D’varim
11:26 – 16:17, YeshYahu 54:11-55:5
1st
Yochanan 4:1-6
In this Parasha, Moshe keep reminding the
children of Israel (carnal man) what will be with them after his departure,
when they will enter the promise land. He will also add new instructions.
Deu 11:26 ‘See, I am setting before you today
a blessing and a curse: ---- Deu 11:27 the blessing, when you obey the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I command
you today; Deu 11:28 and the curse,
if you do not obey the commands of יהוה your Elohim, but turn aside from the
way which I command you today, to go after other mighty ones which you have not
known.
Blessing and curse! This is one of the basic principles of Torah and of
life given by Elohim. Everything is
built on the duality principle and so it is with “blessing and curse”. Other
example: night and day, light and heavy, peace and war, rejoicing and mourning,
life and death, good and evil….
Both are necessary in order to appreciate and make difference. So we also
can say that we need evil in order to know good!
Blessing and curse demonstrate that man is “free” from his decision and that יהוה
let
him his own decision. Man is the sole living been with a free will, albeit it
is obvious that יהוה knows what we will do, he
let us the free choice: blessing and curse!
Judaism in opposition to Christianity teach that man must choose between
the “yetzer Tov” (good inclination)
and “yetzer HaRa” bad inclination,
while Christianity teach the “original
sin” inherited from man to man,
which is absolute false:
Gen 4:6 and יהוה said
to Qayin, “Why are you wroth? And why is your face fallen? Gen 4:7 “If you do
well, is there not acceptance? And if you do not do well, sin1 is crouching at the
door. And its desire is for you, but you should master it.” Footnote: 1Sin
(transgression of the law) was already then known, as we also read in 39:9......
How can Quayin (Caïn) master sin if it is inherited from
Adam?
Blessing: the Hebrew
word בּרכה berâkâh,
has not the same connotation as we often imagine in Greek mindset, implying
material well being. The word ‘barakah’
means to “kneel down” (Strong) Gamblers know this word “baracca” which mean to have chance in gambling. The Hebrew meaning
give the notion that Elohim will come
closer, to take care of the one who get the blessing.
In opposite the curse קללה qelâlâh has a
connotation of despising, to bring into contempt, to afflict, to despise
(Strong).
We clearly see the duality of the two actions. Blessing and curse were
bound to obey or disobey יהוה Elohim Verse 28 we see that the curse is coming for going
after others Elohim, here “mighty
ones”. The Hebrew name is the same, it is “Elohim”.
יהוה is the “Mighty One” of Israel, in Hebrew “Elohim”. The fact to go after others
“mighty ones” brought curses on the children of Israel
First of all we have the different religions with their “Elohim”: Marie queen of heaven” for the Roman Catholics, which is nothing
other than Asthar also called Semiramis, Buddha, and Krishna in India,
Allah for the muslim, and much more. For other in Christianity it is their own leaders who have become their “Elohim”, Kenneth Coplan, Kenneth Hagen, Benny Hin, Rick Waren, Creffo Dollar,
and the list is long. The followers of these people believe more the words of
their leaders then the Truth! The other groups are those who have modern “Elohim” like soccer, money, hedonism, carrier….. The last one and not the smallest is the “prince of this world” HaSatan himself who has entangled the
all world.
To make it
plain, everything that pulls somebody away to follow יהוה Elohim becomes a
mighty one to those who follow them.
Deu 11:29 ‘And it shall be, when יהוה your Elohim has brought you into the land which you
go to possess, that you shall put the blessing
on Mount Gerizim and the curse on
Mount Ěyḇal.
We see that the duality is here pictured with the two
Mount, Gerizim and Eybal. Keil and Delitzsch in their
commentary, give following explanation concerning the two Mounts:
The two mountains mentioned were
selected for this act, no doubt because they
were opposite to one another, and stood, each about 2500 feet high, in the
very centre of the land not only from west to east, but also from north to
south. Ebal stands upon the north side,
Gerizim upon the south; between the
two is Sichem, the present Nabulus, in a tolerably elevated
valley, fertile, attractive, and watered by many springs, which runs from the
south-east to the north-west from the foot of Gerizim to that of Ebal, and is
about 1600 feet
in breadth. The blessing was to be uttered upon Gerizim, and the curse upon
Ebal; though not, as the earlier commentators supposed, because the
peculiarities of these mountains, viz., the fertility of Gerizim and the
barrenness of Ebal, appeared to accord with this arrangement: for when seen
from the valley between, “the sides of both these mountains are equally naked
and sterile;” and “the only exception in favour of the former is a small ravine
coming down, opposite the west end of the town, which is indeed full of
foundations and trees” (Rob. Pal.
iii. 96, 97). The reason for selecting Gerizim
for the blessings was probably, as Schultz
supposes, the fact that it was situated on the south, towards the region of the
light. “Light and blessing are
essentially one. From the light-giving face of God there come blessing and
life (Psa_16:11).” - In Deu_11:30 the situation of these mountains is
more clearly defined: they were “on
the other side of the Jordan,” i.e., in the land to the west of the
Jordan, “behind the way of the sunset,”
i.e., on the other side of the road of the west, which runs through the land on
the west of the Jordan, just as another such road runs through the land on the
east (Knobel). The reference is
to the main road which ran from Upper Asia through Canaan to Egypt
We can also found explanation in the name of the Mount Gerizim Strong’s # H1630 גּרזים gerizîym
gher-ee-zeem' Plural of an unused noun from H1629 (compare H1511),
cut
up (that is, rocky); Gerizim, a mountain of Palestine: -
Gerizim....... H1629 gâraz gaw-raz' A primitive root; to
cut off: - cut off.
To cut off! In order to get the
blessing the children of Israel (carnal man) had to cut off from the old path,
following others mighty ones?
Eybal.
Strong’s # 5858 עיבל ‛êybâl ay-bawl' Perhaps from an unused root probably meaning to be bald; bare; Ebal, a mountain of Palestine: -
Ebal. Bare: No fruit; sterile, unproductive . In the study
of the “Tree of life” we have the
north on the left (hand) opposite to the right (hand), “gewurah” (strength, judgment) opposite to “chesed”(mercy, grace, favour). It is interesting to see in the
Torah, “north” indicate many times
judgment:
Jer 1:14 And
יהוה
said to me, “Out of the north
evil is set loose on all the inhabitants of the land. Jer 1:15 “For look, I am calling all the clans of the reigns of the north,” declares יהוה.
“And they shall come and each one set his throne at the entrance of the gates
of Yerushalayim, against all its walls all around, and against all the cities of Yehuḏah. Jer 4:6 “Lift
up the banner toward Tsiyon. Be strong, do not stand still! For I am bringing evil from the north,
and great destruction.”
Eze 8:14 And
He brought me to the door of the
north gate of the House of יהוה, and
I saw women sitting there, weeping for
Tammuz. (pagan deity, idolatry). Eze 26:7 “For thus said the Master יהוה,
‘See, I am bringing against Tsor from the
north Neḇuḵaḏretstsar sovereign of Baḇel, a sovereign of
sovereigns, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, even an
assembly, and many people.
Eze 38:14 “Therefore,
son of man, prophesy, and you shall say to Goḡ, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “In
that day when My people Yisra’ĕl dwell safely, would you not know? Eze 38:15 “And you shall
come from your place out of the far north,
you and many people with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly
and a mighty army. Eze
38:16 “And you shall come up against My people Yisra’ĕl like a cloud, to cover
the land – in the latter days it shall
be. And I shall bring you against My land, in order that the gentiles know
Me, when I am set apart in you, O Goḡ, before their eyes.”-
Here we have one more detail of importance: in the latter days” when is this period? Sha’ul writes:
2Ti 3:1 But
know this, that in the last days
hard times shall come.
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds;
2Pe 3:3 knowing
this first: that mockers shall come in
the last days with mocking, walking according to their own lusts,
1Jn 2:18 Little
children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that the
anti-messiah is coming, even now many anti-messiahs have come. This is how we
know that it is the last hour. (days?)
Act 3:24 “And
likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Shemu’ĕl and those following,
have also announced these days..........
This corresponds to the description
from Keil and Delitzsch in their commentary. We also know that the number two is
a sign for division. Two Mounts to separate between good and evil, blessing and
curse. We should take this to our daily life in order to get blessing and no
curses. Remember curse is not the Torah as some Christians want to teach.
Curses come by the disobedience to the Torah.
יהושע
has delivered us from
these curses coming from disobedience to the Torah Galatians 3: 13 Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the
Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.”
.In order to understand that curses come by action
against the Torah and that it is not the Torah itself, we must go to D’varim
27: 11:26....
Deu 27:11 and Mosheh commanded
the people on that day, saying, Deu 27:12
“These are to stand on Mount Gerizim to
bless the people, when you have passed over the Yardĕn: Shimʽon, and Lĕwi,
and Yehuḏah, and Yissasḵar, and Yosĕph, and Binyamin. .Deu 27:13 “And these are to stand on Mount Ěyḇal to curse: Re’uḇĕn, Gaḏ,
and Ashĕr, and Zeḇulun, Dan, and Naphtali. .Deu 27:14
“And the Lĕwites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of
Yisra’ĕl: Deu 27:15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved
or moulded image, an abomination to יהוה, the
work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets
it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:16 ‘Cursed is he who makes light
of his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:17 ‘Cursed
is he who moves his neighbour’s boundary.’
And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:18
‘Cursed is he who misleads the blind in the way.’ And all the people shall
say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:19 ‘Cursed is he who twists the
right-ruling of the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ And all the
people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:20 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his
father’s bed.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu
27:21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with any beast.’ And all
the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:22 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the
daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:23 ‘Cursed
is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’
And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:24
‘Cursed is he who smites his neighbour secretly.’ And all the people shall
say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:25 ‘Cursed is he who takes a
bribe to slay an innocent being.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’ Deu 27:26 ‘Cursed is he who does not
establish the Words of this Torah.’ And all the people shall say,
‘Amĕn!’
We have twelve curses for disobeying the
Torah! If we look carefully to these curses we will
see that today the all world despise this warning and goes its own way, and
therefore is under a curse! What did יהושע
came
for?
We will see in
another “parasha” how blessing comes.
Deu 11:30 ‘Are they not beyond the Yardĕn, toward the
setting sun (west), in the land of the Kenaʽanites who dwell in the desert
plain opposite Gilgal, beside the terebinth trees of Moreh? Deu 11:31 ‘For you are passing over the Yardĕn to go in to
possess the land which יהוה your
Elohim is giving you, and you shall possess it and dwell in it, Deu
11:32 and shall guard to do all the laws and right-rulings which I am setting
before you today.’
This are the conditions for the
children of Israel (carnal man) when entering the promise land. Have you entered
your spiritual promise land? Have you accepted that יהושע remove the curse from your life?
Have you realized that walking in the Torah is blessing and not curses? .. Don’t
only think money is a sign of blessing in
our daily life, how it is with protection from diseases, from accident, from
evil person, and evil neighbor, having food to eat every day, peace of mind,
shalom from above, long life…..
Have you been everyday aware of
these blessing? Have you made the difference between the path of righteousness
and the way of the world, just think and discuss bout your personal blessing?
Pro 4:10 Hear, my son, and accept my
words, and let the years of your
life be many.
Pro 9:10 The fear of יהוה is
the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the
Set-apart One is understanding1. Footnote:
See 1:7….Pro 9:11 for by me your days
become many, And years of life are added to you……
I
would like to bring more light in the book of Galatians especially concerning the curse,but let us read first:
Gal 3:10
For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse: for
it is written, Cursed is every
one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them.
Sha'ul goes on:
Gal 3:13
The Messiah hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree
(D'varim 21:23):
What
was the context of the Book of Galatians?
Gal 1:6
I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the favour of the Messiah unto another evangel:
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would
pervert the glad tidings of the Messiah...............
Gal 2:16
Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Yehoshua the Messiah, even we have believed in Yehoshua the
Messiah, that we might be justified
by the faith of the Messiah, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no
flesh be justified.
Gal 2:17
But if, while we seek to be
justified by the Messiah, we
ourselves also are found sinners, is
therefore the Messiah the minister of sin? By no means.
Gal 2:18
For if I build again the things
which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor (sinner).
Gal 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto YHWH.
Sha'ul
after having explain return to his first saying, calling the Galatians "foolish":
Gal 3:1
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not
obey the truth, before whose eyes
Yehoshua the Messiah hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal 3:2
This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of
the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3
Are ye so foolish? having begun
in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
What
is Sha'ul speaking about here:" having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh"?
Is the Torah bringing curses because of what? Let us read again:
Deu 27:26 ‘Cursed
is he who does not establish the
Words of this Torah.’ And all the
people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
What
then? In the time of Yeshua, Sha'ul and
the apostles, the leaders were the Pharisee
who enforced their own Laws called "law of justification" divided in:
- Halacha/ot
'Rabbinic). A body of laws derived from a manipulated interpretation
of scriptures or rabbinic logic many times using "filters" from one
or more of the many interpretation rules built on the seven rules of Hillel
- Minhagin: Customs are traditions
enacted as law, built on the axiom "minhag
Israel toraj hi" (a custom in Israel is Torah).
Takanot and Gezerot: Enactments and decrees of
the Rabbis, invented out of thin air (nothing), with no scriptural
justification. Simply, new religious laws framed with the authoritty of the
"oral law", a violation of D'varim
4:2, 12:32.
- Ma'asim: The deeds or actions of
the Rabbis or sages (Pharisee), justifying how a tradition should be observed.
The ma'asim (works) were derived from
stories, incidents, and actions of rabbis (scribes, pharisee), NOT SCRIPTURES, making the ma'asim a source of new laws. (excerpt
from Galatians from Avi ben Mordechai).
In
the light of this explanation we can see that the Torah was not bringing curse on the people but the fact to follow the ma'asim
(works), takanot, gezerot and minhagin of the Pharisee instead of the Torah ALONE.
Deu 12:1 “These
are the laws and right-rulings which you guard to do in
the land which יהוה Elohim of your fathers is
giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the soil.
The laws: Strong’s # H2706 חק
chôq khoke....From H2710; an enactment;
hence an appointment (of time,
space, quantity, labor or usage): - appointed, bound, commandment, convenient, custom, decree (-d), due, law, measure, X necessary, ordinance (-nary), portion, set time, statute, task...H2710 châqaq khaw-kak'..... A primitive root;
properly to hack, that is, engrave
(Jdg_5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive
times) or (generally) prescribe: - appoint,
decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, portray, print, set.
Right ruling Strong’s # H 4941 משׁפּט mishpâṭ mish-pawt'.
From H8199; properly a verdict
(favorable or unfavorable) pronounced
judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human
or (particularly) divine law,
individual or collectively), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime,
and the penalty; abstractly justice, including a particular right, or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style: - + adversary, ceremony, charge, X crime,
custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be
judged, judgment, just (-ice, -ly), (manner of) law (-ful), manner, measure,
(due) order, ordinance, right, sentence,
usest, X worthy, + wrong.......
Deu 12:2 “Completely
destroy all the places where the nations which you are dispossessing served
their mighty ones (elohim), on the high mountains and on the hills and under
every green tree. ………..
Destroy: Strong’s # H6 אבד 'âbad aw-bad'....... A primitive root;
properly to wander away, that is lose oneself; by implication to perish (causatively, destroy): - break, destroy (-uction), + not escape, fail, lose, (cause to,
make) perish, spend, X and surely, take, be undone, X utterly, be void of, have
no way to flee.
The only way to
remove all the “mighty ones” is to destroy them, in our life to “wander away”
to go to another place. To have no more
fellowship with the people who still keep the way of the “mighty ones”. Sha’ul speaks about to be separate from
all kind of idolatry. 2nd Corinth. 6:14-17.
Deu 12:3 “And you shall break down their altars, and smash
their pillars, and burn their Ashĕrim with fire. And you shall cut down the
carved images of their mighty ones and shall destroy their name1 out of that place. Footnote: 1The names of the gentile deities
(mighty ones)……………
Asherim, the King James Version
speaks of “groves”. If we look in the Hebrew we will have a better
understanding.
Asherim: Strong’s # H842 אשׁירה אשׁרה 'ăshêrâh
'ăshêyrâh ash-ay-raw', ash-ay-raw'...............;From H833; happy;
asherah
(or Astarte) a Phoenician goddess;
also an image of the same: -
grove. Compare H6253............;
H6253 ‛ashtôreth
ash-to'-reth Probably for H6251; Ashtoreth,
the Phoenician goddess of love (and increase): - Ashtoreth.(Ishtar, Ester, Maria…)......
Ashtoreh comes from Isthar, the Babylonian goddess..............
Years later, the prophet YrmeYahu
write:
Jer 7:18 The childrenH1121 gatherH3950
wood,H6086 and the fathersH1 kindleH1197
(H853) the fire,H784
and the womenH802 kneadH3888 their dough,H1217 to makeH6213
cakesH3561 to the queenH4446 of heaven,H8064(simeramis, Ishtar,Ashtar,Maria....)
and to pour outH5258 drink
offeringsH5262 unto otherH312 gods,H430
thatH4616 they may provoke me to
anger.H3707
The queen of heaven was Ishtar also called “Simeramis”,
today called “Marie Queen of heaven” by the Roman Catholic.....
Simeramis was the wife
from Nimrod the mighty man who turned
the people from serving יהוה under Terah the father of Abram.
Deu
12:4 “Do not do so to יהוה
your Elohim, Deu
12:5 but seek the place which יהוה
your Elohim chooses, out of all
your tribes, to put His Name there,
for His Dwelling Place, and there you shall enter. Deu 12:6 “And there ( in this
place) you shall take
your burnt offerings, and your offerings, and your
tithes, and the contributions of
your hand, and your vowed offerings, and your voluntary offerings, and the
firstlings of your herd and of your flock. Deu 12:7 “And there (inthis place) you shall eat before יהוה
your Elohim, and shall
rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which יהוה
your Elohim has blessed
you. …………
Moshe make all very clear concerning blessing and curses.
In the next verse he says:
Deu
12:8 “Do not do as we are doing here today – each one doing whatever is right in his own eyes.
Jdg 17:6 In those days there was no
sovereign in Yisra’ĕl – everyone did what was right in his
own eyes........
This was after the decease of Yohushua, before Saul was
chosen to be the first king of Israel.How it is today, what the rulers of this world
doing? Are they following divine rules or do they do what is right in their own
eyes? And how is it with us today, are we all following the same rules or are we doing what is right in our own eyes?
(discuss in the light of the Torah).
Do you know the responsibility of a leader today,
explained by Sha’ul according to the “Brit Chadashah” (falsely called New
Testament), read carefully and discuss?
Eph 4:11 and
He (יהושע) Himself gave some as
emissaries, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers (for which reason?)
Eph 4:12 for the perfecting of the
set-apart ones, to the work of
service to a building up of the
body of the Messiah,
Eph 4:13 until we all come to the unity
of the belief and of the knowledge of the Son of
Elohim, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of
the completeness of Messiah, Eph 4:14 so that we should no longer
be children, tossed and borne about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men, in cleverness, unto the craftiness
of leading astray,1 Footnote: 15:6,
also 2 Cor. 10:5, 2 Cor. 11:3-14,
Gal . 1:6-9, 2 Tim. 3:1-8, 2 Tim. 4:2-4, 2 Peter 2:2-22,
Jud. Vv. 10-19.
The perfecting of
the Set-apart ones The building of
the body of Messiah To come to the
unity of the belief To the
knowledge of the Son of Elohim (that
is יהושע)
to a perfect man (in his image Rom:8:29) That we should no longer be tossed (shake) by every wind of doctrine (man’s
own teaching apart from the Torah)
Deu
12:9 “Because you have not yet
entered the rest and the inheritance which יהוה your
Elohim is giving you.
Deu
12:10 “But you shall pass over
the Yardĕn, and shall dwell in the land which יהוה your
Elohim is giving you to inherit, and He shall give you rest from all your
enemies round about, and you shall dwell in safety.
To pass the Yarden
is and Euphemism to enter the Kingdom from darkness to light. Darkness is represented by Egypt (Mitzrayim), light by יהוה’s Kingdom…..
Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness,1
but now you are light in the Master. Walk as children of light –
Footnote: 1See 2:2, 4:18, Col. 3:7.
Col 1:13 who has delivered us from the authority of
darkness1 and transferred
us into the reign of the Son of His love, Footnote:
1Lk. 11:35, John 8:12, John 12:46-50, Acts 26:18, Eph. 5:8. .....
Who are these powers of darkness?
Eph 6:12 Because we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of
this age, against spiritual matters
of wickedness in the heavenliet.
Rev 16:10 andG2532
theG3588 fifthG3991 angelG32
poured outG1632 hisG848 vialG5357
uponG1909 theG3588 seatG2362 of theG3588
beast;G2342 andG2532 hisG848 kingdomG932
wasG1096 full of darkness;G4656 andG2532
they gnawedG3145 theirG848 tonguesG1100
forG1537 pain,G4192....
Deu
12:11 “And it shall be, that
unto the place which יהוה your
Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell there, there you are to
bring all that I command you: your burnt
offerings, and your offerings, and your
tithes, and the contributions of
your hand, and all your choice
offerings which you vow to יהוה.
Don’t
forget the place chose by יהוה the place where יהוה chose to make His Name dwell. THERE shall the
children of Israel bring their TITHE!
Explanation: Today there
is no Temple in Yerushalayim we are
for most of us scattered in the four winds, far from Eretz Ysrael. So is it still possible to require tithe from
brethren, knowing that the tithe must be
brought to "the place where Elohim
make his Name dwell". Does the Name Elohim dwell TODAY in Yerushalayim?:
Sha'ul
gives us insight in an allegory concerning Yerushalayim's condition:
Gal 4:24
Which things are an allegory:
for these are the two covenants; the one
from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar.
Gal 4:25
For this Hagar is mount Sinai in
Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem
which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26
but Jerusalem which is above
is free, which is the mother of us all.
No Temple, a defiled city Yerushalayim full of paganism and idolatry......
Is it possible to bring tithe to the City where
Elohim make His Name dwell? Is it
possible to ask brethren for tithe when it is required to bring only in ONE place? No matter what
others will tell you, but fact is that TITHE need to be brought to Yerushalayim.
2Ki 21:4 and he built altars in the House of יהוה, of
which יהוה
had said, “In
Yerushalayim I put My Name.”
Deu
12:12 “And you shall rejoice
before יהוה
your Elohim, you and your
sons and your daughters, and your male servants and your female servants, and
the Lĕwite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance
with you. Deu 12:13 “Guard
yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you
see, ………….
The place for the offering was chosen of Elohim. Compare with:
1Ki 12:27 “If these people go up to do slaughterings in the House of יהוה at Yerushalayim, then the heart of this people
shall turn back to their master, Reḥaḇʽam sovereign of Yehuḏah, and they
shall slay me and go back to Reḥaḇʽam sovereign of Yehuḏah.” 1Ki 12:28 So the sovereign took counsel and made two calves
of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to
Yerushalayim. See, your mighty ones, O
Yisra’ĕl, which brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim!”1Ki 12:29 and he set up one
in Bĕyth Ěl, and the other he put in
Dan. 1Ki 12:30 and this
matter became a sin, for the people went before the one as far as Dan. 1Ki 12:31 and he made the house of high places, and made
priests from all sorts of people, who were not of the sons of Lĕwi.
This came after the death of Sh’lomo when the two kingdoms split Yero’boam did what was evil in the eyes of יהוה. This was the beginning of the false priesthood as we
know it today with the Roman Catholic Church. Rome has never been chosen by Elohim, the priests are not
descendent from Levites, the pope has no authority the hierarchy in the Roman
Catholic is called the Nicolaitian
and the Messenger send by יהושע speak against
in the book of Revelation:
Rev 2:6 “Yet this you have, that you hate the works of the Nikolaites, which I also hate. Rev 2:15 “So you also have those who adhere to the teaching of the Nikolaites,
which teaching I hate. Rev 2:16 “Repent, or else I shall come to
you speedily and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Strong gives following definition for the word Nikolaites: Strong’s # G3531 Nikolaitēs nik-ol-ah-ee'-tace From G3532; a Nicolaite, that is, adherent of Nicolaus: - Nicolaitane....... G 3532 Nikolaos nik-ol'-ah-os From G3534 and G2004;
victorious over the people; Nicolaus, a heretic: - Nicolaus......
G3534nikos nee'-kos From G3529; a conquest
(concretely), that is, (by implication) triumph:
- victory.....G 2004 epitassō ep-ee-tas'-so
From G1909 and G5021; to arrange
upon, that is, order: - charge, command, injoin...
.In this definition we can
see that the structure of the Roman Catholic Church has been built on the
doctrine of the Nicolaitane in order
to be “victorious over the people” or to
dominate them by putting them under bondage. Nicolas was one of those who
were chose by the Apostles in the book of Acts who later departed from the
truth to build his own doctrine:
Act 6:5 and the word pleased the entire group. And
they chose Stephanos, a man filled with belief and the Set-apart Spirit, and
Philip, and Prochoros, and Nikanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nikolaos, a convert from Antioch,
........
Albert Barnes:...........And Nicolas - From this man some of the fathers
(Iren., lib. 1:27; Epiphanius, 1; Haeres., 5) says that the sect of the
“Nicolaitanes,” mentioned with so much disapprobation Rev_2:6, Rev_2:15,
took their rise. But the evidence of this is not clear. A proselyte - A “proselyte” is one who is converted from one religion to another. See
the notes on Mat_23:15. The word does not mean here that he was
a convert to “Christianity” - which was true - but that he had been
converted at Antioch from paganism to
the Jewish religion. As this is the only proselyte mentioned among the
seven deacons, it is evident that the
others were native-born Jews, though a part of them might have been born
out of Palestine, and have been of the denomination of “Grecians,” or
“Hellenists.”............
Adam Clarke:......Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch - A heathen Greek, who had not
only believed in the God of Israel, but had
also received circumcision, and consequently was a proselyte of the covenant;
for, had he been only a proselyte of the gate, the Jews could not have associated with him. On the word proselyte,
see the note on Exo_12:43. As this is
the only proselyte mentioned here, we may presume that all the rest were native
Jews. From this Nicolas, it is supposed
that the sect called Nicolaitans, mentioned Rev_2:6,
Rev_2:15, derived their origin. Dr.
Lightfoot doubts this, and rather inclines to derive the name “from ניכולא nicola, let us eat together; those brutes
encouraging each other to eat meats offered to idols, like those in Isa_22:13, who said, Let us eat flesh and drink
wine, etc.” Both Irenaeus and Epiphanius
derive this sect from Nicolas the deacon. Clemens Alexandrinus gives this
Nicolas a good character, even while he allows that the sect who taught the
community of wives pretended to derive their origin from him. See on Rev_2:6
(note)……
Deu 12:14 except in
the place which יהוה chooses, in one of
your tribes, there you are to offer your burnt offerings, and there you are to
do all that I command you. ……
The place
chosen by יהוה is mentioned many time,
verses 5,14,18,21,26, chapter 14:23, 15:20, 16:2, Yohushua 18:1. It is in 1st King 8 that we found the place
mentioned.
1Ki 8:1 Then Shelomoh assembled the elders of Yisra’ĕl and all the heads of the
tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to Sovereign Shelomoh in Yerushalayim, to bring up the ark
of the covenant of יהוה from the City of Dawiḏ, which is Tsiyon.
1Ki 8:2 and all the men of Yisra’ĕl
assembled to Sovereign Shelomoh at the festival in the month of Ěythanim, which is the seventh month. ……..
We see יהוה plan be
infolded and confirmed verse 29…….
1Ki 8:29 “For Your eyes to be open toward this House night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name is there,’ to listen to the prayer which
Your servant makes toward this place.
Tsiyon: Strong’s #
H6726 ציּון tsîyôn tsee-yone'
The same (regular) as H6725; Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem: - Zion.
Tsiyon is also a euphemism for the heavenly Yerushalayim. Sha'ul quoting from YeshaYahu
2 write:
Gal 4:26 But the Yerushalayim above is free (witout
bondage), which is the mother of us all. Isa 2:2 and it shall be in the latter days that the mountain of the House of יהוה is
established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills.
And all nations shall flow to it. Isa 2:3 and many people shall
come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה, to the House of the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ, and let Him teach1
us His ways1, and let us walk in His
paths1, for out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah1,
and the Word1 of יהוה
from Yerushalayim.” Footnote: 1His
ways, His paths, the teaching and the Word
of יהוה
are used synonymously…….
.יהוה had chosen this place until Yehoshua Messiah came. This is why Yehoshua said to the Pharisee:
Mat 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place (Yerushalayim) is one greater than the temple.
From the time of יהושע the presence of יהוה departed from the temple, because יהושע is the living Torah. People were
fixed on the temple and the majority followed the Pharisee rules. This why the
Temple was destroyed by divine decision by the hand of the Romans in the year
70CE under Vespatian, from the year 30 CE the time when יהושע appeared to bring the restoration and the year 70 CE, there are 40 years
which is the time for repentance. This is the fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy
chapter 9:24-26.......
Deu
12:15 “Only, whatever your
being desires you shall slaughter and eat, according to the blessing of יהוה your Elohim which He has given you, within all your
gates. The unclean and the clean do eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer
alike. ……
Here we shall give an explanation for the gazelle and the
deer which are not unclean according to the law of Vayiqra 11 or D’avarim
14, we see here verse 5 that the gazelle which is also called roebuck and the
deer, called the hart are clean animals
to be eaten…….Verse 15 the clean refers to those animals who are ceremonial
clean, which are qualified for
sacrifices. Gazelle and deer are not.
Deu
12:16 “Only, the blood you do not eat, pour
it on the earth like water. ……
What are many people doing in the Philippines eating
“dugo, dugo” and in France, Germany and others countries with their “bloodwurst”,
“blutwurst” in other countries as sacrifice partaking?.......
Deu
12:17 “You are not allowed to eat within your gates the
tithe
of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or of the firstlings of
your herd or your flock, or of any of your offerings which you vow, or of your
voluntary offerings, or of the contribution of your hand. Deu 12:18 “But eat them
before יהוה your Elohim, in the place which יהוה
your Elohim chooses, you and your son and your
daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite who is
within your gates. And you shall rejoice before יהוה
your
Elohim in all that you put your hands to.
It is very
interesting to read that the Torah command the children of Israel to eat the
tithe before יהוה in the place which יהוה Elohim had chosen for them………
How it is possible today that so many so called “Christians minister” and unfortunately
even “messianic leaders” claim the
tithe to be paid to them? Here we see in a clear text that the tithe is to be
eaten by the people themselves. There is rule to share with the Levites and the
poor, but it is clear that the tithe was to rejoice in the presence
of יהוה. For more information read the midrash “Is tithe for us today”.
Deu
12:19 “Guard (shamar) yourself
that you do not forsake the Lĕwite as long as you live in your land. ……….
Deu
12:20 “When יהוה your
Elohim enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘Let me eat
meat,’ because you long to eat meat, you eat as much meat as your being
desires. Deu 12:21 “When the
place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you shall slaughter from your herd
and from your flock which יהוה has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat within your gates as much
as your being desires. Deu
12:22 “Only, as the gazelle and
the deer are eaten, so you are to eat of it. The unclean and the clean alike
eat of it. …..
See commentary verse 15………….YOU! This is yourself and your family as it is mentioned in
verse: “you and your son and your daughter, and
your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite who is
within your gates”.
Deu
12:23 “Only, be firm not to eat
the blood, for the blood is the life, do not eat the life with the meat. ……..
See Vayiqra 17:11 ‘For the life of the
flesh is in the blood, and I have
given it to you upon the altar to make
atonement for your lives, for it is the blood
that makes atonement for the life.’
Deu
12:24 “Do not eat it, you pour
it on the earth like water. Deu
12:25 “Do not eat it, that it
might be well with you and your children after you, when you do what is right
in the eyes of יהוה. ……
We see once again that a commandment is followed by a promise. Do what I tell you to do
and it will be fine with you and your children.
Deu
12:26 “Only, the set-apart
(Qadosh) gifts which you have,
and your vowed offerings, you are to take up and go to the place which יהוה chooses.
Deu 12:27 “And you shall make your burnt offerings, the meat
and the blood, on the altar of יהוה your
Elohim. And the blood of your offerings is poured out on the altar of יהוה your
Elohim, and you eat the meat. Deu
12:28 “Guard (shamar), and obey
(shama) all these words which I command you, that it might be well with you and your children after you forever,
when you do what is good and right in
the eyes of יהוה your Elohim.
If we compare with יהושע
or
Yochanan words we will see that there
is NO change at all in the Torah today:
Joh 14:15 “If you love Me, you shall guard (shamar) My commands..... 1Jn 5:3 For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard (shamar) His commands,1
and His commands are not heavy.....2Jn 1:6 and this is the love, that we walk (to walk is
to shamar/keep) according to His commands.1 This is the
command, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Deu
12:29 “When יהוה your
Elohim does cut off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and
you dispossess them and dwell in their land, Deu 12:30 guard (shamar*) yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them,
after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire about
their mighty ones, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their mighty ones? And let me do so too.’1 Footnote: 1See also 18:9, Lev. 18:3, Jer.10:2,
Ezek. 11:12 & 20:32, Eph. 4:17, and 1 Peter 4:3 …..Deu 12:31 “Do not do so to יהוה your
Elohim, for every abomination which יהוה hates
they have done to their mighty ones, for they even burn their sons and
daughters in the fire to their mighty ones. ….Deu 12:32 “All the words I am
commanding you, guard to do it – do not add to it nor take away from it.1 Footnote: 1See
also 4:2, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19. …………
* Shamar: The word shamar
comes again and again and means : "to
hedge around with thorn, like the shepherd set a hedge with thorn to protect
the sheep from the night predators".
Chapter 13
Deu 13:1 “When there arises among you a
prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he shall give you a sign or a wonder, Deu 13:2 and the sign or the wonder shall
come true, of which he has spoken to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other mighty ones – which you have not known – and
serve them,’ Deu 13:3 do not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams,
for יהוה your Elohim is trying you to know whether you love יהוה your Elohim with all your
heart and with all your being.
Things may look at the first approach like very good or
even having a high spiritual message. How can we know what to do, when people
or somebody speaks “sweet words”?
Some people have a good knowledge of the word and use it
to their own advantage. Here we read that יהוה
is
“testing” the children of Israel,
letting a false prophet come and speak swelling words. The verse 3 says “for יהוה
your
Elohim is trying you to know whether
you love יהוה your Elohim
with all your heart and with all your being”. For those coming out of “Christianity” have you not heard “the Lord say!” or “the Lord spoke to me!” from pastors, especially during when they
receive “guest speakers” using
swelling words to get the money out of the pocket of naïf Christians.
יהושע says that somebody will be
recognized by his fruits!
Mat 7:16 “By their fruits you shall know them. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes
or figs from thistles?
From this it is evident that words alone do not testify
for somebody’s life, fruits are always connected with the action of the Torah. This is the same with a prophet.
What he speaks may come to pass, but his life’s style will demonstrate who he
is really. Today the world of Christianity is full of prophet. If we got o
internet, we will see how many self call prophet are proclaiming to know what
will happen soon. It is amazing that these pretending prophets all reject the
Torah and practice pagans’ rituals, Christmas, Sunday worship, eating unclean
food, calling people to worship false gods like “Jesus the god who say that the Torah is abolished”…..
Shaul writing to the Thessalonians says:
2Th 2:9 the coming of the lawless one is according to the
working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood,
2Th 2:10 and
with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, in order for
them to be saved. 2Th 2:11 and for this reason Elohim
sends them a working of delusion,
for them to believe the falsehood,
Deu
13:4 “Walk after יהוה your
Elohim and fear Him, and guard His commands and obey His voice, and serve Him
and cling to Him. Deu
13:5 “And that prophet or that
dreamer of dreams is put to death, because he has spoken apostasy against יהוה your
Elohim – who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim and redeemed you from the
house of bondage – to make you stray from the way in which יהוה your
Elohim commanded you to walk. Thus you shall
purge the evil from your midst. Deu 13:6 “When your brother, the son of your mother, or
your son or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as
your own being, entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other mighty
ones’(elohim)– which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, Deu 13:7 of the mighty ones of the people which are all
around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the
other end of the earth – Deu
13:8 do not agree with him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pardon him, nor spare him or conceal him, Deu 13:9 but you
shall certainly kill him. Your hand is
first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the
people,
Deu 13:10 and you shall stone him with stones until he dies,
because he sought to entice you away
from יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of
Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage. Deu 13:11 “And let all Yisra’ĕl
hear and fear, and not again do any such evil matter as this in your midst. Deu 13:12 “When you hear someone in one of your cities,
which יהוה your Elohim gives you to dwell in, saying, Deu 13:13 ‘Some men, sons of Beliyaʽal, have gone out of you
midst and led the inhabitants of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and
serve other mighty ones” ’ – mighty ones whom you have not known – Deu 13:14 then you shall inquire, search out, and ask
diligently. And see if the matter is true and established that this abomination
was done in your midst, Deu
13:15 you shall certainly smite
the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, putting it under the
ban, and all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword. Deu 13:16 “And gather all its plunder into the middle of the
street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, before יהוה your
Elohim. And it shall be a heap forever, never to be built again. Deu 13:17 “And none of that which is put under the ban is to
cling to your hand, so that יהוה turns from the fierceness of His displeasure and
shall show you compassion, love you and increase you, as He swore to your
fathers, Deu 13:18 when you
obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim,
to guard all His commands which I command you today, to do what is right in the
eyes of יהוה your Elohim. ………….
יהוה
warn the Children of
Israel (carnal man) to remove idolatry from their
(our) midst (6-8) from our own family. I know today it is a challenge
for many, because they think that to cut relationship with our own family
members is “sin” or because of tradition, but what does יהושע say?
Mat 10:34 “Do
not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword,1
Footnote: 1In Lk. 12:51 the word “division”
is used, while “sword” has the same meaning here. Mat 10:35 for I
have come to bring division, a man against his father, a daughter against
her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – Mat 10:36
and a man’s enemies are those of his own household.1 Footnote: 1Lk.
12:53, Mic. 7:6...........
The choice may be difficult, but if
we listen to the small voice of the “Ruach
HaQodesh” (Set apart Spirit) we will see that it is the only way to follow
Messiah. This does not mean that we should hate our family, the “door” remains open, and if they repent
we receive them. Most of the people are living in a form of idolatry, some
flagrant like those belonging to the Roman
Catholic who worship Marie (i.e. Isthar, Ester, Simeramis) as the “mother of
G-d” and “Queen of heaven”, for
others their idolatry is different, they follow the “g-ds” of the world,
soccer, football, musicians……and the list is long. We saw people talking from “Michael Jackson” calling him “King of the Pop” the man whom the “all world cry when he died”. “The most
popular singer ever born in the planet”. TV programs were full of reportage
concerning his burial and story were told, it was difficult to turn on TV
without having a man speaking from him. This is the world following HaSatan behind the “man of perdition”, the spirit of the world……..
CHAPTER 14
The chapter 14 concerns the kosher
food. clean and unclean. This is the basic of a proper life before Elohim for all those who claim to love יהוה Elohim.
Deu 14:1 “You are the children of יהוה
your Elohim. Do not cut
yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead, ………
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, give following commentary for the verse 1: It was a common practice of
idolaters, both on ceremonious occasions of their worship (1Ki_18:28), and at funerals (compare Jer_16:6; Jer_41:5),
to make ghastly (bloody) incisions
on their faces and other parts of their persons with their finger nails or
sharp instruments. The making a large bare space between the eyebrows was
another heathen custom in honour of the dead (see on Lev_19:27, Lev_19:28;
see on Lev_21:5). Such indecorous and
degrading usages, being extravagant and unnatural expressions of hopeless
sorrow (1Th_4:13), were to be carefully
avoided by the Israelites, as derogatory to the character, and inconsistent
with the position, of those who were the people of God [Deu_14:2].......
In the book of
1st King when EliYahu mock
the priest of Ba’al we can read:
1Ki 18:28 and they cried aloud, and cut
themselves, according to their
ruling, with knives and spears, until
the blood gushed out on them. ......
Deu 14:2 for you are a set-apart people to יהוה
your Elohim, and יהוה
has chosen you to be a
people for Himself, a treasured possession above all the peoples who are on the
face of the earth. …Deu
14:3 “Do not eat whatever is abominable. ……..
Not only swine,
it is obvious that whatever refers to the list following, we should be able to
recognize what is acceptable unto us. Even today be careful when you seat at a
pagan table, that their meat is not with blood!
Deu 14:4 “These are the living creatures which you do eat:
ox, sheep, and goat, ……Deu
14:5 deer, and gazelle, and
roebuck, and wild goat, and mountain goat, and antelope, and mountain sheep. Deu 14:6 “And every beast that has a split hoof divided in
two, chewing the cud, among the beasts, you do eat. ……
We see two
types of animals, both of them are “clean”
for consume, the one be acceptable
to eat alone “deer, gazelle, roebuck,
wild goat, mountain goat, antelope.....and other with split hoof, who chew cud,
and those feed for sacrifice who can
also be eaten, ox, sheep and goat…..
Deu 14:7 “But of those chewing the cud or those having a
split hoof completely divided, you do not eat, such as these: the camel, and
the hare, and the rabbit, for they chew the cud but do not have a split hoof,
they are unclean for you. Deu
14:8 “And the pig is unclean for you, because it has a split hoof, but does
not chew the cud. You do not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses. Deu 14:9 “These you do eat of all that are in the waters:
all that have fins and scales you do eat. Deu 14:10 “And whatever does not have fins and scales you do not eat, it is unclean
for you. Deu 14:11 “Any clean
bird you do eat, Deu
14:12 but these you do not eat: the eagle, and the vulture, and
the black vulture, Deu
14:13 and the red kite,
and the falcon, and the buzzard after their kinds, Deu 14:14 and every raven after its kind, Deu 14:15 and the ostrich, and the nighthawk,
and the seagull, and the hawk after their kinds, Deu 14:16 the little owl, and the great owl,
and the white owl, Deu
14:17 and the pelican,
and the carrion vulture, and the fisher owl, Deu 14:18 and the stork,
and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat. Deu 14:19 “And every
creeping insect that flies is
unclean for you, they are not eaten. Deu 14:20 “Any clean bird you do
eat. Deu 14:21 “Do not eat
whatever dies of itself. Give it to the stranger who is within your gates,
to eat it, or sell it to a foreigner. For you are a set-apart people to יהוה
your Elohim. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s
milk. ……
To cook a young
goat in its mother milk was also a pagan tradition. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown bible commentary:
Thou shalt not seethe a
kid in his mother's milk--A prohibition against imitating the superstitious
rites of the idolaters in Egypt, who, at the end of their harvest, seethed a
kid in its mother's milk and sprinkled the broth as a magical charm on their
gardens and fields, to render them more productive the following season.
Keil and
Delitzsch give another explanation and disagree with Jamieson Fausset and
Brown:
“Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his
mother's milk,” refers to the feast of Ingathering, is deprived of its
principal support. And any such allusion is rendered very questionable by the
fact, that in Deu_14:21, where this
command is repeated, it is appended to the prohibition against eating the flesh
of an animal that had been torn to pieces. Very different explanations have
been given to the command. In the Targum,
Mishnah, etc., it is regarded
as a general prohibition against eating flesh prepared with milk. Luther and others suppose it to refer
to the cooking of the kid, before it has been weaned from its mother's milk.
But the actual reference is to the
cooking of a kid in the milk of its own mother, as indicating a contempt of
the relation which God has established and sanctified between parent and young,
and thus subverting the divine ordinances. As kids were a very favourite food (Gen_27:9, Gen_27:14;
Jdg_6:19; Jdg_13:15;
1Sa_16:20), it is very likely that by
way of improving the flavour they were sometimes cooked in milk. According to Aben Ezra and Abarbanel,
this was a custom adopted by the
Ishmaelites; and at the present day
the Arabs are in the habit of cooking lamb in sour milk. A restriction is
placed upon this custom in the prohibition before us, but there is no intention
to prevent the introduction of a superstitious usage customary at the
sacrificial meals of other nations, which Spencer and Knobel
have sought to establish as at all events probable, though without any definite historical proofs, and for the most part on
the strength of far-fetched analogies........
Before going further I will give some explanation I read
in the “Epistle of Barnabas”. Barnabas was the one bringing Sha’ul to the Apostles (Acts 9:27) and
later brought him to Antioch (Acts 11:22-25)……
Barnabas give spiritual
insight why we shouldn’t eat “unclean”
animals beside the fact that this
animals may be carrier of diseases as it is well know today with the swine.
3 He mentioned the swine for this reason: you shall not consort (associate), he
means, with men who are like swine,
that is to say, when they have plenty, they forget the Master, but when they
are in need, they recognize the Master, just as the swine when it eats does not
know its master, but when it is hungry it cries out, and after receiving food
is again silent. 4 “Neither will you
eat the eagle nor the hawk nor the buzzard nor the crow.”
You must not, he means, join yourself or
make yourself like that of such men, as do not know how to gain their food
by their labor and sweat, but plunder other people’s property in their
iniquity, and lay wait for it, though they seem to walk in innocence, and look
around to see whom they may plunder in their covetousness, just as these birds
alone provide no food for themselves, but sit idle, and seek how they may
devour the flesh of others, and become pestilent in their iniquity….5 “You
must not eat,” he says, “The lamprey
nor the polypus nor the cuttlefish.” You must not, he means,
consort (associate) with or become like such men who are utterly ungodly and who are already condemned
to death, just as these fish alone are accursed, and float in the deep water,
not swimming like the others but living on the ground at the bottom of the sea.6 In this manner, he says, You must not
eat the hare (rabbit), meaning you
must not indulge in unnatural lusts;.7
nor will you eat the hyena, meaning
you must not be an adulterer;8 nor will you eat the weasel, meaning you must
not do uncleanness with your mouth concerning food;9 Moses received three doctrines concerning food and spoke like this of them in the Spirit; but they received them as really referring to
food, owing (due) to the lust of their flesh.10 But David received
knowledge concerning the same three
doctrines, and says: “Blessed is the man who has not gone in the counsel of
the ungodly” as the fish go in
darkness in the deep waters, “and has not
stood in the way of sinners” like those who seem to fear the Master, but sin like the swine, “and has not sat in the seat of the scorners” like the birds who sit and wait for their prey.
Fully grasp the doctrines concerning food.11
Moses says again, “Eat of every animal that
is cloven hoofed and chews the cud.” What does he mean? That he who receives food knows him who feeds
him, and rests on him and seems to rejoice. He spoke well with regard to
the commandment. What then does he mean? Consort (associate) with those who
fear יהוה,
with those who meditate in their heart on the meaning of the word which they
have received, with those who speak of and observe the commands of יהוה,
with those who know that meditation is a work of gladness, and who ponder on
the word of יהוה.But
what does “the cloven hoofed” mean?
That the righteous both walks in this world and looks forward to the holy age
(world to come). See how well Moses legislated.12 But how was it possible for
them to understand or comprehend these things? But we, having a righteous
understanding of them, announce the commandments as the Master wished. For this cause, he circumcised our hearing
and our hearts that we should comprehend these things……………..
And this is also concerning the swine that was washed turn to her wallowing in the mire. (2nd
Kefa 2:22)......It is like those men who having been washed by the word,
return to the world...................
Deu
14:22 “You shall tithe without
fail all the yield of your grain that the field brings forth (in the Land of Ysrael) year by year. Deu 14:23 “And you shall eat before
יהוה your Elohim, in
the place where He chooses to make His
Name dwell, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and of
the firstlings of your herds and your sheep, so that you learn to fear יהוה
your Elohim always. Deu
14:24 “But when the way is too
long for you, so that you are not able to bring the tithe, or when the place
where יהוה your Elohim
chooses to put His Name is too far from you, when יהוה
your Elohim is blessing
you, Deu 14:25 then you shall give it in silver, and shall take the silver in your hand and go
to the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses.Deu 14:26 “And you
shall use the silver for whatever your being desires: for cattle or sheep,
for wine or strong drink, for whatever your being desires. And you shall eat
there before יהוה your Elohim,
and you shall rejoice, you and your
household. Deu
14:27 “And do not forsake the Lĕwite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with
you. Deu 14:28 “At the end
of every third year you bring out all the
tithe of your increase of that year and store it up within your gates. Deu 14:29 “And the Lĕwite, because he has no portion nor
inheritance with you, and the sojourner and the fatherless and the widow who
are within your gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that יהוה
your Elohim does bless you
in all the work of your hand which you do. …..
Verses 22-29 give us inside in the tithe which is a tenth
part of
the increase of the field. It has to be brought to the temple. It is
good to know that the tithe is direct connected to the temple,” the place where
He chooses to make His name dwell”……The verse 25 demonstrates that at this time
money or at least value for money existed in form of silver. יהוה didn’t ask for the tithe for silver! Further we see that the tithe is also direct
connected with the farmers. We don’t see the fishers been asked for tithe or
the scribes, or servants, or magistrate. The reason for the tithe is twofold. First
of all verse 23: so that you learn to
fear יהוה your Elohim always, the
other reason verses 28-29 is to share
with the Levites that had no
inheritances and for the tithe every third year with the sojourner, the
fatherless and the widow. Concerning the widow we have details from Sha’ul to Timothy in the 1st
epistle chapter 5:3-15.
Here a commentary from Keil and Delitzsch
regarding the tithe every three years:……………..Every third year, on
the other hand, they were to separate the whole of the tithe from the year's
produce (“bring forth,” sc., from the granary), and leave it in their gates
(i.e., their towns), and feed the
Levites, the strangers, and the widows and orphans with it. They were not
to take it to the sanctuary, therefore; but according to Deu_26:12., after bringing it out, were to make
confession to YHWH of what they had done, and pray for His blessing. “At the end of three years:” i.e.,
when the third year, namely the civil year, which closed with the harvest (see
at Exo_23:16), had come to an end. This
regulation as to the time was founded upon the observance of the sabbatical
year, as we may see from Deu_15:1,
where the seventh year is no other than the sabbatical year. Twice, therefore,
within the period of a sabbatical year, namely in the third and sixth years,
the tithe set apart for a sacrificial meal was not to be eaten at the
sanctuary, but to be used in the different towns of the land in providing
festal meals for those who had no possessions, viz., the Levites, strangers,
widows, and orphans. Consequently this tithe cannot properly be called the
“third tithe,” as it is by many of the Rabbies, but rather the “poor tithe,” as
it was simply in the way of applying it that it differed from the “second” (see
Hottinger, de decimies, exerc.
viii. pp. 182ff., and my Archäol.
i. p. 339). As an encouragement to carry out these instructions, Moses closes
in Deu_14:29 with an allusion to the
divine blessing which would follow their observance..................
The Sh’mitah (release) Strong’s # H8059 שׁמטּה
shemiṭṭâh shem-it-taw'
From H8058; remission (of debt)
or suspension (of labor): -
release.........
There is a
divine law concerning debt. By reading these verses we will understand why
there are poor people all around the world.. Israel was planned to be an example to the all
world, in order to make the other nations forget their mighty-one (elohim) and
turn to the only true Elohim, יהוה
of Israel. Remember
after the flood, it is Nimrod who
turned the heart of the people to go after others mighty ones.
Seven is
the number for divine perfection on earth, the time of release or “sh’mitah” for all people under debt.
This time is also part of the jubilee cycle.......
Deut. 15:1 “At the end of every seven years you make a release of debts.
Deu 15:2 “And this is the word of the release (shemitah): Every creditor is to release what he has loaned to his neighbour, he does not require it of his neighbour or his brother, because it is called the release
of יהוה. Deu
15:3 “Of a foreigner you could require it, but your
hand is to release whatever is owed by your brother. Deu 15:4 “Only,
there should be no poor among you. For יהוה does
greatly bless you in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess as an
inheritance, Deu
15:5 only if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה
your Elohim, to guard to
do all these commands which I am commanding you today. Deu 15:6 “For יהוה your Elohim shall bless you as He promised you. And
you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And you shall rule
over many nations, but they do not rule over you.
Deu
15:7 “When there is a poor man
with you, one of your brothers, within any of the gates in your land which יהוה
your Elohim is giving you,
do not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, Deu 15:8 for you shall certainly open your hand to him and
certainly lend him enough for his need, whatever he needs. Deu 15:9 “Be on guard lest there be a thought of Beliyaʽal
in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is near,’ and your eye is evil against your poor brother and you give him naught. And he shall cry out to יהוה
against you, and it shall be a sin in you. ………
The evil eye is spoken by יהושע
a
negative attitude toward a brother:
Mat 6:23 “But if your eye is evil all your body
shall be darkened. If, then, the light that is within you is darkness, how
great is that darkness!
Deu
15:10 “You shall certainly give to him, and your heart should not be grieved
when you give to him, because for this reason יהוה your
Elohim does bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.
Pro 11:25 The generous being is enriched, and he who water is also watered himself...
Deu
15:11 “Because the poor one
does not cease from the land. Therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall
certainly open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to your needy one,
in your land.’
Pro 14:21 He who despises his neighbour sins; But he who shows favour to the poor,
O blessed is he.
Pro 19:17 He who shows favour to the poor
lends to יהוה,
and He repays his deed….
Pro 21:13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, Let him also cry and not
be heard.........
Deu
15:12 “When your brother is
sold to you, a Heḇrew man or a Heḇrew woman, and shall serve you six years,
then let him go free from you in the seventh year. Deu
15:13 “And when you send him away free from you, let him not go away
empty-handed. ………
Here the
commentary from Jamieson, Fausset and Brown: thou shalt not let him
go away empty — A seasonable and wise provision
for enabling a poor unfortunate to regain his original status in society, and
the motive urged for his kindness and humanity to the Hebrew slave was the
remembrance that the whole nation was once a degraded and persecuted band of
helots in Egypt. Thus, kindness towards their slaves, unparalleled elsewhere in
those days, was inculcated by the Mosaic law; and in all their conduct towards
persons in that reduced condition, leniency and gentleness were enforced by an
appeal which no Israelite could resist..................
We can imagine that if this principle were used today in
the world people would have a better life. Unfortunately, it is not so, year
after year Forbes (worldly magazine) news
paper proclaim the list of the richest people in the world, the new Chinese millionaires,
the “people” who make the greatest money with movies, the singer who have the
greatest success. We know that when יהושע
returns,
he will restore everything and the Kingdom of יהוה
will
rule the all world: Divines rules for all men.
Deu 15:14 “You shall
richly supply him from your flock, and from your threshing-floor, and from
your winepress. With that which
יהוה has blessed you with, give to him. Deu 15:15 “And you shall remember
that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim, and יהוה
your Elohim redeemed you. Therefore I am commanding you this word
today. Deu 15:16 “And it shall be, when he says to you, ‘I do not
go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, because it is good for
him with you, Deu
15:17 then you shall take an
awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant
forever. Do the same to your female servant. Deu 15:18 “Let it not be hard in
your eyes when you send him away free from you, for he has been worth a double
hired servant in serving you six years. And יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in all that you do. Deu 15:19 “Set apart to יהוה your Elohim all the first-born males that come from
your herd and your flock. Do no work with the first-born of your herd, nor
shear the first-born of your flock. Deu 15:20 “You and your household are to eat it before יהוה
your Elohim year by year
in the place which יהוה chooses.
……..
יהוה is not greedy, thinking only for himself. We see
that the firstling was to be perfected. The one who brought his firstling to יהוה was the one to eat it with his Household. We can
learn from it that יהוה was looking for the best
for his people. Sacrifice was an act of faithfulness to Elohim, as he doesn’t need sacrifices to supply his daily needs. Elohim is Ruach and those who worship him shall worship him, in the Ruach and in truth……The place where יהוה put His name is the chosen place for His people. If
we go to the book of Revelation we will see the importance of this place:
Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those1 doing His commands,2 so that the authority
shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to
enter through the gates into the city. Footnotes: 1See
Mt. 19:17. 2Long before the books were compiled to form “The New
Testament,” Rev. 22:14 was quoted, as it is here given, by Tertullian (CE 208),
and by Cyprian (CE 251) – see the well-known Antenicene Fathers.....Rev 22:15 “But outside
are the dogs and those who enchant with drugs, and those who whore, and the
murderers, and the idolaters, and all who love and do falsehood.1
Footnote: 1See 21:27, 2 Thess. 2:11........
Deu 15:21 “But when
there is any defect in it, lame or
blind, or has any evil defect, do not slaughter it to יהוה
your Elohim. Deu 15:22 “Eat it within your gates – the unclean and the
clean alike – as the gazelle, and as the deer. To be understood, the one
acceptable for the sacrifices and also the other clean animals…Deu 15:23 “Only, do not eat its blood, pour it on the
ground like water. Deu 16:1 “Guard the month of Aḇiḇ, and
perform the Passover to יהוה your Elohim, for in the month of Aḇiḇ יהוה
your Elohim brought you out of Mitsrayim by night. Abib is directly
connected with the First month of the Hebrew calendar which has been perverted
by the tradition of man. Moshe is
speaking to the young generation, those who will enter the promise land.
Remember all the other have died in the wilderness because of unbelief……Heb 3:16 For who, having heard, rebelled?
Was it not all who came out of Mitsrayim,
led by Mosheh? Heb 3:17 and with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in
the wilderness? Heb 3:18 and to whom did He swear that they would not enter into His rest, but
to those who did not obey? Heb 3:19 So we see that they were unable to enter in because of unbelief.
Deu 16:2 “And you shall slaughter the Passover to יהוה
your Elohim, from the
flock and the herd, in the place
where יהוה chooses to put His Name.
Deu 16:3 “Eat no leavened bread with it. For seven days you
eat unleavened bread with it, bread of affliction, because you came out of the
land of Mitsrayim in haste – so that you remember the day in which you came out
of the land of Mitsrayim, all the days of your life. Deu 16:4 “And no leaven should be seen with you in all your
border for seven days, neither should any
of the meat which you slaughter in the evening on the first day stay all night
until morning.
Deu 16:5 “You are
not allowed to slaughter the Passover within any of your gates which יהוה
your Elohim gives you,
Deu 16:6 but at the place where יהוה
your Elohim chooses to
make His Name dwell, there you
slaughter the Passover in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at the appointed time you came out of Mitsrayim. Deu 16:7 “And you shall roast and eat it in the place which
יהוה your
Elohim chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. Deu 16:8 “Six days you eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is a closing
festival to יהוה your
Elohim – you do no work. Deu
16:9 “Count seven weeks for
yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle
to the grain. Deu
16:10 “And you shall perform the Festival of Weeks to יהוה
your Elohim, according to
the voluntary offering from your hand, which you give as יהוה
your Elohim blesses you. ……..
Elohim cycle is marked by the number seven and multiple
from seven. The all men cycle on earth will be, as it has been written:
Gen 6:3 And יהוה
said, “My Spirit shall not
strive with man forever in his going astray. He is flesh, and his days shall be
one hundred and twenty years.” …….. Moshe died as he was 120 years
old. Scholars agree that there will be 120 jubilee before יהושע
come
back to establish the Kingdom of Elohim.
We have entered the 120th Jubilee in the year 1997. So we have a
part of the answer concerning the return of our Master (see my “midrash” on the 120 years)……… Deu 16:11 “And you shall rejoice before יהוה
your Elohim, you and your
son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the
Lĕwite who is within your gates, and the stranger and the fatherless and the
widow who are in your midst, at the place where יהוה
your Elohim chooses to
make His Name dwell. Deu
16:12 “And you shall remember
that you were a slave in Mitsrayim, and you shall guard and do these laws. Deu 16:13 “Perform the
Festival of Booths for seven days after the ingathering from your
threshing-floor and from your winepress, Deu 16:14 and you shall rejoice in
your festival, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and
your female servant, and the Lĕwite, and the stranger and the fatherless and
the widow who are within your gates. Deu 16:15 “For seven days you shall
observe a festival to יהוה your Elohim in the place which יהוה
chooses, because יהוה
your Elohim does bless you
in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only
rejoicing! Deu 16:16 “Three
times a year all your males appear before יהוה your Elohim in
the place which He chooses: at
the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And none should appear before יהוה
empty-handed, Deu 16:17 but
each one with the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of יהוה
your Elohim which He has
given you.
Haftarah
YeshaYahu 54:11-55:5, 1st
Yochanan 4:1-6
Isa 54:11 “O you afflicted one, tossed with storm, and not comforted, see, I am
setting your stones in antimony, and shall lay your foundations with sapphires,
Isa 54:12 and shall make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones, Isa 54:13 and all your children taught by יהוה,
and the peace of your children great.
Isa
54:14 “In righteousness you
shall be established – far from oppression, for you shall not fear, and far from ruin, for it does not come
near you. Isa 54:15 “See, they shall indeed
assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever shall assemble against you falls for
your sake! Isa 54:16 “See, I Myself have
created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an
instrument for his work. And I have created the waster to destroy. Isa 54:17 “No
weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall prove wrong.
This is the inheritance of the servants of יהוה, and
their righteousness from Me,” declares יהוה. Isa 55:1 “Oh everyone who
thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no silver, come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without price. Isa 55:2 “Why do you weigh out silver for what is not
bread, and your labour for what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat
what is good, and let your being delight itself in fatness.
Isa 55:3 “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, so that your being lives. And
let Me make an everlasting covenant with you, the trustworthy kindnesses of
Dawiḏ. Isa 55:4 “See, I have given Him as a
witness to the people, a Leader and a Commander for the people. Isa 55:5 “See, a nation you do not know you shall
call, and a nation who does not know you run to you, because of יהוה
your Elohim, and the
Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, for He has adorned you.”
The
promises of Elohim are everlasting.
What he has spoken will come to pass. We are the privileged generation. We
belongs to those living in the last days, those who receive the revelation of
the Name of the Elohim of Abraham; Itzak and Ya’acov, those
who have received the truth by יהושע Messiah, and those who will, יהוה
helping see the
glorious return of our Master יהושע……
Read what
the prophet YeshaYahu write few chapters
later:
Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Master יהוה is upon Me, because יהוה
has anointed Me to bring
good news to the meek. He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to
proclaim release to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who
are bound, Isa 61:2 to proclaim the acceptable year of יהוה,
and the day of vengeance of our Elohim, to comfort all who mourn, Isa
61:3 to appoint unto those who
mourn in Tsiyon: to give them embellishment for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. And they shall be called trees
of righteousness, a planting of יהוה, to
be adorned. Isa 61:4 and they shall rebuild the old ruins, raise up the
former wastes. And they shall restore the ruined cities, the wastes of many
generations. Isa
61:5 and strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the
foreigner be your ploughmen and your vinedressers. Isa 61:6 But you
shall be called, ‘Priests of יהוה,’ ‘Servants of our Elohim’
shall be said of you. You shall consume the strength of the gentiles, and boast
in their esteem.
1Jn 4:1 Beloved ones, do not believe every
spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of Elohim, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of Elohim: Every spirit that confesses that
יהושע
Messiah has come in the flesh is of Elohim, 1Jn 4:3 and every spirit that
does not confess that יהושע
Messiah has come in the flesh is not of Elohim. And this is the spirit of the anti-messiah which you
heard is coming, and now is already in the world.
These two
verses are not so easy to understand if we don’t know the context Anti-Messiah,
“docetism” from the “Gnostics” (Gnostic teach “secret
knowledge”) who taught that Messiah was divine of one side and a mere man from
the other side but were never mixed. This is what Yochanan is explaining here.
Kefa call יהושע
“a
man approved by Elohim” Acts 2:22……. I
have heard in the charismatic groups also this doctrine of 100 percent man and
100 percent divine. This is what Yochanan
write they are from the anti-messiah because they divide יהושע
from
his mortal, human nature.
1Jn
4:4 You
are of Elohim, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in
you is greater than he who is in the world.
1Jn 4:5 They are of the world, therefore they speak as of
the world, and the world hears them. 1Jn 4:6 We are of Elohim – the
one knowing Elohim hears us. He who is not of Elohim does not hear us. By this
we know the Spirit of the Truth and the spirit of the delusion.
Man alone
can do nothing, if he has not the “Ruach”
of Elohim, because revelation does
not come by man but by the “Ruach” of
Elohim!...............
May יהוה
bless you as you keep the way of life following our Master יהושע.
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