Tag Archives: Deuteronomy

Family: Can’t Live With or Without Them

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Deuteronomy 2:2–9, Edom (another name for Esau, brother of Jacob) and Moab and Ammon (sons of Lot) were blood relatives of the Israelites. Often those of our own family will stand in our way as we go in to possess our ­spiritual, Elohim-given inheritance and destiny. What is the lesson from this passage of scripture on how to deal with less-than-cooperative family members who fail to recognize the calling on your life? Are we to make war with them? Are we in any way to be beholden to or dependent on them for our physical needs? If we became dependent upon them could this help or hinder our chances of entering our own spiritual destiny or “Promised Land”? Does YHVH desire our families to be saved? (See Acts 16:31; 2 Pet 3:9.) How can we be a light to our families if we are fighting and attempting to destroy those who would spiritually stand in our way?

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This passage also teaches us to avoid conflicts with family members at all costs. No good can come from such confrontations. How does verse 5 start out? Now go on to read verse 6. YHVH instructed the Israelites to treat their cousins with respect and civility—almost in a business-like manner. Nowhere does Scripture tell us that we have to like our heathen family members. But neither are we to act offensively toward them. Like the Israelites when forced to encounter long lost relatives, sometimes it is best to smile, be nice, but keep moving on!

Another lesson to be learned from these verses is this: choose your battles carefully. Avoid conflicts with others at all costs. Only go to battle when YHVH tells you to. Only then will you come out victoriously, for then he will be fighting on your side and not against you. Latter in this chapter, we see that YHVH instructed the Israelites to engage certain nations and defeat them. When Israel obeyed him and fought only his battles, what was the outcome? (Read 2:24–3:11 cp. 3:22.)

 

Paul Equates Torah With Yeshua

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Deuteronomy 30:11–14, Does YHVH’s Torah set an impossible standard by which we are to live? If so, we are logically compelled to ask ourselves this question: 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, then curse them for their inability to meet these standards? If so, then we must face the fact that Elohim is an unjust and a wicked tyrant!

If Torah isn’t an impossible standard to follow, then what is the Torah’s purpose in our lives, and why does the Creator impose the Torah upon his people?

We believe that the Torah sets a standard of faith, trusting in Elohim, and that if followed it provides a system of repentance and sacrifice for obtaining forgiveness from Elohim and restoring a condition of being considered righteous in his sight. The Torah also teaches man how to achieve peace on earth and good will toward men by showing humans how to love Elohim with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and their neighbor as themselves.

Paul quotes this same Deuteronomy 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). (Compare with John 1:1, 14.) He shows that they are one in the same and that Messiah Yeshua, through his life, came to reveal to man the righteousness of the Torah-law. This righteousness is available to us if we will but have a heartfelt faith in him (Rom 10:4, 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. Furthermore, in Romans 10:4 Paul reveals that Yeshua is the end goal, target of or the full flowering or embodiment of the Written Torah in human form.

 

SEE MUSLIM MOB STONE CHRISTIANS – IN U.S.!

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Here is a link to the story and live video from Worldnet Daily (wnd.com) of Muslims stoning Christian street preachers in Dearborn, Michigan. And you thought this could never happen in the U.S.A.!

http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/muslim-mob-stones-christians-in-u-s/

I personally know the main individual interviewed in this video and have ministered with him. He’s the same man who unfurls the large John 3:16 banners at major football events on live TV. Please pray for Ruben! Pray for all those who are taking a stand against wickedness and who are calling sinners to repent.

When the police should be defending the rights of Christians to have freedom of speech, they are instead siding with those who are attacking the Christian preachers with bottles, rocks and bags of urine. Freedom of speech on a public street isn’t a crime. Violently assaulting people and causing bodily harm in a public venue is a crime, yet the police side with the aggressors and refuse to protect the Christians. I’m reminded of this passage in Isaiah:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isa 5:20)

This is part of the judgment that is coming against America because it has forsaken YHVH Elohim—the God of the Bible—and turned to worshipping the false gods of wood and stone. Moses prophesied this in Deuteronomy 32:15–22,

But Jeshurun [i.e. end-times Israel including America] waxed fat [greed and materialism], and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook Elohim which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils [via false and demonic religions such as Islam], not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten Elohim that formed thee. And when YHVH saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not Elohim; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation [in this case, Islam/Edom]. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

 

As Moses prophesied long ago, Elohim’s judgment against his people in America is intensifying because of its sins against him!

In America, it’s all out war against the God of the Bible, against the Bible and against those who believe in and follow the Bible. It seems that any religious or philosophical system that demeans the Bible and Bible believers is given a pass, exhaled and venerated, while at the same time, Bible believers are derided, besmirched, litigated against, condemned and persecuted. What will it take to wake Americans up?

What can each of us do in our own lives to stand for truth even if it costs us something? Being salt and light in the midsts of a perverse generation isn’t easy. Some may lose their lives over it. Read Hebrews 11.

 

 

What Is Our Constitution?

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Deuteronomy 29:15, Not here with us today. The Jewish sages teach that YHVH made his covenant with not only the Israelites present there that day but with all those who would live in the future. What are the implications of this with regard to your life? How does it impact what you do, how you act, your attitude and relationship with your Maker to know that covenants were made 3500 years ago that have a bearing on our lives today as Redeemed Israelites?

Some might question whether covenants made with one’s forefathers are applicable to us today. If this is your case, then let us pose the following question: Did the founding fathers of America make laws more than 200 years ago (i.e., the Constitution) that are binding upon us today? If so, how much more applicable upon us are covenants made by our forefathers 3500 years ago with YHVH? Because our ­forefathers broke their covenant with YHVH does not free us to violate YHVH’s laws.

But I am not an Israelite, so the covenants YHVH made with Israel are not binding upon me, one might aver. Well, who did Paul say that believers are? (Read Rom 4:16; 9:8; Gal 3:7, 9, 14, 28–29.) And who are the ex-Gentiles that Paul talks about who were aliens to the covenants (plural, referring to the Abrahamic Covenant revealing the path to salvation, the Mosaic Covenant revealing the path of righteousness and the New Covenant, which is the previous two covenants written on our spiritually circumcised hearts) of Israel, but have now been brought into the commonwealth of Israel through the work of Yeshua? (See Eph 2:11–19.)

 

The Torah on the Mount of Curses?

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Deuteronomy 27:2, 4, 8, Set up great stones. On Mount Ebal on whole, un-cut stones, the Israelites were to write the Torah-law and then coat these stones with lime plaster. Elohim also told them to build an altar there where they were to make burnt and peace offerings.

Why was Torah written on stones on Mount Ebal—the mountain of the curses? Why not on Mount Gerizim, the mountain of blessing? Certainly this cannot mean that the Torah is a curse, for Paul calls it kadosh (holy), just and good in Romans 7:12.

What could the stones represent? Who is the Chief Cornerstone, the Stone the builders rejected (Ps 118:22; Matt 21:42; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:20), and the stone cut without hands (Dan 2:34)? What was the purpose of these offerings and to whom do the burnt and peace offerings point?

Could lime plaster represent robes of righteousness? Who is clothed in robes of righteousness once sins have been atoned for? (Read Rev 19:7–8 cp. 3:5,18; Isa 61:10.) Who was wounded for our ­transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, had laid on him the iniquities of us all, and was made an offering for sin (Isa 53:5, 6, 10)? Who was the Living Torah, the Word of Elohim made flesh (John 1:1,14)?

Who redeemed us from the curses of the law (Gal 3:13), which came upon us as a result of our sinning (sin is the violation of YHVH’s law, 1 John 3:4), and thus bringing a death penalty upon us (the wages of sin is death, Rom 6:23)?

Does it now make sense why the Torah and the altar were placed on Mount Ebal? This is another one of the many prophetic shadow pictures in the Torah pointing to the redemptive work of Yeshua at the cross.

Does this strengthen your faith that Yeshua is indeed the Messiah, the Lamb of Elohim slain from the foundation of the earth? Who else could have fulfilled these prophecies?

 

Slander and Skin Disease

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Deuteronomy 24:8–9, Remember what YHVH … did unto Miriam. Moses’ sister Miriam was struck with a skin disease because she spoke evil against her brother. Slander is defined as making false or damaging statements about someone. The Torah keeps returning to the subject of “gossip, slander and other forms of selfish and antisocial behavior” (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash, p. 1060).

Obviously such activity was a problem then as it continues to be now. It can literally destroy human relationships, families, marriages, ministries and congregations.

The interesting things is that those committing such sins usually fail to admit they are doing it, yet such is all too clear to those who are their victims. (Read Prov 6:16, 19 and Jas 3:1–12.)

 

Being Unequally Yoked

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Deuteronomy 22:10, You shall not plow with an ox and with a donkey (that is, a kosher animal with a non-kosher animal). Baal Ha Turim interprets this verse to mean that a righteous person should not enter into a business partnership with a wicked person. The Mishnah states: “Distance yourself from a bad neighbor; and do not bind yourself to a wicked person (Avos 1:7, The ArtScroll Baal HaTurim Chumash, p. 2065).

What does the Testimony of Yeshua say about being unequally yoked? (See 1 Cor 15:33; 2 Cor 6:14.)