Tag: Ten Commandments

Categories
Faith Torah

The Ten Commandments (they are not suggestions) – #10 (Do Not Covet)

Artwork by Alex Levin

This is an excerpt from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, which can be purchased on Amazon.

Enjoy!

The Ten Commandments (The Big Ones)

And God (Elohim) spake all these words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)

Exodus 19:25 states, “So Moses went down unto the people,
and spake unto them.” This is the third time Moses came down from
Mount Sinai (between Exodus 19:3 and Exodus 34:29, Moses goes
up to meet Elohim atop Mount Sinai and comes back down seven
times – not bad for an eighty-year-old guy).

The verse following Exodus 19:25 (Exodus 20:1) states, “God
spake all these words…” so it appears Elohim audibly spoke to all the Israelites.

This seems to be confirmed in verses 18–22:

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

The people in the valley were so shaken by the experience that
they did not want Elohim to speak to them again (I’m sure there was
a lot of reverb and pyrotechnics). The word Elohim is used because
His Message was for more than just the Israelites. This tells me that
what we refer to as the Ten Commandments are so important that
Elohim felt the need to personally tell them to His people. This is
why I wanted to start with them.

10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt
not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor
his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing
that is thy neighbour’s” (Exodus 20:17).

Envy is like a gateway drug: left unchecked, it can lead to any number of sins. King David comes to mind again. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah. But it started with David watching Bathsheba from afar and desiring her greatly. As king, he could have had any woman in the kingdom he desired, but envy caused him to covet his neighbor’s wife.

Cain murdered his brother, Abel, because he was envious that God preferred Abel’s sacrifice over his own. The murder did not take place at the sacrifice, but the seeds of vengeance were planted at that time.

Wanting what your neighbor has is not necessarily a sin. If they have a riding mower and you are still pushing a mower over your two-acre lot, then you are naturally going to want what they have or something similar. If you go about doing the right things to get your own riding mower, then it is a good thing. In this case, desire sets a goal for you to achieve. You don’t want their actual mower but something similar.

If you sneak over and steal their mower and then paint it so that you can claim it is not theirs, then you have crossed an ugly line that used to be a barrier to you, but is now only a minor obstacle that you can readily cross again in the future. In the same way, if you sneak over and sabotage their riding mower so that they will be as equally miserable as you are pushing a mower over their lot, then you have let envy begin to tear down the fabric of your society.

The story of the two families driving past a mansion is illustrative. One family drives past the mansion, and the parents tell their children, “Look at that big house. It’s much too big for what they need. They should not be allowed to waste money so frivolously.” The second family drives past the same house, and the parents tell their children, “Look at that big house. If you work hard and save your money, then you will be able to afford a big house someday.”

The story is oversimplified and not very realistic (lots of people work hard and save their money but cannot afford a mansion), but it does demonstrate the two mindsets.

Socialism is the ideology of envy. “Don’t think it’s fair that others have more than you?” Your leaders will take what the rich have (this class of people will eventually include the not-so-rich, the “doing okay,” and finally the “barely scraping by” as the leaders drain more and more wealth from its citizens) and give it to others (the “poor”).

Socialism breaks down the entrepreneurial spirit because no one will want to work harder for more because it will be taken away. In the end, people stop working because they know that someone else’s labor will provide for them. At this point, people must be forced to work, and those who cannot produce must be eradicated because they are a drain on the economy (the Nazis referred to them as “useless eaters”).

This is why socialism always fails, and the results are devastatingly deadly. Everyone becomes equally miserable, except for the leaders who impose socialism but exempt themselves from its deprivations. The only way to maintain the system is through force and murder.

The Greatest Commandment?

Jesus was asked which is the greatest Commandment (Mark 12:28–34):

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Yeshua was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, so we know that the Commandments given in Exodus are still relevant today. The Word differentiates between the “works of the flesh”

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

(Galatians 5:19–21)

and the “fruit of the Spirit”

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking
one another, envying one another.

(Galatians 5:22–26)

Our walk, based on keeping the Commandments and the rest of the Torah, helps us to manifest the Spirit.

[1st Commandment – No Other Gods]

[2d Commandment – No Graven Images]

[3d Commandment – Taking the Name of Yahweh in Vain]

[4th Commandment – Keep the Sabbath Holy]

The first four Commandments are considered to be vital to our relationship with Elohim. The last six Commandments concern our relationship with others. This is why, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Yeshua is able to embody all ten in his short answer:

37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

(Matthew 22:37–39)

[5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]

[6th Commandment – Do Not Murder]

[7th Commandment – No Adultery]

[8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]

[9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]

[10th Commandment – Do Not Covet]

Categories
Faith Torah

The Ten Commandments (they are not suggestions) – #9 (Do Not Swear Falsely)

This is an excerpt from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, which can be purchased on Amazon.

Enjoy!

The Ten Commandments (The Big Ones)

And God (Elohim) spake all these words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)

Exodus 19:25 states, “So Moses went down unto the people,
and spake unto them.” This is the third time Moses came down from
Mount Sinai (between Exodus 19:3 and Exodus 34:29, Moses goes
up to meet Elohim atop Mount Sinai and comes back down seven
times – not bad for an eighty-year-old guy).

The verse following Exodus 19:25 (Exodus 20:1) states, “God
spake all these words…” so it appears Elohim audibly spoke to all the Israelites.

This seems to be confirmed in verses 18–22:

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

The people in the valley were so shaken by the experience that
they did not want Elohim to speak to them again (I’m sure there was
a lot of reverb and pyrotechnics). The word Elohim is used because
His Message was for more than just the Israelites. This tells me that
what we refer to as the Ten Commandments are so important that
Elohim felt the need to personally tell them to His people. This is
why I wanted to start with them.

9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16).

Don’t lie about anyone – in or outside of an official proceeding (the Word does not specify a place where we should not lie). Don’t embellish the truth either. In a February 3, 1996 Esquire magazine interview, Bob Kerrey (Democratic senator from Nebraska) spoke admiringly of the president when he said, “Clinton’s an unusually good liar. Unusually good.” This is not a skill someone should put on their résumé, nor something one should admire in someone.

We all know people like this, but the size of the lie nor the quantity of the lies is the standard. Lying is not acceptable even if it is just a fib, a white lie, a tall tale, a fiction, an aspersion, or any other cute title given for falsehoods.

I love a good “yarn,” and as a soldier, I learned the fine art of telling a story. The stories generally began with “There I was . . . .” Soldiers generally sit around eating or cleaning their weapon while waiting for something to happen or someone higher up to make a decision. It is common to pass the time telling jokes or sharing stories – and they better be good, or else.

The interesting thing about soldier stories is that they get better every time they are told. I like to tell people that if I share my exploits in Desert Storm one more time, my actions will have become so impressive that I will have won the war all by myself! I got to where I would start telling people about my achievements in the Korean War (fought seven years before my birth), and in the middle of it, I would stop and exclaim, “Oh my god, I’m having someone else’s flashback!” This is embellishment for the sake of entertainment, not to speak falsely against another person.

Today, we would refer to “bearing false witness against your neighbor” as the crime of committing perjury. Black’s Law defines perjury as this:

The willful assertion as to a matter of fact, opinion, belief, or knowledge, made by a witness in a judicial proceeding as part of his evidence, either upon oath or in any form allowed by law to be substituted for an oath, whether such evidence is given in open court, or in an affidavit, or otherwise, such assertion being known to such witness to be false, and being intended by him to mislead the court, jury, or person holding the proceeding.

This is so serious it is included in the seven things God hates:

16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

(Proverbs 6:16–19)

Forms of lying are mentioned four times in the seven things (“lying tongue,” “wicked imaginations,” “false witness,” and “he that soweth discord”). Justice can never be achieved if witnesses in a matter are allowed to lie and no punishment is exacted for the falsehoods. We cannot live civilly among each other without justice.

The Word demands that we do unto false witnesses as they had intended to do against the innocent.


18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. (Deuteronomy 19:18–19)

[continue to the 10th Commandment – Do Not Covet]

[1st Commandment – No Other Gods]

[2d Commandment – No Graven Images]

[3d Commandment – Taking the Name of Yahweh in Vain]

[4th Commandment – Keep the Sabbath Holy]

The first four Commandments are considered to be vital to our relationship with Elohim. The last six Commandments concern our relationship with others. This is why, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Yeshua is able to embody all ten in his short answer:

37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

(Matthew 22:37–39)

[5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]

[6th Commandment – Do Not Murder]

[7th Commandment – No Adultery]

[8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]

[9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]

[10th Commandment – Do Not Covet]

Categories
Faith Torah

The Ten Commandments (they are not suggestions) – #8 (Do Not Steal)

This is an excerpt from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, which can be purchased on Amazon.

Enjoy!

The Ten Commandments (The Big Ones)

And God (Elohim) spake all these words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)

Exodus 19:25 states, “So Moses went down unto the people,
and spake unto them.” This is the third time Moses came down from
Mount Sinai (between Exodus 19:3 and Exodus 34:29, Moses goes
up to meet Elohim atop Mount Sinai and comes back down seven
times – not bad for an eighty-year-old guy).

The verse following Exodus 19:25 (Exodus 20:1) states, “God
spake all these words…” so it appears Elohim audibly spoke to all the Israelites.

This seems to be confirmed in verses 18–22:

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

The people in the valley were so shaken by the experience that
they did not want Elohim to speak to them again (I’m sure there was
a lot of reverb and pyrotechnics). The word Elohim is used because
His Message was for more than just the Israelites. This tells me that
what we refer to as the Ten Commandments are so important that
Elohim felt the need to personally tell them to His people. This is
why I wanted to start with them.

8. “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15).

Steal (Hebrew ganab. To take away by stealth or to deceive the heart or mind of any one). This is not just the physical taking of someone else’s property (surely, I do not have to explain why this is bad) but stealing also involves emotional and spiritual harm through deceit.

Have you ever known a person who was very innocent and trusting? If you act badly and the other person loses their innocence, it can be said that you stole their innocence. They will never be able to get it back.

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6 But whoso shall offend [be a stumbling block / impede] one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

(Matthew 18:2, 5–6)

We can steal someone’s reputation (their good name) through libel, slander, gossip, or humiliation – it is a particularly destructive form of theft. Unlike money or property, once a person’s good name has been stolen, it can almost never be fully restored. [Dennis Prager]

     Raymond Donovan was Secretary of Labor in the administration of Ronald Reagan.  He (and other executives of Schiavone Construction) was accused of defrauding the NYC Transit Authority on work done on the NYC subway. Donovan resigned his cabinet position and faced criminal charges lasting over two years – he was not only found not guilty by a jury, but the jurors gave him a standing ovation at the trial.  Donovan famously remarked, “Which office do I go to get my reputation back?”

     Governmental corruption is legalized theft, but it is still theft. The obvious example involves officials taking bribes to pass favorable legislation or grant exclusive privileges, but less obvious theft undermines stability and trust. Officials awarding costly grants to entities that then reward the officials with kickbacks or gifts are stealing from taxpayers to enrich the officials and their friends. Spending more than is reasonably budgeted is theft through inflation – devaluing the currency steals purchasing power from the taxpayers who find that the higher, inflated prices mean their dollars do not buy as much as the previous year.

Since jails were not as plentiful as they are today, one convicted of theft often became an indentured servant (slave) of the victim until they paid off the debt (Exodus 22:3).  The victim (unlike today’s victims) was not required to suffer loss and to also pay for the room and board of the thief while they loitered in prison.

We can even steal from Yahweh:

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you”

(Deuteronomy 4:2)

The traditions of men steal from the integrity of the Word. Taking away (purposely ignoring) from Yahweh’s commandments is stealing the truth.

That is exactly what the devil tries to do to us: “The thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10).

[continue to the 9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]

[1st Commandment – No Other Gods]

[2d Commandment – No Graven Images]

[3d Commandment – Taking the Name of Yahweh in Vain]

[4th Commandment – Keep the Sabbath Holy]

The first four Commandments are considered to be vital to our relationship with Elohim. The last six Commandments concern our relationship with others. This is why, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Yeshua is able to embody all ten in his short answer:

37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

(Matthew 22:37–39)

[5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]

[6th Commandment – Do Not Murder]

[7th Commandment – No Adultery]

[8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]

[9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]

[10th Commandment – Do Not Covet]

Categories
Faith Torah

The Ten Commandments (they are not suggestions) – #7 (No Adultery)

This is an excerpt from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, which can be purchased on Amazon.

Enjoy!

The Ten Commandments (The Big Ones)

And God (Elohim) spake all these words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)

Exodus 19:25 states, “So Moses went down unto the people,
and spake unto them.” This is the third time Moses came down from
Mount Sinai (between Exodus 19:3 and Exodus 34:29, Moses goes
up to meet Elohim atop Mount Sinai and comes back down seven
times – not bad for an eighty-year-old guy).

The verse following Exodus 19:25 (Exodus 20:1) states, “God
spake all these words…” so it appears Elohim audibly spoke to all the Israelites.

This seems to be confirmed in verses 18–22:

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

The people in the valley were so shaken by the experience that
they did not want Elohim to speak to them again (I’m sure there was
a lot of reverb and pyrotechnics). The word Elohim is used because
His Message was for more than just the Israelites. This tells me that
what we refer to as the Ten Commandments are so important that
Elohim felt the need to personally tell them to His people. This is
why I wanted to start with them.

7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

This one is especially hurtful to Yahweh, as well as to the cheaters and the cheaters’ spouses (and the children  . . . and the relatives of the couple . . . and the friends of the couple – are you picking up on the far-reaching destructive nature of this sin?). This breaking of a solemn commitment is not necessarily sexual, though that is normally the manifestation of it and the easiest way for Satan to tempt people into ignoring an oath. Worship of Ba’al often included sex acts and temple prostitutes, so their services were much more “hip” than the rabbi reading from the Torah down at the local synagogue. Forgiveness of a genuinely contrite sinner is available, but it is not an easy thing and generally takes much time.

6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon
every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou
unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her
whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

(Jeremiah 3:6–9; emphasis added)

Yahweh equates adultery with idolatry (Commandment number 1), and the Israelites generally suffered catastrophic results by condoning adultery. King David was a “man after God’s own Heart,” yet he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he had her husband (Uriah) murdered to hide the adultery. The result was the death of their first child (the result of the adultery) and the prophecy that “the sword shall never depart from thine house” (2 Samuel 11–12). Violence was rampant among David’s children, even to the point where his son Absalom attempted to overthrow David’s kingdom – and he nearly succeeded.

The houses of Israel and of Judah were repeatedly warned of the consequences of idolatry and adultery, yet they continued to defy Yahweh. Even after the house of Israel was conquered and carried away into Assyria (which was prophesied), the house of Judah continued whoring after Ba’al until the Babylonians later conquered them and carried them away from the land and made them slaves for 70 years.

This is a bad one.

Yeshua confirmed that this sin is not just committed by a physical act:

“27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”

(Matthew 5:27–28).

Men are much more passionate than women and much more willing to act on that passion, but when they fail to observe restraint in inappropriate situations, it can be troublesome for their relationship with a wife and with the Father.  

Proper sex evokes intimacy, not power or lewdness.  Intimacy is what Yahweh desires to have with us and what we should strive to have with Him.  Satan tries to corrupt men by making sex nothing more important than an urge that needs to be gratified or a tool to subordinate others.

The sex act should be an intimate display of the love the couple have for each other that has no equal among the couple’s many other relationships.  Denigration of the act (e.g., adultery, incest, pedophilia) is not loving – it is not a legitimate display of our physical and emotional love that is to be reserved for only the one we have committed ourselves to.

     Intimacy with Yahweh also demands that we do not degrade ourselves by giving ourselves to Him and to embracing other gods, doctrines, and/or rituals (see Chapter 7 of GRAFTED: Embracing Torah for more detail on adultery and idolatry). Because my revisions have not been completed by the publisher, I provide much of this information at my website in a blog entitled “Why Sex?“

In the new Covenant, the Law will be written in our hearts. It appears wickedness tries to take up residence there also. Avoid this one at all costs.

[continue to the 8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]

[1st Commandment – No Other Gods]

[2d Commandment – No Graven Images]

[3d Commandment – Taking the Name of Yahweh in Vain]

[4th Commandment – Keep the Sabbath Holy]

The first four Commandments are considered to be vital to our relationship with Elohim. The last six Commandments concern our relationship with others. This is why, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Yeshua is able to embody all ten in his short answer:

37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

(Matthew 22:37–39)

[5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]

[6th Commandment – Do Not Murder]

[7th Commandment – No Adultery]

[8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]

[9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]

[10th Commandment – Do Not Covet]

Categories
Faith Torah

The Ten Commandments (they are not suggestions) – #6 (Do Not Murder)

This is an excerpt from my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah, which can be purchased on Amazon.

Enjoy!

The Ten Commandments (The Big Ones)

And God (Elohim) spake all these words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)

Exodus 19:25 states, “So Moses went down unto the people,
and spake unto them.” This is the third time Moses came down from
Mount Sinai (between Exodus 19:3 and Exodus 34:29, Moses goes
up to meet Elohim atop Mount Sinai and comes back down seven
times – not bad for an eighty-year-old guy).

The verse following Exodus 19:25 (Exodus 20:1) states, “God
spake all these words…” so it appears Elohim audibly spoke to all the Israelites.

This seems to be confirmed in verses 18–22:

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

The people in the valley were so shaken by the experience that
they did not want Elohim to speak to them again (I’m sure there was
a lot of reverb and pyrotechnics). The word Elohim is used because
His Message was for more than just the Israelites. This tells me that
what we refer to as the Ten Commandments are so important that
Elohim felt the need to personally tell them to His people. This is
why I wanted to start with them.

6. “Thou shalt not kill [murder]” (Exodus 20:12).

My soldiers asked me about this before we deployed to Desert Storm because it appears to be rather cut and dry and they were being ordered to violate it. It also appears to be a huge contradiction because the Israelites were being told to “not kill”, but later, Yahweh orders them to “utterly destroy” everyone in the land they are possessing, including the cattle and burning all the spoils (Deuteronomy 13:15).

The easy answer is that the word kill is mistranslated from the Hebrew. It is the Hebrew word ratsach that is defined as “murder.” All murder is killing, but not all killing is murder.

Black’s Law Dictionary defines murder as:

The crime committed where a person of sound mind and discretion (that is, of sufficient age to form and execute a criminal design and not legally “insane”) kills any human creature in being (excluding quick but unborn children) and in the peace of the state or nation (including all persons except the military forces of the public enemy in time of war or battle) without any warrant, justification, or excuse in law with malice aforethought, express or implied, that is, with a deliberate purpose or a design or determination distinctly formed in the mind before the commission of the act, provided that death results from the injury Inflicted within one year and a day after its infliction.

Murder requires motive and planning. It entails a cold-blooded determination to end a life and a methodical plan to achieve that end. Manslaughter is not murder because the requisite motive is not present; there was no plan to kill someone even if there was a plan to commit a crime.

Crimes of passion or negligence are normally considered manslaughter, and Yahweh provides for these by establishing “cities of refuge” (Numbers 35), where people could go to escape the revenge of the victim’s family and/or friends while they waited on the judicial system to assess the facts and render judgment.

Fighting in combat in defense of your nation is not murder (it may be expedient to take the battle to the enemy rather than wait for them to attack you on your land), unless you are doing it wrong. Oftentimes, the wrong people may get killed as part of the collateral damage of waging war. This is going to happen when people are in or near a battlefield. If someone surrenders, then they are no longer a hostile and deserve protection if it can be provided. If you target people who have surrendered, then that would be murder.

Civilians are considered combatants in most cases because they support the military of their nation. Their taxes, food, and moral support make them an active participant, and if it becomes necessary to bomb civilian areas to keep them from supporting the enemy armed forces, then this is not murder.

Yahweh destroyed the entire earth because His creation had become so irreparably corrupted. “Sons of God” (angels or devils) cohabitated with human women and created the mighty men (giants – Nephilim) of Genesis 6.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”

(Genesis 6:5).

There was no way to redeem this corruption, which would have ultimately destroyed the entire creation, so Yahweh decided to start over with the sole man who was “just and perfect and walked with God” (Genesis 6:9) – Noah. The Flood was necessary to save mankind and what was left of His Creation.

This corruption made it onto the Ark in the DNA of many of the survivors. It appears that the effects manifested themselves almost immediately in the offspring of Noah’s son Ham (see the notes at Genesis 9:25-26 in my commentary on Genesis, In the Beginning).

The “Noahide Laws” address the taking of life, also (Genesis 9:6).

The Nephilim (malevolent giants) and their legacy is a fascinating study, and there are many good videos about it on YouTube. Doug Hamp has written a book entitled Corrupting the Image that goes into great detail of how the Nephilim corruption could have passed into the general population after the Flood, even though all the original Nephilim died before the Flood.

Self-defense is not murder, which is why Yahweh commands His people to “utterly destroy” the people in Canaan. The Word tells us that giants inhabited the land (Numbers 13:33), meaning that the descendants of the Nephilim were still present. Eight of the ten spies (the eight fearful ones) who went into Canaan reported this:

31We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

(Numbers 13:31–33)

Joshua and Caleb did not dispute the size of the giants (estimated at thirty-six feet!). They believed they could defeat these brutes (Goliath was one, and he was only nine feet tall) with the assistance of Yahweh.

The punishment for murder is death (Exodus 21:12-15 and Numbers 35:16–19) which is to be administered by man, so Elohim could not have meant generalized killing in this verse. States that have abolished the death penalty are heaping an unfair burden on the families of the victims. Not only have they been unfairly deprived of a loved one, but they also must sacrifice their tax dollars to keep the murderer alive. It is difficult to get a state government to change their minds on the death penalty but not impossible. There are many victims’ rights groups and other organizations that you can join to effect change to a biblical standard.

[continue to the 7th Commandment – No Adultery]

[1st Commandment – No Other Gods]

[2d Commandment – No Graven Images]

[3d Commandment – Taking the Name of Yahweh in Vain]

[4th Commandment – Keep the Sabbath Holy]

The first four Commandments are considered to be vital to our relationship with Elohim. The last six Commandments concern our relationship with others. This is why, when asked what the greatest commandment is, Yeshua is able to embody all ten in his short answer:

37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

(Matthew 22:37–39)

[5th Commandment – Honor Your Father and Mother]

[6th Commandment – Do Not Murder]

[7th Commandment – No Adultery]

[8th Commandment – Do Not Steal]

[9th Commandment – Do Not Swear Falsely]

[10th Commandment – Do Not Covet]

Categories
Torah

What IS (was?) the Purpose of the Law

How can you have a blog about the Law and not have a photo of Charlton Heston to accompany it?  Chuck makes everything cool.

While Mr. Heston is portrayed embracing the Ten Commandments, today, most Christians pride themselves in being “free from the Law” (Romans 8:2)

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Christians, however, tend to ignore the phrase “law of sin and death”.  When Peter says that the writings of Paul are difficult to understand –

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

2Peter 3:16

it is because Paul was an exceptionally learned man and often spoke as an exceptionally learned man.  It would be like reading a dissertation about the Constitution’s freedom of speech written by me and one by Mark Levin.  Mine would be tersely accurate, while Mark’s would be painstakingly detailed.

Levin’s writings have lots of context and if his words are taken out of context, they could possibly have a different meaning.  The Apostle Paul’s writings are the same.

What is the “law of sin and death”?  Is it the same as the Law of God?  Why not just say, “the Law” if they are the same?  Does Paul just talk to hear the sound of his own voice or do his words mean something?

Paul actually speaks of SEVEN different laws – not knowing the context of which law he is referring to could lead ‘unto our own destruction’.

This is actually a completely different teaching and I am not scholarly enough to do it justice, but I raise this issue to address the Christian’s (of which I am one) tendency to quote a verse and give it a different meaning than the context of the verse would have given.

The purpose of this blog is to examine the purpose of the Law (Torah – Instructions) with an emphasis on their purpose since Christ was sacrificed as a propitiation for all sins.

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1John 2:2

I had to look up “propitiation”, because big words like that make me sound smart until someone asks for a definition.  Dictionary.com defines it as “the act of propitiating – someone who propitiates”.  That wasn’t overly helpful.

Strong’s defines it as [Greek: hilasmos] atonement.  That is better.  A use of a thesaurus also gives synonyms like reparation, payment, and recompense. 

Many (way, way, too many) Christians believe they are like Teflon where sin is concern . . . nothing sticks.  Confess Jesus as Lord and you can do anything you like and still get into heaven because ‘he died for all sins”!

Why does this sound suspiciously like Aleister Crowley’s [a satanist leader in the early 1900s] commandment, “Do what thou wilt” shall be the whole of the law?

First, see my blog Born Again? to get an understanding of what it means to “confess” someone as “LORD” (which is only half of what is required to be what Christians’ refer to as ‘born again’).

Second, let us read 1John 2:2 in context:

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1John 2:1-6 — emphasis added

If I came to your house and claimed I was a plumber, but I did not turn off the water supply before I started dismantling the kitchen sink, you would know I was a liar because plumbers will turn off the water supply (if they can) before they do their plumbing.  There are ‘laws (instructions)’ one should/must follow if they are going to be called a plumber.

So why do Christians claim that the law has been superseded?  Superseded by what?  Yahweh gave us ten Commandments as part of His Law and the Word says His Law is “perfect”

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 for ever: 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. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

Did we get something more perfect-er?  Something wiser? Simpler?  Right-er-er . . . er?  Purer?  Cleaner? . . . .

What is it?  Is it simpler than “thou shall not steal”?  Purer than “thou shall not commit adultery”? Are we allowed to worship other gods, now, because ‘the Law has been superseded’?  Is murder on the ‘okay list’, now?

Why will we be keeping the ‘Law of Moses’ in the Millineal Kingdom (Ezekiel 43- 46) if we have something NOW that is MORE perfect, MORE simple, MORE right, MORE pure, and MORE clean?

Nowhere in the Word does Yahweh speak of changing His Law, except when Paul is taken out of context – and those that claim Paul teaches that ‘the law has been done away with’ have to contend with Paul’s actions and words, for he always did the Law, including keeping the Feasts and having Timothy circumcised.

Paul states

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (Romans 7:7)

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (Romans 7:12)

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14)

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (Romans 7:22)

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2)

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (Romans 6:12-15)

Doing the Law is not the way to salvation, but doing the law is the evidence of our salvation.  Yeshua died a horrible death as a recompense for our sinful lives.  Do we repay him by continuing in sin?

If Yeshua is our example and we are to walk as he walked (1John 2:6), should we embrace sin or avoid sin?  How do we know what sin is if the Law was done away with?

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

1John 3:4

Does a lifestyle of thievery help to witness Christ unto the masses?  A lifestyle of incest and adultery?  Or do we agree with Yahweh that such actions are disastrous to the body of Christ and a stumblingblock to those that are weak (1Corinthian 8:9).

Living sin-free is impossible in these fallen bodies, but avoiding sin is much easier.  If you know the Law says to not bear false witness [lie] (Exodus 20:16) then do your best to tell the truth in all things.

If a lie convicts you in your conscience, then you are probably not yielding yourself over to sin.  If you can lie ‘without batting an eye’ (what does that even mean?) and you are not ashamed, then you have not made the conviction to have Yeshua as Lord.

If you do not know the Law, how are you to know what to avoid?  How are you to walk at Yeshua did? or Paul? or Peter? or . . . .  Keeping the Law does not save you – your faith in a Redeemer will save you.  The Law will help you live as the one who redeemed you commanded.

Have faith unto salvation, but keep the Law as an evidence of your faith. 

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James 2:18,26

Do you know the Law?  Do you want a quick guide to help you navigate through the 613(?) Instructions of Yahweh?

When I made the decision to become Torah observant, I looked for an easy guide that would tell me what to do, what to wear, what to eat, etc.  When I couldn’t find one, I wrote one.

GRAFTED: Embracing Torah

It is true that many of the Laws do not pertain to us today, but do you know WHY?  Yeshua did not do away with the Law, the feast days, the dress code, the dietary rules, etc.  Yahweh tells us both when and how, and when not.

Categories
Uncategorized

Really, Awful Worship

Have you ever watched the Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston (I actually met him once, but that’s another story)? 

That movie is a serious commitment of time (3 hours & 40 minutes!).  My favorite part is listening to Edward G. Robinson say, “where’s your God, now, Moses” (as only EGR could say).  I look for excuses to utilize that line, employing a really awful EGR impression.

One part that struck me as odd (lots of it struck me as odd, especially today) is the scene where Moses is atop the mountain getting the tablets and the Israelites are at the bottom of the mountain making a golden calf and gearing up for an orgy.

The written Word has the same dichotomy (without the allusion to the wild party atmosphere).  Israel had just witnessed the great plagues; came through a major miracle at the Red Sea; and seen Pharaoh’s Army destroyed by the God they now dismissed in favor of a man-made idol. 

It is true that many other peoples left Egypt in the company of Israel, but their pagan influence could not have been so great as to lead the people astray so soon after witnessing the great plagues and the Red Sea phenomenon . . . could it?

I survived combat in Desert Storm and it changed me in significant ways.  The effects are not so great 30 years after the event, but you can bet I was still greatly impacted two months after the fact.  What I witnessed was not near as significant as what Israel went through, and yet, we have the image of idolatry less than two months after the Red Sea!

Let me suggest that we (and director, Cecil B. DeMille) are looking at it wrong.

Why would they make a bull? 

Yahweh had just humiliated all the gods of Egypt with His plagues (a good exposition of how Yahweh used His plagues to illustrate the powerlessness of the pantheon of Egyptian gods who were thought to protect Egypt is given in Berean Breadcrumbs, Fracturing the Faith – Vol-5 and 6) and He had audibly given all that were at the base of Mount Sinai His ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), and now they craft an idol that was used by the humiliated Egyptians and that Yahweh had expressly prohibited in His second commandment (Exodus 20:4-6)?  Maybe there is something else going on here.

When Moses ascends Mount Sinai for his fifth time (he does this a total of seven times at the age of 80!), the word tells us that he was on the mountain for 40 days and nights (Exodus 24:18).  The other accounts do not give a time frame, but I am assuming they were of a significantly shorter time frame because this ascent is the only one where there is an expressed fear that something has happened to Moses.

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Exodus 32:1

After Yahweh had given His ten commandments audibly to all the people, they freaked out:

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Exodus 20:18-19

Now, in chapter 32, the people are fearful that Moses – their intercessor with Yahweh – is dead because he has been gone so long.  They were not permitted to set foot on the mountain (chapter 19:21-24) so they could not send out a rescue party.

Someone or something had to lead them and intercede for them because they feared Yahweh.

So, why would they make a bull? 

The ancient Hebrew alphabet was actually a pictograph – meaning, a record consisting of pictorial symbols (as in a prehistoric cave drawing) representing words, phrases or ideas.

The first letter is “Aleph” with is depicted by an oxhead (strength).  Combined with letter “Lamed” (authority), it was how they depicted Yahweh’s name.

The obvious choice for an idol would be an ox or a bull.  Israel had witnessed a very dangerous Yahweh reek incredible havoc on the Egyptians and now they felt they had no viable way to communicate with Him since Moses was gone. 

They wanted Yahweh to continue to lead and protect them, but they were also extremely frightened of Him so they demanded Aaron make a precious idol to show Yahweh that they still thought he was their God.  Aaron could have told them to ‘go pound sand’, but he was probably nervous about having to fill his brother’s shoes so he obliged them.

And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

Exodus 32:5

I think the calf was initially a true desire to worship Yahweh the best way they knew how, but once you violate His Instructions (in this case, the second commandment), there is a downward slide from good intentions to corrupt manifestations.

Whether their intentions were pure or not, Yahweh expressly told them not to make idols and He is not going to change His Mind because the people wanted to please Him ‘their’ way. 

Meanwhile, back up on the mountain:

7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

Exodus 32:7-10

They fashioned a calf and gave Satan an opening.  Soon they were worshiping the idol and proclaiming it to be their God.

Yahweh told them,

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

Exodus 20:4-6

Their attempt to worship Yahweh, contrary to His Decrees, almost got them killed.  How often do we do that today?

  • Do you celebrate a loved one’s birthday by fixing them a splendid meal they are allergic to?
  • Do you celebrate your spouse’s birthday on the day your ex was born?
  • Do you celebrate Easter (Ishtar – Babylonian goddess of fertility) when Yahweh expressly tells us to celebrate Passover and First Fruits (Numbers 9:1-5; Deuteronomy 16:1-8)
    • Do you have the traditional ‘Easter ham’ despite Yahweh telling us pork is “unclean” (Leviticus 11:7)
    • Do you make colored eggs despite this tradition comimg from the dipping of eggs in the blood of sacrificed infants?
    • The evil rituals used in “Christian (pagan) holidays” are spelled out in my book, Grafted: Embracing Torah (free on kindle for a limited time).
  • Do you celebrate Christmas on Nimrod’s birthday – complete with an entire array of pagan rituals, even though Christ was born in the Fall?

I wrote about the pagan rituals that the church has brought into the celebration of Christmas in my last blog (Party Like a Pagan – Christmas).  This is not what Yahweh wants any more than He wanted the Israelites to make a golden calf.

Make a commitment to do what Yahweh wants – not what YOU want Him to want . . . despite the hate you are going to get from people close to you.

Shalom