Material Witness
saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.” Matthew 23:2-3 NASB
But do not do – So you got the picture? You realize that God has expectations after deliverance. You acknowledge that freedom in Christ doesn’t mean free to do whatever you wish. You see that Paul was Torah-observant. You begin to recognize that the theological arguments about the “end” of the Law don’t quite fit the lives and the words of the men of the Book.
Two things may happen. Both need to be avoided. Both are very seductive. The first is that you throw up your hands and shout, “How could I have been so misled? Everything I ever believed is wrong. Now I can’t trust anything.” You collapse into spiritual depression, thinking that because you didn’t see all of this before, somehow your faith means nothing. You were lied to. You were deceived. What you believed before doesn’t matter at all. You get so discouraged with the relearning process that you just give up. You stop going to church (“The pastor doesn’t even know he’s wrong”) and you virtually quit reading the Bible (“I can’t trust the translations and I don’t know Greek or Hebrew”). Now you need to hear this very clearly: God brought you through all this in order to get you to this place today. He didn’t waste a single moment. Neither should you. Thank Him for His tenacity. Praise Him for His faithfulness. And rejoice that you are now able to start again with Him. He never left even if you misunderstood the message. He just used all that to get you to this place. Pick up and get going. Fellowship, pray, study and revel in the goodness of the Lord.
Yeshua addresses the second possibility. You may be tempted to think that now you have the right answer and everyone else is an idiot or morally depraved. Now you know which calendar everyone must follow. Now you know which prayers are acceptable. Now you know the real name of the Savior. Now you know what to do, when to do and how to do—and anyone who does it differently must be wrong. Now you can become a real legalist because you have God on your side!
“But do not do” doesn’t mean, “don’t do anything.” It means, “Do what you are supposed to do differently than this.” It is so tempting to use your new insight to batter others with the truth. But that is not the way of a servant. Your new insight should bring you to the place of being all things to all men so that some might believe. Does it really matter in the eternal scheme of things if we follow one calendar and the Torah group in the next town follows another? Do we draw closer to each other and the Lord if we fight about your two sets of dishes and I my one set? You wear tzitzit on belt loops. I don’t. Is one of us “cut off” because of that? Yeshua never suggested that Torah doesn’t matter. He exhorted His followers to not be legalists about Torah. Show grace. Be merciful. Have compassion. Don’t forget that you were once a slave in Egypt.
Torah is the expression of the character of God, not a list of rules. Exodus 34:6-7 is at the heart of Torah. Those words describe the attitude of Torah observance. Ritual obedience means nothing without them.
The second temptation is far worse than the first because succumbing to the second means that your life demonstrates a rejection of all who do not conform to you rather than a hope for all those who observe you. Paul pleads for unity. Yeshua spends His time among the outcasts. What exactly are you doing about those great themes of Scripture? Arguing about which day Passover really begins on the Roman calendar?
Topical Index: do not do, Torah observance, temptations, Matthew 23:2-3
As my wife and I drove up to Virginia Beach to listen to Skip this past week we talked quite a bit. The topics were varied and many as usual.
One thought I had was how amazing it was that we, in this generation, could travel so far and so relatively easy. We drove over seven hundred miles in one day!
As the trees whizzed by as I looked at the forests of trees that lined the highway, I thought about the early settlers trudging along in their wagons and on horses with their families in tow. They didn’t have these amazing highways I was cruising on. They were squeezing through the maze of trees, vines, bushes and terrible terrain I saw on either side of my magnificent highway I was enjoying. Trailblazers. They went before all of us clearing paths, cutting down obstacles, voiding the area of dangerous animals and such. Risking their lives in the attempt to arrive at a new place of living and prospering.
I’m grateful to those early risk takers. They paved the way and eventually laid the foundation for the paved road I was driving on, complete with restrooms, restaurants and stores with an abundance of junk food for me to get fat from eating.
Today’s TW, in my mind, is that of a trail blazer. Skip writes a sentence or paragraph that pretty much explains in words the often jumbled mess of thoughts I’ve been struggling with for a while. I read and realize that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking and trying to figure out. I certainly relate to what he is saying in a precise way. He has been where I’m walking, where I’m headed, what I’m facing in this life journey.
I’m still following. But, I know myself. One day, I’m going to dart down a trail off the beaten path and see where it goes, where it takes me. There are a lot of individuals ahead if me on the trail, but, eventually I’ll catch up to Yeshua. Well, I know he’ll slow down for me to walk with him on the trail. He’s been watching me follow others follow him for a while. It’ll be great when I get to the specific trail he will have me travel to check out with him.
One map, Torah. Leading all to the same place, his righteousness. All different journeys heading in the same directions but along varying paths, each different according to his desires.
Thanks, Skip, for taking the time to write down some details of your specific trip. You didn’t have to, but you did anyway. You aren’t doing the walking for me, but you’ve certainly helped me learn how to navigate those paths ahead of me. Well, I should say the paths BEHIND me as I row looking back at what Yeshua has already faithfully done on my behalf.
Thanks for trailblazing and lending us your life to learn how to trail blaze ourself.
Michael…I really appreciated your blog today…it reflects my sentiments EXACTLY. Only you expressed it so much better than I ever could.
Thanks!!!
🙂
Wow, this is a much needed and timely perspective on the Torah observant life and teachings presented in your “Hebrew Word Study”. I have been reading the postings and comments as much as I can and appreciate this very relevant and significant insight. I, as I am sure many, wrestle with some of what is presented by Skip and shared by others. I’m comfortable with the realization that I’m on a journey. I am grateful that I’m learning and growing, and not stagnating. Pity those who think they have it all figured out. So, like the comments you shared about “celebrating” Christmas in a past posting, I appreciate today’s insight, perspective, “balance” and observations. THANKS! There is much, much more I could share and say, especially since I have a year of comments and observations, but since this is my first time posting a comment, I’ll leave it at that.
Thanks Skip. This post is one of the most soothing for me you have ever written. It has quieted my insecurities and clarified the path in front of me.
I have to say that this is such a comforting message this morning Skip, thank you for it. The Lord used you in a powerful way to speak to me about the very things I was crying out to Him about.
THE ROAD TO HIS CHARACTER IS THE HEART OF OUR JOURNEY.
“Merciful and gracious,
longsuffering,
and abounding in goodness and truth.”
Thanks, Skip, for this excellent reminder. We are lovingly drawn by Him
to His character, to His nature. And by our steadfast obedience to his Word,
He transforms us daily more and more into His compassionate heart
and mind.
This is our mutual working relationship.
“And the Lord your God will circumsize your heart and the heart of your
descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul, that you may live.” Deut 30:6
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
whose heart is set on pilgrimage.” Ps 84:5
And so . . .
We follow Him.
We live by heart.
We walk by faith.
We watch and we pray.
We give all we got.
We’re poured out wine and broken bread.
That we may live.
And others may see.
Could you or would you please help me to understand what BEGOTTEN MEANS in John 3:16 ?
The word itself “BEGOTTEN SON” and what it means …
THANK YOU.
Many say that the SON of GOD was eternal and I do not see that the OFFICE of the SON OF GOD was eternal but for a time and for a purpose..
HELP !
Carol Mattice,
Shabbat Shalom!
I was reading the pdf posted by Rene de Wit on the “Divine Council” this morning and ran across some information regarding your question.
Michael S. Heiser writes: “Jesus as the Unique Son of God (μονογενής, monogenēs). Jesus is the “only begotten” son of God—but
“only begotten” is a confusing translation. The Greek word is μονογενής (monogenēs). Not only does the translation “only begotten” seem to contradict the obvious statements in the Old Testament about
other sons of God, it sounds as though there was a time when the Son did not exist—that He had a beginning. The Council of Nicaea in 425 taught that the Son had always existed, but the idea of the uncreated, eternal Son had been understood since the beginning of the Church—it was believed to be the teaching of the New Testament.
The Greek word μονογενής (monogenēs) doesn’t actually mean “only begotten.” It presents a problem neither with respect to Jesus having a beginning, nor with respect to divine “sons of God” who are called gods (ים ִלהֹ ֱא, elohim) in the Old Testament. The confusion extends from a misunderstanding of the root of the Greek word. For many years, μονογενής (monogenēs) was thought to have derived from two Greek terms, μόνος (monos, “only”) and γεννάω (gennaō, “to beget, bear”). Scholars of Greek eventually discovered, though, that the second part of the word μονογενής (monogenēs) does not come from the Greek verb γεννάω (gennaō), but rather the noun γένος (genos), from the Greek verb γεννάω (gennaō), but rather the noun γένος (genos, “class, kind”). The term literally means “one of a kind” or “unique” with no connotation to time, origin or solitary existence. The validity of this understanding is shown by the New Testament itself. In Hebrews 11:17, Isaac is called Abraham’s μονογενής (monogenēs)—but Isaac was not the only son Abraham fathered, since he fathered Ishmael prior to Isaac. The term must mean that Isaac was Abraham’s unique son—the son of the covenant promises and the line through which the messiah would come. Just as Yahweh is an ים ִלהֹ ֱא (elohim), and no other ים ִלהֹ ֱא (elohim) are Yahweh, so Jesus is the unique son, and no other sons of God are like Him.” pp. 16-17
I would highly recommend you read the article in its entirety to understand the context of what he is presenting. It is about 19 1/2 pages of article, and about 4 pages of bibliography. You may or may not come to the same conclusion, but it will give some information to consider.
Here is the link: http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/DivineCouncilLBD.pdf
YHWH is King!
Yes!
Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. This journey has caused me to feel and think many of the things you mentioned in today’s word. One statement really hit home with me: “Thank Him for His tenacity.” My ignorance and rebellion can only be overcome by His love which He extends because He hasn’t given up on me! Even if I feel at times like I’ve given up on Him.
Skip,
This is a message that those in the Messianic movement desperately need to hear! Thank you for the encouragement and the clarification. 🙂
Thank you so much, Skip. I’m guessing you speak from experience!
Thank you, too, Michael. Your post was a great visual.
“Fellowship, pray, study and revel in the goodness of the Lord.” AMEN! Stay glued to YHVH and Yeshua and love His true followers (we’ll recognize them if we open our eyes to God’s ways lived out.) Nobody on this earth is going to have everything down pat. How about we humble ourselves and learn from one another and gird each other up… cover each others backs. They are the brethren!
However, I do not see (based on 57 years of experience) that “going to church” is anywhere near the true Biblical definition for fellowship. Being spoon-fed man’s false doctrines (a bottle of clear, clean, cold water with 1 drop of strychnine is still POISON) once, twice, thrice a week (or every time the doors opened) for an hour and eating a doughnut while gabbing for a few minutes about the last church board meeting, the football game or the weather or the kids or work or etc etc etc is NOT fellowship. I have plenty of nightmare stories to tell of so-called Bible-based churches that we were deeply involved with. I imagine most of us do. THAT’S A PROBLEM.
If you happen to have a very close relationship with the brethren whom you meet with (maybe at a specific building) AND you are involved with each others lives… and you want to call that “going to church,” I pray that you change your vocabulary. There’s no such thing as “going to church” as we know it in America/western culture in the Bible. Going to the Synagogue looked way different in Bible times than our modern day “going to church.”
Long ago, I used to belong to a beautiful, REAL fellowship (“church”) in a small community. We had anywhere from 30-50 or more “regular attenders” (people of all ages) and sometimes almost twice that number on summer weekends… our “church” was on the gorgeous Pacific coast USA so we had many visitors. Many of those visitors became part of the Body and they’d drive 2 hrs one way to be with us every Sunday or on Thanksgiving or for a topical Bible Study or whatever! We had varied “levels” of relationship with different people, of course, but the place was FULL OF LOVE IN ACTION… We were involved in each others lives because that’s the way the pastor MODELED how to love one another. He LOVED his sheep and he spent personal time with those who desired to build a relationship with him. He knew his sheep. He knew the resources each of us had and he put those resources to use in caring for one another.
Of course, we had those who didn’t want to live that way but wanted to dictate rules and regulations and were all about status, power and control (we actually had an elder’s wife PUT A TIME CLOCK IN OUR BEAUTIFUL PASTOR’S OFFICE BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T “COUNT” HIS WORK OUTSIDE THE CHURCH BUILDING AS THE WORK HE WAS GETTING PAID FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) If he wasn’t in the office, he was probably at one of our flock’s homes encouraging or ministering to the physical needs (maybe cutting firewood for a needy family or whatever) of, etc or someone of the flock might have been at his house to meet with he and his wife about Godly parenting (and that everything is not PRETTY AND TIDY AND FAKE!) or maybe he was talking with one of his “garbage-men” co-workers and the guy wanted to know more about the faith my pastor LIVED AND DEMONSTRATED.or maybe he had been up since 3 a.m. in order to be at a Bible study/prayer meeting with the farmers IN THEIR BARNS (yep, amidst the cow crap and stench! I think he wore boots… at least I hope somebody gave him some!)
I was NOT beautiful when I found out what that cold, ugly woman had done to my brother!!! My pastor weeped over that incident. In fact, he weeped many times over her cruelness toward him. I will close this saga by saying that this wonderful brother and leader was nearly destroyed (imho) from the stress he endured because of a few hateful people WHO WERE NOT DISCIPLINED. I don’t know how the politics in that flock worked. I just know that the government there was broken; the accountability of the “upper echelon” was absent… and many many people lost a very affective, loving shepherd.
If you have a shepherd like that, CHERISH HIM… he is a rare jewel in the rubble of rocks and sticks.
If you don’t have a pastor, be one! God never said we have to have a college diploma and all sorts of man-made credentials to be the example He calls us all to be. I recommend we all study up a bit on what a shepherd of a herd of animals does… are we all up to the sacrificial task? If not, why not?
Well said and timely, Skip. Thanks.
I am sure we have all heard today’s scripture used to justify discarding the Torah, and using the words of Yeshua to do it. But He was not attacking the Torah of the Pharisees, but the reforms (takanot) and precedents (ma’asim) that they had added to the Torah.
According to the King James Version, He taught his followers to observe all that the Pharisees taught from the “seat of Moses” (Matt. 23:2-3), but he also warned them not to copy their behavior, because “they say, but do not do.” However, Nehemia Gordon, in his own translation of Shem-Tov’s Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, makes this passage even more specific to following the Torah of Moses, and not the added laws and traditions of the Pharisees:
“(2) The Pharisees and sages sit upon the seat of Moses.
(3) Therefore, all that he says to you, diligently do, but according to their reforms (takanot) and their precedents (ma’asim) do not do, because they talk but they do not do.
In the Hebrew Matthew, Yeshua is telling his disciples not to obey the legalism of the Pharisees. If their claim to authority is that they sit on Moses’ seat, then diligently do as Moses says!” (Gordon, The Hebrew Yeshua 48)
well put – follow Moses not the Pharisees.
Today’s blog was very meaningful to me because I could very well fall into the second category; not verbally or overtly but in my mind and heart. Ouch and thank you! I don’t understand why so many don’t understand these things but that doesn’t make them bad or cut off; they just don’t know. It is better to reflect Yeshua and His Mercy and Compassion which will cause them to want to know more.
Thank you for this insight Skip! I am quite amazed sometimes at how you call out exactly what I have been
struggling with, thinking about, seeing in my life, etc. And then you go on to describe it in such a way that
untangles the knots for me and I can see the threads better! Don’t ever stop Skip! You will never know how
many people or how many times you have helped!
I broke when I read this. Just cried, I felt all of these last few years wash right back over me. I am not Jewish, just a “regular” American gentile church go-er that God began speaking to and revealing His truth to years ago. It was shocking, it was (dare I say) crazy…but when He finally had me in His truth it was PAINFUL. Everything I knew to be true was a lie. Everyone I trusted had misled me (and some willingly). I felt robbed of 13 years of following Him; I was a baby, starting over. I have managed to overcome temptations, unforgiveness, depression, all with more ease and comfort than this required, the requirement to change my thinking and know Him again. When I finally had had enough I remember crying out to Him ” I cannot do this another day, it is too much!” I heard Him so clearly tell me ” I brought you out to bring you in,” and so in reading Mr. Moen’s comment “God brought you through all this in order to get you to this place today”, it was a confirmation for me. And may I say, though the journey has been hard, and at times painful, and though I may not understand the deep things of Torah and God yet, it has been an amazing, and freeing experience. I went from being a “good Christian” free to do without Torah, to a bondservant of my Lord free to experience Him through His Torah and I wouldn’t trade it for anything at all. Thank you Mr. Moen, for your site. It helps me; it feeds me; it confirms to me.
elizabeth,
I think your testimony could be claimed by many of us on this blog.
I certainly am one.
Wow — so excellent. Thank you, Skip! I can’t help but wonder though, how many times I will keep experiencing these ‘moments of revelation’ where it seems the floor just fell out from under me and I realize I’ve believed a lie for so long. Years. Decades. Which makes me fearful to believe anything, and my next question is — is that happening now? Is what I believe now also a lie? How do I know I’m not falling into the same deception now? So, I guess I’m learning that continuing to believe requires a certain amount of courage….and am I willing to trust that the Lord will continue to lead me on the right roads, even if I make a few wrong turns on the way? I guess it wouldn’t be so heart-wrenching if all the “wrong turns” I made didn’t take so many years for me to get redirected.
I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to hear you in VA beach last week, but I’m glad Michael C. got the chance to go with his wife. 🙂
Ditto, Michael C, that many, many are blessed by Skip’s TWs,
and being delivered from World views to Hebraic paradigm. That is true liberty!
I am so thankful that my family and I were never set in Christian doctrines, as I have been pulling them out from church to church, despite their protests, but not totally in Torah.
I knew we are not separate from Yisrael, nor comprehended the fullness of being grafted-in, nor fully understood the full significance of the keeping of Feasts though we partook of the celebrations. We didn’t understand why we started learning Hebrew in the late 80s, but just loving the language, it’s customs/culture, meals,songs and dances, and our wonderful Hebrew teacher from Seder Boker, Yisrael. Perhaps it is a calling in our lives as we diligently seek YHWH.
“Torah is the expression of the character of God, not a list of rules. Exodus 34:6-7 is at the heart of Torah. Those words describe the attitude of Torah observance. Ritual obedience means nothing without them.” Absolutely agree!
Blindly following without coming to grips in understanding the true liberty that Scripture brings will bears no fruit, as in transformation of nature/character that ABBA desires from His own!
We ought not be critical nor judgment as we are on individual levels of growth and understanding, and we are learning and relearning along the journey
we are on.
Teresa- may I add that we are on a journey as emphasized often here. And it is a process of learning and relearning. Happy seeking and blessings in digging through Skip’s TWs. :- )
Shalom to all! Thank you once again, Skip, for doing a wonderful job of creating the desire of digging into the Word from Hebraic perspectives/views.
Thank you for this, Dr. Moen! I needed to hear all you had to say. This is where I am right now. I just climbed out of a rabbit hole, and was about to fall into a different one. I am trying to figure out how to “start over” and while I am “starting over”, how not to run others over with my “newly” found faith. 😉 Thanks again!!