Parasha 30: Kedoshim (Holy Ones) Wayikra/Leviticus 19:1-20:27

Transcription

1 Parasha 30: Kedoshim (Holy Ones) Wayikra/Leviticus 19:1-20:27 *All Scripture References from The Orthodox Jewish Bible- Referred to as OJB- unless otherwise noted Joe Snipes (Torah Teacher) Gates To Zion Ministries We now come to our parasha Kedoshim, or Holy Ones. In regular years, this parasha is read in conjunction with parasha Acharei Mot. In Hebrew leap years it is read on its own. In this parasha we find the crux of the entire book of Wayikra/Leviticus. It is about holiness. Now if the truth be known, what we think we know about this subject is most probably not what it is in reality. So many who seek to define holiness, see it as what we don t do. I will never forget one time while traveling through the mountains, we stopped to stretch, and get some refreshments. I remember coming upon a sign for an upcoming Gospel event. On one side of the sign in bright letters it read, there was going to be Holy Ghost singing Holy Ghost preaching and Holy Ghost power. On the other side of the sign, there was a big NO! This was followed by: Women wearing make-up. Women with short dresses. Women with pants. Men with long hair. Men wearing jeans. No Smoking etc. Suddenly, I laughed. The thought came into my mind, Here we have a Gospel meeting, but the only thing missing is going to be the sinners! Most of them were going to fall under the NO category! Now while the above observation of the situation may be amusing, there is really nothing funny about it. If the understanding of holiness is only one of exterior estimation, then we are missing the whole point. Are there no outward, physical aspects of holiness? Yes, most assuredly, BUT the holiness that YHWH is calling His people to, begins at a much deeper level. The very opening two verses of our parasha prove this to be true. Let s quote them, and then move on so YHWH by His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness can open our heart and mind to what true holiness is. Holiness: True And False And Hashem [YHWH] spoke unto Moshe, saying, Speak unto kol Adat Bnei Yisroel [whole Assembly of the Children of Yisrael], and say unto them, Ye shall be kedoshim (holy ones): for I Hashem Eloheichem [YHWH Your Mighty One] am kadosh [holy/set apart] (Wayikra/Leviticus 19:1-2 OJB- definitions mine) These are the words of YHWH concerning His people. It is interesting, that the word Adat used to identify Yisrael in the above verse, is actually more than an assembly. It literally means, a state witness. Yisrael is to function as a witness among the nations. There are witnesses in all kinds of legal proceedings. However, to be a state witness is one that carries with it a very

2 peculiar kind of authority. What does a witness do? Simply put, a witness tells what is known. A state witness however, is one that has been given authority to not only tell what is known, but he/she has the authority to set a precedent by their testimony. In other words, Yisrael, in its special role as a state s witness, not only has the right to tell the truth about what is known concerning YHWH, but has the authority to have that testimony serve as establishing the precedent, that determines or defines the One of whom that testimony is made. Yisrael serves a unique purpose among the nations, because of the intimate place she holds with her Creator. What she has experienced of Him, becomes a kind of barometer by which all others will come to view, and understand YHWH s essence. When it comes to the subject of holiness, what Yisrael has come to know, creates a strong precedence. Why? Because YHWH brought Yisrael into being by His own prophetic determination. This nation alone, exists as the prophetic instrument by which YHWH will work out, and fulfill, both His eternal, and redemptive purposes. YHWH has bestowed da at/intimate knowledge to the people of Yisrael, through His Torah, and the operation of His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness. The truthfulness of her testimony in this relationship with YHWH, carries a dimension of understanding by which all other such understanding will be measured! If you can grasp this, then you will understand the depth of meaning which the words of Rav Sha ul in the Messianic Writings (Matthew-Revelation) truly have, And to enrobe yourself in the Adam HeChadash (the new Man, humanity) having been created according to the demut Hashem [image of YHWH] in tzidkat Eloheinu [righteousness of The Mighty One] and in the KEDUSHA HAEMES [HOLINESS OF THE TRUTH]. (Ephesians 4:24 OJB- emphasis/definitions mine) Please pay attention to the emphasized portion of the above verse. It says that we are to enrobe ourselves in the humanity of the new Man, of whom the Mashiach is Head. This new humanity is one that is according to the very image of YHWH Himself, and carries with it, His very own RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS! In other words, the holiness of YHWH, is TRUE HOLINESS! What this means is, if there is something that exists that is TRUE HOLINESS, then there ALSO SOMETHING EXISTING, that can be said to be FALSE HOLINESS! The implications of this are of great consequence! YHWH Himself Is The Definition Of True Holiness Ye shall be kedoshim (holy ones): FOR I HASHEM ELOHEICHEM [YHWH Your Mighty One] AM KADOSH [HOLY/SET APART] (Wayikra/Leviticus 19:2bemphasis/definitions mine) I ve gone back to our opening verse in our parasha to quote the above fragment. Why? Because, YHWH herein reveals to us how to define what true holiness is. It does not begin with something that is done, or as most who try and define holiness erroneously, make it something not done. TRUE HOLINESS is NOT a thing at all. TRUE HOLINESS is a WHO! YHWH ALONE, HIMSELF, IS THE DEFINITION OF TRUE HOLINESS! See what He says to Yisrael, be kedoshim [holy ones] in what way? The answer? I YHWH AM HOLY. In other words, Be as I am.

3 Now, does the above seems a goal that is too high to attain? Let s go ahead and get the bad news out of the way. IT IS! It is, if we begin within ourselves as the origination of such effort. Mark this down, and be absolutely clear in understanding what is being said. THERE IS NO EFFORT ON OUR PART, WHICH BEGINS WITH US AS THE POINT OF ORIGINATION, WHICH WILL CULMINATE IN SOME DEGREE OF ATTAINED HOLINESS. THERE WILL BE NOTHING EQUAL TO THE REALITY OF TRUE HOLINESS. Why? Because, TRUE HOLINESS IS NOTHING LESS THAN YHWH HIMSELF! We cannot do enough, or not do enough, that will in some way EQUAL OUT to be true holiness. Those who use any religious tradition, Christian, Jewish or otherwise, to set up rules and parameters that will somehow hopefully end in attaining a degree of holiness, acceptable to YHWH, are headed for failure. They are embarking on a lesson that is at best futile, and at worse, a strong delusion! It may look like holiness. Others may declare their standard to be holy, but it is NOT! Nor will it ever culminate in anything, but a gross misrepresentation of what true holiness is. TRUE HOLINESS IS YHWH HIMSELF! So, if that is true, then is YHWH unrighteous? How can He ask something of us, knowing that there is no hope for us ever arriving at the desired end? Before we answer that, let us first clarify again what YHWH has done for us. He has given us the TRUE and UNMISTAKABLE means to define what TRUE HOLINESS is. The answer is HE ALONE IS TRUE HOLINESS! Now, let us state emphatically, that YHWH indeed is righteous. His righteousness is revealed in His holiness. That is why one of the most recognized Titles of YHWH in the writings of the Sages of Yisrael is, HaKadosh baruch hu The Holy One, blessed be He. In our Torah parasha this week, YHWH three times makes the declaration that our holiness MUST be like unto His own. He Himself IS the standard by which all TRUE HOLINESS is measured. The first time we quoted from chapter nineteen verse two. Our next quote is: Consecrate yourselves as kadosh [holy], therefore, and be ye kedoshim [holy ones]: for I am Hashem Eloheichem. [YHWH your Mighty One] (Wayikra/Leviticus 20:7 OJBdefinitions mine) And And ye shall be kadoshim [holy ones] unto Me: for I Hashem [YHWH] am kadosh [holy], and have separated you from the nations, that ye should be Mine. (Wayikra/Leviticus 20:26 OJB- definitions mine) The Torah Instruction: The Need Of Holiness And Hashem Elohim [YHWH the Mighty One] commanded the adam [man], saying, Of every etz of the gan [tree of the garden] thou mayest freely eat; But of the Etz HaDa as Tov v Rah [Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil], thou shalt not eat of it; for in the yom [day] that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (B resheet/genesis 3:16-17 OJB- definitions mine) As we are about to see, holiness is about distinction. YHWH is Himself, Echad/One. There is no fragmentation, no separation, or mixture in Him. In the beginning, when YHWH placed man

4 in the Garden, he was created like unto his Creator. YHWH instructed the man, that he could freely eat of every tree of the garden but one: THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. YHWH further instructed, that in the day that he ate of this tree, he would die! The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the only tree in the garden, that was inherently a mixture. All the other trees, including the Tree of Life, produced ONLY one kind of fruit. There was no mixture. The ingestion of the mixed fruit of the forbidden tree introduced dissection into man s being. Man became fragmented. His soul was inordinately elevated, so that he no longer simply had a soul... HE BECAME SOULICAL. What does that mean? He was MUTATED by his choice to disobey YHWH s clear instructions. Instead of becoming a spiritual man, he became a man, who was in essence, controlled/dominated by his soul (1 Corinthians 2:14) a soul-man. A being controlled by his mind, emotion and will. The result was confusion. He was made subject to the inclinations and imaginations of the deepest recesses of the soul the heart/yetzer. The entrance of sin into man s being, caused his spirit to taste death. As a result, his human spirit sank into the dominion of the soul-realm. His human spirit became IMPRISONED in a realm of fragmentation, and mixture. Thus you hear the cry of King David s heart concerning the power of YHWH. He restores my soul (Tehillim/Psalms 23:3a- NASB/New American Standard Bible) This is the power that YHWH begins to bring us to, when we come into His redemption through believing upon His Son, Mashiach Yeshua. He then, calls us to His Torah, and begins the process of sanctification. The Torah, under the guidance of YHWH s Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness, restores our soul. We are restored to YHWH s holiness wholeness. Man fell in the beginning by not guarding YHWH s commandments. Man is restored, by learning to keep, and obey YHWH s commandments. In the beginning, SIN ENTERED INTO MAN BY HIS MOUTH! He ATE what YHWH told him not to. He ingested into himself the essence of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That essence is MIXTURE! Adam lost his unique distinction in being the first son of the Mighty One. As a result, all who descend from him bear HIS, not YHWH s image! This is the Sefer Toldot [Book of the Generations of] Adam. In the yom [day] that barah Elohim [the Mighty One created] Adam, in the demut Elohim [likeness of the Mighty One] He made him; Zakhar and nekevah [Male and female] He created them; and blessed them, and called the shem [name] of THEM Adam, in the yom [day] when THEY were created. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty shanah [years] and fathered in his OWN DEMUT [LIKENESS] and AFTER HIS TZELEM (IMAGE) and called shmo Shet [his name Seth]: (B resheet/genesis 5:1-3 OJB- emphasis/definitions mine) Did you notice what this passage says? In the beginning YHWH created mankind in His own likeness and image. Yet shortly after the fall, after the birth of Habel/Abel and Kayin/Cain, Adam began to bring forth offspring. Yet, they were NOT in the likeness and image of YHWH, but AFTER MAN S OWN LIKENESS AND IMAGE! Adam cannot pass onto his descendants, what he doesn t possess naturally within the matrix of his being. Therefore, Shet/Seth began to

5 bear the likeness and image of his father. He also inherited the mixture of his father s matrix. HOLINESS COULD NO LONGER BE REALIZED FROM THE INNER REALM OF MANKIND S SPIRIT. It must be reintroduced to man from ANOTHER SOURCE YHWH s Torah! As Torah enters the heart, then mankind may once again know the holiness, distinction of being made in the likeness and image of his Creator! One of the ways YHWH restores us to wholeness [be ye holy] is, by learning to obey the instructions of His Torah. One of the most central tenets of YHWH s Torah instructions is, to understand WHAT FOOD IS. The instructions in the Torah concerning dietary restrictions are one of the first steps in YHWH s process of restoring our soul from the fragmentation, that sin has inflicted on us. It s one of the reasons why there is so much controversy, when we return to YHWH, and His Torah. Hasatan, (may his memory be blotted out forever) knows, that our learning how to eat in obedience to YHWH s loving instructions [His Torah] is shutting one of the major doorways (the mouth) he uses to keep us chained to sin. Going a step further, learning to keep our mouth from allowing the tongue to speak words of death, anger, hate etc., and SPEAK LIFE, will further bring YHWH s shalom into our lives. (See parasha Metzora, YHWH s judgement on lashon hara/the evil tongue for further insights) The Holy One Who Makes Holy Neither shall ye profane Shem Kodshi [My Holy Name]; but I will be treated as kadosh [holy] among the Bnei Yisroel [Children of Yisrael]: I am Hashem [YHWH], the One MAKING you Kadoshim [Holy Ones], That brought you out of Eretz Mitzrayim [Land of Egypt], to be for you Elohim (your G-d/your Mighty One): I am Hashem [YHWH]. (Wayikra/Leviticus 22:32-33 OJBemphasis/definitions mine) We have seen that true holiness is nothing less than YHWH Himself! He in turn asks that Am Yisrael be expressive of that same kind of holiness. The dilemma we are faced with is, if true holiness is YHWH Himself, and since we are not Him, then how can we do what He has asked? We must first understand holiness as YHWH reveals it in His Torah. There are those who say that there is no grace in the Torah. That statement is one of prejudice against the Torah, referred to derogatorily as Law. It is wholly untrue! Grace can be found throughout the Torah, and the entire TaNaKh/Hebrew Scriptures [As we have seen, wrongly referred to as the Old Testament in the theology of the church of Christendom]. If there was no grace in the Torah, then Yisrael would have never survived their time in the wilderness. YHWH repeatedly showed Yisrael His grace (referred to in Hebrew as chesed meaning grace or favor/mercy ) Here in our above quoted verse, we find YHWH s grace being shown to Yisrael, in that He who is holy, is also the One who MAKES Yisrael holy. Herein lies the righteousness of YHWH who asks His people to be holy as He is Holy HE MAKES THEM HOLY! The word in Hebrew for holy used here is the verb kadash, and it is in the causative sense, meaning, that YHWH is the One who CAUSES Yisrael to be holy. He MAKES them so. Theirs is not to attain such holiness by their own effort. The holiness of YHWH is too superior. It is too high to attain on their own. They must receive that holiness from HIM WHO IS HOLY!

6 The key to understanding the how this holiness was/is attained, is given to us in the verse quoted above. YHWH, as the Redeemer of Yisrael, brought His people out of the land of their bondage in Mitzrayim/Egypt. He sanctified or separated them apart from the darkness, evil, and uncleanness in which they existed there. In so doing, He showed Yisrael His grace/mercy, and gave them a standing of righteousness through the blood of the Pesach lambs slain in obedience to His command. He revealed His holiness to both Mitzrayim/Egypt, and to Yisrael, by showing Himself to be different, literally OTHER THAN all the false mighty ones worshipped by the Mitzrim/Egyptians. No other mighty one could do what YHWH did in delivering His people. That distinction was the expression of the holiness of YHWH as THE only TRUE and SET-APART MIGHTY ONE of heaven and earth. Yisrael was, in turn, made holy set apart by that redemptive deliverance. They were then instructed, to KEEP themselves holy/set apart by pursuing the instructions/mitzvot/commandments of YHWH. The Torah became the door by which Yisrael gained access to YHWH s holiness. Yisrael s holiness was NOT attained by their efforts alone. It was GIVEN TO THEM by YHWH who delivered them, and gave them access to His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness! Now, having been made holy/set apart by YHWH, they were commanded to KEEP their status by MAINTAINING their distinction as YHWH s covenant nation, through loving obedience to His Torah instructions. Holiness Means To Be Other Than Having now begun to understand the true essence of what real holiness is YHWH Himself; let us go a little further. I alluded to our next point above when I said, that YHWH is different or distinct from His creation, especially in the fallen state in which it now exists. This distinction means to literally be other than. And also the Netzach Yisroel (Eternal One of Israel) will not lie nor relent: for He is not an adam [man], that He should change His mind. (Sh muel Alef/1Samuel 15:29 OJBdefinitions mine) This is the famous verse used by the anti-missionaries in Orthodox Judaism to supposedly refute the truth that YHWH manifested a portion of Himself in human flesh Yeshua of Natzaret. He called this manifestation of Himself His Son. He did this in order to reconcile the world in redemption to Himself. (11 Corinthians 5:19) This is the first prerequisite of eternal redemption : YHWH ALONE CAN REDEEM! The verse quoted above DOES NOT SAY that YHWH would not or could not become a man. It simply says that He is NOT like mankind as fallen mankind exists at present. He is other than man, who in his fallen state is subject to lying, or being subject to vacillating determinations. If YHWH chose to manifest Himself in humanity, He would be truthful and consistent in His choices. He would be other than what mankind is known to be at present. This is exactly what He did through manifesting Himself in human form. We know Him as Yeshua, The Son. To be other than is more than just being different. It means to actively RESEMBLE the One who is other than. Let s listen to our Master, The one having seen me has seen [Elohim] HaAv [The Mighty One, The Father] (Yochanon/John 14:9a OJB- definition mine)

7 Do you see that? Our blessed Master Yeshua was a perfect representation of YHWH s glory as The Father. (Ivrim/Hebrews 1:1-5) To have SEEN, or HEARD Rebbe Yeshua, was to have SEEN, and HEARD The Father Himself. This is what is meant to be holy. It is to be other than the common expression of anything. It is to resemble YHWH who has chosen us. He who Himself is other than. In all that we are and do, Mashiach is in us [ in union with us]. He indwells us by YHWH s Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness. (Colossians 1:27) Mashiach means Anointed One. When the anointing of YHWH by His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness causes Mashiach to live, and move in us, then it can be said to those having SEEN us, it is to have SEEN Him! This is what it means to be distinct as He, YHWH, is holy. It is literally to recover what Adam lost due to the fall the likeness and image of his Creator! This again is ONLY possible through the grace that YHWH has given to us. Just as He did for Yisrael. He made them holy/set apart/distinct. He made them other than, just as He Himself is other than. He is working that same image, and likeness in us who believe. Further Understanding Of Holiness The noun holy in Hebrew may also be used as both an adjective and a verb. Both are spelled with the same Hebrew consonant letters. It is how the vowel letters are placed that determines which usage they have. The word holy as a verb is kadash. It is spelled, cdq - sheen-daletqof [read right to left]. Hebrew words all come from the earliest form of the Hebrew language known as Paleo Hebrew. This early form of Hebrew ascribed pictures, with meanings to each Hebrew letter. In Paleo Hebrew the picture of the letter qof - q, is -. Its meaning is horizon/time/movement. The picture of the letter dalet - is a door/access. The letter shin - has come to represent The Name of YHWH as El Shaddai, and fire. So, when you put these together you have the meaning, to view the process of time, bringing access to the door, of El Shaddai s fire. It literally means: TO MOVE IN TIME TO THE DOOR TO ACCESS EL SHADDAI S FIRE. This is the process where we are transformed to be holy, other than as our Creator! Now, continuing with the adjective form of the word for holy, this is the word kadosh. Everything we learned above about the verb form remains the same. The only difference is, you add the Hebrew letter waw/vav/ w, and it becomes kadosh. It looks like this: cwdq. The waw/vav in Paleo Hebrew is a picture of a hook or nail -. It is that which joins. So, by adding the waw/vav to kadash you get kadosh. The meaning of kadosh is the same as kadash except now as an adjective, the word describes what happens when we become connected to El Shaddai. Take a moment and think. Who is the door revealed in Scripture? It is our blessed Master Yeshua! (Yochanon/John 10:7) So, by MOVING IN TIME THROUGH THE DOOR, YESHUAH HAMASHIACH, WE HAVE ACCESS, AND BECOME CONNECTED TO EL SHADDAI S FIRE! He who is HOLY, in turn MAKES us HOLY! We access our Master by prayer, praise, study of the Torah (He is the Living Torah), and obedience. As we do, YHWH, through His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness, both MAINTAINS and INCREASES the degree of His holiness we experience. We become like our Mighty One who makes us holy. We become OTHER THAN as He is HOLY! Amein.

8 Practical Aspects Of YHWH s Holiness This whole Torah parasha on Kedoshim/Holy Ones gets right down to the nitty gritty of how Yisrael was to live their daily lives. We have made this observation before, but it is good to bring it up again. The Torah has more to do than just what most would be concerned with in the sense of the spiritual. YHWH s Torah touches every part of our lives. There is no such thing in our lives, as Yisrael, as a separation between the sacred and the secular. Every aspect of our life is to be holy before YHWH, and the world in which we live. The Torah has as much to say about our relationships, both familial and friendships, as how we conduct our business affairs. Even our intimacy between husband and wife, as it does about those areas we deem as spiritual. YHWH, in our present parasha/portion, is bringing His people into the physical Land of Promise, their inheritance. In so doing, He made it clear, that the reason The Land was being made available to them, was because those nations who had been there previously violated His standards. They were mired in worship of false mighty ones idolatry. They were engrossed in all manner of sexual perversion and dark depravities. They violated relationships on every level. They sought after demons in occultic practices, and black powers. In the process they had so corrupted themselves, that they became beyond hope of redemption. The very land itself vomited them out. What was left, YHWH Himself determined for Yisrael, His chosen nation, was to possess. In contrast, YHWH gave clear instruction, that as His people, Yisrael was to remain holy/separate from these wicked expressions. If they listened and obeyed, THEN they would enjoy the blessing of The Land as their inheritance. It was a land flowing with milk and honey. If not, then the judgments that had befallen their predecessors would come upon them! Yisrael MUST maintain the gift of YHWH s holiness. He had provided this gift for them by His chesed grace and mercy. When the nations around Yisrael saw them, what these nations SAW should reveal YHWH, their Mighty One, to them. Just as He is other than them, Yisrael must be too! Ye shall therefore be shomer [on guard] over all My chukkot [illogical statues], and all My mishpatim [judgments], and do them; that HaAretz [The Land], whither I bring you to dwell therein, vomit you not out. And ye shall not walk in the chukkot [occult/dark statues] of HaGoy [The Nations], which I cast out before you; for they committed all these things; Therefore, I abhorred them. But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to inherit it, an Eretz zavat cholov udevash [a Land flowing with milk and honey]: I am Hashem Eloheichem [YHWH Your Mighty One], which have separated you from the peoples. (Wayikra/Leviticus 20:22-24 OJB- definitions mine) We say the following blessing as we continue each week s study of Torah Chazak u Barukh Strength and Blessing! This ends our Torah parasha for this week. What follows is a continuation of thought on YHWH s holiness from the Messianic Writings. May Abba YHWH bless as you read

9 End Note: Further Thoughts On Holiness The following is a further look into the subject of YHWH s understanding of true holiness through the Messianic Writings. (Matthew-Revelation) This revelation of YHWH s Hebraic mindset will help us see this Truth of YHWH s holiness from the Final Renewal of His Covenant with Yisrael. [One Giving- Mt. Sinai Two Renewals One Final Renewal] Most wrongly refer to these Scriptures as The New Covenant, or New Testament Scriptures. However, YHWH views ALL His Word as ONE BOOK through which He reveals His mind and will. Religion has divided His Word, because sin has fragmented man s being. When we allow YHWH to restore our soul, make us ONE as He is ONE, then we find our entire being- spirit, soul, and body being restored. Read over this addendum, and allow YHWH, through His Ruach HaKodesh/His Spirit of Holiness, to reveal His Truth to your heart in ways and measures you have never known possible. You were created to be other than, just like your Creator. Amein! Holiness As Viewed Through The Final ReNewed Covenant Before we close this parasha, we must see holiness through the eyes of the Final ReNewal of YHWH s covenant with Yisrael. (Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:31-33) This is the purpose of the Messianic Scriptures/Kethuvim HaNotzrim/The Writings of the Nazarenes (Matthew- Revelation) We have made it clear, that first, holiness is YHWH Himself. He made Yisrael holy by separating them from Mitzrayim/Egypt, and its uncleanness, through that which violates His Torah. They were to leave the land of their bondage, and move toward the Land of their Freedom Cana an. As they made progress, they were to live, and remain distinct/set-apart on every level of their existence. YHWH then gave Yisrael His Loving Instructions through the Torah, in order that He might maintain, and increase that holiness through their obedience to His Torah. This holiness was a gift to them through YHWH s grace and mercy. All that happened to Yisrael of old was a picture of the true, and full redemption, that was to be provided through Yeshua HaMashiach. The giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai, and its being embedded within the original first covenant with Yisrael, was YHWH s beginning of working out His redemptive process for His nation. The process, as we are being made aware, started from the outside-in. The transformation of Yisrael at this point, was to internalize the Aseret HaDevarim/Ten Words from the stone tablets upon which they were originally written, onto the fleshly tablets of their heart. This internalization was why the mitzvot/commandments were needed. The word command in Hebrew is, mitzvah, but it comes from the root word tzava meaning, to connect/join. Thus, when a person does a mitzvah, their heart is being connected to YHWH by their obedience. The Torah at this point in Yisrael s History, was YHWH s means of entrance into their heart. The institution of the Final ReNewal of YHWH s covenant came by the death, burial, and resurrection of His Seh Elohim/Lamb of the Mighty One Yeshua HaMashiach. This redemptive work has once and for all dealt effectively, and finally, with what sin and death brought into YHWH s creation. As a result, a whole new dimension has been opened as to how we go about obedience to YHWH, and His Torah! It is something I am afraid very few have really

10 come to understand. Now, YHWH can work out His redemption from the inside out! This is what we are about to learn. IT LITERALLY CHANGES EVERYTHING! Rav Sha ul calls these things a mystery. It is one not hidden from us, but for us. YHWH has purposefully kept His plan hidden until the final redemptive work of His Son was finished, and Yisrael, and the whole world could be reconciled to Him. The Final ReNewed Covenant is an absolute necessity, if any one who desires to follow YHWH will ever walk pleasing before Him. Those who seek to deny the existence of this Final ReNewed Covenant, and the redemptive work accomplished by Yeshua HaMashiach by the shedding of His blood, are not only blind, they are hopeless. It is YHWH s ONLY answer to the problem faced by all who seek to walk in obedience to the instructions of the Torah. The problem is NOT the Torah! The real problem is us! Hinei [Behold], the days come, saith Hashem [YHWH], that I will cut a Brit Chadasha [ReNewed Covenant] with Bais Yisroel [House of Yisrael- the Northern Non-Jewish kingdom], and with Bais Yehudah [the Southern Jewish kingdom]; Not according to the Brit [Covenant] that I cut with their Avot [Fathers] in the day that I took hold of their yad [hand] to take them out of Eretz Mitzrayim [The Land of Egypt]; which My Brit [Covenant] they broke, although I was Ba al (Husband) to them, saith Hashem [YHWH]; But this shall be the Brit [Covenant] that I will cut with Bais Yisroel [The House of Yisraelthis is the ONE house The Whole House of Yisrael reunited and restored- NOT an entity called church!]; After those days, saith Hashem [YHWH], I WILL SET MY TORAH IN THEM INWARDLY, and I will write ketuvim [writings] on their hearts; and I will be their Elohim [Mighty One], and they shall be My People. (Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:31 (30)-33 (32) OJB-emphasis/comments/definitions mine) You see here is the problem with the covenant cut with Yisrael at Sinai. *[Please note I did not say Torah. Torah is a PART of that covenant, but it is NOT the covenant. The Sinaitic Covenant, as all of YHWH s covenants (including the Third Final ReNewed Covenant as promised by YHWH through the navi/prophet Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah) ALL contain the Torah. However, the Final ReNewed Covenant is BETTER than all the previous renewals, because it answers the one problem no covenant, including the Torah itself, could answer] The problem was NOT the covenant. It was with WHOM the covenant was made. It was made with the people, with Yisrael. The writer of Ivrim/Hebrews quotes YHWH s promise through the navi/prophet Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah to make a New Covenant [literally a ReNewed Covenant] with both the houses of Yisrael. [both houses were divided at the time this covenant was promised] For if that first covenant [again please note: it is the covenant, NOT Torah that is in view. The Torah and the covenant in which it is carried (embedded) are two separate things] had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with THEM [please note- it wasn t the COVENANT that was at fault it was the PEOPLE with whom it was made], He says, BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW [Literally ReNewed ] COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;

11 NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD. (Ivrim/Hebrews 8:7-9 New American Standard Bible- emphasis/commentary mine) The problem is, that YHWH s covenants, including His Torah, are perfect and it demands perfect obedience from those who seek to keep them. YHWH knew that this prerequisite would be an issue with His people. Therefore, He instituted the system of korbanot/offerings to deal with it. Under the atonement/covering of those korbanot, Yisrael could still karov/draw near to YHWH s Presence at the Mishkan/Tabernacle, and later the Heikal/Temple and LIVE! In turn, He could continue to karov/draw near to them, and dwell among them. However, these korbanot were limited in that they could only cover/shield/deal with the outer realm of man s flesh and soul. They could not cleanse the most inward recess, the human spirit. The spirit is where the seat of the conscience is. Only the perfect/once for all Korban of the Body and Blood of YHWH s Seh Elohim/Lamb of the Mighty One, our Master Yeshua, could do that. All of this is explained in the Kethuvim HaNotzrim/Writings of the Nazarenes in the Messianic Writings of Romans and Ivrim/Hebrews. For what the Torah was unable to do in that it was weak through the basar (fallen human nature under Chet Kadmon and without hitkhadshut renewal and regeneration by the Ruach Hakodesh/YHWH S Spirit of Holiness), G-d [Elohim- The Mighty One] sent his own Ben HaElohim [Moshiach/Son of the Mighty One] in the very demut (likeness) of the basar [flesh] of sinful humanity and as a chattat (sin offering, sin atoning sacrifice, 2C 5:21) and both pronounced and effected a sentence of death on HaChet babasar (Sin in the Flesh, in the fallen old humanity) (Romans 8:3 OJB- emphasis/definitions mine) Look at the above underlined portion of the verse. You see the Torah had a weakness. What was it? It was PERFECT! It therein demanded perfect obedience from those who sought to obey YHWH s commands. BUT and that is a BIG conjunction those who sought to follow YHWH s instructions WERE NOT! Herein lay the issue. YHWH expressed this very thing in the verse we quoted from Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah above. The covenant He cut with both the houses of Yisrael THEY BROKE! The Torah, and all the covenants previous to this Final ReNewed Covenant, all had this same weakness. They could demand perfect obedience, BUT they COULD NOT provide it! One of the functions of Torah, was not only to give the instructions of YHWH, but it was also designed to identify when those instructions were not met. [Sin is the transgression of the Torah Yochanon Alef/I John 3:4] It could demand, but it could not give the ability to DO what was instructed. When there was a failure in obedience, the Torah IMMEDIATELY POINTED OUT THE INFRACTION, and the result was condemnation. Let me make this statement here. It wasn t that the Torah, as it was embedded into each renewal of YHWH s original covenant made at Mt. Sinai, could not be kept. [That is a lie formulated by the theology of the church of Christendom in bias to the Torah] It most certainly could be. (see Devarim/Deuteronomy 30:11-14) The problem was one of continuity. The obedience YHWH desired was continuous. But, the heart of man, which had been infected by sin, COULD NOT REACH THAT LEVEL. When there was a breakdown, then the Torah prescribed the proper

12 korban to be offered at the Mishkan/Tabernacle/Heikal/Temple. The combination of a broken and contrite spirit and heart, along with the proper korban provided atonement/covering, and forgiveness for the guilty party. But, the problem of the heart remained an issue. This is where the Final ReNewed Covenant comes in. YHWH through His Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, has cut a New Covenant with better promises. This covenant is a ONCE AND FOR ALL answer to the sin problem, and to the problem of man s heart. This New Covenant is really a RENEWAL of all of the promises of YHWH s previous covenants, that were still waiting to be fulfilled. (This effectively combined these two features of all YHWH s covenants made from Mt. Sinai to the one ratified by Yeshua on the physical execution stake. As YHWH promised through the navi/prophet in Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:31-34). This ReNewed Covenant was RATIFIED by the offering of the Body of Yeshua HaMashiach, and His pure, sinless Blood, on behalf of Yisrael, and the whole world. The combination of the renewal of all that had not yet been fulfilled in YHWH s previous covenants, along with the new and better promises under this Final ReNewed Covenant, makes it NO LONGER NECESSARY to offer over and over again the korbanot of animals, and their blood. They could only cover/atone for sins. THE KORBAN OF YESHUA S BODY WAS PERFECT. There was NO sin in it. The shedding of His blood not only atoned/covered sin, it TOOK IT AWAY! It also went deep into the recesses of the human heart, into the spirit, and cleansed, wiped away, blotted out the condemnation on the conscience from the memory of the sins that had been committed. The one who sinned could now stand before YHWH under the covering of this Blood WITHOUT condemnation, IN UNION with Mashiach. He/She could karov/draw near without fear. Under the covering of that Blood perfect fellowship, and communion with YHWH could be experienced. Why? Because the condemnation for past sins, which were confessed, repented of, and forsaken are REMOVED TAKEN AWAY! Baruch HaShem YWHW! The PERFECT, SINLESS BLOOD OF YESHUA HAMASHIACH not only covers/atones for sin. It TAKES AWAY, BLOTS OUT that sin! (Colossians 2:14) There is NO CONDEMNATION, if there is NO personal relationship, judicially, to that sin! Also, the issue of obedience was answered by this Final ReNewed Covenant. Under this covenant, YHWH not only STILL required obedience HE PROVIDES THE POWER TO DO WHAT HE HAS ASKED! Therefore, Chaverim [friends], just as you have always had mishma at (obedience 2:8) concerning me, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own Yeshu ah (Salvation) [1:19,28] B YIR AH ( with fear ) and BIRA DAH with trembling [TEHILLIM/PSALMS 2:11]. For Hashem [YHWH] is the ONE working in you, BOTH TO WILL AND TO WORK according to His chafetz (good pleasure of His will). (Philippians 2:12-13 OJBdefinitions/emphasis mine) Most of us understand verse 12 of the above passage. We know we should with reverential awe, seek to obey YHWH s commands. But how many of us know and understand how important verse 13 is to the whole process?

13 Look at the emphasized underlined portions. Let what Rav Sha ul is saying get hold of your heart and spirit. The secret to truly obeying YHWH is found ONLY within the auspice of His Final ReNewed Covenant. Under this covenant, YHWH not only expects obedience HE PROVIDES IT! Do you see it? Do you? Rav Sha ul states emphatically, that it is YHWH, Who not only GIVES THE WILL TO OBEY, He also PROVIDES THE POWER TO DO WHAT HE HAS ASKED! Our part is SIMPLY TO BELIEVE, YIELD [choose] and LET HIS POWER CARRY US THROUGH TO FULL OBEDIENCE. If that is true, then who gets the glory? Not me. All I did was yield to His power at work in me. ALL THE GLORY IS YHWH S! He PROVIDES the impetus when I CHOOSE His will. [I don t believe in will power I believe in MY WILL and HIS POWER] He provides the ability to work. HE DOES IT ALL. ALL THE GLORY IS HIS! This is why the Final ReNewed Covenant is so vitally important. It is why the spirit of anti-mashiach is so determined to undermine its integrity. Hasatan [may his memory be blotted out forever], knows that without this covenant in place, YHWH S eternal/redemptive purposes will never be fully realized. The holiness of YHWH undergirds all the promises of this Final ReNewed Covenant. ALL the power is His! We just simply CHOOSE, BELIEVE and YIELD to the impetus of YHWH S Ruach HaKodesh/His Spirit Of Holiness. He will do IN us, and THROUGH us ALL He has promised in Mashiach. THEREFORE, ALL THE GLORY BELONGS TO HIM! Mashiach In You The Hope Of Glory Beloved, as we come to a close, we must take one further step. Let me ask this one question: With whom is the Final ReNewed Covenant made? The answer to this question is absolutely vital to all we have been saying. You see most of us think it was made with us. Still, others believe it was made with the church. Still others say, Yisrael. However, we are wrong! Remember what YHWH said in our passage out of Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah chapter 31? He said this Final ReNewal of His covenant is to be made with BOTH HOUSES of His nation Yisrael. Yet, He says clearly through His navi/prophet, this covenant He is making/renewing, WOULD NOT be like the one He made with our fathers at Mt. Sinai. Why? Because THEY broke it! So, this Final ReNewal of His Covenant is going to be made in such a way, that this sort of thing WILL NEVER happen again! Indeed, it has been. How? Remember, YHWH said that this Final ReNewal of His Covenant would be made with BOTH THE HOUSES of Yisrael, with the ONE restored/reunited house? Well, here is the key to understanding why this FINAL RENEWAL of His covenant is so much better than the original covenant He made with Yisrael at Mt. Sinai. This includes the other two renewals of this covenant He made with the First Generation after the Golden Calf incident, and the Second Generation, just before their crossing over in The Land of Promise. [Shemot/Exodus 34; Devarim/Deuteronomy 29-30] This last renewal, promised through the navi/prophet Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah, is made with the King of the Whole House of Yisrael with KING MESSIAH YESHUA! He is the HEAD of the WHOLE HOUSE OF YISRAEL! What is done by the Head affects ALL who are IN the HOUSE. In doing this, YHWH has made it IMPOSSIBLE for this covenant EVER to be broken AGAIN! IT IS MADE WITH THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE! All who are IN the House are abiding IN that covenant. If you understand this, then you understand the parable Rebbe Yeshua told in Yochanon/John 15 about the Vine and the branches. What the enemy is out to do, is get us dislocated from the Vine. If he succeeds, then WE will be

14 cut off from the life flow. In turn, we will wither and dry up! The Lord of the vineyard, YHWH, will come and prune His vines. Those branches who have lost their connectivity/continuity and life are removed. Our hope is to ALWAYS to remain ABIDING in the Vine. The Vine is the SOURCE of life, and bearing much fruit. IF we sin, not WHEN we sin, we DO NOT BREAK THE COVENANT. (Yochanon Alef/1 John 2:1) The Final ReNewed Covenant CANNOT BE BROKEN! This covenant is made with the Head of the House The Vine! Sin affects US, personally as individuals. It brings a disconnection from the Vine. It severs us from our supply line. The VINE, and the COVENANT remain intact. Personal sinful behavior affects us individually, and our position IN the Vine. That s why we need to keep short accounts IF we sin. Be quick to call upon YHWH for forgiveness, and the gift of teshuvah/repentance. (11 Timothy 2:25) So, that the breach can be healed, and we are restored to the life source. The raz (mystery) having been hidden from olamim [ages] and from dor v dor [generations], but now made manifest to the Kadoshim [Holy Ones] of Moshiach, To whom Hashem [YHWH] wanted to make hisgalus [revelation] of what is the spiritual osher [treasure] of the kavod [glory] of this raz [mystery] among the non-jews: MOSHIACH IN YOU, THE TIKVAH [HOPE] OF KAVOD [GLORY]. (Colossians 1:26-27 OJBdefinitions/emphasis mine) The Final ReNewed Covenant has a mystery attached to it. We spoke above about how that under this Final Renewal of this covenant, YHWH gives both the WILL and the POWER TO WORK out our obedience that leads to the fullness of our salvation. The mystery to understanding the how this is done, is given to us by Rav Sha ul in the above verse from Colossians. This willing and working is provided to us by the fact that MASHIACH IS IN US! This means, He is in UNION with us in our regenerated human spirit. HE IS THE POWER PLANT! He, by the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh/YHWH s Spirit of Holiness, is able to live His life IN and THROUGH us. HE IS OUR HOPE that we will reach the goal of YHWH s glory in our lives. It will not be by our own efforts or ingenuity alone. It will be by our sole reliance upon Him MASCHIACH IN US! **Remember the picture we talked about earlier of kavod/holy? It is a picture of YHWH MOVING US IN TIME THROUGH THE DOOR, OUR YESHUA HAMASHIACH, WE HAVE ACCESS, AND BECOME CONNECTED TO EL SHADDAI S FIRE! He who is HOLY, in turn MAKES us HOLY!! The power of YHWH is not some mere impersonal force, that can be harnessed and channeled like psychic energy. No! YHWH s power is not a thing. It is Himself, through His manifestation of Himself as The Son our blessed Mashiach Yeshua. (1 Corinthians 1:24) Then by the indwelling of His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness, Mashiach can manifest Himself IN and THROUGH us. In this essence, ALL of YHWH s manifestations are ONE! Rebbe Yeshua did not leave us here with the instructions, Just hang in there. Do the best you can till I come back. NO! YHWH sent His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness, so that He might continue to do the work He has instructed for all His people to do.

15 Omein, omein [Truly, Truly], I say to you, unless the gargeer hakhitah (grain of wheat) having fallen into the ground, dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, much p ri [fruit] it bears. (Yochanon/John 12:24 OJB- definitions mine) When Master Yeshua was here on earth He was limited. He could only be in one place at a time. If you needed Him, then you had to locate Him, and go there. But, since His death, burial, and resurrection, our Master, as Mashiach, The Anointed One has been RELEASED from such confines. Just as the life in the seed is RELEASED when it is planted in the earth. Now, YHWH may manifest Himself in three measures of Holiness/Kedusha Meshuleshet in Hebrew. He is manifest simultaneously as Himself, YHWH the Abba/Father, YHWH His Ruach HaKodesh/The Spirit of Holiness, and as YHWH The Son in the flesh as, Master Yeshua, The Mashiach, THE VINE! [Remember YHWH s Mathematics: 1+1+1=1] He is also able to release Himself, by His anointing, to live IN UNION with us in our reborn human spirit, as THE BRANCHES! But you are of Hashem [YHWH] in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua [Teacher, King The Mashiach Yeshua] who became to us chochmah (wisdom) from Hashem [YHWH], our Tzidkanut (Righteousness) and our Kedushah (Holiness) and our Geulah LaOlam (Redemption to the world) (I Corinthians 1:30 OJB- definitions mine) Oh Beloved, I know we have shared some very strong meat here, but let us look at the glorious Truth being revealed to us in the above verse. Remember how we said earlier that YHWH is Himself holiness? Remember how we said that He gave that holiness to Yisrael of old as a gift of His grace and mercy? Well Rav Sha ul again shows us the glory of YHWH in His provision of the Final ReNewed Covenant. Now, under this covenant, YHWH s provisions are no longer a thing. Righteousness is NOT a thing to be sought after. Holiness is NOT a thing we must try and attain. Even the Torah, and its commandments are NOT to be things we must strive to do. No! OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS MASHIACH. He stands IN us to be accepted by YHWH HE IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! MASHIACH IS OUR HOLINESS! HE WILL LIVE YHWH S HOLINESS THROUGH US, as we YIELD to His ANOINTING in our spirit. In reality, I DON T KEEP THE TORAH. The Living Torah, Mashiach Himself, keeps the Torah IN and THROUGH me by the power of YHWH s indwelling Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness! My part is to BELIEVE and YIELD. If that s true, and it is, then there is NO GLORY for me. The One who gets the glory is YHWH, through His Mashiach who LIVES AND MOVES IN US! Oh may You, YHWH, be glorified. May You live, move, and have Your life in us through our blessed Mashiach. You, Master, ARE MY HOLINESS. You will keep me from the unclean as I learn to YIELD to your anointing flowing in my spirit. May YHWH grant you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so these things can sink down in your heart! HaKadosh baruch hu The Holy One blessed be He. Amein! Addendum: The Final Word One final point in closing. What has been discussed in the End Note above, is why the Final Renewed Covenant is spoken of as a second covenant in relation to the original or first covenant made with Yisrael at Mt. Sinai. (Ivrim/Hebrews 8:7; 10: 9-10) This Final ReNewal of YHWH s covenant, though promised to be made with Yisrael, as we have seen, was in fact, made

16 with its M lekh/king, Yeshua HaMashiach/The Messiah. The nation, at the time of YHWH s promise was separated into two houses. It is through the actual Final Renewed Covenant, when its provisions are ratified, that the DIVIDED HOUSE OF YISRAEL [Yahudah/Judah and Yosef-Ephraim] will be made ONE again! Those provisions HAVE BEEN ratified by the blood of YHWH s Seh Elohim/Lamb of the Mighty One, our Master Yeshua HaMashiach, at His death. They were made viable by His resurrection, and the initial efforts toward the realization of a RESTORED WHOLE NATION OF YISRAEL was begun! Having said the above, here is the crux of what we need to understand. YHWH s original covenant, with Torah embedded within it, made with Yisrael at Mt. Sinai, faced a major limitation. YHWH could not work directly from the inside out with them. This is why, as we discussed in our End Note above, He gave Yisrael His mitzvot/commandments. It was when Yisrael embraced YHWH s mitzvot/commandments from their heart, that they touched [ tzava - root of mitzvah meaning, to touch ] the heart of YHWH. In this way, YHWH was able to find His way inside each Yisraelite in a measure to work His will at that level. However, with the Final ReNewed Covenant, by virtue of its association with the eternal redemption provided by the blood of Master Yeshua, YHWH s work with Yisrael, and all humanity, was elevated to the internal realm. How? The blood of Yeshua did what the blood of the animals could not. It took way blotted out sins, and made access to the human spirit accessible to YHWH by His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness. Once a person believes upon Yeshua, as Mashiach/Messiah, and His once for all redemptive work, then his human spirit is brought to life [born again]. YHWH, now, through the enlivened human spirit, may work from within [inside-out], to accomplish His purposes. From this point, as the believer continues to touch YHWH by doing His mitzvot/commandments, YHWH by His Ruach HaKodesh/Spirit of Holiness WRITES the Torah on their hearts. (Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:33; Ivrim Hebrews 8:10) Baruch HaShem YHWH!