| Re'eh |
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| Written by Carl & Julie Parker | |
| Thursday, 28 August 2008 | |
ScripturesDeuteronomy 11:26 to 16:17 Continuing through the study of Deuteronomy, the last three Torah portions have recounted Moses instructing the Children of Israel all the Words YHVH gave him in order for them to enter the Promised Land and stay in it. These instructions were originally given to their parents who, unfortunately, had not obeyed the message called the gospel. The opportunity had passed on to their children, the next generation, that they might inherit. Would they be the “first” generation to obey YHVH and “come out of Egypt” to inherit the land? Sadly we know they stumbled over the message and were unable to keep the land (Hebrew 8:8; 1 Peter 2:8). Many generations have passed since the time of Moses, but the evidence of our obedience or disobedience to the Words spoken at Mount Sinai is still the same as it was then. The evidence is in the fruit of our walks – whether good or bad. The Promised Land is not in the hands of Israel. The modern-day “first generation” out of Egypt has yet to inherit the land. Many of us have not left the “Egypt” in us. Our minds and thoughts are still keeping us from obeying and entering into our inheritance. If we knew we were willed a HUGE inheritance, how long would it take us to claim it? What is holding us back? We have been willed a huge inheritance by way of the covenants through our faith in Yeshua. As Yeshua’s firstfruits, are we the generation that will obey His Words, walk in a holy lifestyle and inherit the land? Let us study YHVH’s Words to Moses and establish how to inherit the land.
The word re’eh is Strong’s # 7200 (TWOT # 2095), a Hebrew root word meaning: seeing, experiencing, prophesying, appearing, searching, looking at one another, vision, mirror, viewing instrument, and sharp-eyed bird. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament goes on to say that re’eh designates the understanding/believing/saving acceptance of the Word of YHVH, His teaching and instruction as delivered by His accredited messengers. In Isaiah 6:10, to “see with the eye”, spiritually speaking, is to hear God's Word, understand it and turn to Him. On the other hand, in the same passage, to harden the heart against YHVH’s message is to shut the eyes. Re’eh is the act of acceptance, especially on the part of YHVH. YHVH said to Noah, "Thee have I seen righteous,” because YHVH saw Noah’s obedience to His instructions (Genesis 7:1). Re’eh is "to provide" and is usually in reference to YHVH’s provision. We see in Genesis 22 verses 8 through 14, when Abraham obediently offered his only son Isaac on the altar, a ram appeared as a substitute. Re’eh also indicates “having respect to", especially of YHVH in acting with mercy because of our walking in obedience to His teaching and instructions. (See Psalm 66:18-20.) This is the impression Moses wants us to come to “see” or “re’eh” in YHVH’s Words for our lives. In the Scriptures, we have been studying why Moses so carefully went over the reasons it would be wise to obey YHVH’s instructions. It was not until they agreed to obey that the Children of Israel received YHVH’s instructions, the ketubah/marriage covenant. To love YHVH with all our heart and with all our soul and all our might means to obey, act upon and apply His loving teaching and instruction in our lives. This requirement was also their entrance into the land. Without obedience there was no claim to the inheritance or capability of holding the land. This is the same for us today. Not only do we need to know who we are as part of Israel, we also need to understand pursuing HOLINESS IS WHAT HOLDS THE LAND. YHVH’s Soul (or, Spirit) is in the heart of the land (which is also a reference to our heart). Our soul must match His Soul. Walking in His instructions is walking in His Heart. Obedience to His gospel is righteousness; righteousness is holiness.
The difference lies between purity and pursuing holiness which you can only do if you understand the gospel of Yeshua. We received purity when we received our change of status by coming into the Abrahamic Covenant. We will receive righteousness when we obey the instructions of that Covenant through Yeshua. Holiness comes when we do what the Covenant says. The act of walking, obeying and applying what YHVH taught establishes His holiness and righteousness in our lives. As we mentioned in the last parasha, “It is the holiness part that forms the order of Melchizedek. Many do not realize that Moses exemplifies the holiness part of Yeshua’s teaching in the Brit Chadasha/New Testament and is the gospel, the message that imparts Life …and it is only the order Melchizedek (those who walk in righteousness and holiness) that raises the dry bones and gives resurrection life to a body with no life.” Yeshua, through His death and resurrection, has given us the power to overcome our shortcomings/sins and follow Him. The provision in YHVH’s Word of forgiveness for our unintentional sins was through animal sacrifices on Yom Kippur, once a year. Yeshua made the “old” (sacrifices) obsolete by His sacrifice once and for all. Now forgiveness for our sin is daily and eternally provided through Yeshua’s sacrifice (Hebrews 9:12-13). While John the Baptist’s mikvah/baptism signifies repentance (when returning to YHVH’s teaching and instruction/Torah), Yeshua’s mikvah/baptism is for death and resurrection – being transformed! We put to death our sinful nature to walk in His resurrection power. We know we have entered into Yeshua’s mikvah when we no longer do the things that took us back to the realm of death. Receiving the recompense of Yeshua’s death and resurrection purifies us, and our obedience to His Word prepares us as holy vessels for His service. Acts of righteousness produce fitting wedding/priestly garments. It is in these priestly garments that we enter the Most Holy Place following the One who has gone before us, Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Obedience to Him is an act of holiness and righteousness. Not our righteousness, but the Righteous One declaring us righteous in Him and producing His righteousness in us. This is still the entrance into the land today. Without His holiness and righteousness in us we will not be able to stay in the land or keep it free from the enemy (Deuteronomy 9:4-6; 12:8-10; Hebrews 4; 1 John 2:1). Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Blessings and Curses
YHVH is very clear about His instructions for our life in Him. We are blessed if we listen and obey/walk out His teaching/the gospel, or we bring curses on ourselves if we do not listen and obey Him. YHVH’s warning system is essential. If curses like financial problems, health issues or family alienation occur, then we know we may have stepped outside YHVH’s guidelines and provisions for our life. Checking with His Word spoken through Moses gives us direction and helps us return to His abundant blessings through repentance that restores us. (Psalms 38-39) Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. YHVH has come to test you, so that the fear of YHVH will be with you to keep you from sinning" (Exodus 20:20). Fear: In Hebrew thought fear is knowledge. Knowledge means intimacy with the Messiah through His Word. Fear was never to separate us from YHVH but that is what fear in earthly nature does to YHVH’s people. We need to discover and put into practice holy fear from a heavenly nature and pursue after a walk in holiness.
Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal are about five hundred yards apart from each other and are situated seven miles north of Jerusalem in the Mountains of Ephraim in the territory given to Joseph’s family. This was near the great trees of Moreh. Moreh in Hebrew means: a hook, a trap, a noose for catching animals, and to be ensnared. This site was the entry point into the land for Abraham, and was where he built his first altar to worship YHVH (Genesis 12:6). The town between the two mountains is called Shechem. The Hebrew word shechem means: shoulder, the upper part of the back. Shechem was a Levite town designated as a city of refuge for the Children of Israel. It is also the burial site of many of the patriarchs. Today it is the modern town of Nablus that is situated between the two mountains. This holy area was given away in the Palestinian occupation. According to Scripture, however, it is to remain Joseph’s land and Ephraimite territory permanently. Joseph’s brothers sold him to a caravan (Genesis 38:28), and they are still “selling” Joseph today. “Joseph” may currently be unrecognizable and hidden among the nations because of his pagan ways and looks, but his descendants are learning to return home by means of the ways of YHVH, to walk in His Covenant and claim their inheritance and Land among their brothers. Presently Joseph is looking for his brothers, and, true to the biblical story, it will be Joseph who makes himself known to them while still in captivity (Genesis 37:16). In the future, it will be Joseph who will save his brothers and bring them home. Selah.
Can Moses emphasize this enough? The land corresponds to Torah and our lives. What goes on in our hearts reflects in our homes, our families and our communities. The acquisition of the Promised Land is a portrayal of how we are called to appropriate our own hearts for YHVH. After we personally become purified, we must divest our land of all past unclean ways to make our hearts clean houses worthy of a holy God. The land is the resting-place and inheritance YHVH is giving us (Deuteronomy 12:9). We must destroy all traces of common, pagan activity of our past transgressions (personal sins) and iniquities (inherited sins) that defile us (Deuteronomy 12:2-4; and chapter 28). The instruction given through Moses at Mount Sinai tells us how to do this. As believers, we have all entered into John’s mikvah/baptism, which is a mikvah of repentance. But who has honestly entered into Yeshua’s mikvah – one of death and resurrection? Yeshua’s mikvah produces newness of life called resurrection, or rebirth. If we are not healing the sick and raising the dead then have we truly believed the gospel or have we listened to a false gospel? Entered into Yeshua’s mikvah, His true gospel given at Mount Sinai, produces the true fruit of His mikvah; one of death and resurrection life. The fruit of that life will be evident to all. Presently there are many in the Body of Messiah who are sick and have diseases. They say they have resurrection life in Yeshua yet they are riddled with illnesses and disease (both spiritually and physically). Yeshua’s resurrected body is not sick or diseased. Our sinful nature must be crucified with Him. If our earthly nature and those sinful attitudes (with evidence of sins like confusion, discord, strife, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, rage, anger, malice, slander, filthy language, bitterness, jealousy, envy and hot tempers) are still persistent in us after we have come to know Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, then we lie and the truth is not in us as. As such, our walk does not match our confession. In this way, we re-crucify Him all over again. We may be spiritually born again but morally we look and act just like the pagans do. Produce fruit of repentance that comes from Yeshua’s work at the cross. Desire a resurrected lifestyle.
In 2 Corinthians 6:16 -18 Paul writes to the assembly in Corinth quoting from the Tanakh,
Paul goes on to say, "Therefore, my dear friends, since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that can defile either body or spirit, and strive to be completely holy, out of reverence for YHVH" (2 Corinthians 7:1; Exodus 20:20). Deuteronomy 12:15-28 Eating Blood Forbidden
Why is this so important? It is important for two reasons: First, the life of every animal is in its “life-blood”, and if we eat meat with the life-blood still in it we ingest that animal’s life, including the animalistic behavior, mindset and nature of the type of animal we are eating. Those characteristics can manifest in our life and may lead us into compromised and idolatrous behavior, including fear, sexual immorality and occult activity (Numbers 25:1-3). The second reason we do not eat the blood is because YHVH asks us not to. It is a matter of obedience. He says to not eat the blood so it will go well with us and our children after us. Disobeying this commandment from YHVH will bring judgements (called curses) upon us that will pass from us to our children, and on to the third and fourth generation. We will be cursing our own children if we eat the blood.
Acts 15:20-21 The Ruling of the Jerusalem CouncilIn the Brit Chadasha/New Testament, at the Council in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas asked the Apostles of Yeshua what to teach those who were returning to YHVH (Acts 15:2,29; 21:25). James, Yeshua’s brother and representative of the Council, advised them to teach what YHVH taught through Moses at Mount Sinai, "to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood (animal blood).” James quoted Leviticus 17, Deuteronomy chapter 12 and 19:26, and Ezekiel 33:25. The reason why they gave these four instructions was because they all had to do with blood in the diet. Cleaning up the diet was the first area the Council recommended, otherwise the new people coming into Yeshua’s Hebrew lifestyle (for one who has crossed over) would not be able to walk fully in Yeshua’s teaching or walk after a righteous holy lifestyle. After the council advised the people regarding the Maker’s diet, they then advised to return to Moses and begin observing the Sabbath; as, there, they would learn “all” the Words YHVH spoke through Moses at Mount Sinai called the gospel (Acts 15:21), “For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” Twenty-five years after Yeshua’s death and resurrection, the Jerusalem Council, led by the Apostles of Yeshua, taught exactly what Yeshua would have taught. Neither they nor the synagogues of the time deviated from the spoken Word at Mount Sinai. They were so strong about it, in fact, that they sent a letter out to the Diaspora (the Israelites living in exile among the Gentile nations) explaining exactly what to teach the people the gospel. They were told to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood - animal blood. The Council was careful to explain that Moses’ writings was the foundation of Yeshua’s teaching, and that Yeshua, the voice of YHVH, the spoken Word from Mount Sinai, was what the believers were also commanded to teach and obey perpetually. In Acts 15: 16-18 the Council tells us who those returning people are by quoting Amos 9:11 which records a prophecy concerning the latter-day remnant that would seek YHVH, "After this I will rebuild David’s fallen tent (the Covenant of David). Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek YHVH and all the Nations who bear my name, says YHVH, who does these things” (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:8-10; Amos 9:11-12; Acts 15:16-18). Not only was this a mandatory teaching for Paul to those living among the Gentiles, but many years later upon Paul’s return to Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Council again exhorted this same teaching to Paul in Acts 21:25 as being the most important teaching for those returning saying, “that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality”. Three times in the Book of Acts, the Jerusalem Council confirmed this teaching from Moses as being foundational for those walking in Yeshua. This is still true today. Only in and through Israel’s obedience to the Words given Moses will David’s fallen tent (Covenant) be rebuilt, called the renewed Covenant (or Brit Chadasha/New Covenant). The words of Moses are still the foundation we are to build on. It is the gospel of Yeshua. The Brit Chadasha/New Testament confirms Moses’ words, for he spoke the Words of Yeshua. Which missions’ board or council do we obey? Man’s or Yeshua’s?
The Acts 2 outpouring and the Jerusalem Council’s decision twenty to thirty years after Yeshua’s ministry on earth were directly tied to the teaching given to Moses atop Mount Sinai. Today, this teaching has just as much importance as the day it was first received. All the Apostles and elders present at that meeting with Paul and Barnabas, including Luke, the author of Acts, agreed that Moses must be taught. Without Moses there would be no renewed life in the Messiah. Neither Messiah without Torah nor Torah without Messiah contains what we need for a full life. Only Messiah in Torah and Torah with the Messiah gives LIFE to those searching for life. The instructions YHVH gave through Moses are “the voice of YHVH” and the Words that we are to obey. The Jerusalem Council considered no other agenda for those returning to YHVH; they taught Moses to the people. YHVH’s instructions relayed by Moses were not done away with by Yeshua’s death. On the contrary, the Words given Moses were upheld and fulfilled in Yeshua’s death! Yeshua is the Living Word and He would not do away with Himself. Yeshua is the Word made flesh and He is the voice of YHVH (John 1:1, 14). Thirty years after Yeshua’s death the Jerusalem Council was still practicing and teaching Moses as the main curriculum for the believer’s faith, walk and life (Acts 21:25). These Words are as powerful today as they were then. This is the good news and the gospel we are to proclaim!!! If we walked into a synagogue or a church today, would we hear the words of Moses being taught? What would the Jerusalem Council instruct us to teach if they were able for advise in our day? If we were on the verge of a huge revival with thousands about to return to Yeshua’s ways, would it be the “gospel” from Mount Sinai and the four foundational laws relating to blood that we would teach them just like in Acts 15 and Acts 21? WWYD? (What would Yeshua do?) The next time we purchase meat at the grocery store or order it in a restaurant, we need to think about the likelihood of the presence of the life-blood in the meat that we are about to consume. Today many butchers stun the animal before killing them. Stunning the animal can lock the life-blood into the meat. The result is the same as a strangled animal. Fear, anxiety and shock sets into the animal and into the meat we then eat. These elements are what YHVH warned us against. Stunning the animal does not give the life-blood of that animal – with all its impure properties – an opportunity to be “poured out.” So whether we order from the butcher or choose meat in a restaurant we need to choose wisely so that it may go well for us and our children after us (Deuteronomy 12:25). To eat meat with no life-blood in it like Kosher slaughtered meat would be best. If none is available, soaking the meat in salt water and rinsing before consuming is acceptable.
YHVH mentions not eating the blood five times in Deuteronomy chapter twelve, and concludes with, “Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of YHVH” (Deuteronomy 12:28). Deuteronomy 13:1-18 A Warning Against False ProphetsIn Deuteronomy 13 YHVH says that in order to test His people to see if they will wholeheartedly believe and obey His Words spoken to Moses He will voluntarily use a false prophet/false gospel, who enters into their midst posing as a “brother”. If we obey YHVH’s Words, we will be able to swiftly discern a false prophet among us. We are not to tolerate any false words spoken. Words that lead us away from obeying YHVH’s instructions will infect us, and spread throughout the land. It is up to us to know the difference between clean and unclean, holy and unholy and to test their words against the Word of YHVH. If we do not, YHVH will continue to send these people into our midst. If we persist in tolerating this and not test what they speak, then the whole camp will weaken, eventually separate and, in serious cases, dissolve. We must learn how to take the false speaker/gospel outside the camp. Scripture teaches us they are to be outside the camp seven days. By the end of seven days, by proper teaching and instruction and through repentance and a physical cleansing, the speaker’s “infection” (of false teaching) will clear up and he will be able to return to the community again. But if an unclean prophet does not repented he cannot return into the camp. We see this same teaching on false brothers in the Brit Chadasha/New Testament in 1 Corinthians 5: 9-13 and 1 John 4:1-6. Deuteronomy 14:1-21 Biblically Clean and Unclean FoodsYHVH’s teachings that we are to obey include the difference between good foods that keep us healthy and poor things we consume that can eventually bring sickness and diseases in our bodies. In these verses wisdom is passed on from YHVH for our health and blessings, that we might know what will harm us and bring curses upon us.
YHVH gives us these instructions for our health. Disobeying His instructions opens the door to diseases and may even shorten our lives. Compare this to the full life YHVH has had planned for us since the beginning of the world. What we put into us physically and spiritually will affect us. It is really up to us. Who among us has knowingly or unknowingly eaten biblically unclean things after asking YHVH to “bless” the meal as ifpraying would make the unclean thing clean? Most of us have done this in our past! Nevertheless, we cannot manipulate YHVH’s Word to fit what we want to eat. It does not work that way. Some believers say the food laws have been done away with now that Yeshua has fulfilled the law. Yes, Yeshua has brought the law into its fullness, which brings life, but fulfilling the law does not mean it has been done away with. Yeshua has also fulfilled the law that brought sin and death upon us. But do we now knowingly walk in the law that brings death thinking we have some immunity over it now that we are in Yeshua? No! Yeshua’s sacrifice means that now we have the power to overcome the desires of sin and death in our flesh and to no longer succumb to its false pleasure. Eating unclean things can cause heart disease, cholesterol, high blood pressure and many other diseases related to unclean things eaten (Romans 7:7-8:17). When we reexamine the food related scriptures in the Brit Chadasha/New Testament, we discover many of them are about people using food as leverage for salvation. Paul debates that the teachings of food have never been for salvation purposes but for our health. Another stumbling point has been Peter’s vision of a sheet (YHVH’s Holy tallit) in Acts 10:9-48. It was full of clean and unclean animals. In Hebraic understanding, animals in Scripture are synonymous with people. YHVH was bringing clarity to Peter about those people returning to YHVH’s ways. The vision was not about food. YHVH was instructing Peter, through a vivid demonstrative “picture”, that he must consider those who lived among the Nations (the remnant of Israel) as “clean” once they returned to YHVH. They were the people that Peter was now to feed (John 21:15-17).
YHVH’s says that we are not to eat anything detestable to Him. The teaching of food is foundational for us in our desire to obey His Word. If we obey the food instructions, we will obey His Feasts and we will obey His Covenants. They go hand in hand. The animals YHVH considered food for us to eat were to be from animals that have a split hoof fully divided and that chews the cud. If one or both elements are missing, that animal is not to be consumed; it is detestable for us, and unclean. Eating it would eventually bring death upon us in some form (spiritually/physically). The animals YHVH said were clean and good for our health were the ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, roe deer, wild goat, ibex, antelope and mountain sheep, for they have split hoofs and chew their cud. These are acceptable to eat. The camel, rabbit, coney and pig are all very unclean things for us to eat and were called detestable to YHVH. We are not to even touch their dead carcasses. YHVH says they will harm us if we eat them. The pig is the cheapest of all animals to produce and has been one of the most consumed meats in the world today. Try and tell people that bacon, sausages, salami, baloney, hot dogs, spareribs, and other pork products are not good for them, and many will laugh! Of the creatures living in the waters, those that YHVH says are good for our health are those that have both fins and scales. If the water life is missing one or both of those elements we are not to consume them. They are not food for us. Those we may eat are fish like salmon, trout, halibut, tuna, etc. The water creatures that are detestable to YHVH that are not food for us are prawns, lobster, crab, shrimp, clams, oysters, mussels, shark, squid, octopus, calamari etc. All these are YHVH’s army of water cleaners and are not fit for human consumption. The clean birds like chicken and other domestic types are edible. However, the aggressive, scavenger, meat eating birds like hawks, eagles, vultures, falcons, owls, herons and bats are not called food in Scripture and are not fit for human consumption. Only the insects that are winged and have joints in their legs, like locust and grasshoppers, are food for us. Yum! If we find a clean animal already dead, we are not to eat it. That means road kill! It is not for consumption.
The above prohibition came as a result of the same being an occult practice from the nations that was detestable in YHVH’s sight. YHVH forbade this for the well being of the mother goat and her offspring. YHVH does not want this practiced in His family. In Judaism, rabbinical (man’s) law added more laws called “fences” to Scripture. One of them was based on the above scripture. They taught that not cooking an offspring in its mother’s milk meant that people could not mix meat products and dairy products together when cooking. In Genesis 18:7-8, however, we see that Abraham mixed meat (a calf) with dairy (curds and milk), and served this to the three messengers at Mamre, one of them being a preincarnation of YHVH in the flesh, Yeshua. YHVH did not correct Abraham but ate the food set before Him. Adding and Subtracting ForbiddenYHVH warns us not to add to His Word. Rabbinic law dictates the separation of all dairy and meat products. It forbids mixing them in recipes or handling them together in the kitchen based on Deuteronomy 14:21. To keep dairy (milchig) and meat (fleshig) separate, rabbinical law advocates households having and using two separate sets of dishes, two sets of cutlery, two sets of serving pieces, two sets of pots, two sinks, two work areas and, if it is affordable, two stoves, two fridges, and two dishwashers. All this because YHVH asked us not to boil a baby animal in its mother’s milk. The Jewish people are not alone in adding man’s traditions to YHVH’s Word. From a church background, man’s traditions have taken YHVH’s food instructions for our health and blessings, and abandoned them all together. No longer are the food laws taught or applied in people’s lives. Eating the detestable is seen as a delicacy and, if YHVH’s teaching is mentioned, people say they are no longer “under the law.” Many who say this do not understand that the instructions regarding food are there to bless us and give us health. By disobeying and acting in a kind of lawlessness to YHVH’s instructions, many diseases and illnesses are introduced that can shorten our lives, like the ones mentioned earlier. Believers oftentimes join prayer lines in church for ailments that may have been caused by consuming unclean foods. YHVH has asked us not to eat the detestable. We need to stop and think. Are we obeying man’s laws or YHVH’s laws? Which ones bring life and which ones bring death? It is a matter of the heart. What does Scripture really say? "See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:32 ref. Deuteronomy 4:2). The Jewish people have added to YHVH’s Word and the church has taken away from His Word.
Deuteronomy 14:22 to 15:23 TitheThe next area under blessings and curses was the teaching on the tithe. There are three tithes. The first tithe (not mentioned here) was for the Kohan and Levites. We are commanded to bring in our tithe, or tenth, for Temple maintenance and for the Levites’ upkeep. The physical Temple is no longer; today the Temple is in us. Our temple is maintained if we give our tenth to those who are true Levites/shepherds looking after Yeshua’s sheep according to His Word. This tithe is our deposit into “our temple”. A tenth is to be given on a regular or monthly basis, not sporadically. The Levites/shepherds today are those who teach a correct understanding of YHVH’s Word to the people. The tithe was for the sole use of the Levites. According to Ezekiel 44, the tithe is to go to those who instruct on the clean and unclean, the holy and unholy, and who keep YHVH’s decrees, appointed feasts and Sabbath. Want to receive a blessing in your temple? Give the whole tithe! Scripture tells us to test YHVH on this, and see if He will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that we will not have room for it! Selah. (Ezekiel 44:23-24; Leviticus 27; Numbers 18; Jeremiah 33:17-26; Matthew 9:27-28; Malachi 3:10) It’s interesting that after the tenth is given, the ninety percent portion that is left is for our sole use and is called most holy. (Leviticus 2:3,10) The second offering was a tenth of our produce (from the work place) for the purpose of paying expenses when the people went to the feasts in Jerusalem. If the giver lived far from the place of worship, the offerings from their produce could be sold and the money used for the journey to the feast (Deuteronomy 14:23-26). This tithe was given once a year. While obeying this second tithe, the first tithe to the Levites was not to be neglected. Paying the second offering did not negate the paying of the first tithe to the Levites (v. 27). The third offering was a tenth given every third and sixth year of a seven year Sabbath cycle – to be given to the Levites, aliens, widows and orphans. This also was not to be confused with the first tithe. They were separate and given independently. Giving freely and making sure everyone was provided for in the community was to bring us joy and be a joyful experience for all. The more we care and give, the more we receive. The less we give, the less we receive. Again we see blessings and curses. Faith brings the birthright (inheritance); obedience brings the blessing. This is called the law of reciprocation and the law of sowing and reaping, YHVH’s principles that govern the earth. Another consideration on tithes pertains to the biblical account of Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek, the High Priest of Salem, after Abraham rescued Lot. Melchizedek brought out bread and wine to share with Abraham. Abraham then gave Melchizedek a tenth (tithe) of all he had received (Genesis 14:18-20). This scripture portrayed prophetic imagery for Abraham and for us (Abraham’s seed), a shadow of future events. Melchizedek represented Yeshua our High Priest. The priest handled the sacrifices for the burnt offerings as well as the meal offerings and the wine offerings. The sacrifice, bread and wine were to be offered together and never separated. That is why we see Melchizedek offering bread and wine to Abraham. Abraham also knew these elements were to be offered with the tithe. That is why Abraham gave his tithe to Melchizedek. The tithe was called the covenant of salt and our holy portion (Numbers 18:19). When we partake in the bread and the wine, this is to confirm the Covenant and the sacrifice (of Yeshua) within us. The bread, wine and tithes, offered by Abraham and Melchizedek, happened before the Abrahamic covenant, 400 years before the law/Torah was given to Moses at Mount Sinai, and before there was an exodus from Egypt at Passover. These elements are outside the Law of Moses and are part of Torah originating in the Garden. (Genesis 14:18-20; 15: 4-20; Exodus 12:40; Galatians 3:7, 17, 29) Yeshua, the Lamb slain from the creation of the world, has always served in a heavenly Tabernacle. He is the sacrifice that now lives in us, as we are the Temple today. We are part of the Covenant He renewed, and when we partake in the bread and wine as a remembrance of the Covenant, may our tithe also be presented. We are not to separate the bread, wine and tithe. They are eternal and carry an eternal blessing for those who obey (Hebrews 7). Currently 2.7% are remembering to tithe on a regular basis. Not giving the tithe is one of the blockages that prevent YHVH’s blessings to us (Malachi 3:8-10). We are of the royal priesthood of the Messiah – priests offering sacrifices, partaking in the bread and the wine as the confirmation of the Covenant we have agreed to and live in. We are His dwelling place. May we be faithful to the priesthood and bring our tithes and offerings to HIM, Yeshua Ha Mashiach.
Again, we are YHVH’s Temple, and the altar is in our hearts. We still offer sacrifices on the altar. It is up to us to keep our hearts clean and stay pure in thought and deed. YHVH moves us on to holiness by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:30). It is a sacrifice to forgive someone who has hurt us. It is a sacrifice to offer our self to someone in need. It is a sacrifice to love someone who does not love us in return. May we worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth, and may our tithe be offered from our hearts with joy. Selah. John 4:19-21 Samaritan WomanAt Jacob’s well, a Samaritan woman said to Yeshua, "Sir I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain (in Shechem), but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Yeshua declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Deuteronomy 16: 1-17 The Feasts of YHVH
All YHVH’s feasts are prophetic and are appointments where YHVH has said He will meet with us. The Spring feasts come first, beginning in the first month on the Hebrew calendar called Aviv (also called Nissan or Aviv) during the barley harvest. We are to celebrate the Passover on the same eve as when the Israelites left Egypt. It is a night of perpetual remembrance, a time when together we are to eat roasted lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and share the story of the Exodus. It has traditionally been the time of the choosing of a bride, a time when Yeshua also chooses His bride, as it is a type of our salvation/deliverance. The Feast of Unleavened Bread starts the day after Passover and continues for seven days. The first and last days are to be High Sabbaths for us. This is a holy time, a time of remembering YHVH’s redemption. Yeshua is our Sacrificial Passover Lamb who paid the price for our redemption and became the Firstfruits from the dead. In Yeshua we all are also His firstfruits from the dead! Next, we are instructed to count seven Sabbaths or weeks, leading the Children of Israel to the next Feast on YHVH’s calendar called Feast of Weeks or Shavuot (Pentecost), meaning fifty, when Moses received the Torah along with the moral and ethical laws for the Children of Israel. This was the ketubah, or marriage covenant called the gospel, for the betrothal of the bride. When Moses returned to give the laws to the people he saw they had made an idol in the form of a golden calf in his absence. That day three thousand died due to YHVH’s wrath. On this same feast day, years later, Yeshua fulfilled YHVH’s Word by having the Torah written on our hearts and minds by His finger of authority. In this way, He fulfilled the prophesy in Jeremiah 31, repeated in Hebrews 8, and on that day three thousand were restored (Acts 2). Following the Spring Feasts, there are three Fall Feasts on YHVH’s calendar all in the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. Both Houses of Israel (the House of Judah and those sojourning with them and the House of Israel and their companions) are waiting for the fulfillment of these feasts with great expectation. These last three feasts are the call of the Bridegroom, beckoning His bride to come to their wedding. The Rosh Chodesh/New Moon festival, the first day of the month, calls the wedding party to the Wedding. All Twelve Tribes are to be present at these feasts, especially the Fall Feasts, as they announce the time of the return of the Bridegroom for the bride. We are to keep the feasts as rehearsals. They are a shadow of what is to come and point to Yeshua’s return because, while He has fulfilled the Spring Feasts, we wait in expectation of His soon coming fulfillment of the Fall Feasts. The Fall Feasts start with the feast of Yom Teruah (also called the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Blowing or Rosh Ha Shannah). This feast falls on the first sighting of the seventh Rosh Chodesh/New Moon and heralds in the Bridegroom by the blowing of Trumpets. The expectant bride (those whose walk has been faithful to His Covenant) hears He is coming and goes forth to meet Him! (Matthew 25:1-13) Ten days later is the feast of Yom Kippur (also called Day of Atonement), the holiest feast, where we all appear before YHVH. To prepare for this feast we confess our innocent sins and the sins we have intentionally committed since coming to Yeshua as our Lord and Savior. It is a time for checking our hearts, motives and actions toward YHVH and our neighbor. It is the time when we give an account and make right the behavior of our soul. We confess before the One to whom we must give an account and receive our greatest joy or our saddest moment. Joy for having kept His ways, or sadness for not having kept them. We keep this feast today because in Yeshua we have been purified, but it is up to us to pursue His holiness in our lives. It is like vacuuming our house (heart) and preparing our wedding dress before our wedding day – that we may be found to be without spot or wrinkle (Revelation 19:7-9). Five days after Yom Kippur is the final celebration. The feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot or Booths) is the seven-day feast of great joy – representative of the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). The first day and the eighth day are High Sabbaths. We are to carry a lulav made from boughs of different varieties of trees and wave them before the Messiah. We also live in booths for the whole week to cause us to remember how the Children of Israel lived in the Wilderness! It is here that we remind ourselves of the great provision of YHVH, His loving care and delivery by His great Power. Shemini Atzeret is the eighth day at the end of the seven-day celebration of Sukkot/Tabernacles. This feast day is a solemn, holy time representing our final redemption and rest in the Mashiach, the goal of our deliverance. It is a time when the bride is asked to linger one more day, and represents the Millennial period of time. All He asks is for us to obey His teaching and instruction and to walk with Him (Hebrews 3-8; Leviticus 23:33-36). In history, there have been many who have tried to suppress the observance of YHVH’s Feasts and even replace them with pagan ones from Babylon. These pagan feasts continue today and are designed to keep the children of YHVH from their appointments with Him, from their true identity, and from entering the land. Many think these Babylonian feasts are of YHVH, but they are not. Many are taken into deception, lured by glitz, glitter and monetary control. What the people of YHVH should do is read their Scriptures and dig for the truth. They will quickly see that Christmas and Easter have never been and never will be of YHVH. They were taught and added by man who gave them an appearance of religion then told the people, “These are your feasts.” Besides the Scriptures, we have many resources available to us to verify that the Babylonian celebrations are pagan. We can no longer hide or avoid these truths. As believers, we need to acknowledge the TRUE feasts of YHVH and enter in to them. YHVH is calling us to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation, but how can we if we allow mixture by continuing to uphold the celebrations of Babylon while ignoring YHVH’s feasts, calling them done away with. Yeshua fulfilled the first four feasts; the last three feasts will be fulfilled at His return. Will we come to participate in the Feasts prepared for His return? May we return in repentance and respond to our Bridegroom, Yeshua Ha Mashiach. There is a huge feast and inheritance waiting for us. For those who obey and choose to be a witness in His courts, may we come together and celebrate!
Shabbat Shalom, Koshering Meat: Reference: TWOT:Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Moody Press) by Laird, Harris, Gleason, Archer, Waltke The Kestenbaum Edition Tikkun Mesorah Publications, Ltd. ED: Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew based on commentaries of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch / Matityahu Clark. Imprint Jerusalem: Feldheim 1999. Leviticus series 2003 STBM R. Messer www.torah.tv YHVH's food laws: Shemini Leviticus 9:1-11:47 www.sheepfoldgleanings.com The Genesis Diet by Dr. Gordon S. Tessler God’s Key to Health and Happiness by Elmer A Josephson HOLY COW! Does God Care about What We Eat? www.ffoz.org Tithe: Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible by Finis J. Dake, Dake Publishing, Inc. Tithe: Covenant of Salt: Korah Num.16:1-18:32 and Vayikra Lev.1:1-5:26 www.sheepfoldgleanings.com YHVH’s feast days: Emor Leviticus 21:1 www.sheepfoldgleanings.com Past Parshot: www.messianicisrael.com/sheepfold-gleanings/ |
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