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The Faith of
Abraham |
What exactly is the faith of Abraham? Was Abraham a Torah
obedient individual? Or was Abraham a sinful man, full of rebellion and disobedience towards Elohim who somehow found favor
with Yahuweh because of his faith apart from works? Was Abraham someone who combined his faith in the promises of Yahuweh
with evil works, with stealing and fraud, with sexual immorality and drunkenness, with the consumption of unclean creatures
like bats, rats, and cock roaches, and through the celebration of pagan holy days?
Or was Abraham a man of faith because
he believed the Word of Elohim to be true, and showed his faith through his obedience to Torah?
Let’s search
the Scriptures and see what they reveal about the Torah and the Testimony in the life of Abraham.
Let’s begin
our study with B'resheet (Genesis) 17:1-12.
17:1 And when Abraham was 99 years old, Yahuweh appeared to Abram and
said to him, “ I am Almighty Elohim, walk before me and be blameless,
17:2 and I will make my covenant between
Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
17:3 And Abram fell on his face and Elohim talked with him saying,
17:4 As for Me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
17:5 No longer
shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. I have made you a father of many nations.
17:6 I
will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
17:7 And I will
establish my covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant.
To be Elohim to you and to your descendants after you.
17:8 Also, I will give to your descendants the land in which
you are a stranger. All the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession. And I will be their Elohim.
17:9 And Yahuweh
said to Abraham, as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
17:10 This is my covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you, and your descendants after you. Every make child
among you shall be circumcised.
17:11 …
17:12 He who is 8 days old among you shall be circumcised. Every
male child in your generations...
Okay, we have several things to cover in this chapter. The first is that Yahuweh
states that He is going to make this covenant with Abraham, and through this covenant make Abraham a father of many nations,
so that the nations (plural) may be blessed through him. And why is this word nation presented in the plural? Because Yahuweh,
through this covenant, is not just going to bless Israel only, but all the nations outside of Israel as well.
You
see, this isn’t just a covenant with the Jews, it’s not just a covenant with Judah, or Ephraim, or the 12 tribes,
or one of the tribes. It is a covenant for all 12 tribes of the nation of Israel, and for the people of nations outside of
Israel who desire to be grafted in to Israel (Romans 11).
Now it makes sense that if you make a covenant designed
to prepare the soil to bless the whole earth through, and to bless all the peoples of the earth through, that the foundation
of that covenant would include everything within it’s foundation necessary to bless those nations with.
Okay,
so what then is contained in the foundation of this covenant that the nations would ultimately be blessed through? Let’s
go to B'resheet (Genesis), 26:1-5.
26:1 ….there was famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in
the days of Abraham, and Yitz'chak (Isaac) went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines in Gerar;
26:2 and Yahuweh appeared
to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but dwell in a land which I shall tell you,
26:3 sojourn in this
land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will perform the
oath which I swore to Abraham, your father.
26:4 And I will cause your descendants to multiply as the stars of heaven,
and I will give to your descendants all these lands, and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
26:5
because Abraham obeyed my voice, guarded my hedge, the commandments, and appointed times of Torah.”
Isn’t
that interesting? We are always taught by the theologians that the commandments and appointed times of Torah came through
Moshe (Moses), who didn’t come onto the scene until 430 years later. But here we just learned that the Torah was known
and practiced by Abraham 430 years prior to Moshe (Moses).
Yes, it says it right here, “…in your seed
all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice, guarded my hedge, the commandments and appointed
times of Torah.”
Yahuweh’s laws and commandments were known by His people before it was given to Moshe
(Moses). Now, why would that be? It is because the Mt. Sinai experience was a re-introduction of the knowledge of Torah. A
re-introduction of that knowledge that had been lost to the culture of Egypt during the time of Israel’s enslavement.
You see, up to the time of Joseph and his brothers, the Torah was handed down to each generation by word of mouth,
and this word of mouth procession was lost when the Israelites became slaves in Egypt. This happened for two reasons.
One,
because when the people of a nation become slaves to another nation, they are stripped of their identities, their heritage,
their customs and their culture; and are forced to adopt the customs and religious practices of their masters.
Imagine
how much the customs of our nation alone have changed in a mere 200 years, or even in the past 50 years for that matter. And
those changes have occurred in a free nation and with the printed word; so how much greater the changes and traditions lost
in light of oppression, forced slavery, and in the absence of the printed word.
The second reason is that when Israel
went into Egypt, there were only 70 males. But when our people came out of Egypt with Moshe (Moses), we were a people of over
a half million adult males, with another 3 million or so people when adding women and children.
Word of mouth traditions
are best preserved in small groups, but the larger a community becomes, the more difficult the traditions become to maintain
with any consistent standard. Add this natural process of deterioration to a couple of generations of oppression upon an enslaved
people who have been stripped of their culture and identities, and you end up with a situation where those traditions need
to be re-introduced back into the culture before they can be re-perpetuated.
Thus, we have the story of Moshe (Moses)
with the re-establishment of the Torah of Abraham at Mt. Sinai to prepare the people of Israel for entry into the promise
land. The land promised to us through the covenant made with Abraham.
Now this is a very important note to remember,
because as we progress through our study, you will come to see more clearly how conditions of the covenant made with Abraham
are the same ones made with Moshe (Moses) and the children of Israel.
You will see that though they are two covenants,
the latter made at Mt. Sinai, and the former made with Jerusalem up above which is free; Galatians 4:21-31, you will find
that they contain the same Law, the Torah, and that the only thing that is different, is not the Torah, but how the administration
of atonement for the remission of sins is carried out. That is the only change.
The two covenants are like a rental
agreement. The rental agreement you sign is a covenant - one covenant. Then, when you move out, someone else moves in to take
your place, and in turn, likewise signs an identical covenant. It is a separate rental agreement - a separate covenant from
the one you signed, but yet identical in content, conditions and force.
And so it is with the covenant of Abraham.
The original covenant made with Abraham, and the renewal of that same covenant made with the new “tenants” at
Mt. Sinai.
But because there were several million tenants now, instead of just 70, a more sophisticated form of priesthood
had to be added that could provide atonement for the remission of sins of a whole nation now rather than just one family -
thus the tutor mentioned in Galatians that was added 430 years later to the covenant to attend to the issue of sin until Messiah
Yeshua could come; Galatians 3:16-19.
Let’s continue. Go to B'resheet (Genesis) 17:10 and you will see that
the covenant made with Abraham, the one that “Christians” claim to be a part of, declares a requirement of circumcision.
This is interesting, because when people speak against circumcision, they speak of it as if it was something originating
in the Torah given through Moshe (Moses), but there in the covenant made with Abraham, which Yahuweh gave through Abraham
to bless all the nations of the earth through, we see this covenant with Abraham being sealed with the sign of circumcision.
In fact, Galatians 3:29 it is written,
3:29 …if you are in Messiah, then you are a seed of Abraham and
heirs according to the promise.
And in B’resheet (Genesis) 17:7-14 it is written,
17:7 And I will establish
My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant…
17:8,9
…
17:10 This is My covenant which you shall keep between Me and you and your descendents after you: Every male
child among you shall be circumcised;
17:11,12 …
17:13 …and My covenant shall be in your flesh
for an everlasting covenant.
17:14 …
That is fascinating that the covenant that Christians claim
to be a part of, is the same covenant which says you need to be circumcised; for if someone were to teach circumcision today,
many, if not most, Christians would call them a legalist, though they themselves are probably circumcised.
But if
circumcision, or any other act of obedience to Torah, constitutes “legalism” then Abraham would have to be declared
a legalist.
But the theologians, the Christian “Scribes and Pharisees“, who declare they are of the “Faith”
of Abraham, and therefore not under the so called “Law”, fail to realize that Abraham did absolutely everything
that a modern theologian would label as legalism.
He circumcised himself and his descendants, he obeyed the Torah
- the so call “Law”, and he offered up animal sacrifices.
And in light of his understanding of the gospel
- of the resurrection of the dead, and of the giving of the first born for the remission of sins, was even willing to offer
up his son Yitz'chak (Isaac) as a human sacrifice - believing that Yitz‘chak was that promised seed - the Messiah; but
yet he is presented by theologians as the man of the “Christian” Faith.
Friends, we need to wake up to
the lies that we have been told. Abraham was not a man without works. Even as Ya’aqob (James) 2:14-26 plainly states.
Abraham was a man of the Faith, a man who believed and looked forward to the coming of Messiah; but the Faith that
our father Abraham displayed was everything that the theologians speak against today as “legalism.”
If
obeying Yahuweh’s commandments constitutes legalism, then disobeying Him constitutes what? illegalism?
Let’s
put this into contemporary terms. Imagine yourself driving 20 miles over the speed limit when suddenly flashing lights appear
in your rearview mirror, and sirens blare in your ears, and you discover yourself being pulled over for speeding.
Then
to make matters worse, as the police officer writes out the ticket for your irresponsible behavior you turn to him and state,
“Excuse me officer, don’t you think you are being a little legalistic writing out that ticket to me like that?
After all, officer, I am under grace, not under the law, right?
Now that would be a very unwise thing to say to a
police officer wouldn’t it? But yet, every time we call someone “legalistic” for obeying the commandments
of Yahuweh, we are placing ourselves in the position of the lawbreaker who is trying to make the police officer look bad for
addressing our irresponsible and/or criminal/sinful behavior.
Abraham was under grace, and looking forward to the
coming of Messiah even as we; and as also Moshe (Moses) was. As it says in the book of Hebrews concerning Moshe (Moses) and
the Israelites in the wilderness “for indeed the gospel was preached to them as well as to us”; Hebrews 4:2.
The
gospel has in fact been here since the time of the beginning - since the time of Adam; B‘resheet (Genesis) 3:15, and
so has His grace B‘resheet (Genesis) 3:21.
You see, Abraham heard the gospel and knew the grace of Yahuweh even
as we; yet Abraham knew and obeyed the Torah. And Moshe (Moses) likewise, heard the gospel and knew the grace of Yahuweh;
and knew and obeyed the Torah. And these two men are the two greatest men of faith presented in the Tanakh (so called “Old
Testament“) of Scripture.
But the Scriptures are clear that being under the grace of Yahuweh did not mean that
Abraham and Moshe (Moses) were free to violate His Torah (His “Law“). Being under grace, and not under law, does
not mean the Law is done away; and to speak such heresy is to speak against Yeshua Himself, who with His own words stated
emphatically that not the least stroke of a pen contained in the Torah would pass away until the heavens and the earth themselves
pass away.
No, to be under His grace means we are no longer under the law of sin. That is, we are no longer bound
to be servants to the law of sin, but are now free to be servants to the law of righteousness. Tehilli (Psalm) 119:172 states
that Yahuweh’s commandments are righteousness.
Now if you have seen previous studies, then you will recall the
study on “The Faith of Abraham” where we showed the progression of the covenant of Abraham.
Beginning
from Abraham, we showed how it passed on to Yitz'chak (Isaac), then on to Moshe (Moses), and all the way up through Zechar’yahu
(Zechariah) and Elisheva (Elizabeth), the parents of Yahchanan the Immerser (John the Baptizer), and then on to Yeshua and
the Apostles.
And we showed how they were not only all partakers of the covenant and faith of Abraham, but also how
they were all Torah obedient individuals in the strictest sense of the word.
But for the sake of those who have not
yet seen the previous studies, or who would benefit from a brief review, the components and progression of the covenant are
as follow.
Abraham obeyed the Torah. Yes, he circumcised Yitz'chak (Isaac) on the 8th day, and like Noah, offered
up sacrifices, and distinguished between the clean and unclean, and observed the moral codes and appointed times - as it says
in B'resheet (Genesis) 26:1-5, that Yahuweh was passing on the covenant made with Abraham onto Yitz'chak (Isaac), because
Abraham obeyed His voice and guarded His hedge, the commandments and appointed times of Torah.
It is because Abraham
was faithful to do these things that the covenant was passed on to Yitz'chak (Isaac) and Ya'aqob (Jacob) (who was also called
Israel) the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, who in turn did the same things. And in Shemoth (Exodus) 2:24 and 6:3-8 the
Scriptures state that Yahuweh would deliver our people Israel out of Egypt in order to form them into a nation. The nation
of Israel - the natural Olive Tree.
And we see the need for the renewal of this covenant with the children of Israel
arising when the children of the twelve tribes of Israel are brought into slavery, stripped of their identity, of their religion,
and of their culture. And are then forced to adopt the customs and religion of Egypt, causing the knowledge of Torah to be
lost, leaving us only with the remembrance of the promises given to Abraham that Yahuweh would someday make us into a great
and mighty nation that all of the nations of the earth would someday be blessed through.
So with this memory of the
promises of the covenant in mind, the children of Israel called out to Elohim, and in Shemoth (Exodus) 6:3-8 it says,
6:3
I appeared to Abraham, Yitz'chak (Isaac) and Ya'aqob (Jacob) as El Shaddai, but by my Name Yahuweh was I not known to them?
(B’resheet/Genesis 12:7,8)
6:4 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.
6:5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children
of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage and I have remembered my covenant.
6:6 Therefore, say to the children
of Israel….
6:7 …I will take you as my people, and I will be your Elohim…
6:8 and I will
bring you into the land which I swore to Abraham, Yitz'chak (Isaac) and Ya'aqob (Jacob).”
Now if you know the
story of Moshe (Moses), then you know that once the Israelites were delivered from slavery, they were taught everything that
Abraham was taught; and eventually did everything that Abraham did. And ultimately, Yeshua did all the same things as well.
For example, B'resheet (Genesis) 26:4 states that Abraham obeyed the Torah. The children of Israel, as well as the
foreigners who attached themselves to Israel, likewise received the Torah at Mt. Sinai, and eventually learned to obey it.
And Yeshua? The Scriptures state that Yeshua was without sin, that means Yeshua also obeyed the Torah, and in every point.
Abraham was also a priest over his own family and offered up sacrifices for sin on his family’s behalf. Yahuweh,
likewise arranged a priesthood for the nation of Israel, appointing priests to offer sacrifices on behalf of the nation of
Israel. And concerning Yeshua? The book of Hebrews 5:5-10 states that Yeshua is our High Priest and that He likewise offered
up sacrifice for sin on our behalf - one sacrifice, the sacrifice of His own body; Hebrews 7:26,27.
Abraham and his
immediate descendants were circumcised, Moshe (Moses) and the children of Israel were likewise circumcised. And Yeshua? Luke
1:59 states that Yeshua was circumcised. And what day was He circumcised on? On the 8th day even as was required by the covenant
given to Abraham. And isn’t it interesting to note that most Protestants in the world today are circumcised?
Here
are some more common points. Abraham went on top of a mountain to sacrifice his son Yitz'chak (Isaac). Moshe (Moses) went
on top of a mountain to receive instructions of how to build the tabernacle where the national sacrifices would take place
at and be administered from (see my presentation of “What was Really Written on the Tablets of Stone?). And Yeshua?
Yeshua was sacrificed on top of the same mountain where both Yitz'chak (Isaac) was offered up and where the temple was built.
Likewise, Abraham went from the Promised Land into Egypt, and returned to the Promised Land from Egypt. And the children
of Israel went from the Promised Land into Egypt, and returned to the Promised Land from Egypt. And Yeshua? In Mattit'yahu
(Matthew) 2:1-23 it states that Yeshua went from Bethlehem (in the Promised Land), to Egypt, and returned to the Promised
Land from Egypt, to live in the city of Natzeret (Nazareth).
The list goes on and on. You see, it’s all the
exact same covenant, with the exact same components and conditions, and with the exact same promises.
Just like the
rental agreement I mentioned earlier in the show. Multiple covenants, but the exact same terms and conditions within each
covenant; with each covenant simply providing a renewal of the terms and conditions for the new parties entering into the
contract.
And that’s why the term translated as “new” in the phrase “new testament”
comes from the Greek word “kainos” which means literally to make fresh, to renew or to make new again. And that’s
why we call the so-called “new” testament the “Renewed Covenant” because that’s what it is -
the covenant of Abraham “renewed.” The B’rit Chadasha.
But there is one thing that Yeshua did not
have to do, that Abraham and Moshe (Moses) did have to do, and that was that Yeshua never had to offer up an animal as a sin
offering.
The only offering that Yeshua was obligated to perform is the offering of the Pesach Lamb (the Passover
Lamb), because the Lamb offering was not a sin offering, but a covenant offering.
And of course, on the day of Pesach
(Passover) when He was crucified, He offered Himself up as the ultimate Passover Lamb in place of the animal.
But
concerning all the sacrifices offered up for sin, Yeshua had no obligation to perform them, because He Himself had never committed
a violation of Torah - He Himself had never sinned. And that is why we are likewise no longer required to offer up sacrifices
for sin, because He Himself replaced them with the sacrifice of Himself; at least concerning those of us who will be raised
in the first resurrection.
You see, it is this sacrificial system contained within the covenant that was changed -
not the Torah. For it was this system of atonement which was temporal, and which changed from time to time, as is evidenced
with Abraham who was simply a priest over his own family; and whose priesthood type was exchanged for a national priesthood
at Mt. Sinai, complete with a tabernacle, and ultimately a temple.
Then at the time of Yeshua there was another change
in the priesthood; this one based on the sacrifice of Yeshua, and on the sanctuary of His Body, which could provide remission
of sin to His people anywhere in the earth.
The book of Hebrews explains this in great detail, and is also a key to
understanding the letter written to the Galatians showing how remission of sin through atonement (through payment of debt
through animal sacrifices) was replaced with Justification (with pardon and acquittal) through the blood of Yeshua; which
things I will go into further detail on in our upcoming study of Galatians, and which is why the word “atonement”
does not exist in the renewed covenant.
Do you remember my reference earlier to the covenant made with the free woman
through Abraham, and the one made with the bondwoman, at Mt. Sinai? You see, though this is all a result of a renewal of the
Covenant made with Abraham, there is also a sub-covenant process going on beneath the surface which has indeed been replaced
with a new covenant.
This covenant of the “bondwoman” is the covenant made with Israel through the Levitical
priesthood, provided for the administration of atonement, for the remission of sin, until the time of the Promised Seed of
Messiah could come. The covenant of which was written on the tablets of stone (Again, study my presentation on “What
was Really on the Tablets of Stone?”).
This covenant, made specifically in regard to how sacrifices for the
remission of sin was to be administered, is what had been changed, and what is now written in its new form on the fleshy Tablets
of our hearts; Hebrews 8:8-13.
Now, returning back to the common thread of the covenant with Abraham, that we want
to bring out, is that common thread of Torah.
And as we progress in our study up to the time of Yeshua and the Apostles,
we can examine some more parallels between Abraham, Moshe (Moses) and the people of Yeshua’s day, and examine their
characters to see what kind of people Yahuweh used to present His promises, and establish His covenant through.
Let’s
begin with Zechar’yahu and Elisheva (Elizabeth), the parents of Yahchanan the Immerser. We know that Yahuweh doesn’t
pick just anybody to do His work for Him, but that a worker in His kingdom must be one who is honorable in their walk, and
above reproach in their conduct. So what caused Zechar'yahu (Zechariah) and Elisheva (Elizabeth) to be so unique, or to be
qualified for such an honorable position in Yahuweh’s plan?
Go to Luke 1:5.6 it says,
1:5 There was
in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechar'yahu (Zechariah), who was of the division of Abiyah
(Abijah), and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisheva (Elizabeth).
1:6 And they were both
righteous before Yahuweh, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of Yahuweh blamelessly.
Now that’s
an interesting word. Blameless. Think about that. They walked in all the commandments and ordinances of Yahuweh blamelessly.
How many times have we heard people say, “Oh, you can’t keep the Law, it’s too difficult. That’s
why we’re not under it anymore. We’re not under the old laws.” But here is an example of the parents of
Yahchanan the Immerser as being blameless.
Now, guess who else was blameless concerning the commandments and ordinances
of Yahuweh. Abraham was. Remember B'resheet (Genesis) 17:1,2 where Yahuweh said to Abraham, “Walk before me and be blameless,
and I will make my covenant with you.”
In B'resheet (Genesis) 22: 18 Yahuweh then says,
22:18 In your
seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.
And in B'resheet (Genesis) 26:4,5
26:4 … and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
26:5 because Abraham obeyed my
voice, guarded my hedge, the commandments, and appointed times of Torah.”
You see, Abraham was given this covenant
because he walked blamelessly in Torah. And now in Luke we see Zechar'yahu (Zechariah) and Elisheva (Elizabeth) being chosen
for a special work because they - like Abraham, walked blamelessly in the Torah of Yahuweh’s covenant.
And in
the story of Noach (Noah) we see that Noach (Noah) also walked blamelessly, and Yyob (Job), think of Yyob (Job). If you know
the story of Yyob (Job), you know that he had horrible tragedies come upon him. And Yyob (Job) had some friends who approached
him, and they sat with him, and were convinced that Yyob (Job) must be guilty of sin.
And they tried to convince Yyob
(Job) that he was guilty of sin, for they reasoned that tragedies such as the ones that fell upon Yyob (Job) could only fall
upon a person if they had committed some willful sin.
And Yyob (Job), stated repeatedly to them that they were incorrect,
and defended himself with utmost confidence that he was innocent of transgression before Yahuweh. And that if there was any
sin in him, then his friends needed to point it out to him.
Well, his friends could not think of any sin in Yyob (Job)’s
life, and so just continued to reason that the tragedies in Yyob (Job)’s life must be the evidence of sin. And Yyob
(Job) continued to adamantly say, “No - I am not guilty of sin. And if I am guilty of sin, then let Yahuweh Himself
point it out to me.”
Well, by the end of the story you find out that Yahuweh rebuked Yyob’s (Job)’s
friends for implying to Yyob (Job) that he was guilty of sin. And Yahuweh Himself turned around and personally declared Yyob
(Job) to be righteous, and restored to Yyob (Job) more than what he had lost.
You see, the Torah is not a difficult
thing to do. And if Yyob (Job) knew with absolute confidence, even under severe trauma and firm accusations, that he was not
guilty of violating the Torah, then so can anyone else. In fact, in D'varim (Deuteronomy) 30:11-20, it says that very thing
- that the Torah is not too difficult for us to do, and Yahuweh does not lie.
Yahuweh made His covenant with Abraham
because Abraham was blameless regarding Yahuweh’s Torah. And now likewise, we see the parents of Yahchanan (John) the
Immerser were also blameless. In I Yahchanan (I John) 5: 3, it says,
5:3 This is the love of Yahuweh, that we obey
His commandments, and His commandments are not difficult to do.
Now, returning to Luke, we continue to read about
Elisheva (Elizabeth) giving birth to Yahchanan (John) the Immerser, and on the 8th day after his birth he is circumcised,
according to the covenant made with Abraham, B’resheet (Genesis) 17:12 , and renewed through Moshe (Moses), V’yikra
(Leviticus) 12:1-3. And when we go to Luke 2:21 we see Messiah Yeshua also circumcised on the 8th day.
Need more evidence?
Go to Luke 1:68-73, which reads as follows:
1:68 Blessed be Yahuweh, Elohim of Israel. For He has visited and redeemed
His people.
1:69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the House of His servant David,
1:70 As He
spoke by the mouth of His Holy prophets who have been since the world began,
1:71 that we should be delivered from
our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,”
Now pay attention, verse 72 and 73,
1:72 “to
perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His Holy covenant,
1:73 The oath which He swore to our
father Abraham…”
To remember His what? To remember His Holy covenant. The covenant which He swore to who?
Which He swore to our father Abraham. To remember the Holy covenant which He swore to our father Abraham.
And what
did they do within the covenant of Abraham? They obeyed the Torah. All of these things being done in relation to the covenant
made with Abraham were being done by people who obeyed the Torah.
Every forefather, every prophet, and every writer
of Scripture, including Abraham, Yitz'chak (Isaac) and Ya'aqob (Jacob), were people of the covenant of Abraham who obeyed
the erroneously mislabeled “Law of Moshe (Moses)” the Torah of Yahuweh.
We asked you earlier what standard
made the chosen people of the Scriptures special. It was the standard of Torah - The Law that was allegedly done away. How
ludicrous to think that the very standard that caused Yahuweh’s people to become great, was somehow nailed to the execution
stake. How absurd!
Yahuweh did not go around just choosing anybody. No. He chose those who obeyed Him, those who obeyed
His Torah - who walked blamelessly, to do His work. He didn’t choose Torah violators, prostitutes, murderers, people
who had sexual relations with animals or who practiced witchcraft, or someone with a bad smoking habit or who perverted justice
or celebrated pagan festivals.
No, He chose people who chose His way, His Torah, His standard of righteousness, rather
that the standards of those around them.
Now that doesn’t mean that they never sinned in life, but it does mean
that when they did sin, that they did it in ignorance, or did them far and few in between. And accordingly, did what was required
of the Testimony, contained within the Torah, to provide atonement for that sin. Then they would get back up and walk back
onto the path of life - the path of Torah.
You see, what the Torah does is define for us the difference between life
and death, between light and darkness, between truth and lie, between what is just and unjust, between honesty and dishonesty,
between what is healthy and unhealthy, clean and unclean, etc…
So what the Torah does is show us how to walk
that straight and narrow path. The Torah defines for us exactly what that path of Life is so that we can find it. Otherwise
we would just walk around in darkness and have no clue of where we are going, or of what kind of danger we are in.
Could
you imagine being thrown into a fire blind folded and without a nervous system? You would sit there and burn to death and
not even see it or feel it.
That is the world without Torah, it is a body in a fire with no nervous system or ability
to detect that it is in danger. The Torah is like our eyes which allow us to see danger, and like our nervous system that
sends pain to warn us of danger.
So the Torah defines for us the path of life and warns us of the path of death. It
is in fact, the instruction of life, and the word Torah, in fact, means instruction. So what you have is the instruction of
life, and the reason why we have gotten ourselves into so much trouble is because we have violated and rejected the instruction
of life - Law of Life.
Of course, if you violate the instructions that bring life, the consequence is death. That’s
what happened to Adam and Eve (Havah). They had life, they had eternal life - until they stepped outside of Yahuweh’s
instruction, the instruction of life, the Torah.
They didn’t honor those boundaries, but allowed the serpent
to deceive them into stepping outside of the boundaries, outside the safe boundaries of life. It is kind of like being a blind
man and allowing someone to deceive you into walking off a cliff by convincing you that it’s not really a cliff, but
a fountain of life that will restore your vision.
So the consequence of Adam and Eve’s (Havah’s) violation
of the boundaries of Life? Death.
And we’ve been paying the consequences ever since.
So is what happens
when you step outside the boundaries of life is that you not only bring death upon yourself - for the wages of sin is death
(which penalty we all must pay at least once), but atonement has to be made so that debt doesn’t get carried on into
eternity; so that when that death comes, it will end with the death of this body, but our soul will be allowed to continue
on.
So, remission of sin has to be made. This is where the Testimony comes in - the Testimony ultimately pointing
towards, and being fulfilled in the flesh of Yeshua.
The Testimony of Yeshua can be seen in several examples of Scripture;
for example, when Abraham offered up Yitz'chak (Isaac) on the altar, showing how Yahuweh would offer up his Son on the altar
for our sin. Another is in the story of Yoseph (Joseph), who presents a picture to us of Yeshua at the right hand of the Father,
saving His people from death, and feeding them during spiritual famine.
And then you have the Levitical priesthood
and the tabernacle pointing to Yeshua as our High Priest, whose soul was offered up as a sacrifice in the tabernacle of His
body.
It is what Galatians refers to as the tutor which was provided to teach us of the things to come - of the perfect
payment for remission of sin and priesthood to come.
So the Testimony of the Tabernacle, and the accompanying priesthood
and sacrifices, were our school teacher, and image of things to come for the remission of sins, a picture of the good things
to come for our salvation, though not the very things themselves, but a shadow of those things.
Now, once our pardon
and acquittal is received and completed, then we get back on the path of life, back onto the path of Torah, and we stay on
it. Because if you step back off it again then you’re just going to fall back into death again (Hebrews 10:26). Then
you will need to confess and repent to start the process for remission of sin over again.
Now let’s say I steal
$10,000. Let’s say I steal from an elderly person who needs it for their living expenses. Now, let’s say that
after I commit this heinous crime, that I go out and never commit another crime for as long as I live - that I walk in perfect
obedience to the law for the rest of my life.
In addition to this, let’s say I do many good deeds, like feeding
the homeless (of who that elderly person is probably numbered among now, thanks to my crime), and I volunteer my time at a
retirement facility and so on.
Now, are all these good things going to somehow compensate or atone for my sin against
that person? For that $10,000 I stole from them?
Well no, of course not. You see, in order for that to be atoned for,
I would have to go back and pay restitution to that person directly. I would have to pay back the $10,000 I stole from them,
and I would have to compensate them for any other injury inflicted upon them as a result of my criminal action.
So
by this you can see that obedience to Torah is not what provides atonement or justification for sin. Only blood sacrifice
and restitution do. Obedience doesn’t compensate for the death penalty.
This is the Torah and the Testimony.
And it is what the gospel is made up of . It is composed of these two components. The Torah defines for us the path of life
and warns us of the path of death, and the Testimony redeems us from the path of death so that the path of life may benefit
us. And if you ever hear a gospel that does not contain these two components, then it’s not the gospel.
To the
Torah and the Testimony, if anyone does not speak according to these words, it is because they have no light in them, Yesha’yahu
(Isaiah) 8:16-20. |
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