Oct. 9, 1999
Last week marked the beginning reading of the Torah, as once again the yearly cycle, according to traditional Judaism, starts. It is believed that at the time of Yeshua the Torah was read in a three-year cycle. But whether it was read through in the course of a year, or in three makes little difference if one does not understand what these Divine Scriptures say. Yeshua said, "if you don't believe Moses how will you believe me, for he spoke of Me?" (John 5:46). And when Paul went out to the nations, he too went to teach and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and Yeshua from the Torah and the Prophets (see Acts 28:23).
One of Yeshua's greatest dissertations, or explanations of the Torah, can be found in Matthew Chapters 5 through 7. He did not lay down rules and regulations, but rather explained the very nature and heart of the Torah. That is to say, the nature of the new creation life that was to be written on the heart of the New Covenant redeemed Israelites. Within the context of the teaching He taught His disciples to pray: "Our Father", as a point of personal family identity (both as an Israelite and as an individual). "Doubtless You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not recognize us. You, YHVH are our Father; our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name" (Isaiah 63:16). "But now, YHVH, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand" (Isaiah 64:8). Next, Yeshua tells us that our Father is in the heavens. Please note the plurality of heavens. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me" (Psa.139:7-10). Then Yeshua sanctifies the name of our Father, acknowledging not just the 'letter of the name', but the very nature of His name - "Holiness", set apart. After giving glory to the Father, He sets in order the priorities, first and foremost His Father's Kingdom and His will; "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done". Where? “On earth as it is in the heavens”. "As it is in the heavens" seems to indicate that there is no problem with His will being done there. But the earthly protocol of His Kingdom is the point at which He was driving. That is, the redemption of His inheritance, Israel, and the irrevocable call that is upon them as a nation, those who are predestined to become His royal priesthood in the earth - His Kingdom. This is why in Matt. 6:33 He exhorts his followers to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness". What does it mean to seek His Kingdom? Where do we look, and what do we look for?
Many possibilities present themselves in this search for the Kingdom of God on earth. But it seems that the search calls for a certain order. Perhaps to start with… The angel Gabriel, in announcing the birth of the Messiah, declared that this one, who was to come, would set up His Kingdom in the house of Jacob (see Luke 1:33). Later the Messiah's disciples, expecting Him to establish this Kingdom in Israel, asked Him when He was going to "restore the Kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6). They had been extremely disappointed that Yeshua had not accomplished what they felt the prophets had foretold. However, Yeshua's answer to their question was a little evasive, "just hang in there for it will soon come," (and with that He promised that they would receive the power from the Spirit of Holiness to be His witnesses of that Kingdom. Acts. 1:8). They had thought that there would be an outward manifestation to this Kingdom, with the Messiah sitting in Jerusalem on the throne of David. But Yeshua said that He was going to heaven to sit at His Father's right hand until all His enemies were dealt with (Luke 20:41-43). From that position of authority He would send the Spirit of Holiness and baptize the believing Israelites with fire, to purge and restore righteousness, peace and joy to the heart of His people.
"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them”…(Eze. 36:27, 37:14);
The Kingdom, along with the King, would take up residence in the House of Jacob. But rather than it being an outward Kingdom, it would be an internal spiritual one. Since the House of Jacob is made up of the two houses, and the two houses are made up of His people, it is the people who make up the house and have His Kingdom in them. In this way they are fulfilling what the Messiah came to do; to set up His divine authority in the life of the Israelites.
What does that Kingdom, residing in us, look like? It is a Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy (Rom. 14:17) fully explained by Yeshua in what have been called the "Beatitudes" (Matt. chapters 5, 6, and 7). When we read these so-called Beatitudes, they are not there for our doing, but, rather, they define our state of being (be-attitude). They are a revelation of the nature of His life which is in us. That is the true nature of Torah. Remember that on the first day of creation, the Word came forth out of the Elohim as Light. This Light is the true nature of the Creator and Father of us all (James 1:17). We have His nature in us, just as the Father was in Yeshua. Through receiving by faith (the faith of Abraham that is in us, see Romans 4:16) the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom a new birth takes place, and we are given a new spirit life (the life of the Spirit of Holiness, ref Ez. 36:26). Thus we are able to see the Kingdom and to know the power of the age to come.
The lesson that our forefather Abraham taught us was that by faith we are declared righteous, but through obedience we receive the blessing of the inheritance of His Kingdom in our own earthen vessel. But we must remember when teaching and learning "Torah", that it is not the letter of the Word which has life, but that this life is in the nature of the Spirit of Torah (the Spirit of Holiness).
Be blessed in knowing that it is no longer you, the believer, that lives but the Anointed One of Israel that lives in you (Gal.2:20)! “For you have died and your life is hidden in Him, but He who now is your life, when He is unveiled to you [by revelation of Torah] then you will know who you are as well" (Col.3:3-4), with some of our paraphrasing). “For greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Ephraim
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brothers to dwell together in unity…" "In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together…to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers"
(Psa. 133:1, Jeremiah 3:18).
Last week marked the beginning reading of the Torah, as once again the yearly cycle, according to traditional Judaism, starts. It is believed that at the time of Yeshua the Torah was read in a three-year cycle. But whether it was read through in the course of a year, or in three makes little difference if one does not understand what these Divine Scriptures say. Yeshua said, "if you don't believe Moses how will you believe me, for he spoke of Me?" (John 5:46). And when Paul went out to the nations, he too went to teach and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and Yeshua from the Torah and the Prophets (see Acts 28:23).
One of Yeshua's greatest dissertations, or explanations of the Torah, can be found in Matthew Chapters 5 through 7. He did not lay down rules and regulations, but rather explained the very nature and heart of the Torah. That is to say, the nature of the new creation life that was to be written on the heart of the New Covenant redeemed Israelites. Within the context of the teaching He taught His disciples to pray: "Our Father", as a point of personal family identity (both as an Israelite and as an individual). "Doubtless You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not recognize us. You, YHVH are our Father; our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name" (Isaiah 63:16). "But now, YHVH, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand" (Isaiah 64:8). Next, Yeshua tells us that our Father is in the heavens. Please note the plurality of heavens. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me" (Psa.139:7-10). Then Yeshua sanctifies the name of our Father, acknowledging not just the 'letter of the name', but the very nature of His name - "Holiness", set apart. After giving glory to the Father, He sets in order the priorities, first and foremost His Father's Kingdom and His will; "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done". Where? “On earth as it is in the heavens”. "As it is in the heavens" seems to indicate that there is no problem with His will being done there. But the earthly protocol of His Kingdom is the point at which He was driving. That is, the redemption of His inheritance, Israel, and the irrevocable call that is upon them as a nation, those who are predestined to become His royal priesthood in the earth - His Kingdom. This is why in Matt. 6:33 He exhorts his followers to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness". What does it mean to seek His Kingdom? Where do we look, and what do we look for?
Many possibilities present themselves in this search for the Kingdom of God on earth. But it seems that the search calls for a certain order. Perhaps to start with… The angel Gabriel, in announcing the birth of the Messiah, declared that this one, who was to come, would set up His Kingdom in the house of Jacob (see Luke 1:33). Later the Messiah's disciples, expecting Him to establish this Kingdom in Israel, asked Him when He was going to "restore the Kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6). They had been extremely disappointed that Yeshua had not accomplished what they felt the prophets had foretold. However, Yeshua's answer to their question was a little evasive, "just hang in there for it will soon come," (and with that He promised that they would receive the power from the Spirit of Holiness to be His witnesses of that Kingdom. Acts. 1:8). They had thought that there would be an outward manifestation to this Kingdom, with the Messiah sitting in Jerusalem on the throne of David. But Yeshua said that He was going to heaven to sit at His Father's right hand until all His enemies were dealt with (Luke 20:41-43). From that position of authority He would send the Spirit of Holiness and baptize the believing Israelites with fire, to purge and restore righteousness, peace and joy to the heart of His people.
"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them”…(Eze. 36:27, 37:14);
The Kingdom, along with the King, would take up residence in the House of Jacob. But rather than it being an outward Kingdom, it would be an internal spiritual one. Since the House of Jacob is made up of the two houses, and the two houses are made up of His people, it is the people who make up the house and have His Kingdom in them. In this way they are fulfilling what the Messiah came to do; to set up His divine authority in the life of the Israelites.
What does that Kingdom, residing in us, look like? It is a Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy (Rom. 14:17) fully explained by Yeshua in what have been called the "Beatitudes" (Matt. chapters 5, 6, and 7). When we read these so-called Beatitudes, they are not there for our doing, but, rather, they define our state of being (be-attitude). They are a revelation of the nature of His life which is in us. That is the true nature of Torah. Remember that on the first day of creation, the Word came forth out of the Elohim as Light. This Light is the true nature of the Creator and Father of us all (James 1:17). We have His nature in us, just as the Father was in Yeshua. Through receiving by faith (the faith of Abraham that is in us, see Romans 4:16) the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom a new birth takes place, and we are given a new spirit life (the life of the Spirit of Holiness, ref Ez. 36:26). Thus we are able to see the Kingdom and to know the power of the age to come.
The lesson that our forefather Abraham taught us was that by faith we are declared righteous, but through obedience we receive the blessing of the inheritance of His Kingdom in our own earthen vessel. But we must remember when teaching and learning "Torah", that it is not the letter of the Word which has life, but that this life is in the nature of the Spirit of Torah (the Spirit of Holiness).
Be blessed in knowing that it is no longer you, the believer, that lives but the Anointed One of Israel that lives in you (Gal.2:20)! “For you have died and your life is hidden in Him, but He who now is your life, when He is unveiled to you [by revelation of Torah] then you will know who you are as well" (Col.3:3-4), with some of our paraphrasing). “For greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Ephraim
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brothers to dwell together in unity…" "In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together…to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers"
(Psa. 133:1, Jeremiah 3:18).
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