Natan’s Notes on Deuteronomy 28—What Is Torah’s Purpose?

Deuteronomy 28

Deuteronomy 28:1–68, Blessings and curses for Torah obedience. Are the curses for Torah disobedience and the blessings for obedience still applicable in the life of the redeemed believer today, or because “we’re now under grace” are these blessings and curses irrelevant to us? Or, as some preachers teach, do Christians now only receive the blessings, and not the curses of the law regardless of whether they violate the Torah or not, since Yeshua took away the curse of the law? What is the answer to this question? The short answer is this: Is the law of gravity still in effect if you jump off a cliff? For a further explanation, see my notes at 2 Cor 3:7.

Deuteronomy 28:1, Commandments. Most people with whom I have engaged in discussions about the Torah-law of Elohim have a limited understanding of the breadth, scope and purpose of Elohim’s law. If they were to understand the full ramifications of the Torah, they would likely be less inclined to dismiss its validity in their lives. When discussing the Torah with people who have a traditional Christian view of “the law,” it might be helpful to keep the following truths in mind; they help to “blow the lid” off of people’s theological boxes!

What Is the Purpose of the Torah?

(Excerpted from a larger work by Ya’acov Natan Lawrence entitled, YHVH’s Instructions In Righteousness—A Messianic Believer’s Introduction to the Torah available online at http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/torahprimer.pdf)

The purpose of the Torah is to show man how to walk in right relationship (or righteousness) with his Creator. To do this, we must love YHVH with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deut 6:5; Mark 12:30) and love our neighbor as ourself (Lev 19:18; Mark 12:30). Once one is saved by grace through faith (See my teaching article entitled: The Abrahamic Covenant: The Covenant of Salvation, available at http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/abracov.pdf.), Torah helps show man how to walk in the straight and narrow path that leads to blessings and life and avoids the curses of the law (Deut 30:15; 32:47). The Torah shows man how to avoid sin (which is the violation of YHVH’s Torah-commandments, 1 John 3:4), which is walking contrary to YHVH’s instructions in righteousness that are for our blessing and benefit.

The Torah does not set an impossible standard by which to live. We must ask ourselves, would a righteous and just Creator and a loving Heavenly Father give to his chosen people and children a set of standards that were humanly impossible to perform, and then curse them for their inability to meet these standards? Of course not! Rather, the Torah (including both the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants) sets a standard of faith, trusting in Elohim, and of following its system of repentance and sacrifice for obtaining forgiveness from Elohim and restoring a condition of being considered righteous in his sight. After all, Moses, the human instrument through whom YHVH revealed the Torah to the Children of Israel, states in Deuteronomy 30:11–14:

For this [Torah] commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?” But the word is very near unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.

Paul quotes this very passage in Romans 10:6–8 where he relates the written Torah to Yeshua, the Living Torah or Word of Elohim incarnate (in the flesh, see John 1:1, 14). He shows that they are one in the same and that Messiah Yeshua came to live and reveal to us the righteousness of the Torah-law (verse 4) that is available to us if we will but have a heartfelt faith in him (verses 4, 9–10) and allow him to live out his righteousness in us through the empowering work of the Spirit of Elohim. In verses 11 through 21, Paul goes on to relate this very truth to being the central message of the gospel that Isaiah prophesied (Isa 52:7) would be preached to redeem both houses of Israel to Yeshua their Messiah.

It might be said that in a sense that the Torah itself is neutral; neither positive nor negative, for it is like a mirror simply reflecting the image portrayed in it. Torah reacts according to human action. Those who obey it are blessed and those who disobey it are cursed. David Stern in his Jewish New Testament Commentary lists both some of the “negative” and some of the positive functions of the Torah. On the “negative” side:

  • 1) The Torah has the capacity to stir up sin in an individual. This capacity of the Torah to make us sin is not a fault in the Torah but a fault in ourselves. A healthy person thrives in an environment deadly to someone who is ill; likewise, the Torah, beneficial to a believer living by faith, is an instrument of death to these controlled by their sinful nature (p. 375).
  • 2) The Torah can still produce guilt feelings in a believer—as it rightly should whenever he contemplates how his behavior falls short of the standard Elohim sets in the Torah. But these feelings are not irremediable. The remedy is once-and-for-all trust in Yeshua the Messiah’s final atonement for sin (Rom 3:21–26), followed by ongoing confession of and repentance from sins (1 John 1:9) (Ibid.).
  • 3) The Torah also provides a framework of justice by which Elohim, the Just Judge of the universe, will judge the actions of men to determine both their level of punishment for its violation and their level of reward for obedience to it.
  • 4) Because of the righteous standards the Torah sets out, for the sinner it points out the fact that they have sinned and how far they have fallen short of the glory of YHVH (Rom 3:23) and hence their need for a Savior or Redeemer. The Torah actually points the way to Yeshua as Paul points out in the book of Galatians (3:25).

On the positive side:

  • 1) The Torah provides a framework of grace in which one can live. As David Stern points out, YHVH’s people are to live “within the framework of” Torah, but they are not to be “in subjection to” [or under] the Torah in a legalistic fashion. YHVH’s giving of the Torah was in itself an act of grace that the New Covenant (NT) compares with his sending Yeshua (John 1:17) (Ibid., p. 374). Ariel Berkowitz, in his book, Torah Rediscovered, states it this way, “[Torah] function[s] as a protective border for the people of [Elohim].” He goes on to show that there are two opposing spiritual realities in the universe: the kingdom of light (YHVH’s kingdom) and the kingdom of darkness (Satan’s kingdom). Torah acts as a protective border to keep those wanting to abide in the kingdom of light/life/blessing/relationship with YHVH safe and secure. The Torah tells us what is truth as opposed to error, light as opposed to darkness, clean as opposed to unclean, holy (kadosh or set-apart) as opposed to profane or polluted, life as opposed to death (pp. 26–27).
  • 2) The Torah, as understood and applied through the Spirit, thereby gives life in union with Messiah (Stern, p. 381).
  • 3) Obeying the Torah brings us eternal rewards (not eternal life, which is by grace through faith alone, see Eph 2:8) in the world to come (Matt 5:19).
  • 4) Obeying the Torah helps deepen a loving and intimate relationship with YHVH-Yeshua and helps us to abide in Yeshua (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3–6).
  • 5) Obeying the Torah helps us to stay spiritually pure (1 John 3:3–6).
  • 6) Obeying the Torah protects us from the influence of the devil (1 John 3:8).
  • 7) Obeying the Torah-Word of YHVH helps to perfect YHVH-Yeshua’s love in us (1 John 3:6).

Deuteronomy 28:4 and 5–12, The fruit of your womb.Please note that the blessings of children are mentioned before material blessings. What does this teach us about how YHVH views children and families? Is such a view reflected in the mores of our current society? Are those with large families more respected than those who have large homes, drive expensive cars and have high social positions?

Deuteronomy 28:15, To the voice of YHVH.What is the voice of YHVH? Is his voice that which was uttered the Torah at Mount Sinai? Is it the voice of his Spirit inside of a Spirit-led, redeemed believer? Is it the voice of Yeshua as largely recorded in the red letters of the Testimony of Yeshua, or is it the entire Word of YHVH Elohim called the Scriptures? If the answer to the question is “all of the above,” then should any parts or aspects of Elohim’s voice contradict with any other? If we have a Biblical view or theology where we believe that one aspect of YHVH’s voice contradicts with and another in that we believe a part of it has been “done away with,” then what does this imply about the mind and nature of YHVH? There is a psychological term for this. It is called schizophrenia. Now in our right mind, we would never dare label YHVH with such terms, for to do so would be blasphemy, right? Yet, in reality, many of our religious beliefs make YHVH into something that he is not, and we risk become an unwitting party to attaching this blasphemous labeling to the Almighty Creator if we subscribe to these false theologies that, in one way or another, tell us one part or another of the Word of Elohim is no longer for us today. One thing is certain. YHVH is not a liar, nor does he ever contradict himself. If there seems to be a problem with inconsistency in YHVH’s Word, the problem is with OUR ­misunderstanding or misinterpretation of it, and NOT with the actual Word or voice of YHVH!

Deuteronomy 28:15–68, Judgment on a nation and a saint’s responsibility. Read the punishment for Torah disobedience listed in chapter 28. Are these curses coming upon America as its political leaders enact legislation and its judicial leaders make legal rulings that help to turn us away from our historic Judaic-Christian heritage, while at the same time America’s religious leaders say little or nothing against this trend? You and I do not have a large voice in this nation, though we have a small voice. What can we do to help turn the spiritual tide? What are you doing to be the salt and light in this society that Yeshua has called you to be with regard to keeping YHVH’s Torah ­commands?

Deuteronomy 28:47, Ungratefulness versus thankfulness. YHVH states that ungratefulness for the blessings he has given us and failure to obey him out of a joyful and glad heart will bring curses on us. Reflect on this. How much time each day do you spend thanking him for his blessings in your life? When you get up in the morning? Every time you eat? At noonday do you stop to praise him, as David did? Before you go to sleep? Not only is doing so a form of worship, but such a heart attitude and orientation helps us to keep our focus continually upon him so that we will forget not all his benefits (Ps 103:2) and fall into a state of hardened heart and forgetfulness (Deut 29:2–4). Israel forgot what YHVH had done for them, which led to their disobedience, faithlessness and explains why the older generation was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Will we learn from their examples (1 Cor 10:11)?

 

1 thought on “Natan’s Notes on Deuteronomy 28—What Is Torah’s Purpose?

  1. The world has learned nothing except how to be evil and they are very productive at it.
    Very few can see the truth and they are a pleasure to converse with.
    Barukh Haba B’Shem Torah John

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