The Immersion of the Two Pentecosts/Shavuots–Part 3 of our True Biblical Baptism Series

by | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

As I am recording and posting this installment of TMTO, it is Preparation Day, June 14, 2024. It is the 48th day of the counting of the omer, which means that Shavuot/Pentecost/Feast of Weeks is just two-days away, on Sunday, June 16, 2024. And yes, some members of our Faith community will have already observed Shavuot. And if you are interested in knowing why this situation exists, I encourage you to either listen to or read my most recent post entitled “Shavuot-Feast of Weeks-Timing is Everything.” (I’ll place the link to that post in this post’s transcript for your convenience.)

 

This is the Immersion of the Two Pentecosts/Shavuots. It is Part 3 of our True Biblical Baptism Series.

Rabbinic tradition asserts that God’s revelation of himself from Mount Sinai took place on Shavuot, otherwise referred to as the day of Pentecost. That historic event with some 1500 years removed from the day that Abba Yah sent down and filled Yeshua’s disciples with the promised Holy Spirit:

4 And while he was with them, he (i.e. Yeshua) commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit ⌊not many days from now⌋” (Act 1; LEB; cf. Luk 24.49; Joh 14.16, 26; 15.26).

In many ways, both revelations, both Shavuots — Exodus 19 and Acts 2 — parallel or complement each other. C. M. Hegg of Torah Resources sites one example of the parallel or similarity of the two Shavuots in Yah manifesting himself to our ancient Hebrew cousins at Mount Sinai in irresistible fire (Exo 19.16-19) and the giving of the Holy Spirit to Yeshua’s disciples at the Jerusalem Temple, manifesting as “divided tongues as of fire settling upon each of them” (Act 2.3). Another parallel or similarity — prophetic foreshadowing — may be found in the participants of these two events.

In the case of Yah’s revelation at Sinai, the whole of Israel consisting of her 12 ancestral tribes. In the case of the giving of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot at the Temple in Jerusalem, Yeshua’s disciples represented the 12 tribes of Israel.

The parallels continue. The revelation at Sinai would inaugurate a new chapter in Israel’s history. Apart from Yah moving to fulfill his promise to his friend Abraham, to grant to his descendants the land of promise, the Sinai revelation also laid the foundation by which Bene Yisra’el (aka the sons of Israel) would become a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto Yehovah (Exo 19.6). She would become the light to the nations. Israel would possess the means by which the nation peoples could enter into a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. The Shavuot – Holy Spirit event of 28 C.E., Jerusalem — would be the “spark” that would cause Bene haYisra’el – Yeshua’s disciples Turned apostles or sent ones — to advance the saving message of the reign of Yehovah over the nations of this world through the person and ministry of the “walking-talking-Torah,” Yeshua HaMashiyach!

In other words, Yahoshua’s disciples turned apostles/sent one would take the Gospel of the Kingdom to the nations, being equipped to do so by the indwelling of Yah’s Holy Spirit.

Another prophetic parallel between the two Shavuots is found in Yehovah revealing Himself and his Way of life to a mixed multitude that was assembled at the base of Mount Sinai. At the Shavuot event in Jerusalem, Yehovah calls unto Himself Jews from the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire and because of this Revelation of Himself, 3,000 international Jews were added to the Body of Messiah on that Shavuot (Act 2.5-11). Both Shavuots receiving similar but dissimilar revelations of Yehovah consisted of individuals who spoke in different tongues or languages. Yet in both events Yah broke through the language barriers such that each soul in attendance could hear and understand the Creator’s Gospel message.

The Shavuot-Holy Spirit event in Jerusalem was a partial, but historic fulfillment, of John’s prophecy and Yeshua’s promise:

“I indeed immerse you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after Me (i.e. Yeshua) is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to bear. He shall immerse you in the Set Apart Spirit and fire” (Mat 3.11; The Scriptures ISR).

“But you shall receive power when the Set Apart Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses…” (Mar 1.8; The Scriptures ISR).

 

Luke records that “they [Yeshua’s disciples] were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (aka languages) as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out” (Act 2.4; LEB). This was the second Shavuot that is still being played out today.

 

Here’s a fun fact beloved: The Apostles’ infilling of the Holy Spirit on the second Shavuot, contrary to traditional Christian teaching, did not take place in the legendary or mysterious “Upper Room.”

Indeed, out of obedience to their Master, Yeshua, the disciples had their lodging together in what Luke described as an upper or upstairs room (Act 1.13). Spaces such as first-century Middle Eastern upper rooms or dwellings were used for various domestic purposes such as “sleeping, dining, and entertaining guests” (Logos 10 Ancient Customs).

Luke lists the occupants of this upper room as being Yeshua’s inner-core disciples, minus, of course, Judas Iscariot who took his own life for obvious reasons. At some point within the 10-days between the Master’s ascension to His Father in heaven and the advent of Shavuot or Pentecost there in Jerusalem, the disciples chose one of the 120 or so disciples by the name Matthias, via the casting of lots, to replace Judas (Act 1.26). Strangely, we never read anything more about Matthias in the Apostolic records. Could it have been Father’s will to replace Judas with Paul, despite the inner core eleven disciples’ well-meaning desire to replace Judas as quickly as possible? Maybe Matthias was not Father’s “pick of the litter.” Just throwing that out there. But continuing.

Luke records that the disciples “diligently engaged with one mind in prayer together with the women (yes, Yeshua had female disciples) and Yeshua’s mother Miriam, along with Yeshua’s half-brothers (Act 1.14). However, no group of true Torah-observant, righteous Jewish men of the first century would be caught dead taking up lodging with women who were not their wives, not withstanding the fact that these women were also disciples of Yeshua. Luke reports that Yahoshua’s inner core disciples, His half-brothers, His mother, and female disciples “busily engaged with one mind in prayer” (Act 1.14).

Question. Where did these upwards of 120 disciples engage themselves in prayer? Certainly not this upper room. Size and social decorum would not have facilitated such an ecclesiastical arrangement. It would have to have been somewhere other than this upper room. Right?

Well, we get the answer to this conundrum in Acts 2.1-2. Although it may not seem obvious to the casual reader, the location where the historic Shavuot outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place is spelled out.

(1) And when the Day of Shavuot had come, they were all with one mind in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it (i.e. the Holy Spirit) filled all the house where they were sitting (Act 2; The Scriptures ISR).

There are two direct points of interest that we may draw from these two verses:

  1. The Day of Shavuout had come. And because it is the second annual pilgrimage feast of Yah’s sacred calendar year, at least the head/male of every Jewish household was required by Torah to keep this day at the place where Yah placed His Name (Exo 23.15; 34.20). And at this time in Israel’s history, that place where Yah placed His Name was the Jerusalem Temple.
  2. The Spirit came upon every one of Yeshua’s disciples. Both male and female disciple. And let us not forget or overlook the fact that at least 120 disciples would have been included in this group, all obediently keeping Shavuot at the Jerusalem Temple (Act 2.4). The precise location as spelled out by Luke’s record is “the whole house where they (i.e. the disciples) were sitting.”

Now, the Greek term for house is “oikos”. Scripturally, oikos may refer to any domicile or dwelling such as someone’s home, a lodging place such as an inn, or, as in the context of our passage, the Temple. The Temple? How so? Isn’t the Temple the Temple?

Well, at least 11-Tanach or Old Testament passages directly refer to the Temple as “house”, especially as recorded in the LXX (1 Kin 8.11; 1 Chr 22.5; 2 Chr 5.13-14; 7.1-3; Psa 26.8; Isa 6.1; Eze 10.4-19; 43.4-5; 44.4; Hag 2.8-10; Sir 49.12). The Shekinah Glory or Presence of Yehovah dwelt, at one point in Judah’s history, within God’s House or the Temple. Yeshua referred to the Temple as being “ho oikos mou oikos proseuxes,” or “My (Father’s) house shall be a house of prayer” (Mat 21.13; Mar 11.17; Luk 19.46).

 

Clearly, it was prophetically fitting that the Shekinah Glory of the Almighty that left the Temple during the Prophet Ezekiel’s ministry because Judah refused to behave herself (Eze 19.18), that the same Spirit would return on the historic day of Shavuot and the disciples of the Son of God would be fully immersed in it!

 

The other thing to take note of as it relates to the disciples being filled with the promised Holy Spirit is that many Jews from throughout the first century Roman Empire who were, out of obedience to Torah, present in Jerusalem for Shavuot/Pentecost, witnessed this miraculous event:

(5) Now in Yerushalayim there were dwelling Yehudim (aka Jews), dedicated men from every nation under the heaven. (6) And when this sound came to be, the crowd came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language (i.e. the 120 disciples speaking as the Spirit gave them utterance). (7) And they were all amazed and marveled, saying to each other, “Look, are not these who speak Galileans? (8) And how do we hear, each one in our own language in which we were born” (Act 2; The Scriptures ISR)?

If this miraculous event was confined to the mystical upper room as so many of us were indoctrinated to believe they were, how were so many of the foreign Jews who were attending Shavuot on that day, witnesses to these sights and sounds?

The only explanation has to be that the male disciples slept or lodged in that rented upper room near Jerusalem proper for the 10-days leading up to Shavuot/Pentecost, and during the day, they met up with the female disciples, Yeshua’s brothers, and the other disciples for prayer and fellowship at and in the “House” or Temple. And when the divinely appointed hour came on the Day of Shavuot, Yah filled Yeshua’s disciples with His precious Holy Spirit as they fellowshiped and prayed in the House or Temple.

 

The “indwelling” or “infilling” of Yah’s Holy Spirit is a necessary distinction and reality of every true Netsarim or Messianic. Paul wrote:

“But you (Roman Messianics) are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of Elohim (aka the Holy Spirit) dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, this one is not His” (Rom 8.9; The Scriptures ISR).

Paul’s statement to his Roman Messianic readers is corrective in nature. He is telling them that their lives must now, after their conversion to the true Faith, be controlled by the Spirit, whereas in contrast, their unbelieving counterparts out in the world “…live under the domination of Adam’s sinful nature” (NLT Study Bible Commentary; 2008). They were not to succumb to the influence of their flesh or carnal nature. Being of the Spirit is the reality of the redeemed soul being “under the direction of the indwelling Spirit of God” (Romans-NaC Ro; Mounce, Robert; 1995).

This reality of the Spirit of God dwelling within the true Nazarene Israelite or Messianic, is tempered by the reality that the dwelling place of the Creator of the Universe changed from that of the Jerusalem Temple to the bodies of believers:

“Do you not know that you (Corinthian believers) are God’s temple and the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Cor 3.16; The Scriptures ISR)?

(19)…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, whom you have from God/Elohim, and you are not your own. (20) For you were bought with a price, therefore, esteem Elohim (i.e. glorify God) in your body (1 Cor 6; The Scriptures ISR).

 

Evangelicals have for years thought that the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Yeshua was unique to the Pentecost story of Acts 2 and the other Apostolic records. But the truth of the matter is that Yah has filled a select number of His set apart people throughout Israel’s history. Just to name a few:

  • Bezalel (Exo 31.3-5).
  • The 70-elders of the Exodus (Num 11.25).
  • Joshua, son of Nun (Deu 34.9).
  • The Prophet Elisha (Sirach 48.12).
  • The Prophet Micah (Mic 3.8).
  • John the Immerser and Elijah (Luk 1.17).
  • Elizabeth and Zacharias, John’s parents (Luk 1.41-67.
  • And the list goes on.

What becomes apparent when one engages in a study on this voluminous topic of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, is that the infilling aspect goes beyond the simple gift that Yah grants to those that are His. The infilling and indwelling of the Spirit of Yehovah in a true believer equates to more than it being the believers’ primary source of comfort, leading, and guidance throughout their respective faith walks. It is also given to Yehovah’s chosen ones as evident throughout Luke’s historical account and the Tanach/Old Testament, for specific purposes and “to accomplish distinct tasks” (Hegg, C.M.; Acts-Igniting the Abrahamic Promise, p. 30).

 

In the case of the Pentecost infilling, the purpose for the infilling of Yeshua’s disciples with the Holy Spirit was to make those affected disciples effective and powerful witnesses to that which they’d all lived, experienced, and knew about the Gospel and their Master Yeshua. And the same premise applies as it related to those in the Tanach who were filled with the Spirit or had the Spirit come upon them. These were souls that the Almighty chose to perform a mighty, and in the realm of human limitations, a daunting and superhuman tasks (e.g. making the implements of the Tabernacle or prophesying amid hostile individuals).

 

And so it was that in the two Shavuots/Pentecosts that are featured in Scripture, the people of God were immersed. Paul described the immersion of the first Shavuot that the fathers were all under the cloud and all went through the sea and all were baptized (immersed) into Moses in the cloud and in the sea (1 Cor 10.1-2; LEB). And once Israel arrived at the Mountain of God, she was immersed in the Word of God and His glorious Kingdom.

 

The second Shavuot/Pentecost was a fulfillment of prophecy that promised Yah would immerse His chosen ones in the Holy Spirit. The very presence of the Creator of the Universe that once dwelt in the Tabernacle and later on in Solomon’s Temple, would from that day forward dwell within the deepest recesses of the souls of God’s set apart people.

 

Indeed, with the advent of both Shavuots, the Kingdom of God had intervened into the affairs of humankind. And the Malchut Elohim is the only hope there is for mankind.

 

Thus, in closing, we celebrate, keep, guard, and honor Shavuot — Pentecost —  for its historic significance to Yah’s grand plan of redemption, salvation, and restoration. We keep Shavuot because Yah commanded His people to do so. And in so doing, we remember and embrace Yah’s gifting of His Word and His Set Apart Spirit. And we commit ourselves with renewed vigor to the service of Yehovah and His Kingdom, knowing that we, as His chosen ones, possess His powerful Spirit that will help us achieve and fulfill our purpose in Yeshua Messiah.

 

And for you who are our steadfast listeners, I want you to be aware that we will be on a two-week-hiatus as I have to attend to my dad out east next week, and we will be away the following week attending the Surge 2024 Women’s conference in Waxahachie, Texas. Abba willing, we will return sometime around the first-week of July.

 

Until then, beloved, I bid you Chag Shavuot Semeach — have a blessed and meaningful Shavuot. Until next time, take care.

 

Shavuot-Pentecost-Feast of Weeks — Timing is Everything

by | Jun 11, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Shalom and greetings from the DFW. Trusting, hoping, and praying that this post finds you, your families, and your fellowships are well and blessed. This very short post is entitled: Shavuot-Pentecost-Feast of Weeks-Timing is Everything.

As I write and record this post on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the Day of Shavuot, known by the names Pentecost and Feast of Weeks, looms near for the Torah-honoring and observant people of the Most High God. Unfortunately, as a whole, the Torah-observant/honoring brethren are not keeping this Feast Day on the same day. And the reason for this discrepancy goes back to the pervasive calendar controversies that have plagued the Messianic community (both Jewish and non-Jewish Messianic communities) for years.

Interestingly, as it relates to calendar issues for this year, the Messianic community is not divided between just two dates for keeping Shavuot, but are actually divided between three dates, believe it or not.

The point of contention as it relates to these three-Shavuot dates has to do with two opposing interpretations of Leviticus 23.15-16:

(15) And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering (i.e. during the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread), you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. (16) Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days (aka the counting of the omer), then you shall bring a new grain offering to Yehovah.

The greatest point of contention has to do with how the brethren have chosen to interpret “from the morrow after the Sabbath.” Many of our Jewish brethren, both Orthodox and some Messianics, interpret “the morrow after the Sabbath” as being the day after the High Holy Day of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which falls on the 15th of the Month of the Aviv (Lev 23.6). And this understanding is reflected on the Jewish Calculated Calendar (June, 2024 / Iyar – Sivan, 5784 – Jewish Calendar – Hebrew Calendar (chabad.org) ).

Now, many within the Messianic Community (i.e. a handful of Jewish and many non-Jewish), Hilary and I included, interpret “the morrow after the Sabbath,” as the Sunday that falls within the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The “morrow after the Sabbath” being the day after the weekly Sabbath that falls within that week of Unleavened Bread.

So, how does this all fall out? Well, in simple calendar terms, those that strictly follow the Jewish (Hillel’s) Calculated Calendar, will keep Shavuot — the Feast of Weeks — beginning at sundown on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, ending at sundown on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Those that follow the Observational Calendar will keep Shavuot beginning at sundown on Saturday/Shabbat, June 15, 2024, ending at sundown on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

And the third discrepency I mentioned has to do with the Observational Calendar. Recall that certain observationalists called the start of the calendar year on March 11, 2024. These believed that the barley in the land of Israel was aviv, whereas the rest of us believed that the barley needed an additional month to mature to an aviv state. Consequently, our brethren in this group kept Shavuot on May 11, 2024.

The rest of us observed a 13th month (aka an adar bet) and the year began on April 10, 2024, a month later.  And as I previously mentioned, we will keep Shavuout on June 16, 2024.

Please remember, beloved, that I only bring up this disparity so that you may be aware and understand why these discrepancies exist. Why some of us are keeping Shavuot/Pentecost on different dates. I used to be judgmental towards all those who did not keep the Feasts of the LORD on the same calendar dates we did. But Yah has done a work in me, and I now realize and recognize that we are all on a journey to the Kingdom. And the disagreements we may have as it relates to the calendar must not have any bearing on the love and respect we are to have for one another. Yeshua, when He returns, will then straighten out any lingering calendar disparities. But for now, we as the redeemed of Yah through Yeshua, our Messiah, are to walk out our Faith in fear and trembling. We do the very best we can with the help of the Holy Spirit, looking forward to the day when Israel’s final redemption occurs, and we receive and enter the Malchut Elohim — the Kingdom of God.

As always, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training.

Mikveh or Baptism? Which Is It? Part 2 of the True Biblical Baptism Series

by | May 31, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

This week’s teaching will take us back a year and a half ago when I started a teaching on True Biblical Baptism. That teaching was a subset, if you will, of our multi-installment Paul and Hebrew Roots teaching series I began many years ago. Unfortunately, as it relates to the True Biblical Baptism teaching, which was to be a multi-installment teaching within the Paul and Hebrew Roots series, I only completed one installment. Again, that was a year and a half-ago. I know I left some of you, my listeners, kind of hanging by not completing this important series, but I aim to rectify that failure over the coming weeks. 

 

So, this week, the title of our discussion will be “Mikveh or Baptism: Which is it?” It will be the 2nd installment to our “True Messianic Baptism Series.”

 

Now, if you’ve not had the opportunity to listen to or read Part 1 of this Baptism series, I would humbly encourage you to do so. It is entitled, “True Biblical Baptism — We Were Baptized into Moses in the Red Sea.”

 

I will place the link to that post in the transcript to this teaching for your convenience. That post was an hour and seven minutes long, packed filled with content on our subject. It stands on its own, and thus, I will not repeat the content of that teaching. We have enough content for this installment of the series to keep us quite busy. So, what do you say we delve into our study?

 

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Baptism Follows Trusting Faith and Teshuvah

 

It should not be a secret to anyone coming into or transitioning into this beloved faith of ours that baptism, more correctly, water immersion, is a requirement of all would-be disciples of Yahoshua Messiah. In fact, water immersion tends to be the second thing a person transitioning into our faith undertakes. The first thing being, of course, is to believe in the Person and ministry of Yeshua Messiah which involves teshuvah or repentance.

 

In order for there to be true teshuvah and repentance, the would be disciple of Yeshua must abandon-leave behind their old life for the newness of life which is in Yeshua Messiah (6:4). This is essentially what Paul referred to as an obedience of faith. That obedience of faith, if you will, is followed by water immersion, popularly referred to as Baptism by our denominationalist cousins and mikveh by many within our Messianic faith community.

 

I posted a teaching entitled “Invitation to Messianic Discipleship — From Sinner’s Prayer to Messianic Discipleship” where I outline the essential steps for entering into a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe through the Person and ministries of Yeshua Messiah. So, if you feel the tug/the pull of the Holy Spirit, leading you to walk in Yeshua’s footsteps as His true disciple and to live a Torah-honoring life, if you’ve not already done so, I humbly encourage you to check out that teaching at your earliest convenience. Beloved, today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6.2)!

 

Baptism, or more accurately, water immersion, became an essential act taken by everyone who hearkened to John the Baptist/Immerser’s call to repentance and teshuvah in anticipation of imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God. Countless Judeans responded to John’s call to teshuvah and water immersion. Master Yeshua was one of those Judeans, although His response to John’s call was to, as Yeshua declared to John, ”fulfil all righteousness” (Mat 3.15). And from that time forward, after returning to Judea from His wilderness testing, Master Yahoshua preached the Gospel and His disciples baptized the masses (Joh 3.22; 4.1-2). Even after the Master ascended to His Father on-high, Yeshua’s disciples-turned-apostles baptized any who came to faith in Yeshua as their Messiah. And of course, baptism or water immersion remains to this very day an essential act of trusting faith and affiliation with Yeshua and repentance of any who enters into a covenant relationship with Yehovah through Yeshua Messiah.

 

Now, prior to John the Immerser and Yeshua our Master, Yah set forth provisions for Israelis to regain lost ritual purity. Ritual purity was necessary in order for our Hebrew cousins to worship at the Tabernacle or Temple. In all cases where our cousins sought to regain their ritual purity, they were required by Yah to bathe in living water (aka a mikveh). The terminology related to the act of bathing has today been conflated with the physical body of living water that the impure one bathes in. Both the act of ritual bathing and the body of water in which the ritual bathing takes place are referred to in our Faith community as mikveh, which is technically wrong. The mikveh, according to Jewishencyclopedia.com, means “a collection, a collected mass, especially of water” (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles10827-mikweh). Our Jewish brethren undertake ritual bathing in what is call mikva’ot today, generally for proselytization (Gentile conversions to Judaism) and purification of Jewish women at the end of their menstrual cycles or after giving birth.

 

Consequently, ritual bathing, or being what is erroneously referred to as being mikveh’d, has become synonymous with Messianic water immersion or baptism. And as we will see, Hebrew or Jewish ritual bathing is NOT Messianic water immersion. And as we progress through the rest of this teaching, we will understand the difference between these two acts of faith.

 

Because this topic on the Mikveh or Baptism is so large, we’ll look at the Mikveh today, and then we’ll pick up the Baptism or water immersion next installment.

The fundamental point behind ritual water immersion is mostly lost because the temple is no longer in existence nor operational.

 

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Ritual Purification (The Mikveh) to Engage in Temple Worship

 

“Purification” through ritualistic immersion in water: a Hebraic principle.

 

Prior to entering the Temple for worship or prayer, the faithful were required to purify themselves via mikveh. Consequently, numerous mikveh baths or pools have been excavated in and around the Temple Mount complex, especially in places believed to have been entry-ways to the Mishkan/Temple proper.

 

Torah required every head of household conduct pilgrimages to the Temple in Yerushalayim for Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. So then, every Hebrew pilgrim would undergo a ritualistic bathing, at least upon their arrival in Jerusalem, using one of the many Mikveh pools that were strewn in and around Jerusalem and the Temple complex. Some pilgrims would engage in ritualistic bathing via the mikveh each time they entered the Temple Complex grounds.

 

Yahoshua and His disciples, when ministering in Yerushalayim, worshiped and prayed at the Mishkan daily. Some Second Temple savvy Messianic teachers have suggested that they engaged in ritualistic bathing using these mikva’ot (multiple mikveh pools) each time they entered the Temple complex (Mat. 26:55; Mar. 14:49; Luk. 19:47; 22:53; Act. 2:46; 3:2; 5:42). I guess it is possible, but there is no biblical proof of that. But I get these teachers’ overall point that ritualistic bathing and the mikva’ot were essential, integral components of Second Temple worship. And that fits in with Abba Yah’s Torah requirements that our ancient Hebrew cousins be in a state of ritual purity in order for them to worship at the Tabernacle.

 

The Purpose of Ritualistic Water Immersion

 

The point of Temple ritual bathing or being mikveh’d was to separate the common from the set-apart (i.e. the holy) unto Yah. It served a purification purpose. It symbolically, and in many cases, spiritually prepared our ancient Hebrew cousins for Temple worship.

 

Many faithful orthodox Yehudim (aka Jews) today undergo ritualistic bathing in a mikveh prior to every Shabbat, and for special Jewish-related celebrations and devout observances taking place at their local synagogues.

 

To the observant Rabbinic Jew, the so-called mikveh is not about one cleansing the outside of their physical bodies in preparation for worship and religious observances. But rather, the mikveh is symbolic of the cleansing of one’s inward man and woman in order to make themselves presentable to Yah; to be brought to a set-apart state to commune with the Creator of the Universe.

 

 

 

Beyond its purification relevance to observant Orthodox Jews, mikveh still exists as a requirement for one’s conversion to Judaism.

 

 

 

 

Living Water-Mikveh

 

Tvilah is the act of immersion in living water (mikveh). Living water is a body of water that is naturally sourced, thus the term living water. Obviously, when Yah gave us the instruction to bathe in order to restore our ritual cleanliness, the medium in which we bathed was living water or natural water. The thinking by our Jewish cousins is that living water is required to carry away the impurities that prevented us from worshiping before Him.

 

Regarding the waters of the mikveh experience, noted Messianic teacher and Second Temple expert, Rico Cortes stated the following: “Water symbolizes birth as an Yisra’elite—Submerging in a pool of water for the purpose, not of using the waters physical cleansing properties, but expressly to symbolize a change of soul, is a statement at once deeply spiritual and immensely compelling. No other symbolic act can so totally embrace a person as being submerged in water, which must touch and cover every lesion; every strand of hair; every birthmark. No other religious act is so freighted with meaning as this one which touches every aspect of life and proclaims a total commitment to a new idea and a new way of life as it swallows up the old and gives birth to the new.”

 

Note: Hebraic/Jewish Mikveh does not equate to dunking or sprinkling one in a baptismal pool. The candidate immerses themselves either forward or straight up or down. The baptizer is there as a witness only. And Judaism requires at least two witnesses for the immersion to be valid.

 

 

Cortes continued: “The water of the mikveh is designed to ritually cleanse a person from deeds of the past. The convert is considered by Jewish law to be like a newborn child. By spiritually cleansing the convert, the mikveh waters prepares him or her to confront Elohim, life, and the people with a fresh spirit and new eyes. It washes away the past, leaving only the future. Of course, this does not deny that there were good and beautiful aspects of one’s past. But, in the strictest religious sense, that past was only prologue to a future life as a Jew.”

 

 

“If we take this graphic metaphor a step further, we can sense that the mikveh is a spiritual womb. The human fetus is submerged in water. It does not yet live. The water breaks in a split-second and the child emerges into a new world (I.e., being born again—born into the Kingdom of Yah). As soon as the convert immerses, he or she is a Jew in every respect” (Yevamot 47b; Rabbi Maurice Lamm; Wisdom in Torah Ministries-Wisdomintorah.com).

 

It should be noted that all Rabbinic sources agree that the “mikveh” in and of itself saves no one. But rather, the mikveh prepares the devout one for coming into the presence of Yah (similar to the requirement for immersion prior to our ancient cousins being permitted to worship at the Temple).

 

 

The Great Flood was, in a spiritual sense, a mikveh” of the world. Through the waters of the flood, the world was restored back to its previous state. Also, the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea Crossing when viewed from the perspective of mikveh was symbolic of our coming from under the rule of Babylon — Egypt and her gods — to the rule of Yehovah Elohim.

 

 

Ritual Purity and the Mikveh

 

The purpose behind Torah-based ritual bathing or water immersion was to restore a Hebrew to a place of “ritual purity”.

 

Why would a Hebrew find themselves in a state of ritual impurity, and why would he need to be made ritually pure?

 

In order for one to be eligible to worship at the Temple/Tabernacle, he or she must be in a state of ritual cleanness. One becomes ritually impure when they come into contact with the remains of the dead, be it human or animal or contract an illness such as leprosy. For women, their monthly cycle or child-birthing required them to undergo ritual bathing in order to restore their ritual cleanness.

 

The underlying principle here is that when one is ritually impure or unclean, their uncleanness will invariably be transferred onto that which Yehovah has deemed holy.

 

Every form of uncleanness is a byproduct of sin. Consequently, sin, filth, death, and all other manner of uncleanness are critical factors that separate us from our Creator. Whether it’s physical or spiritual uncleanness, Yah does not tolerate it in His presence (Leviticus).

 

Regarding Second Temple period mikveh or ritual bathing, in particular in connection to Yom Kippur — the Day of the Atonements — Messianic Torah teacher Rico Cortes notes: “There are other times when it is customary to be immersed in the mikveh such as before Yom Kippur, as a sign of purity and repentance and before Shabbat in order to sensitize oneself to the holiness of the day” (Rico Cortes).

 

The point was to put one in a place of holiness.

 

True ritual immersion requires the devout to be totally submerged in the body of water (I.e, the mikveh). All mikveh operations and practices in Judaism were and remain so today precisely controlled by Jewish law (aka the Talmud).

 

That Which Makes One Unclean

 

Torah describes several life events that Yah classified as making one unclean: seminal discharges and menstruation; infections; certain maladies; human remains; unclean animals and their carcases, were all causal to one falling into an unclean state which made them unfit to worship at the Tabernacle or Temple.

 

The prophet Yesha’Yahu/Isaiah viewed ritual uncleanness beyond those physical items I just mentioned. His level of uncleanness spotlighted the very heart and sinful soul of man. And this is the underlining purpose behind ritualistic bathing that the Father wanted us to glean from the mikveh. If our heart is not right and sin is not adequately addressed in our lives, no amount of living water can cleanse us from our uncleanness and our acceptability to Yehovah.

 

(1) Look, the hand of Yehovah has not become too short to save, nor His ear too heavy to hear. (2) But your crookednesses (i.e. your iniquities) have separated you from your Elohim. And your sins have hidden His face from you, from hearing. (3) For your hands have been defiled with blood, and your fingers with crookedness (i.e. guilt); your lip have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters unrighteousness. (4) No one calls for righteousness, and no one pleads for truth … (7) Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness, wasting and ruin are in their highways … For our transgressions have increased before You, and our sins witnessed against us. (Chapter 59; The Scriptures ISR).

 

 

Mikveh and Proselytizing

 

As far back as the first century, Rabbinic Judaism requires any who would convert to the Jewish religion undergo ritual water immersion or be mikveh’d as a final act in their conversion journey. It should be noted, however, that ritualistic water immersion for purposes of converting non-Jews to Judaism is not found in the Tanach. The practice is in fact an addition to Torah (which adding to or taking away from Torah is considered a violation of Torah by Yah).

 

“Immersion, tevillah, is the common-core component of every [traditional] Jewish conversion process, for both male and female; adult and child. A conversion without immersion is unacceptable to the traditional, religious community and simply not Jewish in character.” (Rico Cortes)

 

According to Messianic Torah teacher Rico Cortes, “Immersion must be viewed from the perspective of one transitioning from that of a non-Hebrew, to that of a member of Yisra’el. The “mikveh” was given exclusively to Yisra’el for this express purpose by YHVH” (Rico Cortes).

 

To pious Jews, in particular the Essenes — a first-century Jewish sect who were believed to have lived in Qumran — the “mikveh” represented a transition from the common/impure to the set-apart or the pure. From the sin of the world to the Qedosh of Yah. From the old-man/woman to the new-man/woman. From the person in the womb to being born again.

 

In ancient times, immersion was to be performed in the presence of witnesses (Yebam 47b). The candidate being baptized makes special preparations by cutting his/her nails, undressing completely, and making a fresh profession of his/her faith before the designated “fathers of the baptism” (Kethub. Iia; ERub 15a). Yes beloved, the bather is always naked when engaging in ritual water immersion of the mikveh. So now can you see that Messianic Water Immersion is not the same as the ancient ritual of the Mikveh?

 

 

In Judaism, the convert takes on the name of the rabbi teaching and guiding the convert in his/her transition into the religion.

 

 

The Physical Mechanics of Ritual Bathing or the Mikveh For Conversion Purposes

 

Judaism views and treats ritual water immersion as an act that is done in the physical, but representing the spiritual. It’s an outside, physical act, but most importantly, it’s an inward, spiritual act of transition.

 

What follows are some mechanics to the Jewish conversion mikveh.

 

 

“1. Immersion was accompanied by exhortations and benedictions (Maimondes Hilk. Milah iii.4; Hilkh. Iss., Biah viv. 6).

 

  1. A convert would reaffirm his acceptance of Torah by declaring, “I will do and I will hear,” which was a phrase from the oath that was originally taken by the priests not to forsake Torah (Deuteronomy 29:9-14).”” According to the so-called Jewish sages, water immersion or mikveh must be accompanied by a profession of Faith, such that the convert declares: ”I will shema..”

 

“3. The Jewish baptism candidates were often immersed 3-times. The idea of total immersion comes from Scripture in Leviticus 15:16 where it says: “he shall wash all his flesh in the water.” One reason it was customary to immerse 3-times was because the word “mikveh” occurs 3-times in Torah.”

 

“4. According to Jewish law, the immersion had to have a required witness. Dr. William LaSor in the Biblical Archeaology Review says apparently, the Biblical phrase “in the Name of” was an indication of the required witness.”

 

“5. The immersion candidate was not touched by the baptizer in Yahoshua’s day.

 

  1. Leviticus 15:16 states: “He shall wash all his flesh in the water.” From this verse, Judaism stresses that the entire body must come into contact with the waters of the mikveh. To ensure that the immersion is indeed valid, no clothing of the individual could touch the candidate.

 

“Any such intervention that prevented water from reaching a part of the body was known as “chatzitzah” and rendered the immersion invalid. Although the mikveh was more spiritual than physical, the bath consisted of 2-sets of steps: One for entering the mikveh, and the other leaving or exiting, so as to not defile what had been purified.”

 

The mikveh candidate is supposed to be completely nude.

 

“7. The baptismal water (mikveh) in Rabbinic literature is referred to as “the womb of the world.” And so, as a convert comes out of the water he/she is considered to have undergone a new birth that has resulted in them being separated from the world. As the convert came out of these waters, his spiritual status is changed and he/she is referred to as “a little child just born” or “a child of one day”” (Yeb. 22a:48b; 97b). Do you catch the similarities that the so-called mikveh has with true Messianic Water Immersion baptism?

 

 

Mikveh Without Repentance is Moot

 

 

The so-called Jewish sages recognized that repentance must accompany water immersion or ritual bathing. The Jerusalem Talmud: “Nothing can stand before repentance” (Yebamos 47b).

 

According to Dr. David Flusser (an Israeli professor of early Christianity and Judaism of the Second Temple period at the Hebrew University), “The Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as the NT teach that water can purify the body only if the soul has first been purified through repentance and righteousness.”

 

Thus, as it relates to the mikveh, repentance and teshuvah are key. For without repentance or teshuvah, mikveh means nothing. Teshuvah, by the way, is a Hebrew term that means “to turn around and come back.” With this in mind, it should be understood that only they who were once in a covenant relationship with Yah can turn around and come back to an obedience of Faith. However, as it relates to the non-Jew or the Ger convert, they must, upon emerging from the mikveh waters, commit to walking in their new life. These are to commit to Shema Yehovah and His commandments and ways.

 

______________________________________________________

 

Concluding Thoughts

 

What I’ve given you here in this teaching regarding the act of ritual water immersion, popularly referred to as the mikveh, is only a skimming of the surface on this very complex and multi-faceted subject.

 

I wanted to pass on to you some the necessary information regarding the Hebrew and Jewish mikveh — the Hebrew mikveh from the standpoint of Yah’s Torah instructions regarding it — the Jewish mikveh from the standpoint of Rabbinic practices and teachings. Because we are so spiritually linked to our Jewish brethren, many of their traditions and teachings have clouded and brought confusion to our Messianic Faith. The so-called mikveh of Rabbinic Judaism, and the mikveh for ritual purity, although bearing a great deal of spiritual implications and applications, is not the same as true Messianic Water Immersion — popularly referred to as baptism. In the next installment to this series, we will examine true Messianic Water Immersion — the water immersion that our Master Yahoshua and His cousin John implemented into their Gospel work and that is required of every would be disciple of Yahoshua haMashiyach.

 

Until then, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training. Shabbat shalom; shavuatov; take care.

 

 

Seven Reasons Messianics Must Stand on the Side of Israel-Part 5 of Israel’s Inextricable Link to our Salvation Series

by | May 24, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

I’ve titled this discussion: Seven Reasons This Messianic Stands with Israel. Because this discussion complements the last series, we published (i.e. Israel’s Inextricable Link to our Salvation), which is not yet finished, I included it in said series. So, this post will be the 5th installment of our Israel’s Inextricable Link to our Salvation. And if you’ve not had the opportunity to either read or listen to any of the four installments in this series, I humbly encourage you to do so as you are so led. I’ll put the links to the four installments in this post’s transcript for your convenience.

Seven Reasons I Stand With Israel

 

As I continue with this discussion and enumerate each of the seven reasons, please understand that I do not present them in any order. Second, I make no apologies for my position on this topic. That which is at stake here is nothing short of our salvation and redemption. And I do not say such a thing to garner some shock value for this post, or to be unnecessarily dramatic. I mean what I’m saying here.

 

With all that is going on out there these days beloved — in terms of the Israel-Hamas situation, the ongoing woke agenda, the physical attacks on people of Faith and their congregations, the fear-mongering that the globalists are employing in the world today for purposes of controlling the citizens of the world, and so forth — we find ourselves at a cross-roads. And we must take a stand as it relates to which side we’re on in relation to such critical political-social-religious situations.

 

Folks, for the people of Faith (i.e. those who claim to worship and trust in the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov) this is a time of sifting — of culling — of separating. Master Yeshua informed Simon Peter that the enemy sought to “sift” him as wheat (Luk 22.31; KJV). “Sift” in the Greek is “siniazo,” which means to winnow. Winnowing is the physical act of separating the chaff from the wheat at harvest. Jacob’s Tent overseer and Messianic Torah Teacher Bill Cloud described the October 7, 2023 attack against the nation-state of Israel by the terrorist group Hamas and many of her so-called Palestinian proxies as the beginning of a new season or dispensation (Cloud, Bill; “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” ISOW). And indeed it was. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, what was unleashed on October 7th was a display of utter evil that has since driven the people of this world to take a side. People all over the world are being compelled to choose a side, either supporting the God of Israel or aligning with Islam’s Allah, also known as Hasatan, the head of the Kingdom of Darkness. The average person does not realize this reality. And many of those that have been out there protesting and creating chaos throughout their various communities in the name of a terrorist group and their ideology are unwittingly writing checks that their behinds cannot cash.

 

In these perilous times, virtually everything that we here in the West thought was stable and solid is being shaken (in the Greek, shaken is “saleuo”). Paul warned his Thessalonian readers that they not be shaken in mind, or troubled in spirit or by word, or by letter that is alleged to have been written by him regarding the arrival of the Day of the Lord (2 The 1.2). For everything that is being shaken around us may give us cause to worry and fret, but we are ill-advised as the Master’s chosen ones to not let our hearts be concerned. Yah has everything under control, and everything that we see being shaken about us must take place. These shaking events are an unfortunate means to an end.

 

The benefit of this shaking that we see transpiring round about us is that it sifts and separates out those that belong to Yehovah and those that do not belong to Yehovah. Master Yeshua prophesied about the nations being gathered before Him and He separating out the sheep from the goats in the coming Kingdom Age (Mat 25.32). Could what we see happening round about us today be an initial iteration of that separating out and culling of those that belong to Him from those that do not belong to Him? I believe Yah is indeed preparing a set-apart people through this and future tragic events. And it behooves the Netsarim of Yeshua Messiah to be informed of what’s going on and what He expects of His elect. Yah told the prophet that despite all that is about to go on around them, that the holy and just remnant “shall live by their faith” (Hab 2.4). Literally, we Netsarim are to gird our loins and keep the faith with all that is in us and make ourselves available to Him when He calls.

 

The multitudinous situations that are hitting us from every side these days are forcing us to either stand on the side of God and His Malchut Elohim, or on the side of the enemy and his Kingdom of Darkness. And I firmly believe that the onslaught of these multitudinous situations coming at us from all directions is only going to get worse as we go headlong towards the Great Tribulation.

 

And let us not allow ourselves to be deceived, beloved. All the foolishness we taking place round about us, especially in relation to Israel — the anti-Israel sentiments that are being expressed around the globe today — is indeed not just an assault against God’s chosen people Bene Yisra’el. But more so, what we’re seeing is an assault against Yehovah. And the people who are perpetrating these assaults for the sake of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, are ignorantly writing checks that their behinds cannot cash. I kid you not.

 

I could go on and on as it relates to some of the background stuff associated with the whole Israel situation, but I’ll save the rest of that stuff for another day. What do you say we get into the seven reasons that I stand with Israel?

 

  1. The Realities of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Paul affirmed to the Messianic Assemblies in Rome that the covenant promises of Yah are irrevocable (Rom 11.29). Which means that Israel’s claim and rights to the Land of Promise — Haaretz Yisra’el — has and will remain valid to the end of time:

 

7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever (Jer 7; KJV).

 

Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever (Jer 25.25; KJV).

 

25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever (Eze 37.25; KJV).

  1. Hamas embodies pure evil, and it must be defeated.

Corrupt and violent behavior is behind the mindset and the name “Hamas.”

 

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence (aka “Hamas”). (Gen 6.11; KJV).

 

Hamas is and has always resisted Yah’s purpose. Hamas is a representation of the Palestinian people. Interestingly, the terrorist group Hamas elected to embed themselves among the so-called Palestinian people living in Gaza.

 

Gaza in the Hebrew is “Azzah.” According to Messianic Torah Teacher Bill Cloud, “Azzah” means “a strong fortification or stronghold; a foothold” (Cloud, “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict-ISOW). We know from Scripture that in order for Yah’s way to succeed, “strongholds” must be overcome” (2 Cor 10.4).

  1. Standing With Bene Yisra’el is the Right Thing to Do.

Whenever a majority crowd races to shed innocent blood, scripture warns us of God’s displeasure in such a thing. The Prophet described the corruption of Judah in the days preceding her captivity in a manner that aptly fits many of the Pro-Hamas and Palestinian supporters of today:

7  oTheir feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood: Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. (Isa 59.7; KJV).

Biblical antisemitism defines a mindset that is diametrically opposed to the things and ways of the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov. Unlike the secular definition of antisemitism, true antisemitism is not about the color of our Jewish brethren’s skin, their culture, or their heritage. Unfortunately, the political Zionists and the secular pro-Israeli lobbies throughout the world, much of this having to do with their spiritually fallen state, have ignored God’s definition of antisemitism. Indeed, what we see Hamas and its proxies throughout the world doing in their efforts to destroy Israel is true biblical antisemitism. These stand diametrically opposed to the God of Israel and His chosen ones.

4. Israel Stands as the Stop-Gap for Potential Terrorist Attacks in the West.

Let us be clear about the true, but hidden force and agenda of the Pro-Hamas-Hezbollah movement taking center stage in the world today. Hamas is simply a useful tool that Islam is using today to make gains towards their stated goal of ushering in their version of the New World Order. Islam’s version of the New World Order is what they refer to as the Caliphate. Encyclopedia Britannica defines the Islamic Caliphate as “the Political-religious state comprising the Muslim community and the lands and peoples under its dominion” (Causes and consequences of the Caliphate | Britannica). In other worlds, the goal of the radical Islamists is to convert the world to Islam by force and rule the world through Shiriah law. How will they accomplish this? They are accomplishing portions of their goal even today through a massive immigration of Muslims into Western and Eastern nations. They use terrorism and other forms of violence to intimidate and force the non-Muslim nations to comply with their way of life.

  1. Our Salvation is Inextricably Linked to Israel.

Our engrafted status (Rom 11.17-24) into the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2.12; cf Php 3.20) must also temper our love and support of Israel. The KJV term “commonwealth” that applies to Israel by the apostle in the Greek is “politeia” (Eph 2.12). (In Phil 3.20, the apostle uses “politeuma” to describe being part of the heavenly “community.”)

As used in Ephesians 2.12, however, “politeia” carries the sense of Gentiles, through the qualifying work of Yeshua Messiah, becoming members or citizens of Israel. Some who are more in-tune with Messianic Judaism would insist this has to do with Gentiles becoming citizens of the Jewish nation — not in a political or secular sense as if one were to become a naturalized citizen of the United States — but in a covenant relationship sense. Consequently, there are rights and duties that are associated with being of the commonwealth of Israel.

  1. Israel has Every Right to Defend Herself.
  1. True Biblical Messianics are Supposed to be Biblical Zionists.

Biblical Zionism is the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. It is a concept and reality that must be embraced, anticipated, and walked out — to a lesser and greater extent — by every Netsarim.

In Closing

Beloved, I’ve given you just six reasons I stand with Israel. There are indeed others that I won’t go into. These are my reasons. They may or may not be the same reasons others who share my convictions have towards Israel. But I hold the belief that these convictions are biblically substantiated and they make spiritual sense.

Now is the time for every true Nazarene Israelite to stand firm in their convictions towards the nation state of Israel and our Jewish brethren. Those of our Faith who, because of some hang-ups they possess regarding the nation state of Israel or our Jewish brothers and sister must consider what side their spiritual bread is buttered. They must cease denying the realities of scripture and resisting the purpose and plans of the Almighty. Neither the nation state of Israel nor our Jewish brothers and sister around the world are perfect. They are indeed a flawed people on many levels. But truth be told, so are we. We lack in so many ways, despite the fact that we have been saved by grace through our trusting faith in Yeshua Messiah.

So, let us stand with Israel and with our Jewish brothers and sister. And let us not be burdened by all of the foolishness that the world is engaging in as it relates to Israel’s War against Hamas. But rather, as our Master instructed His inner circle of sent ones: 28“And when these matters begin to take place, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luk 21; KJV).

 

Links to Previous Four Installments to the Israel’s Inextricable Link to our Salvation Series:

 

Learning to Forget God — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 132

by | May 17, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

This week’s discussion will be on the contents of the 132nd parashah of our 3-year Torah Reading cycle. The contents of our discussion today is found in Deuteronomy/Devarim 8.1-20. It is part of the broader annual reading cycle’s “Ekev” (aka Because) that most Messianic and Jewish brethren will be reading this Shabbat. I’ve chosen to entitle this post simply: Learning to Forget Yehovah — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 132.

 

Diligently Remembering Yehovah and His Ways

In 8.1, Moshe admonishes us to diligently observe all the commandments that he is conveying to us so that we may live, prosper/multiply, and take possession of the Promised Land. He tells us in 8.2 that we are to keep in mind (i.e. remember; in the Hebrew “shamar”; to guard) all the lessons that our 40-years of desert wandering have taught us. We are admonished to remember the many trials and tribulations we endured during our 40-years of wilderness wandering. Those trials and tribulations were meant to (1) humble us (aka “‘an-not”, which means to be wretched or emaciated; to reduce someone in rank, character, or status). And (2) those trials and tribulations were meant to test or prove us (aka “nas-sot'”, which means to put to the test in order to find out the nature of something, including the existence of imperfections, faults, or other qualities; to show our willingness so that Yah may know whether we would be willing) to obey Him as He commanded us. The knowing that Yehovah is interested in is “da-at”, which means to know (experientially) or to have some knowledge about someone or something. This “knowing” comes from Yehovah observing how we behave and react to the situations or testings that He places us in (e.g. Avraham and Yitschaq). Yah said to Avraham when he showed His faithfulness and obedience to Yah’s instruction to offer his son Isaac/Yitschaq unto Him: “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me” (Gen 22.12; KJV).

 

In order for us to make it into the Land, yea, even the Kingdom of God, Yah must know us. Yeshua will reject those who approach Him about entering His Kingdom whom He has not known.

 

(22) many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy Name? And in thy Name have cast out devils? And in thy Name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KEW YOU: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Mat 7; KJV).

 

Today, with all that is transpiring around us in this crazy world, Yah is humbling and testing His people. Some may describe this testing as a “sifting.”

 

Yah wants to know if He can trust us to walk in His ways and obey His instructions. Yah requires us to remember the lessons learned throughout our journey to the Kingdom. When we learn to remember our failures, how Yah corrected us, and how we overcame the various testings/trials and tribulations humble us and put us on a right road to fulfilling our purpose in Yeshua Messiah. When we cannot learn from our past, we will fail in our efforts to make it into the Kingdom and we will not fulfill our purpose and calling. We are not only required to remember (aka “shamar”) of individual, personal journeys but also to learn from the instructions given to our forefathers and learn from their stories (2 The 3.9; 1.6; 2 Pet 2.6). For the Tanach (aka the Old Testament) are meant as an example for us, such that we learn to not repeat the mistakes of the ancients, but walk in Yah’s set-apart ways.

 

The LXX offers: “And you shall remember all the way that the Lord your God led you in the wilderness that He might afflict you and test you and to discern in your heart (to test our mettle) whether you will keep His commands or not.” We see here that the LXX translation adds the element of affliction to that which we, as Yah’s people, must endure in order to receive His stamp of approval. (There are no free lunches when it comes to walking in Yah’s set-apart ways.) Let’s be clear that Yah doesn’t indiscriminately afflict His people, such that they become oppressed by Him (Lam 3.33). However, in order to test or try us, He will from time-to-time allow us to go through some stuff. In another couple of verses, we see that the work Yehovah was performing in us as we wandered in the wilderness, extended to His correction, with Yah invoking punishment, correction, or judgment upon us when we refused or failed to obey Him. In such cases, Yah will not hesitate to invoke correction upon His chosen ones when He assesses that correction is necessary (Psa 39.11; 94.10; Jer 2.19; 10.24; 30.11; 46.28). Of this truth, the Hebraist wrote: “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth” (12.6; KJV). Testing and correction are essential elements of our journey, even our sanctification journey.

 

Yah Tests our Commitment to Him and Corrects us Because He Loves Us — The Faith Element

 

Moshe revealed to us in 8.3 that our testing and humiliation involved our going hungry (and thirsty) for a period. This depravation of food and water was intended to teach us the essential principle that we must learn to not place our existence solely in physical food. But we also learn that our very existence, especially as His chosen ones, comes only by His spoken Words. It was Yehovah alone who provided us food in the form of manna as we journeyed through the unforgiving desert. He provided us with water from the most unexpected sources. Such as from a split rock.

 

This concept of Yah’s Words being our source of life means that when we give ourselves fully over to Yehovah and walk only in His prescribed ways, He provides for our physical needs. As long as we heeded His instructions, Yah provided us manna for our sustenance (Exo 16; Deu 8.3).

 

On this very issue, Master Yeshua instructed us: (31) Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Mat 6:31-34 KJV) So then, to seek first Yehovah’s kingdom (aka the Promised Land with our ancient cousins) is to live by every Word that goes out of the mouth of the Almighty. This is where trusting faith comes in. For all that we’ve been discussing up to this point comes down to trusting in Yehovah to have our best interest in heart and that He will provide for our every need.

 

In 8.4 Moshe reminded us that Yah’s provision extended beyond His provision of manna to sustain our physical bodies during those 40 years of wilderness wandering. He kept our clothing from wearing out and our feet from swelling up (i.e. Yah kept us in good physical health).

 

Then, in 8.5, Moshe reveals to us that Yah sees us as His children. And like our own children, throughout their young lives, we must discipline/correct them from time-to-time. So does Yah to us who are His chosen ones. As mentioned previously, Yah corrects or disciplines us to bring us back into a right relationship with Him and prevent us from being destroyed because of our foolishness. Unfortunately, too many of us, feeling that we’ve arrived, refuse to accept correction from Abba Yah. (The same situation happened over and over with certain ones of our ancient cousins.) It behooves us to recognize when Yah corrects us and take the correction for what it’s worth. If we cannot straighten up and fly right, eventually Yah will leave us to our own devices (Rom 1.28). And we don’t want that to happen.

 

Of this, Torah teacher and Messianic author Tim Hegg, of Torah Resources, wrote:

“The reason that God chastened Israel is because he loves Israel and has chosen them for Himself. A parent who thinks he or she is loving their child by withholding correction is self-deceived. The example of the Almighty is that He discipled Israel because he delighted in them” (Studies in the Torah-Deuteronomy; p.67-68).

 

Ultimately, according to Moshe, it is important for us to keep Yah’s commandments. To keep in the Hebrew is “sa-mar-ta” which is to conform one’s life to Yah’s prescribed ways. We must learn to walk in His ways. To walk in the Hebrew is “le-ket“, which means to live and behave in accordance to Abba Yah’s prescribed ways.

 

 

The Hebrew Concept of Halachah

 

When we hear talk of halachah in Messianic/Hebrew Roots circles, we’re essentially talking about walking out our Faith in accordance to Yehovah’s instructions in righteousness or imitating our Master Yeshua haMashiyach. Halachah, then, is a prescribed manner of living.

Now, the problem as it often relates to halachahic practices within Messianic and Rabbinic circles is that we are too often led towalk in ways that may not be of Yah’s or Yeshua’s prescribed manner. Sometimes, we Messianics/Netsarim allow ourselves to be led by ways that fall within Judaistic practices. Such Judaistic practices are referred to in scripture as “the traditions of the fathers” or “of the elders” (cf Gal 1.14). Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with enjoying and engaging in certain Jewish traditions, when those traditions impinge upon the primacy of Torah, then we have a problem. Such traditions and practices have the potential to nullify or diminish Yah’s Torah. Yeshua came to correct this diminution of His Father’s halachah.

 

(1) Then there came to Yeshua scribes and Pharisees from Yerushalayim, saying, (2) Why do your taught ones transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” (3) But He (Yeshua) answering, said to them, “Why do you also transgress the command of Elohim because of your tradition? (Mat 15; The Scriptures, ISR). And from there, Yeshua goes on to innumerate several traditions of the elders that He saw were problematic: problematic from the standpoint that they diminished the primacy of the commandments of Yehovah. Yah’s Word stands alone, and it needs no help from us in the form of a contrived fence around it to ensure that we’re obeying it. Yah commanded us: “Do NOT add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it, so as to guard the commands of Yehovah your Elohim” (Deu 4.2; The Scriptures, ISR).

 

On this very issue, Yeshua declared to His Pharisaic challengers,

 

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Mat 15:7-9 KJV). When the traditions of men supersede the instructions, commands, and halachah of Yehovah, they diminish and even nullify Yah’s Torah and His expectations for His chosen ones. Abba Yah instructed us to neither add to nor take away from His eternal words of life (Deu 12.32). So, it behooves us, as Yah’s set-apart people, to always question what and why we do the things we do throughout of faith walk. Did Yah instruct us to do that thing we are questioning? If Yah did not instruct us to do that thing, why then are we doing it? Is doing that questionable thing that did not come from Yehovah causing us to err in our Torah-honoring walk? It comes down to determining who we belong to and who we are to obey. The Rabbis or sages or elders? Or Yehovah and His Son, Yeshua Messiah?

 

Learning to Fear Yehovah and Walk in His Ways

In 8.6, Moshe then tells this second-generation to keep Yah’s commandments by (1) walking in His ways, and (2) by fearing him. (I posted a discussion on what it means biblically to fear Yehovah back on 2/9/24 entitled, “Learning to Fear God and Receive His Peace-Israel’s Inextricable Link to our Salvation Part 4.” In that discussion, I went into detail what it means to biblically fear the Great I Am. I would humbly encourage you to either read or listen to that post if you’ve not already done so.). Indeed, the whole duty of man, according to Solomon, is to (1) Fear God, and (2) keep His commandments (Ecc 12.13). And so, if we can do these two things throughout our lives, of course with the leading, guiding, and correction of Yah’s Holy Spirit, then we cannot help but make it into the Kingdom of Yehovah (aka the Malchut Elohim).

 

What’s at Stake: Nothing Short of The Kingdom

In 8.7-10 Moshe reminds this second generation of what they were pursuing: they were pursuing their version of the Kingdom of Yah—the commonwealth of Israel flourishing in the Promised Land. The Promised Land was everything that they could imagine, and more. And Moshe wanted to make sure that they did not foul up their chance to make it into and remain prosperous in the Land.

Learning to Forget Yehovah and His Ways

We find in 8.11-17 a third admonishment from Moshe that we diligently keep or take care for ourselves (i.e. “shamar,” to keep/guard) in our keeping of Yah’s commandments, His regulations, and His statutes. We were told not to forget Yehovah our God (i.e., “pen-tis-kah” Yehovah Elo-he. Not that one should somehow not remember Yehovah and all the things He has done for us and His instructions. But more so that one will not dismiss from our heart, mind, and soul the wonderful, awesome, and fearful things of Yehovah; to cast Him and His ways aside as though they mean nothing to us). It then behooves the child of the Most High to always keep Yehovah and His ways at “top of mind,” to borrow a popular saying these days.

 

I’ve found that it is so easy to allow the cares of life to cloud over my day-to-day thoughts of Yah and His ways. It’s more of being too busy to pay Yah any mind during any given day. And so, it becomes a tug-o-war, so to speak, to resist the influences that everyday life brings in opposition to our intimate covenant relationship with Yehovah. But Yah has gifted us His Holy Spirit to help us overcome the world. He also advised us to “lay up His words in our hearts and in our souls, and bind them for a sign upon our hand (in everything that we do), that they may be as frontlets between our eyes (that we constantly think about Yah and His ways). That we teach them to our children. That we speak of Yehovah and His ways when we’re relaxing in our homes; when we’re out and about doing our daily chores and tasks; the last thing we do before we close our eyes at night; and the first things we think about when we wake-up in the morning should be Yehovah and His Ways. We are to write about Him and His ways on the doorposts of our homes and upon the entrances to our properties (Deu 11.18-20). Modern day Jews and Messianic Jews attach mezuzahs to the doorposts of their homes and to the doorposts of various rooms in their home in their keeping of this mitzvah. We’ve installed mezuzahs in our homes for years to establish for ourselves and any who may come into our home what is the most important thing to us in our home: Yehovah and His Ways.

 

The other thing that Moshe attempts to get across to His young listeners is that the land in which they were poised to take possession of was so good, and the life they would live in the land would be so wonderful, that they may “forget” or overlook their past and attribute their prosperity to their own strength and wherewithal. If this were to happen once they’ve settled in the land, Moshe knew that they would run the risk of “forgetting” (aka “tis-kah) all that Yehovah had done for them, and all that Yehovah continues to do for them. Yah declared through Moshe: “But thou shalt remember YHVH thy Elohim: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth...” (Deu 8.18; KJV). This applies to each of us today. With all the modern conveniences most of us have at our disposal these days, it is very easy to lose sight of Yehovah’s keeping and provision. This then becomes a perpetual battle of the flesh for the child of God, whereby he/she must learn to keep at the forefront of their minds that Yehovah is their everlasting portion and He has and continues to provide for all their needs according to His riches in glory.

 

But Moshe warns that if we “forget” (aka “tis-kah”) Yehovah our God, and we pursue other gods, we will perish (Deu 8.19-20). And indeed, our ancient cousins did that very thing and they suffered grievously for their neglect and foolishness.

 

For us today, we may not go into idol worship and serving hasatan directly when we overlook Yehovah and His ways (i.e. backslide to use a popular Christian descriptor of turning away from Yah). But, we will invariably worship, one way or another, the things of this world and the tugs and pulls of our flesh will invariably cause us to “tis-kah” Yehovah. Our minds will be moved away from Yehovah and on to ourselves and the cares of this life. And that can lead only to our destruction (i.e. spiritual and even physical destruction) if not corrected in time. And so, it behooves us to remember Yehovah and His ways at all times. Whatever it takes for us to accomplish that, we must do. And that’s why, according to Hegg, that we must be careful to not only obey Yehovah and His Ways, but to guard them (i.e. “shamar” them) as well. If the world causes us not to guard the things of Yah — hold them as sacrosanct in our lives — “we may render ourselves unable to perform what God commands. Therefore, guarding the commandments is equally important with doing them. The one proceeds to the other” (ibid., p. 65).

 

Ladies and gentlemen: I’m convinced the reason that so many of us are going through such difficult times these days is because the lives we live have conditioned us to forget – “tis-kah” – Yehovah. We’re either not fearing Yehovah and not keeping His instructions in righteousness, or we’ve convinced ourselves that we’ve arrived and have no need of Yah and His ways in our lives. And as I alluded to earlier in this discussion: It’s easy to forget Yehovah, especially when life throws us curve balls that have the tendency to take our eyes, hearts, and minds off of the Almighty. And when we take our eyes, hearts, and minds off the Almighty and cast them instead on others, or upon our situations, we place ourselves in both physical and spiritual harm’s way.

Moshe taught that we are not to live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yehovah (Mat 4.4; Luk 4.4). Furthermore, we must learn to place Yah in the forefront of our hearts, souls, and minds so that we not “tis-kah”/forget Him and His ways. That means rehearsing the glorious things He has done and continues to do for us. And that’s why it’s so important to honor the weekly Torah Readings and not forsake the assembling of ourselves one with another (Heb 10.25). The weekly Torah Readings teach and remind us of the glorious things Yehovah has done and is currently doing for us. They are, as Paul reminded his protégé Timothy, “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instructions in righteousness; such that we may be perfect and thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim 3.16-17). When we assemble ourselves together each Sabbath and throughout the week in our various assemblies and fellowships, we exhort one another and we are empowered to effectively take on the days of the week that are ahead of us. Just these two things alone go a long way towards combating our forgetfulness towards Yehovah. It all comes down to “seeking first the kingdom of Yehovah and His righteousness” (Mat 6.33). When we put Yehovah and His glorious kingdom first and foremost in our day-to-day walk in Messiah, our Master promised that His Father — our Father — will take care of the things in our lives that need taking care of.

 

Beloved, it’s more than not working on the Sabbaths, making a half-hearted acknowledgment of the annual feast days, and maintaining a relatively clean-kosher diet. It’s about fully immersing ourselves in Yah and His ways. It is about keeping Him at the top of our minds continuously throughout each day of our lives and keeping all the commandments that apply to us as individuals. And it’s about imitating our Master Yeshua Messiah on every conceivable level. Yahoshua is our example; our hope; our goal; our north star if you will. And He has gifted us His Father’s Spirit to help us not forget Yehovah and His ways. If we feel that we don’t have Yah’s indwelling Spirit in sufficient quantities to help us make it through our days, all we have to do is ask the Master for it. One of the many reasons, according to Master Yeshua, that we fail in having the abundant life that Yeshua promised us is that we don’t ask Him for that which we desire and need: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him” (Luk 11.13; KJV)?

 

I know that none of what I’m telling you here today is new and earth-shattering. It’s stuff we all already know. But from time-to-time, especially in these perilous times, it is extremely important that we remind ourselves of them. And I pray, beloved, that you take these admonishments with that spirit in mind. We’re focused on the Kingdom and what it’s going to take for us to make it in, just as our ancient Hebrew cousins were focusing on the promised land and what Yah was requiring of them in order for them to receive and remain in the promised land.

 

And with that, beloved, we will bring this installment of TMTO to a close. I pray this teaching blessed you. I would encourage you to go on over to our website, themessianictorahobserver.org, access the transcript of this teaching which will aid you in conducting your own study of this reading as you are so led. Until next time, may you have a blessed day of rest and an overcoming week in Messiah.

 

And above all, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training. Shalom.