God’s Authority – Rewind
According to the terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the verdict which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left. Deuteronomy 17:11 NASB
Turn aside – It all comes down to choosing whom to follow. Not every circumstance will have a clear resolution in the text. Not every option will be meticulously revealed. In the end, you will have to choose what to do based on some authority. In the end, most of us put ourselves in the place of authority. Since Luther declared that the individual believer acts as his or her own priest, we have attempted to do away with a hierarchy. We believe that the Spirit is equally available to all and that God’s moral government is a flat organization. The behavioral result is chaos. Purporting to do what God tells each one of us to do, we do what we want and use the Spirit to justify ourselves.
But Moses (and the Sinai revelation) had a different approach. When you find yourself in a situation where “the case is too baffling to you,” you are instructed to go to the priest who serves the Lord and let him decide. Furthermore, once he gives you the decision, you are not to turn to the left or to the right. You must do exactly as he says.
The Hebrew text is quite strong. The root is sur, a word often associated with the idolatry of turning away from the instructions of YHWH. In its positive sense, strictly following the commands and ordinances of YHWH means turning neither to the right or left. Notice the next verse in this passage. The man who does not follow precisely the decision of the priest is to be killed. Deviation is a very serious matter.
It seems to me that this should cause us considerable concern. Heschel points out the obvious problem. “The problem, then, that cries for a solution is not everything or nothing, total disregard or obedience to the law; the problem is authentic or forged, genuine or artificial observance. The problem is not how much but how to observe. The problem is whether we obey or whether we merely play with the word of God.”[1]
Personally I find this a very stressful verse. It reiterates once again my deepest anxiety about real obedience. I know that I play with the words of God. I can find any number of excuses for my lack of strict adherence. But rationalizations are pointless. Either the Bible is God’s word for me or it is not. I am not free to pick and choose from a revelation that comes from the King of the universe. What argument will I use to explain away my real behavior? Is what God says true? Then why do I not comply? Do I really think that Yeshua’s atonement covers willful disregard? It seems to me that I am more likely to hear, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” than I am to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Playing with the word of God is a capital offense.
Topical Index: sur, turn aside, authority, hierarchy, excuse, Deuteronomy 17:11
[1] Abraham Heschel, Man’s Quest for God, p. 101.
The 11th Commandment
Love Like That
~ A new commandment I give to you, [it is] that you love one another:
just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another ~ (John 13.34)
Today’s “To Do” list. Love God – love people. All people everywhere, starting with my “neighbor,” the one who is [now] in closest proximity to me. The one who is [now] near. Love ‘that’ one.
And how am I to love? In His words? Just as I have loved you. If I know the love of my Savior. If I have experienced (up close and personal) His grace, His mercy, His compassion, His forgiveness.. “this” is how I am to love.
“Ask, and you will receive..” His word instructs us.. “If we ask anything according to His will, -the Scriptures say, He will hear us. Immediately (if not sooner) I would ask this (almost too simple) question: Is it (hello) His will that I love my neighbor? “That” guy? “That” girl? The one who “appears” to be unloveable?
A Clear Command.
A Clarion Call.
Friend, we have been called to love.There is zero doubt about it. We are to love God, “commandment” -(this is no “suggestion,” Ted) Number 1. “And” (lest we forget) we are to love people. ALL people everywhere.
There is NOT one person on this green planet, (no, not one) that I (yes, the personal pronoun) am not to love
— to love with the very same love— my Savior loves me!
Wow! As “the Donald” might say — this is “HUGE!”
And? He did say.. (We do “pay attention” to His words — am I right?) “By this…” (I almost wnat to shout!)
“By THIS… – shall all men know.. that *you are My disciples (a disciple, dear friend, is a student or a learner)
[How?] – *IF – [What a big little word!] Ahh.. “if only..” If only we would “love one another with a pure (single) heart’ – fervently!
Is this serious business?
“All of Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”
LORD, Teach me to love. Amen.
And He said unto me.. “be followers of God as dear children, and walk in love.”
With a servant’s heart, – how may I, by my attitudes and actons, show love to you today?
To further the challenge: Which “priest” do we go to for that clarity we desire?
Are all not “dead priests walking”?
A good example of wordplay is “love” (sorry Carl!!!)… Yeshua could not have used this word. Not in the way we understand it today. Did He used “Loving-kindness” or “Charity” or what?
If he used hesed, as he clearly does in the Beatitudes, then we are obligated to much more than benevolence. If he used any of the Hebrew descriptions from Exodus 34:6-7, then to be in the image of God is to act with those same descriptions. You are right. We don’t have much appreciation for the depth of these words in Hebrew when we live in a world that has Greek ideas at its core.
As you say in Lucky Life:
>7&*#/#>7*#)$! )6! /#*#Q%$’! #$! 7,#;$D%$*!:#*3!*3%!/37&7/*%&!)6!*3%!d#$;
These are not swear words… It is just not copyable / in code.
However, you may have had some of the same in your thoughts before starting the book 😉
It is about walking the walk, holding the hand of the King. I obviously paraphrase!
but where are the priests today?
If I do my best to obey but have confussion on an issue then who do I go to for instruction? The church, in most cases, I have found, doesn’t obey much of what I consider important to observe. The Jewish community has many levels of observances. Do I have a responsibility to obey to the best of my understanding? I choose not to blindly follow men in their own traditions or theology. Any counsel on how to find the “authority”?
Thank you
Priest – the one YOU determine is close to God, follows God’s instructions and has the wisdom to offer you advice that you accept. In other words, your spiritual mentor. Today the formal category of priest has been usurped by a religion that no longer follows the words of YHVH. That disqualifies virtually all of them, Protestant or Catholic. But rabbis have also chosen a path of tradition that sometimes takes them far afield. They are closer by far to the words of the prophet Moses, but giving me advice for living in Babylon often runs afoul of my real circumstances. Where is Jeremiah when I need him? So we do the best we can and come together as often as we can to hammer out how to live 3000 years too late.
Ok Priest Skip,
You have been my mentor for the last two years. How now do I walk?
Heb.6:1
Therefore it is time to leave the word concerning the word of the beginning of the Life of Messiah,
for so we grow in maturity, to move again to establish a foundation
of repentance from dead works;
of trust in Elohim:
2 Of immersions,
of teaching,
of laying on of hands,
of resurrection from the dead,
and of everlasting judgment, … 3 And we will do so if permitted of Elohim. …
12 Do not become slothful: for if you thus become followers of those who acquire through trust and patience, you shall inherit of the promise. …
20 Having entered in on our behalf previously, Yahushua became a Cohen Gadol forever, after the order of Malki-Tzedek. …
7:23 For they are many which have become established as cohenim, which are not able to continue, because of death.
24 But this is established which is upheld eternally: He is a Cohen Gadol which does not pass away, forever; 25 That His death is able to save completely. Those whom He has written, come to Elohim: and He lives on high and prays for their sake.
26 For this Cohen Gadol appears to be suitable:
who is righteous,
and innocent,
and without defilement,
and separated from sin,
and higher than the heavens;
27 Who does not have needs from day to day: like they, The Cohenim HaGadolim first offer an offering for their sake, and then for the sake of all the assembly of Yisrael. And this, He did once, making Himself an offering.
28 For the Torah made sons of man, to be cohenim which are weak: but the word of the oath, which is concerning the Torah, stands and upholds the sons of Elohim, to be forever complete.
We need to walk from SLAVES (under Levitical Law schoolmaster/ ? mistress 😉 ) through MORTAL MAN / SONS / DAUGHTERS (bound to Covenant Torah / Marriage) to enter the kindom to come as KING – PRIESTS: May I suggest, not looking for a priest but becoming a Priest / Priestess?
I have been struggling lately with my own identity. Coming out of the “church” into the “roots” movement, I have evolved slowly but surely. I hear the struggles of others, who likewise have changed or shed their old skins in favor of wings and took flight. But for me the flight has been short-lived. There is always something pulling at me. What is it?
I am of the “seed/offspring” (zera) of Abraham. Abraham was found righteous by Yahweh because of the things he did.. Hold on , don’t get nervous, I am not espousing a works righteousness because Abraham first believed in the God that sent him out of Chaldea. Then Abraham went out.
I’m struggling with the issues of the Tanakh versus that of the Christian writings. I have gone over and over Isaiah 41 through 45 and all I can see is Yahweh claiming to be the “only” God. (Please don’t bother me with yachid versus echad). Then in the supposedly “apostolic” Scriptures i see Jesus/Yeshua saying the only way is through me! Well, I cannot deal with this conflict anymore!! These questions and inconsistencies truly grind me down.
So what do I do? I think the answer is no longer blowing in the wind, but the answer is “ger toshav”. Many new ideas are coming out now dealing with this identity question.
I will be pursuing this idea for a while.
Please, Dennis, I hope you share some tidbits of your journey. I can identify with some of what you shared. I’d value insights of your struggles. I’m tired of the Christian snippets of lovey-dovey, everything will be alright antics. Everything may well be all right in the end, but there is still the journey of real steps through real mud, over real rocks, by real cliff edges, etc. No matter how calm and confident you can become, there is still the real issues to persevere through and struggle through.
Michael. I would love to talk with you…maybe we could exchange ideas..But not in this venue…can you send an e mail to me..dennisokola@gmail.com Love to hear from you
But if you read Yeshua’s remark as DESCRIPTIVE rather than PRESCRIPTIVE, there is no conflict. I have written about this in Cross Word Puzzles. The problem is not with the NT but rather with the evangelicalism of the contemporary Church.
I don’t know how to separate descriptive from prescriptive. I have looked at Rev do not remember the exact verse but…”the lamb was slain from the foundation of the earth” and i can see it. But I am having trouble with the virgin birth, the geneology therof,and just the idea of the words of Jesus being exactly what he said. I can enjoy the NT for the spirit of Yeshua and all that.
So you’ve read Cross Word Puzzles?
Then consider the rabbinic context of the NT authors, how they used the text of the Tanakh to “mold” their arguments. Something we find controversial but they did not. Take a look at Brad Young’s work on the rabbis. Notice how they produce Torah connections. The gospel authors write in that style, not in the historical style we think is necessary.
I don’t know Brad Young>>>
Whoops IM Bad …I have the book !!
Good. Saves me sending it to you. 🙂
Turn aside.
The thought of asking advise and choosing to obligate to it precisely and fully is a shocking thought in my world as it is today. It is not how I grew up or how I was taught. I’ve acquired the taste of advise playing out in my mind as just that, advice. Don’t give me demands, just give me suggestions, even strong suggestions. I struggle to rewire my brain to even accept such a binding mindset so as to yield completely to someone else’s dictates.
Then I come to this “not turn aside, neither to the right or left.” That is a radical and in your face confrontation.
Where is such a person, a rabbi, a soul so bent toward obeying that I would yield to acting exactly, with no turning aside, as he directs?
The only recourse I’ve settled in is that of searching many, many sources available today via scriptures, personal acquaintances, books, internet, blogs, resources of others experiences, etc. Then I eventually come to the point of making a decision that appears to satisfy an understanding of what I’ve been searching an answer for. My life isn’t like that “wonderful plan for your life” depicted in those 4 Spiritual Laws booklets I relied on so many years ago since university. It’s more like a pinball game, me being the ball, being batted around, bumped, and redirected by the flippers and obstacles of life’s moments, one after the other.
It all starts over with each successive moment. Whew!
~ When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; — but some doubted.. ~
~ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me ~ (Matthew 28.17.18)
All ?? Not “will be given..” – “has been given.” The scope of this “all” is beyond *all my imagining. But this I know, “God has given unto Him a Name,” a Name which is above every name [both] in Heaven and in Earth. There is no higher Name than tHis.
Hmm.. May I? If, (no.. actually “since”) ALL power, all authority, all dominion has been given (already) to Him and if, (no, “since”), His is the Name which is now above every name that is named, – should we not also “bow the knee” and worship Him? Is He the One first prophesied and now proclaimed to be King of kings and LORD of lords? — Is He the One, or should we look for another?
There is no way to make too much of the Messiah in a manger. This incredible, amazing Gift of grace, born in a barn in Bethlehem. O Friend, His is the dominion and the glory and the honor and the blessing.. He p-owns every molecule of everything that is, and holds everything together by the word of His power! -the very hairs of our heads included. We are His, – lock, stock and barrel, first by right of creation and then again by right of Calvary.
God SO loved the world.. He gave us this Gift of Love, – God’s Love incarnated in human flesh and bone.
How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n;
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the holy angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, — abide with us, our LORD Emmanuel!
O come to my heart, LORD Jesus!
There is room in my heart for Thee!