritual father (so to speak).

Paul preached and taught the Gospel of God throughout the Roman Empire: the very same Gospel that Yeshua taught. That gospel was inclusive of both Jew and Non-Jew alike. And Paul desired to share this inclusive gospel with the Messianic Assembly in Rome.

Rome Without Paul’s Presence

So now we’re at the place in Paul’s letter to the Romans where the apostle explains to his readers that his decision not to visit them up to this point had not been based upon an oversight nor was the decision not to come made because he couldn’t fit extremely tight evangelical schedule. For we find much later on in this letter the reason why Paul had failed to visit Rome up to this point:

 

19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation: 21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. 22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; 24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. (Rom 15:19-24 KJV)

 

It seems relatively evident from this passage that Paul felt the Roman Assembly had already been firmly established by the time he had begun his missionary and evangelistic work in various places throughout the Roman Empire. Remember, we had established early on in our study of this letter that the Roman Assembly had likely been established by Roman Jews who had been a part of the very first Pentecost where the Holy Spirit filled the 120-disciples of Yeshua on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem just 10-days after Yeshua’s ascended to His Father in heaven. So the Roman Assembly had likely already been established long before Paul began his evangelistic ministry.

Thus, as far as we can tell from Romans 15:19-24, Paul seemed to recognize Rome as having been taken care of in terms of evangelism and was not in need of his ministry in those years leading up to this letter. Despite the fact that Rome may not have been in need of Paul’s evangelistic/missionary services, the apostle clearly had an unquenchable desire to visit there. At least one commentator I consulted suggested a reason for Paul’s earnest desire to visit the Roman Assembly: that it is conceivable that Paul envisioned Rome as the “strategic hub of his work, for it was the center of the Gentile world in Paul’s time” (Tim Hegg; Romans Commentary).

Understanding “Gentiles” From Paul’s and the Messianic Assembly’s Perspective

Paul chose to use the Greek term “ethnos” (I.e., in English Gentiles 19-times in the KJV) throughout the Book of Romans to distinguish between non-Jews/non-Jewish nations and Jews/Israel. So much was riding on Paul’s distinction between the two given the mixed population of the Messianic Assembly there in Rome.

The Faith of the Romans Was Not a New Faith

Why is this important to our understanding of the focus passage: “…to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Well simply this: The Faith that Yeshua and His anointed disciples turned apostles brought to the world began with the Hebrews. That Faith was not a new Faith by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. In fact, that Faith was an extension of the Hebraic Faith that was initiated through the covenant that the Creator of the Universe made with Abraham. YHVH honored that covenant which He passed down to Abraham’s children: Isaac and Jacob; on through Jacob’s 12-sons, whose children numbered as the sand which is upon the sea shore (Genesis 22:17; 32:12).

The Almighty built upon that original Abrahamic covenant with what bible scholars have tagged as the “Mosaic Covenant.” He established the Mosaic Covenant between Himself and the children of Jacob/Israel. Both covenants aimed at bringing Jacob’s children into an eternal relationship with Him with the promise of restoring paradise that was lost when Adam fell (I.e., the Kingdom of God). In a sense, these covenants formed the very first iterations or versions of the Gospel—the basis of the Gospel that Yeshua and His disciples turned apostles taught and preached. Unfortunately, Israel failed to live up to her end of the covenant and thus she ended up temporarily forfeiting many of her covenant promises (e.g., divine protection; possession of the Land; overall prosperity, etc.)

But true to Father’s undying love for His people, Father did not entirely abandon Israel. In fact, Father continued to honor provisions of His original covenant with the nation, even to the point of establishing a new or a renewed covenant with His people. Father built into this everlasting extension of the original covenant enhanced provisions for salvation, restoration and redemption of his wayward and stiffnecked people. This renewed covenant was inaugurated and established by His Son, Yeshua Messiah. For the Kingdom that Yah was supposed to establish through Israel had not been scrapped. In fact, that promised Kingdom was still coming whether Israel was ready for it or not. The Creator would bring about this Kingdom where He would ultimately dwell in the midst of His elect own His terms and through means that only those with eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts and minds to receive could fathom and understand.

And oh by the way, the nation-peoples of the world (I.e., the “ethnos”) would have the divine opportunity to partake in those eternal covenant promises which include having a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe and be a part of the Creator’s coming Kingdom through the provisions the Creator factored into His Gospel. The “ethnoi” would not supplant and replace Israel as those who hold to the false doctrine of “replacement theology” teach. Instead, the “ethnoi” would simply come alongside her Hebrew and Jewish counterparts and reap the glorious, eternal benefits of YHVH’s Plan of Salvation, Restoration and Redemption.

A central truth that we must always bear in mind when discussing or studying Paul’s teachings on the Gospel is that without Israel, there is no Kingdom of God and no salvation for the non-Jewish peoples of this world.

So the bottom line thus far in our discussion is that the Faith of the Roman Messianics was not a new or separate religion and Faith. It was an extension of the original Hebrew Faith that began in great part with Abraham.

The High Potential for Messianic Conflicts

Therefore, let us not overlook the potential for conflict between Messianic Jews and Messianic Non-Jews in the synagogue in Rome. Regardless the Messianic Jews’ acceptance of the gospel, the conventional wisdom in Rabbinic Judaism in Paul’s day put paramount importance on Jewish identity as the central requirement for one partaking of the covenant of Israel. The “ethnoi” were viewed then as being “outside the covenant” and as “other.” Paul tangentially echoed this understanding in Ephesians 2:12 where he described the non-Jewish peoples of the world as being those who “were without hope and without God in this present world.” But through the ministry of Yeshua and the power of the Gospel that He and Paul taught and preached, non-Jewish people were no longer a people without hope and without God in this world. Unfortunately, the uninformed Jew of Paul’s day (and for that matter, even the uninformed Jew of our day) believes that for non-Jews to share in the promises of Yah’s covenantal promises to Israel, they must convert to Judaism and live as a Jew. But as I just stated, that understanding is baseless. For the Creator never established Judaism. Jews established Judaism as their chosen religion. Judaism stands in stark contrast, and at times, total opposition to Father’s Torah. Father’s requirement of both Jew and non-Jew alike is that they accept Yeshua as their Messiah, turn from their wicked ways, and be in covenant relationship with Him through an obedience of Faith: not, however, obedience to man made traditions and laws.

Paul was Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (I.e., of Messiah)

In our focus verse Paul declares to the Romans that he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (I.e., The Gospel of Messiah). Interestingly, “of Christ” is a late addition to the Greek text (I.e., it is not found in earlier Greek manuscripts of our text). The ESV then, having taken this fact into account, correctly translates the text as follows: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.” 

Paul declares that he is not ashamed of the gospel which he realizes is dimly viewed by the known world. The apostle recognized that the world was naturally hostile to the gospel. That natural aversion to the Gospel makes the unconverted mind and heart incapable of understanding and appreciating the gospel.

Indeed, the gospel requires the unconverted person to honestly see themselves in the state in which the unrepented and unconverted fallen man presently exists: in a depraved and hopeless state and in need of what the gospel can offer as the only solution to his/her desperate situation. Only the Gospel has the power to reveal to the would be convert just how foolish and pointless the world’s wisdom truly is in light of Messiah’s expressed wisdom and truth.

Paul more than any other person living in his day could appreciate and competently explain to the truth-seeker just how foolish the wisdom of men is (that being his life as a Pharisee married to Judaism and the Oral Traditions) compared to the wisdom and truth of Messiah that he’d received on that road to Damascus on that fateful day several years before the writing of this letter. Indeed, he had come to “know the reality of the gospel, and the manner in which God takes what is foolishness to man and turns it to proclaim and establish His greatness” (Hegg). To Paul, the Gospel was very real, very powerful and needed by every man, woman and child. And he stood ready to do any and everything in his power to deliver the gospel to any who would receive it.

 

Paul and The Power of the Gospel

Paul then extols the tremendous virtues of the gospel, which he describes as THE ONLY thing that can lead one to salvation. In fact, Yah established the gospel as the only means by which people may be saved. Thus the gospel, despite the world’s inability to understand it on their own cognizance, is derived from God. It is simply the manifest power of God to rescue fallen man from eternal destruction.

 

In looking at the gospel from a “dunamis” (i.e., power) perspective, Paul declares that the spoken Words of the Gospel message that can powerfully bring salvation to fallen mankind is the very same power that brought creation into existence and raised Yahoshua HaMashiyach from the dead.

Paul and Salvation

Now, when we look at “salvation” (soteria) from Paul’s perspective, it is all about people establishing a true and substantive relationship with YHVH. Paul saw salvation and the Gospel as that which rescues fallen mankind from the just wages of sin, which we know to be eternal death (Romans 6:23), and providing in its stead eternal life. Salvation, according to Paul, cannot be earned nor purchased by anyone. In fact, salvation is a free gift of Yah to any who would receive it in faith in Yeshua Messiah. Thus, “the gospel is the power of salvation to all who believe” (pisteuo). The object of this pisteuo is Yahoshua. For mankind on his/her own is incapable of obtaining salvation; she/he are hopelessly lost and damned to death. That’s why the gospel is good news. For it provides man a way out of his/her eternal death sentence.

Jew and Gentile Worshiping as One Body

To “all who believe” highlights one of the central themes of Paul’s letter to the Roman Messianics. And that theme has to do with immediate accessibility of salvation to any who would come to Faith in Messiah Yeshua. For now salvation would know “no ethnic, gender, economic or cultural boundaries.” In making the emphatic statement that salvation was accessible to everyone that believes, the apostle was clearly taking a jab at mainstream Rabbinic bias towards all non-Jews. That bias essentially held that the eternal promises of God’s covenant promises (which included salvation and entry into the Kingdom of God) were only accessible to Jews and those who would become Jewish converts. Interestingly enough, however, the Roman Messianic Assembly had become the proof-positive example showing that the Rabbinic bias was no longer a valid doctrinal belief system. For Rome was home to a thriving Jewish-Gentile Messianic Community of Faith worshiping as one Body the God of Avraham, Yishak and Ya’achov.

To the Jew First and then the Gentile

Verse 16 finds us at a place that traditional and fundamental Christianity is not at all comfortably equipped to deal with. For here, the great Apostle to the Gentiles gets real with his readers, revealing, as Tim Hegg (Messianic author, commentator and Torah scholar) states, his “modus operandi.” For Paul saw and understood the Plan of Salvation-Redemption-Restoration from a 35,000 foot view that few of us today are comfortably willing to match. And Paul not only understood the Plan of Salvation-Redemption-Restoration at that elevated vantage point, he also practiced and executed that which he’d received and been instructed on. For Paul routinely began his evangelistic outreach to the Jewish community first (with rare exceptions if any known ones), and then on to the non-Jewish communities.

J.K. McKee (Messianic teacher, commentator and author) goes directly to the juggler in comparison to Hegg on this issue and simply states, ” Paul…does demonstrate a ministry preference to go to the Jewish community first (Acts 13:5, 14; 14:1; 17:2,10; 18:4,19; 19:8).” And then McKee echoes Keener by writing, “Paul’s evangelistic prioritization of ethnic Israel fits Jesus’ teaching (Mark 7:27) and the portrayal of Paul’s own ministry in Acts (e.g., 13:5; 28:17), yet he will argue that God saves both Jew and Gentile by the same means.”

You see, the driving force behind Shaul’s modus operandi of evangelizing the Jew before Gentile was the apostle’s dogged belief in the promises the Creator had made to his forefathers:

 

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. (Rom 11:26-28 KJV)

Proof is in the Prophetic Pudding

How can Paul make such a statement? Wasn’t he the illustrious apostle to the Gentiles?

For Paul, the promises made to his ancient fathers had to be fulfilled. And the apostle knew and believed with every fiber of his being that YHVH is not a liar (Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 3:4).

Paul, being the penultimate Torah scholar that he was knew better than anyone breathing air in his day the depths and significance of those ancient promises:

17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. (Isa 45:17 KJV)

Zec 9:16 And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jer 31:33-34 KJV)

The Salvation of the Jew is a Requirement of the Gospel

The Jew coming to Faith and salvation is a requirement of the Gospel. Despite that which is erroneously taught both within and without our Faith, the Gospel is not only about the Gentile. In fact, nowhere in Scripture can one find a covenant that the Almighty made with the Gentiles directly. Instead, the promises that were given to Israel had built into it provisions for the Gentile to partake in the blessings and commonwealth that is to come to Israel. But without Israel, the Gentile doesn’t have a covenantal leg to stand on.

Paul brilliantly expounded upon this essential Truth when he later on in this very same letter to the Romans how this Jew-Gentile thing is supposed to work in Plan of Salvation-Restoration-Redemption:

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. 25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. (Rom 11:13-32 ESV)

The Jew Was Paul First Priority For Evangelism

So wherever the apostle went to deliver the gospel, his first stop was always the local synagogue as a matter of priority. And as part of his outreach to the Jew, Paul would preach to them about the salvation that has come to the Gentiles. This evangelistic approached was used for purposes of creating within the Jew jealousy that would lead the Jew to Yeshua as his/her Messiah. 

So Paul’s use of “first” (or in the Greek, “protos”) in our focus verse must be viewed from the perspective of priority. Paul is not at all suggesting that the Jew is superior biologically nor spiritually to the non-Jew. Jew and non-Jew are in fact equal in every respect in the overarching scheme of the gospel (which is the power of God unto salvation for the believing Jew and believing non-Jew, both on equal par).

Despite the Jew and non-Jew being on equal par as it relates to the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation, Paul brings to the Roman’s attention that the Gospel that he preached did have factored into it a significant degree of focus on the Jewish condition. Paul saw this as absolutely critical given that Israel was the cultivated olive tree that would receive the wild olive tree branch through a spiritual grafting process. So the Jew had to be taken care of, if but for the overall sake of the incoming Gentile (Romans 11:24).

Israel–The Liberal Christian’s Stumbling Block

This righteous and accurate understanding of the gospel that Paul possessed is a stumbling block to the liberal Christian who sees him/herself as Israel under the false doctrine of “Replacement Theology.” Replacement theology, in rejecting any future salvation of the Jew, for all intents and purposes denies the power of the gospel to bring about salvation to the Jew. Not to mention, any doctrinal thinking that usurps and replaces the Jew with the Gentile nations as being God’s only elect peoples fundamentally calls YHVH a liar by insinuating that Yah does not honor His covenants with Israel. 

Action

What does this understanding of “to the Jew first and also the Greek” mean for the modern Messianic? First and foremost, there can be absolutely no room for antisemitism in the Body of Messiah. Secondly, if we are to take the Apostle Paul’s example at its face-value, the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Community must consider some level of outreach to the Jewish Community in her evangelistic work.

 

Shaul, as I’ve repeatedly made the case throughout this entire series, was hands down, the best man on the planet at the time to fulfill the role as the apostle to the Gentile with the modus operandi of evangelizing the Jew first and also the non-Jew. That being said, most of us who are members of this Faith are ill-equipped to effectively evangelize Jews. Yet, evangelism of the Jew requires uniquely qualified, Spirit-filled individuals to effectively communicate the Hebraic, Torah-based Gospel message to the Jew.

 

I do believe there are souls who, like the Apostle Shaul, Father has and is currently preparing to evangelize the seed of Jacob. Furthermore, I believe that Father has already laid out in His mind how and through whom He will bring Jacob to faith in His Son Yeshua Messiah. So I believe the question we must ask Father as it relates to our respective ministry outreaches, how, if at all, He desires us to deliver the Gospel to the Jewish Community.

 

I like what McKee says in totality regarding this passage. He states something that is poignant, yet accurate in my opinion by saying that the gospel belongs to both Jew and non-Jew alike (my words) and thus there must be a significant degree of Jewish ministry factored into any Messianic outreach and evangelism.

 

Indeed, the promises of Yah were first rendered unto Israel and it would be asinine to think even today that those promises no longer apply to the Jew today. Yet when all is said and done, there remains equal access to the gospel across the board of humanity and we must do our part—whatever you and I have been called to do—in the Great Commission.

Torah Reading 46–Ekev (Because)–A Focus on the Kingdom of God

by | Aug 7, 2020 | Blog

Highlights and Comments

Shalom Saints. This week’s Torah Reading is entitled, “Ekev,” or “Because.” The portion covers Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25.

I wish to share with you some of my thoughts and reflections on the many life truths that I drew from my study of this reading.

Our God Will Honor the Covenant

YHVH will honor the covenant and mercies He promised our Hebrew forefathers when we choose to listen, keep and obey His Torah. Thus, He promises to love, bless and increase our numbers in the Land of Promise. In fact, we would be blessed above all other peoples on the planet. Furthermore, no illnesses would be known among us. Instead, all destructive diseases wouild be experienced by our enemies.

When we consider the immense opportunity this nation of ours would have if she only turned to and obeyed the Creator’s Word. This so-called COVID pandemic would not affect us. We would be prosperous and protected. The world would look to us and seek to know what we were doing differently to stay the virus from our nation.

Unfortunately, our nation has chosen instead to put her trust in men. That choice can only lead to destruction.

Whom Do We Serve

Father requires that we not serve the so-called gods of our enemies. One would think this would be commonsense. Yet Father explains to us that by our inquiring about our enemies’ gods, we would be stepping into a trap that will inevitably lead to our not being able to free ourselves from. It’s best then to simply not even mention or inquire about them.

Remember When Difficult Times Come Our Way

Father counsels us to remember the mighty exploits YHVH did on our behalf when faced with difficult times. For we will recall that it was YHVH that delivered us from our captors and our enemies. Thus, we are not to fear our enemies.

Father told us that He would send His hornets out ahead of us and drive our enemies from the Land of Promise. You see, Father has methods of taking care of business that may not make any sense to us at the time. Nevertheless, Father knows best how to defeat our enemies on our behalf.

Here’s a fun fact: Palestinian hornets nest in rock caves and are exceptionally aggressive. So pervasive can these insects be to humans, in the Canaanites’ case, a plague of Palestinian hornets would reduce the Canaanites’ ability to wage war against us. Thus, since the whole earth belongs to Yah and He controls the earth’s creatures, we can safely conclude that Yah will be with us and fight for us. And Yah may fight for us in the most unconventional ways.

We Must Abandon the Carved Images

Father commands us not to possess any carved images. Such things have the potential of being worshiped and treated as idols. Father commanded us earlier that we were not to worship any created thing, either in heaven, on or under the earth or in the seas.

Father warns us that these carved images that we turn into idols are effectively cursed. And those who choose to possess them by extension receive the curse that is upon the carved image.

Torah teaches us to strive to be like YHVH our Elohim in all our ways. Thus, we are to see things the way He sees things; feel about things the way He feels about things; behave in a holy and righteous manner as He is Holy and Just in all His Ways. So, when it comes to carved images, our attitude toward them must be one of loathing.

We must remember that Father set the Canaanites’ carved images/idols apart from destruction. And by extension, the people attached to those idols were also marked for destruction.

Yah Humbles Us to Test Us

YHVH humbled us for 40-years in the wilderness to test what was in our hearts. The goal of Father’s testing was to reveal whether or not we would obey His mitzvot or not. Some may take exception to Father’s methods. But this is how Father vets His elect: He tests them and humbles them to determine whether or not they will obey Him. Case in point: Abraham.

How did Yah humble us? He humbled us through hunger and thirst. When we hungered, he provided us manna. Manna was food that we’d never known before. It served to teach us that we do not live by bread alone. We live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH.

During our 40-years sojourn in the wilderness, our clothes did not wear out. Our feet did not swell up. And throughout this trial, Father was disciplining us as a human father disciples his children.

From this we must recognize that our minds and hearts must be Kingdom focused. We would be foolish to focus on the things presently going on around us. In fact, our focus must be, as Yeshua taught, on the Kingdom of Yah and His righteousness. Thus, by our focusing on the Kingdom and Abba’s righteousness, Father will take care of the many cares we otherwise have in this life.

As Father did for our Hebrew forefathers in the wilderness well over 3,500-years ago, Father is doing for us today. Back then, Abba prepared our forefathers’ to receive the Land of Promise. Today, Father is preparing us to receive His coming Kingdom.

We Must Do Our Part in Preparing to Receive the Land

Father instructed us to circumcise the foreskins of our hearts and no longer be a stiffnecked people. He reminded us that He was above all entities on the earth and in heaven. We are to imitate Him in all our ways. He being holy and righteous, we must be holy, righteous and just in our ways.

Father commanded us to (1) fear Him; (2) serve Him; (3) cling to Him; (4) and swear by His Name only.

In other words, YHVH requires everything from us. We are to have nothing else remaining. We have been bought with a price. Thus, we no longer belong to any other entity, nor do we belong to ourselves. We are the sole property of YHVH. And our admittance into the Kingdom will be given based upon our loyalty and obedience to Him.

Father does not require something from us that we are not capable of giving Him. As He mentioned to our Hebrew forefathers, if they would simply do all that He has asked them to do, then He would fight for them. In fighting for them, Father would handily overcome our forefathers’ enemies and they would go in and take possession of their inheritance. Furthermore, Father would expand their territory.

So What?

Essentially, what these three-chapters must say to us is that in order for us to receive the Kingdom, we must seek YHVH’s Kingdom and keep His Torah and imitate His holiness and righteousness. In so doing, Father will take care of everything else. We simply must have personal skin in the game. Father will do all the rest.

This is all about getting into the Kingdom. And we must ask ourselves: do we have the wherewithal to give our all to the service of Yah and to conform every aspect of our lives to Him and His ways. It’s all or nothing. No one said that this life choice was to be an easy one. Indeed,. there’s nothing easy about it. But if we are willing to turn over the reins of our lives to Him, He will do all the hard work for us.

Fatihfully

Rod