Category Archives: Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

Compassion, Compassionate, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Healer, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Loving / Kind, Miracles, Miracles, Peace / Rest, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

Our Messiah Provides Thought Provoking Context Regarding Sabbath

Yeshua provides us thought provoking commentary regarding Sabbaths in Matthew 12. He was confronted by Pharisees seeking to condemn Him by finding Him guilty of violating the letter of the law of Torah. They were not interested in learning from His reply, but we should be as His servants and disciples.

Matthew 12:1-21

Sabbath Questions

      1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6“But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

      8“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

      9Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12“How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

      15But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16and warned them not to tell who He was. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

      18“BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL–PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

      19“HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.

      20“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

      21“AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

There are a handful of really important points.

  • If we are simply trying to find a reason to condemn Christ or those who follow Him, we will not learn anything about our LORD. We will simply go about trying to set traps and miss the opportunity to grow in relationship with Him.
  • Yeshua does not deny the Sabbath or the Sabbath instructions are important.
  • Yeshua highlights that there are times when certain needs may take priority over following the letter of the law for Sabbath. He states that in this case it is about compassion, truly caring for people which is more important than strict adherence to the law. Of course, this puts great responsibility on us to know our LORD and to apply this carefully and not simply disobey whenever convenient.
  • Yeshua is Lord of the Sabbath. He has authority over it. This is also a claim to being divine… being God and not simply a prophet or a teacher.
  •  Yeshua was deeply aware of prophecy and careful to act in keeping with what the God previously declared about Messiah so as not to contradict what God had said.
  • I find it really interesting that He warned the people healed not to say who He was. He was obviously not concerned about Pharisees knowing He was healing. He did so in front of them, deliberately. What a different approach than what we would expect from a man. Men typically want recognition or personal gain. God’s ways are not our ways.

To read more about Sabbath, consider our teaching, Remember the Sabbath.

The Barnes Notes for Matthew 12, on BibleHub.com, provides more background and context well laid out. However, we must always remember that the notes and commentary are supplemental tools representing someone else’s study and conclusions… they are not part of the infallible word of God. Test them.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fasting, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways

John’s Disciples Ask Yeshua About Fasting

At one point, the disciples of John came to Yeshua and asked Him about why they and the Pharisees fasted, but the disciples of Yeshua did not. It is interesting that they are not appearing to ask about Yeshua, Himself, but his disciples.

Matthew 9:14-17

The Question about Fasting

      14Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16“But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Yeshua’s acknowledges that there is an appropriate time to fast, but highlights that for His disciples, now is not the time. He uses a clear metaphor of a bridegroom that emphasizes that while He is still among them, they should celebrate with Him and not mourn.

The other two examples of the wine skin and the cloth are not suggesting that Yeshua is changing the Torah or making up new things. We must understand that the fasting the Pharisees were doing was twice a week tradition they created, not one Yahweh instructed. Thus Yeshua was saying that it is not appropriate for Him to build observing the Torah correctly upon the traditions of men. It should be the other way around. To read more about the cloth and the wine skin, consider Barnes commentary.

Do not take this scripture to mean that Yeshua was saying the Torah  no longer fits and He was bringing “new teaching”. That is a wrong understanding. The fasting being discussed was not even instructed by Torah. Quite the opposite. Yeshua is not going to build His observance of Torah on the traditions of men, the Pharisees in this case. That would make a mess, like the cloth and the wine skin.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Interceding for Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Learning To Pray Effectively, Miracles, Seeking God

Faith is Important in Approaching Messiah

Faith is important in approaching  Yeshua, our Messiah. Do we really believe He is Messiah? If so, how should that affect our live? In other words, what are we going to do about it? How will we live differently. Matthew 8 has two examples of people who came to Yeshua in faith, believing in His ability to heal. They believed in Messiah and as a result came to Him for healing. I am sure their faith was strengthened by this experience and I would propose that their lives were impacted by the healing and likely they continued to grow in faith.

Matthew 8:1-13

Jesus Cleanses a Leper; The Centurion’s Faith

      1When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

      5And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9“For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11“I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.

There are a couple of things we should take care not to overlook in this passage.

  • Yeshua does miracles. He heals. In this case He healed those who came to Him, believing in Him with strong faith.
  • One was a gentile. Yeshua still healed for him based on his faith.
  • Yeshua, as is often the case, pointed the leper to go and present himself before the priest and make the appropriate offering. In other words, Yeshua did not replace or cast aside the law given through Moses by Yahweh. He pointed to it.
  • Yeshua highlights that Gentiles, who come in faith like the centurion did, will have a place in the kingdom of heaven. He also highlights that many of the Israelites will not, because they do not come to Him.

As a final thought, it is fine to ask Yahweh to help you with your faith. Do not be bashful. Do not try to do it on your own. Ask for His help.  Remember we are to have faith in Messiah and in the Father. It is not faith that they will give us everything we want or ask for as if they are a vending machine. The leper says, “Lord, if you are willing…”.

Some say that this is a weak prayer that Yahweh will not answer if we pray “if you are willing” because they say it is a sign of little faith. We find that not to be the case here with the leper. And who should it remind us of? How about Yeshua when He prayed to be spared the pain coming to Him?

Luke 22:41-43

41And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him

We can reasonably and firmly conclude that if Yeshua prayed “if you are willing”, and He has more faith than any man, than it is not a weak prayer or sign of little faith. We know in the case of Yeshua’s prayer in Luke 22, the answer was “no”. But even then, Yahweh sent an angel to help strengthen Him.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

Storms Will Come. Will You Be Ready?

When we see hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, etc. coming, we prepare. We know there is a risk. We know they are coming. We get ready, or at least those who are wise do so. How much more so should we prepare for the storms in life that Messiah tells us will come? He even tells us how to prepare. Let’s read more.

Matthew 7:24-29

The Two Foundations

 24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

      28When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

It is a powerful metaphor. Take time to reflect on it. Start preparing now. Make it a priority to study and follow the instructions of our Messiah as Yahweh has recorded in the Bible. Do not simply listen to a pastor or scholar and assume they are right. Test everything against scripture, and sometimes that means even studying different translations to ensure you are using a good one. Consider a Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible. Any English translation is subject to interpretation of those who wrote it. The Greek and Hebrew key word study Bible’s help us test even the translations we read without needing to be reading in another language.

If you know storms will come, you should learn about how to prepare before they are at your doorstep. For example, if you live where there are hurricanes, do not wait for one to be tracking to shore before you learn about basic preparations that can help you. Do not wait until the storm is there to try to get insurance. So too we should prepare for the storms in life that Messiah says are coming. That means we need to study and applying what we learn to change our lives now, before the storms come.  Keep in mind… hearing the word is meaningless without acting on it, just like knowing how to prepare for a hurricane is useless without action.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Heaven and Hell, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Satan, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Not Everyone Who Says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ Will Enter

Matthew 7:21-23 should be a real attention grabber for any who take salvation and their relationship with Yeshua seriously.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

If we have any shred of humility we should stop and prayerfully reflect on our lives in relation to this statement. It is too easy for people to claim the name of Yeshua and assume they are in right relationship with Him and headed to heaven. Yeshua Himself gives us this strong warning, or wake up call. Not everyone who calls Him LORD will enter the kingdom of heaven.

To prophecy in His name and to cast out demons or perform miracles is not a guarantee that someone will be accepted. How much more so if all we can say is we went to church weekly, paid a tithe, talked about Him a lot. In fact, those who are turned away are called lawless. This is not a random use of the word. It is deliberate and points back to following the Law of God, which is not obsolete, though some elements have been fulfilled (e.g. animal sacrifice for sin offering) and others can not be done (e.g. those involving the temple and Levitical priesthood). Yeshua compares those who do not do the will of the Father to those who do not obey the Law of God.

It is not about following the Law perfectly (as Yeshua did) to be saved. We can not. It is about submitting to Yahweh and doing His will. When we do that, we will follow His instructions more and more fully. We should challenge even common teachings in churches today and compare them to what the Bible says with a critical eye and open mind. There are many commonly accepted teachings which are not Biblical, such as teaching that the Law of God is obsolete, except for a few we hand select to keep… like paying the tithe.  How convenient for churches to preach keeping tithe, but also teach that the law is obsolete. The tithe is part of the law.

For more context on this subject consider our teaching on Understanding the Law – What Does it Mean Today?  and review our prior devotionals relating to Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law.

We encourage you to review a broader context for today’s scripture, included below. The narrow and wide gates visual is very interesting. If you find that you fit in with most in society and are following nicely on a comfortable path that is generally accepted by most… you are probably on the wrong path. Don’t make an assumption that somehow as long as you fit in with most Christians you must be on the right path. I would point you back to our opening scripture. Many who call Him LORD are on the wrong path. Test everything against the Bible itself and ask help from the Spirit to understand it properly, as Satan often tries to draw us away from the Father through twisting and misuse of scripture.

Matthew 7:13-23

The Narrow and Wide Gates

      13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

      15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, How do I get started?, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Love

Who Taught the Golden Rule and on What Authority?

Even in our highly secularized society, many of us have heard about the “golden rule”, to treat others as we would want to be treated. We are often not told who taught this first, who established this and upon what authority.

We find this in Matthew 7, and Yeshua is teaching.

Matthew 7:12

      12“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

For additional context, let us compare to some additional teaching that is used to describe the Law and the Prophets later in Matthew.

Matthew 22:34-40

   34But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

I would conclude rather simply that treating others as we would like to be treated is a simplified way of remembering how to love them and love Yahweh. This is not exclusively all that we are instructed to do to love Yahweh and love one another, but it is a nice, easy to remember guide to help us in many situations.  To understand all that the Bible records on this subject, we study the Law and the Prophets, all of it.

This does not mean that everyone wants everything exactly the same. That is not the point. For example, if I would want someone to give me a skateboard, that does not mean that my friend also wants a skateboard. But if I reframe it a touch to say, “I would want someone to understand my likes and dislikes, my interests and hobbies, to show that they really care about me”… that is spot on how we would want to apply this scripture.  So in this simple example, maybe my friend would want a fishing pole.

Of course there can be more deep application. If I did not know Yeshua, and someone else did, and they knew that I was going to be separated from Yahweh for eternity if I did not come to know Him through Yeshua, I would want them to tell me. I would want this even if it was hard for me and I would initially reject the message. Thus, I should flip that around and realize that I need to live out my life as a light for others to draw them to Christ and then tell them about Him. By definition this means I can not simply quietly blend in with society. That is like salt that has lost its saltiness. It is worthy only to be thrown on the ground and trampled under foo.  (Matthew 5:13-16).

Let us keep the simple “golden rule” in mind, but remember on who’s authority it was taught. Let us use that as a simple reminder to help guide us in loving others and loving Yahweh. Do not let that keep us from studying and understanding and applying the rest of the Law and the writings of the prophets. That is there to help us understand more deeply how to love others and love Yahweh. Do not miss that Yeshua, our Messiah, pointed to the Law and the Prophets as the authority for which we should abide in this instruction. This only makes sense in the recognition that the Law is not done away with, which is exactly what Yeshua emphasizes a few chapters earlier.

Matthew 5:17-19

  17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Pray and ask the Spirit to guide you in this application in your life.

A parting observation: It is worth noting for those of us who see the value in the golden rule, it only makes sense in the authority of Christ. It makes no sense when atheists who believe in evolution as route to creation of man apply this type of rule. It is contradictory to their main premise of the strong survive. I find it odd when they hold to some godly principles while denying the Creator.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Am I on the path?, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

We are the Salt and the Light

The words of Yeshua in Matthew 5 for His disciples are important. Do not breeze through them. Read them carefully and reflect. Really digest what He is saying.

Matthew 5:13-20

Disciples and the World

      13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

      14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

      17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

      20“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

A disciple is a “learner”. One who learns. We are to learn from Christ and follow His example and His teaching. Our walk should look like His to an increasing extent as we get more mature in our relationship with Him.

After teaching about the beatitudes, Yeshua compares the value and purpose of a disciple to salt and light. The salt adds flavor and is a preservative. It was valuable and important for food in that time. One can easily draw a comparison that we as disciples of Christ are very important. We must preserve the teachings of Christ to help followers embrace a lifestyle consistent with His desires for us. We are important in maintaining the message for others to consume and live out. If we “lose our saltiness” it is like saying we are no longer preserving the true message of Christ and as a result the lives of believers will be less full of the flavor intended. What use is a disciple if we are no longer preserving the teachings of Christ as we ought to be? Not much if you follow the metaphor Yeshua lays out.

The light is even easier to understand. We are not to hide or blend in, but to stand out. We are to shed light for others through how we live and what we teach. If we just blend in and hide, perhaps even to protect ourselves, then what use are we? Not much. Like a lamp that is hidden under a basket. We are to be openly and joyfully fulfilling our purpose to show others the way to Christ. It is the world and culture that will be trying to put a basket over our light.

In both examples our value and purpose is in being different, in standing out and not blending in. We become useless as disciples if we simply blend in with culture around us.

Verses 17-19 make a forceful statement that many today simply rationalize away with word games.

      17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Yeshua could not be much more straight forward. The Law is not abolished. The Law will not pass away until “until heaven and earth pass away”. Last time I checked… that has not happened yet. Then why do so many Christians argue that the Law is done away with? Sadly, this is a deception that has crept into the church a long time ago and it keeps creeping further and further. Pastors are not even consistent. How often do you hear about the “tithe” but then hear the Law is done away with? (The tithe is part of the Law.) Or we hear that the Law is done away with exception of the 10 commandments… wait now we don’t keep all of those either (e.g. Sabbath).

The truth is that the Law stands. Christ did not come to abolish it or end it. He came to make it full of meaning. There are elements such as sin offerings for reconciling to God after we sin that are now fulfilled in Christ’s sacrifice to us. However the whole of the Law is not fulfilled or done away with. Each of us should really challenge ourselves to study and learn more about the Law and not just accept that it is all done away with because pastors say so. I heard one pastor of a well known and large church proclaim recently we need not even keep the Old Testament because it confuses people, but rather only “love one another”. He even left out “love God” and “love one another”.

It was not by accident that Yeshua highlighted the Law after speaking about the salt and the light. It is by obeying the Law that He was judged righteous. It is by living according to the Law that we are a light and salt to the world, leading others to live as Yeshua actually lived Himself.  After all, He was a Jewish rabbi. He lived and taught the Law of God. Should we then declare ourselves His followers by declaring the Law over and living differently than He did? Do we live like He is our example? or our excuse not to follow God’s law?

Read more:

Find ministries that focus on teaching us about the Hebrew roots of our faith:

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Family, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Submitted / Servant

What Can We Learn from Solomon’s Fall?

Solomon had it all. Everything he had was built on the foundation of YHWH’s blessing. Before we read 1 Kings 11, let’s reflect on the commitment YHWH made with Solomon.

YHWH offered Solomon a gift, at least in part, because he loved walking in the ways of YHWH. This was pleasing to YHWH. When granting Solomon the gift of wisdom, the LORD also highlighted the importance of Solomon continuing to keep the statutes and commandments as his father David did (1 Kings 3). That is a key phrase at the end… as his father David did. David sinned and was not perfect, but he had a heart for the LORD. He always repented and sought the LORD. This all serves as a model for us in our walk with our Father also.

There is a lot in 1 Kings 11. A couple things more to look for as you read:

  • Solomon turned his heart from the Lord. He did not do so all at once and he did not outright deny YHWH as God. He began to take on other idols and pursue other gods. He did so because he allowed himself to be close to people who pursued after other gods. He was influenced over time.  At one point, even with the LORD speaking to him twice directly about it, Solomon still refuses to repent.
  • The relationship of a father with the LORD can influence what happens to the next generation. For David’s sake, the kingdom was not pulled from Solomon until his son reigned. Because of Solomon’s sin, the kingdom was taken from his son. We may not like this, but we need to at least accept that it can be this way at times and prayerfully consider it. It should be a wake up call for all men who really love their children but are not living fully for the LORD.
  • No matter how powerful we may be, it means nothing if the LORD turns against us.
  • The LORD emphasizes again and again the importance of walking in His statutes and commandments to be in right relationship with Him and to be pleasing to Him.
  • The LORD does at times use wicked people for his purposes. He brought forth adversaries that were not of His people as part of the consequences for Solomon’s disobedience.
  • Even someone who is close to the LORD and delights the LORD can choose to walk away and become rebellious. Just like with relationships we have among ourselves, if one chooses to leave, so too with the LORD. The LORD will not leave us or forsake us so long as we obey His statutes and commandments, but we are free to walk away from Him and then there are consequences.

1 Kings 11

Solomon Turns from God

      1Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. 3He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 6Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. 7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 8Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

      9Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 11So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12“Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13“However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

God Raises Adversaries

      14Then the LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom. 15For it came about, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck down every male in Edom 16(for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), 17that Hadad fled to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. 18They arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. 19Now Hadad found great favor before Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20The sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.” 22Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must surely let me go.”

      23God also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, after David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed there, and reigned in Damascus. 25So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

      26Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. 27Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 28Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 30Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 32(but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 33because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 34‘Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; 35but I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. 36‘But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37‘I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 38‘Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39‘Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.’” 40Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

      41Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

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The Glory of the LORD is Overwhelming

When the glory of the LORD fills a place, it is overwhelming. What an experience it must have been in 1 Kings 8 when the LORD came into the temple! Solomon and his people went all out to honor the LORD and celebrate bringing the ark into the temple and the LORD responded.

Let us not forget what is in the ark… the commandments of YHWH. They are important to Him and should be important to His people. They are represented as central to His relationship with His people and we should take note of that and not dismiss it. Let that soak in. His commandments for us went in the ark in the holy place where the glory of the LORD came. That is pretty important!

The Adversary, Satan, loves to separate YHWH’s people from Him by mixing and mingling truth and lies. He loves to convince us that the commandments of YHWH are no longer important since Yeshua came. It is just not so. If we disregard the instructions of our LORD, then we in fact create separation in the form of sin between us and the LORD.

Pray that those who are called by the name of Yeshua will turn from their wicked ways, repent, and seek the LORD in His ways rather than their own.  Ask the LORD to wake us up as a people to stand for righteousness and against wickedness in our nation and around the world. Pray that in doing so we would prepare a place in our lives and in our nation and across the world to invite the glory of the LORD to come among us. Do not rely on culture or government or news media to inform us, but rather turn back to the word and ways of the King.

1 Kings 8:1-11

The Ark Brought into the Temple

      1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the city of David, which is Zion. 2All the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3Then all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4They brought up the ark of the LORD and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils, which were in the tent, and the priests and the Levites brought them up. 5And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered. 6Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above. 8But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 9There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

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Preparing a Place for YHWH to Dwell Among Us

Preparing a place for YHWH to dwell is not something to be taken lightly. Solomon took his time to get it right when building the temple. But part of the preparation was not just about the building. It was about Solomon and the people and their hearts and obedience toward YHWH.

In the midst of 1 Kings 6, in which Solomon is physically building the temple, we also see YHWH speak to him in verses 11-13 about the relationship they will have. Don’t miss this one, as it applies to all of us. If we want YHWH to dwell among us, then we must walk in His statutes, ordinances and commandments. To make a point, He cares about our obedience to His ways. It is important and we should not assume, like many teach today, that He does not care what we do so long as we claim Him in name. That is not what grace is about (Romans 6:1-2).

In fact, if we now understand that our bodies as followers of Yeshua are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), then this is even more personal. If we want the LORD to dwell among us, then we should obey His statutes and commands, which means we have to read and study them to understand them. We should each take this very seriously and prepare our bodies to be a temple that the Spirit will want to dwell in. We should take great time and care to live our lives in a way in which the Spirit will want to dwell among and in us.

Perhaps it is an interesting perspective to consider more broadly. Let us be in a hurry to begin what YHWH calls us to do, but let us not be in a hurry to finish. To accomplish something truly magnificent and worthy of YHWH will often take time. For Solomon, this applied to building the Temple. For each of us, it may apply to whatever YHWH calls us to to. It could be ministering to a certain person or establishing a ministry or anything really. It certainly applies to how we prepare our minds and bodies to be a place for the Spirit to dwell with us.

1 Kings 6

The Building of the Temple

      1Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2As for the house which King Solomon built for the LORD, its length was sixty cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits. 3The porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits in length, corresponding to the width of the house, and its depth along the front of the house was ten cubits. 4Also for the house he made windows with artistic frames. 5Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the inner sanctuary; thus he made side chambers all around. 6The lowest story was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not be inserted in the walls of the house.

      7The house, while it was being built, was built of stone prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

      8The doorway for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by winding stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. 9So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. 10He also built the stories against the whole house, each five cubits high; and they were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.

      11Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon saying, 12“Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. 13“I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

      14So Solomon built the house and finished it. 15Then he built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor of the house with boards of cypress. 16He built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling; he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, even as the most holy place. 17The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. 18There was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen. 19Then he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. 20The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar. 21So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold. And he drew chains of gold across the front of the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar which was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

      23Also in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub and five cubits the other wing of the cherub; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing were ten cubits. 25The other cherub was ten cubits; both the cherubim were of the same measure and the same form. 26The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, and the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one was touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall. So their wings were touching each other in the center of the house. 28He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

      29Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries. 30He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inner and outer sanctuaries.

      31For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel and five-sided doorposts. 32So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

      33So also he made for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood 34and two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and the two leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work. 36He built the inner court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

      37In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.