Feast Pilgrimages to Israel–Messianic Lessons Learned from Shemitah

by | May 19, 2018 | Blog, Podcasts

Feast Pilgrimages to Israel–Messianic Lessons Learned from Shemitah

Feast Pilgrimages to Israel--Messianic Lessons Learned From Shemitah

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

Pilgrimages to Israel for the Feasts of YHVH

Question Posed: Are We Suppose to Conduct a Pilgrimage to Israel Today?

The question has been posed and sadly has been incorrectly answered some: Are we obliged to keep Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Weeks (i.e., Pentecost or Shavuot) and Feast of Booths (i.e., Tabernacles or Sukkot) in the Land of Israel (namely Jerusalem), in obedience to Deuteronomy 16:16?

Facebook Arguments Again

This past week, I visited one of our Facebook feeds and happened upon a rather robust exchange by several Hebrew Roots/Messianic friends regarding the three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts and the Torah instruction to celebrate those feasts in Israel./Jerusalem. The exchange apparently began with one rather forceful individual telling her Facebook friends that they were required by Torah to keep the three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts in the Land of Israel each year. Failure to do so, would of course, be a violation of Torah. This individual provided a few chapters and verses where Father instructed us to keep Unleavened Bread, Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) at the place where He would cause His Name to be placed (Deuteronomy 14, 16; 26:2); essentially to keep these feasts where Father’s presence would be among us. Wherever the Father instructed His Tabernacle to be erected once we entered the Land of Promise (e.g., Shiloh), and ultimately where His Temple would be established by King Solomon is where His presence was established and we were to keep these three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts at that location.

Needless to say, the exchange was somewhat contentious. At one point in the feed, the individual who started the whole discussion about Torah-mandated Pilgrimages to Israel by 21st century observers for these three Feasts, maligned a very popular and respected Hebrew Roots/Messianic teacher. That teacher somehow entered the discussion and you could easily tell by the words he posted that he was devastated by some of the negative things that individual was saying about him. This teacher tried to defend his reputation, but when the discussion began to focus more on him personally and on his teachings than on the actual topic of discussion, he gracefully bowed out of the conversation.

The thing that hurt me the most about this exchange were the people, no doubt new or inexperience to Torah-keeping, who were devastated to think that they may have been violating Torah by not making the pilgrimage to Israel during those Feasts. Many lamented that they could not possibly afford to travel to Israel with their families three (3) times each calendar year and pay for 16 or more days of lodging and food. The individual who started the conversation suggested possible cost saving-options for making the Pilgrimage more affordable, but like the Pharisees of Yeshua’s day still insisted that it was every believe’rs responsibility, regardless of their personal situation, to make these trips each year without fail.

Many participants in this discussion went to great lengths to prove to this individual that she was taking the pilgrimage instruction out of context, citing obvious facts that the Temple and its services are no longer in existence and that our bodies have become the Temple of YHVH today. But true to many in our Faith Community who read Torah without proper discipleship; without the teaching and leading of the Holy Spirit; and without Yeshua as their example for proper Torah Living, there was no reasoning or humiliation to be found in this individual. It was truly a sad thing to witness.

The Pilgrimage Instruction Given

Deuteronomy 16:16 reads as follows:

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: (Deu 16:16 KJV)

If you are interested, companion verses to this passage include: Exodus 23:14, 22, 23 and 17.

It goes without saying that the last place Father chose to have these 3 feasts kept by us was in Jerusalem. That was where His Temple was erected and the place where His presence dwelt. Thus in this passage, Father commanded us to appear before Him–His presence–for these 3 key feasts or moedim.

What’s the Deal Here?

So what’s the deal here? The instruction for us to conduct 3-pilgrimages to the seat of His presence (i.e., the sanctuary in Shiloh and then the Temple in Jerusalem) each biblical calendar year is clear. But there are some mitigating factors that come into play here that we must take into account when deciding to keep these 3 feasts according to the literal way it is recorded in Torah.

Mitigating Factors to be Considered

The Temple Mount

Are Messianics obligated to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the Feasts of Yehovah?

For starters, it is common knowledge that the Temple was destroyed by Roman General Titus in 68 C.E.. Josephus documents this tremendous event in “War,” 6.4.5-6.4.7. Ezekiel records seeing the glory and presence of YHVH leave the Temple in Ezekiel chapters 8 through 11; this prior to the temple’s destruction and the people taken into captivity. Temple worship and Father’s presence in our midst was the fulcrum upon which this instruction was given and required. Both of these elements are now missing and not present in the Land of Israel.

And it goes without saying that the land–Jerusalem–Israel proper–today is in a state of defilement as a result of rampant immorality, secularism, humanism and social and political corruption. Any such pilgrimage for purposes of worship seems almost laughable in my mind.

The Answer is Given

Given these and other such mitigating factors, are Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua then required to keep this instruction as written and recorded in Deuteronomy 16:16? No, we are not required to conduct a pilgrimage to Israel in order to keep the three (3) Pilgrimage Feasts of YHVH for the stated reasons.

Context-Context-Context

The other thing that we must consider is the context upon which Father’s original instruction to go up to where He caused His Name to be placed; essentially, Father’s presence to rest is based. When this instruction was given, and for centuries thereafter, Father’s presence rested upon the Ark of the Covenant, that was contained within the holy of holies, that was contained in the sanctuary and then temple in Shiloh and Jerusalem respectively. Today, we must bear in mind that Father’s presence is supposed to rest upon and within each and everyone of us.

Yeshua Must Be Our Example

Yeshua must be our exclusive example for proper Torah-Living. There is no one else who we should imitate. The Spirit of YHVH rested upon Yeshua as recorded in the 11th Chapter of Isaiah and confirmed by Master in Luke 4:18. Father’s Spirit  rests upon He whom the Father chooses to have His presence rest. Generally speaking, that individual who has the Spirit resting within and on them must be of a pure heart (Matthew 5:8) and a clean, undefiled heart and soul (Psalm 24:3-5). We saw the physical manifestation of this in the workings of the Tabernacle whereby every individual who would come to the sanctuary for worship was required to be ceremonially clean while the sanctuary and the attending priests were to be in a perpetual state of cleanliness and purity. Have you heard about the current state of modern Israel? The modern State of Israel is a far cry from being in any semblance of cleanliness. Certainly, the Father’s presence is not resting upon the Land today. Indeed, I believe with my whole heart that Father’s watchful eye and protective hand remains over Israel even today (Deuteronomy 11:11, 12; Psalm 121:4). But to simply take the original Torah instruction to keep each of the three (3) pilgrimage feasts in Israel without keeping full truth of the instruction as it applies today, is in my book, adding to, or maybe even, taking away from Father’s Torah.

Faithfully

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Messianic Lessons Learned from Shemitah

The Shemitah and Modern Hebrew Roots

When we consider the Torah instruction related to the Shemitah (or the Sabbatical Year) and the Jubilee Year that was given to Moses (i.e., Moshe) on Mount Sinai, which he then passed down to us, I was compelled to reflect upon the significance these two great observances have to our modern Hebrew Roots Community. It turns out that last Sabbath’s Torah Portion–Parashah 32–entitled B’Har, or “On Mount,” dealt with this very subject. The section of this portion that speaks to the Shemitah and the Jubilee is contained in Leviticus 25:1-26:46 and Deuteronomy 15:2-10. It must be mentioned, however, that without the corresponding Brit haDashah reading, found in Luke 4:16-21, the relevance of these two great observances to Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua could easily become lost in rote, blind obedience to an instruction that has sadly become widely misunderstood and improperly kept by 21st century Messianics and Jews the world over.

The Popularity of Jewish Things

Have you noticed how popular Jewish names, concepts, words and even teachings have become of late in many sectors of Christianity today? There was a time, not too long ago, that anyone who would bring up anything of a Jewish nature in any Christian discussion or teaching, that individual would more than likely receive the stink eye by anyone who happened to be in hearing range. But today, it’s become a rather theologically sound practice to infuse Jewish terms, names and concepts into Christian sermons and teachings. Or dare I say, Hebrew terms, names and concepts? For as encouraging as this popularity in many things Jewish may appear to some of us, the true Hebrew Roots message is more times than naught overlooked by these individuals who seek to popularize Hebraism to Christianity.

Johnathan Cahn-Messianic Jewish Rabbi

Johnathan Cahn and others were instrumental in introducing Shemitah to mainstream Christianity and Hebrew Roots communities.

I am reminded while reflecting upon this popular wave of Hebraism that seems to have taken Christianity by storm,  of the well known Messianic Jewish personality, Jonathan Cahn, who is considered formally a Messianic Jewish Rabbi. Let me take you back just a couple years ago. If you recall, it appears that many Messianic and Jewish communities in one form or another observed Shemitah from September 2014 to September 2015. During this same period we had a series of, what many Hebraic Roots and Christian teachers called Blood Moon sightings. The combination of these two events seemed to create quite a hubbub throughout both Christian and Messianic circles. And it was during this time frame that teachers and preachers such as Jonathan Cahn climbed the rapid ladder of financial success, so to speak, by capitalizing on the Torah instructions surrounding the Shemitah. Sadly, the true message and relevance of Shemitah was lost in all the hubbub and excitement.

Being transparent, I did not read any of Mr. Cahn’s books or listen to any of his teachings on the Shemitah and Blood Moons. What I did see was the huge impact that these Hebraic Roots teachers and preachers had on both communities. If you recall, the primary focus of Cahn and teachers like him was to warn of pending doom and gloom to come upon the inhabitants of Israel and the whole earth because the nations have violated Torah’s Shemitah instructions. Bear in mind, such a pronouncement is pure speculation and frankly not biblical since Shemitah only pertains to the people living in the Land of Israel. It should also be mentioned that no one truly knows when the Shemitah and Jubilee are supposed to occur. The Shemitah and Jubilee time frames were forever lost to the memory of the Jewish people after the destruction of Herod’s Temple in 68 C.E. and after the Sanhedrin was disbanded and exiled in 359 C.E.

I would give those Jews living in the land of Israel who attempted to keep the Shemitah credit for at least trying to obey Torah, despite the rabbis having no true knowledge of when Shemitah was to occur.

The Missing Element of The Shemitah and The Jubilee

There are a couple problems with this whole Shemitah instruction as it relates to the modern Hebrew Roots/Messianic Community.

The Shemitah and the Jubilee

For Truth-seekers, the Shemitah and Jubilee are about Sabbath Rests, Faith, Miracles, Restoration and Redemption.

To begin with and as I stated earlier, no one truly knows when the Shemitah year is supposed to occur. The Orthodox Jewish website www.chabad.org projects the next Shemitah year cycle to be 9/7/2021 through 09/25/2022. Now, where the rabbis got those dates from, I have no idea. My guess is that they believe they have the authority to determine Father’s appointed times, as they have shown similarly in their adjusting the beginning of the biblical calendar year from Nisan 1 (i.e., Aviv 1) to Tishri 1 (i.e., the 7th month). The problem with anyone tinkering and moving around Abba’s appointed times is that He told us not to. Father instructed:

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. (Deu 12:32 KJV)

Is rabbinic authority challenging this commandment when they establish when the Shemitah and other set-apart days occur during His biblical calendar year? If not, then it certainly seems that they are getting close in my opinion.

The other thing is the application of the Shemitah. In other words, does the Shemitah have universal application to all Torah Observers scattered throughout our 21st century world? And the answer to this rather loaded question is: yes and no. Let’s think about this for a bit.

Torah Portion 32–B’Har–Leviticus 25-26:46

I was blessed to have come upon the Shemitah instructions in last week’s Torah Portion: Parashah 32, B’Har (On Mount), Leviticus 25:1-26:46. Upon studying this section, I was reminded of that period between 2014 through 2015 when both the Christian and Hebrew Roots worlds were smitten, essentially obsessed, over Shemitah. It seemed as though everyone wanted a piece of Shemitah. The Christians wanted to somehow link to Shemitah because of a popular curiosity associated with Jewish things and multiple teachings that circulated throughout Christendom that violations of the Shemitah commands in Torah would result in worldwide death and destruction.

I guess it’s only fair to say that Hebrew Rooters came out in droves wanting a piece of Shemitah because observance of Shemitah was a Torah instruction given to us by YHVH; among other reasons I would imagine. So, many of us felt compelled to literally observe it. Therefore, if we owned and operated a farm, we did not work the farm that entire year that was designated as the Shemitah. Then we were moved to forgive any debt that was owed to us, if indeed we held any debt. In all honesty, however, I heard very little about debt forgiveness during that period.

I understand that in the Modern State of Israel proper, many farmers actually observed the Shemitah and did not work their lands that year. For all intents and purposes, it was somewhat of a heady and enlightening time to say the least.

Which brings me to that yes and no answer to the loaded question I proposed to you just a bit ago regarding the application of Shemitah to the 21st century Torah Observers who are scattered throughout the world. I already mentioned that no one today truly knows when Shemitah is to occur. Anyone who says they do, is not being truthful–or just misinformed maybe. Anyone who says that it doesn’t matter and that we should just start observing Shemitah whenever the urge hits us is frankly adding to Torah. The clock for Shemitah began the year we entered the land of promise. While we sojourned in the Sinai Desert, we did not keep Shemitah. In fact, YHVH instructed Moshe while Moshe was on Mount Sinai to tell the people of Isra’el: “When you enter the land I am giving you, the land itself is to observe a Shabbat rest for YHVH” (Leviticus 25:1; CJB). And from there YHVH goes on to delineate the essential elements of Shemitah.

Therefore, it is clearly stipulated in this section of Torah that Shemitah observance is specifically tied to the Land of Israel. In other words, Shemitah is not applied to, tied to, or to be practiced anywhere else on the planet. To do so would be bordering on adding to Torah which Father strictly prohibited (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32).

Zeal is Good, But Zeal Can Also Cause Us to Get Off Track

I get that many of us in Hebrew Roots desire to live Torah perfectly and to the absolute best of our abilities. So some of us tend to be zealous in our keeping of Torah. Our zeal for Torah, however, must not override our sense of reason and understanding. I mean, it’s one thing to keep Father’s Feasts and the weekly Sabbath and the Food Laws which are universal in their applicability–that is, there are no but’s or what if’s associated with them. We are to obey them without question and employing a modicum of zeal in keeping them can go a long way towards solidifying our relationship with the Almighty.

When it comes to other Torah instructions such as Shemitah and Jubilee and Messianics making pilgrimage feasts to Israel and sacrificing lambs on Passover (and these are stories for another time), we must consider context and understand to whom these instructions were originally given to and then determine how they would apply to us today. Many such Torah commandments applied strictly to the Land of Promise or to Temple worship. Thus it goes without saying that before one goes off half-cocked to keep specific Torah instructions such as Shemitah on your Virginia homestead, or embark on a pilgrimage to Israel to keep the feast because required us to keep the three (3) Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot and Tabernacles/Sukkot at the place where He placed His Name, we must first determine if those specific instructions apply to us today.

In the case of Shemitah, the instructions given in Leviticus 25 clearly tell us that this instruction applies to those of us living in the Land of Promise. Furthermore, if we were to live in the Modern State of Israel today, we still would not know when Shemitah is to take place, apart from the made up dates given by the rabbis. So no: we do not keep Shemitah outside of the Land of Promise and no, we do not know when Shemitah is supposed to actually take place.

Now, is it a crime for someone living outside of Israel to exercise Shemitah principles when it comes to their farm land? No. In fact, it’s a fantastic principle to follow. However, in following Shemitah principles outside of the Land, one must be very careful not to elevate that practice to Torah-level authority. In other words, one should not demand that others do likewise as if their refusal to do so would violate Torah because it would not violate Torah. You know how some of us can be when it comes to certain Torah instructions?

Context–Context–Context

We must be ever so care to ensure that we honor and keep Torah in proper context and have a firm understanding as to why we are keeping the instruction and to what end we are keeping the instruction. The problem with keeping and living Torah out of context is that we will ultimately end up adding our own personal spin to Torah (which we’ve been instructed not to do). If not for ourselves in terms of how we keep Torah, let us always be cognizant of the young and impressionable of our Community. So many  of our newbie jump out of the frying pan of religion, only to be caught up into the fire of religion yet again.

The other think we should be aware of is that when we go out of our way to keep and practice Torah outside its truest context, we essentially feed into our Christian cousins’ accusations that we are all legalistic in our Faith-keeping and that we are attempting to purchase our salvation by works of the Law. Well, I’ve never been afraid to be called legalistic; I tend to see that as somewhat of a badge of honor, if the accusation is being made within the context of my being obedient to Torah as we are meant to keep it (e.g., keeping the weekly Sabbath, the annual Feasts of YHVH and the food instructions). But when we as a veteran Torah Observer insist and teach others to practice Torah out of context, then the legalistic allegations may not be too much of a stretch. We saw true legalistic religion practiced by the Pharisees of Master Yeshua’s day. This band of controlling religious leaders erected a religion around Torah and in so doing, enslaved the Jews of Yahoshua’s day, and one could argue, Jews through the last couple millennia.

I would be less inclined to believe that true Hebrew Rooters/Messianics are keeping Torah for purposes of purchasing their salvation and place in the Kingdom of YHVH. Virtually everyone I know who keeps Torah in our Faith Community does so because they realize that Torah has not been done away as pop-Christianity has teaches. On the contrary, we keep Torah in its proper context because wish to please our Heavenly Father by being obedient to His instructions. There will always be some in our Faith Community who will insist on erecting personal walls around Torah and creating traditions and practices that ultimately trumps the authority of Torah, such as we saw happen with Rabbinic Judaism. When we give into the adding and subtracting of Torah we run the risk of losing perspective and before you know it, Master Yahoshua and His teachings go out the door; we become Pharisaical in our worldview; and do indeed take on a belief system that we are purchasing our salvation and place in the Kingdom of YHVH.

This is human nature when it collides with Torah. That is why it is so important to die to self and allow the Holy Spirit–the Ruach HaKodesh–to fully operate in our lives. When we allow the Holy Spirit to take over, there is no risk of behaving contrary to Torah. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that rested upon our Savior and that our Master promised us (John 14:17; 15:26).

Master promised us that He would have His Father send us His Comforter and The Comforter is also the Spirit of Truth that will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).

I submit to you here today that if our community–individually and collectively speaking–were to make it a practice to fast and pray that Father grant us a greater unction of the power and authority of His Holy Spirit, our keeping of Torah would be much more meaningful and spot. Our obedience to Torah would be more in line with the example Yeshua provided us and would better glorify our Father in heaven.

The Spirit and Truth of the Matter

So what then must a Torah Observant Believe in Yeshua Messiah take away from the Shemitah and Jubilee instruction if in deed we do not know when these set-apart days to occur and we live outside the Land of Israel (or in the Land of Israel for that matter)? What is the Spirit and Truth of Shemitah and Jubilee?

The grander point to keeping any commandments, especially Feasts of YHVH and set-apart days such as the Shemitah and the Jubilee years, is the worship and glorifying of YHVH our Elohim. In other words, it’s all about Father. He must always be the focus of our obedience and keeping of His instructions, with an eye on Yahoshua our Messiah, who is the end–the bottom line–the end goal if you will–of Torah for righteousness to everyone of us in our Faith Community (Romans 10:4).

Lessons to Be Gained From Shemitah Over Blind Ritualistic Obedience

The Shemitah

Although the concept of Shemitah is universally brilliant, the Shemitah instructions applies only to the land of Israel.

The Shemitah and its grand sister year, the Jubilee Year, when they were passed down to us by the Almighty through Moses, taught us to respect the Land that Father gave to us by invoking a period of rest for the land for an entire year. In that time, we were to not work the land, which included no planting, pruning or harvesting of crops and produce. What were we to do for food during that Sabbatical Year period we asked? Well, we were to trust and rely upon the providence and provision of our Heavenly Father. As the land was allowed to rest all those months, it would produce food on its own. We were to then live off that spontaneous produce, if you will, as well as live off of any provisions we held from the previous harvest period to sustain us. Speaking of the previous harvests, Abba would miraculously increase our harvests from the previous years (Leviticus 25:19, 20).

Thus we were being taught to live by Faith in the Almighty’s provision and providence.

The other lessons were being taught was discipline and obedience. Discipline would come into play as an outcropping (no pun intended) of our Faith in Father’s provision. The natural tendency would be to turn to the work of our own hands to provide for our sustenance. So we would ignore Father’s commandment to let the land rest every Sabbatical Year and work the land in order to provide food for our families, which history bears out that we actually did do. As a result of our disobedience and lack of discipline in honoring the Shemitah, we were taken into Babylonian Captivity equivalent to the number of Shemitah Years we ignored (reference II Chronicles 36:21; II Kings 17 and 25).

The Shemitah also taught us about forgiveness of debt (Deuteronomy 15:2-10), which lesson was a precursor to the forgiveness for sins that we would receive from YHVH because of the sacrificial work of Yeshua on the execution stake.

The Shemitah taught us about the importance of Sabbatical rest, whereby we turn our attention away from the day-to-day grind of everyday life–in the case of Shemitah, the grind of farming, and turn our hearts and minds and souls to YHVH our Elohim. We of course see this embodied in the weekly Sabbath rest and in Father’s holy Feasts that we enjoy. There are times in Father’s calendar when he simply wants us to stop what we’re doing and give Him our full attention and adoration.

The Shemitah also taught us of the importance and sacredness of the Land. Torah reveals to us that YHVH cares for the Land of Canaan and His eyes are always on it all the time (Deuteronomy 11:12). Now, that’s not to say that the Jews, or for that matter, any one of us should worship the Land of Israel. The only person we are to worship is YHVH our Elohim. The point is that it must become common knowledge for us that Father has a special attachment to the Land that He has given to us His children.

The companion year of the Jubilee, which also involves the Land, serves to teach us the principles of redemption and restoration. Torah teaches us that during the Jubilee–which occurred every 50-years–that being once every 7-Shemitahs–all owned property (i.e., farm land exclusively) was to be returned to the original owner (Leviticus 15:23-28). Essentially, land could not be permanently sold. Thus, in the event that we lost our family-inherited land–for whatever reason, and we were unable to redeem it or purchase it back from the new owner leading up to the Jubilee Year–we would have the family land restored to us in full by the grace and providence and provision that the Almighty factored into His Torah. I know, doesn’t make any sense to our western sensibilities–that being, once you sell your land and the new owner take possession of that land, they should be able to keep and do whatever they want with that land. But that’s not the way Father sees things. Father’s grace is amazing and fortunately, He writes the rules. Unfortunately, men like to come in the midst and re-write Father’s rules.

Thus the concepts of redemption and restoration, which are embodied in the Jubilee Year, foreshadowed Father’s Plan of Salvation, the Gospel of the Kingdom of YHVH, and in the mission and teachings of our Master Yeshua Messiah.

These are just some of the things that we are to take away and apply to our lives as it relates to the Shemitah and the Jubilee. It’s not about forcing a keeping of Shemitah or Jubilee which truth be told, we cannot properly do. It is, however, about Yeshua’s work on the execution stake to free us from religion and the scourge of sin and rescue us from eternal death. It is about trusting Father to meet our day-to-day needs. It’s about living disciplined and obedient Torah-based lives. It’s about loving and watching out for one another. It’s about loving, serving, honoring and worshiping the Creator of the Universe.

 

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Living a Life Beyond the Norm–Lessons Learned from the Levitical Priesthood

by | May 14, 2018 | Blog, Podcasts

Living a Life Beyond the Norm–Lessons Learned from the Levitical Priesthood

Living a Life Beyond the Norm--Lessons Learned from the Levitical Priesthood

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

Organizations establish standards by which its members’ job performances are judged. There are set standards and job performance levels that separate an average from an exceptional worker. A member’s job performance when compared to those standards may determine that member’s standing in the organization; advancement opportunities in that organization; and even the amount that member will be paid. Those members who find themselves rated as exceptional employees tend to be rewarded with higher responsibilities, privileges and salaries within the organization. Unlike any other human organization or activity, YHVH established the standards by which our performance will ultimately be judged by our Master, Yahoshua Messiah. Our positions and privileges in the Kingdom of YHVH will depend upon how we measure up to those basic, and most importantly, exceptional expectations. In this post, we focus on the exceptional life to be lived by disciples of Yahoshua, using the expectations that were modeled for us by our Master Yeshua and the expectations that were established for members of the Levitical Priesthood in Leviticus 21: 1-22:16. In so doing, the true disciple of Yahoshua HaMashiyach is expected to live a life beyond the norm.

YHVH’s Expectations Established

YHVH provided us the standards by which we are expected to live. Those expectations are encapsulated in His eternal Torah and through the teachings and example of Yahoshua Messiah. As with any human organization, there are basic standards and expectations, as well as exceptional standards and expectations. The basic standards YHVH established for day-to-day living are embedded in Torah–the first-five books of the Old Testament. The exceptional standards and expectations established by YHVH were delivered to and modeled for us by His Son, Yahoshua our Messiah. I believe we also see exceptional expectations and standards that were given by YHVH to the Levitical Priesthood. Those exceptional standards and expectations offer us, in a sense, a shadow picture of the exceptionally high standards that Yeshua requires of all of His disciples.

Levitical Priesthood Standards/Expectations Were Higher Than the Norm

One-fifth of Torah is dedicated to the rigorous, exceptional standards and expectations that YHVH established for the Levitical Priesthood. At the time these instructions were handed down to us, very little of those priestly expectations and requirements applied to the average Israelite. Those standards were established specifically for the Levitical Priesthood. The Levitical Priests were expected to meet, not just the basic, core, rote-mechanical standards and expectations of Torah that applied to every Israeli male. They were expected and required, in addition, to meet exacting, ritual-holiness-cleanliness standards that exceeded the universal standard, basic instructions of Torah. Failure to meet both the standard and exceptional standards and expectations disqualified a Levite from serving in the sanctuary and serving the nation.

Higher Standards and Expectations For Every Disciple of Yeshua

I contend that we who are Torah Observant Believers in Yahoshua Messiah are now, and in the future, expected to not only meet all applicable Torah instructions (i.e., commandments), but also every applicable aspect of Torah that is over and above each rote-mechanical aspect of Torah (e.g., not only are we to not commit adultery or fornication, but we are not to look upon another member of the opposite sex who is not our spouse in a lustful manner).

The Levitical Priesthood

The expectations and standards set for a Levitical Priest was beyond the basic standards for men by Torah.

It is about living a life that is above and beyond the NORM. This is about living and exceptionally righteous life. I would submit to you that failure to meet both the basic and those exacting, exceptional standards and expectations will adversely affect our role and inclusion in the Kingdom of YHVH.

Torah Is NOT Just a Jewish Thing

Many outside of our Faith Community adamantly contend that Torah was created and implemented for the Jews. These maintain that the Jews failed to keep Torah and thus forfeited their opportunity for salvation and that Christians have replaced the Jews in God’s great plan of salvation for mankind. Is this an true line of thought and teaching? Well, when Torah was given to us during our sojourn in the Sinai Desert, and even after we entered the Land of Promise, the bible clearly indicates that all 12-tribes of Israel were subject to Torah. By the first half-of the 6th-century B.C., 10 of our 12-tribes had become scattered by the Assyrians leaving only the tribes of Judah and Levi. Today, the identities and locations of those scattered 10-tribes of Israel are lost to the memory of world history. Interestingly, during the time our Master, Yahoshua and His handpicked disciples walked, taught and preached on this earth, the identities and locations of those 10-tribes was well known to the Jews of the Ancient Near East (Matthew 10:6; 15:24; 9:36; Jeremiah 50:6). Scholars who have attempted to identify some of the lost “Sheep of Israel;” or rather the misnomer “Lost 10-Tribes of Israel,” have found archaeological evidence that is scattered throughout the eastern and western world that many of the scattered peoples have kept Torah to a lesser or fuller extent throughout the ages.

The Pharisaical religious establishment has successfully duped the world into thinking that Torah (and the Land of Promise) was given only to the Jewish nation. Christianity then took this Jewish-only mindset and understanding a few steps further by hijacking and corrupting the concept and doctrines of “grace.” Christianity teaches the “Law” was for those evil Jews who will suffer for their refusal to play by God’s rules, but we Christians are under grace and not required to keep one jot or tittle of the “Law.” By default, the Christian worldview has separated would-be disciples in Yeshua Messiah (thought of mainly as Gentiles) from their naturalized Israeli heritage and Faith that is based upon Torah. Therefore, the hijacked doctrine of grace has unceremoniously completely eliminated Torah as a life-expectation and requirement for any would-be disciple of Jesus Christ (i.e., Yeshua Messiah). This doctrine is not only false, it is also the vehicle by which countless well-intended, sincere, but grossly misinformed souls will NOT be admitted to the Kingdom of YHVH in the World Tomorrow.

None of this is to say, in the least, that a would-be disciple of Jesus Christ (i.e., Yeshua Messiah) receives admittance to the Kingdom of YHVH or eternal life by keeping Torah. To the contrary, eternal life and admittance into the Kingdom is a gift of YHVH that was won and will be delivered as a result of the atoning sacrifice of Yahoshua on the execution stake on that fateful Passover Day on or around 28 C.E. Nevertheless, for the true Disciple of Yeshua HaMashiyach, Torah stands as YHVH’s house rules that every disciple is expected to honor, keep and obey as applicable under the Renewed Covenant.

Torah Expectations and Requirements For Levitical Priests Were Over and Above The Basic Torah Instructions

Abba passed on to Moses (i.e., Moshe) and Aaron (i.e., Aharon) and Aaron’s posterity, the exceptional standards and expectations that would be required in order for the males in Aaron’s lineage to serve the nation of Israel. As we can see throughout the book (i.e., the Cepher) of Leviticus, these standards and expectations were often rigid and were overall, over and above the baseline instructions given for every Israeli male. It was these exceptional expectations and standards set the would-be Levitical Priest apart from the rest of the nation in the manner of:

  • His conduct
  • His behavior.
  • His home life
  • His diet
  • His finances
  • His cleanliness (both physically and ritually speaking)
  • His service in the Sanctuary
  • His service in the community
  • His attire (i.e., his clothing)
  • His reputation.

Things to Keep in Mind When Studying Leviticus

When reading through and studying Leviticus and the Levitical Priesthood, it is important to keep the following in mind:

  1. the Levitical Priesthood has passed away.
  2. As Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua Messiah, we are no longer under the Levitical Priesthood, but under the Melchizedekian Priesthood whose High Priest (i.e., Cohen Gadol) is our Master Yahoshua Messiah.
    1. “YHVH has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek'”(Psalm 110:4; cf. Hebrews 5:6; 6:20; 7:15-17).
  3. As a Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah, each of us is fully naturalized Israelite possessing all of the privileges and benefits afforded any true, Torah-keeping, naturally-born Israeli Disciple of Yeshua.
  4. As Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua Messiah, we have been commissioned to be a nation of priests unto YHVH (Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).
  5. Like the Levitical Priests of old, as Torah Observant Believers of Yahoshua Messiah, there are rigid, exacting standards and requirements that we are expected to meet and maintain. Those standards and expectations were enumerated, taught and modeled for us by our Master Yeshua.
  6. As Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua Messiah, we will be judged accordingly by Yahoshua based upon those standards and expectations.
  7. What good is studying this or any other similar portion of Torah addressing the Levitical Priests?
    1. Torah provides us an example (although a crude one) of heavenly things and of prophetic shadow pictures of good things to come. (cf. Hebrews 8:5; 10:1)
    2. We are NOT obliged to keep the instructions directed to the Levitical Priesthood (e.g., wearing priestly clothes; purification rituals; serving in a make-shift sanctuary; etc.).
    3. Since we are to serve as Priests of YHVH, under the leadership of Yeshua HaMashiyach, these instructions serve as a wonderful reminder of the high standards and expectations a would-be Priest of the Most High Elohim is required to meet and live out.
    4. Master established similarly established high standards and expectations for us, His Disciples. These standards rival the most exacting requirements of the Levitical Priesthood. THEY ARE NOT EASY.
    5. These standards and expectations are, in effect, the fullness of Torah, that we are expected to measure up to in our day-to-day lives and in our work for the Kingdom of YHVH. Unfortunately, most of the world will not meet those high standards and expectations. Case in point is the story of the Rich Young Man (Pharisee, found in Matthew 19:13-20:16; Mark 10:13-31; Luke 18:15-30. Here we see a level of commitment and responsibility established by Father and implemented by our Master that disqualifies most from entering the Kingdom and service of YHVH.

We Are A Nation of Priests

Yahoshua has made us to be a kingdom of priests to His Elohim and Father (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). As priests of the Most High, the examples given in Torah relating to the required ritual cleanliness of every Levitical Priests 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, should serve as a reminder to us of our Master’s expectations for us. When these expectations and requirements are understood through the doctrines and teachings of Yeshua our Messiah, we should come to realize how important our personal and spiritual cleanliness is to YHVH. Father requires that we be “holy as He is holy” (I Peter 1:15, 16). That requirement has not changed in the least, despite the Torah naysayers that teach a perverted grace doctrine that inputs upon a Christian believer perpetual cleanliness and holiness. What this perversion is actually saying to the world is that all you need to do to inherit eternal life and have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe is ask Jesus Christ into your heart. Upon asking Jesus Christ into one’s heart, then grace takes over and your eternal life ticket is punched. You can live anyway you choose to live because God’s grace inputs perpetual righteousness to us and we become “holy” by default, forever.

This perverted version of grace is so far from Truth that it’s not even funny. We are required to “be” holy–to live holy lives; to live a life that is beyond the norm of all humanity, or even Christianity for that matter. The Apostle Peter wrote:

Gird up the loins of your mind (Greek for mind is Anazunomi, which means to prepare one’s mind for action); be sober; and hope to the end for for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Yeshua Messiah. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written: “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:13-16; cf. Leviticus 20:7; KJV).

Thus, we are not to defile ourselves or become spiritually and physically tainted by the things of this world, which when given over to, serves to blunt our service and effectiveness as priests of YHVH. By default, then, we are to die to self (reference Romans 6:2, 11; 2 Timothy 2:11).

Like the Levitical Priests of old, the standards by which we are to live are higher than most people will ever aspire or conceive to meet. Those lofty, but doable standards and expectations, affect how we conduct every aspect of our lives:

  1. Our family, work, community and other personal relationships
  2. Our diets
  3. Our behavior and habits
  4. Our individual thoughts and feelings
  5. Our participation in modern life activities
  6. Our obedience to YHVH’s instructions (i.e., His Torah).

An entire book (i.e., cepher) of Torah was dedicated to instructions for the Levitical Priesthood. The requirement for exacting ritual purity and cleanliness in order for any priest to serve the nation in the community and in the sanctuary cannot be understated. YHVH requires, without exception, cleanliness and purity in order for any to worship and commune with Him. The priestly ritual instructions were primarily in place to allow the priests to serve in the sanctuary and in worship of YHVH. The sanctuary was the place where YHVH’s presence rested. Thus, in order to approach the sanctuary (as a non-priest) and the inner sanctum (as a priest), one had to be in a state of ritual cleanliness.

Although the sanctuary no longer exists, Father still requires that each of us be in a state of cleanliness and purity when we come before Him in worship, prayer and service. We have a baseline cleanliness afforded to us by the shed blood of Yahoshua HaMashiyach. There are, however, ongoing things in our lives that cause us to be impure and unclean that we must constantly be cognitive of and constantly address. Such impurity and filth hinders our worship, walk and witness and service to YHVH and His Kingdom. Intentional and perpetual and unresolved uncleanness (i.e., sin, unholy behavior and habits, improper thoughts and feelings and a lawless life) will adversely impact and hinder, (1) our personal relationship with the Most High Elohim; (2) our service to the Kingdom of YHVH and our Faith Community; and (3) our present and future standing in the Kingdom of YHVH. Yeshua revealed:

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20; NASB).

 

Many will say to me in that day, :Master, Master, have we not prophesied in they Name? And in thy Name, have cast out devils? And in thy Name done many wonderful works?” And then will I profess unto them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22, 23).

Yeshua Set the Bar High

The Rich Man and Yeshua

The story of the rich man and Yeshua is an excellent example of the high expectations set for disciples of Yeshua.

Master set the bar high for true discipleship. The sad, sorry and tired adage that so many so-called people of faith like to say, that God knows their heart, just doesn’t fly when one truly considers Master’s true discipleship standards and expectations. For it will be upon that great, end time revealing of the Sons of the Most High, that Yahoshua will separate those who are righteous from those who are unrighteous, and unfortunately for many, there will be no excuse accepted.

Master prophesied:

When the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations. And He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…Then shall say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:31-41).

Our Master set the bar high for true discipleship and service, just as Father set the bar high for Levitical Priesthood service. Are we then to follow the example of the Levitical Priests, per se? Well, no. The fact of the matter is that we follow exclusively the example of Yeshua HaMashiyach, our Master. The exceptional standards of the Levitical Priests are excellent shadow pictures of the standards and expectations that Master requires of us who are His disciples; we who are being made into a Kingdom of priests unto YHVH; conforming to the image of Yahoshua Messiah.

Faithfully,

Shalom and warmest blessings to you, your family and fellowship.

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Biblical Illiteracy Behind the Anti-Hebrew Roots Agenda

by | May 2, 2018 | Blog, Podcasts

Biblical Illiteracy Behind the Anti-Hebrew Roots Agenda

Is Biblical Illiteracy Behind the Anti-Hebrew Roots Agenda?

by Rod Thomas--The Messianic Torah Observer | Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections Moment

Is Biblical Illiteracy behind the Anti-Hebrew Roots Agenda these days. In this post I reflect upon a recent experience I had on Facebook that suggested to me that Biblical Illiteracy may, in part, be behind the animus Christians have towards our Hebrew Roots/Messianic Community.

I happened upon a Facebook page today, the sole purpose of which, was to demonstrate via the Holy Scriptures, just how dangerous Hebrew Roots is to the world.

Aside from the dozens of other religions and movements (both religious and secular) in existence throughout the world today that one would naturally reason are of an existential threat to mainstream Christianity, I found it quite unnerving that the Facebook page owner would focus his ire upon our small, but harmless community. I mean, it’s one thing to post an article or two about one or more things germane to Hebrew Roots that you take exception to, but it’s an entirely different level of disdain one would have towards Hebrew Roots in order for them to dedicate an entire Facebook page badmouthing our Community. The sad part to this is that the page’s owner did not provide his readers with any content that would help them live the life abundant. The only thing the page owner provided was a warning–over and over and throughout the whole of his very robust page–of how heretical our Faith Community is to the world.

Biblical Illiteracy

Biblical Illiteracy may behind the animus Christians have towards Hebrew Roots Community.

Look, I get it: there are always going to be haters of the True Faith once delivered out there. Clearly, it would have been so much easier for me to ignore such content.

The problem I saw with this page, however, is not an innocuous one if you ask me. The problem is actually bigger problem than we might think it to be. The owner of the “hate on Hebrew Rooters” page went to great lengths to look up and use bible passages to spew his disdain towards our community; our lifestyle; and our beliefs. And after reading a handful of postings on his page, I could clearly see how millions of potential Christian readers would be misled and manipulated and be denied the Truth as a result of their own Biblical illiteracy.

As I’ve mentioned and written about quite extensively over the course of the last several years we’ve ministered to the Body of Messiah via this website, Biblical illiteracy is an epidemic in Christianity. People, such as the owner of this anti-Hebrew Roots Facebook page, are either wittingly or unwittingly leveraging the blight of Biblical illiteracy to their advantage. These individuals are counting on their readers to not have the wherewithal to conduct serious, Spirit-led and administered, in-depth study of the Holy Bible in order to make up their own minds as to what is Truth and what is not. Such individuals are, essentially, practicing witchcraft. Whenever you take something of value to individuals and manipulate it such that it has an effect that will get those individuals to do what you want to them to do, you are practicing witchcraft in my book.

The chasm that exists between our community and our cousins in Christianity is based in great part on Biblical illiteracy.

Case in point: the page owner’s most recent posting targeted our beliefs in the efficacy of the Torah-based food instructions (i.e., Laws). The writer used the passage in Mark 7 where it is recorded that Master defended Him and His disciples’ practices of not following the Rabbinic-based tradition of ceremonially washing one’s hands before they eat. In this particular incident, Master was going up against a handful of Rabbinic Jewish leaders. Master railed against the Rabbinic Jewish leaders in their adherence to Talmudic practices that they themselves help elevated to the level–even surpassing in many respects–Torah. Master summarized His position on such man-made traditions that carried the authority of Torah with them, by saying to the group that, washing one’s hands in accordance to any man-made manner as a requirement of the overall set of God-given instructions, does not in any way eliminate one from being inwardly defiled and unclean. Master went on to say that that which comes out of, or from within an individual is the very thing that actually defiles that individual–such as hatred, envy, strife, covetousness, anger, etc. Failure to ceremonially wash one’s hands as stipulated by the Rabbis of old would not in any regard cause one to be defiled. That defilement would come about only in the eyes of the Rabbinic traditionalists; certainly not in the eyes of YHVH.

Now, this passage, in effect, had nothing whatsoever to do with the consumption of food–be it YHVH sanctioned or non-sanctioned foods. It was all about traditions trumping the rule of Torah. The writer of the post using this passage of Mark, however, failed entirely to discuss and use this passage via its truest context. Instead, the writer misinterpreted the passage–either intentionally or unintentionally–I’d probably think it was unintentionally; the writer being another likely victim of Biblical illiteracy himself. Regardless, what the writer has done through his ignorance is mislead and manipulate individuals into hating on Hebrew Rooters. I would go even further and submit that this writer may have succeeded in creating a stumbling block for countless Truth-seekers in finally finding the True Faith once delivered to the first centuries saints.

I thought initially to just move on and not pay the page any mind. (Oh, by the way, the Facebook page is entitled Hebrew Roots Heresy. I don’t necessarily recommend you check it out for yourself. I only wish to put this point that I am about to make into its proper context by referencing the actual page, if you will.) But I felt led to respectfully and lovingly correct the false writings of the page’s owner. In so doing and upon reflection, as bought and paid-for Torah Observant Believers in Yahsohua Messiah, it falls to each of us to in some way correct the scourge of Biblical illiteracy in the world. We have been called to make disciples for Master Yeshua of the nation peoples of this world. In order to do that, we must work to end Biblical illiteracy. Failure to do so will result in a failure to complete our mandated roles in the Great Commission.

But first,. we must eliminate Biblical illiteracy in our own Community, which seems to be a bigger problem than one might ever concede. The reason we have so much variation in our Faith Community today is because so many of our members refuse to read their Bibles. Many members elect to glob on to so-called Hebrew Roots teachers who feed them “processed content” that these bad teachers have taken and manipulated for their own purposes in many cases. If the the True Body of Messiah is well versed in their Bibles and are in alignment with the Holy Spirit that is operating within them, they will not fall victim to the inaccurate and false teachings that are unfortunately circulating throughout our Faith Community.

I have a love and passion for the lost and truth seekers of this world. In general, these are the individuals that we have been called to serve. Thus, I pledge to take on this mantle and work towards reducing the scourge of Biblical illiteracy in this world. The first place to start, of course, is to accurately put out through this blog and podcast program, that which Master Yahoshua taught and modeled for us. To that end, we can then begin to move forward to helping remove the blinders that the enemy has placed over the eyes and minds of the peoples of this world to the True Gospel Message and the benefits of an abundant life of Torah Living. It’s going to take fervent prayer, fasting and a major move of the Holy Spirit to effectively tackle this beast.

I invite you to join with me in this effort by seeking Father’s will for your life in this endeavor. Thus, I encourage you to seek of Father how you will serve His kingdom and fulfill your role in Master’s Great Commission.

Let us with great zeal and leading of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Ruach haKodesh) go forth and do that which Father has given us to do.

Faithfully Submitted,

Shalom

Torah Living–Numbers 11: 4–Hangers On Part 1

by | Feb 26, 2014 |

Numbers 11: 4 reads: CJB  Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra'el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, "If only we had meat to eat! (Num 11:4 CJB) This rich verse of Torah...

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You, Part 5

by | Feb 24, 2014 |

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You Part 5 Concluding the Parables of Matthew 13: In Matthew 13, Yahoshua gave the people eight parables about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Each parable contained its own message. After Yahoshua gave the last parable, He was...

When Tradition Eclipses Torah

When Tradition Eclipses Torah

by | Apr 14, 2018 | Blog

When Tradition Eclipses Torah

My Torah Portion Observation of the Week

I was profoundly moved by the section of this week’s Torah portion that recorded what on the surface seemed the very harsh and violent encounter we had with YHVH. It was Parashah 26: Sh’mini, Eight and I wish to briefly reflect upon Leviticus 9:22-10:11. In this story we can see how the introduction of traditions and practices not sanctioned by the Almighty can eclipse and ultimately nullify Torah as taught to us by Master Yahoshua.

Aharon and Sons Trained in Proper Worship

Aharon and his sons (the select priests of Yah) were in the process of being trained in the ways of Yah as it related to conducting acceptable sin and burnt offerings to our Elohim (Lev. 9:6-21). Initially, it appeared as though the training went quite well as the presence of YHVH appeared to us all (Lev. 9:22, 23).

“Fire came forth from the presence of YHVH, consuming the burnt offering and the fat on the altar” (Lev. 9:24).

This demonstration of acceptance on the part of Yah resulted in our crying out in one loud voice and falling to the ground on our faces. Can you imagine some 1.5-million of us shouting aloud (whether in stark fear or in fearful adoration) before Yah in the Sinai desert as we witnessed this awesome event? The sight of the Father consuming our sacrifice coupled with our response to this must have been an indescribable sight indeed.

The Tragedy of Nadav and Avihu’s Unauthorized Form of Worship

However, the brilliance of this event was eclipsed by the foolishness of a couple of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. Nadav and Avihu, for whatever reason, took it upon themselves to create their own method of YHVH worship by, what Torah describes as,

“…offering strange or unauthorized fire before YHVH, which Father had not instructed” (Lev. 10:1).

This seemingly innocent and innocuous stunt on the part of Nadav and Avihu cost them their lives. The same fire that consumed our sacrifice consumed them, resulting in their summary execution, right before our very eyes (Lev. 10:2).

Consequently, Moshe instructed Aharon and his two remaining sons to not display any semblance of mourning, but to remain at their post at the Tent of Meeting. We as a nation, however, were permitted to mourn their deaths, but Aharon would have to remain resolute in his purpose and position as Yah’s Cohen Gadol as he was not permitted to mourn or react to his sons’ sudden and violent deaths.

Looking at this Tragedy Through Our Western Sensibilities

To our western sensibilities, this historical story on the surface may appear terrible and completely senseless, especially on the part of YHVH. Certainly this story and others like it have been the alleged reason for many in our modern, so-called enlightened, western society, to reject YHVH. I recall hearing about and reading stories of individuals who categorically reject the so-called “God of the Old Testament” because He appeared to them to be this cold, callous and violent God. To these: how could anyone in their right mind choose to worship such an entity?

Enter Humanism to Explain this Senseless Execution

The sudden and violent deaths of Nadav and Avihu are indeed senseless, but senseless from what perspective? Our so-called civilized, western-moral values were shaped over the centuries by men who took the teachings of Yeshua and blindly fashioned them into the fundamental and foundational supports for modern humanism.

Google dictionary defines humanism as:

“An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.”

Notice the first sentence of this definition: attaching prime importance to human rather than divine matters.

Notice that God is nowhere to be found in this concept.

The Danger of Dismissing Father’s Perspective in our Worldview

When we take Father’s perspective and sensibilities out of our “worldview” equation (if you will), we end up with a rather irrelevant worldview. Father’s worldview is the only thing that matters and the only thing that must matter if we are intent upon having any substantive relationship with the Most High. This is why denominationalism has fallen short in its purpose of being the True Faith once delivered. Denominationalism has taken select love-based teachings of Jesus Christ and made it the foundation upon which sola gratia was established. This sola gratia and “all you need is love” set of doctrines has gone a long way towards misrepresenting the True Person of YHVH and the true purpose and intent of Torah. Furthermore, this marginalizing, or better, demonizing of YHVH and His Torah, has resulted in the introduction of Humanism into the True Faith once delivered (Jude 4). Essentially, humanism has replaced the True Faith once delivered.

True Grace Seen in the Nadav and Avihu Tragedy

As strange and ridiculous as this may sound, the deaths of Nadav and Avihu were in a sense Abba’s grace being shed upon us and the future of the Body of Messiah. Essentially, if Abba were to have allowed the introduction of unauthorized worship practices into the ritual that He established through Moses’ instructions, over time, those unauthorized worship practices would lead to even more and worsening practices that would ultimately nullify Father’s overall instructions.

Blocking the Traditions of Men

By Father taking swift and decisive actions to nip in the bud the introduction of unauthorized teachings, practices and traditions into His Torah, we have available to us today the best representation possible, in His inspired Word—the Bible, what He expects of us as His chosen ones. That is, if we choose to consider the unadulterated Word and instruction of Torah as our instruction. Otherwise, we are prone to turn to the teachings, doctrines and traditions of men, the primary example seen during the ministry of our Master being Rabbinic Judaism. We see very clearly in Rabbinic Judaism that man made traditions, doctrines and teachings serve only to nullify the instructions of our Creator. Master highlighted this crucial truth when He was confronted by the religious leaders over His disciples not following the ceremonial traditions and instructions of the so-called sages:

“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of YHVH, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of YHVH, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:5; KJV).

What Avihu and Nadav were attempting to do in a great sense was a foreshadow or precursor of what ultimately Yeshua had to deal with during the time of His earthly ministry. And to a great extent, this is what we are having to navigate through ourselves as we attempt to walk out this Faith of ours in the midst of so many teachings, doctrines and traditions that serve only to nullify the Torah of YHVH.

Whenever we come upon doctrines, traditions and teachings that urge us to go beyond what Father instructed us to do in His Torah, we really need to weigh and closely examine those things through the lens and weight of His eternal Word. If those doctrines, teachings and traditions are perhaps of pagan origin, then we need to run away from those types of worship and practices. I truly believe that what Nadav and Avihu were attempting to do was to introduce pagan rituals and practices into Father’s explicit worship rites. This could be why Abba responded to their offering so swiftly and violently.

Our Ways Not His Ways

Indeed, many in our 21st century western society see this incident as senseless and unwarranted on the part of Father, and thus, this plays into their rejection of Him and His Torah. Many contend that Father is a violent and war-mongering God who seeks nothing but to kill and destroy. (Interestingly, aren’t these the same descriptors we use to describe hasatan?)

Whereas there was a time when western cultures accepted the whole of the Bible as containing the Words of God, in recent decades, our so-called enlightened modern society has rejected the Person whom they identify as the God of the Old Testament for these stated reasons.

Well, if we view Father through the lenses of our corrupt nature, as strange as this may sound, yes, one would certainly see YHVH as a heartless, murderous and callous tyrant.

Interestingly, when we consider our Master’s (the Person who many refer to as the God of the New Testament who replaces the God of the Old Testament) perception of His Father and our Creator, He seems to not possess the same understanding of Him as most secular society does.

Of His Father, Master stated:

“…I am going away so that the world may know that I love the Father. Just as the Father commanded Me, so I do” (John 14:31; Holman CSB).

Now for someone who preached and spoke so much about love—love of Yah and for one’s fellow man—it doesn’t make sense that He would actually love the same Person who so many see as monstrous. Something just doesn’t jive here.

I submit that the Master’s love of Father was of such an indescribable degree was because Master sees and knows His Father for what He truly is. Master sees Father as the Holy Sovereign of heaven and earth:

“…if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for ALL THE EARTH IS MINE” (Exodus 19:5; ESV).

“For the earth is YHVH’s and the fullness thereof” (I Corinthians 10:26; KJV)

So the truth of the matter is that Father has full authority to do whatever He chooses to do in heaven and on the earth because ALL THE EARTH BELONGS TO HIM as well as all that is contained within both those realms.

Father’s Thoughts and Ways Are Above Ours

But still some will contend that what Father did here in this passage was senseless and cruel and that certainly, Father could have found another way. Well, we must also understand this one crucial thing about Father before we start imposing our sense of morality (our Humanism) upon Him. Of Himself, Father revealed:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways (i.e., my “derek” or manner) my ways, saith YHVH. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways (i.e., my manners) higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9, 10; KJV).

Therefore, no matter high and mighty we may see ourselves; no matter how far we believe we’ve arrived; we can never measure up to Father’s level of thinking nor match His ways of doing things.

The Mind of Christ

Unless…we adopt and possess the Mind of Christ (i.e., the Mind of Messiah) (I Corinthians 2:16). If we get to that place in our lives where we possess and exercise the Mind of Messiah, then we will begin to understand more and more of why Father does what He does. When we start possessing the Mind of Messiah, then we begin to think more along the same lines as our Heavenly Father does.

Well, you may question: how does having the mind of Messiah (i.e., Christ) cause us to understand why Father does the things He does or think along the same lines that He thinks? It’s simple. Master stated the reason:

“I and my Father are one” (John 10:30; KJV).

We must understand that although Yeshua and Father are two distinct Beings that reside in the throne room of heaven, they are one; that is, they are “eis,” that is united closely in will and in spirit and purpose (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

May we grow in our Faith and love of Father and His Son such that we become one with them. In so doing, we will begin to understand the ways of our Heavenly Father and appreciate all that He has, does and will do for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torah Living–Numbers 11: 4–Hangers On Part 1

by | Feb 26, 2014 |

Numbers 11: 4 reads: CJB  Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra'el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, "If only we had meat to eat! (Num 11:4 CJB) This rich verse of Torah...

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You, Part 5

by | Feb 24, 2014 |

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You Part 5 Concluding the Parables of Matthew 13: In Matthew 13, Yahoshua gave the people eight parables about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Each parable contained its own message. After Yahoshua gave the last parable, He was...

Our First Passover–A Survey of Exodus 12 and 13 and How it Applies to Us Today

by | Mar 31, 2018 | Blog, Podcasts

Our First Passover–A Survey of Exodus 12 and 13 and How it Applies to Us Today

Our First Passover--A Survey of Exodus 12 and 13 and How it Applies to Us Today

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

Passover Like All Feasts are Shadows of “Good Things to Come”

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, embodied and explained to us in Father’s Torah, was aptly described by the writer of the Book of Hebrews as “Shadows of Good Things to Come:”

Hebrews 10:1—Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year (CSB).

 

Colossians 2:16—Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come, the substance is the Messiah (CSB).

 

When is Passover to Take Place?

 

Passover occurs only during the Month (Hebrew=Chodesh=New Moon) of the Aviv. Aviv is to be the beginning/head (Hebrew) of Months (Chodesh) for us. It is to be the first (Hebrew=Rishon) month of the year.

 

Rabbinic Judaism is at Odds with this Instruction

 

It should be noted that the Rabbis (e.g., B. Jacob) contend that the intent of this passage was not to make the Month of the Aviv in the spring the New Year. Instead, it was to be the autumn. To Judaism, the Month of the Aviv was to serve only as a memorial to “Jewish Freedom” from Egypt.

 

But not all Rabbis saw this as B. Jacob saw it. In the Babylonian Talmud, Vol. 2—Eruvin, Sheqalim, Roshashanah—supports Aviv as the head of the year.

 

Selecting a Proper Lamb

 

We were instructed to select a lamb (Hebrew=she) of the flock (could be goat or sheep) per household/family (Hebrew=Mishpachah). The lamb was to fit the size of family that could consume it within one night. Thus, a small family would partner with another family and share the lamb.

 

Selecting an acceptable lamb was the focal point of Pesach (Passover). There were two requirements in the selection process:

 

  • Unblemished (Hebrew=tamim=complete; sound).
  • Tamim is only applied to the state of sacrificial animals
  • Faultless; without defect (Leviticus 22:18-21)
  • Defected animals will not be acceptable
  • Of the first year—within the first-year of the animal’s birth.

Some believe that this age marked a level of innocence that made it ideal for sacrifice. (But there is prophetic meaning.)

 

What Were We to Do with the Select Lamb?

Passover Lamb

Which Lamb will you select today for your Paschal Lamb? This is key to a successful keeping of Passover.

We were to keep the Lamb till the 14th day of the Month of the Aviv. The entire congregation were to kill their select animals at dusk; twilight.

 

When is dusk or twilight? According to Talmud (Jewish Oral Tradition), it was between when the heat of the sun begins to decrease (~3 P.M.) and sunset.

 

From a historic perspective, Josephus wrote in his Wars 6.9.3:

 

In the time of Cestius, the sacrifices were made from the 9th to the 11th hour (i.e., 3 P.M. to 5 P.M.). Some 256,500 lambs were sacrificed for 2,700,200 persons.

 

We were instructed to apply the blood of our sacrifice to the doorposts and lintels of our homes and roast the lamb with fire (out of haste) that night. We were to eat the flesh—the paschal lamb–with unleavened bread (Hebrew=matzoth which is the plural of Matzah—also called the bread of affliction—Deut. 16:3) and bitter herbs (Hebrew=merorim which is plural of maror) to symbolize the bitterness of our Egyptian bondage.

 

We were not to eat the lamb raw. Pagan nations would eat their sacrifices raw, contrary to that which we were instructed here. Our lamb was to remain whole during the roasting process. Nothing of our lamb was to remain till morning. We were to burn any residue not consumed by morning. Why? Because this was to be NO ordinary meal to be consumed leisurely and then discarded disrespectfully.

 

Passover is a Shadow of our Redemption—Good Things to Come

 

Our unblemished lamb is none other than Yeshua HaMaschiyach.

 

John 1:29—Yochanan Ben Zechariah remarked of Yeshua: Behold the Lamb of Yah that takes away the sin of the world…

 

I Cor. 5:7—Get rid of the old hametz so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For our Pesach lamb, the Messiah, has been sacrificed.

 

What Qualified Yeshua to be Our Paschal Lamb—Our Passover?

 

He was unblemished—Yah only accepts the very best. Unblemished is being without sin—perfect in all His ways.

 

Heb. 9:28—So also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to deliver those who are eagerly waiting for Him (CJB).

 

Sin Is a really big deal to Father and He requires holiness and perfection in order to have a viable relationship with Him. Messiah Yeshua fit that bill perfectly and paid the price for our sin. Thus we have the opportunity to escape eternal death.

 

2 Cor. 5:21—For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew NO sin; that we might be made the righteousness of Yah in Him (KJV).

 

Heb. 7:26—For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens (KJV)

 

I Pet. 2:22—Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth (KJV) cf. Isa. 53:7

 

Heb. 4:15—For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin (CSB).

 

Our Master was of the first year.

 

Luke 3:23—Yeshua was about 30-years old when He began His public ministry…(CJB)

 

We find spiritual and prophetic parallels regarding the first-year aspect of qualifying to be the Passover Lamb in Num. 4:1-3, 21-23, 29-30. Age 30 was when Levitical Priests began serving in the Temple.

 

Those who are obedient and properly apply the blood of Messiah to their lives escape eternal death. Yeshua knocks on the door of each man’s heart.

 

Consider Rev. 3:14-22 where we find that Laodicea’s wealth made her lax and she lost her commitment and zeal for Messiah. Messiah wants to be a the sole focus of our entire life. Thus, the very lamb that takes away the sins of the world stands just outside the doors of our lives and asks to come in and sup with us (verse 20).

 

How Were We to Carry Out Passover

 

We were to consume the paschal lamb in haste and in a watchful manner. We were to have our loins girded. (I believe this would apply only to this first passover in Egypt.) Furthermore we were to be ready at a moment’s notice to hit the road as our salvation drew nigh!

 

The focus for this and succeeding Pesachs/Passovers would be:

 

  • The lamb
  • The blood
  • The unleavened bread

 

We were reminded that Pesach was Father’s Passover: thus a Passover unto YHVH. The Paschal sacrifice is to honor YHVH.

 

Passover is derived from the verb “Pasach” which means to: passover; protect; deliver.

 

Reminders and Applications

 

We were reminded that Abba’s plague(s) against the Egyptians was “against all the gods of Egypt.” The objects of Egyptian worship tended to center upon the firstborn of man and beast. Thus all firstborn of Egypt were struck down. Every Egyptian deity was represented by some beast and Yah spared not one.

 

Father proclaims His sovereignty in judging the gods of Egypt by stating: “I am YHVH!”

 

Abba instructs that the blood of the sacrificed lamb/kid upon the doorposts and lintels of our homes would serve as a token for us. Abba always seals His covenants with blood. This passover event was a covenant although Yah did not expressly spell this out. Thus, here Abba’s covenant with us—to protect us from the Angel of Destruction—would be sealed and insured by the blood when properly applied that night.

 

What was this covenant? Abba stipulated that He would spare us and our families from the Angel of Destruction when He saw the blood properly applied to our homes’ doorways.

 

We were to eat unleavened bread for 7-complete days, including eating it with the Pesach meal. This was in force from the 14th at evening to the 21st at evening. (For us today: 4/1/18 through 4/8/18).

 

Leaven and What it Means

Matzah

Leaven symbolizes sin. Unleavened Bread is a shadow of the redemption plan and the elimination of sin from our lives.

Leaven is symbolic of corruption, passion and sin. As it applies to the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzah), he/she who for whatever reason consumes leaven bread during this week will be cut-off from Israel (i.e., cast out from the congregation of Israel).

 

How does this apply today in the Body of Messiah?

 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread Requirements

 

We were instructed to convene a holy convocation (Hebrew=miqra=public meeting; a rehearsal; a public reading) on the 1st and 7th day. No manner of work is to be done on these holy days with the exception of food preparation. No leaven is to be found in any of our dwellings. This instruction applies to any place an Israelite will dwell or call home at the time of Pesach.

 

NOTE 1: True freedom comes only when we eliminate leaven (sin) from our lives. It is a process of sanctification; correction; repentance; obedience and dying to self.

 

NOTE 2: This passage serves to prove (in a sense) that what many of us refer to as the Last Supper/Holy Communion/The Lord’s Supper was NOT the Passover meal. Master was the Passover Lamb who was crucified on the execution stake on the afternoon Passover.

 

NOTE 3: Leaven is analogous to sin. Sin has no place in the Body of Messiah. As Abba instructed that leaven not be found in our homes, He also instructed that leaven not be found in the entire community. Thus sin cannot be tolerated in the Body of Messiah. It must be quickly dealt with because “…a little leaven leaventh the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9).

 

Identity—Identity—Identity

 

We must constantly ask the question of ourselves: who are we and to whom do we belong?

If we identify ourselves as Israelites and we’ve chosen to obey Father’s Torah and to be disciples of Yeshua, then Passover and Unleavened Bread keeping applies to us (Rom. 11:17-24). This is NOT a Jewish thing! This is a Hebrew thing!

 

Application of the Paschal Lamb to the Doorposts and Lintels of Our Homes with Hyssop

 

We were instructed to apply the blood of our selected, unblemished, of the 1st-year lamb/kid to the doorposts and lintels of our dwellings using “hyssop.”

 

Hyssop when used in a bunch acts as a sponge when taking on liquid—such as blood.

 

John 19:28—”After this Yeshua knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the scripture said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine (vinegar) was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Yeshua had received the sour wine He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (NASB).

 

Hyssop is symbolic of spiritual purification from sin. As a substance used in Torah, hyssop has detersive, cleansing and medicinal properties. Leviticus 14:6,7 and Num. 19:18 both define the use of hyssop for purification purposes.

 

Psalm 51:7—”Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow” (KJV).

 

The Destroyer Will Be Stopped

 

When Abba sees that we were obedient in applying the blood of the Paschal Lamb to the doorposts and lintels of our homes, He will NOT allow the “destroyer” to enter our homes and destroy us.

 

This “destroyer” makes a series of appearances throughout the Tanach: 2 Sam. 24:16; 2 Kin. 19:35; I Chron. 21:15,16; Act. 12:23.

 

Have We Properly Applied the Blood of the Lamb to our Lives?

 

Have we properly applied the blood of our selected Lamb to the doorposts and lintels of our lives so that we may be spared the eternal ravages of Father’s “destroyer?”

 

Food for Thought: Someday, in the World Tomorrow, the “destroyer” is going to be put out of work! Praise Yah!

 

Any Doubts that We as Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua Messiah Should Keep Passover and Unleavened Bread?

 

If there is any question whether Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua Messiah are to keep Passover and Unleavened Bread, this verse should sufficiently answer those concerns:

 

“And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.”

 

Again—Identity-Identity-Identity

 

Our First Passover in Egypt was Also a Look to the Future

 

We were to especially prepare ourselves to keep Passover and Unleavened Bread in the Promised Land. Deut. 4:5, 12 and 16:5-8 provide us with an unfolding of this Feast which transitioned over time to that of a individualized/family-centric observance to that of a congregational observance. Josh. 5:10-12 records that we celebrated our first Pesach/Unleavened Bread in the Land of Promise.

 

Passover/Unleavened Bread Given In Part for Feast Celebration

 

Psa. 105:44,45 records that one of the reasons Abba gave us the Land is so that we may observe His statutes and keep His Torah in perfect harmony with Yehovah our Elohim. Our 40-years wandering in the wilderness served as training and preparation for when we would enter the Land of Promise. Upon entering the Land, we would be united and ready to serve Abba to the fullest extent of His Torah possible.

 

In one sense we are like our wandering forefathers: as we wander in the wilderness of our 21st centuries lives, we are training and preparing to enter Father’s eternal Kingdom where we will keep His moedim/His Feasts with Him in attendance.

 

Passing on the Significance of Passover to our Children

 

Although each of us was instructed to keep Passover, we were also instructed and made responsible for passing on these instructions to our children. This training of our children as it relates to Passover and Unleavened Bread is not a transferable responsibility.

 

The Destruction of the Firstborn of Egypt

 

All the firstborn of Egypt, including livestock, were slain. Prophetic justice plays out here, for we see that a previous Pharoah ordered the execution of Hebrew firstborn children during the time of Moses’ birth (Exo. 1:8-22).

 

We were hurried out of Egypt by night—thus the admonishment by Moses that we take the Pesach in a watchful/vigilant/expecting temperament. Our former Egyptian overlords were concerned that after this last plague, the next shoe to drop would be the total annihilation of all Egypt (vs. 33).

 

Our hurried departure necessitated the making of “unleavened bread” (vs. 33,34) which served as part of our Pesach meal and our food during our journey to Mount Sinai.

 

We ravaged the immense wealth of Egypt. This ravaging was facilitated by our having curried favor with our Egyptian taskmasters (vs. 36). This serves to teach us that although we may be persecuted by the world, Father has a way of granting us favor with the peoples of the world.

 

We Were a Mixed Multitude Leaving out of Egypt

 

We numbered some 600,000 men (heads of households) which scholars have indicated totaled upwards of 2-million souls when one factors in women and children exiting Egypt on this Night to be Most Remembered (cf. Num. 1:46).

 

We were a mixed multitude that some scholars say included non-Israelite slaves and prisoners of war.

These souls would prove troublesome for Moses and our overall assembly in the days, weeks and years to come (cf. Num. 11:4,5).

 

Even today within the Body of Messiah, we are composed of a “mixed multitude,” some of which are not true Israelites.

Master likened them as “tares”…whom we are required to live with until such a time that Master separates them from those of us who are true Israelites.

 

We brought with us a great many domesticated animals for sacrifice and food (vs. 38).

 

We began our Exodus on what has become known to us as the 1st day of Unleavened Bread.

 

A Night to be Much Remembered

 

This fateful night in Egypt which led directly to our departure out of Egypt was to be, what Torah describes as: A NIGHT OF WATCHING (JPS/ESV); A NIGHT OF VIGIL (CSB/NIV); A NIGHT TO BE MUCH OBSERVED (NASB/ASV/KJV). Watching/Observed—Hebrew=“shimmurim”=of celebration; vigilance

Pesach is to be a time of watching—better rendered: A TIME OF REFLECTION AND ANTICIPATION because of Abba’s timely redemption and grace!

 

Specific Rules for Keeping Passover

 

Non-Israelites are not to partake in Passover (vs. 43). (Identity again!) Our bought and paid-for servants, as long as they are circumcised, however, may partake in Passover (vs. 44). This is because these souls become members of our family who will by consequence become extended members of the congregation/commonwealth of Israel.

 

We were to be circumcised. Circumcision (a hot button topic) is a requirement to take Pesach according to Torah. It is non-negotiable; an identity issue once again. Nevertheless, there’s more than just identity and direct obedience required here.

 

There are two required circumcisions in order to partake in Passover:

 

  • One of the heart (Deut. 10:16; 30:6).
  • Physical circumcision which serves as a sign between that we (males) are of Israel.

 

Furthermore, temporary residents and hired servants are prohibited from partaking (vs. 45).

 

We were instructed to keep Pesach as a family and unified community (vss. 46, 47).

 

Any non-Israeli who desires to be a part of the true community of Yah is to be circumcised and to fully adopt the ways of Yah before partaking (vs. 48).

 

One Torah for All

 

Torah applies equally to both biological Israelis (not just Jews) and foreigners and new-comers to the Faith (vs. 49). Thus, the Rabbinic concept of Noahide Laws applying to Gentiles who wish to adopt a Jewish lifestyle are herein is quashed. There is one Torah for all! Period.

 

Israelite Firstborn

 

We were instructed to consecrate (Hebrew=qadash=sanctify; dedicate; hallow; be holy; to be separated) our firstborn unto YHVH.

 

All firstborn of Israel—human and animal—belong to Yah—Num. 3:13; 8:16; 18:15; cf., Luk. 2:23).

 

How many of us have taken this instruction seriously in our lives and in our home? This is emblematic of our status in the Kingdom of Yah:

 

Heb. 12:22—”…to the great assembly and ekklesia of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven…”

 

Rom. 8:29–Yeshua is the firstborn among many brethren. We have been predestined to become conformed to the image of Yeshua.

 

Firstborn is an important concept that has wide-reaching implications throughout various areas of our Faith Community and throughout Torah.

 

Passover is a Sign

 

Father instructs that Passover/Pesach/Unleavened Bread is to serve as a sign to us (vs. 9) likened unto a sign on our hands and between our eyes. Judaism interprets this verse to mean that Jews are to adorn Tephillin/Phylacteries and recite associated Meditations from the Authorized Prayer Book.

 

Matthew records Yeshua making mention of this tradition in Matthew 23:5 whereby the Pharisees made much to do about their phylacteries as visual indications of their self-righteousness.

 

Tephillin/Phylacteries are small boxes containing tiny scrolls worn by devout Jews on their arms and foreheads during times of meditation. The scrolls contain 4-sections of Torah that are then placed in these small boxes. The Rabbis have issued rules on the wearing of these devices to include not wearing adorning them on Sabbaths/Festivals; not at night; to be worn from the age of 13 (barmitzvah).

 

This is a Rabbinic construct that may not be accurate or what Father originally intended as an interpretation for the Passover being as a sign on one’s arm and between one’s eyes. Another interpretation to be considered is that

This verse instructs us to embrace the full revelation and commandment to keep Passover to the fullest extent possible such that it is fully and clearly manifested in everything we physically do in our day-to-day lives (our hands) as well as manifested in our every thought, desire and intention (between our eyes). Our entire being is to be subjected to the service of Yah and the Kingdom.

 

Closing Thoughts and Reflections on our First Passover

 

We were commanded by Yah to keep Passover/Unleavened Bread forever.

 

Yeshua Messiah is the goal of Torah:

 

Rom. 10:4—For the goal at which the Torah aims is the Messiah who offers righteousness to everyone who trusts.

 

Yeshua is our example—He kept Passover and so did His disciples.

 

Yeshua offers us righteousness if we keep His commandments. Father demands righteousness in order for us to have a viable relationship with Him.

 

Therefore, first and foremost, Passover is about Yeshua Messiah. Easter and Christmas are NOT about Yeshua. They are about another Christ.

 

Secondarily Passover must be kept by every Israelite. Who are we? Are we Israelites? If so, we must keep Passover and Unleavened Bread.

 

Thirdly, there is one Torah for all—native-born-Jew—male—female—non-Jew—black, white, Asian, Hispanic—Torah applies to one and all.

 

Have a blessed Passover and Unleavened Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torah Living–Numbers 11: 4–Hangers On Part 1

by | Feb 26, 2014 |

Numbers 11: 4 reads: CJB  Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra'el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, "If only we had meat to eat! (Num 11:4 CJB) This rich verse of Torah...

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You, Part 5

by | Feb 24, 2014 |

The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You Part 5 Concluding the Parables of Matthew 13: In Matthew 13, Yahoshua gave the people eight parables about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Each parable contained its own message. After Yahoshua gave the last parable, He was...