Blessing for the Torah:
Bar’chu et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam
va-ed!
Baruch ata YHVH
Eloheinu melech ha-olam
asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu eht
Torah-to.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity.
Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim,
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity.
Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim,
King of the Universe, you have selected us from among
all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you, YHVH,
giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
“Here we come face to face with one of the most
important lessons in scripture, namely, that YHVH acts according to His
sovereign will to accomplish His eternal plan so that the esteem of it all will
be His. He is the all esteemed One, and acts in faithful loyalty to all that He
is and all that He has decreed. YHVH does not work in reaction to mankind’s
successes or failures. YHVH is not shut up to accomplish His will through the “maybe’s”
of human fickleness. Even more YHVH is not left with His Hands tied up behind
the backs of His people. He accomplished His will among the host of heaven and
the inhabitants of the earth, and no one stays His Hand or requires of Him
“what are You doing?”- Dan 4:35. YHVH, the Almighty, the Commander of the
Hosts, will accomplish His plan, and how blessed are the people through whom He
sovereignly wills to accomplish it.” – Tim Hegg.
Dan 4:35 And
all the inhabitants of the earth are of no account, and He does as He wishes
with the host of the heavens and among the inhabitants of the earth. And there
is none to strike against His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?”
This Torah portion points to the long history of
disobedience of those who were called to love and serve YHVH. This disobedience
continued in spite of the coming of Yahshua and the outpouring of the Ruach Ha
Kodesh. Will this disobedience continue
even after the Messiah comes again?
Jer 2:1 And the word of יהוה came to me, saying, Jer 2:2 “Go, and you shall cry in the hearing of
Yerushalayim, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה, “I remember you, the kindness of your
youth, the love of your bridehood, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in
a land that was not sown. Jer 2:3
“Yisra’ĕl was set-apart to יהוה, the first-fruits of His increase. All who
ate of it became guilty – evil came upon them,” declares יהוה.’ ” (will evil come upon the church
because of replacement theology?) Jer 2:4
Hear the word of יהוה, O house of Yaʽaqoḇ and
all the clans of the house of Yisra’ĕl. Jer 2:5
Thus said יהוה, “What unrighteousness have your fathers
found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, and went after worthlessness, and
became worthless? Jer 2:6 “And did not
they say, ‘Where is יהוה, who brought us up out of the land of
Mitsrayim, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and
pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, a land that no one
passed through and where no one dwelt?’ Jer 2:7
“Then I brought you into a garden land, to eat its fruit and its
goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made My inheritance an
abomination. Jer 2:8 “The priests did
not say, ‘Where is יהוה?’ And those who handle the Torah did not
know Me, and the shepherds1 transgressed against Me, and the
prophets prophesied by Baʽal, and walked after matters that did not profit.
Footnote: 1See 10:21, 12:10-11, 50:6-7. Jer 2:11 “Has a nation changed its mighty ones, which
are not mighty ones? But My people have changed My esteem1 for that
which does not profit. Footnote: 1Symbolic name for His Ark. Jer
2:12 “Be amazed, O heavens, at this, and
be frightened, be utterly dried up,” declares יהוה. Jer 2:13
“For My people have done two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain
of living waters1, to hew out for themselves cisterns, cracked
cisterns, which do not hold water. Footnote: 1See 17:13.
In verse 13 we see YHVH sum up Yisreal’s failure –
Firstly their failure to be utterly motivated, nourished and satisfied with
YHVH as the source of all life; and secondly to try and fill this satisfaction
with manmade religion and self -significance.
Our weekly Torah portion:
Deu 9:1 “Hear, O
Yisra’ĕl: You are passing over the Yardĕn today, to go in to dispossess nations
greater and stronger than yourself, cities great and walled up to the heavens,
א שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן, לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת
גּוֹיִם, גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִמֶּךָּ--עָרִים גְּדֹלֹת וּבְצֻרֹת,
בַּשָּׁמָיִם.
|
“Shemah Yisrael…” – whenever these two words are
used they are immediately intended to call us to listen carefully and pay
careful attention as to what is about to be said.
Moshe then goes on to say that Yisrael is crossing
the Yarden River on that particular day. Why is this important?
Firstly Moshe was not crossing over the Yarden.
Secondly those crossing the Yarden must not assume that their crossing has
something to do with their own obedience and righteousness. This is a lesson to
us who call ourselves believers and believe we are entitled to all the
blessings and promises of YHVH.
For many Yisraelites this must have been a
wonderful day yet it must also have been a sad day because there were many
others that could have crossed over but never did.
This Torah portion seems to draw our attention to
the fact that not everyone who calls themselves believers in YHVH and His
Messiah Yahshua, automatically qualify to cross over into Yisrael. And not
everyone who crosses over the Yarden to Yisrael will automatically stay in
Yisrael
“Walled up
to the heavens” could imply that these cities were protected by ocultic demonic
forces.
We should consider the
implications of this matter in a very sober manner. False doctrines have
“walled up the truth to the heavens” for many dear precious “called out ones.”
Only the mighty power of YHVH working in us will save us from such deception
and defeat in the last days.
Deu 9:2 a
people great and tall, the descendants of the Anaqim, whom you know, and of
whom you heard it said, ‘Who does stand before the descendants of Anaq?’
Deu 9:3 “And
you shall know today that יהוה your Elohim is
He who is passing over before you as a consuming fire – He does destroy them
and subdue them before you. So you shall
dispossess them and destroy them quickly, as יהוה has said to you.
It is difficult for modern day believers to even entertain the idea that
they may have to destroy those who have become possessed by their religion and
intend to do all they can to destroy YHVH’s people and His Torah.
Deu
9:4 “Do not think in your heart, after יהוה your Elohim has driven them out before
you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness יהוה has brought me in to possess this land.’
But it is because of the wrong of these nations that יהוה is driving them out from before you.
Deu
9:5 “It is not because of your
righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their
land, but because of the wrong of these nations that יהוה your Elohim drives them out from before
you, in order to establish the word which יהוה swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham,
to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ. (See
comment in Stones Chumash p 985 vs 4-6)
Deu
9:6 “And you shall know that יהוה your Elohim is not giving you this good
land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked
people.
Deu
9:7 “Remember, do not forget how you
provoked to wrath יהוה your Elohim in the wilderness. From the
day that you came out of the land of Mitsrayim until you came to this place,
you have been rebellious against יהוה.
Deu
9:8 “Even in Ḥorĕḇ you
made יהוה wroth, so that יהוה was enraged with you, to destroy you.
Note the accusations YHVH makes against His people in vs 6-9.
Does YHVH not remain enraged with those who continually break His covenant
and violate His Torah?
Deu
9:9 “When I went up into the mountain to
receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which יהוה made with you, then I stayed on the
mountain forty days and forty nights. I did not eat bread nor did I drink
water.
Deu
9:10 “Then יהוה gave me the two tablets of stone written
with the finger of Elohim, and on them were all the Words which יהוה had spoken to you on the mountain from the
midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu
9:11 “And it came to be, at the end of
forty days and forty nights, that יהוה gave me the two tablets of stone, the
tablets of the covenant.
Deu
9:12 “Then יהוה said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from
here, for your people whom you brought out of Mitsrayim have acted corruptly.
They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them, they have
made themselves a moulded image.’
Deu
9:13 “And יהוה spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen this
people, and look, they are a stiff-necked people.
Deu
9:14 ‘Leave Me alone, so that I destroy
them and blot out their name from under the heavens, and make of you a nation
stronger and greater than they.’
Deu
9:15 “So I turned and came down from the
mountain, and the mountain burned with fire. And the two tablets of the
covenant were in my two hands.
Deu
9:16 “And I looked and saw that you had
sinned against יהוה your Elohim,
and had made for yourselves a moulded calf! You had quickly turned aside from
the way which יהוה had commanded
you.
Deu
9:17 “And I took the two tablets and
threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes,
Deu
9:18 “and I fell down before יהוה, as at the first, forty days and forty
nights. I did not eat bread and I did not drink water, because of all your sins
which you committed in doing evil in the eyes of יהוה, to provoke Him.
Deu
9:19 “For I was afraid of the
displeasure and rage with which יהוה was wroth with you, to destroy you. But יהוה listened to me that time once more.
Deu
9:20 “And יהוה was very enraged with Aharon, to destroy
him, so I prayed for Aharon at that time also.
Deu
9:21 “And I took your sin, the calf
which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very
small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw its dust into the stream that
came down from the mountain.
Deu
9:22 “And at Taḇʽĕrah
and at Massah and at Qiḇroth Hatta’awah you made יהוה wroth.
Deu
9:23 “And when יהוה sent you from Qaḏĕsh
Barnĕa, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you
rebelled against the mouth of יהוה your Elohim, and you neither trusted Him
nor listened to His voice.
Deu 9:24 “You have been rebellious
against יהוה from the day
that I knew you.
Deu
9:25 “So I fell down before יהוה the forty days and forty nights, for I
fell down because יהוה had said He would destroy you.
Deu
9:26 “And I prayed to יהוה, and said, ‘O Master יהוה, do not destroy Your people and Your
inheritance whom You have redeemed in Your greatness, whom You have brought out
of Mitsrayim with a strong hand.
Deu
9:27 ‘Remember Your servants, Aḇraham,
Yitsḥaq, and Yaʽaqoḇ. Do not look on the stubbornness of this people, or on
their wrong or on their sin,
Deu
9:28 lest the land from which You
brought us should say, “Because יהוה was not able to bring them to the land
which He promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to
kill them in the wilderness.”
Deu
9:29 ‘And they are Your people and Your
inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and by Your outstretched
arm.’
Why would YHVH want us for an inheritance?
Psa 127:3
Look, children are an inheritance from יהוה, The fruit of the womb is the reward.
Torah
seeking parents desire their children to be raised on the foundation of Torah.
In the ancient Hebrew communities the little children began their study of Torah
in the book of Vayikra - learning to hear and respond to the voice of YHVH.
These children were often only about three years old when their study of Torah
began.
YHVH
clearly instructs us in His Torah that we are to daily commit these
instructions of life to our children and our children to their children and so
on from generation to generation.
In a
like manner YHVH wants to impregnate our beings with His Word – Torah, in such
a way that our lives will reproduce YHVH’s life throughout the world and even
the universe. In the “eighth day” of the new beginning, we believe this will be
so.
In the
meantime we have all being impregnated with a “mixed seed” and produced an
inferior kind of life. It is only the love of YHVH and a love for YHVH that
will inspire us to open our lives to receive His Pure Word – His Torah…..
“shemah Yisrael …..love YHVH with all your heart ….”
Joh 4:23
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to
worship Him. Joh 4:24 “Elohim is Spirit,
and those who worship Him need to worship in spirit and truth.”
Many
believers have understood the concept of worship and many wonderful worship
songs have been composed and sung. Sadly however this has not brought most of
these worshippers to embrace YHVH’s truth – His Torah, the way His anointed Son
came to show us.
Listen
to the following songs and pray that YHVH will open your hearts to embrace His
Torah. (Note that these songs were written years ago by “Charismatic believer -
musicians” and we also sung them years ago before we were on this “Torah-road
of restoration”. At least these songs give complete honour to Elohim our Father.
If we have to sing it now though, we will not use the Father’s name as “LORD”
but will sing Yah or YHVH and where we sang “holy God or holy LORD” before we
will replace it now to “set apart Elohim or Father”. In the last few years
since we have returned to our Hebrew roots, we are very sensitive to check out
a praise or worship song to see if it is Scriptural if it is not direct
Scripture. Many of the songs that we sang years ago while we were still in “Charismatic
or Pentecostal churches” we will not sing anymore because some are not really scripturally
correct. Accept for the “LORD” and “Holy God” names in stead
of the restored names of our Father, these two worship songs that the links were
provided for are scripturally correct and two lovely songs.
One thing that we really appreciate about the musicians who are
also on this “Torah road of restoration so to speak” – let’s call them
“Messianic musicians” (“Messianic” because that is a descriptive name that is
given to people like ourselves who are striving to be Torah observant – people who
keep Shabbat on the real Shabbat (the Seventh day); keeping the Scriptural
Feasts of YHVH; eating according to Scriptural dietary laws etc etc, versus “Christians”
who keep the First day of the week as the Shabbat; celebrating Christmas and Easter;
eating pork and shellfish etc because they believe “Jesus had come to do away
with the Torah when he died” ) is that many, many of the songs that the
Messianic musicians are composing are direct Scripture that is putting to music.
When not a pure scriptural song (melody put with certain Scripture verses) then
we test it against the Word of Elohim and do not sing songs for instance that
are still promoting the Trineterian doctrine. Most Messianic musicians will do
the restored name of “Jesus” and put Yeshua or Yahshua in stead but unfortunately
many of them are still singing “the LORD” and “God” in their songs instead of
using the Father’s covenant name YHVH or the title name “Elohim”. Here is a
link to a Messianic musician who are putting many Scripture to music and who is
serious about using the restored names of the Father YHVH and his son
Yahshua/Yeshua: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=CRP8tamjmPA&list=PLsMX7C7R043B_0MOBRrBMHF1vbC-m4DHG
His name is James Block.
Baruch
atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet,
v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu.
Baruch
atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(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 – Ameyn
Please note these notes are under construction and
are subject to correction and are in no way a final authority on any subject
