Category Archives: Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Loving / Kind, Merciful, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Study the Word, Teachable, Wise

The Ten Commandments Are Worth Repeating, Learning, and Obeying

The ten commandments are not the sum total of God’s law which He provided for us to guide us in living the righteous and holy lives, but they are a really good starting point. He repeated them in scripture to emphasize them. Do not be so easily fooled by the devil or the world as to disregard God’s instruction as outdated and ignore the Old Testament. God has not changed His opinion on what is right and what is wrong. He does not change. Jesus obeyed the commandments and taught others to do so. He did not change His mind on their value because He died and rose again. After He rose again He told His disciples to teach others all that He had taught them… which would include God’s law.

Pray for wisdom and for the Spirit to convict and guide you as you read. Do not just skim quickly, assuming them to be obsolete or not applicable to you. Do not give yourself so much credit as to assume you obey all these commandments. None of us obey them perfectly. See how Jesus described complying to the commandments in Matthew 5:21-48.

Deuteronomy 5:1-21

The Ten Commandments Repeated

      1Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them:
“Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully. 2“The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3“The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. 4“The LORD spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, 5while I was standing between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. He said,

      6‘I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

      7‘You shall have no other gods before Me.

      8‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9‘You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

      11‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

      12‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13‘Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15‘You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

      16‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.

      17‘You shall not murder.

      18‘You shall not commit adultery.

      19‘You shall not steal.

      20‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

      21‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’

For those who did not click through on the link above to see what Jesus has to say about obeying the commandments, here is another chance. He holds us to a high and holy standard, which can only be achieved through the Spirit and even that in our lives will be done imperfectly. Be glad and rejoice for His grace and mercy in forgiveness!

Matthew 5:21-48

      21“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25“Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26“Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

      27“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30“If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

      31“It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; 32but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

      33“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ 34“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. 36“Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.

      38“You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ 39“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

      43“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47“If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

None of us meet that standard. We need His grace and mercy in forgiving us. But we must repent and ask forgiveness. We must submit to Him as Lord of our lives. Learn more.

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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.

Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Loving / Kind, Righteous, Suffering / Adversity

Our Pain Should Not Overwhelm Our Love For Others

Even while He was carrying His cross to His own execution, Yeshua was focused on others. He knew that His pain was happening now, but that others would experience pain later because of their rejection of YHWH. We should not miss the opportunity to see this clear expression of Yeshua’s love for His people. We should strive to live in similar manner. With help from the Spirit we too should strive to love others and be concerned for them whether or not we are also having a hard time.

Luke 23:26-32

Simon Bears the Cross

     26When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

      27And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. 28But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29“For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30“Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’ 31“For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

      32Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

Our pain should not overwhelm our love for others. This is hard. Pray to YHWH that He would help us to love others more consistently and more deeply. Pray He would help us know how to love others consistent with His word. It is not just about the happiness and comfort of others in giving them what they want. Obeying YHWH’s word helps us love Him and love others and we should not violate His instructions on the premise that we are loving others.

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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, Eternal, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Immutable (unchanging), Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Study the Word, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Keep The Commandments Of The Lord

Obeying the law that YHWH has provided to His people is important to Him. Moses knew it and repeated it over and over for the people. Yeshua followed it perfectly and set the example for us to follow. Do not just blindly assume what is taught in churches today is accurate… that God no longer cares if we obey His law, His instructions. Grace is not an excuse to disobey God. Jesus following the law is not an excuse for us not to. God has not changed His mind on how we live. Test everything against the truth of scripture.

Deuteronomy 4

Israel Urged to Obey God’s Law

     1“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3“Your eyes have seen what the LORD has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the LORD your God has destroyed them from among you. 4“But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.

      5“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. 6“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? 8“Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

      9“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. 10“Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11“You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. 12“Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. 13“So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14“The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.

      15“So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19“And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20“But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.

      21“Now the LORD was angry with me on your account, and swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22“For I will die in this land, I shall not cross the Jordan, but you shall cross and take possession of this good land. 23“So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. 24“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

      25“When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger, 26I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27“The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you. 28“There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30“When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. 31“For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

      32“Indeed, ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? 33“Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? 34“Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35“To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him. 36“Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. 37“Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. 39“Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. 40“So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

      41Then Moses set apart three cities across the Jordan to the east, 42that a manslayer might flee there, who unintentionally slew his neighbor without having enmity toward him in time past; and by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, and Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

      44Now this is the law which Moses set before the sons of Israel; 45these are the testimonies and the statutes and the ordinances which Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, when they came out from Egypt, 46across the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the sons of Israel defeated when they came out from Egypt. 47They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were across the Jordan to the east, 48from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, even as far as Mount Sion (that is, Hermon), 49with all the Arabah across the Jordan to the east, even as far as the sea of the Arabah, at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.

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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.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Righteous, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable, Traditions / Holidays

If Anyone Loves Me, He Will Keep My Word

Continually reflecting on the life of Yeshua continues to highlight what righteousness looks like. Sometimes I find it worthwhile to really dwell on certain parts of scripture that might just be quickly overlooked. Yeshua was well aware that the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him. He knew Judas would betray Him. Yet He came to Jerusalem in obedience to the Father’s plans. He did not mourn for Himself or the pain He would soon endure. He did not complain that the Father allowed Satan to “enter into Judas” to accomplish this plan. He did not hide or decide to just “live it up” in the last days, but stayed connected to the Father’s purpose for Him until the end.

It should be obvious how important Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are to Yeshua and to the Father. These were highlighted, not skipped, during the last days of Yeshua’s earthly ministry. We could easily ask ourselves, “why do so many disregard these holy days now, when Yeshua held them in high esteem and purposed to celebrate them?” The answer is not that YHWH changed His mind on these holy days or that Yeshua ever changed the command to celebrate these holy days. The death of Yeshua did not suddenly change the earlier commands of YHWH for His people in regards to the holy days. In fact, He came back after He died and reinforced that what He taught should be shared with the world. He did not indicate that YHWH’s instructions were now obsolete.

Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis in bold mine)

18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Indeed, God did not change His commands, but rather man, under the guise of Christianity, chose to move away from YHWH’s commands and traditions in an effort to separate and be set apart from the Jewish people. This was not YHWH’s intent.

Luke 22:1-16

Preparing the Passover

     1Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

      3And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. 4And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. 5They were glad and agreed to give him money. 6So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

      7Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” 9They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” 10And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. 11“And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12“And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.” 13And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

     14When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Let us pray the Spirit guides us and opens our eyes to the truth of scripture. Do not rely on what is commonly accepted or taught in churches as truth, but test everything against the truth of scripture. It takes time and devotion to the Lord to do this properly. It is a demonstration of love to YHWH and Yeshua to invest your time in searching and understanding scripture more fully. Learn and obey His instruction, regardless of what is popular amongst those claiming to be Christian. There are many who do not know Him that call upon His name.

Let us follow the example of Yeshua. Regardless of what challenges and hardships may come, let us learn and obey the commands and instructions of the Father and do so joyfully.

John 14:21-24

21“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

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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, Blessed, Faithful, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Provider, Purposeful / Intentional

Will You Trust YHWH And Joyfully Accept What He Chooses For You?

As we read Exodus and Deuteronomy, we see a focus on the people of Israel, who are the chosen people of YHWH. It is easy to think the entire focus of our Creator is only on them, but that is not true. In Deuteronomy 2, we see this emphasized. As YHWH was leading His people to the land He would give them, He told them multiple times He would not give them other land they had to pass through first. He had given that to others and deliberately. This is so easy to overlook, but I believe YHWH wants us to remember this principle in our daily lives as well.

From His perspective… Yes I am your God. Yes I have plans for you. If you will follow me, I will guide you. However, I have plans for others that go beyond you. I will not always explain them to you. You have to trust me as I direct you to what I want to give you. Do not just chase after the first opportunity that comes before you. Do not pursue or covet the things I have given for others, but focus on what I want to give you. I know best and I love you.

Deuteronomy 2

Wanderings in the Wilderness

      1“Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and circled Mount Seir for many days. 2“And the LORD spoke to me, saying, 3‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north, 4and command the people, saying, “You will pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; 5do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6“You shall buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink. 7“For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.”’

      8“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, away from Elath and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10(The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12The Horites formerly lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave to them.) 13‘Now arise and cross over the brook Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the brook Zered. 14“Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15“Moreover the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

      16“So it came about when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17that the LORD spoke to me, saying, 18‘Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab. 19‘When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not harass them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20(It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but the LORD destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. 23And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.) 24‘Arise, set out, and pass through the valley of Arnon. Look! I have given Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land into your hand; begin to take possession and contend with him in battle. 25‘This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

      26“So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27‘Let me pass through your land, I will travel only on the highway; I will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28‘You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, only let me pass through on foot, 29just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God is giving to us.’ 30“But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today. 31“The LORD said to me, ‘See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to occupy, that you may possess his land.’

      32“Then Sihon with all his people came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33“The LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him with his sons and all his people. 34“So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women and children of every city. We left no survivor. 35“We took only the animals as our booty and the spoil of the cities which we had captured. 36“From Aroer which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too high for us; the LORD our God delivered all over to us. 37“Only you did not go near to the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the LORD our God had commanded us.

Will you trust YHWH and follow Him? Will you accept joyfully what He has chosen for you? Or will you chase and covet what He has chosen for others?

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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.

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The Lord Provides Justice

For those who cry out “separation of church and state” for the USA, I simply call out the lie inherent in the claim. Those words never show up in the Constitution or Bill of Rights. They only show up in letters of a founding Father not incorporated into our governing documents. The context was reassuring a Baptist congregation they would not be forced by the government to accept a certain set of Christian beliefs. The founding fathers integrates their faith in the one Christian God throughout the launching of our great nation.

The great freedom and protections we get are directly related to Christian beliefs and understanding of God. Our legal system is an example. Reading Numbers 35 we see some key aspects of what has now been incorporated into our legal code… differentiation for unintentional manslaughter vs. murder, a right to a trial, validation of witness testimony, rules and limitations put on even those who committed manslaughter, and the Levites at the center of it all to dispense unbiased execution of the law.

Numbers 35:9-34

      9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. 12‘The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial. 13‘The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge. 14‘You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. 15‘These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

      16‘But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17‘If he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18‘Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he might die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19‘The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him. 20‘If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died, 21or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

      22‘But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or threw something at him without lying in wait, 23or with any deadly object of stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury, 24then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the blood avenger according to these ordinances. 25‘The congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26‘But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, 27and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood 28because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession.

      29‘These things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

      30‘If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31‘Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 32‘You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest. 33‘So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34‘You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”

Careful comparison and study of the laws of YHWH compared to other civilizations at the same time often amazes me to see how He provided for His people a way of living together beyond simply giving them land. He was constantly involved in their culture and structure of society. He was, and remains, a loving Father who is interested and engaged with the lives of His children.

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Choose YHWH Instead of The World

When YHWH brought the people of Israel to the promised land, He did not instruct them to make friends with the wicked people there and accept them and all their sin in hopes that everyone would just get along together. YHWH was punishing these evil people and taking the land from them, while also delivering it to His chosen people.

Numbers 33:50-56

Law of Possessing the Land

     50Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 51“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places; 53and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54‘You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. 55‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. 56‘And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.’”

YHWH instructed Moses to drive out the inhabitants and destroy all their worship places and idols for their pagan gods. He gave also a clear warning that if this was not done, there would be consequences…  including ultimately His taking the land away from Israel because they would be corrupted by blending with pagan beliefs and practices instead of following His ways.

While we are not faced with a situation where YHWH has instructed us to go take a specific land and drive out pagans, we can certainly take heed from the warning He provides in this situation.

If we choose to accept and blend with, or even normalize pagan and ungodly practices within our society, then we as His people will be corrupted and become more and more separated from Him. Ultimately, He will remove His hand of blessing and punish us as a nation, even using pagans to do so. This is what happened to Israel. Why do we not take heed it may happen to us as well if we, as a nation, reject our Father and Creator. He gave us the United States of America as a unique and powerful nation founded on freedom and founded firmly in the Christian faith.

We can already see the moral decay in our society. In particular, we can see the grossly out of control federal government taking away more and more freedom from the people and the states. Many people choose to rely on the government rather than YHWH. We see adultery and fornication abounding and normalized. The murder of the unborn is not just accepted but celebrated and funded by the government on a grand scale. Education systems and news media have been corrupted and are propaganda tools for rejecting God and all He tells us to do.

Pray for revival. Do not accept the world’s ways.  Pray for your church family around the world and for the Father to raise up community, state, and national leaders who will lead us boldly toward YHWH rather than away from Him. Then ask Him to show you what your role will be and help you to accomplish it.

If you want revival, pray for it and then act as if you are part of bringing it forward by how you live your life. Revival only comes when we actively challenge the accepted pagan practices. It comes with conflict from those who do not want to change. It requires courage and faith.

We can not create revival by our own efforts without YHWH. The battle is not one of flesh but spiritual and it is YHWH who must move in the hearts of those who do not yet know Him to bring about change.

Ephesians 6:12-13

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

John 6:44

44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

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The Sabbath Was Made For Man, And Not Man For The Sabbath

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YHWH has directed His people to obey the Sabbath and keep it holy. You shall not work in it. He set the example during creation when He rested on the 7th day. He did not need rest. He rested to set the example and pattern He intended for us.

Exodus 20:8-11

    8“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Many act as if YHWH has changed His mind regarding Sabbath because our culture has changed and moved away from His instruction such that it is now considered normal and acceptable to work and have businesses open 7 days a week. YHWH has not changed His mind. His instruction to keep the Sabbath is still relevant today.

Another trap we should be careful to avoid is one that the Pharisees fell into. They made a list of rules and expectations in a legalistic way to define what was and was not work and could or could not be done on the Sabbath. They also took Sabbath so legally as to disregard other commands YHWH provided. Some excerpts from scripture below document some important teaching that Yeshua went out of His way to demonstrate about healing on the Sabbath and about times when there are more important concerns such as David’s men who needed to eat and ate the consecrated bread that was only for the priests.

We can not simply put a strict legal formula around obeying our Father, whether regarding Sabbath or other instructions. Sometimes instructions conflict in certain circumstances or there are competing priorities that both may honor the Father, as in resting on Sabbath or helping/healing someone in need.

In the example of healing on the Sabbath, Yeshua points out the hypocrisy that all would stop and help an animal out of a ditch on Sabbath, so why would you not heal someone on the Sabbath… to the glory of YHWH?

Mark 2:23-28

      23And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. 24The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” 27Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28“So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 14:1-6

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

     1It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. 2And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. 5And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” 6And they could make no reply to this.

Matthew 12:8-14

      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.

We do well to respect and honor the instructions of the Lord regarding Sabbath. Take care so as not to always come up with “good excuses” to be busy on Sabbath, even if doing good. Most of that can be planned for other days if we try. However, if the opportunity to do good and glorify our Father comes before us, such as healing or helping others, and it happens to be Sabbath… avoid being too legalistic. We should reflect in our lives His compassion and lovingkindness in our response to those in need around us.

Remember that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. It is for our benefit to rest on the 7th day and keep it holy, not for YHWH’s benefit.

As a quick sidebar… Sabbath is the seventh day, which is Saturday, not Sunday. Man made that change to move away from God’s instruction. because man changed the calendar, it is even more confusing now because God created the days to be marked by sundown rather than an arbitrary numerical indication we are now so familiar with. Sabbath starts on what is now our Friday night at sundown and continues through Saturday night at sundown. This makes for an interesting study of the “Hebrew calendar” you can make. Consider Psalm119 Ministries for reference.

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Do Not Make Vows Thoughtlessly Unto The Lord

What we vow before the Lord we should fulfill. Take care, pray and consider carefully before you make any vow before the Lord. However, YHWH* in His grace makes a way such that it does not need to create strife within the family authority structure. If the father or husband hears the vows of a woman  whom they have authority over, then they may anull the vows.

Numbers 30

The Law of Vows

     1Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the word which the LORD has commanded. 2“If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

      3“Also if a woman makes a vow to the LORD, and binds herself by an obligation in her father’s house in her youth, 4and her father hears her vow and her obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand and every obligation by which she has bound herself shall stand. 5“But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the LORD will forgive her because her father had forbidden her.

      6“However, if she should marry while under her vows or the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself, 7and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand. 8“But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and the LORD will forgive her.

      9“But the vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, everything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her. 10“However, if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an obligation with an oath, 11and her husband heard it, but said nothing to her and did not forbid her, then all her vows shall stand and every obligation by which she bound herself shall stand. 12“But if her husband indeed annuls them on the day he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning the obligation of herself shall not stand; her husband has annulled them, and the LORD will forgive her.

      13“Every vow and every binding oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it or her husband may annul it. 14“But if her husband indeed says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her obligations which are on her; he has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard them. 15“But if he indeed annuls them after he has heard them, then he shall bear her guilt.”

      16These are the statutes which the LORD commanded Moses, as between a man and his wife, and as between a father and his daughter, while she is in her youth in her father’s house.

*Note: YHWH is the four letter name of God in the Bible derived from the Hebrew. Because the Hebrew did not record vowel sounds, we no longer know how to pronounce it for sure. It is often pronounced Yehovah or Yahweh today. Interesting history if you want to study it. Try an internet search.

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The Lord Wants Our Hearts

The Lord wants our hearts. He wants to walk in close relationship to us. This is why He sent Yeshua to die for us when sin entered the world. He wants to make a way to reconcile His people to Him. His desire for His people is not new with the New Testament. He has always looked forward to this reconciliation through Christ. The sacrifices and offerings in the Old Testament simply foreshadow the ultimate sacrificial lamb, Yeshua. They remind people of their sin and that sin is punishable by death. They remind people that they need to repent and come humbly before Jehovah often for forgiveness and reconciliation.

The death of Yeshua is sufficient for all time for all people for all sin. We no longer need sacrifice animals, but rather admit we are sinners in need of a savior, accept Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, repent and believe that Yeshua died for our sin, ask the Lord to forgive us, and repent or change our lives to be more in line with His instructions.

However, we can see through the Old Testament how many times Jehovah emphasized certain holy days for His people. The emphasis was on reconciliation with the Lord and a series of offerings with a range of symbolic meaning (worth studying at least for surface level understanding), and time. Jehovah often called His people to special Sabbath days of rest so they could focus on Him and their relationship with Him rather than remain busy in their every day life. He has not changed His instructions for recognizing Sabbath days, whether they are weekly or associated with specific holy days. To truly honor the Sabbaths that He instructs, allows us time to focus on our relationship with Him and with fellow believers. These are worth celebrating.

Numbers 29

Offerings of the Seventh Month

     1‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets. 2‘You shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without defect; 3also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 5‘Offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you, 6besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

      7‘Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work. 8‘You shall present a burnt offering to the LORD as a soothing aroma: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without defect; 9and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, 10a tenth for each of the seven lambs; 11one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

      12‘Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days. 13‘You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the LORD: thirteen bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without defect; 14and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams, 15and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; 16and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      17‘Then on the second day: twelve bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 18and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 19and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

      20‘Then on the third day: eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 21and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 22and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      23‘Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 24their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 25and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      26‘Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 27and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 28and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      29‘Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 30and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 31and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offerings.

      32‘Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old without defect; 33and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 34and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.

      35‘On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. 36‘But you shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 37their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance; 38and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.

      39‘You shall present these to the LORD at your appointed times, besides your votive offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings and for your grain offerings and for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings.’” 40Moses spoke to the sons of Israel in accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

I encourage you to pray and study the meanings of the different holy days, offerings as well the designated Sabbath days. Challenge yourself to observe the Sabbath days Jehovah instructed. Your relationship with Him will grow as a result.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.