Leviticus 19:27,You shall not shave around the sides of your beard.Should Men Wear Beards?
Some Torah scholars say that there is no place in the Torah, or anywhere else in the Scriptures, that explicitly commands men to wear beards. Others who are of the opinion that men should wear beards agree that while there may be no direct command to wear a beard, the Scriptures give an implied or indirect command to do so. In other words, it’s assumed that men will have a beard. I am of the latter opinion.
Some will point to Leviticus 19:27 and 21:5 in attempts to prove that men are to wear beards — that they are not to shave their beards. In reality, this command related specifically to shaving the beard in honor of the dead according to some ritual the ancient pagans practiced. In other words, YHVH is telling the Israelite men not to shave their beards as the pagans did in honor of the dead. What exactly that pagan practice was, we don’t know for sure.
Can these two verses be taken as a prohibition against a man shaving his beard? Those who say no will say that there is no direct command in the Bible to have a beard, but if you do have one, don’t shave it in honor of the dead as the pagans did. Those who say yes will say that these two verses imply a command for men to have a beard; that is, how can you cut something that you don’t already have? There are well-meaning people on both sides of this debate.
These things we know for sure. Aaron the high priest had a beard (Ps 133:2). Yeshua had a beard or else Isaiah 50:6 was a false prophecy. Ezekiel had a beard (Ezek 5:1), Ezra had a beard (Ezra 9:3); David had a beard (1 Sam 21:13); and many Israelite men wore beards (2 Sam 10:4-5; 1 Chr 19:5; Jer 41:5). It is also a religious Jewish tradition to this day for men to have beards, and we know that this tradition is rooted in antiquity.
One could also ask the question why would YHVH create men with facial hair if only for the purpose of shaving it off?
I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35)
Leviticus 19:23–25, You shall count their fruit. We are to honor YHVH and give him his due in all areas of life including our fruit trees. This principle of reaping and sowing and giving YHVH a portion of that which is his anyway is a universally applicable principle in the Scriptures. This principle applies NOT only to agricultural increase, but to every area of our lives in which we prosper, for the earth is YHVH’s and the fullness thereof (Ps 24:1), and everything belongs to him anyway. YHVH is simply lending everything to us (including our very lives) that which belongs to him, and we honor this fact by giving back to him a tenth of our increase.
There are some believers who say that giving YHVH the first fruits of our increase applies only to those involved in agricultural enterprises. If this were the case, then how do we account for Abraham’s tithing to Melchizedek from the spoils of war (Gen 14:20)? Furthermore, Solomon taught that we are to honor YHVH with the first fruits of all our labors (Prov 3:9). Moreover, Malachi taught that to not tithe is to rob YHVH and to invite the destroyer to ravage our finances (Mal 3:8–11). Yeshua taught the blessedness of giving (Luke 6:38), and Paul taught that we reap what we sow, and that if we sow nothing we will reap nothing (Gal 6:7–10). This universal principle doesn’t apply just to finances, but to all areas of life.
Do you have an attitude of honoring YHVH whenever possible by your giving of not only your treasure, but your time and talent as well? Giving is a lifestyle practice motivated by a heart attitude of love and gratitude, and a desire to please and honor your heavenly Father.
There are two kinds of people: givers and getters. Which one are you? Yeshua said that it’s more blessed to give than to get (Acts 20:35).
Leviticus 19:19, Livestock breed with another kind…sow your field with mixed seed.
Thousands of years ago, the Bible contained instructions that were predictive of end times scientific “advancements” and warned people against them. Some of these commandments in the Torah made no sense until recently. This is the case with the Torah’s prohibition of genetically modified organisms or GMOs.
The ancient biblical writings are amazingly prescient on this issue when the Torah forbids the mixing of dissimilar species (such as seeds and animal species), which were separated in the creation by Elohim, and which he established to reproduce after their own kind.
What does the Torah have to say about genetically modified organisms (GMO) or foods? This verse addresses the issue. The type of genetic modification of plants and animals that we’re concerned about is that of forcing the DNA of one species into that of another. In reality, it’s a form of man-induced macro-evolution where one species takes on the characteristics of another species. Micro-evolution is a natural phenomenon that occurs between like plant and animal species (e.g. diverse kinds of cats, apples, palm trees, etc.).This can occur naturally (called adaptation) and through the human-induced processes of hybridization. This isn’t a bad thing, in most cases. However, there are no examples of macro-evolution in the creation despite evolutionists’ best efforts to prove otherwise. Evolutionists have failed to find the missing links between monkeys and men, or lizards and birds, or slime and amphibians—at least not until genetic engineering came along. Now through genetic engineering they can create the missing link. This is not only an affront to the Creator, and goes contrary to the Bible, but it’s the opening of a Pandora’s box of all sorts of unintended evil consequences where man is playing God, while not knowing what the consequences will be.
The Creator simply commands men not to mix diverse kinds (species) without giving the reasons. We are to assume that he knows best whether we understand the technical reasons or not.
Since the recent emergence of the science of genetic engineering and the negative consequences of some aspects of it, perhaps the Creator’s prohibitions against mixing dissimilar species now makes more sense.
Here are the scriptural prohibitions:
Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. (Lev 19:19)
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. (Deut 22:9)
Here are some excerpts from some Bible commentaries on Leviticus 19:19 pertaining to this subject:
These practices might have been considered as altering the original constitution of God in creation; and this is the view which the Jews, and also Josephus and Philo, take of the subject. (The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on Lev 19:19)
God in the beginning made the cattle after their kind (Gen 1:25), and we must acquiesce in the order of nature God hath established, believing that is best and sufficient, and not covet monsters. Add thou not unto his works, lest he reprove thee; for it is the excellency of the work of God that nothing can, without making it worse, be either put to it or taken from it, Eccl 3:14. As what God has joined we must not separate, so what he has separated we must not join. (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Lev 19:19)
By these laws the observance of the natural order and separation of things is made a duty binding on the Israelites…as a divine ordinance founded in the creation itself (Gen 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). All symbolic, mystical, moral, and utilitarian reasons that have been supposed to lie at the foundation of these commands, are foreign to the spirit of the law. (Keil and DelitzschCommentary on the OT on Lev 19:19).
God created the world with certain distinct species, and His wisdom decreed that these species remain intact and unadulterated. For man to take it upon himself to alter the order of Creation suggest a lack of faith in God’s plan. Moreover, each species on earth is directed by a Heavenly force, so that the earthly species represents profound spiritual forces. To tamper with them is to cause harm that earth-bound man cannot fathom. (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash on Lev 19:19)
…God’s Creation should be permitted to function according to the laws of nature that He instituted, without tampering by man. It should be noted that these laws of mixture are limited to specific matters [i.e. cross-mixing of species], and do not limit the infinite number of alloys or combinations that are so much a part of modern life. To the contrary, man is duty bound to improve the world and, in a sense, “complete” the work of the Creation. (The ArtScroll Tanach Series Levticus Commentary on Lev 19:19)
With regard to GMO foods, there is also the issue of what is biblically kosher or not. If foods are genetically altered, who knows if what one thinks he is eating actually is totally that. Within the milk you’re drinking or the steak that you’re eating, for example, there may be genes from an unkosher animal.
Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.
The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day: one each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.
Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 5/5/19 through 5/11/19. This week is the second week of seven complete weeks of the count of the omer.
Last Sabbath, my son Jared and I took a short hike in a nearby state park to commune with YHVH Elohim, our Heavenly Father, in his creation. We’ll let the following photos speak for themselves about the glory of Elohim’s wondrous creation only a little over an hour from our doorstep here in Oregon.
How many times was Yeshua actually in a church building on Shabbat? When he was, what was he doing there? Just asking…Something to ponder.
Please enjoy!
A cathedral of old growth fir trees.
Jared gazing in awe at a giant Douglas fir tree.Natan is dwarfed by this massive seven foot in diameter at breast height fir tree.This was the first of several waterfalls we encountered on our short hike.The trail goes behind this waterfalls—behind the veil!Tell me you haven’t seen a more beautiful sight than this!Behind the waterfalls’ veil, kissed by the mist, almost like being in the holy of holies and being washed by the water of the Word…Though Elohim promised to never flood the world again, he never promised not to flood us with the water of his word! I’m thirsty for more…baptize me!What more can be said? Nothing!Here’s another one to inspire you…All of these falls are within a couple of miles of each other. How is it possible that so much beauty can be fit into such a small area? With man this is impossible, but with YHVH Elohim all things are possible!Just gotta get some more trees in this photo gallery. This is because in the business world, I call myself the Treevangelist. I’m passionate about trees (both the physical and spiritual ones) and I preach the good news of planting and caring for trees, AND the good news of the gospel message about the Tree of Life—Yeshua the Messiah. That’s why my “tent making” business is called the Good News Tree Service, Inc. of Wilsonville, Oregon, USA. For fun, check me out my website at http://goodnewstree.com and my tree blog at https://goodnewstree.com/tree-care/.
John the apostle in the Book of Revelation (Rev 19:7) says that the wife of Yeshua has made herself ready for him. Who will be the bride or wife of Yeshua?
In a general sense, all redeemed believers are the bride of Yeshua—or more correctly, have the potential to be the bride of Yeshua. Paul assumed this (2 Cor 11:2–3). All redeemed believers are presently betrothed to Yeshua. Yet not all believers will become the wife of Yeshua (Matt 25, the Parable of the 10 Virgins). Some will remain pure and undefiled by being faithful to YHVH’s Torah Word, and others will fornicate with the world by being faithful to some of YHVH’s Torah, but by also following foreign or pagan gods and lovers. Only virgins who have not defiled themselves with “men” (a biblical metaphor for spiritual fornication with the world) will be eligible to be the bride of Yeshua. These are the 144,000 mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Rev 14:4). These are the true saints—the set-apart or holy ones, who adhere to the Torah and to Yeshua the Messiah (Rev 14:12). The church of Yeshua is currently being tested or refined and the wheat and tares are being separated. Yeshua wants a pure bride. Judgment begins first at the “house” of Elohim (1 Pet 4:17).
In conjunction with the end times wrath of Elohim that will come upon this world due to Toralessness are the Elohim’s seven thunders judgments (Rev 10:3–4), which are possibly YHVH’s wrath upon a Torahless bride and world. Leviticus speaks of four sets of seven judgments that would come upon YHVH’s people who turned away from Torah (Lev 26:14ff). Similarly, the book of Revelation reveals that in the end days four series of judgments that will come upon the world. They are the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven thunders, and the seven bowl judgments.
Like the law of the jealous husband who suspects his wife of adultery discussed in the Torah (Num 5:11–31), the faithfulness of all believers will be tested. In the end times, all the saints will go through tribulation and the great tribulation, but only the betrothed bride who is guilty of adultery will go through the wrath of Elohim. Those saints who refuse to walk in Torah and who are guilty of Torahlessness will be rejected of Yeshua because they didn’t know him intimately (Matt 7:21–23). We know YHVH intimately by keeping his Torah-commands (1 John 2:6–7). The wrath of Elohim are the bitter waters that the adulterous bride of YHVH will have to swallow (cp. Num 5:11–31). Like the wife suspected of adultery, all who will follow Yeshua must eat the words of Torah. For those who have been faithful to Torah, which is their marriage vows, Torah is sweet like honey. To those who have not been faithful, the judgments Torah spells out for those not being faithful to the curses for Torah-disobedience will be like bitter waters in their belly. In Revelation 10 (cp. Ezek 2:8–10; 3:1–3), John eats a little book. Is this Torah, which specifies curses that come upon all those who sin by violating it (1 John 3:4)? When we love Yeshua by obeying YHVH’s (John 14:15), they will be sweet like honey to us (Ps 119:103), since we don’t come under the curses they specify for disobedience. Torah-obedience brings blessings in this life and the next life; Torah is life (Deut 30:19), and Yeshua is the Living Torah incarnate (1 John 1:1, 14) and he is life (John 14:6).
At the same time in the last days, there will be a remnant on earth who have heeded the call of Elohim to remember the good ancient paths of Torah (Jer 6:16), and whose hearts have turned back to the fathers of their faith in the end days before the day of YHVH’s wrath and who are remembering Torah (Mal 4:3–6).
Those people who are heeding the call of Elohim through his Spirit to return to the ancient paths are those who have turned back to the biblical Hebraic faith and have reconnected to spiritual root of Israel—to the spiritual fathers of their faith. They’ve rediscovered their tribal and spiritual identity as grafted in (Rom 11:11–32), as redeemed, one new man and non-Gentile Israelites (Eph 2:11–19)—as the Israel of Elohim (Gal 6:16). These saints have chosen to begin living like Israelites. They understand the Jewishness of Yeshua and want to be Jewish like him and pleasing to him (John 14:15). They want to know YHVH more deeply by keeping his commandments (1 John 2:3–6), and they are putting on robes of righteousness, which is Torah-obedience (Rev 19:6–7)
These end time saints are part of the John the Baptist, Elijah forerunner generation of royal Melchizedek priests under Yeshua (1 Pet 2:9; Heb 7), and kings in training who are helping to prepare the way for Yeshua.
They saints are the wise virgins who have awakened with oil in their lamps. Oil represents Torah and the anointing of YHVH’s Spirit. Without the Torah and the anointing of YHVH’s Spirit in our lives, there will be no Torah-light.
These called out ones have left off their lukewarm, deaf, naked and blind ways of a Torahless and Laodicean lukewarm church and have opened the door to the real Jewish Yeshua to come into their lives; they have exchanged a paganized, Greco-Roman Jesus for their the real Hebraic Yeshua. To be the bride of Yeshua, you must truly know him, not merely know about him through the eyes of a cultural Christianity, Christo-pagan paradigm.
The bride of Yeshua will fit the definition of the end time saints: They will be Torah observant and have the faith of Yeshua (Rev 12:17; 14:12).
Scripture likens redeemed believers to a virgin (2 Cor 11:2). Some believers are wise virgins, and some are foolish virgins (Matt 25:1–13). There will be different levels of rewards in the kingdom of Elohim; some of the virgins will be least in the kingdom and some will be the greatest in the kingdom depending on their Torah-obedience level (Matt 5:19). Which one are you?
