What does it mean : Not under the Law but under Grace?

Shalom,

Rom 6:14  KJV
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Rom 6:15  KJV
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

What does it mean : "Not under the Law but under Grace?"

What was Paul saying when he made this statement?

Was he having a discussion and comparing keeping the Torah verses and not keeping the Torah?

Was Paul comparing and contrasting the Torah given at Mount Sinai to the grace of YHVH manifested through the death of Messiah when He died on the cross?

Was Paul discussing and teaching how we are saved in Messiah?

What is the meaning of Paul's statement, "... for ye are not under the law but under grace".

THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD VERSE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

What is the #1 most misunderstood verse in the New Testament?

I believe Rom 6:14-15 is the most misunderstood verses in the New Testament. Paul said, "... for ye are not under the law but under grace".

And this verses become legitimacy to some Christians to forget the Law (the Torah), not to observe the Torah.

But, is it the case? Did the first believers in Jerusalem observe the Torah or not although they had believed in Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach)?

Let me share with you some proofs to prove that the believers they still observed the Torah although they had believed in Jesus Christ. Let us read about Paul.

In Acts 23:6 Paul confessed, "I am (not "was") a Pharisee."

Act 23:6  KJV
But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

Paul identified himself as Pharisee, although he believed in Yeshua HaMashiach already.

He even declared that concerning the observance of the Torah he was "blameless," which indicates that he observed a Jewish lifestyle to his dying day (Phil. 3:6).
Php 3:6  KJV
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Paul testified that he kept the Torah throughout his life (Acts 25:7-8, see also Acts 28:17).

So, if it is the case, then why Christians now forget about the Law? Why are Christians now so difference with the first Christians in the Bible?

How is this so?

Why is this so?

It is because Christians DON'T read and study their Bible. They only KNOW
parts of the Bible which they have HEARD while attending church. They only KNOW what they have been TOLD to believe. They only know what they have been TOLD to believe regarding the understanding and interpretation of various Bible passages.

But why?

Because the Bible says that the people of YHVH are SHEEPS. SHEEPS are FOLLOWERS. Sheeps FOLLOW what other SHEEPS DO.


MOST CHRISTIANS CAN QUOTE : '...for ye are not under the law but under grace'

While most Christians don't know their Bible very well, MOSTLY ALL Christians can quote to you when having a discussion about following Torah and being a
believer in the Messiah: '...for ye are not under the law but under
grace.'

Why are Christians so familiar with this verse?

It is because they have heard the verse quoted from their Chrisitan leaders OVER and OVER in emphasizing to them that a believer in the Messiah should
NOT follow Torah.

But is this what Paul was teaching when he wrote the verse?

In this study, we will discover that this verse is being quoted OVER and OVER by Christian leaders and the quote is taken OUT OF CONTEXT.

MOST CHRISTIANS CAN'T TELL YOU THE CONTEXT OF THE VERSE :
'...for ye are not under the law but under grace'

Most Christians can't tell you where the verse, '...for ye are not under the law but under grace' is in the Bible or the CONTEXT of the verse.

Therefore, let us examine the CONTEXT and teaching of Paul regarding this verse. But first, let us examine Paul's teaching in general about salvation in Messiah and the role of Torah in the life of a believer in the Messiah.

SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Paul clearly teaches in the NT that our salvation in Messiah is by grace through faith.

Eph 2:8  KJV
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

So, we are saved by grace through faith. We are NOT saved by our own good merit or our own good works.

Eph 2:9  KJV
Not of works, lest any man should boast.

SAVED UNTO GOOD WORKS

Does our salvation by grace through faith mean that we DON'T persue GOOD WORKS?

The answer is that someone saved in Messiah WILL PERSUE GOOD WORKS. However, the GOOD WORKS DON'T SAVE them. GOOD WORKS is a RESULT of being SAVED by GRACE through FAITH.

Eph 2:10  KJV
For we are his workmanship, CREATED in CHRIST JESUS unto GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we SHOULD WALK in them.

Mat 5:16  KJV
Let your LIGHT so shine before MEN, that they may SEE your GOOD WORKS, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Tit 3:7  KJV
That being JUSTIFIED BY his GRACE, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Tit 3:8  KJV
This is a FAITHFUL SAYING, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Heb 10:24  KJV
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to GOOD WORKS:

LIGHT SHINE = GOOD WORKS

Messiah taught that GOOD WORKS is associated with your LIGHT shining.

Mat 5:16  KJV
Let your LIGHT so shine before MEN, that they may SEE your GOOD WORKS, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

What is LIGHT?

TORAH / KEEPING COMMANDMENTS = LIGHT

Pro 6:23  KJV
For the COMMANDMENT is a LAMP; and the TORAH is LIGHT; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

Isa 51:4  KJV
Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a TORAH shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a LIGHT of the PEOPLE.

Isa 8:20  KJV
To the LAW and to the testimony: if they SPEAK NOT according to this word, it is because there is NO LIGHT in them.

Therefore, when Messiah was saying, you are the LIGHT of the WORLD ... let them SEE your GOOD WORKS, He was telling those that believed that He is the Messiah to FOLLOW TORAH.

TORAH / KEEPING COMMANDMENTS = HOW WE WALK

Eph 2:10  KJV
For we are his workmanship, CREATED in CHRIST JESUS unto GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we SHOULD WALK in
them.

We are to WALK in GOOD WORKS. "Walking" is a Hebrew idiom for
"following Torah".

The Jewish people refer to the way in which you seek to follow Torah is HALACHAH.

HALACHAH comes from the Hebrew word HALAK which means, "to walk".

So, keeping the commandments / Torah is the WAY that one WALKS.

Exo 16:4  KJV
Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will WALK in my TORAH, or no.

Jos 22:5  KJV
But take diligent heed to DO the COMMANDMENT and the TORAH, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to WALK in all his WAYS, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

1Ki 2:3  KJV
And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to WALK in his WAYS, to KEEP his statutes, and his COMMANDMENTS, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is WRITTEN in the TORAH of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:

Psa 78:10  KJV
They kept not the covenant of God, and REFUSED to WALK in his TORAH;

Psa 119:1  KJV
ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who WALK in the TORAH of the LORD.

Jer 26:4  KJV
And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to WALK in my TORAH, which I have set before you,

1Jn 2:4  KJV
He that saith, I know him, and KEEPETH NOT his COMMANDMENTS, is a LIAR, and the truth is not in him.

1Jn 2:6  KJV
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to WALK (follow Torah), even as HE (Messiah) WALKED (follow Torah)

PAUL TAUGHT : SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Rom 3:28  KJV
Therefore we conclude that a man is JUSTIFIED by FAITH WITHOUT the DEEDS (trusting in your OWN GOOD WORKS) of the law.

Rom 3:30  KJV
Seeing it is one God, which shall JUSTIFY the CIRCUMCISION (Jew) by FAITH, and UNCIRCUMCISION (non-Jew) through FAITH.

PAUL TAUGHT : SAVED BY FAITH TO KEEP TORAH

Rom 3:31  KJV
Do we then MAKE VOID the TORAH through FAITH? GOD FORBID: yea, we ESTABLISH the TORAH.

Unfortunately, I don't think that I EVER remember anyone in church, radio or TV quote Paul's teaching of Romans 3:31 : 'Do we make void the Torah through faith? God forbid, we ESTABLISH the TORAH'.

However, I have heard THOUSANDS of TIMES : '...for ye are not under the law but under grace'

If Paul taught in Romans 3:31 that AFTER we are SAVED by GRACE through FAITH (Romans 3:28:30) that we are to ESTABLISH (follow) the TORAH ...

If Paul taught in Ephesians 2:10 that AFTER we are SAVED by GRACE through FAITH (Ephesians 2:8-9) that we are CREATED unto MESSIAH to do GOOD WORKS ....

Then how do we think that Paul taught differently quoting the verse, ' ..for ye are not under the law but under grace' ?

It is because we have taken the verse, ' ..for ye are not under the law but under grace' OUT OF CONTEXT and have TWISTED the teachings of Paul.

UNLEARNED = TWIST THE TEACHINGS OF PAUL

Peter wrote that :

2Pe 3:15  KJV
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother PAUL also according to the WISDOM given unto him hath written unto you;

2Pe 3:16  KJV
As also in ALL his EPISTLES, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are UNLEARNED and unstable TWIST, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

WHO ARE THE UNLEARNED?

The unlearned don't know or follow Torah. The learned follow Torah.

Deu 31:12  KJV
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may LEARN, and fear the LORD your God, and OBSERVE to do all the words of this LAW:

Psa 119:7  KJV
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have LEARNED thy righteous JUDGMENTS.

Peter said that those who are "unlearned" (dont' follow Torah) TWIST the teaching of Paul.

How? It is because there is a TERMINOLOGY to understanding TORAH like :

#1) Wisdom = Walking in Torah
#2) Light = Walking in Torah
#3) Truth = Walking in Torah

The UNLEARNED won't recognize the 'coded' words used by the Messiah or by Paul in the way in which they teach Torah.

MESSIAH SPOKE IN PARABLES SO UNLEARNED WON'T UNDERSTAND

Mat 13:10  KJV
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

A 'parable' is a CODED message.

The TORAH is taught as a PARABLE.

Psa 78:1  KJV
{Maschil of Asaph.} Give EAR, O my people, to my TORAH: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

Psa 78:2  KJV
I will OPEN my MOUTH in a PARABLE: I will utter dark sayings of old:

Messiah taught in PARABLES (coded Torah language).

Mat 13:11  KJV
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the MYSTERIES of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

The word, 'mystery' is a CODED Torah understanding. There are four primary levels to interpreting Torah.

#1) Peshat: Literal
#2) Ramez: Allusion. One Scripture alluding to another Scripture
#3) Derash: Homiletical. Parables
#4) Sod: Deeper 'hidden' meaning of a Torah text. The 'hidden'
meaning is the HEART (true meaning) of the TORAH

Messiah said that the 'Mystery' (SOD) level of Torah is given to His disciples (those that follow Torah). Those who are 'unlearned' (don't follow or understand Torah) won't understand the 'hidden' teachings of the Messiah.

Mat 13:12  KJV
For whosoever hath (seeks to follow Torah), to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: (more Torah knowledge) but whosoever hath not (doesn't follow Torah), from him shall be taken away (his knowledge of the Bible will be so basic that they have trouble understanding the BASIC things like a believer in YHVH through Messiah will follow Torah) even that he hath.

Mat 13:13  KJV
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing SEE NOT; and hearing they HEAR NOT, neither do they understand.

LITERAL AND REDEEMED JACOB IS BLIND

Who sees and sees not? Who hears (tries to follow the ways of YHVH) and hears not? It is the LITERAL house of Jacob (whom we recognize today as JEWS) and the REDEEMED house of Jacob (whom we recongnize as CHRISTIANS).

Messiah rules over a REDEEMED house of Jacob.

Luk 1:33  KJV
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Why does the LITERAL house of Jacob and the REDEEMED house of Jacob see but see not and hear but hear not? It is because the LITERAL house of Jacob have walked away from the LIVING TORAH (Messiah) and the REDEEMED house of Jacob have walked away from the WRITTEN TORAH.

Isa 42:18  KJV
Hear, ye DEAF; and look, ye BLIND, that ye may see.

Isa 42:19  KJV
Who is BLIND, but MY SERVANT? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and BLIND as the LORD'S SERVANT?

Isa 42:20  KJV
SEEING many things, but thou OBSERVE NOT; OPENING the EARS, but he HEARETH NOT.

Isa 42:24  KJV
Who gave JACOB for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would NOT WALK in his WAYS, neither were they obedient unto his TORAH.

So, Messiah spoke in parables so that those who follow Torah will understand what He taught and increase in their Torah knowledge. Those who don't follow Torah won't understand the teachings of the Messiah.

UNLEARNED TWIST TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION

What is the DESTRUCTION of the UNLEARNED (those that don't follow Torah in Messiah) ?

They are LEAST in the Kingdom or they are NOT the Bride of Messiah.

Mat 5:19  KJV
Whosoever therefore shall BREAK one of these LEAST COMMANDMENTS, and shall TEACH MEN so, he shall be called the LEAST in the KINGDOM of heaven: but whosoever shall DO and TEACH them, the same shall be called GREAT in the KINGDOM of heaven.

PAUL WAS GIVEN WISDOM = KNOWLEDGE OF TORAH

2Pe 3:15  KJV
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother PAUL also according to the WISDOM given unto him hath written unto you;

What is this WISDOM which Paul was given? It is the KNOWLEDGE of TORAH and the desire to FOLLOW TORAH.

Hos 4:6  KJV
My people are destroyed for LACK of KNOWLEDGE: because thou hast REJECTED KNOWLEDGE, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast FORGOTTEN the TORAH of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Mal 2:7  KJV
For the priest's lips should KEEP KNOWLEDGE, and they should SEEK the TORAH at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

1Ch 22:12  KJV
Only the LORD give thee WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest KEEP the TORAH of the LORD thy God.

Psa 111:10  KJV
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of WISDOM: a good understanding have all they that DO his COMMANDMENTS: his praise endureth for ever.

Deu 4:5  KJV
Behold, I have taught you STATUTES and JUDGMENTS, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should DO so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

Deu 4:6  KJV
KEEP therefore and DO them; for this is your WISDOM and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

WHAT DID PETER SAY?

Peter said that Paul was given WISDOM (knowledge of Torah) by God and those who are UNLEARNED (don't know Torah) TWIST (wrongly interpret) the teaching of Paul to their OWN DESTRUCTION (keep them from receiving blessings from YHVH for DOING His commandments thus being GREAT in the Kingdom.)

2Pe 3:15  KJV
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother PAUL also according to the WISDOM given unto him hath written unto you;

2Pe 3:16  KJV
As also in ALL his EPISTLES, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are UNLEARNED and unstable TWIST, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

WHAT DID PAUL MEAN WHEN HE SAID '...for ye are not under the law but under grace'

So based upon what has been written in this article so far, what really did Paul mean when he said, '...for ye are not under the law but under grace' ?

To begin with, we need to read this verse in CONTEXT. This verse is found in Romans 6:14.

Rom 6:14  KJV
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

So, if this is the 14th verse of Romans 6 what is the CONTEXT?

What is said in Romans 6:1-13 which forms the CONTEXT of Romans 6:14?

Let's now examine Romans 6:1-14.

Rom 6:1  KJV
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Paul begins by asking a question. Should we SIN so that GRACE may abound? Before we can understand Paul's question, we need to understand the definition of sin.

1Jn 3:4  KJV
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

So, Paul was asking, 'Do we SIN = (BREAK THE COMMANDMENTS) so that
grace may abound?

Does it make sense that MESSIAH FORGAVE us of our SIN = BREAKING THE COMMANDMENTS so that we can SIN (NOT follow His commandments) ?

Well, Paul has an answer to that question.

Rom 6:2  KJV
GOD FORBID. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Paul's answer to this question was : JUST SAY NO!

Shall we purposely SIN = BREAK THE COMMANDMENTS so that we can receive GRACE AFTER we are saved (Romans 3:28-30) ?

YHVH FORBID!

FORGIVEN FROM SIN = DEAD TO SIN

Rom 6:3  KJV
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Now, Paul begins to make an anology :

Dead to sin = Baptized unto death of Messiah = Died for our SINS

In other words, once we are FORGIVEN of our SIN through Messiah, we are NOT to pursue a LIFE of SIN (breaking the Torah). Our desires should be to seek to be a HOLY people and NOT persue living a SINFUL LIFE.

In we seek to be a HOLY people, we are 'DEAD TO SIN'.

Paul is equatiing being DEAD TO SIN with the DEATH OF MESSIAH.

Rom 6:4  KJV
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5  KJV
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Since we are DEAD TO SIN which Paul is comparing to the DEATH OF MESSIAH, we have been "raised up from the dead" (FORGIVEN OF OUR
SINS) so we should WALK in newness of life.

WALK is a Torah 'code' word for OBEYING TORAH.

So, Paul is saying that we have been FORGIVEN of our SINS for the purpose of WALKING (obeying Torah) in NEWNESS OF LIFE.

Rom 6:6  KJV
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7  KJV
For he that is dead is freed from sin.

OLD MAN = FLESH = CRUCIFIED = FORGIVEN BY MESSIAH

Paul is saying that now since we have a NEW HEART and have REPENTED of our SINS and thus have our SINS FORGIVEN that the OLD MAN or the FLESH who DESIRED to SIN should be CRUCIFIED so that we don't SERVE the FLESH or SERVE SIN.

DEAD TO SIN = OLD MAN = FLESH = CRUCIFIED = DIED WITH MESSIAH

Rom 6:8  KJV
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

DEAD WITH CHRIST = SINS FORGIVEN = OLD MAN = CRUCIFIED

LIVE WITH CHRIST = WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE = FOLLOW TORAH

Rom 6:9  KJV
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Rom 6:10  KJV
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Rom 6:11  KJV
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:12  KJV
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

If the OLD MAN has been CRUCIFIED = DEATH OF MESSIAH then NEW MAN = NEW HEART = FOLLOW TORAH then the rebellious heart to NOT follow Torah and wants to SIN shouldn't have dominion (power) over us.

REBELLIOUS HEART = STONY HEART = NOT FOLLOW TORAH

Zec 7:11  KJV
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and STOPPED their EARS, that they should NOT HEAR.

Zec 7:12  KJV
Yea, they made their HEARTS as an ADAMANT STONE, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets:

NEW HEART = HOLY SPIRIT = SEEKS TO FOLLOW TORAH

Eze 36:26  KJV
A NEW HEART also will I give you, and a NEW SPIRIT will I put within you: and I will TAKE AWAY the STONEY HEART out of your flesh, and I will give you an HEART of FLESH.

OLD MAN = FLESH = STONEY HEART = DEATH OF MESSIAH

Eze 36:27  KJV
And I will put MY SPIRIT within you, and cause you to WALK in my statutes, and ye shall KEEP my judgments, and DO them.

NEW MAN = HEART OF FLESH = WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE = RESURRECTION OF THE MESSIAH

Rom 6:13  KJV
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are ALIVE from the DEAD, and your members as INSTRUMENTS of RIGHTEOUSNESS unto God.

SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH = DEAD TO SIN

NEW MAN = ALIVE FROM DEAD = RESURRECTION OF MESSAH

NEW MAN = ALIVE FROM DEAD = INSTRUMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

NEW MAN = ALIVE FROM DEAD = FOLLOW TORAH

NEW MAN = ALIVE FROM DEAD = GOOD WORKS

So, the CONTEXT of Romans 6:1-13 is that Paul is saying that a believer in Messiah should NOT SIN (break the Torah commandments) because that OLD MAN who desired to SIN has been CRUCIFIED with Messiah so that the NEW MAN who has been FORGIVEN from his SINS should WALK in NEWNESS of LIFE (follow Torah) and be an instrument of righteousness (produce GOOD WORKS by following Torah).

Next, Paul says the FAMOUS VERSE :

Rom 6:14  KJV
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

1Jn 3:4  KJV
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

SIN (breaking the commandments) shall NOT have dominion over you!

In Romans 6:14, Paul is saying (for those who are LEARNED in Torah) that we should FOLLOW TORAH because SIN (breaking Torah) shall not have dominion over you.

Rom 6:14  KJV
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Under the law?

What law is Paul talking about in Romans 6:1-13?
The Torah? NO!

He is talking about the LAW of SIN and DEATH.

THE LAW of our FLESH that cause us to SIN shall NOT have dominion over us because that OLD MAN has been CRUCIFIED with Messiah and by being FORGIVEN of our SINS (breaking the Torah) YHVH has extended GRACE /
MERCY to us to allow our SINS to be FORGIVEN.

YHVH extends GRACE / MERCY to those that KEEP His commandments.

Exo 20:6  KJV
And shewing MERCY unto thousands of them that love me, and KEEP my COMMANDMENTS.

Psa 103:17  KJV
But the MERCY of the LORD is from EVERLASTING to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

Psa 103:18  KJV
To such as KEEP his covenant, and to those that REMEMBER his COMMANDMENTS to DO them.

WHAT WAS PAUL SAYING IN ROMANS 6:14 ?

Rom 6:14  KJV
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

THE LAW of our FLESH that causes us to SIN shall NOT have dominion over us because that OLD MAN has been CRUCIFIED with Messiah and being FORGIVEN of our SINS (breaking the Torah) YHVH has extended GRACE /
MERCY to us to allow our SINS to be FORGIVEN.

Since GRACE / MERCY has been extended to us to allow our SINS to be FORGIVEN through Messiah dying on the cross, YHVH has given us His MERCY / GRACE to those that LOVE HIM and WALK in HIS COMMANDMENTS. Those who do so will produce GOOD WORKS.

GOOD WORKS (following Torah and being a LIGHT in a world of darkness)
is the FRUIT of someone FORGIVEN of their SINS and who DESIRES to
show our LOVE to YHVH through Messiah by KEEPING His commandments.

Those who choose to do so will be given MERCY / GRACE by YHVH as they
seek with all their heart to be OBEDIENT unto Him, KEEP His commandments and produce GOOD WORKS (fruits of righteousness) for the
GLORY of HIS KINGDOM.

Messiah said :

Joh 14:15  KJV
If ye love me, keep my commandments.

I pray that this teaching has been and will be a rich blessing to you in your studies. PLEASE share this teaching with others.

May YHVH in the Name of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) continue to bless you in your studies.

Blessing,
Andre

SHAVUOT [PENTECOST], 6th Sivan - 7th Sivan

SHAVUOT [PENTECOST], 6th Sivan - 7th Sivan
Andre Widodo© Talmid HaMashiach


Shalom,

On 6 Sivan - 7 Sivan in Hebrew Calendar, we are going to celebrate Pentecost. Pentecost or in Hebrew is known as Shavu'ot is the feast about the giving of the Torah at Sinai and also it is a shadow of the giving of the Ruach HaKoddesh to the Church in Sivan 6-7.



In traditional Judaism, the festival of Shavuot ("Weeks") marks the culmination of the experience of redemption, sometimes called Atzaret Pesach, the Conclusion of Passover.

Since the Exodus from Egypt was intended to lead to the revelation of Sinai, the goal of Passover is the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people.

God took the Jews out of Egypt so that they would be His own treasured people, holy and separated from the pagan cultures around them. Indeed, all of the mo'edim (holidays) are connected with this event, including the fall festivals of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

According to the sages :
The new moon of Nisan marks the start of sacred time, Passover remembers the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, the first day of Unleavened Bread remembers the Exodus from Egypt, the seventh day of Unleavened Bread remembers the crossing of the Red Sea, the counting of the Omer recalls the days before the giving of the Torah at Sinai, and Shavuot remembers the giving of the Torah exactly seven weeks after the Exodus (on Sivan 6).

Indeed, Shavuot at Mount Sinai is sometimes considered the day on which Judaism was born.




The Biblical Background of Shavuot
   
The book of Exodus tells us how Moses was sent by God to Egypt to be a deliverer of Israel. Pharaoh, of course, did not heed Moses' appeal to set the people of Israel free from their slavery, and the stage was then set for the showdown between the God of Israel and the gods of Egypt.

After repeated demonstrations of the glory and power of the LORD, God told Moses that He would bring a final and terrible plague that would cause Pharaoh to relent and let the people go. All the firstborn sons in the land would be killed -- except for those who observed what God called the Passover.

The LORD commanded that on Nisan 10 the head of each household would select an unblemished young male lamb to be offered as a sacrifice to the LORD.  On the afternoon of Nisan 14 (erev Pesach), a family member was to slaughter the lamb (called korban pesach) and smear some of its blood on all three sides of the doorframe, top, right and left.  The lamb was then to be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread (matzah) and maror (bitter herbs). This meal was to be consumed "in haste" since the Israelites would begin their exodus the following morning (Nisan 15). The LORD further required that only matzah was to be eaten for a week after the Passover meal (from Nisan 15-22), perhaps to recall the haste in which they left Egypt.

At midnight on Nisan 15 the LORD killed all the firstborn males of those who did not put the blood of the lamb upon their doorposts (the Jews who trusted in the LORD were "passed over" (pasach) from the angel of death).  Pharaoh and most of Egypt arose in the middle of the night, lamented the loss of their children, and begged the Israelites to leave Egypt. The great Exodus from Egypt finally began!

After exactly 430 years in Egypt (Exo 12:40-1, 51, but reckoned from the birth of Isaac) over 600,000 adult males, along with their wives and children, departed with a wealth of gold and silver which the Egyptians had given them.

As soon as the Jews left Egypt, a fiery Pillar of Cloud appeared before them, leading them from Rameses to Succoth and then southward toward the desert (Exo 13:20-1). But Pharaoh and his army soon realized that the Jews were never coming back and decided to pursue and enslave them once again (Exo 14:4). Six days later, on Nisan 21, the Israelites were trapped with the Egyptian army behind them and the Sea of Reeds before them. The Pillar of Cloud moved behind the Israelites and stood between them and the Egyptians. Moses then stretched out his staff before the sea and it miraculously parted so that the Jews could walk through. When the Jews had fully crossed over, the Egyptians tried to follow after them, but Moses again stretched out his staff and the waters caved in on them so that the pursuing army was drowned.

Three days later, on Nisan 24, the people came to Marah, where the water was bitter. Moses threw some wood in the waters and they became mayim chayim - sweet water good for drinking (Exo 15:22-26). A month later, the Jews complained that they were out of food, but God sent manna to feed them (Exo 16).

Interestingly, the amount of manna collected each day was called an omer.  Later still, the Jews began to settle at Rephidim, near Mount Sinai, but again there was no water. Moses was commanded to take the elders to a rock at Sinai and strike it with his staff to miraculously bring forth water (Exo 17:1-7).

While the Jews were camped in Rephidim, the Amalekites (descendants of Esau) suddenly attacked them. Israel won the battle, but God commanded them to never forget their adversaries (Exo 17:9-16).

After 45 days in the desert, on the new moon of Sivan, the Jews reached the desert of Sinai and camped near the very mountain where Moses was first commissioned (Exo 19:1). During the previous weeks the Jews had become more and more conscious of the LORD and therefore more and more readied to receive instruction (Torah) from Him before entering the Promised Land.

Moses ascended the mountain, and there God commanded him to tell the leaders that if they would obey the LORD and keep His covenant, then they would be the LORD's "kingdom of priests" and "holy nation."

After delivering this message, the people responded by proclaiming, kol asher diber Adonai na'aseh ("all that the LORD has spoken, we shall do").

Moses then returned to the mountain and was told to command the people to sanctify themselves before the LORD descended upon the mountain in three days. The people were to abstain from worldly comforts and not so much as touch (under penalty of death) the boundaries of the mountain. "Be ready for the third day; for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people."

Rabbinic tradition says that the Torah was actually given on the sixth of Sivan, the Shabbat following the new moon of Sivan that year (which would make the new moon of Sivan a Monday [Shabbat 86b]).

On Shabbat morning of the sixth of Sivan, exactly seven weeks after the Exodus, all the children of Israel gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai, where the LORD descended amidst thunder, lightning, billowing smoke, fire, and the voluminous blast of the shofar. The LORD then declared the foundation of moral conduct required of the people, the Ten Commandments.

The sound of a shofar grew louder and louder until terror gripped the heart of the people. The LORD then uttered, "I am the LORD Thy God who took you out of Egypt."  As the LORD began speaking the second commandment, however, the people began falling back in fear and begged Moses to be their "middleman" or mediator before God. The people then stood far off, while Moses alone drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

As mediator of the covenant, Moses later reported to the Israelites all the words of the LORD and the people responded in unison, kol hadevarim asher diber Adonai na'eseh: "all the words which the LORD has said we will do."

He wrote down the words of the covenant (sefer habrit), built an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai with twelve pillars (one for each tribe of Israel), and ordered sacrifices to the LORD to be made.  He took the sacrificial blood from the offerings, threw half upon the altar, and read the covenant to the people. The people ratified the covenant with the words kol asher diber Adonai na'aseh v'nishma ("all that the LORD says we will do and obey").

Upon hearing their ratification, Moses took the other half of the sacrificial blood and threw it on the people saying, "Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

Next, Moses, Aaron (and his sons Nadav and Avihu), and seventy of the elders of Israel ascended Mount Sinai to eat a "covenant affirmation meal" between klal Yisrael and the LORD.  It was there that the elders beheld the awesome glory of Elohei Yisrael (the God of Israel), under whose feet was "a pavement of sapphires, like the very heaven for clearness" (Exo 24:9-11).

After returning from the mountain with the elders, the LORD commanded Moses to go back up to receive luchot ha'even (the tablets of stone) inscribed with the Ten Commandments (Exo 24:12). He remained on the mountain for a total of 40 days and 40 nights learning Torah while the Israelites waited for him at the camp down below (Exo 24:13-18).

Midrashrim about the Tablets
   
According to Jewish midrash, the tablets of stone were made of blue sapphire as a symbol of the heavens and God's throne, written by the "finger of God" (Exo 31:18). The Hebrew letters were said to be bored fully through the stone (Exo 32:15), which was a miracle, since the inner part of some of the Hebrew letters (such as Samekh and the final Mem) "floated" in place. Moreover, even though the letters were bored fully through the stone, both sides appeared normally (that is, the "back" of the tablet looked identical to the front - Shabbos 104a).
   
Jewish tradition claims that the Hebrew script used was Ketav Ashurit (the classical Hebrew script used in the Scriptures today),

Ketav Ashurit





and not the older Ketav Ivri (which was later written (by God) on the second set of tablets that Moses hewed after he broke the original set).

Ketav Ivri



Another midrash says that the tablets "carried their own weight," enabling Moses to carry them down the mountain.

Another well-known Jewish midrash says that the LORD initially offered the Torah to each of the 70 nations, but none accepted it without first asking what it was about. After hearing the various commandments, each nation had some excuse or another for not accepting it (for example, God offered Torah to the Ishmaelites, but they declined the offer because of its prohibition of theft, since their trading practices required it). God finally turned to the nation of Israel, who said kol asher diber Adonai na'aseh ("all that the LORD says we will do"). 

Note something remarkable here :
Unlike the other nations, Israel chose Torah before knowing its contents (Exodus 19:8). In fact, even after Moses had explained the extent of Torah's demands, all Israel said kol asher diber Adonai na'aseh v'nishma ("all that the LORD says we will do and obey") (Exodus 24:7).

The heart of the Jew unquestioningly says "Yes" to the LORD like a child who trusts his father... (halevai - may we all so live!).

The Agricultural background - Yom Ha-Bikkurim
   
When the Jews began to settle in the Promised Land, the meaning of Shavu'ot was transformed into an agricultural holiday that celebrated the LORD's provision for His people. In the final book of Torah, Moses reviewed the history and the laws given to the Jews and reminded them to faithfully observe Passover (Deu 16:1-7), Unleavened Bread (Deu 16:8), the Omer Count (Deu 16:9), and Shavu'ot :

Deu 16:9  KJV
Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
Deu 16:10  KJV
And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
Deu 16:11  KJV
And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
     
The Hebrew word sheva means seven, shavu'ah means week, and shavu'ot means weeks.

Exactly seven weeks after the first harvest of barley is the celebration of Shavu'ot ("weeks"), one of the three pilgrimage holidays where Jews would come to the mishkan (and later the Temple) to present the firstfruits of their spring crops before the LORD.

Since Shavu'ot occurs on the 50th day after Passover, the Greek translators of the Torah called this day "Pentecost."
   
The first fruits of the crops were called bikkurim, and referred especially to Shivat Haminim (the seven species of fruits) of the Promised Land : Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates (Deu 8:8).

As soon as a Jewish farmer saw the first sign of ripening fruit in his field or orchard, he would tie a string or ribbon around it and designate it as bikkurim.

Later he would pick this fruit, put it in a basket woven of gold and silver (the poor used wicker baskets of peeled willow branches) and set off for the mishkan (or later to the Temple in Jerusalem) for the festival of Shavu'ot.

Since it was a pilgrimage festival, a large procession of other Jews would be carrying their baskets on the road, singing songs of joyful praise.  They would place their baskets on oxen adorned with garlands of flowers in a grand parade to Jerusalem! As the pilgrims passed through various towns along the way, they would be accompanied by still others (Deu 26:1-3).

At the mishkan (or Temple), each family would present the basket of fruits to a kohen (priest) to be put before the altar while reciting the following passage from the book of Deuteronomy :

Deu 26:5  KJV
And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
Deu 26:6  KJV
And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:
Deu 26:7  KJV
And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:
Deu 26:8  KJV
And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:
Deu 26:9  KJV
And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Deu 26:10  KJV
And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:
Deu 26:11  KJV
And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

The Priestly Avodah - Shtei Ha-Lechem
   
In the priestly avodah (service) at the mishkan (and later at the Temple), the 49 day countdown to the holiday is called Sefirat Omer ("Counting of the Omer"), every day of which a special blessing was recited naming exactly how many more days were left before the climactic 50th day - a Jubilee of days!

Just as a sample of the first crop of barley was waved before the altar during the festival of Firstfruits, so on Shavu'ot a sample of the first crop of the wheat harvest was brought to the priests, baked into two loaves of leavened bread (shtei halechem), and then waved (tenufah) before the altar as a concluding rite of the season. This was the only time leavened bread was used by the priests for the avodah (see Lev. 2:11).



Shavu'ot stands in contrast to Passover that requires unleavened bread (matzah), since the two loaves of bread made from the first fruit of the wheat harvest were baked with chametz (yeast) before being "waved before the LORD" (Lev 23:15-20).

There is some uncertainty among Jewish sages regarding the meaning of the use of the otherwise forbidden leaven (Lev 2:11), though prophetically it is a picture of the "one new man" (composed of both Jew and Gentile) before the altar of the LORD (Eph 2:14).
   
While the Temple was still standing, Shavu'ot (along with Passover and Sukkot), was one of the three pilgrim holidays (shalosh regalim) when Jews would come to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice of their crop's first fruits. After the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, the agricultural aspect of Shavu'ot could no longer be observed, and the Talmudic sages later re-connected this festival with the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai during the month of Sivan (Exo 19:1).
   
Shavu'ot thus came to be called Z'man mattan torateinu - "The Season of the Giving of the Torah."

To this day, it has become customary to observe Shavu'ot by staying up all night studying Torah. While this custom (called tikkun leil shavu'ot) is beautiful, Jewish law prohibits afflicting or torturing oneself on a holiday, so if you are tired or won't feel well the next day, it is better to go to sleep). A tikkun (order) presents small excerpts from each book of the Tanakh as well as tractates from the Talmud.
 
Timeline of Giving the Torah
   
There is a connection between Passover, the Omer Count, and the holiday of Shavuot that is rooted in the redemptive actions of the LORD God of Israel.

According to various Jewish sources, the basic timeline for the giving of the Torah at Sinai is as follows :

1.
Nisan 1 - The Start of the Sacred Year (2448 of creation)
On the first of Nisan, two weeks before the Exodus, the LORD showed Moses the new moon and commenced the divine lunar calendar. This is called Rosh Chodashim.
      
2.
Nisan 15 - Passover
Two weeks later, God was ready to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. Earlier that evening the Israelites kept the Passover Seder and sprinkled the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. At the stroke of midnight of Nisan 15 the LORD sent the last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. This was the breaking point for Pharaoh and Israel was "permitted" to leave Egypt.  600,000 adult males (plus the woman and children and a "mixed multitude") left Egypt and began the journey to Sinai under the leadership of Moses.
      
3.
Nisan 18 - Pharaoh Pursues
Three days after the Exodus, and regardless of the plagues and devastation that befell Egypt, Pharaoh mobilized his army and pursued the Jews to bring them back. Perhaps this was the result of Pharoah realizing that the "three-day feast to the LORD" in the wilderness was a permanent escape from his clutches....
      
4.
Nisan 20 - Pharaoh traps the Israelites
Pharaoh's army trapped the Jewish people against the Sea of Reeds. The shechinah glory of the LORD intervened and blocked them from attack.
      
5.
Nisan 21 - the parting of the Sea
The following day the LORD commanded Moses to order the Israelites to march directly into the waters of the sea. Nachshon ben Aminadav of the tribe of Judah was the first to jump into the sea; the water split, and "the children of Israel walked across on the dry land in the midst of the sea." When the Egyptians attempted to follow after them, the waters rushed back and drowned them. The Israelites celebrated their deliverance with the "Song at the Sea" in praise to the LORD.
      
6.
Nisan 24 - the first Shabbat celebrated
Two days later the Israelites arrived in Marah where they received the commandment to observe Shabbat.
      
7.
Iyyar 15 - Manna is given
One month after the Exodus, God provided bread from heaven (manna) which sustained the Israelites during their years of wandering through the desert. In light of the divine provision of food, the commandment not to collect manna on Shabbat is restated (on Iyyar 22).
      
8. 
Iyyar 23 - Water from the Rock
38 days after the Exodus the Israelites arrived at Rephidim, a desert area. The people complained that they would die of thirst but the LORD commanded Moses to strike a rock with his staff to produce water.
      
 9.
Sivan 1 - Arrival at Sinai
 The Israelites finally arrived at the desert of Sinai (Ex. 19:1) where Moses was initially commissioned.  Note that the question of whether the new moon of Sivan (Rosh Chodesh Sivan) fell on Sunday or Monday is undecided (Talmud, Shabbat 86b).
      
10.
Sivan 2 - The Day of Distinction, "Yom HaMeyuchas"
On this day Moses ascended Mount Sinai and God told him to tell the people of Israel: "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:4-6).
      
11.
Sivan 3-5 - the three days of preparation
On Sivan 3 the LORD instructed Moses to "set boundaries" for the people around the mountain in preparation for the giving of the Torah three days later.
      
12.
Sivan 4 - Moses writes the Torah
According to midrash, on Sivan 4 Moses wrote down the first 68 chapters of the Torah, from Genesis 1:1 to the account of the giving of the Torah in Exodus 19. This is unlikely, but it is part of Jewish tradition, nonetheless.
      
13.
Sivan 5 - the Covenant offered
On Sivan 5 Moses made a covenant with the Jewish people at the foot of Mount Sinai at which the people declared, "All that the LORD has spoken, we shall do and hear" (Ex. 24:7) -- pledging to "do" also before they "hear" the terms of the covenant.
      
14.
Sivan 6 - The giving of the Torah
On the 6th Sivan, exactly seven weeks after the Exodus, the LORD revealed Himself on Mount Sinai. All of Israel (600,000 heads of households and their families) heard the LORD speak the first two of the Ten Commandments.  Following this initial revelation, Moses re-ascended Sinai for 40 days, to receive the remainder of the Torah. This date coincides exactly with the festival of Shavuot.

The Omer Controversy and the date of Shavuot
   
Later on, after the Israelites had settled into the Promised Land, Shavuot began to take on other significance. Unlike the other mo'edim (holidays) given in the Torah, however, Shavuot has no explicit date but must be inferred from Leviticus 23:11 and 23:15 :
 "And from the day on which you bring the omer offering -- the day after the sabbath -- you shall count off seven weeks." 

The key phrase is mi-machorat ha-shabbat (מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת), "the day after the Sabbath." 

Does this phrase refer to Sunday or perhaps to the Sabbath of Passover?

This controversy is not insignificant, since Shavuot is one of the three mo'edim (appointed times) in which all males are directly commanded to appear before LORD in Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-17).

Since the date of Shavuot depends on the first day of the omer, starting the count on the wrong day would imply that festival would be observed at the wrong time. Eventually three main viewpoints developed regarding the meaning of the phrase "after the Sabbath" :

* The Tzaddukim (Sadducees) believed that the word "Sabbath" was used in its regular sense, as the seventh day of the week, and therefore began the countdown on the first Sunday after Passover (Talmud: Menachot 65). Now since Shavuot occurs 7 weeks later to the day, this implies that it also fell on a Sunday. Moreover, since the day of the week for Passover varies over the year, the date of Shavuot would likewise vary.
   
* The Perushim (Pharisees), on the other hand, believed that "the day after the Shabbat" referred to not the weekly Sabbath but to the first day of Passover (which is a shabbaton or day of work restrictions), and therefore began counting the following day, that is, the day after Passover (which is also the second day of Unleavened Bread).

This is supported in Joshua 5:11-12 when Israel first entered the land and ate of its firstfruits. Now since Passover always occurs on Nisan 15, this established a fixed date for Shavuot 49 days later on Sivan 6.
   
* The Karaites rejected both these methods but instead relied upon the sighting of the new moon (Rosh Chodesh) and the appearance of the first sheaves of barely to determine the month of Aviv and the festival of First Fruits, respectively.  After these observations, the wave offering of the first fruits would then be presented at the temple on the day after the weekly Sabbath, and only then would the 49 day countdown to Shavuot begin. Therefore, since the appearance of the first barely sheaves is not constant, the date Shavuot could not be foreknown with any certainty.

Historically, the Pharisee's position prevailed in the Jewish tradition, and the modern Rabbinical calendar marks Shavuot on the fixed date of Sivan 6 (in May/June), exactly 49 days after the second day of Passover (Nisan 16). This accords with the testimony of first century historians Josephus and Philo, who both state that the "day after the Sabbath" meant the day after the holiday Sabbath.
   
Shavu'ot and Marriage
   
In the Talmud, Shavuot is referred to as the "marriage day" between God and the Jewish people, between heaven and earth (Passover is considered the time of Israel's "betrothal" or engagement to God).

The LORD is the Heavenly chatan (groom) who said, "Accept Me"; the Jewish people represent the beloved kallah (bride); and the Torah represents the ketubah (marriage contract).

A midrash says that Mount Sinai was lifted up over the heads of the Jewish people like a chuppah (wedding canopy) when the Jews first drew near to hear the Ten Commandments (perform the ceremony). The Sephardic tradition actually recite a ketubah on the holiday of Shavu'ot to remember their marriage to the LORD.

Just as a bride eagerly counts the days between her engagement and her wedding, so Israel counts the days between Passover and Shavu'ot, when we were united with God through our acceptance of the Torah.
   
Names for Shavu'ot
   
Because it is a multifaceted holiday, Shavu'ot is given different names in the Scriptures and in the Jewish tradition :
   
Chag Shavu'ot ("The Festival of Weeks"); the Hebrew word sheva means seven, shavu'ah means week, and shavu'ot means weeks. Exodus 34:22; Deu 16:10

Chag Hakatzir ("The festival of the Harvest)
Exodus 23:16

Yom Habikkurim ("The Day of First Fruits")
Num 28:26 (not to be confused with the festival of First Fruits (Lev. 23:9-12).

Bikkurei Ketzir Chittim ("The first fruits of the wheat")
Exodus 34:22

Yom HaKahal ("The Day of Assembly")
Deu 18:16

Z'man Mattan Torateinu
"The season of the giving of the Torah"
   
Contemporary Jewish Minhagim (Customs)
   
Since the sages identified Shavu'ot as Z'man Mattan Torateinu, a time that commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, activities and customs about receiving the Torah are prevalent during this time.  According to midrash, the soul of every Jew was present in the first generation of Israel that left Egypt, and therefore every Jew was "present" at Sinai when the covenant was given. We are commanded to consider ourselves personally involved at Sinai. Therefore, on Shavu'ot Jews reaffirm their commitment to the Mosaic covenant and the Jewish way of life. During synagogue services, everyone stands as the Ten Commandments are recited, and everyone ratifies them with kol asher-dibber Adonai na'aseh v'nishmah.
                           
Since children are considered a heritage of the LORD, it is common for Jewish confirmation ceremonies to be held at the synagogue. At this time, young adults recommit themselves to Talmud Torah (the study of Torah) and the decision to live as a Jew.

Some other Shavu'ot customs include decorating the home and synagogue with greenery, eating dairy foods and sweets (as samples of "milk and honey," such as a good cheesecake), and staying up the entire night of Shavu'ot to study the Torah (tikkun leil shavu'ot).
   
Shavu'ot Scripture Readings
   
The following Scripture Readings are traditionally assigned for the Holiday of Shavu'ot :
   
Shavu'ot 1
(6 Sivan)
Torah :   
Exo 19:1-20:23
Num 28:26-31
   
Nevi'im/Ketuvim :
Eze 1:1-28; 3:12
Ruth
   
Brit Chadashah :
Joh 1:32-34; Mat 3:11-17;
Act 2:1-21, 37-41

Shavu'ot 2
(7 Sivan)
   
Torah :
Deu 14:22-16:17 Num 28:26-31
   
Nevi'im/Ketuvim :
Hab 3:1-19
   
Brit Chadashah :
Act 2:1-13
   
Megillat Rut - the Book of Ruth
   
Megillat Rut, the Book of Ruth, is read in the synagogue at this time, since the events recounted took place during the time of the spring harvest (linking it to the agricultural aspect of Shavu'ot), and Ruth is a picture of willing acceptance of a Jewish lifestyle (linking it to the events of Sinai).
   
Ruth was a Moabitess, a non-Jew who converted to the Jewish faith and became part of the lineage of King David and the Messiah Yeshua through the love of a goel, or kinsman redeemer :
   
Ruth in Lineage

   
As the Goel (kinsman-redeemer), Boaz was a wealthy man of the tribe of Judah who married a Gentile bride. Boaz's name means "in Him is strength," a picture of the Mashiach Yeshua, his greater Descendant, who also redeemed for himself a bride from among the Gentile nations.
   
Rth 1:16  KJV
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:


The Anniversary of the Birth of the Church
   
During Temple times, Shavu'ot was observed an agricultural festival, though the sages also recognized it as the time to commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. As one of the three pilgrimage festivals, Jews from all over the world would come to Jerusalem to celebrate and reaffirm their commitment to the covenant of Moses.

And such was the practice when God delivered the Substance of which the festival of Shavu'ot was merely a "type and a shadow."

For the Brit Chadashah reveals that Shavu'ot is the climax of God's plan for our deliverance through Yeshua, the true Lamb of God (Seh Elohim).

The countdown to Shavu'ot represents the giving of the anticipated New Covenant to mankind, since it was on this very day that the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) was given to form the Church of God.

With a touch of divine irony, on the very day that Jews from around the world gathered in Jerusalem to reaffirm their commitment to the covenant of Moses, the Holy Spirit descended upon Israel to offer the promise of the New Covenant to all who will believe (see Acts 2:1-42). This new covenant makes Torah a matter of the heart, written by the God's Spirit, that yields a life fruitful in the praise of God.

Just as the resurrection of Yeshua represents the Firstfruits of those who have died (1Co 15:20) and fulfills the prophetic ritual of the waving of the omer on the festival of First Fruits, so the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church fulfills the wave offering of the wheat loaves on the day of Shavu'ot.

Shavu'ot marks the day when God entered into covenant with the Jewish nation. During the first Shavu'ot at Sinai, God instituted the Mosaic covenant and gave the Torah in written form, but during the Shavu'ot after the resurrection of Yeshua, God established the New Covenant when He wrote the Torah on the hearts of Yeshua's followers.

* Shavuot at Mt. Sinai is sometimes considered the day on which Judaism was born.  Shavu'ot in Jerusalem (Mount Zion) is the day on which the church was born when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of the Mashiach.
   
* At Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments were written on tablets of stone by the "finger of God" (Exo 31:18), but at Mount Zion, the Torah is written on tables of the heart by the Spirit of God (2Co 3:3; Heb 8:10).
   
* Just as the Israelites were affirmed as God's chosen people on Shavuot with the giving of the Torah, so the Church was affirmed as God's chosen people at Shavuot after the Mashiach's ascension into heaven as the Mediator of a Better Covenant (Heb 8:6). The 3,000 that were added to the church that day were firstfruits of the redeemed people of God.
   
* In the Jewish tradition, Shavu'ot is compared to a wedding, for it was on Shavuot that the covenant between God and the Jewish People was sealed at Mount Sinai. The church is called Kallat Mashiach - the Bride of Messiah (Rev 21:2,9), and we eagerly await the marriage supper to come (Rev 19:9).

                                                                                                   
The End (goal) of Torah
   
Jer 31:33  KJV
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The day following the closure of the Shavu'ot season is known as Isru Chag, "binding the festival" (from Psalm 118:27).

It is observed as a semi-festive day, when the Tachanun supplications (normally recited after the weekday Amidah) are omitted from the morning and afternoon services.
   
Psa 118:27  KJV
God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

El Adonai yaiyaer lanu isru-chag, b'avotim ad-karnot ha-mizbe'ach.
   
During the Temple period, Isru Chag was the day when the pilgrims would leave Jerusalem for their journey back home. According to the Talmud, observing Isru Chag as a festive day is akin to offering sacrifices upon the altar in the Temple (Sukkah 25b).

Have a blessed Shavu'ot in our Mashiach and our Lord, Yeshua.

Who is Allah?

Shalom,

This video is to share with our Indonesian Christians who are still using the phraseology "Allah" in Indonesian Bible.

"Allah" is not God of the Bible.

There are 99 names of "Allah" in Al Quran. And one of them is "Al-Mummit" or "The Destroyer".

"Al-Mummit" or "The Destroyer" according to Rev 9:11 is Satan himself.

Rev 9:11 KJV
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Ἀβαδδών - Abaddōn
Thayer's Greek Definition :
Abaddon = “destruction”
1) ruin
2) destruction
3) the place of destruction
4) the name of the angel-prince of the infernal regions, the minister of death and the author of havoc on the earth
Part of Speech: proper noun masculine

Ἀπολλύων - Apolluōn
Thayer's Greek Definition :
Apollyon = “Destroyer”
1) the angel of the bottomless pit, the Destroyer

If "Allah" is actually "Abaddon" or "Apollyon", so let us ask ourselves, is it worthy to call God of the Bible as "Allah"?

Doesn't it Exo 23:13 say clearly?
Exo 23:13 KJV
And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

Blessing,
Andre

Understanding Mat 5:17-19 - The Law and The Gospel - Part 2

Shalom,

Often Christians think that the "Old Testament" is virtually irrelevant today, since the doctrines of the Church are made explicit in the New Testament writings. However, this is a serious mistake, as the following facts will demonstrate:

1.
Yeshua (Jesus) and all his disciples were Torah-observant Jews. The Scriptures which they studied, loved, and quoted were the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (the Jewish Tanakh). Indeed, Yeshua quoted from the book of Deuteronomy (from the Torah) more than any other book in the Scriptures. As a child, Yeshua would have studied the Torah and memorized it with other Jewish children. He would also have been familiar with the teaching of the earlier Jewish sages of Israel.

When asked what was the greatest commandment of the LORD, Yeshua quoted the ve'ahavta portion of the Shema : ve'ahavta et Adonai eloheykha be'khol-levavkha, u'vekhol nafshekha, u'vekhol me'odekha,

"And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deu 6:5), and then He added the commandment, v'ahavta l're'akha kamokha - ani Adonai , "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18). Both of these commandments come directly from the Torah.

Indeed, Yeshua said that He did not come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Mat 5:17-19). He later told a prospective follower of His, "If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Mat 19:17). When He was further asked which ones, Yeshua replied by citing the Ten Commandments and appealed to the man to follow Him (Mat 19:18-21).

2.
Yeshua said that the Jewish Scriptures plainly testify of Him (John 5:39). As His followers, we should understand what this means and how they indeed bear witness of Him as the King of the Jews (Mat 2:2; 27:11). In addition, by studying Torah, we can more fully appreciate the glory and grace as revealed in the Person and Work of our beloved Mashiach. For example, we can more fully savor the role of the sacrificial system and how Yeshua fulfilled all of God's holy requirements on our behalf as the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) of the new covenant.

3.
When two disciples were on their way to the town of Emmaus discussing the implications of the crucifixion of Yeshua three days earlier, who but the Master Himself appeared alongside of them and taught them from the Jewish Scriptures? "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24: 13-36). Again, as His followers, we should likewise be able to recount how Yeshua is revealed in the Jewish Scriptures.

4.
The "Church" was born on a Jewish holiday of Shauv'ot (Pentecost) among the Jewish people in Jerusalem. Peter's sermon during that festival (Acts 2:1-41) was entirely Jewish, copiously quoting from the prophets and David, which would have meant little to any Gentiles in earshot (if there were any). It is likely, therefore, that the 3,000 people who were saved that day would have been all Jewish. The earliest members of the new church met regularly in the Temple, where Gentiles were explicitly excluded (Acts 2:46). Note that the apostles Peter and John are recorded to have gone to the Temple for prayer during the time of the minchah (afternoon) sacrifices (Acts 3:1), and their ministry continued exclusively among the Jewish people, "among whom were thousands who believed and were zealous for the Torah" (Acts 21:20). Even after they were imprisoned but miraculously escaped, an angel told them to "Go, stand and speak in the Temple to the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:20).

Peter's vision and visit to the house of Cornelius, a ger tzeddek ("God fearer") who attended synagogue and observed Jewish customs and traditions (Acts 10), was subject to a crisis of conscience for him. First, in his vision he said that he never would eat of the "unkosher" animals shown to him, and second, he had qualms about even entering the house of a non-Jew. This indicates, among other things, how steeped Peter was in the Torah, even after spending three years under the teaching of Yeshua.

5.
Later, when the Jerusalem Council wrote their letter to the Gentiles regarding their relationship to the Torah, they advised them to at first abstain from those things that would make them abhorrent to the Jews, with the assumption that they would later go on to study the Torah of Moses and the other Jewish Scriptures (Acts 15:19-21).

6.
The Apostle Paul was raised a Torah observant Jew who studied under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3). Rabbi Sha'ul (as he would have been called) was well-established in the Jewish leadership of his day, and even had a relationship with the Sanhedrin and High Priest of Israel (Acts 9:1-2). But even after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-21), he still identified himself a Jew. In Acts 23:6 he confessed, "I am (not "was") a Pharisee." He even declared that concerning the observance of the Torah he was "blameless," which indicates that he observed a Jewish lifestyle to his dying day (Phil 3:6). Paul testified that he kept the Torah throughout his life (Acts 25:7-8, see also Acts 28:17).

Paul took the Nazirite vow (Acts 18:18), lived "in observance of the Torah" (Acts 21:23-24), and even offered sacrifices in the Jewish Temple (Acts 21:26). Notice that Paul not only paid for his own sacrifices in order to be released from his Nazirite vow, but also paid for the sacrifices for four other Jewish believers! Notice also that this was performed at the explicit request of James, the head of the Jerusalem Church (and half-brother of Yeshua).

Paul regularly attended synagogue. "He came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures" (Acts 17:1-2).

When Paul wrote to the Gentile churches, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17), he was of course referring to the Jewish Scriptures, since the New Testament had not yet been compiled for the church.

Indeed, in order to understand Paul's writings, we need to remember his training as a Rabbi when he quotes the Scriptures in his writings. For example, when he wrote, "And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4), he was quoting from a story later written in the Talmud (i.e., that from the time that Moses struck the rock at Horeb and brought forth water until the death of Miriam (Exo 20:1), this water-giving rock "followed the children of Israel through the desert and provided water for them each day" (Taanit, 9a and Bava Metizia, 86b).

7.
Many Christian denominations profess to believe in the authority of both the "Old Testament" and the New Testament Scriptures while functionally relegating the study of the Torah to the dustheap of history. If the Jewish Scriptures are taken seriously at all, these denominational traditions attempt to explain away their clear reading (for example, the covenantal promises made to ethnic Israel) and arrogate the intent of the text as being applicable solely to the Church.

Blessing,
Andre

Understanding Mat 5:17-19 - The Law and The Gospel - Part 1

Shalom,

Often Christians think that the "Old Testament" is virtually irrelevant today, since the doctrines of the Church are made explicit in the New Testament writings. However, this is a serious mistake, as the following facts will demonstrate:

1.
Yeshua (Jesus) and all his disciples were Torah-observant Jews. The Scriptures which they studied, loved, and quoted were the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (the Jewish Tanakh). Indeed, Yeshua quoted from the book of Deuteronomy (from the Torah) more than any other book in the Scriptures. As a child, Yeshua would have studied the Torah and memorized it with other Jewish children. He would also have been familiar with the teaching of the earlier Jewish sages of Israel.

When asked what was the greatest commandment of the LORD, Yeshua quoted the ve'ahavta portion of the Shema : ve'ahavta et Adonai eloheykha be'khol-levavkha, u'vekhol nafshekha, u'vekhol me'odekha,

"And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deu 6:5), and then He added the commandment, v'ahavta l're'akha kamokha - ani Adonai , "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18). Both of these commandments come directly from the Torah.

Indeed, Yeshua said that He did not come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Mat 5:17-19). He later told a prospective follower of His, "If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Mat 19:17). When He was further asked which ones, Yeshua replied by citing the Ten Commandments and appealed to the man to follow Him (Mat 19:18-21).

2.
Yeshua said that the Jewish Scriptures plainly testify of Him (John 5:39). As His followers, we should understand what this means and how they indeed bear witness of Him as the King of the Jews (Mat 2:2; 27:11). In addition, by studying Torah, we can more fully appreciate the glory and grace as revealed in the Person and Work of our beloved Mashiach. For example, we can more fully savor the role of the sacrificial system and how Yeshua fulfilled all of God's holy requirements on our behalf as the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) of the new covenant.

3.
When two disciples were on their way to the town of Emmaus discussing the implications of the crucifixion of Yeshua three days earlier, who but the Master Himself appeared alongside of them and taught them from the Jewish Scriptures? "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24: 13-36). Again, as His followers, we should likewise be able to recount how Yeshua is revealed in the Jewish Scriptures.

4.
The "Church" was born on a Jewish holiday of Shauv'ot (Pentecost) among the Jewish people in Jerusalem. Peter's sermon during that festival (Acts 2:1-41) was entirely Jewish, copiously quoting from the prophets and David, which would have meant little to any Gentiles in earshot (if there were any). It is likely, therefore, that the 3,000 people who were saved that day would have been all Jewish. The earliest members of the new church met regularly in the Temple, where Gentiles were explicitly excluded (Acts 2:46). Note that the apostles Peter and John are recorded to have gone to the Temple for prayer during the time of the minchah (afternoon) sacrifices (Acts 3:1), and their ministry continued exclusively among the Jewish people, "among whom were thousands who believed and were zealous for the Torah" (Acts 21:20). Even after they were imprisoned but miraculously escaped, an angel told them to "Go, stand and speak in the Temple to the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:20).

Peter's vision and visit to the house of Cornelius, a ger tzeddek ("God fearer") who attended synagogue and observed Jewish customs and traditions (Acts 10), was subject to a crisis of conscience for him. First, in his vision he said that he never would eat of the "unkosher" animals shown to him, and second, he had qualms about even entering the house of a non-Jew. This indicates, among other things, how steeped Peter was in the Torah, even after spending three years under the teaching of Yeshua.

5.
Later, when the Jerusalem Council wrote their letter to the Gentiles regarding their relationship to the Torah, they advised them to at first abstain from those things that would make them abhorrent to the Jews, with the assumption that they would later go on to study the Torah of Moses and the other Jewish Scriptures (Acts 15:19-21).

6.
The Apostle Paul was raised a Torah observant Jew who studied under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3). Rabbi Sha'ul (as he would have been called) was well-established in the Jewish leadership of his day, and even had a relationship with the Sanhedrin and High Priest of Israel (Acts 9:1-2). But even after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-21), he still identified himself a Jew. In Acts 23:6 he confessed, "I am (not "was") a Pharisee." He even declared that concerning the observance of the Torah he was "blameless," which indicates that he observed a Jewish lifestyle to his dying day (Phil 3:6). Paul testified that he kept the Torah throughout his life (Acts 25:7-8, see also Acts 28:17).

Paul took the Nazirite vow (Acts 18:18), lived "in observance of the Torah" (Acts 21:23-24), and even offered sacrifices in the Jewish Temple (Acts 21:26). Notice that Paul not only paid for his own sacrifices in order to be released from his Nazirite vow, but also paid for the sacrifices for four other Jewish believers! Notice also that this was performed at the explicit request of James, the head of the Jerusalem Church (and half-brother of Yeshua).

Paul regularly attended synagogue. "He came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures" (Acts 17:1-2).

When Paul wrote to the Gentile churches, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17), he was of course referring to the Jewish Scriptures, since the New Testament had not yet been compiled for the church.

Indeed, in order to understand Paul's writings, we need to remember his training as a Rabbi when he quotes the Scriptures in his writings. For example, when he wrote, "And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4), he was quoting from a story later written in the Talmud (i.e., that from the time that Moses struck the rock at Horeb and brought forth water until the death of Miriam (Exo 20:1), this water-giving rock "followed the children of Israel through the desert and provided water for them each day" (Taanit, 9a and Bava Metizia, 86b).

7.
Many Christian denominations profess to believe in the authority of both the "Old Testament" and the New Testament Scriptures while functionally relegating the study of the Torah to the dustheap of history. If the Jewish Scriptures are taken seriously at all, these denominational traditions attempt to explain away their clear reading (for example, the covenantal promises made to ethnic Israel) and arrogate the intent of the text as being applicable solely to the Church.

Blessing,
Andre