Idolatry by Osmosis (Rewind)
but they mingled with the nations and learned their practices, Psalm 106:35 NASB
Learned – In this verse, David described Israel in the 10th Century BC. He might as well have penned this line 3000 years later. Haven’t we mingled with the nations and learned their practices? Aren’t we in the same place as Israel before Babylon?
What have we learned in 3000 years? The Hebrew verb is lamad. It means “to study, to teach, to learn, to be taught, to be learned.” God sternly warned His people not to learn, teach, study or practice the corrupt, pagan ways of the nations. Instead, God’s followers were to learn His ways. Then He told them exactly what those ways were. Let’s take a look at some of them to see if we have mingled. Here’s a quick checklist:
“Do not entertain the idea that there is any god but YHWH” (Exodus 20:3). How is our culture doing with that one? How are your children doing with this in our government schools and universities? How much mingling did it take to produce a generation that believes all spiritual paths lead to the same God?
“Learn Torah and teach it” (Deuteronomy 6:7). How is the Church doing with this? Who did the mingling here? When did God change His mind about learning the instructions He gave to Moses?
“Do not take away from the commandments of Torah” (Deuteronomy 13:1). Hmm? Our religious culture certainly followed this to the letter, didn’t it?
“Recite grace after meals” (Deuteronomy 8:10). What is the usual procedure in your house?
“Do not bear a grudge or take revenge or cherish hatred” (Leviticus 19:17-18). How’s that working in your life? How are your relationships with those who don’t agree with you?
“Rebuke a sinner” (Leviticus 19:17). Are we ready to do this or are we hamstrung by the mingling of social and political correctness?
“Give charity according to one’s means” (Deuteronomy 15:11). Of course, now the government takes care of this, right? “I gave at the office.”
“Do not wrong a stranger in speech” (Exodus 22:20). But politicians are exempt, right? And if they are exempt, aren’t we excused?
“Do not withhold food, clothing or marriage rights from a woman” (Exodus 21:10). How does that align with an environment of spousal abuse or with the practices of cultures that still treat women as property?
“Do not castrate the male of any species; neither man nor beast” (Leviticus 22:24). I wonder if horse owners, pet breeders and the SPCA ever read this one?
“Celebrate the festivals” (Exodus 23:14). By the way, that does not include Christmas or Easter.
“Rest on Yom Kippur” (Leviticus 23:35). But since we don’t even celebrate Yom Kippur, especially after “Jesus” made it “irrelevant,” why worry about this one?
“Do not eat the flesh of unclean animals” (Leviticus 11:4) Take a long look at the menus of your favorite restaurants. Business in the mingled world is booming.
“Do not make a loan with interest to one of the house of Israel” (Leviticus 25:37). As the gentleman said to me, “You must be kidding. How can I do business if I don’t charge interest?”
“Do not delay payment of a hired man’s wages” (Leviticus 19:13). Except, of course, when the government or the employer needs the money more.
“Do not appoint as a judge anyone who is not well-versed in Torah” (Deuteronomy 1:17). But apparently it’s OK to elect them.
We could go on, but I don’t think it’s necessary. There is absolutely no question that the culture and the Church are very well-mingled today. Shaken, not stirred. Maybe that’s why Peter Leithart calls Christianity “institutionalized worldliness.” The only real question is this: What about you? How much mixing is going on in your life?
Topical Index: lamad, learn, teach, practice, Torah, mingle, Psalm 106:35
So now how do we unlearn? How do we “come out from them and be separate, and TOUCH NOT the unclean thing” when it is already touching us?
In nature, there are certain actions that can not be undone. You can’t put an egg back in its shell, and you can’t reverse certain molecular changes. You can’t make a living thing younger, and the second Law of Thermodynamics is so inexorable, too. Oh, while we are at it, a leopard cannot change its spots nor the Ethiopian his skin, either. What’s a mingled person to do? (Um, hint: deliverance)
Someone asked how you evangelize a person who says there is no God in this society. Good question. Socrates was put to death in his society for even questioning the gods. It has taken six thousand years to get here. The Greeks were the first to start the march toward humanism, but it has taken this long to perfect it. Humanism is our substitute for God today, and it is sweeping the planet like wildfire. Humanism has a replacement for every one of God’s commands, and we are being indoctrinated from every side now to put the human first and only. God has a place in our new pantheon, of course, but it is as an democratic ‘equal’. Soon, at this rate, I fear the world will see a new set of laws that require us demonstrate that theosophical democracy in the name of our new replacement for grace, called “tolerance”. If you hold only ONE as supreme, you will be considered a danger to society on the level of a terrorist. The law machine has been quietly grinding away at this one for a while now, and I am afraid we are almost there; almost back to the Plain of Duran. What will it take to stand when everyone else bows down this time? )I think if we cannot answer humanism directly at its fault lines (and it has plenty), we are not going to be able to speak to this brave new world in a way that it can hear.
We are going to have to engage directly with the world on every point where it has ‘replaced’ the true commandments – that created a real way to get along and relate – with the fake that APPEAR to be able to get along and relate. We are going to have to show why one set doesn’t work, and how the other one does. Fake love vs. true. We are almost up to this line. Are we ready for this one? Well, judgment starts at God’s own house, which is His Body. If we are unable to separate the false from the true in our own lives, we are going to be unable to help others do it. Perhaps we should start by learning community with each other?
Most of what I do is an attempt to get people to ask, “Where did that idea come from?” Every idea has a history, even biblical ideas. Until we start unraveling what we have assumed to be true, we will not know what influences us. Unlearning is what we do every time we ask, “Where did I get that idea?” Then we must allow the process to continue and be extremely sensitive to the possible detours and roadblocks that we ourselves put in the way.
Humanism is our substitute for God today, how grievous a reality, when our compassion is distorted, violated and abused. Such a sad state of affairs, Laurita!
Humanity itself is sliding downhill at a rapid speed, though that has started quite many years ago with folks in ignorance of true events happening behind closed doors, of experiments with chemicals, drugs, in DNA modifications, and mixing at the highest level, to say the least.
These are done with our best interests at heart, of course, AND, for our security and protection, mind you!
Any wonder folks are getting unhealthier by the day, but these can be reversed!! By… taking heed to our lifestyles, and natural organic foods, following the dietary instructions avoiding and minimizing as much toxicity as possible.
I am so for community with like-minded, hungry for truth, willingness to unlearn and relearn, with folks who are aware of what humility is about. In a word- with true, abiding in Torah/ instructions, followers.
Love your post. Shalom and blessings!
Yes, who is this “Jesus,” who made Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) “irrelevent?”
Well put. A lot of these questions have come up in my “walk”. I started looking into them when the pastors, preachers and teachers in the church told me they were no longer true but insisted ” God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow “. I found Today’s Word and a few others that help me to better understand the original content and the culture of the people who were being taught. A whole new and impressive view of YHVH than I have ever been “taught”. Looking into the Law/Torah has changed my life…I now do my best to “try” to follow it even when others don’t. Maybe the change comes one decision and one person at a time.
Skip’s reading list mentions one of my favorite authors,whom I had the rare privilege to know personaly. Art Katz cuts off ones (false) religious legs in his amazing little book “The Spirit of Truth “. In it he says “The truth is in us and we in it only to the degree we actually walk in it”.
I really wrestle with how I (a non-Jewish believer) am to be grafted in to the family of YHVH. Am I to follow the Judaizers? Or to believe Paul (at least what I’ve been taught of Paul) that my obligation is to purity but not to the Jewish covenant? What covenant does a non-Jewish believer have with the God of Abraham?
Hi Brian:
We are the strangers (ger) who have come alongside Israel, like the “ger” who joined the multitude who left Egypt (Ex 12:38), and like Ruth who attached herself to her Naomi. They chose to come alongside Israel. There is a good reading on “ger” in the Jewish Encyclopedia. Look up “proselyte” in their website articles for a Jewish view. And read Isaiah 56:1-7.
The Apostolic writings also make mention. For example in Acts 2:(10)11 – proselytes are worshipping in Yerushalayim on Shavuot, and they are among those who heard the disciples speaking in other languages. There are other Scripture references about adoption and grafting in which you can search.
I will never be Jewish, just as I will never be male, but I have no less a place with YHVH than any other who keeps Torah. I am grafted into the tree of Israel by choosing to join myself to the God of Abraham and live by His Torah. So are you if you made that choice. 🙂
Shalom.
Suzanne’s blog comment is right on target. Grafted in does not mean being Jewish. It means being adopted. My ethnic background will never change. I am born with it. But I can still be adopted by another family and live according to their way of life.
My struggle comes from three decades of being taught that non-Jewish followers of Yeshua need only obey the guidelines set in Acts 15 but that the Law was something that applied only to the nation of Israel. How do I arrive at the belief that I need to apply dietary laws when ceremonial laws are no longer relevant? How should I approach festivals when sacrificial laws no longer apply? Moreover, SHOULD I worry myself with Jewish law to begin with if my greatest focus is to love God and love my neighbors? I would love a list of your favorite resources to explore these concepts.
How do you learn, or prove,, anything? One word at a time. Once I realized that the words I’m reading in my English translation of the Bible, are words chosen by those who had preconceived ideas of what the words they were translating meant, I realized I had to go deeper. By finding out the true meaning of the words, by researching the context of the words, by learning the idioms of the language the writers were thinking in. If indeed G-d doesn’t change, and the Messiah and Apostles were Jews, what were they really saying? Who were they talking to? G-d expects us to be one family.
If you adopted children, would they really be treated differently than the ones whom you fathered? Would they eat differently, dress differently, and believe that you are a different father to them than to those who were there first?
Every word counts. We can’t claim to be G-d’s children while we refuse to listen to him. What’s the worst that could happen if you decided to really dig into these subjects that you struggle with? Some people would say you’re wasting your time, but G-d sees the heart. If you really want to know whether your previous teachings are all there is, if they are what G-d intended, then studying each word can only prove these words, or lead you to a different understanding. But going back to the same teachers, preachers, and resources, those who have always taught what was taught before them, will not give you a different perspective. Once you’ve seen both sides of the coin, then you can decide which one reflects the original meaning of the words of G-d.
There are dozens of Today’s Word editions on this subject covering most of the verses in Acts 15 and related material. You can search topics like “law” on the home page of the web site and find them.
You sound so much like me thirty years ago! I am not a Jew. But I am grafted into the tree through Abraham’s faith and Yeshua’s sacrifice.
Paul’s teachings are complicated. Deep research is needed to really understand his words.
My obligation is to my Father. The Covenant is His–it is not a Jewish covenant, it is G-d’s covenant. Abraham’s G-d is my G-d. He is the same. The Savior was Jewish. He taught in a synagogue, and in the temple. He observed the Sabbath and the Holy Days. He is our example of how to live. He showed us that the Way of G-d was written in the Scriptures before there was a “New Testament.” He followed that Way, and taught it, though English translations of the Bible make that seem impossible.
When I started using resources that really taught the meaning and context of the Hebrew words I was astounded to find that their meanings were so different than what I’d heard from traditional teachers of Christianity. I learned to listen to new teachers, and then prove the words for myself, with the help of Spirit.
Skip once upon a time you said you went thru the list of 613 and found that there fewer than 20 I think that were applicable to you. Which ones are they?
There were only about 10, but those 10 will depend on YOU, not me. Circumstances, location, family, children all are factors. I suggest you go to Judaism 101 and look at the 613 (nicely listed) and see for yourself. It takes only a few minutes by yourself. Then we can compare. 🙂
How can this be when the first ten alone appear to apply, let alone any more amongst the remainder?
I think you might have missed my point. I didn’t say that only 10 apply. I said the of the 613, I found that there were only about 10 that I WASN’T doing at the moment. Of course, that means there are many, many that do NOT apply to me, but of all the ones that did apply, I was remiss on only about 10.
Also keep in mind that all 613 commandments can actually be ‘filed’ under at least one of the ten commandments. Rabbi’s have said it’s like a folder system. That is because the ten commandments are actually 5 principles. 5 principles that are applicable to one tablet which are vertical relationships (your relationship with your creator) and 5 which are for horizontal relationships (mortals/peers). Really what is asked at the end boils down to build relationships on boundaries which shows respect. Then off of respect you have love.
Vicki you said we prove or do not prove something one word at a time. I like this bold statement as it is why I enjoy these blogs we are not necesary agreeing with an interpretation but at least we are learning another understanding. And it is how we connect our own understanding to actions that determine how true our faith is… One God one Faith etc. Found in ten words… Love God above all and your neighbour like your self… Torah in action what we add to this principle may be why I am such a slow learner…
“Do not castrate the male of any species; neither man nor beast” (Leviticus 22:24).
Skip I read her in Torah that its about animals who are bruised, crushed, torn or where the gentiles have been cut off…I cant find the part of man and beast and is it not about offerings? Maybe I am wrong but can you please explain better?
Shalom
I kind of thought that was the context of this too. I vaguely remember it being something to appease a god of some sort. Some fertility cult thing.
I am not sure what translation you are citing, but the NASB makes it clear that this commandment applies to animals offered for sacrifice to the Lord. “Also anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the Lord, or sacrifice in your land.” Obviously it does not mean ALL male animals and it certainly does not apply to human male testicles. While some ancient cultures did castrate male servants, Israel never practiced this. But Egypt did.
Not the translation, I’m referring to the cultural context. I remember listening to a lecture they talked about male testicles too with castration and the Rabbi was making a point that with worship of I believe Baal Peor it was common that males castrated themselves. I vaguely remember him saying something about male animals too as part of a sacrifice to Baal Peor and they were castrated. Easily could be wrong.
It’s not to argue but IMHO there are things that were based around cultural context and time period. Go to an animal shelter and tell them that cats and dogs shouldn’t be neutered and spayed and they will tell you that part of the reason why they have so many cats and dogs that come in is because of just that.
The list kinda works like that in general. For instance the ‘don’t take out interest against a person in the house of Israel’. Israel didn’t have to deal with inflation rates I’m assuming since they had a money system backed by the gold/silver. It’s not just a bank can’t do that, it’s a bank would lose money in the process with inflation rate being nearly 4%. Based off people’s ability to pay back as well (credit score) and so forth is it ‘really’ talking about what we have going on? Or is it talking about a culture that was different and a time period that was different too. For instance I live in a county that has more then 7 million people in. Not sure how many people were in Israel in the height of it’s population, but we are dealing with something a little different.
I’m not arguing don’t do Torah since it’s for a different time period (I for one recognize Torah is Gods commands and it’s principles and mitzvots are still for the most part applicable for today) but what I am saying is that I’m also not living a time period where there isn’t toilet paper and functional plumbing. I think that the principles are the main focus when it comes to a cultural division and not are as simple as saying it’s a 1:1. Sure the argument against that is a ‘what are you going to pick and choose’ I’m just saying 2 rabbi’s 3 opinions. Things aren’t always black and white.
I should say on other words, the way life works you tend to have conflicting mitzvahs and it’s not as easy as ‘well it says____’.
Torah still gives the correct way to go about things when you are out in the middle of nowhere with no plumbing… in fact, most of our modern improvements are truly improvements to the extent that they are following the spirit and the principles of Torah. A good flushing toilet is quite a marvelous example of Torah in action. Its the principle of the thing, you are right, but when you aren’t in a desert, I would suggest you work with leaves instead of sand.
What I’m saying is a bit more then just the toilet thing. Because what I’m referring too is you have to bury your feces.
For instance, “Be fruitful and multiply”. So I guess the people that are on welfare and pop out kids to get more money from our system are doing the right thing then?
Also I’m guessing that people then don’t go to the supermarket because there is trace on just about everything? So keeping kosher wouldn’t really much matter. Also when you found out about Torah everything in the house got thrown out because it at one point had unclean things cooked, or prepared on?
Also, me writing this. So I’m communicating with everyone via internet and power. Someone is working today to ensure that my power stays on. There are alerts that people are checking to make sure that interruptions don’t come to my house. Wouldn’t matter if I don’t use it I live in a community that does. I flush the toilets that take power. Also I ordered something off Amazon yesterday, people will work to keep that in stock for today, so yes people are working for me.
All I’m trying to say is that you can do the best you can do, we don’t live in Israel in the times were everyone was following Torah. You can do the best you can do, things aren’t as simple as, “It says this so that’s it”. Because just as easily I could point to how you are doing your best at the principle but in fact since we don’t have a whole nation doing it and we don’t live in time period that really is conscious of God you will always find conflicts and you have to choose the best out of what you got.
We do agree. Skip says it best: we are in Babylon. But I still follow Torah when I am in the woods and it is up to me.
Hahah. So true