by Rod Thomas | Nov 4, 2014 | Blog
As I continue my daily Torah studies, I come to Deuteronomy 4:9-40. What follows is a summary for your reference and review, followed by commentary and application:
- vs 13–He proclaimed His covenant to you which He ordered you to obey, the Ten Words which He wrote on two stone tablets
- vs 14-Moshe taught the people laws and rulings so that they would live by them in the land of promise and avoid adopting the ways of the heathen/the religions and practices of the nations that would surround them
- vss 15-19–Moshe warns the people not to be taken by the fact that they’ve never seen Yehovah, especially when he came down to them at Horeb (reference Exo 19). Human nature often leads men to want to visualize or depict that which they’ve experienced and have come in contact with in some form of another (graven image which becomes and idol). Thus Moshe warns the people not to make unto themselves carved images of created thing and be so inclined to worship those things
- vs 20–Yehovah selected for Himself a people that He called a “people of inheritance;” and delivered them out of Egypt (what parallels are there for us today; us who have been selected for Him to be a people of inheritance, we were delivered from religion and sin–our personal Egypts)
- vss 21-24–don’t forget the covenant that Yehovah made with you–(don’t forget the covenant that Yehovah has made with us–spiritual Israelites). When we break that marriage covenant with Yehovah by abandoning the tenets of the true Faith once delivered for another Yeshua and another Yehovah–a neoplatonist conception of the Father and Maschiyach, we invoke within Him jealousy and we place ourselves in jeopardy and harm’s way
- vss 25-26–time and time again Moshe warns the people to stay true to the covenant between He and them. Indeed, the temptation to adopt the ways of the former inhabitants of the land that they would ultimately conquer and inhabit would be extremely great. But the covenant that existed between Yehovah and Israel required the people of promise to remain faithful to that covenant promise and avoid idolatry at any level and in any form. Otherwise, violations of that covenant would be grounds for them to be expelled from the land
- vss 25-31–Moshe prophecizes that the people would indeed violate the covenant with Yehovah and ultimately they would be scattered among the nations of the world, yet just a few would remain. Those who would be scattered would adopt the ways of those with whom they were led away by, turning to the ways of those people. I’ve always wondered why Yehovah continued on with His plans for Israel despite knowing that Israel would violate the covenant many times over. I don’t think we can fully understand the reasons why, but suffice to say that He is a God of promises and He promised this inheritance to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and He would without fail deliver on that promise
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- Yet there will come a time when Israel will return to Yehovah and Shemah Him. Yehovah will then be merciful unto them and remember the covenant which He made with them. This in the time of acharit-hayamin
- vss 32-40-Moshe admonishes the people to examine their history and why they were where they were at that time. Every step of their journey had been orchestrated by the Almighty for purposes of providing them and their progeny reminders and to ensure that they knew without a shadow of doubt that Yehovah was THE one true God. And if they would simply obey that which Yehovah taught them through Moshe, then life would go well with them and their off-spring and they would live prolonged lives in the land and be a light to the world
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- Interesting that the focus was on their temporal existence as human beings. There was a promise ahead of them, thousands of years down the road, in which eternal life would be ultimate goal of mankind as well as being a light to the world through obedience to Torah and affiliation with Yeshua HaMaschiyach. But for now, it was only for them to live prosperous and healthy lives in the land that Yehovah provided them and be that light to the world
- What does that say about us today? We’ve now entered in to the era where our focus is more on a time when we will live with Yeshua here on earth forever and ever. Yet we are called to focus on that which we can do today to further the Kingdom of Yehovah. Yeshua said that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few (Luk 10:2)
Commentary and Application
What does it mean to take heed of one’s self and keep one’s soul diligently? Heed in Hebrew is “shamar” which means to guard, keep, observe. In other words, always monitor and assess one’s self. We are to constantly do this. This we are to do thoughout our lives. Make sure that we are constantly measuring ourselves in accordance to that which we’ve experienced, heard and learned. It’s so easy to slip in to things that are not of Yehovah (cf. Dt. 4:23; Rom 4:23). We must be obsessive and meticulous, perpetual in our self-awareness and self-assessments; to the point of teaching these principles to our progeny.
Matthew Henry paints a context of Moshe’s admonitions here to that of idolatry. Why? Becauise this would ultimately be the nation’s Achilles heel, as well as idolatry was especially irksome to Yehovah and would ultimately lead to harsh punishment. I like Matthew Henry’s examination of this issue of idolatry as it is here being spoken by Moshe. Henry sees the issue in two veins: (1) the creation of graven images that would not only violate the 2nd of the 10-commandments, but in the spirit of this commandment diminish or subtract from the truth that is Yehovah and shame His glory. This harkens back to the golden calf incident in Horeb as documented in the Book of Exodus. One has to seriously question the thoughts of the people who coaxed Aaron in to creating the idol after witnessing the unfathomable exhibit of Yehovah’s glory coming down from heaven on to Mount Sinai (this being the shadow picture of the Feast of Shavuot or Pentecost). That incident was done, according to Yehovah Himself, to become an indelible image in the minds of the people forever and serve as a certification that Moshe was indeed Yehovah’s elect to lead and teach the people (i.e., the people were to Shama Moshe) as well as capture the attention of the people when He, Yehovah, would shout down His commandments to the nation (Exo. 19:9). This event, the likes as has never been seen by the human since, as well as the admonishment and commandment never to make or worship before any idol (Hebrew=pecel), quickly vanished from the hearts and minds of the people as they compelled Aaron to make for them the idol of the Golden Calf. This incident so enraged Yehovah that He was set to destroy the nation and start over with Moshe alone. Israel that day was spared utter and total destruction because Moshe mediated on behalf of the people–11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said: ‘LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and saidst unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.’ 14 And the LORD repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people. (Exo 32:11-14 JPS) Here, in the most glaring and beautiful manner, we see through Moshe’s actions a shadow picture of the Messiah, of Yeshua HaMaschiyach, who has since His ascension in to heaven, mediated before Yehovah on behalf of His elect. How dare we, the elect of Yehovah, assume with pompous and self-righteous assertiveness that grace has blinded the eyes of Yehovah to our idolatrous and sinful behavior. Churchianity has taught us that our sins are covered by the blood of Yeshua and thus our eternal destiny is assured and we have free license to live as our flesh dictates. This mindset dear Saints, is nothing more than spiritual idolatry, which is Matthew Henry’s second point. How Churchianity has fashioned, not only in graven images such as paintings and statutes that litter Catholic and even some protestant Churches, humanly contrived perceptions and idealizations of Yehovah and Yeshua and we, like Israel, blindly and boldly accept and structure our lives in accordance with those perceptions and idealizations. This is one of the many reasons why Torah is so vital to the Believer in Messiah. It serves as a record of the history of Israel and the many events and things that they experienced. Many of those events and things translate in to sad but sobering reminders of how depraved we as humans are, despite having a clear understanding of what Yehovah has accomplished in us through His Son, Yeshua HaMaschiyach.
I truly believe that it is the Messianic Believer’s true calling to take up Ancient Israel’s mantle and be that light to the nations. How do we do that. By living Torah. As the world sees that we are meticulously but joyously following the ways of Torah while acknowledging that Yeshua is our Redeemer that has given to us His Ruach Kodesh, we naturally become an object of curiosity to the world. Yes, many will villainize us and attempt to discredit us as simply another cult that is obtuse to the ways of popular Christianity. But eventually, if we continue in the ways of Yehovah and we show forth in our lives wonders and blessings that are not realized in Christianity or in Judaism for that matter, then the people will be drawn to the simple truth of our Faith and to Yeshua HaMaschiyach. We must not squander this opportunity. We possess the truth and a dying world desperately needs that truth. And no matter how hard and persistently the establishment of our day seeks to suppress this Message of the Kingdom of Yehovah and His righteousness, the truth will still peek through–just as sprigs of grass pop through cracks in a sidewalk or driveway, there is no way to entirely suppress the truth that comes directly from the Word of God. We don’t all have to have huge and prosperous ministries to bring that light and further the true Gospel. We simply must avail ourselves to the calling and employ of Yehovah and the Ruach as we walk daily with Messiah. It may come down to simply living to the best of our ability Torah and that alone will facilitate the work. Invariably, many will ask why we do what we do and seek to understand who and what we are. These interactions provide us the opportunity to evangelize and spread to the world the True Gospel Message. That old gospel song from the 70’s rings so ever true here: “It only takes a spark to get a fire going–then all those around are warmed by its glowing–That’s how it is with God’s love–once you experience it…you want to pass it on.” May you walk in the power and might of the Ruach Kodesh and may you and family be most blessed fellow Saints. Shalom.
by Rod Thomas | Oct 29, 2014 | Blog
7 For what nation [goy=nation=gentiles] is there so great, who hath God [elohim] so nigh unto them, as the LORD [Yehovah] our God [elohim] is in all things that we call upon him for?
8 And what nation is there so great, that hath *statutes [choq] and judgments [misphat] so righteous as all this law [torah], which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; (Deu 4:7-9 KJV)
(cf 2Sa 7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? )
America is said to have been built upon Biblical Principles, especially when it comes down to its laws and treatment of her people. Indeed, the founding Fathers clearly instilled within the constitutional make-up of this nation, many Biblical principles that are ocassionally apparent even to the casual observer today.
Yehovah in His infinite wisdom knew that the eyes of the nation of Israel would wander and lust after the perceived greatness of other nations. We see very clearly from the Biblical record that soon after being settled in the land, the people demanded a human king so that they would be like the other nations that they had observed or even heard about ( 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. (1Sa 8:5 KJV)). Yet Yehovah, through Moshe’s teachings, sought to capture the attention and hearts of the people, and bring them to a firm knowledge, understanding and commitment that what they had in terms of organization. government and way of life, was far greater and more relevant than any nation on the planet. There was no need for their hearts and minds to wander and desire after other nations. In fact, the Children of Promise were to embrace and diligently hold to the things that they’ve been taught and the experiences they’ve endured so as to not be swayed towards adopting or observing the ways of the surrounding nations. Furthermore, these principles were to be taught to each generation; tenaciously guarded and instillled in to the minds of their children so that they would know nothing other than what Yehovah had provided them nor would they venture and seek out the ways of other nations.
This same principle so very much applies to us here in America today. Indeed, the world in which we live is like the nations that surrounded ancient Israel. We are like as Israel was at that time so to speak. The world in which we live has inticements that would draw even the most ardent and zealous of our faith. Television, movies, the printed media, all spend huge sums of money to study and analyze our base wants and desires in order to ultimately turn a profit for the great commercialists and globalists of our world. Thus they peddle their wares to us by appealing to our basest nature and our need for instant gratification. Simply watch a half-hour television show and you will see commercials that appeal to our perceived need to be up with the in-crowd and in tune with the latest and greatest products and services. Scantily dressed, thin and attractive women and shirtless, cut men tramp about our television and movie screens in meticulously crafted veniets, carefully designed to capture our attention and imaginations, prompting us to immediately run out and purchase whatever item is being advertised at that moment. Industry has identified the things that they’ve determined people want and desire and they then proceed to craft methods to convert our collective wants in to perceived needs. Cars, gadgets, services and the like, are presented to the nation in such a way that one could not possibly do without these things, these trinkets, these distractions if you will.
On the other hand the governments of the West seek to pacify the nation’s people with the things, laws and services that will keep them out of government’s hair, so to speak, and thus provide those who govern over us a lucrative and long-term income. Thus, our government appeals to the basest of our nation’s desires and perceived needs by enacting laws and programs that place the population in perpetual bondage. Sadly the people of the West have absolutely no idea what they have in terms of a life. Oh, we in America have the absolute highest standard of living of any other nation on the planet. We have an abundance of food and clean water and luxury items that keep us in line and in bondage to our government. Our government led industrial-military complex has given us television and video games and iPhones that consume our every waking hour; ultimately taking our attention away from Him who seeks after our attention and desires that we devote our lives to Him and Him alone.
All of this that I’ve mentioned is exactly what Yehovah didn’t want to see happen to His people. It goes beyond not wanting to see His people fall prey to lifestyles of pagan nations. Yehovah’s holiness and conversely His demand for holiness from His chosen people, could no, will not, shall not, co-exist with the ways of the nations round about them.
There are many parallels between ancient Israel and America the Beautiful. Israel was given statutes and judgments (i.e., collectively Torah), which would set her apart from the nations of the world. America was founded upon similar principles which also set her apart from the rest of the world. Both nations were blessed and grew as a result of adhering to these God given principles. However, both (i.e., Israel and America) moved away from the purity of the original message. In Israel’s case, she created through the Pharisaical system, a set of laws around the Torah. These laws were not of Yehovah and in many instances were in complete opposition to Torah. It was not the intent of the sages who created these additional laws (1,000’s of additional laws) that was the problem per se, but moreso it was the disobedience and the religious leaders’ refusal to point the people back to the original Laws of Yehovah that was the greatest offense. Yehovah clearly instructed that Torah was complete and not to be tampered with: Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. (Deu 4:2 KJV) Like Israel, America has strayed from its Godly heritage and the people have placed over them evil men who have dismissed the Yehovah-centerness of our early nation and replaced those laws with self-serving laws and ordinances that exist only to enslave and control the people. Indeed, this is a terrible terrible state to be in. Yet today, after the passage of so much time, the citizens know nothing more than what they have now. In fact, the people demand these oversights and contrived laws and ordinances in order that they may feel safe and provide each individual assurances that their government is taking good care of them. America is simply repeating the same gross mistake that Israel did two and three-millennia ago. Yehovah admonished the people to understand what it was they were asking for when they demanded to have a king just like the other nations. The only king that should be over Israel was Yehovah. Just like the only government that we, the Believers in Messiah must acknowledge, is that of Yehovah. Why would we look elsewhere for our governance? Those same judgments and statutes are sufficient to meet all our needs today. Torah was composed of some 613 laws, ordinances and statutes and when ancient Israel lived according to these prescribed rules, they flourished. In the West, we have millions of ordinances and statutes and our nation continues to plummet into chaos. Why is this so? Torah’s origin was of Yehovah. The laws of the West are of man. Man can not save himself from himself. What makes him think that he can govern himself?
Brilliant Bible Commentator Matthew Henry wrote of the Law: “…that were so agreeable to reason (referring to the law), truth, jusice, and equity…” The laws of man when developed in a vacuum apart from the Bible, are self-serving and myopic. Many times these manmade laws are inspired by the enemy in order to facilitate continued stoking of the one-world government and the prosperity of the globalists. As conspiratorial as this may sound to many, and indeed it may very well be, we must ask ourselves why is the West in so much trouble despite the millions of laws and systems of oversight? All that appears left is more laws and more oversight, wouldn’t you think? Or wouldn’t the governments think that? Elections will be held in many areas of the United States next week. On may of the local ballots are dozens of new laws to be added to the already bursting at the seams catalogue of laws already on the books. Will these additional laws stem the tide of our nation’s slip and slide into chaos and even pending judgment from on-high? I don’t have to be a prophet to answer “no” to that question. One thing is certain: if the West (namely the United States) does not come to terms with her situation and she does not repent of her sinful ways and abandon her eivl ways, she will indeed be judged and judged harshly by the Great I Am.The prescription for America’s ills is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which reads:
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.1 (2Ch 7:14 KJV)
The Hebraic Roots/Messianic Faith has a huge mandate to fulfill. We must take the place of Israel until their blindness is healed ( 5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.1
(Jer 23:5-6 KJV)) and become a people who understands and realizes the brilliance and perfection of Torah and through our obedience to Torah and our reliance upon Yehovah be that light to the nations. Christianity had a shot at this, but dropped the ball once she gave over her leadership and governance to traditions and doctrines and teachings of men. It’s a tall order and only a precious few will willingly take on this task. This thing is not just a calling (as Christianity would have the world believe that all 2.5 billion adherents have been called) but a selection. Just as Yehovah selected Israel to be the conduit whereby He would reveal Himself to the world and send His only begotten son, so we find that through Israel’s disobedience and non-belief we have been chosen to usher in the Kingdom of Yehovah here on earth.
How do we accomplish this thing? I believe verse 9 holds the key: 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; (Deu 4:9 KJV) It requires that we shamar (guard) ourselves (our eyes, minds, and souls) and stay focused on the ways that Yehovah has prescribed that we must walk. It is so easy to be caught up with the cares of this life and completely forget that which we are supposed to do. I know myself much better than I’ve ever known myself (as strange as this statement may read to you). I know that I am shiny objects kind of guy. I know initially what I’m supposed to do, but can easily be distracted. This applies ever so much in my walk with Messiah. The things of this world at times captures my full attention and before I know it, my day has gone by and my focus on Yehovah and His ways have been parked on the “shoulder” of life. For instance, I go to work each day. Before going to work, I devote my morning to Torah study and prayer. I seek Yehovah’s will and direction for my life as well as I offer petitions to Him as it relates to whatever needs and issues need taking care of. Once I walk through the doors of my office, the onslaught begins and before I know it, I’m caught up with one thing after another and into discussions and debates and a laundry list of concerns that diminish my spiritual focus and degrade my guard or shamar. Sometimes I will go the entire day and emerge from my office and it dawns on me that I didn’t even give Yehovah the time of day while I dealt with the issues of “work.” That’s crazy. That I realize must change. How many missed opportunities were there to receive critical direction and guidance from Yehovah? How many missed opportunities to be commune with the Creator of the Universe? There are times, however, where my tzitzits come in quite handy and by virtue of me simply feeling the fringes touching my arm or hands I’m reminded to come to center and think about Father and Torah and that which Yeshua HaMaschiach has done for us. It is those ocassions when I’m brought back full circle that I can say within myself: “what individual in this place is so great that he/she has statutes and judgments so righteous as the Torah that Yeshua taught us about and lived perfectly?”
It’s high time that we realize our uncomparable heritage and mandate and live in accordance with both. I pledge to do just that. It won’t be easy, but it is more than doable, especially with the help of the Ruach Kodesh. May Yehovah lead you to great things as you live the life of Torah and in the power and might of His Ruach Kodesh dear Saint. Be most blessed.
*choq=statutes=that which is prescribed by Yehovah for Israel to do. The Law is made up of statutes and judgments (vs 8)
by Rod Thomas | Oct 23, 2014 | Blog
6 Keep [shamar-guard, observe, give heed] therefore and do [asah] them; for this is your wisdom [chokmah] and your understanding [biynah] in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. (Dt 4: 6)
[Note: chokmah=prudence in religious affairs; and biynah=We are to be the object of knowledge to the people. We are to be the point of insight to a lost world.]
We often hear tacit complaint and even distain from the world over our observance and keeping of Torah. Jesus did away with Torah. The Law was nailed to the cross. I personally believe in my heart that when one comes in to a knowledge of the Messiah, whether it be orthodox, tradition or popular Christianity, he or she knows inherently that they must be obedient to the Lord. Tradition and religion has drilled in to our heads that we are not to have anything to do with the Law. In fact, if we even entertain even observing the Sabbath for instance, we are labelled heretic and other offensive names. And then the people rejoice inwardly because they then believe that they will not held responsible for obeying the Laws of the Almighty. It’s almost a relief of sorts. But when you think about this, you may come to the conclusion that this whole issue of whether one should or should not keep the Law (or Torah), it is nothing more than a self-centered selfish cognitive process. It’s all about us. It is not at all about the Father and what He desires or moreso what He demands of us.
I recall back in March of 2013 when my boss was dismissed from her position how the staff rejoiced (and to a large extent so did I) because the staff saw that by her departure they we were no longer going to be subjected to a bunch of harsh and cumbersome rules. The two-decades that she commanded our division, she enacted rule after rule, policy after policy, a great deal of those being petty and ultimately pointless and in many cases created in a spirit of paranoia and spite. There was a steep price to pay when one of those rules was broken. Now being honest and objective, many of the rules and policies that she enacted were actually brilliant and it was those rules that made our operation run competently and smoothly and there were few incidents of error or oversight by the staff since there were incorporated redundancies, checks and balances. In total, I must admit, those rules and policies–minus the spiteful, pointless and petty ones–served our organization well. Our organization assumed a leadership role in the State of California as the Coroner’s Office who did things properly and competently. It was our organization that became the go-to organization in the state for doing things in the realm of medicolegal death investigations the best way possible. It’s been 18-months since she was forcibly retired. It was her overbearing enforcement of those rules and policies that got her in hot water with the Department’s administration. Nevertheless, today we’ve departed far from most of the rules and policies that she enacted. Consequently, our work-product and effectiveness as a death investigation entity has sorely suffered. Has really improved as a result of this swing of the pendulum towards less rules and policies? Nope. In fact, morale has remained low and severaly of us long for those times when we held tight to those rules and policies. I am now working to bring us back to some semblance of those days when things operated like a well-oiled machine and narry was there a disruption of operations.
I mentioned this personal example because I see an interesting parallel here with the rules and policies of my organization back in the day and Moshe’s admonishment to the People of Promise. Indeed, by my staff’s adherence and obedience to the many rules and policies enacted by my former boss, we became sort of “wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations;” well at the very least, the nations that comprised the thirty-something coroner organizations in the state of California. I look back on those days today and see great spiritual parallels here. And this is what the Ruach Kodesh does for us when we open our hearts, minds and eyes to the truth. Many of the trials and tribulations and even many of the mundane things that transpire throughout our lives have rich spiritual meaning and application. It’s what we do with that information and those experiences that ultimately matters. If we don’t become better people of Yehovah, all those experiences and the gained information we’ve accumulated are for naught. Unfortunately, Israel often failed to recognize the rich, spiritual relevance of all of the events that transpired in their history. Instead of taking those experiences and information and living according to Yah’s prescribed manner, they chose rather to whore after other gods or even erect their own system of holiness and righteousness that effectively resulted in their abandonment of Torah (…Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. (Mat 15:6 KJV)).
Yehovah had greater purpose in delivering His Torah to His people than simply coralling and controlling a stiff-necked group of people such as the Israelites. It was to be, through their obedience and adherence to Torah, that they would be a light–a beacon–and savor (i.e., salt) to a lost and dying world. Israel failed, despite repeated attempts by the Creator to bring the nation back on task. But you see, the Creator always has a back-up. What Israel lost through her disobedience and migration over to religion and tradition, we in the Hebraic Roots/Believers in Messiah assumed and now must work. Paul touched upon this in his letter to the Roman congregation, likening us to wild olive branches:
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Rom 11:13-25 KJV)
Is it over for Israel? Well, according to the author and finisher of our Faith, absolutely not. Paul continues:
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)
May we assume our duties as the graffed-in ones and the redeemed of the Most High, with zeal and joy so that the nations that surround us in our individual lives will have a reference point whereby they may come to the One True God-Yehovah-through our example of Torah Living. Be Most Blessed Saints.
by Rod Thomas | Oct 2, 2014 | Blog
As my practice, I began my day with prayer followed by reading Torah. I deter from Torah reading, however, when specific events contained in Rood’s Chronological Gospels correspond to our Gregorian calendar date. In this case, events 114 and 115 happen to occur on this date. The passages are found in Matthew 15:39-16:4 and Mark 8:10-13. These little known passages once again point to the seemingly perpetual conflict Yeshua had with the Prushim/Pharisees and the Zadokim/Sadducees. This time, the Jewish religious leaders demand of Yeshua a sign from heaven, likely to certify Yeshua for their purposes, that He was the long-awaited Messiah. Yeshua was not ignorant as to their purpose and saw right through them. These folks were trying to trip the Master up and find more reasons to take Him down. Yeshua refused to provide any signs to them. Indeed, the Master had provided countless signs throughout His ministry that every well knowing person in the region would have heard about. The prophecies of His exploits were being fulfilled virtually every day. The Prushim and the Zadokim were experts at discerning everyday occurrences of natural and even unnatural events, yet they remained ignorant of proofs to Yeshua’s identity.
How often do we not see truths that are right in front of our faces each day? How many of us went through life as a traditional Christian, reading the same passages of Scripture year after year, and never seeing, never knowing, never understanding just who our Master was? How many of us, feeling as though we had made it in Christ looked past the words in our bible, never understanding the significance of Sabbath and the Feasts Days of Yehovah? Blinded by tradition, religion and the cares of this world.
For me, this was a very pertinent passage. It alerted me to be aware of my spiritual surroundings. We don’t need signs of what or why or who. We have the Ruach Kodesh and the Word. These two powerful entities, when used absent denominational influences, will lead us to all truths. Praise Yehovah for Messiah Yeshua. Have a blessed day in Messiah.
by Rod Thomas | Aug 14, 2014 | Blog
A practice that I’ve begun following of late is incorporating the Michael Rood Chronological Gospels into my regimen of Torah Study. I do this following the Rood Astronomically & Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew Calendar and looking at the corresponding events based upon Rood’s presumed calendar dates. Those of you who haven’t and are so led, I would highly encourage you to get your hands on a copy of the Chronological Gospels and the Creator’s Calendar. These two tools work together to provide perspective in terms of the time frames that each Gospel event occurred. The time frames, of course, are highly connected and embedded in the Feasts of Yehovah, the Sabbath and Torah. Michael’s commentary on key events also illuminates the issues being addressed through the sighted events in the light of Torah, Judaism, history and the Hebrew language. This perspective has taken my study to a whole new level; beyond anything that I’ve ever experienced, just in the past year. I can’t recommend this invaluable tool enough.
Being transparent, I can’t say emphatically whether or not the events exactly correspond to every assigned date as Michael assigns in his Bible, but I truly believe at the very least, the dates and events as assigned are reasonable. I had the great privilege to speak to Michael last year, at an event launching the Chronological Gospels, regarding this very question about assigning dates and time frames. I expected Michael to provide me with some type of nebulous answer. However, I was highly impressed and surprised to learn from him that a great deal of research and study was placed in the assignment of dates/time frames to every event. In some cases, the events could be assigned to specific dates simply by correlating obviously-associated feasts and known documented history. Other, less than obvious events, required Michael to actually extrapolate distances and cultural practices in association with various historical markers–the biggest marker being the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, which Michael used as a primary reference point for much of the Chronological Gospels construction.
The most recent event correlation was 68–“Yeshua and His disciples ‘harvest, winnow, and grind’ grain on the second Sabbath after the first of the month, incurring the wrath of the Pharisees.” This event, as recorded in Matthews 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; and Luke 6:1-5, is believed to have occurred on the Shabbat, 10th day, of the 5th Biblical month which certain computers have been used to extrapolate back in time to specific dates, assigns this day to August, 2, 27 of the common era. This is a well-known story. Yeshua and His disciples happen to have been traversing a wheat field on the second Sabbath of the 5th Biblical month when certain religious leaders witness them plucking wheat and eating grains of wheat to cull their hunger. The religious leaders attributed the act of plucking wheat and extracting the kernels as violating Sabbath laws; specifically the Pharisees accused the group of conducting work on the Sabbath. Yeshua’s response to the accusation was one of outrage in that the violation of the Sabbath laws as seen by the Pharisees was in no way Torah-based. The fact of the matter was that the oral tradition in this and virtually every other commandment, law and precept of the Torah was refashioned by the religious leaders to create a form of righteousness that was not of Yehovah but of man. To get His point across, Yeshua referred the Prushim to the story of David while hiding from King Saul who sought to kill him, took Shewbread for him and his men from the tabernacle to eat (1 Samuel 21:14-16). The showbread, by Torah, was restricted to the consumption by the Tabernacles priests (Exodus 25:30 and Leviticus 24:5-9). The showbread was considered to be holy (Leviticus 24:9) and only to be eaten by Aaron and his sons. In general. The letter of Torah would indicate that consumption of the shewbread by anyone other than the Levitical priest was out of the question. Yet Yehovah never instructed that this was emphatically the case. Consequently, David, hiding from King Saul, hungry, and in need, found a source of provision through the grace and providence of Yehovah. If this David and the shewbread situation were to have been played out by the Prushim who rebuked Yeshua, likely David would have been sent away without sustenance and we can only surmise what would have become of him afterwards. Interestingly, the attending priest who provided the showbread to David, although having a degree of angst over the entire situation, capitulated and provided the bread to David with the understanding that David and his men were in a state of purity. Also interestingly, Yehovah, who enjoyed a close relationship with David, seemed to have not had any issue with David taking the shewbread for emergency sustenance.
Letter of the Law, without any consideration for the spirit of the Law, can be problematic, especially as it relates to our Hebraic Roots/Messianic Faith. I recall coming in to this Truth going on 10-years ago and having to work through the many challenges and questions regarding the Sabbath. The Torah is clear on there being no work conducted on the Sabbath. But the questions that floated around us constantly was, what constitutes work? Thus, we went through a million and one permutations and adjustments regarding the observance of Sabbath. In our home, we went from one extreme to the next because we didn’t fully grasp what the expectation was regarding the Sabbath and the whole concept of what we can and can’t do on the Sabbath. I’m certain that many of you have faced the same situation. I can tell you, this very situation had a tendency to create a lot of turmoil in our home during the early days of our transitioning to Sabbath observance. Very early on, we swung heavily over towards total, systematic, shutdown on the Sabbath. I mean, absolutely NO television watching allowed; no preparation of meals; prayer beginning at sundown and again at the end of Sabbath; no running of appliances; and there were other things implemented that escapes me at the moment. Well, the pendulum swung from extreme conservative to more liberal, especially after we affiliated with United Church of God and then Rock Valley Christian Church. Being in these fellowships, we experienced working hard to facilitate the conduction of weekly Sabbath services as well as eating out in restaurants and other peoples homes during the Sabbath. So, it was indeed interesting how things can change in terms of how we as humans apply Torah to our lives, especially as it relates to something as foundational as the Sabbath.
As it related to this particular event, the Torah by this point in history had become nothing more than a broken egg shell (my wording and description) whereby the whole egg (i.e., the Torah as given by Yehovah to the children of Israel) had been cracked open by men and the contents spilled out into a skillet. The purity of the egg was then comprised by the heat of the stove and the extra “stuff” (i.e., seasoning, butter, etc.) that is added to suit the taste of the one who is cooking it. The Law as known to the Jew in first century Palestine was not Torah. The original 613 laws, commandments and precepts that were stipulated in the five books of Torah had morphed into 1000’s of additional laws and rules, all designed according to the Prushim, to keep the Jew from violating the original 613 laws. This erecting of a fence around Torah by these man made laws (as it has come to be known in Judaism) was never intended nor sanctioned by Yehovah and it was this system of laws (i.e., the Talmud; takanots; ma’hasim) that enraged the Master and ultimately resulted in His crucifixion. The instance of Yeshua’s disciples plucking wheat and rubbing the kernels in their hands to strip away the chaff as they traversed that wheat field that August day in 27 C.E. was deemed a violation of the Law, when in fact it was only a violation of Jewish law. The Prushim’s interpretation of Torah through the lenses of Judaism regarding the Sabbath was in many cases absolutely ludicrous. Instead of a people (specifically Jews) experiencing freedom from sin through the keeping of Torah, the people instead experienced an intense form of bondage to religion. I recall reading something a few years ago that certain sects of Judaism weren’t allowed even to tear toilet paper to take care of their personal toilet needs on the Sabbath. Thus, the toilet paper had to be torn into prepared strips on Friday so as to not incur the work of tearing a piece of toilet paper on the Sabbath. I mean, how silly is this. One can only surmise that hasatan and his imps have over the centuries fallen over themselves laughing at the absurdity of some of these rules.
As it relates to us: the redeemed and elect of Yeshua HaMaschiach, our observance and keeping of Sabbath must be done within a healthy and proper perspective. Indeed, Torah is clear that we must not do any work. Most will agree that work would refer to servile activity–especially activity that we do on a daily basis to provide financial support for our families. This work would be considered income. But then, what about the work of cleaning up the house, mowing a lawn, washing clothes, preparing meals, baby sitting, and the like? I guess the best way to look at this is, there is absolutely no reason to do any of these tasks on the Sabbath when there are six other days in the week in which to complete this tasks. These tasks may not be activities for which we earn a living, but they could be classified as servile work. Then what about those who work in socially critical positions such as paramedics, firemen, policemen, doctors, nurses and soldiers–these professionals keep our society safe from the dangers of everyday life? Surely Yehovah would be okay if a believer who happens to be one of these critical professionals was required to fulfill the tenets of their profession (i.e., work) on the Sabbath. I think most would concede that the believer in Messiah is compelled to honor the Sabbath by not fulfilling the tenets of His profession on the Sabbath. I believe that it comes down to one who finds themselves in such a situation to petition Yehovah to provide the right organization that would grant him or her the Sabbath off. I found myself in a similar situation and it was the grace of Yehovah that worked a wonder and I was promoted to a position that did not require me to work on Sabbaths. Yehovah can do wonders if we seek Him and never doubt Him. It’s a trust issue. And if we aren’t able to make headway in the company or organization in which we are employed, then maybe Yehovah has another, even better, opportunity out there for us that does not require us to work on the Sabbath. Nevertheless, this is an individual issue that one must face alone and make the decision of what to do about the Sabbath. True believers must make a stand. However, true believers must keep Torah real and not fall pray to personal perceptions and ideals as to what constitutes proper Sabbath observance. The Torah is clear as to what justifies generally the proper observance of the Sabbath–that is there will be no work. The minute details, however, rests with the leading of the Holy Spirit and common sense. If you’re hungry on the Sabbath and your options are limited, by all means find something to eat. Next time, maybe you might want to be more prepared so as to not find yourself in the same situation. Just saying.
