Tag Archives: commandments
Keeping & Doing the Commandments of God
“And you shall guard My commands and do them. I am יהוה. ~ Leviticus 22:31 (ISR98)
Most bible translations do not use the word “guard” in this verse. Instead, it is often translated as “to keep”. If we look up the Hebrew in this passage we see the word, “shamar” (שָׁמַר). The overall translation in the Hebrew lexicon for H8104 is – to keep, guard, observe, give heed. Further investigation illustrates an even better picture of what it means to keep, or to guard something; a primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to.
Inductive Torah Study: The Feast of Trumpets – Day Two
Today we will continue our study with OBSERVING Cross References and related passages. We will repeat the OBSERVATION of all the related passages throughout the study using the whole counsel of the Word to determine the INTERPRETATION of the topic, book or passage we are studying. Then after INTERPRETATION phase is completed, we will APPLY what we have learned in our lives. Each day will build upon the previous and we will summarize what was OBSERVED in each. Group discussion allows you to share your insights with others who are participating in the study. Additional insight can be gleaned from the Observations of the group, so please share yours for discussion!
Breaking God’s Heart
As we all walk in the freedom that Yeshua/Jesus has blessed us with, many times we find that we tend to slip away from the promised blessings of the Holy Scriptures. Many Christians go to church every Sunday and Wednesday, are very active in their participation, and generally try to live their lives in a manner that is pleasing to YHVH. What I hear quite often though from these devoted followers of Yeshua/Jesus, is that even though they believe, and even though they love YHVH, and even though they do all the things that they are taught by the Pastors and Sunday School teachers, they still somehow feel a million miles apart from the relationship and intimacy that the Holy Scriptures promise for them that “believe”. I hear the same sermons over and over on the radio and from the pulpits, covering the same topic as we are here. The Pastors and Apologists are always seeming to have sermons on being patient, and telling believers to be faithful, even if they feel their prayers are not being answered, even if they are experiencing tribulations, even though they may feel as if God had forgotten them. When I hear these things it saddens me, because there truly is an easy fix to all these problems. If a believer is not experiencing the promised blessings we get in the scriptures, there is a reason, and it is NEVER that YHVH has forgotten about them. We have an issue here. Believers are truly trying to gain that intimate relationship, but the churches all seem as if they are shallow graves, a lot of praise and worship, but really and truthfully, they bring no real change in people’s lives.
Back to Basics: What is the Torah?
For anyone who has been in this walk of T’shuva – returning to YHVH’s Word, it seems like a pretty simple question. However, while discussing our beliefs with family members and/or friends this is a common question that sometimes leaves me stunned. Then we must not forget everyone starts this walk by crawling. Baby steps. So, we’re introducing a “Back to Basics” series that will do just that; take us back to the basics for those who are new to Torah observance or are simply looking for answers – simple answers.
The Purpose & Meaning of Life
“What is the purpose or meaning of life?” This question has been asked countless times by many people throughout time. Books have written on the subject, many sermons have been given on it and yet, people are still looking for the answer. Men have searched the corners of the world to find the answer, yet come up empty-handed or with worldly perceptions of what our purpose is. What if the answer is sitting on your nightstand, or buried on a bookshelf. What if we can the answer using YHVH’s Word.
613 Commandments of Torah
Early in our walk we continued to hear the theme of there being around or up to 613 commandments in the Torah. Often times, when in a debate, we could point to the “New” Testament and say, “You think 613 is hard, there’s over 1000 commandments in the New Testament!!” (See: New2Torah 1000 Commandments). It became a numbers game and took the focus off the point.
Nehemia Gordon* brings up a great point on this topic in an episode of the Toral Pearls. Why look for 613 commandments? Putting a number on the commandments diminishes their purpose; for them to be followed and obeyed. One person could say there’s 613 and another person says there’s only 604, etc. It’s a matter of interpretation.
First of all, understand this: no prophecy of Scripture is to be interpreted by an individual on his own; for never has a prophecy come as a result of human willing — on the contrary, people moved by the Ruach HaKodesh spoke a message from God. ~ 2 Peter 1:20,21
The Parables: Understanding Hidden Mysteries
Yeshua/Jesus often spoke in Parables. A parable is a story told that has hidden value of wisdom, the story on the surface has a lesson in it, but the deeper Truths are concealed so that only people “in the know” can extract the full value of the intended meaning. I have had many people say to me, “The Word of God is simple, it says what it means and means what it says, I don’t need to treat the Bible like it is some encrypted secret code, Jesus made it simple so even a child can understand it”. Let’s hear what the Messiah says on the issue.
Mat 13:10 Then the disciples came and said to Jesus, “Why do you speak to people in parables?”
Mat 13:11 He answered them, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but it hasn’t been given to them.
Mat 13:12 For to anyone who has something, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who doesn’t have anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Mat 13:13 That’s why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but don’t see, and they listen but don’t hear or understand.’
