Reclaiming the Original Faith - Part 7 "The Book of the Law Disputation"

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The Book of the Law Disputation

Introduction: In our previous teaching we came to understand some unique principles regarding the cutting of a Covenant. We discovered that a Covenant was a commitment to developing a continuing relationship between two parties and from the ancient prospective a Covenant was such an intense agreement that it required a death penalty if broken. One aspect that must also be stressed is that a Covenant could not be changed or added to therefore we could say that from that prospective each Covenant that we find in Scripture could be considered a New Covenant that further expands the revelation of YHWH but never nullifies or alters the previous revelation that was shown through the other Covenants.

Galatians 3:15 Brothers, as a man I say it: a Covenant even though it is mans, yet if it is confirmed no one sets it aside or adds to it.

Through each of these teaching I have tried to emphasise the centrality of Torah from which we came to understand that the early Assemblies differed little from the Yahudim (the Jews) only in that they now believed in Yahshua as the promised Messiah. Based on the concept of Covenants we will attempt to unravel some disputations that have arisen surrounding the principle of the Book of the Covenant & the Book of the Law. This has stirred up much contention mainly among Messianic groups since Christians in general tend not to regard the Torah commands as written in the Tanakh (Old Testament) as significant based on the belief that they now live under unconditional divine grace enabling them to now determine themselves what is appropriate to obey based on the concept of loving one’s neighbour. The Messianic communities however adhere to a belief that now they live under the Malki-Zedek anointing as Kings& Priests so it is to this that we will turn in our discussion.

Understanding the Word Brit

The moment anyone sees the Hebrew Word “Brit” in the Scriptures one naturally thinks of Covenant which occurs 286 times just in the Masoretic Text but its meaning must be determined from its usage since it can mean: 

Covenant, Treaty, Pact, Agreement, Solemn Promise, Obligation, Alliance or Oath. 

Since the components of a true Covenant do not appear until Abraham we could say the previous were more of an Oath that Yahweh made. An example of this would be that of Noach (Noah) in which we read YHWH made a “Brit” but rather it was an agreement with himself for the benefit of Mankind, the Animals & the plants who did not participate in the process. This was then an unconditional Covenant or Oath. 

Bereshith (Genesis) 8:20-22 And Noach built an Altar to YHWH and took of every clean beast and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the Altar. 21. And YHWH smelled a soothing fragrance and YHWH said in his heart “never again shall I curse the ground because of man, although the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth and never again smite all living creatures as I have done 22 as long as the Earth remains seedtime and harvest and cold and heat and day and night shall not cease.  

Yahshua fulfils the Oath made to the Fathers:

As we saw last time that according to Bereshith (Genesis) 15 YHWH was making a Covenant with Abram in which he promised to take the death penalty on himself if either party broke covenant and so Yahshua fulfils that promise. 

Luke 1:70- 73 As he spoke by the mouth of his set-apart prophets from of old- 71 deliverance from our enemies and from the hand of all those that hate us. 72 to show compassion towards our fathers and to remember his set-apart covenant 73 an Oath which he swore to our father Abraham. 

Yahshua confirms that when YHWH made the Covenant with Abram & Abram saw him as the torch passing between the slaughtered animals he received a revelation and an understanding of something that would happen in the far future. He not only saw how his descendants would fail to maintain the Covenant but he also saw how YHWH would take the consequences of that debt through Yahshua as we read in:

Yochanan (John) 8:56 Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad.

The Book of the Covenant:

We note that in Scripture there are two distinct unique books mentioned. One that is referred to as the Book of the Covenant & one that is referred to as The Book of the Law (Torah) and they are not the same. At Mt Sinai, in Shemoth (Exodus) 19 through to Shemoth (Exodus) 24 we find recorded the steps Yisrael took to enter into a marital or covenantal agreement with YHWH.

Chapter 19 records the Pre-Marital requirements for Yisrael.

Shemoth (Exodus) 19:5b-6a “…if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a Kadosh (holy) nation.” 

Chapter 20-23 records the terms of the marriage covenant (The Ketubah). These were the marriage vows that Yisrael agreed to live by. These conditions were the Torah. If they agreed to those conditions they would be his treasured possession (Am Segulah-chosen people).

In Chapter 24 the marriage contract is committed to writing &ratified. The 70 Elders and the Priests went up to meet & fellowship with YHWH at the Covenantal meal upon the closure of the Covenant.

Shemoth (Exodus) 24:10-11 And they saw the Elohim of Yisrael and under his feet was like a paved work of Sapphire stone and like the heavens for brightness. 11 Yet he did not stretch out his hand against the chiefs of the children of Yisrael! And they saw Elohim and they ate and drank.     

In all this account we discover the complete elements of a true Covenant between YHWH who appears in the form of the D’var (the Word) of YHWH and Yisrael including the agreed upon conditional covenant and the Covenantal meal at its closure. Since we know that none can look upon YHWH and live therefore we see this as the manifestation of YHWH as Yahshua the Bridegroom of Yisrael. 

Ratification of the Covenant

This Covenant at Sinai between YHWH and Yisrael was a blood-ratified covenant. The first blood-ratified covenant that we saw in Torah was Abram’s Covenant with YHWH. 

The Proposal: 

Shemoth (Exodus) 24:7a “Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people.” 

The Agreement: 

Shemoth (Exodus) 24:7b “All the words which YHWH (the Lord) has said we will do.” 

The Blood Ratification: 

Shemoth (Exodus) 24:5-6 “Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to YHWH. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar.”` 

The Covenant-Confirming Meal: 

Shemoth (Exodus) 24:11b “So they saw YHWH, and they ate and drank.” 

So the Book of the Covenant was blood ratified, meaning whichever party broke the covenant must shed his blood just as the animals that were sacrificed shed their blood. And once ratified, the covenant could not be added to, taken away from, nor changed:

The Covenant Broken

Moses had not even returned from the top of Mt Sinai with the stone tablets of the Covenant before Yisrael had moulded the image of the Golden Calf and was worshipping it. Yisrael had committed spiritual adultery; they broke the Covenant, and the penalty for breaking that blood covenant was the shedding of the blood of the guilty party. That’s why YHWH wanted to kill the entire Nation of Yisrael and start over again with Mosheh (Moses) but Moses interceded:

Shemoth (Exodus) 32:31-32 “Then Moses returned to YHWH and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves an Elohim of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” 

Moses even offered to give his life in place of the people and now we see a word coming from YHWH that reveals something special:

Shemoth (Exodus) 32:33-34 And YHWH said to Mosheh “whoever has sinned against me I blot him out of my book.34 And now go lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. See my Messenger goes before you and in the day of my visitation I shall visit their sin upon them.  

So YHWH their Elohim postponed Israel’s punishment being the shedding of their blood, i.e. DEATH for the Sin of the Golden Calf until as he said “the day when I shall visit their sin upon them for punishment.”

This particular phrase has led to a concept in Judaism as Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki known by Yahudim (Jews) as Rashi a highly respect sage puts it when he writes:

“There is no punishment that comes upon Yisrael which does not have in it some retribution for the sin of the Golden Calf”

It is therefore said in Judaism that wherever National sins are committed they are due in part to the Spiritual residue of the Golden Calf.

However from our understanding of the Covenant with Abram we see a different picture. It leads to one that shows that the day that YHWH would visit punishment on his people was fulfilled when Yahshua took that punishment on the tree at Golgotha. YHWH being faithful to his covenant satisfied the death penalty that he promised to Abram by passing between the slaughtered animals. From all this we have an understanding of the Covenant and now we need to see what is the Book of the Law and its purpose and how has it caused so much division and misunderstanding. 

The Book of the Law

With the Covenant broken, YHWH needed a way to allow Yisrael to postpone her death penalty; this is where the Book of the Law comes in. 

The Rav Sha'ul explains:

Galatians 3:19 “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through Messengers by the hand of a mediator.” 

It is this particular verse that has caused some major divisions even among Messianic Assemblies. When Sha’ul (Paul) uses the word “law” here, it is suggested that he is referring to “the Book of the Law” – that portion of Torah from Exodus 24:12 to the end of Deuteronomy since in the previous verse Sha’ul says that it was added because of transgressions implying the “Golden Calf” sin. In fact, whenever he talks about “law versus Favour (grace)” he is referring to “The Book of the Law” … not the entire Torah. This also explains why Sha’ul’s (Paul’s) writings can so easily be confusing.  In the previous verse we read that the Law was added until the seed would come which was Yahshua. 

It is to that question that I wish to turn to gain us some resolution. No doubt upon this reading most Christians would assume this refers to all Torah apart from those self-perceived morally obvious commands that pertain to a life of loving one’s neighbour.   

These other groups seem to suggest that the Book of the Law had an expiry date & is no longer binding. It is therefore no wonder Sha’ul’s (Paul’s) writings have been so contested: 

The Purpose of the Book of the Law

To help us resolve this dilemma we need to address the general purpose of it as well as its main purpose to establish what Sha’ul (Paul) is saying.  

Since Sha’ul uses the phrase “Law” we need to consider what does he means. Unlike the Covenant that cannot be added to we find that the Book of the Law was added to & imposed as a witness against the people. If we consider the central purpose of the Book of the Law we find that it mainly related to the sacrificial system of dealing with sin. There is however a far more significant purpose that it represented and that was, it was the means by which YHWH in his mercy gave Yisrael to delay the promised judgement upon Yisrael for the sin of the Golden Calf. It could be best represented by a credit card that allows a temporary payment until a prescribed time when the debt must be paid. Based on this concept & our knowledge of the Covenant we know that debt was paid by Yahshua on the tree when he said:

MattithYahu (Matthew) 27:46 And about the ninth hour Yahshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eliyahu, Eliyahu, l’mah sh’baq-thani?” that is, my El YHWH, my El YHWH why have You forsaken Me?”

Those who say that through Yahshua the long held debt was paid and the entire Book of the Law was abolished find themselves in deep water because this section of Scripture gives us many commands that further explain former commands or we could say the added Laws act like fence Laws like that of the Pharisees who introduced “Nikadot” commands to prevent one from breaking Torah much like Halakah today though in the case of the Book of the Law we find specific laws pertaining to areas that were not revealed previously like: 

1. Tassels on Garments (Bemidbar [Numbers] 15:38)
2. Two or three witnesses to establish truth (Devarim [Deut] 17:6)
3. Law against divination, mediums or spiritists or calling up the dead (Devarim 18:10-11) 
4. The Command to teach one’s children Torah (Devarim 6:7)
5. Punishment for the rapist etc. (Devarim 22:25)

Plus many more commands against Homosexuality, marrying sisters & whoredom.  

It is my conclusion that Sha’ul (Paul) is not dealing with all areas of the law but particularly the Law to do with sacrifices for sin which were dealt with by Yahshua as we read in the following:

Ibrim (Hebrews) 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Kadosh (Holy) Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

So the Book of the Law was added to assist but not take the place of the Book of the Covenant. And all this was necessary because the Covenant was broken by Yisrael’s idolatrous actions with the Golden Calf. 

The phrase “Book of the Law” does not appear actually until the end of Torah – Therefore Deuteronomy Chapters 29-31:

Devarim (Deut) 31:26 “Take this Book of the Torah (Law), and put it beside the ark of the covenant of YHWH your Elohim, that it may be there as a witness against you;” 

Therefore Elohim imposed the Book of the Law upon Israel since we do not see a two-party agreement and it was his mercy and his way to postpone her death penalty resulting from the broken Covenant. Only a blood sacrifice could satisfy that penalty. The Levitical sacrifices that Israel offered (under the Book of the Law) served that purpose. Every year, on Yom Kippur, the blood of sacrificed animals was offered in place of the blood of Israel to satisfy the breaking of the Blood Covenant. But YHWH, in His Mercy, had a plan:

In Yahshua the Penalty was paid for all those who put their trust & faith in him and so we see that in about 70CE the Temple itself was destroyed since that purpose as revealed in through book of the Law was satisfied. 

Only Yahshua’s shed blood could permanently erase that blood penalty! 

Yahshua was not just the Pesach (Passover) Lamb; He was not just the Red Heifer Sacrifice. His shed blood satisfied the 1,500 year old blood debt that Yisrael owed for their Sin of the Golden Calf. 

The Truth of the Good News:

Those who have not believed in Yahshua still have that death penalty hanging over their head & it is this truth that our Yahudi (Jewish) brethren need to hear since they still believe they are under the residue of that sin. The other groups also fail to see that this part of the Torah is yet of great benefit even though the need for the sin offering has been fulfilled in Yahshua which comprised the central part of the Book of the Law. 

As far as the Christian is concerned if Yahshua has Renewed the broken covenant then there are still certain parts of the covenant that are without question obligatory which come directly under the Covenant before the Golden Calf incident which include:

1. Obedience to the “Ten Commandments.” 
2. Statutes about relationship with People & Animals.
3. Statutes on equal justice in Society.
4. Commandments on celebrating the Moedim (the Appointed times) ie. The Feasts, The Sh’mitah Shabbat (7 year Sabbath for the land) & Yovel (Jubilee). 
5. Dietary Laws.

Since all of these are under the Covenant and are doable today this gives us an ability to live an obedient life through faith in Yahshua and obedience to his Covenantal instructions remembering that any short fall is covered by his great sacrifice but that in no ways allows for a total unwillingness to be obedient. We now have the joy of doing them rather than the fear of punishment for failing to do them. This is further emphasised by the words of Yahshua when he said:

Yochanan (John) 14:15 If you love me keep my commandments.

The Revealed Truths Discovered:

1. Christians & some Messianic groups believe that through Yahshua’s sacrifice they have been freed from the Book of the Law because it was imposed until the seed. 
2. These believe they are now only under the Book of the Covenant and what it reveals.
3. The sacrificial system was a means to delay the punishment on Yisrael for the sin of the Golden Calf and was fulfilled by the death of Yahshua.
4. Within the Book of the Covenant there still remains the obligation of keeping the 10 Commandments, The Feasts, the Sabbaths years and the Dietary requirements. 
5. The Book of the Law now aids in guiding us in areas of righteous living and acts as a fence to protect Torah. 
    

Conclusion

The aim of this teaching is to establish that though Yahshua came to pay the debt of sin and renew the Covenant he has also come to cause all believers to desire to live righteously and has imparted the Ruach ha Kodesh (The Holy Spirit) as our helper. As we desire to reclaim the Original Faith we can see that the concept of an expired “Book of the Law” seems to run contrary to what we believe the early Assemblies looked like since they were by all accounts as written by the early Church Fathers very Jewish even to the point of using Hebrew. We therefore must desire to live faithful lives in the joy of obeying all that is written for our benefit that one day the Master himself will declare these words to us: 

MatithYahu (Matthew) 25:21 “Well done, good and faithful servant.” 

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Think Like a Jew - Part 2 "Walk Like a Jew"

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Think Like a Jew – Part 2

Walk Like a Jew

Introduction

When we look for the perfect blueprint of the first person whose thoughts found the most favour with Elohim, we always look to Avraham Avinu (our father Avraham). Something you may have noticed, is that our series is entitled “Think Like a Jew,” but technically speaking Avraham was not a Jew. I’d like to attempt to explain why the term “Jew” is preferred. 

The term “Jew” in Hebrew is Y’hudi. It is derived from the name of Ya’akov’s fourth son, Judah--Yehudah, and originally applied only to Y’udah's (Judah’s) descendants, who comprised one of the twelve tribes of Israel. On his deathbed, Ya’akov assigned Y’udah the role of leader and king--a prophesy that would be fulfilled hundreds of years later when all twelve tribes submitted to the reign of King David of the tribe of Y’hudah.

The first individual to be called a Jew (Y’hudi) in the Scriptures was Mordecai. 
“There was a man, a Yehudi, in Shushan the capital, whose name was Mordecai . . . a Yemini (Benjamite)" (Esther 2:5).  

The Talmud states that according Rabbi Yochanan, “He (Mordecai) was a Benjaminite. Yet he was called a Yehudi, because he rejected idolatry--and anyone who rejects idolatry is called a Yehudi (Is called a Jew).”

So too, Sha’ul HaShliach (A.K.A. Paul the Apostle) was of the tribe of Benjamin.
“I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Avraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” (Romans 11:1) And yet in Acts 21:39 Sha’ul says, “…I am a Jewish man of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia.” 

The word Yehuda comes from the Hebrew word lehodot, which means “to give thanks.” Indeed, upon his birth, Leah, Yehuda's mother, exclaimed hapaam odeh et Yahweh, which means “this time I thank you Yahweh.” Feelings of gratitude characterised Yehuda's birth. The commonly used word todah, meaning “thank you,” stems from the same root.

On a deeper level the term Y’hudah means “acknowledgement and submission even to the point of death.” One who acknowledges Elohim’s existence and submits to His authority--to the extent that he is willing to sacrifice his life for the sanctification of His name--he is called a Yehudi. So technically it can be said that the name Jew can mean, “I thank you…” or “ I love you to death.” 

Thus, “There is no Greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15:13)

When Avraham was very young he smashed his father’s idols and was brought before the wicked king Nimrod. As punishment for this evil dead and addressing the king as being foolish hewas condemned and thrown into a furnace.  “And (Nimrod’s) servants took Avram and his brother, and they stripped them of all their clothes excepting their lower garments which were upon them. And they bound their hands and feet with linen cords, and the servants of the king lifted them up and cast them both into the furnace. And Adonai loved Avram and he had compassion over him, and Adonai came down and delivered Avram from the fire and he was not burned. But all the cords with which they bound him were burned, while Avram remained and walked about in the fire.” (The Book of Jasher 12:22-25)

This concept of Avraham being rejected by many Messianics as being the first Jew is detrimental. Why? Firstly, because Avraham is all in all. That is, he was the first convert and he also became like a native born near the end of his life after his circumcision. “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Avraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the Torah but also to those who have the faith of Avraham. He is the father of us all.” (Romans 4:16)

Secondly, because defining a Jew by his blood linage to Ya’akov’s fourth son Y’hudah alone goes against a Nazarene’s own understanding as it is taught in the Netzarim Ketuvim. “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Ruach, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from Elohim.” (Romans 2:28-29) That outer part of us, our bodies does not define who we are, it’s our righteousness that always defines who we are. This why the word says,

“For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” (Romans 9:6)” Though the overarching term “Yisrael” is used here, in context Sha’ul is speaking about his Jewish brethren and it illustrates the defining principle that righteousness is the true key to inclusion. Inclusion into what? The commonwealth of Israel.  “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (which is done in the body by human hands) remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without Elohim in the world. (Ephesians 2:11-12)

Yochannan the Immerser tells his fellows Jews, “…do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Avraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones Elohim can raise up children for Avraham.’” (Matthew 3:9) He’s saying that physical linage is not enough, but inward intent of the heart is what defines a person’s standing before Elohim. Physical linage and observance is advantageous! Sha’ul says this, but it’s not enough! Furthermore, without physical linage or righteousness, one is without Messiah and estranged from the Covenants of Promise and without hope!

So why don’t we use the title “Hebrew” and call this series “Think Like a Hebrew”? The term “Hebrew” (Ivri) means “one who has gone to the other side,” a term defining the initial process of our relationship and the term “Yisrael,” which means “one who wrestles with Elohim and prevails” describes the process of deliverance, but it is the term Y’hudi (Jew) that means “acknowledgement and submission even to the point of death” which is the ultimate goal. 

In the current climate, we are referred to as Nazarene Israelites so as to define who we presently, but on a deeper level we all become worthy of being called Jews, because we like the Jews reject idolatry. Just as the Jews enveloped the tribe of Benjamin who can interchangeably be called Jews, Messiah Yahshua who is a Jew and enveloped the nations who accept him are also worthy of being called Jews. 

Therefore, this series is called “Think Like a Jew” and not “Think Like a Hebrew” or “Think Like an Israelite.” Ironically it is the most controversial term that should be our anchor. Likewise, the most accurate term to define Yahshua is not as a Hebrew or as an Israelite, but as a Jew. “…this is Yahshua, the king of the Jews.” (Matthew 27:37) In other words, Yahshua is the king of those who reject idolatry! The word Y’hudim is more than just a nationalistic term! It’s more than that!

There are chiefly three overarching terms we can use, Hebrew, Israelite or Jew. Normally we do not refer to ourselves as Jews because we are wild olive shoots. It is the Jew who is the cultivated olive shoot. And at this time, while we are still significantly different in our level of observance from a Jew (which is not through want of trying) But ultimately, we are grafted in to the same tree. 

In the beginning the nation was called Israel, then they thinned out to Judah after the Northern Tribes disappeared, but eventually they (us) will be Israel again, because what is wedged in the beginning, is wedged in the end. 

Why Judah?

But before we continue there should be another nagging question. Why did Judah merit the position of royalty and carrying the linage of Moshiach? “The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” (Genesis 49:10)

Y’hudah, the fourth son of Ya’akov, the progenitor of the tribe of Y’udah, did some very bad things! Why did his offspring gain so much merit? Let’s look at his track record:

“Judah departed from his brothers and…met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her.” (Genesis 38:1,2)

“When Judah saw (Tamar), he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. Then he turned to her by the way, and said, ‘Please let me come in to you.’” (Genesis 38:15)

After secretly laying with his daughter-in-law Tamar, she falls pregnant and when this is made known Y’hudah is the first to have her killed by fire. “Bring her out and let her be burned” (Genesis 38:24b)

So what is it that gave Y’hudah the standing to take on the role of lawgiver?  He had broken faith with his family by marrying a Canaanite (Genesis 38:2), had raised such wicked sons that Yahweh put two of them to death (Genesis 38:7,10), had treated his daughter-in-law as a prostitute (Genesis 38:24) and had hatched the plan to sell his own brother (Yoseph) as a slave (Genesis 37:27). 

Y’hudah was quick to acknowledge his sin with his daughter-in-law, after finding out who she was, declaring, “(Tamar) is more righteous than I.” (Genesis 38:26)

But ultimately, he spoke up for When Yoseph demanded that his brothers return home to Yitzhak without Benjamin (Genesis 44:17) Y’hudah emerged as the group’s spokesman, putting his own life on the line for his brothers and father’s well-being, finally fulfilling his name “I will love you to death.”

Why Avraham? 

So, the blueprint of the first Jew is Avraham. Why? Why isn’t it Adam or even Noach? Why is Avraham singled out?

Putting it frankly, Avraham pushed the envelope. Unlike his predecessors, who also acknowledged Yahweh, he understood the need to go out and share this revelation with others. The Midrash likens spiritual knowledge to a bottle of perfume. If you leave the bottle of perfume corked and sitting in a corner, what good is it? Shem was like a closed bottle of perfume, off studying in a corner somewhere. But Avraham went out and taught people about monotheism. He pitched his tent, which was open on all four sides, in the middle of an inter-city highway.

The Three Walks

There are three ways we can walk with the Almighty. We can walk “with,” “before” or “after!” Where do we get this teaching from? 

Regarding Noach, the Torah states that he “walked with Elohim” (Genesis 6:9) and regarding Avraham, he “Walk before Me” (Genesis 17:1). 

And the Torah itself charges us to “walk after Yahweh, your Elohim” (Deuteronomy 13:5). 

Not all tzaddikim (righteous) are equal. Different individuals attain different levels of holiness and righteousness. The Torah calls our attention to these distinctions.

But what does it mean “to walk?” After Adam and Hava sinned and the natural order of creation underwent a drastic shift, Elohim did not seek to correct the world instantaneously. The acting of walking symbolises a slow but steady moral progression. It’s literally an act of walking out the repair. No-one rushes a repair. That’s why we don’t run, we walk. 

Prophecy is not revealed to the world all at once, but in a measured fashion, according to our ability to receive and assimilate it (Vayikra Rabbah 15:2)

The Torah tells us that Noach ‘walked with Elohim’ Noah was just and good according to the standards ordained for his time. For this reason, the Torah emphasizes that Noach was “faultless in his generation.” His level of righteousness corresponded to the moral expectations for his generation. 

Avraham, on the other hand, sought to awaken the entire world to integrity and holiness. Avraham ‘walked before Elohim,’ preparing the world to be ready for the greatest enlightenment, the Torah. Since Avraham helped ready the world for the Torah, the Sages wrote that he fulfilled the Torah before it was given (Yoma 28b). 

So which way should we walk? Answer: All three!

In Judaism there is an expression called “Halacha” which essentially means “the way one should walk.” Sha’ul HaShliach mentions this expression in every one of his letters. This expression means the best execution of a task according to the Torah. Now the Torah does not cover every single minute aspect and detail of life. This is why the Torah appointed judges within communities to rule and adjudicate on such matters. The almost limited number of variables that can affect a correct course of action could in no way be encapsulated in any written code. (Slide) “The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails--given by one shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11-12)

Ultimately, our walk should be as closely as we can get it to the perfect Jew. Who is the perfect Jew? None other than King Messiah Yahshua. Sha’ul says, “You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Messiah.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) And in Philippians 3:17 it states, “Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who live according to the pattern we set for you.”

“And you became imitators of us and of Adonai when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6) 

(Ministry of Silly Walks Slide)

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Reclaiming the Original Faith - Part 6 The Covenant Debate

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Study Notes and Slides

The Covenant Debate

Introduction: In our last teaching we discovered that the purpose of the “Good News” message was to sift Yisrael out of the Nations but also to draw all those whom YHWH was calling unto himself. We also came to understand how the Priesthood was changed and how Torah played an important role within the early Nazarene Assemblies. The message expressed to the early Assemblies was therefore that Salvation was by faith in Yahshua and that the Works of Torah according to Ya’acov were the evidence of that Salvation working in the lives of believers producing Character & good deeds.

There is however an even graver concept that is causing division among believers whether they are Christian or Yahudim (Jews) including Netzarim or Messianic & Hebrew Roots. It is therefore my desire to gain some understanding in the area of Covenant in what is commonly called the New Covenant or the Renewed Covenant & how these different groups may seek to understand it. Since we seek to establish the truth of Torah it is most important that the concept of Covenant & what has been revealed through Yahshua be explored therefore we need to become Bereans who search the scriptures to see if what is said is compliant to the Eternal Word of YHWH. Through these studies it is important that we know how to reason in a way that explains our stance and that is compliant with the Word of Elohim and does not bend to the whims of Doctrine.

What Truly is a Covenant:

 Many today confuse the word Covenant with Testament. A testament as in last will & testament from a Greek perception always gives maximum weight to the most recent therefore a new Testament makes null and void any previous. We could say a Testament is an agreement between parties that do not trust each other since they relate to disposal of property after death. From this understanding I hope we can begin to understand why many take this sort of approach to the Scriptures since they are suspiciously called the Old & New Testament but is this warranted. 

Covenant however from a Hebrew perspective is far different. It is best defined as an ongoing relationship with no appointed end. Rather than being a legal document, a covenant is a commitment to develop a certain kind of continuing relationship. A Covenant being such an endless relationship & agreement relies on trust even after one party dies. 

It was actually Marcion a post-Apostolic church founder who was considered even by the Christian Church as a Heretic that coined the term Old & New Testament suggesting that the New replaced the Old since he thought the Elohim of the Yahudim (Jews) was an evil Elohim (God) of wrath, judgement and terror. The consequence of using these terms has resulted in an anti-Torah deception and a permissiveness of Covenant breaking that is commonplace.  

Sadly the western mind is programmed to think linear therefore from one point to another but the Hebrew Mindset is rather cyclical therefore the word “Chadashah” as in the Brit Chadashah is best understood as a cycle of restoration or return to a previous state and therefore can be rendered as “renewed”. A more accurate Title for the supposed New Testament would be the “Renewed Covenant” or the “Restored Relationship”. 

We saw in our “Day of Atonement” Yom Kippur message that the teaching highlighted man’s desire to return to the state that Adam was in at the time that Yahweh walked with him in the Garden of Eden before man sinned. This was hoped to be achieved through the Sacrifices and this hope was revealed through the images such as trees on the walls of the Beyth Ha Mikdash (Solomon’s Temple) and the images of the Cherubim (Angels) guarding the Most Kadosh place (The Holy of Holies). 

This is in effect the same truth that is revealed in Hitgalut (Revelations) when Elohim will once again fellowship with Mankind when the New Yerushalayim descends to the Earth.  

The Scriptural Covenants:  

Based on the definition of an ongoing relationship we could conclude that all Scripture is one Covenant beginning from Bereshith (Genesis) & concluding with Hitgalut (Revelations). However within this ongoing relationship there are Covenants with each one adding to the previous and not nullifying the previous as the following states:

Galatians 3:17 Now this I say, the Torah that came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul a Covenant previously confirmed by Elohim in Messiah, so as to do away with the promise.

By definition Covenant means an ongoing relationship agreement with each addition adding to the Revelation until the final revelation is achieved. 

As it stands today we have the following Covenants:

1. The Edenic Covenant.
2. The Adamic Covenant.
3. The Noahide Covenant.
4. The Abrahamic Covenant.
5. The Sinai Covenant.
6. The Davidic Covenant.
7. The Renewed Covenant.

The Prophetic Picture in the Covenants:

The major truth hidden within the Covenants is the picture of Yahshua so we will consider the Covenant YHWH made with Abram to see how it reveals Yahshua and the Favour of Yahweh:

Bereshith (Genesis) 15:9-12 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”  10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.  11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 And it came to be when the Sun was going down and a deep sleep fell upon Abram, that see, a frightening great darkness fell upon him.

What is most important is to understand the process of cutting a Covenant. There would be two participants, the sacrificial animals and the Agreement. What is remarkable in the Covenant with Abram is how it reveals a Covenant of Favour (Grace) & trust in the following verses:

Bereshith (Genesis) 15:17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.  

What we come to understand by this verse is that Abram did not participate by walking between the slaughtered animals which was the customary means of cutting a Covenant, but as it tells us in verse 12 Abram fell into a deep sleep and a burning torch, the picture of YHWH passed between the slaughtered animals. What this is revealing is that YHWH was declaring that if he or Abram broke the Covenant then he would pay the price, which was death like that of the slaughtered animals and so we see the divine picture of a loving relationship between YHWH and Abram and a beautiful image of the Covenant of Favour (Grace) which saw its fulfilment in Yahshua giving his life on the Tree. 

Understanding “the New” verses “the Renewed Covenant”:

To begin to appreciate the way people have understood what translators have termed the New Covenant we need to step back & look at the Theology:

Christian Quote:

“Christ’s work on the Cross is the New Covenant by which man is reconciled to G_d. The New Covenant is the “Law of Christ” which includes the commands of his Apostles. Thus, the New Covenant is a gracious covenant. Those included in the covenant are reconciled to G_d by grace alone, apart from anything they do. Jesus purchased a people by his death on the cross so that all those for whom he died receive full forgiveness of sins and become incurable God-lovers by the Holy Spirit. They have thus become his new creation. 

This sounds so wonderful but we now need to look to the parts of Scripture that are often quoted:

1. The Problem of the New Covenant

Luke 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

The problem with this quote is that the components of cutting a Covenant are not present. Yahshua is declaring himself to be the sacrificial slaughtering but the conditions of the Covenant are not established and no participants are confirming their acceptance to it. The result is that Theologians simply conclude that whatever was taught during Yahshua’s ministry and the Apostles are the conditions but conveniently ignore all those parts that clearly teach faithfulness to the Torah. What is interesting is that the Brit Chadashah (the New Testament) contains 1,050 commands based on the Tanakh (Old Testament). 

Secondly there is a problem with the Word New as it is “Chadash” Strong’s Number H2318 in Hebrew that can mean New or Renewed with the Geek word in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) being “Kainos” Strong’s Number G2537 also denoting “New” or “Renewed” or to make fresh again: 

I will also site a few verses as examples to demonstrate its usage:

• Tehillah (Psalm) 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O Elohim; and renew (chadash) a right spirit within me."

• Tehillah (Psalm) 103: 4 “Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed (chadash) like the eagle's." 

•MattithYahu (Matthew) 26:29“I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew (Chadashah) with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

• Yochanan (John) 13:34 A (Chadashah) new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

• Yochanan Aleph (1 John) 2:7 Brethren, I write no (Chadashah) new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning.

Yochanan (John) here seems to be Schizophrenic as both verses are about loving the brethren but one appears to contradict the other until we realize he is saying that Yahshua was refreshing or making like new an old Commandment. 

Accordingly, the Word used is the same in all cases and according to the Blue letter Bible the Greek rendering of it can mean new, fresh, unused, and new especially in freshness. 

Therefore the understanding of a Renewal of the Covenant makes perfect sense.

1. The Conditions of the Covenant

Ibrim (Hebrews) 8:10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares YHWH (the Lord). I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  

We know that this quote is from YermeYahu (Jeremiah) but when it says that YHWH will put his Laws in their minds & on their hearts what Laws is he talking about. Surely they are not those derived by willy-nilly picking through the Nazarene Writings and allowing each person to selectively decide by themselves what basic moral commands to adhere to since all now are supposedly led by the Ruach (Spirit) of YHWH though failing in many areas to obey his word which is supposed to be Eternal as we read in:

Tehillah (Psalm) 111:7-8 All His precepts are sure. 8 They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Set-apart and awesome is His name.

At the time of this writing the Nazarene writings were not fully established or canonised so the reading in Hebrews clearly points to the Torah of Mosheh since the writer possibly Sha’ul (Paul) is quoting YermeYahu (Jeremiah) when the only Torah or Law was that as written by Mosheh as dictated to him by YHWH. When Yahudim come into Messiah then they wonderfully sense that in Messiah the Covenant is truly written on their heart in all its fullness.

CorintYah Beyth (2 Corinthians) 3:6 Our competence is from Elohim who has made us competent as servants of a renewed Covenant not of the letter but of the Ruach (the Spirit), for the letter kills but the Ruach (Spirit) gives life. 

From this reading we need to understand that Sha’ul (Paul) is referring to the means by which the Torah was transmitted. With Mosheh it was engraved on stone Tablets which worked death in that it declared people guilty as it did not have in itself the life-giving power of the Ruach (Spirit) that the Renewed Covenant promised. Sha’ul (Paul) therefore is comparing how the Covenant is now written on hearts purified through the blood of Yahshua & empowered by the Ruach Ha Kodesh to create people who are righteous. What Sha’ul (Paul) said would have shocked Yahudim (Jews) as they regarded Torah as an instrument of life: 

Shemoth Rabbah 41:1 Elohim sat on high engraving for them tablets which would give life.  

The statement of Sha’ul (Paul) is in no way disrespecting Torah but rather revealing the nature of man whose heart required a dramatic renewal which is what the Renewed Covenant is all about.  

1. The Better Covenant

Ibrim (Hebrews) 8:6-8 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, 

The question now arises as to how the Covenant is better:

1. A better Ministry: We have now a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty, a minister of the Sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which YHWH erected and not man & whose ministry is eternal.
2. A better Sacrifice: Ibrim (Hebrews) 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 
3. His Death Perfects the Sanctified: For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 

This verse in no way suggests what some might suggest that once saved always saved but rather reveals that his sacrifice is sufficient for all time for those whom he is calling and are walking on the path of sanctification and obedience to the will of YHWH. 

Since we read in the above verses that the covenant was found to have fault because of them the Yisraelites therefore the perfect sacrifice was needed to purify hearts that now the Torah of YHWH could be written on the hearts of the Sanctified. 

From the understanding of Covenant we should now be aware that the Change in the Covenant was to purify those receiving the Torah towrite it on hearts that were purified therefore removing the enmity to Torah through the work of the perfect Kohen Ha Gadol (High Priest) Yahshua who offered the perfect Sacrifice being his own blood with the only part of the Covenant unchanged being the eternal Torah of YHWH which is now written on hearts and not on Stoney hearts as promised by YHWH through Ezekiel.

The Summary of the Matter

Just as the Menorah has seven branches with the “Shamash” the central branch being the source of light so the roots to the tree being Yisrael has seven Covenants being its root system with the central root being the Renewed Covenant of Yahshua the one that gives life or purpose to the other roots that the tree may remain strong and be itself full of life and bear much fruit.

When considering the Covenants it is good to see what Sha’ul (Paul) says when he is talking to the gentiles:

Romans 11: 18 Do not boast against the branches. And if you boast remember you do not support the root but the root supports you.

It is the Yahudi (Jewish) scriptures & the promises of Messiah that support you. All the Torah & the Covenants point to Yahshua and are the roots of our faith so you do not want to cut them off. Sha’ul uses the Metaphor of the Olive tree that we are all now grafted into. Sha’ul equates this family tree of Yahudim (Jew) & Gentile with Yisrael and the roots as the Covenants that reveal Yahshua since he is the Torah in the flesh.

The holistic vision of YHWH never changes so if we neglect all the wonderful heritage of the Covenants we lose the context. Yahshua as the Messiah fulfils all the promises originally given to Yisrael into which we are all now grafted & receiving the benefits.  

Amein!

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