Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, who has made us set apart through His commandments and commanded us to engross ourselves in the words of the Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, Giver of the Torah – Amein
כִּי-תִדֹּר
נֶדֶר ‘’when
you will vow a vow’’ – a vow is always meant to establish a covenant or an
agreement.
Exo 19:5 ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice,
and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above
all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine –
Exo 19:6 ‘and you shall be to Me a reign of priests
and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the
children of Yisra’ěl.”
Exo 19:7 And Mosheh came and called for the elders
of the people, and set before them all these words which יהוה commanded him.
Exo 19:8 And all the people answered together and said, “All that יהוה has spoken we shall do.” So Mosheh brought back the words of the people to יהוה.
The essence of this agreement or exchange of vows is found in the following chapter 20 – the 10 sayings.
Deu 23:21 “When you make a vow to יהוה your Elohim, do not delay to pay it, for יהוה your Elohim is certainly requiring it of
you, and it shall be sin in you.
Num 30:2 “When a man vows a vow to יהוה, or swears an oath to bind himself by some
agreement, he does not break his word, he does according to all that comes out
of his mouth.
The parable found in Mat 25 about the 10 virgins is
key in understanding this Torah portion -
Mat 25:1
“Then the reign of the heavens shall be compared to ten maidens who took their
lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 “And five of them were wise, and five
foolish.
Mat 25:3 “Those who were foolish, having taken
their lamps, took no oil with them,
Mat 25:4 but the wise took oil in their containers
with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 “Now while the bridegroom took time, they
all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 “And at midnight a cry was heard, ‘See,
the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!’ Mat 25:7 “Then all
those maidens rose up and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give
us of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ Mat 25:9 “But the
wise answered, saying, ‘No, indeed, there would not be enough for us and you.
Instead, go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
Mat 25:10 “And while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding
feast, and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 “And later the other maidens also came,
saying, ‘Master, Master, open up for us!’
Mat 25:12 “But he answering, said, ‘Truly, I say to
you, I do not know you.’
Mat 25:13 “Watch therefore, because you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Aḏam is coming.
YHVH knows beforehand who the wise and foolish virgins are.
A vow is a
conditional promise. It is dependent on its terms being completed before it can
be fulfilled. An unconditional vow is an oath that is NOT dependent
on any “If, then” statements that is made regardless of the
situation or terms.
Shebooah (oath)
comes from the root word “shabah,” which literally means “to be complete” or
“to seven oneself” and is connected to the word “Shabbat,” as well. Seven is
the number of perfection and the entire cycle of His Set Apart days revolves
around it. When you make a shebooah, you are “sevening” yourself: attaching
yourself to all that is Set Apart.
Covenants (Heb
‘’brit’’) are ‘’cut’’ – see Gen 15 – in a covenant, terms and conditions were
agreed to (vows); then an oath was made – a ‘’shebah’’ stating that heaven will
pass away but not my commitment to keep this oath; and then there was some kind
of bloodletting to symbolize that death would be the consequence of violating
the terms and conditions of the covenant.
We humans have a sad history of not acting in good
faith when it comes to these matters.
Heb 12:1
We too, then, having so great a cloud of witnesses all around us, let us lay
aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run
with endurance the race set before us, Heb 12:2 looking to the
Prince and Perfecter of our belief, יהושע,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake, having despised the
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.
An ancient Nag Hamadi scroll stated the following: -
Peter said.. “What is the Sin
of the World?”
The Savior said,
“there is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are
like the nature of adultery, which is called sin. That is why the Good came
into your midst, coming to the good which belongs to every nature in order to
restore it to its root. This is why you become sick and die for you love what
deceives you. One who understands, let him understand!”
Go then, preach
the good news about the Realm. Do not lay down any rule beyond what I
determined for you, nor promulgate law like the lawgiver, or else you might be
dominated by it.
Those whom the
Messiah invites to the marriage supper of the Lamb are those called and chosen
to be in this unique relationship with YHVH – this Calling is only extended to
those who are of Israel or are grafted into Israel and have walked according to
His covenant. It is this called
out bride that receives His ‘’seed’’ (or word) to reproduce His righteousness
and rules over nations and peoples.
All other nations whom YHVH redeems will receive blessings and instructions from
this Set Apart Bride.
Rev 19:9 And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed
are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he
said to me, “These are the true words of Elohim.”
Deu 23:22 “But when you abstain from vowing, it is
not sin in you. (for those outside the covenant)
Deu 23:23 “That which has gone from your lips you shall guard and do, for you voluntarily vowed to יהוה your Elohim what you have promised with your mouth.
Deu 23:24 “When you come into your neighbour’s
vineyard, you shall eat to the satisfaction of your desire, but do not put any
in a receptacle of yours.
Deu 23:25 “When you come into your neighbour’s standing grain, you shall pluck the heads with your hand, but do not use a sickle on your neighbour’s standing grain.
His Bride will trust Him to meet their needs, however there are boundaries to His covenantal kindness – ‘’don’t bite off more than you can chew’’ or meditate on.
Laws
Concerning Divorce –
the five unwise virgins.
Deu 24:1 “When a man takes a wife and shall
marry her, then it shall be, if she finds no favour in his eyes because he has
found a matter of uncoverednessa in her, and he shall write her a certificate
of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house, Footnote:
aProof that she is not a maiden, indicating that she had previously been
fornicating with strange teachings.
Deu 24:2 and if she left his house and went and
became another man’s wife,
Deu 24:3 and the latter husband shall hate her and
write her a certificate of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of
his house, or when the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife,
Deu 24:4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled, for that would be an abomination before יהוה. And do not bring sin on the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.
It is possible (except for the bride of Messiah during
the millennium) to enter into a covenant with YHVH and present spiritually
immoral or anti-covenantal behaviour.
This could result in serious consequences.
In the last days I believe there will be deep regret from many believers who think that ‘’covenantal’’ unfaithfulness to YHVH’s covenant was ever acceptable.
Miscellaneous Laws (not miscellaneous – all instructions
are connected in the Torah)
These are the rules that govern a society ruled by the Bride of Messiah.
Deu 24:5 “When a man has taken a new wife, let him not go out into the army nor let any matter be imposed upon him. He shall be exempt one year for the sake of his home, to rejoice with his wife whom he has taken. (maybe this applies to the addition of covenant members to the covenant family)
Deu 24:6 “No one takes in pledge the lower or the
upper millstone, for he would be taking a life in pledge. (this is the
behaviour of a covenant family)
Deu 24:7 “When a man is found kidnapping any of his
brothers of the children of Yisra’ěl, and treats him harshly or sells him, then
that kidnapper shall die. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst. (not
going to force someone against their will)
Deu 24:8 “Take heed, in an outbreak of leprosy, to
diligently guard and do according to all that the priests, the Lěwites, teach
you. As I have commanded them, so you shall guard to do.
Deu 24:9 “Remember what יהוה your Elohim did to Miryam on the way when
you came out of Mitsrayim. (tzarat was possibly evidence that there was
something wrong in the camp of the righteous that needed to be addressed)
Deu 24:10 “When you lend your brother a loan, do
not go into his house to get his pledge.
Deu 24:11 “Stand outside, and let the man to whom
you lend bring the pledge out to you.
Deu 24:12 “And if the man is poor, do not sleep
with his pledge. (his coat may have been his pledge)
Deu 24:13 “By all means return the pledge to him at
sundown, and he shall sleep in his own garment, and shall bless you. And it
shall be righteousness to you before יהוה
your Elohim.
Deu 24:14 “Do not oppress a hired servant who is
poor and needy, of your brothers or of your strangers who are in your land
within your gates.
Deu 24:15 “Give him his wages on the same day, and
do not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and lifts up his being to it,
so that he does not cry out against you to יהוה, and it shall be sin in you.
Deu 24:16 “Fathers are not put to death for their
children, and children are not put to death for their fathers, each is to die
for his own sin.
Deu 24:17 “Do not twist the right-ruling of a
stranger or the fatherless, nor take the garment of a widow.
Deu 24:18 “But you shall remember that you were a slave in Mitsrayim, and that יהוה your Elohim ransomed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this word.
During the millennium the nations will be ruled and guided by Israel and will be invited to partake in the blessings of the Messianic kingdom.
Isa
19:21 And יהוה shall be known to Mitsrayim,
and the Mitsrites shall know יהוה in that day, and make
slaughtering and meal offering, and shall make a vow to יהוה and pay it.
Isa
19:22 And יהוה shall smite Mitsrayim, smite
it and heal it. And they shall turn to יהוה, and He shall hear them and heal them.
Isa
19:23 In that day there shall be a highway from Mitsrayim to Ashshur, and
Ashshur shall come into Mitsrayim and Mitsrayim into Ashshur, and Mitsrayim
shall serve with Ashshur.
Isa
19:24 In that day Yisra’ěl shall be one of three with Mitsrayim and
Ashshur, even a blessing in the midst of the earth,
Isa 19:25 whom יהוה of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Mitsrayim My people, and Ashshur the work of My hands, and Yisra’ěl My inheritance.”
The inheritance belongs to Israel which in turn will result in blessings to the nations.
Gen 22:18 “And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
2Co
3:5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to reckon any matter as
from ourselves, but our competence is from Elohim,
2Co
3:6 who also made us competent as servants of a renewed covenant, not of
the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives
life.
2Co
3:7 But if the administering of death in letters, engraved on stones, was
esteemed, so that the children of Yisra’ěl were unable to look steadily at the
face of Mosheh because of the esteem of his face, which was passing away,
2Co
3:8 how much more esteemed shall the administering of the Spirit not
be?
2Co
3:9 For if the administering of condemnation had esteem, the
administering of righteousness exceeds much more in esteem. (Internalizing
of the Torah)
Blessed are you YHVH, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth and have planted everlasting
life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Amein.