Are God’s People Required to Wear Tzitzit Today and is the Wearing of Them a Salvific Issue?

by | Nov 17, 2023 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

This is “Are God’s People Required to Wear Tzitzits Today and Is the Wearing of Tzitzits a Salvific Issue?” And just to cut to the chase, beloved, the answer to both questions is yes. I’ll explain why in just a few.

Why Discuss Tzitzit Wearing?

The reason I was led to discuss this topic is simple: I had not at any time in the past taken on this topic at any appreciable level. And given this topic’s importance to the overall Messianic Faith Communities, I thought it is high time that I share with you both the biblical and my personal perspective on the wearing of tassels or tzitziyot by Yah’s set apart people. And oh, by the way, the term tassels and tzitzits are synonymous for the purposes of our discussion here today.

Background on Tzitzits

If you have been around the Messianic, Hebrew Roots Faith Communities for any appreciable length of time, you’ve no doubt run into certain individuals wearing a set of four tassels (aka tzitzits) that extend from either their belt loops or from the hem of their blouses or tops. These tassels generally consist of white threads with a single thread of blue that are knotted together into strands.

Now, there are variations on this theme whereby some tzitzit makers have fashioned their tassels using multi-colored strands as opposed to just the blue strand embedded amid numerous white strands. Conversely, the tzitziyot or tassels of some of our orthodox Jewish cousins consist of just white strands that are sewn into the hems of their garments.

These strands when attached to Messianic believers’ trousers or tops/blouses/tallit/prayer shawls are easily seen by the outside world. However, members of certain orthodox Jewish sects wear their tzitzits hidden beneath their outer wear.

Also, generally speaking, more Messianic-Netsarim-Nazarene Israelite males than women wear tzitziyot or tassels. And we’ll get into why this is so later in this discussion.

Like most things associated with Orthodox and Messianic Judaism, there are traditions and rules on how tzitzits are to be made or fashioned and when and how they are to be worn. We won’t get into these traditions and rules in this discussion simply because we’re not subject to Jewish rabbis. Our Rabbi is Yeshua HaMashiyach, and we follow in His footsteps and adhere to His teachings and example. And yes, as we will discuss in a few, our Master Yeshua did in fact wear tzitzits.

And furthermore, let’s just put it out there now: There are Hebrew Roots groups, such as the Churches of God splinter groups, that reject the wearing of tassels or tzitziyot by their members. We’ll get into some of their arguments against tzitzit wearing later in this discussion.

 I’ve worn tzitzits full time since 2014 and I will share why I wear them later in this discussion as well.

The Commandments Regarding the Wearing of Tzitziyot

The commandment to make and attach tassels to our garments is found two places in Torah. Let’s read them together:

Nu 15:37–41–37And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

38“Speak to the children of Yisra’el, and you shall say to them to make tzitzit on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue cord in the tzitzit of the corners.

39“And it shall be to you for a tzitzit, and you shall see it, and shall remember all the commands of יהוה and shall do them, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring,

40so that you remember, and shall do all My commands, and be set-apart unto your Elohim.

41“I am יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, to be your Elohim. I am יהוה your Elohim.” The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009)

 

And then there is Dt 22:12–12“Make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself .The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009).

 

 

The Hebrew Term Tzitzits

 

Just about every English translation of these two Torah passages render tzitzits as either fringes or tassels. So, the use of the term tzitzits or tzitziyot may sound foreign to the uninitiated.

 

The word “tzitzit” consists of 5-Hebrew letters:

 

  • Tsadey
  • Yad
  • Tsadey
  • Yad
  • Tav

 

It means “tassel” or lock of hair or blossoms. When our ancient cousins were commanded to make tzitziyot and fasten them to the corners of their garments, they would have been familiar with what tzitziyot were, for they were customarily worn by many pagan priests and kings as symbols of their privileged station and positions of authority in their respective nations. Yah’s instructions for Israel’s use of tzitziyot served the dual purposes of identifying or marking them as a royal priestly nation, and most importantly, they were to serve as a reminder for them to keep His instructions in righteousness and to not go awhoring after their own passions and false gods.

 

Unpacking the Torah Commandments for Tzitzit Wearing

 

 

Yah commands Moshe to speak to bene Yisrael and tell them to fashion tzitziyot with a blue cord to the corners or hems of their garments throughout their generations (Num. 15:37). The purpose of the tzitziyot is to serve as a reminder for the wearer of Yah’s Torah and to walk exclusively in Yah’s ways (vs. 39). Furthermore, to remind the wearer not to follow or pursue their own way–their own heart–their own perspectives. And thus, in walking in Yah’s Torah Yisrael becomes set-apart unto Yehovah (vs. 40).

 

Bene Yisrael is commanded:

 

  1. Make unto themselves tassels that include a single cord of blue.
  2. Attach the tassels to the four corners of their garments.
  3. To look at the tassels and be reminded to guard and walk in Yah’s Torah and not follow their own ways.

 

This commandment seems to have been given by Yah on the heels of Yisrael’s refusal to go in and take possession of the Land of Promise as Yah commanded them. Yisrael, after receiving the negative report from 10 of those that went to spy out the Land, determined to replace Moshe as their leader and to return to Egypt (Num. 14:1-4). Yahoshua and Caleb, after renting their clothes in response to this rebellion, attempted to reason with the nation with the following words:

 

Nu 14:8–9–8“If יהוה has delighted in us, then He shall bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which is flowing with milk and honey.’

9“Only, do not rebel against יהוה, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their defence has turned away from them, and יהוה is with us. Do not fear them.” The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009).

 

Yisrael rejected the pleas of Joshua and Caleb, even posturing to take them out by stoning them (14:10).

 

The glory of Yah appeared in the Tabernacle in the sight of the nation. The rebelliousness of the people kindled the wrath of Yehovah. Yah purposed to wipe out the whole nation, save Moshe, Caleb, and Yahoshua. But Moshe appealed to the mercies of Yah, who in turn halted the nation’s destruction from the wrath of Yehovah. However, the adult generation that came out of Egypt  would be condemned to wander for forty-years and die in the wilderness.

 

Thus, the commandment that bene Yisrael wear tzitziyot was binding and served as a reminder of what they failed to do: Obey Yah’s commandments. Consequently, every adult that departed Egypt in the Exodus, because of their rebelliousness and refusal to obey Yah’s command to take the Land of Promise, died in the wilderness, save Caleb and Joshua (Num. 26:65). And throughout the whole of those 40-years leading up to each Israelite’s death, they would see tzitzits attached to the four corners of their tallit and remember why they were in the situation they were in.

 

Looking closer to the actual fringes or tassels and how they were to be worn, Yah commanded:

 

Dt 22:12–12 “You shall make tassels for yourselves on the four corners of your clothing with which you cover yourself. W. Hall Harris III, Elliot Ritzema, Rick Brannan, et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012),

 

The tzitziyot mitzvah is concisely repeated here in Deuteronomy 22:12. This iteration of the instruction stipulates that the tassels are to be fashioned onto the 4-corners of the garments that bene Yisrael uses to cover themselves.

 

Yah further elaborated that the tzitziyot were to have intertwined in them a blue cord. What’s up with the blue cord?

 

Portions of the tabernacle curtains and the priestly garments were made of blue colored fabrics (Exo. 26:31; 28:31). Thus, blue accents were linked to the priestly identity and function of Yisrael. That identity was not confined only to the Levites, but it was attached to all the descendants of Yisrael (Exo. 19:6). Therefore, it would not be a stretch for us to associate the ribbon of blue that is commanded to adorn the tzitziyot to be a symbol and reminder of the Yisraelites’ priestly function and purpose to the world. Thus, the commandment that Yah attached to tzitzit wearing by His people: That they remember and walk in Yah’s Torah, as would be expected of any priest (Num. 15:40). The Israelite was prohibited from following their own whims and ways. They belonged to Yehovah. They had been purchased with a price from the gods of and pharaoh of Egypt.

 

Looking back to the Levites and their priestly function, they were to have no inheritance when the nation would come and take possession of the Land. Yah told Aharon: “Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them. I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Yisrael” (Num. 18:20; cf. Deu. 18:2). Thus, the priests would not only intercede on behalf of people to Yehovah, but they would also serve as a model of the ideal Israelite whose whole purpose and function was to loyally serve Yehovah. And conceivably this ribbon of blue, indicative, and reflective of Yah’s set apart nature, intertwined in bene Yisrael’s tzitziyot would remind each soul of their covenantal role as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exo. 19:6).

 

The Wearing of Tzitziyot Would Extend Through Every Generation

 

Every Hebrew four-cornered Hebrew garment possessed tzitziyot, extending from the time this mitzvah was passed down in Torah, even up to the time of Yahoshua and beyond.

 

Post Temple and into the Talmudic period of the diaspora, the Jews upon adopting the attire of whatever people they ended up living amongst, modified their tzitzit wearing. Instead of the tzitzits being fashioned to every four-cornered garment they possessed back in the land, they had them attached to two primary sets of garments: (1) Their prayer tallit, otherwise referred to as prayer shawls; and (2) their undergarment tallit which they wore each day.

 

The rabbis, never at a loss to control even the smallest Torah-related practice, codified and enforced the way tzitzits were to be fashioned. This rabbinic instruction delineated “the exact manner in which each tassel was to be made and gave a symbolic meaning to the numbers of windings and knots. The main aim seems to have been the association of the fringes with the Law in the mind of the wearer” (Harrison R. K. Isaacs E. D., “Fringes,” ed. Geoffrey W Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 363).

 

Tzitzits and Yeshua-Healing in His Wings

 

Of course, the wearing of tzitziyot continued well into the first century Judea. They were prominently worn by the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin who, instead of keeping the spirit of the commandment, wore them to draw attention to themselves. This self-centered practice drove Master Yeshua crazy, and He criticized the Jewish religious leaders for their misuse of tzitziyot:

 

5 And they (the scribes and pharisees) do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries broad and make their tassels long.

 

  1. Hall Harris III, Elliot Ritzema, Rick Brannan, et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Mt 23:5.

 

Not to be lost on the self-centeredness of the scribes and pharisees, tzitziyot were worn by every first century Jew, including our Master Yahoshua. And it is our Master’s wearing of tzitziyot that should be of particular interest to the Kingdom-minded and Kingdom-bound Messianic.

 

The story of the woman with the “issue of blood” factors prominently into the efficacy and spirituality that is associated with tzitziyot wearing by Yah’s set apart people. Most prominent when we consider the fact that the woman with the so-called issue of blood sought healing from her debilitating illness by simply grabbing onto the Master’s tzitzit clearly reveals two relevant truths: (1) Yahoshua kept Yah’s commandments as evident in His wearing tzitzits. (2) The woman fervently believed there was healing in even the Master’s garments, including His tzitzits.

 

The passage reads as follows:

 

20And see, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the tzitzit of His garment.

21For she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I shall be healed.”

22But יהושׁע turned, and when He saw her He said, “Take courage, daughter, your belief has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that hour.

 

The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Mt 9:20–22.

 

The Greek word for “fringes” or “tassels” in our Mitzvah of Numbers 15:38 and in the story of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood in Matthew 9:20-22 is “kraspedon.” The woman with the issue of blood is recorded to have “haptomai kraspedon autos himation” or “fastened herself to the tzitziyot of His tallit.”

 

 

It is a reasonable probability that the affected woman was familiar with the prophecy that stated: 1 “For look, the day shall come, burning like a furnace, and all the proud, and every wrongdoer shall be stubble. And the day that shall come shall burn them up,” said יהוה of hosts, “which leaves to them neither root nor branch.

 

2“But to you who fear My Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. And you shall go out and leap for joy like calves from the stall. The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Mal 4.

 

There is a clear connection between the colorful description of wings and the kanaph or borders of one’s garments where tzitzits would be attached. Clearly, the woman with the issue of blood took this prophecy to heart and grabbed hold of the Master’s tzitzit and in so doing, she was healed. Sadly, most bible teachers aren’t willing to make this connection.

 

And there is one other reference to Yeshua’s tzitziyot healing the sick that is found in Matthew 14:34-36, which reads as follows:

 

34And having passed over, they came to the land of Genněsar.

35And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding country, and brought to Him all who were sick,

36and begged Him to let them only touch the tzitzit of His garment. And as many as touched it were completely healed. The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009)

 

Most English translations of this passage of holy writ render what we consider to be Yeshua’s tzitzits as “the fringe of His garment,” or the “border” or “hem” of His garment. The CSB surprisingly renders this portion of the Master’s garment as tassels.

 

The Koine Greek term that is in question here is “kraspedon,” which means edge, border, or tassel. Clearly tassel is the most accurate rendering.

 

 

 

The 21st West and the Wearing of Tassels by God’s Set Apart People

 

For the Nazarene Israelite of the 21st century west, tzitzits and the wearing of tzitziyot serve as outward symbols to the world of our identification as disciples of Yahoshua Messiah and our commitment to walk in His ways. He is for all intents and purposes the walking, talking Torah. He is our example for righteous living and our direct link to Yehovah, the Creator of the Universe. His righteousness has brought peace between us and Yehovah. His righteous obedience has brought us salvation and has provided the means for us to receive and enter the coming Kingdom of Yah. His Person and Ministry has led to Yah’s Set Apart Spirit dwelling upon and within we who are Children of the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov.

 

 

The whole concept of Yah’s people wearing tzitzits in the 21st century West has become somewhat of a divisive issue in Messianic circles. I’m confident that most Torah-honoring souls, especially in the West, do not wear tzitziyot, at least not on a full-time basis for various and sundry reasons. But the minority that do wear them full-time do so for a couple simple reasons: (1) Yah instructed that they be worn by bene Israel throughout their generations, and (2) wearing them is a symbol of being set apart unto Yehovah for His exclusive use (i.e., personal consecration) (Lev. 20:7-8; Rom. 6:13). These dismiss all the excuses and reasons given by the majority for not wearing them as an example of rebelliousness; that is, picking and choosing which commandments the rejecters feel like keeping versus which they don’t feel like keeping.

 

The point behind Yah’s instructions for His sons to wear tzitziyot is simple: bene Yisrael was to look upon them as a reminder to them to walk in Yah’s instructions in righteousness and to not follow the unfaithfulness of the wearers’ own heart and eyes (Num. 15:39; Deu. 4:9, 23; Isa. 55:6-8). Again, the ultimate goal is wearer and congregation set apartness or consecration.

 

Humans forget that which they are supposed to do. Human forgetfulness in this context, however, is not so much about people failing to remember critical central truths such as the covenant and Yah’s instructions for righteous living. The forgetfulness that Yah is referring to here as it relates to the wearing or not of tzitziyot has to do with abandoning Yah’s ways for the ways of the world because the supposed child of Yah simply wants to do carnal things. The tzitziyot that every bene Yisrael is commanded to wear provides them with a final escape from wickedness and carnality when they are tempted. Today, this final escape mechanism of the tzitziyot is in addition to the indwelling presence and work of the Ruach Kodesh (aka the Holy Spirit).

 

Everyday life, pride, stubbornness, and modern-day anti-Hebrew-anti-Torah mindsets are some of the reasons why the majority of members in our faith reject the wearing of tzitziyot by modern day Messianics. I’ve been personally criticized for my wearing of tzitziyot by Sabbath-keeping, feast-keeping, clean eating believers. The two reasons I was mocked and rejected by these individuals was (1) the commandment to wear tzitziyot no longer applies to us because we in the 21st century west do not wear four-cornered garments, which they claim nullifies both the Numbers and Deuteronomy instructions to wear them. And (2), the wearing of tzitziyot by Yah back in the day was for purposes of reminding bene Yisrael to keep the commandments. Well, in the minds of the tzitzit rejecters, Messianics today have the indwelling Holy Spirit to keep them on the straight and narrow, which means that the advent of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Messianics has nullified this commandment.

 

Let’s look at the first challenge. Indeed, most of us do not wear four corner garments. But does this reality completely nullify this commandment?

 

Consider the fact that neither the Tabernacle nor Temple exists. So, does this reality nullify the commandment to observe the pilgrimage feasts of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, and Sukkot? Both tzitziyot wearing and feast keeping commandments were promulgated by Yah to be kept throughout all Yisra’el’s generations. What is the difference? Well, let me tell you the one difference: One can easily hide their feast keeping from others, but they can’t hide their wearing of tzitziyot. Properly worn, tzitziyot can be easily seen by the world. And that wearing of these consecrated implements serve as a testimony to the world of the wearer’s covenant relationship with the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov, as well as it keeps the wearer accountable of their responsibility to walk in Yah’s Ways exclusively and at all times.

 

If the wearing of tzitziyot has been nullified by the reality that 21st century western attire does not have four-corners, then we shouldn’t give tithes and offerings. For when the commandment to tithe and give offerings was passed down to us, we were an agrarian people. And based on the commandment given by Yah regarding the tithes and offerings, many of us cannot keep the commandments to tithe and give offerings as it is recorded in Torah. Why? Because most of us are not farmers and there is no Levitical Priesthood nor Tabernacle or Temple in which to deposit our tithes and offerings. Right? Yet, a great many of us still believe we should tithe. So again, why do we reject tzitzit wearing over the technicality that we no longer wear four-cornered garments.

 

So, any argument against the commanded wearing of tzitziyot by Yah’s set apart people is a dangerous argument to wage. Any one of us can easily find those who are not members of our Faith communities who will just as easily poke holes in our rationale for keeping all the Torah instructions that we generally keep.

 

The other argument often raised by some against the wearing of tzitziyot by today’s Messianics is that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes the wearing of tzitziyot invalid. Why? Because the Holy Spirit works within the believer to help them obey Yah’s instructions and to resist sinning.

 

Well, like the previously debunked argument, this argument is also a dangerous excuse for not wearing tzitziyot. To say that the Holy Spirit’s existence in the life of the believer invalidates Yah’s commandments, including the wearing of tzitziyot, then you are condemning the collective and individual walks of the first century saints, who kept Yah’s instructions in righteousness even unto death.

 

To say that the indwelling presence of Yah’s Holy Spirit makes one impervious to sin while at the same time urging people to violate Yah’s Torah commandment to not wear tzitziyot is a self-condemning act. One of the purposes and functions of Yah’s set apart Spirit is to provide the Netzer the power to say no to sin and to earnestly desire to keep Yah’s commandments. Thus, for one to condemn and encourage people to violate this and other Torah commandments because the Holy Spirit dwells in them is contradictory at best. For Yah’s set apart Spirit would never lead one to disobey Yah’s commandments. Yah’s Holy Spirit cannot, nor will it ever, nullify Yah’s Torah.

 

Which brings to mind the question of tzitzit wearing by Yah’s set apart people being of a “salvific” issue. (Explain what you mean by salvific issue.) Cutting to the chase, I believe tzitziyot wearing can very much be a salvific issue. It is a salvific issue when one, knowing of the existence of a commandment of Yah that they should keep and that they are more than capable of keeping and walking out, and that they choose not to keep and walk out that commandment because they don’t want to, then they stand a good chance of losing their salvation. Why? Because they are in effect rebellion against the Almighty. And Yah has only so much patience for rebelliousness. The prophet cried: “Woe to you, O rebellious and defiled one” (Zep. 3:1; LEB)!

 

Those who know better are expected to do better. And those who know Torah will be held responsible and judged within the framework of Torah. (See my teaching on being judged within the framework of Torah.)

 

I, however, am not the judge of anyone. Yeshua will have that job on that day when so many will say to Yeshua, Master, Master, didn’t I…(Mat. 7:22-23).

 

______________________________________________________

 

We keep the Torah Commandments that we can keep today to the best of our understanding and ability. And certainly, we can wear tzitzits. It’s quite doable. It just comes down to one’s earnest desire to walk blamelessly in Yah’s set apart ways and instructions.

 

Which brings us to the last argument that is often waged against tzitzit wearing by modern day Messianics: Are women or female required to wear tzitziyot?

 

It appears that when the commandment for bene Yisrael to wear tzitziyot was given, it applied to just the males of the nation. Let me remind you, however, that under the auspices of the renewed covenant there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for we are all one in Messiah Yeshua (Gal. 3:28). So, I will let this passage answer the question of this commandment as it relates to women wearing tzitzits today.

 

 

Closing Remarks

 

Beloved, I pray that you got something out of this teaching on tzitzits and their relevance to Messianics-Netsarim-Nazarene Israelites today.

 

If you are struggling with the question of whether you should wear tzitzits, or if you are dealing with challenges surrounding your wearing of them, take it to Yehovah. Talk to Yah about your situation and express to Him your concerns about wearing them.

 

As in all things related to walking out this beloved faith of ours, your keeping of Yah’s instructions in righteousness is between you and Him. I don’t have a heaven or hell to place anyone into. We are all on this amazing journey to the Kingdom. Consequently, we are all at different places in our journey to the Kingdom. So, I don’t pass judgment or reject any who chooses not to wear tzitzits. Hey, I come across very few people who wear them anyway. So, I’m used to it. But when I do run into someone who is wearing them, I tell you, it’s a beautiful thing to commune with that individual and share the blessings of our faith with one another.

 

Then there are those who are drawn to my wearing of tzitzits, either out of curiosity or simply to strike up a conversation around them. Those times are precious, as I get to provide witness of our beloved faith to souls that desperately need the truth and redemption. And my prayer is that they see the light of Messiah beyond the simple threads of my tzitzits and come to enjoy a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

 

Beloved, there is great spiritual power and meaning to be had by the wearer of Yah’s consecrated tzitzits; the one who keeps the commandments of Yehovah and holds tight to the testimony of Yeshua Messiah (Rev. 12:17). For there is coming a day when teshuvah and revival in Yerushalayim—greater even than that great day of Shavuot in 28 AD. The prophets foretell of a  day when Yerushalayim and her inhabitants will be the epicenter of a great revival which will draw the Gentile nations to come and earnestly seek Yehovah and His Messiah (Isa. 2:2; Jer. 3:17; 16:19). Of that time, the prophet wrote:

 

(20) “Thus said Yehovah Sabaoth, ‘Peoples shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities, (21) and the inhabitants of the one go to another, saying, “Let us earnestly go and pray before Yehovah, and seek Yehovah Sabaoth. I myself am going.” (22) And many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Yehovah Sabaoth in Yerushalayim, and to pray before Yehovah.’ (23) “Thus said Yehovah Sabaoth, ‘In those days ten men from all languages of the nations take hold, yes, they shall take hold of the corner of the garment of a man (that is, “kanaph,” the wing of his garment), a Yehudi, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you”’” (Zec. 8; The Scriptures, IVP).

 

Therefore beloved, if you are led to wear tzitziyot, not simply because you are commanded of Yah to do so, but because you love Yehovah with all your being and you desperately want to imitate our Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach, do so in peace, joy, love, hope, and great anticipation of the coming Malchut Elohim (aka the Kingdom of God).

 

Until next time beloved, Shabbat Shalom, Shavuatov, take care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Invitation to Messianic Discipleship-From the Sinner’s Prayer to True Messianic Discipleship

by | Nov 3, 2023 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Welcome to The Messianic Torah Observer.

Maybe you’ve been here before and have more questions about our ministry or the Messianic, Hebrew Roots, or Nazarene Israelite faith. And if that’s the case, I’m happy you’re here and I’m happy to answer questions you may have about our ministry and about this beloved faith of ours. If this is the case, please contact us from any of the contact platforms that are posthemessianictorahobserver.org.

However, if you have returned to TMTO after visiting other Messianic/Hebrew Roots sites, or maybe after visiting a Messianic-Hebrew Roots congregation or fellowship and you’ve maybe decided to transition to the True Faith once delivered, you’ll want to pay close attention to this post. In this post, I plan to discuss the steps that you will need to properly transition into the Messianic-Hebrew Roots Faith.

Traditional Christianity over the last century devised and implemented what I would describe as a universal prayer that they promise, if prayed, will lead to a would be convert’s salvation. They call this universal prayer the “Sinner’s Prayer.”

Reciting the “Sinner’s Prayer,” they claim, is the means by which a would be convert to the Christian religion accesses God’s Plan of Salvation.

When reciting the Sinner’s Prayer, a would be convert acknowledges or confesses to Jesus and to any person in earshot that they are a sinner. They also ask Jesus for forgiveness for their sins and they also declare that they repent of their sins. They invite Jesus into their heart or life such that they trust Him to be their Lord and Savior. And that’s it. The reciter of the sinner’s prayer is then saved or has received eternal life and can henceforth and forevermore refer to themselves as a Christian, or a believer, or even a sinner saved by grace, etc.

You, like me, and millions of other souls throughout the world over the course of the last century, prayed a version of the sinner’s prayer. So, I am sensitive to the relevance of this life-changing event in a would be believer’s life. That being said, there is nothing wrong with reciting the sinner’s prayer. In fact, if one’s heart is truly accepting of what the sinner’s prayer is ideally supposed to accomplish in their life, it becomes the perfect starting point for them to transition to the Nazarene Israel-Messianic Faith.

Now, evangelicals believes that saying a sincere sinner’s prayer alone suffices for leading one to salvation. But is this indeed the case?

Well, turns out that there are a few issues to consider as it relates to the Sinner’s Prayer.

To begin with, the sinner’s prayer is not biblical. There is no reference or guidance given for the prayer’s use in the apostolic writings (aka the New Testament). When we look at their calls to Messianic Discipleship, neither Yeshua, John the Immerser, or Peter/Kefa instruct their listeners to engage in a form of the sinner’s prayer. They delivered a simple message: repent (aka teshuvah), believe the Gospel, and get baptized (Mat. 3:1-6; Mar. 1:4; 4:17; Mar. 16:16; Luk. 24:47; Act. 2:38).

In fact, history is silent as it relates to the existence and use of the sinner’s prayer until Christian Evangelist D.L. Moody (1837-1899) conceived. Christian Evangelists such as Billy Sunday (1862-1935) and Billy Graham (1918-2018) later refined the prayer and introduced it into wider use during their well-attended crusades and revival meetings. And at the risk of sounding crass, it was used to drive bodies into the Christian Church, with the ultimate goal of leading the new converts to become supporters of their respective ministries. In other words, ministries used the sinner’s prayer to steer people into a relationship with the Church Triumphant, as opposed to steering them towards a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

Reciting the Sinner’s Prayer can deeply move anyone with a spiritual inclination. However, religion’s use of the sinner’s prayer as the sanctioned pathway to becoming a born again Christian may give the convert the false impression that God is content with the recitation of this rote prayer for the granting of salvation. Truth be told, scripture clearly shows that the Father has expectations beyond the recitation of a simple prayer from any who would become His child. And the Hebrew Roots, Messianic Faith, is the closest thing to the true faith once delivered to the first century saints. The first century Kahila (aka church) that was headed by Yeshua’s sent ones (aka the apostles), possessed the knowledge of what Yehovah expects of those who would become His elect one.

What, then, are the steps one must take to enter and thrive in the Nazarene Israel-Messianic Faith?

  1. Believe in the Person and Ministries of Yisrael’s Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiyach. In order for one to begin a true and substantive, obedient covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe, they must first believe Yeshua. The very first calls made to our first century Jewish cousins by the sent ones were for them to “repent and believe the Gospel” ( 1:15). To Hebraically believe something or someone requires more than a cognitive acceptance that someone or something is real or true. Biblical belief is an intense action word. The disciples of Yeshua Messiah must trust in Him and His ministry. They must believe that He is who He claims to be and will fulfill His promises. They must also follow His instructions without hesitation. This is the essence of true discipleship: obedience that flows from and trusting faith in the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah. The one who would enter into Faith possesses the understanding that they direly need a savior. And so they confess a trusting faith in the Person of Yeshua unto salvation (Rom. 10:9-17).
  2. This trusting faith comes through their hearing the Gospel message and positively responding to it by engaging in teshuvah, which means to repent of one’s sins; to turn from one’s former way of life and to an obedience of the one true Faith ( 16:26). The heart of the Gospel message is repentance from one’s sins and turning to obedience of the one true Faith (Rom. 16:26). However, for there to be true teshuvah, the would be disciple of Yeshua must:
    1. Abandon-Leave Behind their old life for the newness of life which is in Yeshua Messiah ( 6:4).
    2. Enter an obedient covenant relationship with Yehovah. Such a relationship comes because of provisions Yah made in His plan of salvation, restoration, and redemption. He established a covenant relationship with Yisrael ( 19). Yah made allowances and provisions in that original covenant for non-Israelite who chose to serve the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov (Exo. 12:49; Num. 15:16, 29). Torah, aka the Law, is the backbone of Yehovah’s covenant relationship with Yisrael. Consequently, Yehovah established just one covenant and one law or Torah for both Yisrael and Gentile alike. Yeshua brings non-Yisraelites into the covenant and grants them the same privileges as true Yisrael. And so the would be disciple or Netzer submits themselves to the rule of Yehovah over their lives and obeys Him and His Son unconditionally (2 The. 1:8). Master Yeshua emphatically stated to His disciples, if you indeed love me, keep My commandments (Joh. 4:15). And Yeshua’s commandments are His Father’s commandments.
    3. And out of an obedience to the Faith, the disciple learns to fear Yehovah. Fearing and obeying Yehovah’s instructions is the whole duty of humanity (Ecc. 12:13). Most self-professing Christians misinterpret what it means to fear Elohim. To fear or “yare” Elohim is to literally be afraid of Him. When one truly fears Yah, they will keep on the straight and narrow, fearful of the consequences if they go astray from that narrow path that leads to life. We develop genuine fear of Yehovah during the lifelong sanctification process.

So, teshuvah has the would be disciple repenting (i.e., regretting and being remorseful over their life of sin) and turning or returning to an obedience of faith in and through Yeshua Messiah. This is the primary focus of orthodox Jews during the Ten Days of Awe and Yom Kippur. During this period, the religious Jew embarks on a journey of teshuvah as they reflect upon how they conducted themselves over the course of the year.

  1. Be water immersed. For one to become a true disciple of Yeshua, they must be water immersed. And yes, water immersion has a historic and spiritual tie to the Hebrew miqvah. The idea behind the miqvah was to facilitate in one’s return to ritual purity. Ritual purity was required for one to enter the presence of Yehovah. Well, water immersion takes the concept of being returned to a state of ritual purity through miqvah a few steps further. When the would be disciple is submerged beneath the surface of living water and they re-emerge back to the surface, this act of faith is symbolic of (1) the disciple’s committed abandonment of their old sinful nature for the righteous nature of Yahoshua, (2) their sincere repentance/teshuvah, and (3) their identity being fixed to the Person and Ministry of Yahoshua Messiah. Water immersion is a requirement of salvation. Peter instructed the crowd in Jerusalem who witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Yeshua on that great day of Shavuot or Pentecost to “repent (i.e., turn from sin and teshuvah) and be water immersed…in the Name of Yeshua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins” ( 2:38). Water immersion leads to the next action.
  2. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to aid the disciple in their transformation into the image of Yeshua Messiah. The indwelling, set apart Spirit or presence of Yah within a disciple of Yeshua serves so many purposes that to attempt to discuss them all would take us off topic and beyond the allotted for this forum. The Holy Spirit is crucial for obeying Yah’s instructions and having a relationship with the Creator of the Universe. Master Yeshua Messiah told His disciples that His Father gives the Holy Spirit (aka the Ruach haKodesh) to them who ask ( 11:13). It is impossible to walk blamelessly in the Master’s footsteps without the indwelling presence of Yah’s precious Holy Spirit (Mat. 19:26; Mar. 9:23; 10:27; 14:36). As one beloved Messianic teacher says about the Holy Spirit’s work in a disciple: He, the Holy Spirit, gives the disciple the “I want to obey heart” (G. Stevens Simons of Triumph in Truth Ministries). Obedience to Yah’s instructions in righteousness is a non-negotiable element of the true faith once delivered. Which leads to the fifth step.
  3. Become a voracious reader and student of Yah’s Torah (i.e., the whole of Scripture). Most importantly, become a true disciple of Yeshua Messiah. The Apostle Paul described the critical importance of the scriptures to one’s walk in Messiah: 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2Ti 3:16-17 KJV)
  4. Seek out and engage in convocational and fellowship opportunities as Yah so leads. The writer of the Book of Hebrews penned: 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Heb 10:22-25 KJV) Yah commands His people to convocate (i.e., convene or take part in a sacred assembly or rehearsal) on each of His set apart days, including the weekly Sabbath ( 12:16; Lev. 23:3-36; Num. 28:18-26; 29:1-12). Finding holy convocation opportunities on Yah’s set apart days can be very challenging, especially for those who are not near a Messianic-Netzari fellowship or congregation. However, there is nothing too hard for Yehovah. There’s always a solution and if one goes to Yah with their concerns, He will take care of that concern according to His will and purpose.
  5. Last, commit to the Way with one’s whole being with the goal of enduring to the end, for those that endure to the end shall be saved ( 24:13; Mar. 13:13).

So in quick review, beloved, the would be disciple of Messiah must (1) believe, (2) teshuvah, (3) be water immersed or baptized, (4) ask Yah for His Set Apart Indwelling Spirit, (5) become a disciple of Yeshua Messiah and study the Word vociferously (i.e., develop an appetite for the Word), (6) convocate in holy convocations, and (7) purpose to endure to the end.

Beloved, I pray that if you are truly being led to walk in this glorious Faith of ours, that you consider the steps I’ve enumerated in this post. And if you go forward to pull the trigger on committing the rest of your life to walking in the Netsari Faith, please contact me so that I may rejoice with you. And certainly, if you have questions about anything I’ve discussed in this post, please touch basis with me. Hilary offers an excellent Messianic Discipleship Training Program, and she wants you to be her student.

Beloved, if this is you, don’t hesitate. Commit your life to the service of the Kingdom and to an obedient covenant relationship with the King of the Universe through His Son, Yeshua Messiah. Today is the day of salvation.

Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 80

by | Apr 24, 2023

Shalom! We pray that you had a restful and meaningful Sabbath this past week. This past Sabbath’s Torah Portion was the 81st parshah of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. (If you are so led to participate in reading and studying the weekly Torah Readings, we have put the...

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Biblical Rosh Hashanah 2023 and a TMTO Ministry Update

by | Mar 21, 2023

Greetings Saints! May this post find you, your families, and your fellowships well and blessed during these challenging times. I wanted to update you as to what's going on with The Messianic Torah Observer of late, as well as I wanted to encourage you as we enter the...

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Shabbat Zachor 2023-Our Sabbath of Remembrance

by | Mar 4, 2023

Shabbat Shalom Beloved. Our Torah and Haftorah Reading in Light of Where we are on the Calendar This is a special Shabbat, for it is the Shabbat that immediately precedes the Jewish holiday of Purim. According to our observational calendar, Purim will occur at sundown...

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The Deep Abiding Mysteries of the Aaronic Blessing-My Thoughts and Reflections of Torah Reading 104

by | Oct 20, 2023 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Greetings and Salutations

 

Greetings, Saints of the Most High. This Rod coming to you from the DFW, thanking you for taking the time from your busy schedules to fellowship with me on this glorious Shabbat. As always, I hope, trust, and pray that this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer finds you, your families, and your fellowships well and blessed.

 

As I am recording and posting this installment of TMTO, we are just 5-days into the 8th month of Yah’s biblical calendar year: Shabbat, 10/21/2023. And you would agree that we live in ever-increasing perilous times. So much is going on around us in terms of the horrific crisis in Israel, violent protests erupting throughout the world, our U.S. government in seeming chaos, the cost of living here in the U.S. adversely impacting our pocketbooks, crime, and wickedness abounding throughout every nook and cranny of this nation and the world.

 

But despite the somberness that is hovering over this generation today, we who are of the redeemed of Yehovah Elohim know that He is firmly seated upon the throne. He has everything under control. And all He requires of us, His chosen ones, is that we walk in our beloved Faith. You see, when facing similar times of unrest and wickedness and impending death and destruction of his nation, the prophet Habakkuk queried Yah as to what it was that He had planned for His remnant people and what His remnant people must do in light of the tragedies that were coming upon them. Yah instructed Habakkuk, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4).

 

We have been called to image Yah in all the earth for such a time as this beloved, and it is our purpose and duty to walk in our Faith despite the craziness that is going on about us. So, we continue to walk in Yah’s ways and do those things that our Master Yeshua tasked us with doing such as the Great Commission and bearing good fruit in the midst of a corrupt and evil world. This means we keep Yah’s weekly Sabbath with all the gusto, joy, and fervor we can muster. If we say that Yah is still on the throne and the weekly Sabbaths belong to Him, He expects us to show up and be in His presence. It doesn’t mean that we completely forget all of the woes that are going on around the world. It just means for the next 24 hours, Yah owns our person and attention. Therefore, let us keep Shabbat. At the very least, let us keep Shabbat for those in harm’s way who cannot keep a proper Shabbat.

 

Amein.

 

The Aaronic Blessing Introduced

 

In last week’s post, I mentioned that at least until Yah says otherwise, we would not be discussing the weekly Torah Readings as we’ve done on this program for the past few years. Well, I am about to break my word by discussing the content of this week’s Torah Reading Number 104 of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle.

 

As I was studying this coming Sabbath’s Reading, I came upon the portion where Yah instructed Aharon and Sons to confer upon His people the following blessing:

 

(24) Yehovah bless you and guard or keep you;

(25) Yehovah make His face shine upon you and show favor (or be gracious) to you;

(26) Yehovah lift up His face or countenance upon you, and give you peace (i.e., shalom) (Num. 6; ISR).

 

And Yah concluded this blessing instruction by clarifying that this is how Aharon and sons were to place His matchless Name upon the children of Yisra’el, which, in effect, Yah would bless them (6:27).

 

I was so blessed by my study of this portion of the Reading that I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts and reflections on what is famously referred to as the Aaronic Blessing or the Aaronic Benediction.

 

Given the time constraints, I will not go too deep into the woods on the Aaronic Blessing in this discussion. But I do want to highlight what I suggest are the essential mysteries of this beautiful and significant pronouncement.

 

What is a Blessing in the First Place?

 

To begin with, let’s discuss what the term or the act of blessing means from a Hebraic perspective.

 

Most of us have been conditioned or taught that the term bless means to bring or confer happiness or some physical or spiritual benefit upon an individual. And from a religious standpoint, happiness comes from something that the receiving individual is doing that is favorable to Yehovah. In other words, one is put into a state of happiness or improved state of being due to some good that they are or have been engaged in.

 

So, when we talk about the act of being blessed or blessing someone, the fundamental concepts of “favor,” “happiness,” “worship,” and or “praise” come to mind, depending on the context in which the blessing is rendered. And certainly, all of these concepts are valid to a greater or lesser degree.

 

But let’s look at the term “bless” at a higher level.

 

Blessing or being blessed is primarily centered within the paradigm or perspective of Yah conferring His favor upon His set-apart ones. And this act of Yah conferring upon Yisra’elites favor can take the form of (1) physical prosperity, including affluence and power; and or (2) wholeness or well-being (both physical and spiritual), which translates into a healthy, well-lived life (e.g., Gen. 39:5).

 

Our English term “bless” is “barak” in Hebrew. It’s a 3-letter verb spelled bet-resh-kaph.

 

Anciently, when we spell out barak for deeper meaning, we come up with the following:

 

  • B or bet is depicted as a tent floor plan.
  • R or resh is depicted as the head of a man.
  • K or kaph denotes an open palm.

 

Barak derives from the idea of “bending one’s knee” in homage, adoration, or favor to another. And when we factor in our ancient pictograph spelling of barak, we are presented with this picture of one offering a gift or giving honor or homage to someone.

 

The act of blessing is not restricted to Yehovah, although the Aharonic Blessing must be treated as Yehovah being the source of all good and perfect gifts. People can undoubtedly bless one another and also bless Yehovah. In obedience to Yah’s Torah that commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and love Yehovah with our whole being, we are obliged to do so.

 

But the Aharonic Blessing is focused solely upon Yah blessing His chosen ones. It embodies Yah conferring His favor (his gifts, his love) upon His obedient children, which we will get a little deeper into in just a few. And those of us who have been in the Nazarene Yisra’el Faith any length of time no doubt have experienced a Torah teacher or assembly leader pronounce the Aharonic Blessing over us. But apart from the warmth of the pronouncement over us as we prepare to depart the gathering, did you ever consider what exactly was being pronounced over you?

 

Misconceptions About Blessings

 

Most of us have been conditioned to think that blessings come from the individual verbalizing the blessing upon us, whether it be a Catholic Priest, a Rabbi, a Messianic leader or teacher, or even a denominationalist preacher or minister. And no doubt most of the congregants having the pronouncement declared over them believe that the one delivering the pronouncement or blessing or benediction, because of their honored status as a leader of that assembly, possesses the spiritual goods to deliver on the blessings being declared upon them. That somehow, that assembly leader is the one blessing them.

 

But truth be told when delivered within the context of the worship of the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov, the one pronouncing the blessing is simply a conduit who verbalizes Yah’s favor upon the worshipers, for only Yah can deliver upon the goods of His favor towards His set-apart people.

 

As humans, we can undoubtedly bless or enrich others through the limited means of providing the object of our affection material, economic, logistical, and loving-kindness blessings. We can also bless Yehovah through our obedience and trusting Faith, as well as our sacrifices (i.e., our sacrifices of praise, worship, and adoration). However, as beautifully illustrated in the Aharonic Blessing, Yah’s blessings surpass any conceivable efforts of grace and blessings that we, in our limited human capacity, could ever hope to deliver.

 

The Ahaonic Blessing, some have classified as a liturgical benediction, affords the one with eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds and hearts willing to receive and walk out a glimpse into the extent of the love and favor that Yah so desperately wants to confer upon those who are His.

 

Through the Prophet Jeremiah, Yah explained to an exasperated Judah who doubted His love for her:

 

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Yehovah. Thoughts of peace, and not of evil. To give you an expected end” (29:11; KJV).

 

Beloved, this is the essence of the Aharonic Blessing: That being Yah’s righteous and loving thoughts and desires He has for His chosen ones. Yah desperately wants to see to the wholeness and well-being of His chosen ones, and He promises to deliver on those set-apart thoughts and desires.

 

Unpacking the Aaronic Blessing

 

The Aaronic Blessing is contained in just three verses of Numbers/Bemidbar 6. But despite this blessing being contained in just 15 Hebrew words, volumes of books have, and no doubt will continue, to be written about its profound implications for the child of Yehovah.

 

The framework of the blessing is as follows:

 

  1. Physical blessings speak to the receiver of the blessing belonging or being a possession of Yehovah (6:24).
  2. Spiritual blessings which speak to the grace of Yehovah (6:25).
  3. The blessing of shalom (6:26).

 

Tradition contends that this blessing was pronounced upon Temple visitors by the Cohen haGadol and the Levitical Priests after the daily Temple sacrifices (i.e., the “duchan”), pronounced both in the morning and the evening. A derivative of this has become part of the Jewish synagogues’ Amidah (i.e., the authorized Jewish Prayer Book, pg. 53). But the rabbis have restricted its use, whereby it is pronounced on synagogue attendees only on Feast Days that do not fall on the weekly Shabbat. Contrast this with what we see in many of our Messianic Congregations and Assemblies today. The popularity of the Aharonic Blessing holds a premiere place in every Sabbath gathering and is usually pronounced over the attendees at the end of the gathering or miqra.

 

Further Rabbinic restrictions placed on the Aharonic Blessing include:

 

  • It can only be declared upon a Jewish congregation.
  • It can only be pronounced by a certified Rabbi from a standing position.
  • It has to be delivered with the Rabbi extending His hands towards the attendees. Some may even form the Tetragrammaton with their fingers extended outward towards the congregants.
  • The Rabbi must be sober when declaring it.
  • It must be delivered only in Hebrew.

 

Although such rabbinic restrictions may seem annoying and overreaching to some of us in the Messianic Faith, they cause us to stop and reflect upon the deep, abiding, spiritual implications of this blessing.

 

We must remember, beloved, that this blessing came from the very mouth of Yehovah. It is not about, or rather, it goes deeper than the rote recitation many Messianic Congregations and modern-day psalmists engage in. The rabbinic sages insist: (1) that the one pronouncing the blessing have “knowledge and loving understanding of the person or cause to be blessed (J.H. Hertz; Torah Haftarah; pg. 594). (2) The one delivering the blessing must be right with Yehovah. The reasoning should be apparent: How can one pronounce Yah’s blessing upon another who, when they themselves, are not in right standing with Yehovah? (3) The pronouncement given only in Hebrew seems all the more preferable, although this appears more idealistic than Yah-inspired and Yah-required. What I mean is, if either party to this blessing equation is ignorant of the Hebrew tongue, should the Aharonic blessing be forfeited? Probably not. Yah’s love for His people transcends the spoken language, and that is why, because of His eternal grace, He has made available to the world His Word in just about every known language on the planet with few exceptions. (4) The one pronouncing the blessing must be in a ritually pure or clean state that would qualify him to conduct the daily animal sacrifices and then be heard by Yehovah. This includes the pronouncer of the blessing being sobber, free from intoxicants, which includes being free from malice, prejudices, and hatred that would serve to cloud the pronouncer’s suitability to declare the blessing upon anyone.

 

So we find in 6:24 the first blessing: “YHVH bless thee and keep thee.”

 

As I touched upon previously, the blessings that flow from Yehovah always carry with them a tone of “wholeness” for the Yisra’elite that encompasses the focus of the blessing, such as life, health, strength, prosperity, which includes food, clothing, and shelter.

 

When this blessing leaves the mouth of the priest and becomes an established reality in the life of the Yisra’elite, it is meant to enact Yah’s divine protection and provision over that Yisra’elite. Thus, this panoply of divine protection and provision safeguards the receiver of the blessing against “evil, sickness, poverty, and calamity” (Hertz, pg. 595). Yehovah is the only entity in the universe that can truly deliver this blessing.

 

We find in 6:25 the second blessing: “YHVH make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.”

 

Relationship is the very foundation of this second blessing. This blessing expresses the hope that YHVH will be a friend to the Yisra’elite, whereby Yah shows or expresses His abiding love for them. This love for the Yisra’elite, by necessity, leads to the Yisra’elite’s yeshua–their salvation. There is no purer, more powerful love in existence. So powerful and existential is this shining grace, or Yah’s face being turned toward the Yisra’elite, that David feared having Yah’s face hidden from him due to his transgressions.

 

The rabbis have gone out of their way to stifle the profound understanding of this lovely blessing. They’ve equated the light of Yah’s face as being that of philosophical, physical, emotional, and religious enlightenment” (ibid.). Absent any other sound explanation for this blessing, their enlightenment explanation would be better than no explanation. One of the Hebraic perspectives of divine light, particularly the light that flows from Yah, is knowledge, understanding, truth, and enlightenment. But in this particular context, Yehovah’s divine favor, His love for His beloved, transcends that of such enlightments, for I contend that such enlightenments do not require a loving relationship between the Yisra’elite and Yehovah. Through the centuries, Yah’s eternal Words have enlightened many, yet their lives do not reflect a true obedience of Faith. So, I reject the whole enlightenment concept for this blessing.

 

Furthermore, people find themselves enlightened by a great many things other than the things of Yah. Some are enlightened by environmental concerns, others by secular literature, science, philosophies, their own sense of self-worth, and so forth.

 

However, the light of Yah’s face is more about one’s relationship with the Almighty than anything else.

 

Then, the hope that Yah will be gracious to the Yisra’elite is predicated upon their relationship with Yehovah, and because of the Yisra’elite’s loving and intimate relationship with Yah, the priest’s blessing pronouncement expressed hope that Yehovah will “graciously fulfill their petitions” and needs (ibid., pg. 595).

 

From a rabbinic standpoint, however, the hope put forth to the Yisra’elite by the priest is more about the Yisra’elite appearing favorably to their fellow man and to Yehovah than anything else. That graciousness is about the Yisra’elite being blown up or exalted before Yehovah and their brethren. There’s a selfishness that becomes embedded in this understanding that diminishes the solemnity of this set-apart blessing, which is not part of its original purpose.

 

The Yisra’elite has been called, set apart, to image and reflect the Person of Yehovah to an unbelieving world. This portion of the Aharonic Blessing, whereby the hope is for Yah’s face to shine upon the Yisra’elite and for Yah to be gracious to the Yisra’elite, is essential for that one to accomplish their God-given purpose and function in the world. Without Yah’s enlightened presence and grace resting upon the Yisra’elite, he/she cannot accomplish their purpose and calling.

 

Lastly, we find in 6:26: “YHVH lift up His countenance upon thee and give you peace (i.e., shalom). “

 

This last blessing is simply a hope that the Yisra’elite has Yah’s attention. Again, we are talking about a set-apart relationship that must exist between the Yisra’elite and Yehovah if this blessing is to be of any true relevance.

 

The peace or shalom in this portion of the blessing is the hope that the Yisra’elite be made whole in every aspect of their being.

 

You know, shalom has two avenues associated with it: There is personal shalom and community shalom. The true Yisra’elite cannot sit still for long when they see their community embroiled in chaos and turmoil and not do something to address the problem. The automatic response or desire that the true Yisra’elite should possess is one that desperately yearns for a return to peace or wholeness. This is where worldwide peace or shalom starts: It begins with the single Yisra’elite being blessed with shalom or wholeness, and then that one branches out and assists in facilitating shalom in the broader community of Yisra’el. And so, if the hope for shalom is indeed manifested along both lanes of this allegorical highway–that being individual shalom and community shalom–then a broader, more global shalom would conceivably be possible.

 

Thus, it all starts with the Great Commandment to love Yah with one’s being and, from there, love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself.

 

That which falls short of biblical peace or shalom is chaos. And that is why the Gospel of the Kingdom was, and remains, the most extraordinary incident of divine intervention into the affairs of man. The Gospel is about the Coming Kingdom, the Malchut Elohim. And when the Malchut Elohim is finally manifested in the not-too-distant future, I believe that King Yahoshua Messiah will begin restoring the paradise and the shalom lost when Adam fell.

 

Although not a part of the Aharonic Blessing, we find in 6:27 what I would describe as clarification for the whole of the Aharonic Blessing: “So shall they (they being Aharon and sons) put My Name upon the children of Yisra’el, and I will bless them.”

 

The Hebraic conception of Yah placing His matchless Name on a person, place, or thing implies undisputed ownership by Yehovah. This exclusive ownership comes with the benefits of the blessings pronounced in the aforementioned declaration (ref. Isa. 44:5; Rev. 22:4). And it is Yeshua HaMashiach that mediates Yah’s blessings over Nazarene Yisra’el.

 

Yeshua, our High Priest, operating in the heavenly Mishkan, pronounces Yah’s blessings over each of us, Nazarene Yisra’el. He possesses Yah’s Name, and He, in turn, invokes Yah’s Name upon the chosen ones, which opens up a storehouse of blessings to the ones Yehovah loves. Does this make null and void any Messianic Leader’s pronouncement of the Aharonic Blessing over their congregants? I don’t believe that it does. It only solidifies the realities of promised blessings that Yah will bring to His chosen, set-apart people who are called by His matchless Name.

 

We find in Exodus/Shemote 20:24 where Yehovah declared or pronounced that He would come and commune and bless the people if they agreed to the terms of the covenant.

 

What are the Realities of Yehovah’s Name Being Placed Upon His People?

 

The conferring of Yah’s matchless Name upon the covenant-keeping Yisra’elite is powerfully indicative of the following:

 

  1. Yah’s steadfast love for His children.
  2. The blessed Yisra’elite belongs to Yehovah. He is Yah’s child, even His firstborn, possessing all of the benefits and privileges that come with being a child of the King of the Universe. A familial, even a paternal, relationship is strongly implied here in this blessing.
  3. The blessed Yisra’elite is in an inextricable covenant relationship with the Almighty, meaning they will conform to Yehovah’s expressed Will.
  4. Because the blessed Yisra’elite is a child of Yehovah, King of the Universe, they reflect His image in the earth.
  5. There is an at-one-ness between the Yisra’elite and Yehovah.

 

By receiving Yah’s matchless Name upon oneself, the Yisra’elite assumes the identity of the One True Elohim. The Yisra’elite’s humanly given name is no longer relevant in the whole spiritual scheme of things. That name is fraught with countless problems: physical, emotional, and spiritual baggage, transgressions, and so forth. Yah has selected us, from all the nation peoples of the earth, to receive His glorious, matchless Name, His authority, His set-apartness.

 

This linking of His Name to His chosen ones is how every blessing mentioned in this reading is to come to the Nazarene Yisra’elite. There is no other Name by which blessings will come to the true Yisra’elite. Yah’s set apart people.

 

As mentioned previously, tradition suggests that the Cohen Gadol blessed the people daily in connection to the Temple’s daily sacrifices. This has tremendous prophetic significance, pointing the Netzer to the immeasurable blessings to be had by them by the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah.

 

Closing Thoughts on the Aharonic Blessing

 

The Aharonic Blessing also cements the fact that every true blessing comes from Yehovah. Of this reality, James, the half-brother of our Master Yeshua, wrote: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights with Whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (1:17; KJV).

 

When pronouncing this blessing upon the people, the Levitical Priest served as Yah’s sanctioned intermediary through whom each blessing would flow, and Yah’s Name would be conferred upon the Yisra’elite. The blessings came not through the precise recitation of this passage but through the Will and heart of Yehovah to instill these blessings and His matchless Name upon His set-apart people. But for these blessings to be truly enacted, the Yisra’elite in line to receive the blessings had to be in a right relationship with Yehovah. Yah favors those keeping their end of the covenant relationship He shares with them. He gives good gifts to His children as Yeshua taught His disciples (Luk. 11:11-13).

 

So, as we offer unto Yehovah our sacrifices daily, our Cohen haGadol, operating out of the heavenly Mishkan (i.e., Temple where He intercedes for us night and day), confers upon us Yehovah’s blessings and Yehovah’s Name (ref. Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:27, 34).

 

In closing, Shaul wrote that the promises of Yehovah (i.e., His blessings) are “yes and amen” in Yeshua Messiah (2 Cor. 1:20). Therefore, the only means by which the Aharonic Blessing will be of any real significance for the child of Yehovah is through the Yisra’elite maintaining their covenant relationship with the Almighty through the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah. Therefore, let us remain steadfast in our commitment to our Faith so that we may reap the untold blessings that come with being a child of the Most High.

 

Shabbat Shalom.

Shavuatov.

Until next time beloved, may you be blessed fellow saint in training.

Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 80

by | Apr 24, 2023 |

Shalom! We pray that you had a restful and meaningful Sabbath this past week. This past Sabbath’s Torah Portion was the 81st parshah of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. (If you are so led to participate in reading and studying the weekly Torah Readings, we have put the...

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Shabbat Zachor 2023-Our Sabbath of Remembrance

by | Mar 4, 2023 |

Shabbat Shalom Beloved. Our Torah and Haftorah Reading in Light of Where we are on the Calendar This is a special Shabbat, for it is the Shabbat that immediately precedes the Jewish holiday of Purim. According to our observational calendar, Purim will occur at sundown...

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TMTO Ministry Update and My Thoughts and Reflections on Hamas’ Invasion of Israel

by | Oct 13, 2023 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

There are two things I wish to cover in this installment of TMTO. The first will be an update on this ministry: What’s happening and what’s ahead. Secondly, I want to share my thoughts and reflections on the terrible, tragic, horrific, heinous events that transpired this past week in Yisra’el.

 

TMTO Ministry Update

 

  • As I post this installment of TMTO, we will have just concluded our celebration and honoring of Sukkot with our family locally here in the DFW. (Brief expounding)
  • TMTO is officially back as a weekly Messianic teaching podcast program. This means we will resume weekly teachings and commentary as before we went on hiatus beginning in November 2022. However, we will now be deviating from our previous teachings and commentary, which were based primarily on the weekly Torah Portions. Over this past year’s hiatus, I have been seeking Yah’s direction and guidance as to which direction He wanted TMTO to go moving forward. And what has become abundantly clear to me as a result of my seeking Yah’s direction is that TMTO’s focus (at least until Yah tells me otherwise) will primarily be based on issues and topics related to the coming Kingdom of Elohim–the Kingdom of God/Malchut Elohim.
    • That said, we will be delivering the true Gospel of the Kingdom to the nation peoples of the world in a way that only The Messianic Torah Observer can deliver it.
    • The mission and goal of this platform and ministry is to equip and prepare a people to receive and enter the Malchut Elohim of the here and now and of the world tomorrow.
    • I believe there’s nothing more important in these perilous times than to preach and teach the Gospel of the Kingdom, warn the modern nations of Yisra’el to repent, and prepare themselves to receive the Malchut Elohim through Yeshua-focused Torah Living.
  • I am continuing work on the book of which I have a working title, “The Beatitudinal Personas/Personages of the Kingdom-focused Messianic, ” that I hope to complete by this Gregorian Year’s end.
  • Lastly, we’re thinking about publishing a monthly email newsletter. Consequently, we will be jimming up a new subscription list, which means we will also purge our old email list. So, any email subscriptions we hold in our database older than November 2022 will be purged. And that leads me to this: If you have been blessed by the content of this ministry and are led to support this ministry, we would humbly ask that you consider supporting this ministry by two means: The first by subscribing to TMTO from our website: org. The second means is this: If you are not already committed to supporting another ministry that is feeding you, and you are so led by Father, that you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry with your financial gifts. This internet ministry is a labor of love funded by our financial resources and the generous financial gifts of those who give to this ministry. We do not personally take any pay whatsoever for the work we do for this ministry. Abba has generously blessed us to have a comfortable, liveable income, which means that any financial gifts you are led to give will go exclusively to maintaining and even expanding this ministry’s footprint on the World Wide Web. You can subscribe and donate by going to themessianictorahobserver.org, scrolling to the bottom of the landing page, and accessing the appropriate fields.
    • Thank you in advance for your support of TMTO as we prepare and equip a people that will be wholly acceptable unto Yehovah to receive and enter His glorious Kingdom. Praise Yah!

 

Reflections on Hamas’ Invasion of Israel (Which Some Have Dubbed Israel’s 911)

 

Horrific and Terrible Evil Perpetrated Upon the Innocents of Yisrael

 

My thoughts and reflections on this past Sabbath’s horrific attacks on Southern Yisra’el by Hamas terrorists are pretty much in alignment with those of most people of Faith-at least as it relates to the terrible atrocities that were committed and continue to be meted out on the innocents of the Land. My prayers are for them, for the safety and shalom of the remnant who may be caught in the midst of this ongoing modern-day holocaust. Indeed, pure evil is behind this terrible tragedy, certainly at both the human and spiritual levels. Both the human and spiritual sides of this equation are acting in perfect concert, as they often do. I am convinced that the atrocities that have and are continuing to be committed by Hamas and her proxies are the result of human entities availing themselves to the will and purpose of evil spiritual entities and or of the fallen ones who have set themselves against Yehovah and His chosen ones from the very beginning.

 

I have personal thoughts and concerns regarding how the government of Yisra’el should address what many in the media complex call Israel’s 9-11. However, I have been led to believe that those thoughts are not appropriate for this forum. So, I’ll keep them to myself.

 

But I will say this about the modern nation-state of Yisra’el, particularly in light of this present crisis.

 

God Protects Yisra’el (When Yisra’el is on Good Terms with God)

 

Psalm 121 gives us insight into God’s willingness to protect those who are His. The writer, no doubt inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote this beautiful liturgy regarding Yah’s protection:

 

1I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains:

From whence shall my help come?

2My help cometh from Jehovah,

Who made heaven and earth.

3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:

He that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4Behold, he that keepeth Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5Jehovah is thy keeper:

Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6The sun shall not smite thee by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7Jehovah will keep thee from all evil;

He will keep thy soul.

8Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in

From this time forth and for evermore.

American Standard Version (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Ps 121:1–8.

 

The Jewish Scribe Ezra, at the cusp of Yisra’el’s return to the Land of Promise after years of Babylonian Captivity, confirmed the Psalmist’s proclamation:

 

21Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a straight way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 22For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.

American Standard Version (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Ezr 8:21–23.

 

Has God Lifted His Hand of Protection from Yisra’el

 

But we know from scriptural history that Yisra’el’s stiffnecked persona has time and time again led to a complete reversal of Yah’s protective hand over her. It’s not that Yehovah personally meted out judgment and punishment upon His beloved Yisra’el, but rather, Yah’s hand of protection was withdrawn from her when she fell out of covenant with Yehovah and into perpetual sin. And I believe this is what we’re seeing happen in the nation-state of Yisrael today with these terrible attacks from Hamas from the south and Hezbollah from her northern border with Lebanon/Syria.

 

Yisra’el has time and time again, not done herself any favors with Yehovah. Instead, she has put herself in harm’s way due to her refusal to teshuvah and be faithful to her Elohim. And despite the many and constant sugar-coated sermons and teachings touting Yah’s exclusive protection over Yisra’el, her sin and failure to teshuvah and walk in Yah’s covenant and give up her stiffnecked ways has, of course, led to Yah withdrawing His hand of protection from her.

 

We’ve seen example after example of this throughout the ages, yet when Yah provides Yisra’el relief from her tribulations, she still refuses to straighten up and fly right.

 

Reflecting upon Yisra’el’s destruction by the Babylonian hoards in the 6th century BC, Jeremiah, the presumed writer of the Cepher of Lamentations, wrote:

 

2 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger!

He hath cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel,

And hath not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.

2The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied:

He hath thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;

He hath brought them down to the ground; he hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof.

3He hath cut off in fierce anger all the horn (i.e., the power and favor) of Israel;

He hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy:

And he hath burned up Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.

American Standard Version (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), La 2.

 

Beloved, understand where I’m coming from on this. Yisra’el is our wayward brother whether we like it or not. She is Yah’s chosen people with whom He cut a covenant (Exodus 19). We, as the redeemed of Yehovah, have been engrafted into the commonwealth of Yisra’el. And thus, we have an inextricable link with her. Not with Zionist Yisra’el, mind you, but with true Yisra’el. Remnant Yisra’el. And true Yisra’el–remnant Yisra’el, if you will, is who we must hold up in our prayers as we pray for the peace of Yerushalayim.

 

However, what has happened to the nation-state of Yisra’el this past week is inexcusable at any and all levels of morality and decency. The reports of the atrocities that we’re receiving from various news platforms are nothing short of heartrending. Nevertheless, my point is that Yisra’el, because of her refusal to teshuvah and get back into covenant with Yehovah her Elohim, has left her feloniously open to the attacks we saw played out before us on the news feeds.

 

Master Yeshua lamented over Yisra’el’s impending destruction at the hands of what would be the Roman hoards, laying out before her, in the process, Yisra’el’s dirty laundry of not doing what she was called to do–that is, to be a light to the world and to exclusively serve Yehovah Elohim. Instead, Yisra’el brazenly thumbed her nose at Yehovah, and even today, she has thumbed her nose at her Husband Yehovah, which has, in effect, left her without His protection. Of this situation, Master Yeshua lamented in the hearing of His disciples:

 

34Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: 35that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. 36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

American Standard Version (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Mt 23:34–39.

 

Beloved, what we see happening to those innocents in the Land of Yisra’el is a reiteration of what Master lamented in Matthew 23. The nation has repudiated–rejected–every call to teshuvah–to repentance–to accept Yeshua as her Messiah. Yet she continues to reject her Elohim and violate the terms of her covenant agreement with Him. Instead, she has embraced wholeheartedly the LBGTQ agenda, abortion on demand; she has rejected true Torah living for secularism, humanism, and every “ism” known to man, in particular Zionism. She has essentially become America’s little brother. And like her big brother, the United States of America, she finds herself at a place in time where she is prime for Yah’s wrath, judgment, and terrible tribulation.

 

And so she must get her spiritual house in order more sooner than later. But we know from prophecy that she will not get her act together, at least not anytime soon. In fact, according to Yeshua and the prophets of old, it won’t be until her utter annihilation is just about certain that Yah and His Messiah will step forward and fight for and rescue Yisra’el from the evil nations of this world who will purpose in their hearts to wipe Yisra’el off the face of the earth. And it won’t be until that crucial moment in time that she will finally look upon Him whom they’ve pierced with their words, their actions, and being, and shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him (Zec. 12:10; Mat. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).

 

Despite her persistent obstinance towards her Elohim, according to the Apostle, “all Yisra’el will be saved” for “out of Tziyon will come the Redeemer. He will turn away ungodliness from Ya’achov” (Rom. 11:26; CJB).

 

Father Yah continues to call out to Yisra’el to return to Him so that He may love on them and restore His Arm of Protection round about her. Through the Prophet Isaiah, Yah calls:

 

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

(Isa 55:1-13 KJV)

 

Ye see beloved, Yisra’el, and for that matter, any who would be a child of Yehovah are going to have to do things Yah’s way, or they’re going to have to do things Yah’s way. There’s no two ways about this.

 

Yisra’el Has Yet Again the World’s Attention

 

Despite all of Yisra’el spiritual failures, Yah said of her that she would be an irresistible burden upon all the people-nations of the world:

 

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zec. 12:2; ESV).

 

In other words, the world’s nations will be forced to take sides as Yisra’el struggles to survive. These will mostly side with Yisra’el’s enemies, unfortunately. And we see it happening right now before our very eyes, beloved. Despite the Western world at large being appalled at what has befallen Yisra’el this past week, the nation peoples of the world are being forced to take sides on the issue being for or against Israel. Regardless of where you or I may fall out on this issue, we are today seeing a growing backlash against the nation and her people, even to the point of some condoning the heinous, barbaric acts that were perpetrated by the Hamas terrorists against the innocents of Yisra’el. But this was inevitable. Because although the nation-state of Yisra’el is Zionist based and secular in its form and function, the country does, just as in the United States of America, possess many Messianic and Torah-observant Jews. And if anything, the enemy–hasatan and his ilk–will always remain focused on destroying Yehovah’s set-apart people. Therefore, the hearts and minds of the world are being purposely turned against anything and any individuals that are in any way tied to Yisra’el. Great persecution of Yah’s set-apart people–not explicitly talking about religious Jews–but true Israelites–remnant Israel–is most certainly at hand.

 

So, Yisra’el, the nation-state, and remnant Yisra’el have a tough road ahead. At the very least, we are called to pray for the peace of Yerushalayim (Psa. 122:6).

 

Why I Avoid Teaching or Discussing Eschatology

 

If you’ve been following me for any appreciable length of time, beloved, you will likely recognize that I avoid, when possible, delving into eschatology and teachings about the end times. There are a number of reasons why I avoid the topic on this platform. One of the main reasons is that most of the prophesies that are attributed to the end times are truly hard to impossible for us to decipher, especially today, because they tend to list nations and peoples who will come against Yisra’el that we no longer have a definitive as to who, what, or where they are today. Yet, we have countless eschatologists who boldly teach, write books, and conduct conferences, assigning present-day nations and peoples to those elements listed in the various prophetic passages of scripture.

 

The specifics related to the players and elements of the end times right now belong to Yehovah, not us. And I believe we should be careful not to read too much into what we see happening in the Land of Yisra’el in terms of End Time prophesies.

 

When asked by His disciples if He would be restoring the Kingdom of Yisra’el at the time of His ascension to Abba Yah, Yeshua responded as follows:

 

“You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”

(Act 1:7-8 NET)

 

In other words, beloved, how and when the end times will play out, especially as it relates to when Yeshua will return and when He will bring about the Malchut Elohim, is frankly none of our business. Our business, however, is the assignments and tasks that He has given every disciple of His to complete before He returns (reference the parable of the talents in Matthew 24:14-30). He promised to gift them the power and authority of the Paraclete, the Comforter, and the Holy Spirit (aka, the Ruach Kodesh). And, of course, He delivered on that promise in the grandest fashion on that epic, historic Day of Shavuot or Pentecost 10 days after He ascended on high. And from that point in time moving forward, until His return and establishment of His millennial Kingdom headquartered in Yerushalayim, it is the unwavering, uncompromising responsibility and duty of every disciple of Yeshua to be His witnesses to “the farthest parts of the earth.”

 

But What About the Tanach Prophesies: The Tanach Prophesies Serve as a Prophetic Heads-up with Yisra’el as its Focus

 

Father, in His grace and mercy, gave us prophetic mile-markers that we can sort of look at and recognize when the end times are upon us, such as Yeshua’s Olivet Discourse, Paul’s various admonishments about the end times, and John’s Revelation. Beyond these, I feel it’s a waste of time debating and speculating on the who, when, and where of the Last Days as recorded in the prophecies of Ezekiel and Isaiah and others.

 

Furthermore, things–end-times events, if you will-shall transpire according to Yah’s timing and purpose and will probably not happen at all in the manner that the eschatologists have postulated they will occur. Don’t get me wrong, beloved: There’s nothing wrong with studying the Prophets and contemplating what the end times will look like based on ours or someone else’s interpretation of those prophesies. However, I take the position that we are to focus more on getting our spiritual houses in order, doing that which our Master Yeshua left for us to do, which includes doing our part in the Great Commission and living by walking out our Faith (Hab. 2:4; Heb. 10:38).

 

Is what is happening to the nation-state of Yisra’el today the start of the so-called Ezekiel 38 and 39 War? No, I do not. I re-read these prophecies over the last weekend and immediately recognized that there are a great number of nations and peoples named and numbered in that prophecy that Ezekiel foretold will come upon Yisra’el in an End Time battle that will ultimately result in Yisra’el being delivered from her enemies and the enemies of Yisra’el and of Yehovah being utterly decimated.

 

However, what I believe we’re seeing happening to Yisra’el this past week is more akin to what the Psalmist wrote about in chapter 83:

 

O God, do not be silent! Do not ignore us! Do not be inactive, O God!

2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion; those who hate you are hostile.

3 They carefully plot against your people, and make plans to harm the ones you cherish.

4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”

5 Yes, they devise a unified strategy; they form an alliance against you.

6 It includes the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.

8 Even Assyria has allied with them, lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. (Selah)

9 Do to them as you did to Midian– as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River!

10 They were destroyed at Endor; their corpses were like manure on the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, “Let’s take over the pastures of God!”

(Psa 83:1-12 NET)

 

Yeshua Gave us a Prophetic Framework in Which to Discern the Signs of the Times.

 

I believe that the nation-state of Yisra’el will survive this heinous attack, but not without a tremendous amount of bloodshed on all sides: Israelis, the so-called non-terrorist Palestinians, and the various Islamic Terrorist combatants. However, I do not believe this is the great Gog and Magog War written about in Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20.

 

Now, a few of our cousins in denominationalism and at least one prominent Messianic leader over this last week have come out and declared that what we see happening to Yisra’el is at the very least a precursor to this Gog and Magog War. I will not contradict or challenge these eschatologists on their assertions. They could be right, I just don’t see it for myself. Scripture doesn’t support their ideas.

 

I will, however, bring to your attention what has been famously called by some Bible scholars as the “Olivet Discourse,” which is found in Matthew 24 and 25. (Let us remember that Yeshua delivered this prophetic framework from an Israel-centric perspective.) We are blessed of Yah to have this record despite it not being America-centric in its focus. Instead, it provides us an understanding of the signs of the times, with Yisra’el being the center of all these events so that we may be prepared to face the dark days ahead of us and prepare to receive the coming Kingdom/Malchut Elohim.

 

In this lengthy passage of the Gospel record, Yeshua distills down to His disciples (which today includes us) a general framework of how the End Times will play out. I believe, as disciples of Yeshua Messiah, that it is our responsibility to take to heart this framework and not concern ourselves with the nuances of who, when, and where that so many spend so much time ruminating over in their understanding of the “Ezekiel 38-39 War.”

 

I don’t have the time today to go into the particulars of the Olivet Discourse, but suffice it to say, Abba willing and the crick don’t rise, we will unwrap this critical framework in future posts.

 

But for now, as it relates to this week’s horrific events and now Yisra’el’s impending incursion into Gaza with all the political, moral, and historic handwringing that it is bringing to the world stage, we find in the opening of Master Yeshua’s Olivet Discourse (24:3-8) a general overview of certain events that He declares will lead to the End of the Age (i.e., the end of the age when the fullness of the Gentiles will have come to an end–Rom. 11:25).

 

Master Yeshua gives us just four general events that we should take note of when they occur and not fall prey to deception. Those events are as follows:

 

  1. There will be a Great Deception of the Church (aka the Church Triumphant), which we see happening in ways inconceivable just a few decades ago.
  2. Wars and rumors of wars with nations rising up against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms are part and parcel of what we see happening in Yisra’el this week.
  3. Famines, which the globalists today blame on Climate Change or Global Warming, which those with eyes to see and ears to hear know is not true. The incidents of famine we’re seeing transpire throughout the world today are manufactured by man through the agency of the enemy and the fallen ones. It’s an intentional eradication of humanity by the power brokers of this world.
  4. Earthquakes in various places. Indeed, earthquakes are occurring worldwide in greater frequencies and intensities.

 

Master Yeshua warns us, His disciples, that these are the beginning of birth pangs, which we are not to become alarmed over as we see the world at large doing. Instead, the Netsari Disciple of Yeshua is called to remain focused on His assignments and not be led astray by the various talking heads of our Western World and our governments. Yah is in control, beloved.

 

If Yeshua’s prophetic framework is accurate and truly sequential, which I believe it is, some form of the Abomination of Desolation and an invasion of Yisra’el by the nations of this world will take place sometime in the near future, which I personally believe will be the Ezekiel 38-39 War that all of the religious pundits are falling all over themselves to declare is happening over in Gaza and Yisra’el today. According to Yeshua, these two events will precipitate His glorious return and the establishment of His millennial kingdom here on earth.

 

But before this Abomination of Desolation and the invasion of Yisra’el by the nations of this world takes place, Master Yeshua warns that the Body of Mashiyach must endure great persecution that will lead to the deaths of many Netsarim (24:9-14). According to Master, lawlessness (aka, Torahlessness) will reach unfathomable heights amid a worldwide spreading of the true Gospel of the Kingdom. It will be during that time that the chosen of Messiah will be targeted for destruction as the dark hearts of the unredeemed go out of their way to hinder the spread of the true Gospel. I believe that the Church Triumphant will largely be behind that persecution, siding with globalists to shut down the great revival that will come upon the earth, including the spread of the true Messianic message among the Jews that are scattered throughout the world and in Yisra’el proper.

 

This persecution of our Faith Community, beloved, is the next shoe to drop in the prophetic timeline, and it is the very thing we must prepare ourselves to face. Yes, we must prepare ourselves to receive our Master Yeshua when He returns, but we must also prepare ourselves and our families for the dark days ahead. We’ve been given ample warning.

 

 

What Should the Netsari’s Response to These Heinous Events of this Past Week Be?

 

And so, it falls to us, as I mentioned previously, to uphold the innocent ones who are caught up in this terrible maelstrom over in Yisra’el in prayer, in particular, to hold the righteous remnant of Yehovah in prayer. Indeed, many true Yisra’elites in the nation-state of Yisra’el right now are in harm’s way. These desperately need our prayers and petitions. These are the ones that Yah’s loving arms of protection need to remain steadfastly around them.

 

As it relates to prayer, beloved, if we are not firm in our understanding of how to stand by the innocents, especially remnant Yisra’el, I would strongly suggest approaching Yah and asking that He reveal to us, through His Holy Spirit, how to pray and what to pray for. Many are no doubt praying for a speedy defeat of the enemy and that the enemies of Yah and His people be utterly routed and destroyed. And indeed, there’s nothing wrong with praying for and through these critical situations. But part of the elect’s responsibility is that they are effective in their prayers, and part of being an effective prayer warrior (and make no mistakes about it, beloved, this thing is more about a spiritual war than it is about a flesh and blood battle) is knowing how and what to pray for regarding a situation. It’s so easy to fall in line with the manner in which our Faith Community has engaged in prayer, and that level of devotion is fine. But those of us who earnestly desire to cause heaven to respond favorably to our petitions must understand how and what to pray for as it relates to this particular situation. And this is why I have been led to focus my prayers on the innocent, remnant Yisra’elites in harm’s way. The Spirit may lead you to pray for or pray in an entirely different way about this crisis. This is why it is important to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, even in prayer (1 The. 5:19).

 

I have also seen, posted on various online platforms, calls for people of Faith to contribute financially to multiple organizations that have pledged to address specific identified needs of Israeli citizens caught up in this crisis. I have always been leery about organizations that pop up amid specific crises and tug on people of Faith’s heartstrings to entice them to give. The problem with such giving is that you have no idea whether or not your hard-earned monies will be used to help those these organizations claim to be helping. I would only suggest, beloved, that we first hear from Yah before we turn over any of God’s money to such organizations. Let Him lead our steps and guide our actions (Gal. 5:16). When we let go and let Yah in every aspect of our lives, we can’t and will not go wrong in anything we do.

 

Lastly, beloved, let us remain ever so introspective and watchful in these perilous times (2 Timothy 3:1-5). May this horrific ordeal cause us to take serious account of our own walk with Messiah to ensure that we are, in fact, within Yah’s protective embrace. As we saw previously, unaddressed and pervasive sin allowed to operate in a Netsar’s life can precipitate the removal of Yah’s protection and indwelling presence. Let us learn from Israel of the past and Israel of the present and avoid making the same mistakes she has repeatedly made.

 

Let me just say that Yah holds His chosen ones–that includes natively culturally born Yisra’el and those who are engrafted into the commonwealth of Yisra’el–especially culpable for their actions. Why? Because both groups should know better. And those that know better are expected to do better. Period. So, Yah’s chosen ones are held to higher standards of behavior than the rest of the world. The Orthodox Jews are generally exposed to Torah from birth. Thus, they know right from wrong and will be judged within the framework of Torah. We who are engrafted into the commonwealth of Yisra’el and our wayward denominationalist brothers and sisters will also be judged within the framework of Torah. Why? Because we have been taught and know right from wrong, even if some of us aren’t Torah observant. (See my teaching series entitled “What Did Paul Mean by Being Under the Law” for a more in-depth discussion on this concept of being judged within the framework versus outside the framework of Torah.)

 

So, we are called–Yah’s righteous ones–to live by our Faith (Hab. 2:2-4; Gal. 3:10-14; Heb. 10:38), which means that we must get our spiritual houses in order and maintain that order, wearing the righteous garments that our Master gifted us, so that we may be of use to Him in the here and now.

 

Let us remain hopeful, always giving Yah the praise, worship, and obedience He so justly deserves. Let us be watchful, keeping track of what is happening around us, preparing for the tough days that are no doubt ahead of us, spiritually and physically. Let us work while it is still day, beloved because the night cometh when no man or woman may work (Joh. 9:4). Let us pray without ceasing (1 The. 5:16-18). Let us love one another and bless any who may come within our sphere of influence (Joh. 13:34-35). Let us guard the words that come forth from our mouths so that they may edify and exhort but not bring down or cause harm. Let us take captive every thought to the obedience of Messiah (2 Cor. 10:5). All this so that we may remain in Yah’s perfect shalom, as we await our Messiah’s glorious return.

 

Above all, beloved, never lose hope and always know that you know that you know, that our Elohim, Yehovah Jireh, Yehovah Nissi, Yehovah Sabaoth, Yehovah El-Shaddai is still on the throne! Praise Yah.

 

We’ll revisit this subject of the Olivet Discourse, Abba willing, in coming installments of TMTO.

Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 80

by | Apr 24, 2023 |

Shalom! We pray that you had a restful and meaningful Sabbath this past week. This past Sabbath’s Torah Portion was the 81st parshah of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. (If you are so led to participate in reading and studying the weekly Torah Readings, we have put the...

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Shabbat Zachor 2023-Our Sabbath of Remembrance

by | Mar 4, 2023 |

Shabbat Shalom Beloved. Our Torah and Haftorah Reading in Light of Where we are on the Calendar This is a special Shabbat, for it is the Shabbat that immediately precedes the Jewish holiday of Purim. According to our observational calendar, Purim will occur at sundown...

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Ten Things God Expects us to do for Sukkot-The Feast of Tabernacles 2023

Ten Things God Expects us to do for Sukkot-The Feast of Tabernacles 2023

by | Sep 28, 2023 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

In today’s installment, I will be putting out to you what I have elected to call ten things Yehovah says in His Word that every Netsari, disciple of Yeshua Messiah, must do for Sukkot/Tabernacles.

 

Now, some of you will be acutely aware of many of these things that I will discuss with you here today. And, of course, there will be some of you who will find these Sukkot requirements to be new to you.

 

It doesn’t matter whether or not we are aware of these ten requirements for Sukkot. What does matter, beloved, is that we do them to the best of our abilities and understanding. Head knowledge is great, and to an extent, knowledge of Yehovah and His Ways is admirable (Hosea 6:6). But Yah also demands of His chosen ones their loving obedience to His instructions in righteousness (Romans 1:5).

 

The problem plaguing a large segment of our Faith Community, I’m afraid, is that we have a lot of knowledge about the ways and things of our Elohim. But like our wayward Jewish cousins, we find ways and excuses for not doing what Yah requires of us.

 

A condition of our covenant relationship with the Almighty is that we obey His voice and keep His covenant (Exodus/Shemote 19:5). And this is the crux of my teaching here today: That we identify and understand the things that Abba Yah has instructed us regarding Sukkot, and that we do them to the best of our abilities and understanding (2 Timothy 2:15).

 

That being said, beloved, I pray that none of us be offended by any of the ten things regarding Sukkot that we will discuss today. But instead, I pray that each of us is at a place in our walk-in Messiah where we can put on our big boy-big girl breeches, boldly hear and read the Truth, seek Abba Yah’s leading on each, and do what Yah expects us to do.

 

So, with that, let’s get into Yah’s Word today and learn and do that which Yah commands us to do for Sukkot/the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

I have drawn each of these 10 points from Abba-Yah’s eternal Word, which I will annotate and read for you so that you can conduct your own Berean-style study to determine whether the things I’m saying here in this teaching are so.

 

Unless otherwise specified, I will be using The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009) as the basis for each point.

 

Le 23:33–44.

 

34 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ěl, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh new moon is the Festival of Sukkot for seven days to יהוה.

 

Do #1—Know the dates and days of Sukkot/The Feast of Tabernacles 2023. Failure to know which day this 8-day Feast begins is essentially negligent and will lead to the Netzer’s disobedience to Yah’s Torah.

 

35’On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.

 

Do #2—Plan on participating in a set-apart gathering of some sort on the first day of the 8-day celebration of Sukkot.

 

Don’t #1–Do no manual or servile work on the first day of the 8-day celebration/Feast of Tabernacles. It is essentially the equivalent of a weekly Sabbath.

 

36’For seven days you bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. On the eighth day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה. It is a closing festival, you do no servile work.

 

Do #3–Prepare some form of offering unto Yehovah for the period of the 8-day Feast. Since there is no operating Temple in Yerushalayim and no Levitical Priesthood operating at the Temple in Yerushalayim, we cannot render unto Yehovah burnt offerings. Regardless, the spirit of this instruction remains intact. It falls to Yah’s set-apart people to prepare and give some form of offering unto Yehovah during the week of the Feast. Most people who celebrate the Feast with an assembly or fellowship will give a financial gift or offering to the group hosting or putting on the Feast they’re attending. Those who, for whatever reason, cannot or are not attending a feast site with an assembly or fellowship may send financial offerings or gifts to a ministry that feeds them throughout the year.

 

Scripture teaches that our worship and spiritual offerings unto Yah may take the form of praises unto Yehovah, which is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to Yah’s Name (Hebrews 13:15). Our rejoicing and thanksgiving may be another form of sacrificial offerings unto Yehovah (Psalm 116:17). Consequently, such offerings should not nullify our giving of financial gifts and offerings unto those ministries that provide us spiritual nourishment.

 

Do #4—Plan on participating in a set-apart gathering of some sort on the final day of the 8-day celebration of Sukkot. This day is known as Shemini Atzeret.

 

Don’t #2—Do no manual or servile work on the first day of the 8-day celebration of Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles. It is essentially the equivalent of a weekly Sabbath.

 

 

37’These are the appointed times of יהוה which you proclaim as set-apart gatherings…

 

Do #5—We are commanded to proclaim this time of the year as a set-apart gathering–that is as a “qara kodesh miqra. In other words, this Feast must be treated by us for what it is: a holy convocation, a set-apart assembly, a set-apart time unto Yehovah. We are not to take this weeklong celebration lightly, nor treat it as any other secular celebratory occasion. It must be esteemed in our hearts, within our families, among our friends and co-workers, and acquaintances. People should know that this is a special time of the year for us. It should be an identifier of our way of life. I remember when I was working, my bosses and co-workers knew that I put in for vacation time during this time each year. They may not have understood what I was doing when I took this time off each year, but they knew that it was extremely important to me and they, for the most part, respected it.

 

 

39’On the fifteenth day of the seventh new moon, when you gather in the fruit of the land, celebrate the festival of יהוה for seven days.

 

Do #6—We are obliged to make plans to attend Sukkot in advance and make sure we attend it. It’s one thing to know when Sukkot is and what the Feast entails, but it’s an entirely different thing to follow through and attend the Feast in Spirit and in Truth.

 

If you keep the observational calendar this year as we do, the first day of Sukkot 2023 will begin at sundown on Sabbath, 9/30/2023, and conclude at sundown on S-nday, 10/8/2023.

 

For you who keep the calculated Jewish calendar, the first day of the Feast will begin at sundown this F-iday, 9/29/2023, and conclude at sundown on Sabbath, 10/7/2023.

 

Attending Sukkot is not a simple task. Depending on where we plan on attending and what group we plan on celebrating the Feast with, the logistics of attending Sukkot can be challenging some years. But it is a joyous challenge when the disciple of Yeshua realizes and walks in the joy of the beloved Faith and knows what the Feast is all about. They plan their attendance and celebration with joyous anticipation of great blessings and amazing fellowship that will flow out of their participation and engagement.

 

Like our ancient Hebrew predecessors, the days leading up to the Sukkot can be hectic and challenging. Back in the day, our ancient Hebrew cousins had to complete the entire harvesting process, store, prepare their family, pack up, and hit the road for Jerusalem in time for Day 1 of the Feast. Likewise, whatever vocation or daily activities define our day-to-day lives must be completed, our families gathered, packed, and our homes secured so that we may hit the road and securely leave our daily lives behind.

 

You see, beloved, Yehovah wants His elect ones to be at the place He has chosen to celebrate and keep His Feast at the appointed time, without any encumbrances of their everyday life to dampen their joyous celebration. These are His set-apart days, not ours. We are His guests, and He doesn’t want us worrying about things back home. He wants us to focus on Him and one another during this week of joy and celebration.

 

Furthermore, He wants us to attend this sacred gathering for the entire length of the celebration, not piecemeal it as many do. This is why planning for Sukkot each year as early as possible is essential.

 

40’And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of good trees, branches of palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, and willows of the stream, and shall rejoice before יהוה your Elohim for seven days.

 

Do #7—In preparation for our keeping of Sukkot, Yah instructs us to gather for ourselves fruit, branches from palm trees, twigs of leafy trees, willows of streams, and rejoice before Yehovah for the 7-days of the Feast.

 

Yah does not tell us what fruit, what types of palm branches, twigs from trees, or willows to gather. I believe He purposely left those choices up to us to decide.

 

I’ve read this verse every year for the last two decades of my time in this beloved Faith of ours. And it wasn’t until this year that I became convicted that I had not been keeping this commandment that is tied to Sukkot. For whatever reason, I’ve never kept this instruction. I’ve repented from this transgression, and I will have these items with us when we begin our celebration of Sukkot this year. And I encourage you all to do the same.

 

Orthodox Jewish tradition attempts to fulfill this instruction through the religious Jew purchasing and rejoicing with what are called “etrogs” (a citrus fruit akin to a lemon) and “lulavs.” These symbolic gestures by our Jewish cousins are, for all intents and purposes, rabbinic traditions that the rabbis have asserted are necessary to fulfill this commandment. Many within our Faith community will follow suit and purchase these items and parade about their assembly gathering with them. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as one doesn’t follow suit to satisfy the rabbis’ instructions. We are called to follow the commandments of Yehovah, not the dictates of the sages. Jewish traditions are all well and good until they become elevated to the level of Torah instructions. And this is why it behooves us always to assess why we do what we do as we keep and celebrate Yah’s Feasts each year.

 

41’And you shall celebrate it as a festival to יהוה for seven days in the year—a law forever in your generations. Celebrate it in the seventh new moon.

 

Do #8—As alluded to earlier, Yehovah expects the disciple of Yeshua to keep Sukkot for the entirety of the 8-day celebration. I realize that this verse says we are to keep Sukkot for 7-days, but we saw earlier that the 8th day of Sukkot is, in fact, a set-apart, convocational, no-servile work day that is attached to the very end of the weeklong celebration.

 

Many brethren feel that because the first and eighth days of Sukkot are no-work, set-apart days, they are free to do whatever they want for the intervening six days. Indeed, Yah gave no prohibitions for those six intervening days of Sukkot. However, He does say right here in this verse that we are to celebrate Sukkot for seven days. Therefore, if we find problems justifying keeping these six intervening days for whatever reason (e.g., we have to work; we want to spend those days goofing off or doing what we want to do), we must take it up with Yehovah. After all, these are His set-apart days, not ours.

 

I get that life often gets in the way of our keeping the Feasts of Yehovah as maybe we’d like to or the way that we believe Yah would have us do it. And when life gets in the way, we need to do at least two things: (1) Take the matter up with Yehovah; tell Him our problem, which He already knows, He just wants to see if you’ll bring to His throne of mercy and lay the matter at His feet. (2) Plan to keep the Feast in Spirit and in Truth each biblical calendar year, which means, if we work for a living, to put in for the time off ahead of time. Granted, many of us work jobs that grant us only so much time in a calendar year to take off as vacation time. Well, when we give ourselves over to Yeshua as one of His disciples, the things we used to hold dearly in life may have to be tossed to the side, such as family vacations. For instance, family vacations to the beach or visiting family in the Hamptons might need to be replaced with the attending of Sukkot and the keeping of the other set-apart days.

 

Our keeping of the Feasts of the LORD are non-negotiable elements of our covenant relationship with Yehovah, including our keeping of Sukkot. And that’s because these set-apart days belong to Yah, not to us.

 

So important are these days to Yehovah our Elohim, especially Sukkot, that the following will happen to the nations who don’t keep this Feast:

 

16And it shall be that all who are left from all the nations which came up against Yerushalayim, shall go up from year to year to bow themselves to the Sovereign, יהוה of hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot.

17And it shall be, that if anyone of the clans of the earth does not come up to Yerushalayim to bow himself to the Sovereign, יהוה of hosts, on them there is to be no rain.

18And if the clan of Mitsrayim does not come up and enter in, then there is no rain. On them is the plague with which יהוה plagues the nations who do not come up to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot.

The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Zec 14:16–18.

 

My point here is not to create any unnecessary stress or turmoil in your life but to inform you what thus saith Yehovah from His Word. I would be remiss and I would be held accountable to Yehovah if I did not tell you that you are obligated to keep the Feast of Yehovah in accordance with His instructions and to do so in Spirit and in Truth. So, please hear me and do what is required of us. And again, if situations make keeping Yah’s Feasts impossible for you, take it to Yehovah in earnest and heartfelt prayer. He knows what you’re going through, and He will work everything out for you. I promise. He might not work these things out in accordance with your expectations and timeframe, but He will work your problems out.

 

42’Dwell in booths for seven days; all who are native born in Yisra’ěl dwell in booths,

 

Do #9—We are commanded to dwell in booths for the seven days of Sukkot.

 

This commandment states that native-born Yisra’elites are required to dwell in booths throughout the duration of Sukkot. And the question must be asked: What constitutes a native-born Yisra’elite? There are no tricks attached to this verse. A native Yisra’elite is a natural-born citizen of Israel, even a biological descendant of Ya’achov or Jacob (whose name was changed to Yisra’el by Yehovah–Genesis/Beresheit 32:28) who is of the Land of Promise. And so, most would conclude that this mandate to dwell in booths for the duration of Sukkot applies only to our Jewish cousins residing in the Land of Yisra’el. Yah does mandate the native-born Yisra’elite dwell in booths during the eight-day celebration of Sukkot:

 

43so that your generations know that I made the children of Yisra’ěl dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim.

 

Thus, Yah established a memorial for our Hebrew brethren as a reminder of their ancestors’ Exodus journey.

 

But what about us, who are not biological or converted, religious Jews residing in the Land of Promise? Are we required to dwell in booths during the eight days of Sukkot? And my answer to that question is yes and no. In fact, more yes than no. And I have a couple of reasons for my answer.

 

In terms of my yes answer: If we are disciples of Yeshua Messiah, we naturally identify as Nazarene Yisra’elites. In Romans 11, the Apostle details how we came into this beloved Faith of ours as wild olive branches (that is, we were foreign to Yehovah and His Ways) that have been grafted into the commonwealth (i.e., the cultivated olive tree) of Yisra’el, whereby we partake of the root and fatness of that cultivated olive tree which is true, remnant Yisra’el (11:16). Thus, being grafted into the commonwealth of true, remnant Yisra’el, we are every bit a native Yisra’elite (absent physically dwelling in the Land) as even the most hardcore believing, biological or converted Jewish citizen residing in the nation-state of Yisra’el. We are of Yisra’el, which means that Yah would technically require us to dwell in booths for the duration of Sukkot.

 

We’ve kept the Spirit of the True commandment to dwell in a temporary abode, be it a hotel or someone’s home near our feast site, instead of staying in an actual Sukkah in the great outdoors. We know, as I’m sure you know as well, of brethren who do erect a sukkah and dwell in it throughout the 8-day Feast, while others come close to the sukkah thing by dwelling in tents and other camping-type arrangements that are local to their feast site.

 

I would like to see our family eventually graduate to more of a camping-type, sukkah-like set-up in the coming years, as I seek, with my family, to obey Yah’s instructions in Torah through Yeshua Messiah as our guide to the full extent of my understanding and ability.

 

In terms of my no answer: We cannot keep the Feast of Yehovah as presented to us in our bibles. But Yeshua told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well: 23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to worship Him. 24 “Elohim is Spirit, and those who worship Him need to worship in spirit and truth.” The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Jn 4:23–24. We New Covenant believers keep Yah’s instructions in righteousness in the Spirit in which Yah intended them to be kept while ensuring that we guard and obey each and every Word to the best of our ability and understanding. Yah’s Spirit dwells within His chosen ones, and Yah’s Spirit works within us to help us worship the Father as He would have us worship Him. So, we dwell in booths, temporary dwellings, for the duration of Sukkot as a memorial of our ancient forefathers cousins dwelling in booths and tents during their Exodus out of Egypt and during their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness.

 

Now, some define “booths” as the tents they dwell in at Sukkot gatherings or at a campsite. Others, such as we have done for the past two decades, define “booths” as places that are not our homes, such as hotels and other temporary lodging facilities. And still, others take this commandment literally, which I believe is the best and most accurate way to keep this commandment, and they build a sukkah and occupy that sukkah throughout the week of the Feast.

 

An ancient sukkah was a flimsy structure made of various natural materials such as boughs of trees (Jonah 4:5). As stated, it was meant to serve as a temporary shelter from the elements. Scripture tells us that sukkot were erected to shelter cattle (Genesis/Beresheit 33:17); and as shacks for watchmen of a city or town (Job 27:18; Isaiah 1:8; 24:20). In the nation of Yisra’el, and in various Jewish communities throughout the world, religious Jews erect actual sukkahs to dwell in during the Feast of Tabernacles. Some of these structures are quite modest, offering only a few conveniences of modern living. These are simply flimsy, rectangular structures with tree branch boughs for roofs, maybe plastic or lattice framework to keep the structure erect, and maybe even plastic sheeting for the structure’s walls. Other sukkahs are quite elaborate, firm in their integrity, and contain modern conveniences such as electricity, lighting, fans, tables, chairs, and so forth.

 

The point is that we want to please Yehovah in all that we do for Him. And so, out of obedience to Him and His instructions, we are compelled to dwell in a sukkah, be it an allegorical sukkah or an actual one, all out of obedience to the Faith and the spirit of the Feast requirement.

 

10And Mosheh commanded them, saying, “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time, the year of release, at the Festival of Sukkot, 11when all Yisra’ěl comes to appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses, read this Torah before all Yisra’ěl in their hearing. 12 “Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and your sojourner who is within your gates, so that they hear, and so that they learn to fear יהוה your Elohim and guard to do all the Words of this Torah. 13 “And their children, who have not known it, should hear and learn to fear יהוה your Elohim as long as you live in the land you are passing over the Yarděn to possess.”

The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Dt 31:10–13.

 

Do #10—We read the Torah during Sukkot.

 

This instruction is rarely followed by Yah’s set-apart people at Sukkot. And I guess the reason for that is that most of us get caught up with this commandment being tied to the Sabbatical Year or the Shemittah and Jubilee years. And given that the Shemittah and Jubilee are connected exclusively to the Land of Yisra’el and that no one truly knows when the Shemittah or the Jubilee is since it has been lost to antiquity, most feel that any such instructions are null and void.

 

But since we worship Yehovah in Spirit and in Truth, especially during His moedim–His set-apart days, Yah’s original intent behind this instruction must be understood and kept to the best of our abilities and understanding.

 

Yah saw the Feast of Tabernacles as a prime opportunity, having their full attention for eight days, to learn to fear Him and to guard/keep/honor His Word. Sukkot also offered a tremendous opportunity to expose our children to Torah.

 

Undertaking such a task is a challenging feat. Reading the entire Torah takes several hours, and depending on the set-up of each Sukkot gathering, reading the whole Torah may be difficult if not challenging, at best. But if we, who are called by His Name, take Yah’s feasts seriously and we want to please and obey Him, we can find a way to do. It’s just a question of how badly we want to keep Sukkot in Spirit and in Truth.

 

The returning Jewish Babylonian Captives came across this passage in their refamiliarization with Torah through Ezra the Scribe. Their story is quite compelling, and it is as follows:

 

14And they found written in the Torah, which יהוה had commanded by Mosheh, that the children of Yisra’ěl should dwell in booths in the festival of the seventh new moon,

15and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Yerushalayim, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

16So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the House of Elohim, and in the open space of the Water Gate and in the open space of the Gate of Ephrayim.

17And the entire assembly of those who had come back from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Yěshua son of Nun until that day the children of Yisra’ěl had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.

18And day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And they performed the festival seven days. And on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the right-ruling.

 

The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Ne 8:14–18.

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