God was angry with His people before He brought them out of Egypt!

 

God was angry with His people before He brought

 them out of Egypt!

While reading Ezekiel chapter 20 recently I noticed something I hadn't seen before. Here God speaks to Ezekiel and mentions things about the Exodus story that I didn’t know. I want to focus on verses 5-9:

Ezekiel 20:5 "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, 'I am the LORD your God.'

 6 "On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, 'flowing with milk and honey,' the glory of all lands.

 7 "Then I said to them, 'Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'

 8 "But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, 'I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.'

 9 "But I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

 Apparently, BEFORE they left Egypt, God had instructed them to get rid of their pagan idols. Some of them must have refused and this made God angry. 

Then as you continue reading it sounds like this is part of the reason for the 10 plagues on Egypt.  At least it explains why some of them fell on everyone. Remember in the beginning, the plagues fell on all the people.

Exodus 7:19 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.'" 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.    21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.        22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.

The second plague seemed to also be on all the land and all the people:

Exodus 8:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.  2 "But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs.  3 "So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. 4 "And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants."'"

 5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.'" 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

Then came the third plague.  It also appears to have been on everyone:

Exodus 8:16 So the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.'" 17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast.  19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

** You can see by now that at least the magicians are realizing this is the "finger of God". 

Now we get to the place where God made a separation between his people and the Egyptians. This is the fourth plague:

Exodus 8:20 And the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 21 "Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 "And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. 23 "I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be."'"

One would hope that by this time, the Israelites are realizing Yehovah IS GOD and is doing what He promised.

Getting back to the Ezekiel text, there was another repercussion of this 'refusal to get rid of their idols'. Yehovah was forced to bring them out of the land and take them to the wilderness.  He did not want His name profaned or defiled in front of the Egyptians.

 Ezekiel 20:9 "But I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt."

Imagine how this looked to Yehovah and all of Heaven. 

 God had appeared  to Moses in the burning bush and declared His Name. He explained that He would fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by taking the people in to the Promised Land.  He sent Moses and Aaron to rescue the people out of their cruel bondage about which they had been crying out to God.  But after hearing of this great effort to save them, the people refused to give up their idols. What a slap in the face.

All we are told in the Exodus account is:

Exodus 4:29 "Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped."

The only complaining we hear about is that Pharaoh made their work even harder after Moses and Aaron showed up.

Exodus 5:19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, "You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota." 20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

Moses asked the LORD why this was happening and God responded.

Exodus 6:2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am YEHOVAH. 3 "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YEHOVAH I was not known to them. 4 "I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 "And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 "Therefore say to the children of Israel:                    'I am YEHOVAH; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 'I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am YEHOVAH your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 'And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am YEHOVAH.'" 9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

 

Not only was Yehovah's Name revealed to Moses and His people, but also to Pharaoh and his court.  His Great Name was now on the line.  So, for His Great Name's sake, God had to fulfill His promise. 

His action was to bring them out by a strong hand. He sent the rest of the plagues until Pharaoh had no choice but to let them go.  He warned of the severe Passover coming and told them to be ready to leave.  

Once the firstborn were killed, all of Egypt wanted them out! Then they HAD to leave. 

I admit this is not the way we see it when we read the Exodus. But from this portion of Ezekiel it sounds like there is more to the story.

As I reflect on this, I wonder if it could also apply to us today? How many of us are in bondage to this world system? We cry out to God to get us out, but we have had to wait. What if He sent a messenger (or Two Witnesses maybe??) to tell us He is brining us out? Would we listen to them?  If they told us to get rid of our idols or stop our abominations, would we?  

An argument could be made that even now there are plagues unleased on the entire planet in one form or another.  Will God make a separation between His people and the people of the world?  We will see...

It is time to RETURN TO YEHOVAH.

Zechariah 1:3 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says YEHOVAH of hosts: "Return to Me," says YEHOVAH of hosts, "and I will return to you," says YEHOVAH of hosts. 

The Flesh vs The Spirit (The Law of God and Galatians 5 - Part 2 )

The Flesh versus The Spirit (The Law of God and Galatians 5 - part 2)

 

The  Flesh  vs  The  Spirit

(The Law of God and  Galatians 5 – part 2)

 

People love to quote Paul to ‘prove’ they don’t have to keep the Law of God.

Did you know that even Peter thought Paul’s letters were confusing?

 

2Peter 3:15b “as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to

him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these

things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and

unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the

Scriptures.”

 

Don’t be quick to quote Paul you might NOT understand him. Here in Galatians 5 he spends most of his time dealing with the battle we all face. The LUST of the FLESH vs. Walking in the SPIRIT.

Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” 17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

 

Is Paul saying either you are led by the Spirit or you keep the law? This doesn’t seem to add up. That sounds like the law is bad.

The Spirit of God has the same character and attributes as God.

 If God is good, His Spirit is good. His Law should be too. God is RIGHTEOUS;  His Spirit is RIGHTEOUS.   So, His LAW should be too.

God is LOVE. His Spirit is LOVE. So, His LAW should be too.

 What did the Psalmist say?

Psalm 19:7 The LAW of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

What part of that sounds BAD to you?

Then what did Paul mean by being “under the Law”?

Let’s look at more of Galatians 5.

 

Remember, Paul told us the flesh is against the Spirit. Look at what Paul calls the Works of the Flesh:

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

ALL of these are Sins listed as violations of God’s Law. Then Paul lists the Fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”.

 

These Fruit are all desirable traits of the child of God.

Paul is contrasting the Flesh and the Spirit. The Lusts of the Flesh are all things which the Law tells us not to do. God gave the Law to show us what is Right and what is Wrong.

The Flesh wants to BREAK God’s Law. The Spirit wants to keep God’s law.

Why does Paul say this?

Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

 

He seems to be equating the Lust of the Flesh with ‘under the Law’.  ‘Under the Law’ refers to someone who can’t help themselves.

This  Law  controls them.   They are in bondage.  What Law controls them?

 

The Law of Sin and Death :

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

**Here is something important to note!  Sometimes Paul answers our questions in other letters he wrote. If we read Romans 8:1-9 he spells it out.

 

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

 

*** Stop there. Not that the Law was weak. It was the Flesh that is/was the problem!

Our FLESH willingly violates God’s Law so we suffer the consequences of our SIN. We all know that the wages of our sin is death.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Look at the rest of the Romans 8 portion.  There is a "righteous" requirement of the law. He really spells it out. 

 Romans 8:4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The carnal or natural man is 'unsaved'.  He has not been born again and received the Spirit of God within him.  That is the difference.  This is unbelievers versus believers. Not fighting each other, but the way they deal with God's Law is at odds.

 

Hopefully,  some   of   this   is   making   sense. What does this mean for the believer today?

What are you doing if you claim to walk by the Spirit but REFUSE to keep the LAW?

A believer should WANT to keep God’s Law and be OBEDIENT.

The unsaved person doesn’t care about God’s Laws and doesn’t try to keep them.

The CURSE of the LAW is on all who break it.

Yeshua redeemed us from the CURSE of the LAW.

 

Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree”.

Then WHY would we continue to BREAK God’s LAW afterwards?

 

I understand.  We have been LIED TO.  They told us the Law was done away.

This is EXACTLY what Peter warned about.

2Peter 3:16 “(Paul)  in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things,in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures”. 

 

Yeshua came to bring us the NEW COVENANT .  What does that do? 

Jeremiah 31:31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD”. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds,and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people”.

 

Ezekiel 11:19 "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,  20 "that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

 

Ezekiel 36:25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

 

THAT is the New Covenant.  What Covenant are YOU keeping?

 

Matthew 26:27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  28 "For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

You now have a choice.  Ignore God’s Law and be rebellious.  Follow God’s Law and be obedient.

 

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'

 

Matthew 7:23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

 

Luke 13:23 Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, 24 "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 "When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,'and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,'        26 "then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' 27 "But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' 28 "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.”

 

I don’t want this for any believers. Start reading the Book of the Law. Begin with Exodus and go through Deuteronomy.

Read the commandments and believe them.

Then you need to start learning them to do them. You will see that some of these commandments you can start doing.  Others you can’t or don’t understand.  Do not try to learn how to do priestly duties – you are not a priest.  If you are a man, obviously you can’t keep ones that are for women only.  You also don’t need to learn how to bring sacrifices.  It is not lawful for anyone to bring a sacrifice now that the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed and a priesthood who are sons of Aaron is not in place.  These are also God’s rules, so don’t stress about those parts. The Law is not a burden.  You can do it.

1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

 

This is what I mean when I say, “Return to Yehovah”.

 

Compiled by G.E. Walker                                                                          November 2020

 

The Law of God and  Galatians 5

I was asked recently for my view on Galatians chapter 5.  The person asking did not agree with my perspective of the Law of God and seemed to want to test me on this chapter.  Galatians is a book that is often quoted by people who do not want to keep the Law, so I was not surprised. 

I know many things Paul has written can be taken as against the Law and are confusing.  Even the Apostle Peter thought so.

2Peter 3:15b “as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

I wish to deal with the meat of this chapter rather than every verse.  Paul seems to keep to the same theme throughout. This is by no means an exhaustive explanation of the passage, but I wanted to present an answer. 

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

 What is this liberty he speaks of?  We are free from the curse of the Law.  We are no longer in bondage to sin. We have been forgiven of our sins and promised eternal life.  We no longer have to fear death.

Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

If you are a believer, you know these things to be true. But Paul also mentioned a “yoke of bondage” that we should not be entangled with.  Some people assume he means the Law of God is this yoke. 

Look back in the scriptures and see all those who kept the Law of Moses. People like Joshua, Samuel, David, Daniel and so many others.  Do you think they considered the Law a ‘yoke of bondage’? If so, you sure do not see it in the Psalms or in the lives of these men.  It was their pleasure to be obedient to the God of Israel. 

Something was different about each of them.  They knew and loved Yehovah their God by faith, not out of duty.  The Torah (five books of Moses) and later parts of the Bible teach who God is so we can know His power and His character.

          Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 We learn a lot about God by His Laws and statutes and judgments. The Bible is full of references that the Law of God is good, right, just and true. 

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 

There is no way the Apostle Paul would say this Law is a yoke of bondage.

What more did Paul say to the Galatians?

Galatians 5:13 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

It sounds like he is praising the Law because it is all about loving your neighbor. Then he begins to dig into the battle all believers face.  The Flesh versus the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” 

This sounds like either you are led by the Spirit of God, or you are one of those who keeps the Law (of God).  Does that sound odd to anybody?

The Spirit of God has the same attributes as God himself.  We know His Law is good and right and true.  So how can these two be against each other?

We are dealing with either believers or non-believers.  This is not about head knowledge; it is about salvation.  If one has been ‘born again’ he has the Spirit of God within.  An unbeliever does not have the Spirit and cannot understand the things of God.

1Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 

First, look at what Paul calls the Works of the Flesh:

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

All of these are sins which the Torah tells us not to do.  Some of the words might be different but they refer to the same acts that are against God’s Law.

Then Paul lists what he calls the Fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

These are all desirable traits of the follower of God.  He even says, ‘there is no law against these’. By that I think he means, there is nothing in God’s Law telling us not to have these. 

Paul is showing the flesh vs the Spirit.

The things he calls ‘Lusts of the flesh’ are ALL things which the Law tells us not to do.

The Law of God tells us what is right and what is wrong.

In the flesh, we want to break the Laws.

In the Spirit we don’t. 

From verse 18, Paul seems to be saying, “if you walk by the Spirit you will not walk after the lusts of the flesh”. He calls it being “under the Law”.

Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” 

I’d say in modern Christian terms that he means an unsaved person is ‘under the Law’.

That sounds strange to me. He must mean they are living “Under the Curse of the Law”; not that they are living by God’s Law.

We know this because he tells us the Flesh lives to do the things the Law forbids.

He equates walking in the Spirit with “Being obedient to the Law”, although he doesn’t say it that way.

Likewise, the Fruit of the Spirit is all the good, kind, loving things. We know that ‘Loving your neighbor as yourself’ IS kind, good and loving.

Somehow the Church has twisted Paul’s words to say that someone who lives by God’s Law is walking in the flesh!

That is exactly opposite of what Paul has said. 

Verse 16 could be reworded like this:

‘Walk in the Spirit and you will NOT do the things which the Law forbids.’

Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Walking in the Flesh is breaking the Law. 

*Here is where this can get a little uncomfortable for the believer today.

 

What are we doing if we claim to walk in the Spirit but refuse to keep the Law?

The saved person or believer should want to follow God’s ways and be obedient.

The unsaved person doesn’t care about God’s Laws and doesn’t bother trying to keep them.

The CURSE of the Law is on all who break it.

Yeshua redeemed us from the CURSE of the Law. Then why would we continue to break God’s Laws afterwards? 

I understand. We have been LIED TO. The Enemy told us the Law is done away. That is why believers today don’t think they need to keep the Law.

They actually think the Law is bad!

By keeping the Law, you are promised Blessing.

By breaking the Law, you get the curses.

You tell me which is better. 

Believers say they are under the New Covenant.  Okay, but what does that covenant promise?

Jeremiah 31:31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 

Ezekiel 11:19 "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,  20 "that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 

Ezekiel 36:25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

 

A believer has the Spirit of God within them. God has written His Law on our hearts.

Why would we not walk by this same Spirit that is within us?

Would the Spirit of God, tell you to stop obeying God? Of course not.

His law is written on your heart. That should make it easier to follow.

Why would God write something bad on our hearts in the New Covenant?? 

I have learned a few things from trying to keep the Law for the past 14 years. The Torah list the many things God considers sins.  For example, there is a whole section on sexual sins.  Not every sin is listed, but enough that you know what you should and should not engage in.  

He tells you what you should and should not eat, since some foods are abominations to Him. He wants us to keep the Ten Commandments and to observe His feasts.  He gives us what are called statutes and judgments to teach us how to treat our fellow man.  In essence, He teaches us how to judge righteously and make righteous choices for our own good.

For me, by learning the Torah I have a better idea how God wants me to live and it is easier to ‘walk in the Spirit’ because I know what the Spirit would want me to do. Can you see what I mean?  The Spirit of God can’t teach you things from the Bible that you have never read or that you believe are not necessary to do. 

The more we read God’s Word, the more the Spirit can draw from to teach and guide us. What is the solution?  Read the Torah.  Start reading, studying, and learning the Law of God right from your own Bible.  Do not go to commentaries and don’t ask your pastor. Most pastors have no knowledge of the Torah and would warn you to stay away from it.  The Holy Spirit of God will guide you into all Truth, but you must let him shine His light on the pages of the Word of God.

 

Matthew 13:43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

 Compiled by G.E. Walker                                                                                      November 2020

The Feasts of the LORD - Introductory Basics

 

The Feasts of the LORD

Introductory basics

If you are just learning about the Feasts of the LORD from the Old Testament, you will need some basic information to help you understand.

Why does God have a calendar?  He moves in the lives of men.  Throughout history, events have been scheduled around holy days that His people are to remember.  These holy days are used for signs to us and are considered ‘appointed times’ to meet with God.

A.  The sun and the moon are there for a reason.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth”: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

 

1.      The word for ‘sign’ in Hebrew is:  twa  'owth,  oth - Strong’s #0226

a signal, as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, ensign, token.

 

2.     The word for ‘season’ in Hebrew is:  dewm  mow`ed,  mo-ade' – Strong’s #04150

properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); appointed time.

 

You will find that the moon is particularly important to the timing of the feasts.  Sometimes it is the very first sliver of the New Moon seen in the sky that determines when a feast begins.  Other times, when the moon is Full you can know it is the time of a different feast.  This will make sense later.

 

B.   When does a day begin?

This might seem trivial, but God’s day begins differently than we are used to.  Several verses in Genesis 1 show this.

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Genesis 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Genesis 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

 

This shows that God started each day in the evening.  When the sun goes down on a given day, it is considered the end of one day and the beginning of the next.  This will be seen with the weekly Sabbath.  On Friday night at sundown, the Sabbath begins. It runs all through the day we call Saturday until sundown again.  Technically we would say Saturday is the Sabbath, but it begins right at sunset on Friday evening, not after midnight.

This is another important concept to understand.  It will carry on through the entire Bible.  If you do not know this and the previous concepts mentioned, there are many passages that you will not understand.

 

C.    When does a month begin?

In modern times, we have a calendar that tells us when a month begins.  When a month begins is not spelled out as obviously as some other things.  As you learn more about the feasts, it will become clear. 

For God’s Calendar, the month can be either 29 or 30 days. There is no such thing as a 28-day month or a 31-day month.  This is based on the cycle of the moon waxing and waning. As a month progresses, the moon at first gets bigger and bigger until it is full.  Then it starts waning and gets smaller and smaller becoming a thinner and thinner crescent. Eventually, it will be invisible to the eye (completely dark).  This period of NO moon can last 2 or 3 days. 

At some point, the first sliver of the “new moon” can be seen in the sky.  When that occurs, it marks the beginning of the New Month.  In Hebrew it is “rosh chodesh” or head of the month.  The word ‘chodesh’ (pronounced like kodesh) is ‘month’ as in a new month, or new moon.

In the Bible, God did not have to explain this to Moses (from what we can read).  The  people watched the sun, moon, and stars and understood things that many today don’t. 

*Please note:  What the Bible calls a New Moon is different from what modern science says.  NASA and other scientific sites consider the dark moon period the ‘new moon’. That may work for people with computers and telescopes, but not for the average shepherd or Israelite trying to keep track of the months. 

Why keep track of the months?  Because all of the feasts depend on knowing what day it is in a given month.  You will see that some Feasts begin on the 1^st day, some on the 14^th day and some on the 15^th day.  If you don’t know when a month began, how do you know which day it is?

These are “appointed times” that God has established.  He wants us to be there for His appointments.  If we love and want to follow Yehovah, the God of Israel, we need to be obedient and follow His calendar.

 

Numbers 10:10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

 

Isaiah 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

 

D.  When does the year begin?

Different cultures start their calendars at different times.  In the western world of today, January 1^st begins the year.  In Judaism, sometime in September is called Rosh Hashanah and is considered the beginning of the year.

We are trying to keep God’s calendar as laid out in the Word of God. 

To do this, we must go back to the time of the Exodus from Egypt.

Exodus 12:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.”

God was instructing Moses that the time of the Passover was to be the beginning of the year for their calendar from then on.  I do not know exactly what calendar they kept at that time, but it is clear this is what God wanted them to do and remember. 

If you want to confirm that this was at Passover time, read Exodus chapter 11, and the verses in chapter 12 following the passage above. 

We will look at more detail on Passover later. 

At this point, you know when God wants the year to begin. You know when a month begins.  You know when each day begins and ends. You also know that the Feast days are meant to be signs or appointed times for God’s people. 

 

 

Compiled by G. E. Walker                                                                                     November 2020

Some Thoughts on Galatians 2:11-21 from my Torah perspective.

 

Some Thoughts on Galatians 2:11-21

(part 2)

In a recent discussion I had with some people in comments on a YouTube video (not mine), I was asked my understanding of several verses of the New Testament.  This would have been a huge amount of time and writing to fully discuss how I understand these passages. There was no good way to do that in the comment section of someone else’s video.  I decided to write out some of my thoughts and put them on a blog post.  I will then respond the questioner with a link to the post so they can read it. This is by no means an exhaustive explanation of the passage, but I wanted to present an answer.

For this post, we will refer to Galatians 2:11-21

Galatians 2:11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17 "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!

 18 "For if I build again those things which I destroyed; I make myself a transgressor.     19 "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

      Peter and the others were raised to think they should not be near Gentiles. Mainly they should not go in their homes or eat their food. This started with the idea that Gentiles might be ‘ritually’ unclean for various reasons (all mentioned in the Torah). If you touched something unclean you were not able to go to the Temple until you became clean again.

For example, touching a dead body, or eating unclean foods by accident. Of course, you could become clean again - also explained in the Law.

Remember Peter’s vision of the sheet and his going to Cornelius’ house?

Acts 9b - “Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." 14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean."

With that background, Peter still had to consider unclean aspects. He learned from the experience with Cornelius, but still had more to understand.

Paul recognized this error and corrected Peter. No doubt he remembered some of Yeshua’s words from years before. In the story of the Good Samaritan, some religious men refused to help the injured man on the road. It can be argued that they were heartless, but it could also be they did not want to become ‘ceremonially’ unclean. One was a priest and the other a Levite.  They might have had duties to perform in the Temple.  This might have been a time of one of the Feasts. These were real concerns, but the right thing to do is always to help your fellow man first.  In other words, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

 

Then Paul makes a big point:

 

Galatians 2:16 “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

 

This I agree with 100%. We are saved (or justified) by faith in Yeshua our Messiah. Doing the works of the Law does not save us.

It will bring blessing if we keep it, or curses if we fail to. It will NOT bring Salvation.

Even before Yeshua, the people had to have faith. Some did the works of the Law as religious practices but had no love for Yehovah.

Some loved Yehovah like Samuel and David. Some disobeyed Him like king Saul.

Some were good like Josiah. Others were wicked like Ahab and Jezebel.

Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, were righteous before God and ‘blameless’ regarding the Law.

Luke 1:5 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

 

When Yeshua walked the earth, the priests and religious leaders had become corrupt. They loved their positions of authority and the attention they received. They did not teach the people correctly so many fell away from the true faith and keeping the commandments correctly.

Then came John telling them to Repent. Yeshua came also saying, “Repent”.

Both were calling the people to Return to the correct way of keeping the Law.

That is why they both spoke against the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites.

The people were not keeping the commandments and John and Yeshua were bringing them back.

Getting back to verse 17.

Galatians 2:17 "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!

 

Remember what the Bible defines as a sinner. Someone who transgresses the Law.

1John 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law”. (KJV)

 1John 3:4 “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness”. (NKJV)

Paul is basically saying. If you have been saved by Messiah (justified) don’t go back to breaking the Law thereby becoming a sinner.

He did NOT say that the Law was done away.

An example might be this. What if a person was an adulterer? Then they learn that is against God’s Law and they want mercy. They confess their sin to God, accept Yeshua and are forgiven. Now they need to go forward keeping the commandments. But if this person went again to commit adultery they are again sinning. If Paul were truly saying the Law was done, the adulterer would be okay.

Instead we know that cannot be the case. Yes, adultery was an extreme example, but you see the point, I hope.

Another example might be a person is a believer and goes to church every Sunday.  But one day they learn that the Sabbath is Saturday and was changed by the catholic church.  This doesn’t make Sunday bad, but calling it the Sabbath is wrong.  If this person starts keeping the real Sabbath as described in the Bible (not working, not buying or selling, etc.) they are doing right in God’s eyes.  However, if they learn this but then go back to doing what they want to on God’s Sabbath and refuse to keep it holy, they are now sinning. 

To this Paul says,

Galatians 2:18 "For if I build again those things which I destroyed; I make myself a transgressor.”

The bottom line is we are Saved through Faith in the shed blood of Yeshua as covering our sins.

Keeping the Law does NOT save you.  Breaking the Law willfully is Sin. Do we want to be obedient to God or rebellious?

I know many of Paul’s teachings are confusing and seem to contradict other parts of scripture. Even Peter thought Paul could be hard to understand…

2Peter 3:14 “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,16 “as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”

 I hope this perspective can shed some light.

Yehovah bless all who have ears to hear.

 

 Compiled by G.E. Walker                                                                                      November 2020