Halachic Thoughts On The Name of God

My brother guest posts by-proxy today, as he sends from the deserts of Israel his thoughts and his interpretations and traditions (halacha), on using the name of God.

"You shall not take the name of YHVH Eloheicha in vain, for YHVH will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."

-Shemot 20:7=D'varim 5:11

In a world where some use The Name regularly, in regular speech at any given time, and others who strictly forbid the utterance of the Name - where is the truth? What is the right halacha for this issue? Should one use The Name? If so, when?

Take a closer look at the mitzvah here, to read and understand the Hebrew and sense that is given in the text.

It reads in Hebrew: '"Lo tisa et-Shem-YHVH Eloheicha lashav'..."

Literally: "No raise~you et-Name-YHVH your El for/to-desolation/uselessness/(figuratively:)idolatry..."

So we should not raise/use the Name for/to desolation and/or idolatry. Anyone who breaks this mitzvah will not go guiltless from it, it is a very serious thing. So, here are most of the possible ways this verse could be taken to mean:

• Do not misuse the Name.
• Do not use The Name uselessly or without reason.
• Do not bring the Name to desolation/destruction.
• Do not bring the Name to non-existence.
• Do not swear falsely by the Name.
• Do not loosely use the Name.
• Do not use the Name for idolatry.

There are a few ways to read this, a few valid ways. Therefore, every one of them should be taken with caution. Many Rabbis have banned the use of the Name entirely. This is good and bad, and so is the choice to use the Name commonly.

There are pros and cons to each side.

First, what is done by censoring the Name entirely? (Except some Orthodox and especially Chasidim who study Kabbalah utter the Name).

• The Name is protected from misuse, from the common knowledge of the goyim [gentiles] who might blaspheme it regularly.
• The Name is kept very set apart, not made common in the least way.
• The pronunciation of the Name may be lost.
• The authority and power of this Most High Name is not used.

Second, what is done by using the Name freely?

• The Name is prone to being misused.
• The Name is made common when used in every-day speech.
• The Name may not be pronounced correctly, although the pronunciation with vowels can vary with the same Power invoked because of the consonants are the same.
• The authority and power of the Most High Name is utilized - hopefully for the good.

Here, one should see a problem with each. On one hand, the counterparts to us Netzarim, our modern Pharisaic brothers' restricting of the Name is not of the Tanakh, since it is used throughout in the speech of many individuals. Also, the restricting of the Name for the use of the Hebrew/Israelite people is fairly plainly not the desired outcome for the Name.

On the other hand, using the Name freely gives way to the possibility of sinning against YHVH. It gives way to making common the Name, which does not maintain its sanctity. One who freely uses to Name to and fro does not recognize its power and the extreme caution one must take when uttering it.

What is the right way to utilize the Name? What should the halacha be? The list above of most/all possibilities to interpret the verse should all be included in the safeguards around this mitzvah - this includes the Yehudim Netzarim to not censor the Name and to not use it in a common, every-day manner. So here is the halacha:

• One can use the Name in caution during personal prayer, pronouncing it to the best of his ability, taking in mind that the Hebrew letter combination Y-H-V-H, despite what vowels may be included under each consonant, is a powerful Name not to be said lightly or said at any given time for any given reason. One should know under what context he is using the Name and make sure he is not using it wrongly, for any wrong purpose.
  
• In the Netzari synagogue, the Name should be utilized at the ending parts of the prayers, when the service figuratively enters the Most Holy Place, as if the prayer service leads from the outer courts to deep inside (as exists in the modern Pharisaic siddurim, as with P'sukei D'Zimrah, the Psalms of praise that are recited before one recites the Shema and then the Amidah).
  
• The Name should be discouraged to be taken place in common speech, when one flippantly utters the Name - especially when it is not appropriate or especially necessary to do so.
  
• In the event that one does use the Name, in any circumstance, inside or outside prayer, he/she must be very careful in what context he/she is speaking it in. And must be careful that it is not for a vain cause, reason, for any false or evil motive.

 

Titles for Elohim

 

Throughout the Tanakh, titles are used for the One True El, YHVH. Their use is not restricted, their use is not condemned anywhere in the Torah. There are some in the "sacred-Name" movement who are hostile toward the use of titles.

This kind of restriction and prohibition is wrong. All titles used in the Tanakh for YHVH are free to be utilized, and have different meanings based on certain emanations/spirits of Elohim which are revealed to the user. For example, we see the Patriarchs sometimes use "El Shaddai" which basically means El of Breasts, or Many Breasted El. 

[Judah's insertion: some interpret Shaddai to mean "almighty", but an alternative theory is that name is connected to shadayim which means "breasts" in Hebrew. It may thus be connected to the notion of God’s fertility and blessings of the human race. In several instances it is connected with fruitfulness: "May God Almighty [El Shaddai] bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers…" (Gen. 28:3). "I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]: be fruitful and increase in number" (Gen. 35:11). "By the Almighty [El Shaddai] who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts [shadayim] and of the womb [racham]" (Gen. 49:25). ^

No, it doesn't mean YHVH is a female fertility goddess (although he is neither solely masculine or solely feminine), it means he is a provider as a mother provides life-building milk for her child. And it was a form of praise for these Patriarchs to call YHVH by this title, and it was for very good reasons - because he had provided for them.
Here are some of the Names and Titles used in the Tanakh:

• Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
• El/Eloah
• El Shaddai
• El Gibbor
• El Elyon
• El Chai
• Elohim
• Eloah
• Elohei Yisrael
• Adonai
• Boreh
• "    " Tz'vaot

These are just among some of the most common titles used for the One True El used in the Tanakh. Most of these have varying significance and are reflective of different personalities, manifestations, Emanations, and/or Spirits of YHVH.
It should be established for all Yehudim Netzarim that these titles should be utilized, and used appropriately in the right context. We see use of different Names/Titles for HaShem used by some in the Tanakh for reasons - they usually do not just use a certain title for no reason. Although, in different time periods, certain Names are used for basic mention of the Most High.

In Kabbalah [mystical Judaism], different Names/Titles for YHVH are assigned to each of the Sephirot (Emanations) of the Etz Chayim (i.e. the different Spirits of Elohim). The list, accordingly, from upper Sephirot to lower Sephirot:

• Keter/Da'at (Crown/Divine Knowledge): Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
• Chochmah (Divine Wisdom): YHVH
• Binah (Divine Understanding): Elohim
• Chesed (Mercy): El or El Chai
• Gevurah (Judgment): Yah
• Tipheret (Harmony/Beauty): Adonai
• Netzach (Victorious Eternity): YHVH Tz'vaot
• Hod (Majestic Splendor): Elohim Tz'vaot
• Yesod (Foundation): El Shaddai
• Malkhut (Kingdom): Adonai

In Kabbalah, it would be beneficial to the pray-er that whenever he prays for something in particular, or prays and needs to be endowed with a certain Spirit of Elohim (such as Wisdom, or Understanding), then ideally, calling on one of the assigned Names has an impact.

The Kabbalist Rabbis have assigned the Name Y-H-V-H to each of these Sephirot, with a different vowel structure (attached to the same consonants Y-H-V-H) for each one. Unfortunately, I don't have the knowledge for all these, but for Chesed/Mercy, if I am not mistaken, they pronounce the Name as "Yih'vih", assigning a chirik ("ee" vowel in Hebrew) to Y-H-V-H.

In summation, the halacha should be to use these Names and Titles when appropriate.

It's OK, I meant well

How much does one's real motive -- his heartfelt belief on the matter -- influence whether an act is moral or immoral?

If a man murders another, but his heart believed it was done for good, is it still evil? If the man truly believed his action was done out of righteousness or human ethical behavior, does it make the otherwise unethical act more ethical?

I encounter this argument from many gentile Christians who, after being confronted about the very un-Christian backgrounds of supposedly Christian holidays like Easter or Christmas, respond with the quip, "All that may be true, but I'm honoring God in my heart."

It's the religious version of "it's the thought that counts".

It's a good point. I know there are many folks, filled with God's spirit, doing their best to walk a righteous life before God and relying on God for their righteousness, who are trying to honor God in celebrating Christmas, Easter, Lent and other so-called Christian holidays, as well as now non-Christian holidays such as All Hallow's Eve (Halloween). Gentile Christians have told me many times, "I'm not worshipping my Christmas tree, and these other pagan symbols mean nothing to me, they're harmless decorations!"

Where does that leave us? What's the truth here? Well, let's summarize what we know:

1. The Christian holidays of Easter, Christmas, and Lent were formed from pagan rituals. These were chosen over God's holidays largely because of the hatred of Jews and all things Jewish in the early gentile Church. (See Church: Behold Your Founder) For example, man's Easter was chosen over God's Passover because Roman Emperor and founder of the Roman Catholic Church, Constantine, decreed in the 325 CE,

   "We ought not therefore to have anything in common with the Jew. It would be your duty not to tarnish your soul by communication with such wicked people (the Jews). It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of festivals, to follow the customs (the calculation) of the Jews who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter. You should consider not only that the number of churches in these provinces make a majority, but also that it is right to demand what our reason approves, and that we should have nothing in common with the Jews."



2. These holidays have largely been scrubbed of their former pagan symbolism and racist past, although some forms still exist. Easter eggs, Easter rabbits, yule tide, mistletoe, Christmas trees, silver testicles of the Egyptian god Ra (excuse me, silver balls on Christmas trees), candles on Christmas trees, and the mythical St. Nick who knows when you're sleeping or when you're awake and whether you've been bad or good, are a few examples.


3. Most Christians are unaware of the pagan and anti-Jewish, anti-Torah backgrounds of these holidays.


4. The few Christians who have knowledge of this and continue to celebrate have justified their doing so by saying they are honoring God in their heart.


5. It is true that most Christians who are truly desiring to walk with God are, in fact, trying to honor God through these holidays, despite their pagan and racist backgrounds.

So, are Christians right in saying, "These holidays are what I make them to be, the pagan & anti-Jewish backgrounds don't mean anything to me"?

I'd like to look at Scripture and see. Is there anything in Scripture that would indicate either way? Let's look.

From the Torah

One thing that immediately comes to mind is something found back in the Torah. When Moses ascended the mountain to receive the commandments, the people of Israel became weary and, in their impatience, melted down their gold and from it, formed an undoubtedly beautiful golden statue of a calf, and worshiped it. To us, this sounds like pretty straightforward idolatry, doesn't it?

But a crux most Christians miss in this story is something that Jewish tradition holds: the golden calf they molded wasn't a new god; after all, the Lord was doing all kinds of miracles right before their eyes -- the splitting of the Red Sea, the leading pillar of cloud by day, the leading pillar of fire by night, the closing of the sea on the Egyptians, the giving of manna and water in the middle of the Negev desert -- the Israelites weren't in the market for a new god.

This golden calf was not a new god, no, Jewish tradition holds the calf was molded for the "unseen God", the Lord, who rode invisibly on the back of this calf. The Egyptian tradition of creating idols of their gods riding triumphantly on the backs of cattle was borrowed by the Israelites, and now the Israelites were making an idol for the Lord, the invisible god, riding on the back of a golden calf.

Still with me?

If this tradition holds water, the Israelites meant well. In fact, they were worshipping the Lord.

But this was something God didn't approve of, despite Israel's good intentions. Why? They were mixing holy and profane: a tradition of the world mixed with an otherwise holy people and holy God.

From the B'rit Chadasha (New Testament)

When Messiah went to the Temple in Jerusalem, he encountered folks who were selling the necessities for offerings in the Temple -- grain offerings, sin offerings, praise offerings -- as commanded by the Torah.

These folks meant well, they were even helping those who were giving to God. But when Messiah saw them, he did something rather unexpected and violent,

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

Despite the good intentions of those selling offerings for the Temple, Messiah rebuked them and sent them away. Why? Mixing holy and profane, mixing God's house with man's market.

What about when Messiah related to his followers all the things that must happen to him and how the Messiah must suffer and die? Kefa (Peter) responded, "Never!"

Certainly Peter had good intentions and meant well; he was stating he'd never let harm come to Yeshua. But did Peter's good intentions spare him?

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the Torah, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Master!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Wow. Why did Messiah himself come against Peter so harshly, especially when his intentions were good? Because he was mixing holy and profane; God's plan mixed with man's ideas. Peter meant well, even meant to glorify God, but that didn't make it right.

From logic and reason

If heart-felt motive is the only thing that determines whether an act is moral, anarchy exists and morality is relative.

Taken to an extreme end, the thinking of "It's OK because I mean well" results in any act being defensible. I could steal from you justly because I was fully convinced in my own mind that stealing from people wealthier than myself is morally good; a modern Robin Hood, if you will.

A more reasonable position, some might say, is that because you are fully convinced that a mother has a right to choose whether to let her developing child live or die, and because the mother's intention isn't evil -- she just doesn't want to have kids -- it is morally acceptable and agreeable that she kill her child abort the fetus if she so chooses.

When led to it's ultimate end, any crime is a non-crime, every sin is a non-sin, if we define morality or righteousness as "whatever I want it to be" or "whatever the purpose of my heart is", we're left with a humanist's utopia: relative moralism, no real rights or wrongs, nothing truly righteous, nothing truly evil.

Conclusion

Indeed, such thinking will lead one to a kind of washy unitarianism: for if the intent of one's heart is what matters, who's to say Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and other world religions have it wrong? They all believe in their heart they're following God, in some form or another, so why bother them?

If believers in Messiah can justify observing the world's holidays in good conscience, with all the pagan and anti-Jewish paraphernalia associated with Easter, Christmas, and Lent, we cancel out a gospel that insists on itself as the only way to God, we cancel out absolute morality, we remove the very idea of righteousness. We relegate absolute morality to the backseat, placing a greater importance on the intent of one's heart, allowing for wiggle room.

We've discovered in Scripture that one can try to please God and still do something unpleasing to God. We've seen that intent of the heart isn't the only thing that matters. While God does look on the heart, it can't be the only scale of right and wrong.

Your celebrating Easter is no better than putting a cross on a Buddha; we're mixing holy and profane. One must ask Christians, would you feel comfortable with celebrating such things if Messiah was visiting your home tonight? Would you talk to him how beautiful your adorned tree looks? How much fun the kids had at the Easter egg hunt? And then tell Him how you're doing these things in His name and for His sake? I can only imagine his response!

No matter how much we convince ourselves otherwise, seemingly harmless things like this do not honor God. God is not honored by your Christmas tree, God is not honored by your Easter eggs. Let's stop pretending otherwise.

No condemnation in Christ Jesus?

When I talk to Christians about keeping God's Feasts and his commandments in Torah, I'm often retorted by a Pauline quip, "There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus! I'm set free from the Law, praise Jesus!"

Are they right?

It's been on my mind lately and I want to discuss us here. If "no condemnation in Christ Jesus" means I shouldn't talk to Christians about celebrating God's Feasts nor encourage people to keep God's commandments, then I need serious correction myself and a deep change in my theology and understanding of the Scriptures! :)

What's more, if "no condemnation in Jesus" means "don't point out things Christians are doing wrong", we might as well abandon the Torah altogether and start sinning freely. Forget honoring your parents, forget "do not murder", forget "no adultery", forget "keep My Sabbath".

On the other hand, if that phrase isn't meant to excuse ignorance or disobedience of God's commandments in Torah, this point should be cleared up and Christians shouldn't use that as an excuse to disregard God's Feasts, God's righteous commandments, his just definition of right and wrong.

Let's search out the Scriptures and come to a better understanding of this matter.

The famous phrase comes from Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 8, in the New Testament part of the Christian Bible. Here's the actual quote:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua, because through Yeshua the Torah of the Ruach of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the Torah was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, YHVH did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the Torah might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Ruach.

(Note: I'm using the original Hebrew names here;
YHVH = God's name,
Yeshua = Messiah's name,
Ruach = spirit or breath
Torah = instruction or law, often meaning the Law of Moses, which are the first 5 books of the Jewish and Christian Bibles])

Looking at this passage, the first thing that jumps at me is how the 8th chapter begins, "Therefore, ..." It seems we're missing something here; there was something that made Paul come to his conclusion in the beginning of chapter 8 that there is no condemnation for those in Messiah. I wonder, what made him come to this conclusion?

Remember that the chapter and verse numbers were NOT original in Scripture; they are later additions to Scripture meant to aide in study. The chapter 8 division is unfortunate, as it places an artificial separation between Paul's argument and his conclusion of that argument.

So, what is Paul's argument? What led him to the conclusion that there is no condemnation for those in Messiah? Let's look at the ending of the previous chapter to see what he's talking about.

Is the Torah sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the Torah. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the Torah had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from Torah, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from Torah; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the Torah is holy, and the commandments are holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

We know that the Torah is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I don't understand why I'm doing these things. For what I want to do I don't do, instead I do the things I hate. And if I do what I don't want to do, I agree that the Torah is good. As it is, it's no longer I myself who do it, but it's the sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, in my sinful nature. I have the desire to do what's good, but I can't carry it out. Instead of doing the good I want to do, I do the evil things I don't want to do. Now if I do what I don't want to do, it's no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's Torah; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the Torah of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Yeshua the Messiah our Master!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's Torah, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Wow! This is some deep stuff. Let's dissect this piece-at-a-time.

The problem: we're doing bad things even though we know better

The first part of his argument starts with, "Is the Torah sin? Certainly not!" Paul starts out by making a distinction between sin and Torah. This point will be crucial towards the end of his argument.

Paul drives this point home -- he says the Torah is "holy, righteous, and good." The Torah tells us what sin is; it's God's righteous and just definition of sin. The Torah tells us what the bad things are, thus making us aware that we do bad things all the time!

Paul then explores this deeper -- and I think this is where Christian folks get lost -- by saying that because Torah tells us what sin is, sin doesn't exist outside of Torah. If God never told us "don't covet", for example, we wouldn't know that coveting is sin. Same can be said for murder, adultery, promiscuity, even -- ahem -- homosexuality.

Now that we know coveting is sin, it becomes more attractive to our flesh, says Paul. Forbidden fruit complex, if you will.

Paul says, "Once I was alive apart from Torah; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death." Heh. Ironic, isn't it? It's kind of like saying, "Before speed limits on our highways, I could speed all the time -- no problems! But now that the law about speed limits is here, I'm a lawbreaker! And I speed all the time! It shows me how terrible I am at following the law!"

Your next thought might be, "Ah, problem solved! We'll just get rid of the law, and now we're not lawbreakers anymore!"

Paul anticipated such foolish thought and preemptively nips that in the bud, "Did that which is good [the Torah], then, become death to me? By no means!"

Did you catch that? Paul will seem to contradict this later if you're not careful to understand what he's saying here. He is saying Torah is NOT death to him, but rather it is sin that is death to him. Torah's role in this matter is that it told us what sin is; that's it.

Ok, so where does that leave us? So far, the Torah told us what sin is, but is still holy, good, and righteous. We also have reasoned that now that sin has been revealed by Torah, we've come to realize we're really bad at this "living a holy life" thing; we sin all the time and do all kinds of bad things, even Paul. Paul goes into detail here -- why are we sinning even when we know what sin is? Why do we do bad things -- lie, cheat, steal, whatever -- when we know clearly right from wrong?

Why do we do bad things?

"We know that Torah is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I don't understand why I'm doing these things. For what I want to do I don't do, instead I do the things I hate. And if I do what I don't want to do, I agree that the Torah is good. As it is, it's no longer I myself who do it, but it's the sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, in my sinful nature. I have the desire to do what's good, but I can't carry it out. Instead of doing the good I want to do, I do the evil things I don't want to do. Now if I do what I don't want to do, it's no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's Torah; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the Torah of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me."

Oooh, this is a nugget. Torah is so good -- spiritual, even! -- and we are utterly evil people by nature. God's definition of right and wrong -- the Torah -- is spiritual, but we're not. The divide happens there. Our knowledge of God's Torah convicts us; we know right and wrong. But our flesh and its desires to lie, cheat, steal, and be self-serving lead us in the opposite direction: our body naturally wants to do evil and whatever pleases itself. Our flesh doesn't desire to serve God; the flesh's natural desire is to stay alive by any means necessary. This desire is almost always selfish: we'll lie to get what we want, cheat to win, seek sinful things to bring pleasure to our bodies. But the mind, the intelligent part of our bodies, knows the dumb desires of the flesh don't bring real happiness, true well-being, or standing right with God.

The "law" brings sin and death? Not the one you're thinking of.

Paul introduces a new "law" here into the conversation. Look at the last bit of that passage: "I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's Torah; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the Torah of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me."

Big, crucial crux here. You don't want to miss this. If you draw only 1 thing from this study, make it this: the law of sin is not the Torah -- Paul makes that crystal clear -- it's this new "law" at work in our flesh. He hinted at this in his first statement by saying, "Is the Torah sin? Certainly not!"

Now he's making it plainly obvious when he says, "I see another law at work...", contrasting this other law with God's Torah. This "other law" he calls the law of sin. It sits opposite the Torah, prescribing a self-serving, self-exalting, flesh pleasing life. The law of sin is the body's selfish desire, and is at odds with the Torah.

Ok, Paul, we got the message. Our mind, with it's knowledge of Torah, God's definition of right and wrong, tells us to run from sin, but our bodies move us in the other direction. This moving in the opposite direction from God's Torah is what Paul calls the "law of sin". Got it.

Paul's resolution to the hypocritical life of loving God yet still sinning

Ok, what now? We're in a bad situation here! We know what sin is, yet we sin all the time. Our dumb flesh overpowers our intelligent minds, leading to life devoid of God. What are we supposed to do now? Paul comes to a resolution below:

"I'm such a wretched man! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Yeshua the Messiah our Master!
I myself in my mind am a slave to God's Torah, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

The resolution, Paul says, is found in Messiah. Messiah pardons the bad things we've done if we repent -- that is, completely turn our backs on sin and run back to God. So, even though we are indeed slaves to God's Torah in our minds -- and we ought to be! -- we still sin. The resolution to this conflicting lifestyle is that God provided a way of out this mess of contradictions and hypocrisy, by allowing us to come to back to God and have our sin wiped clean for those with soft, repentant hearts.

Applying the resolution to "no condemnation in Jesus"

We have some context now! Remember the quip we are addressing? We are armed with knowedge - we can solve it now! Let's look at the famous quip again:

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua, because through Yeshua the Torah of the Ruach of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the Torah was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, YHVH did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the Torah might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Ruach."



There is a confusing piece of this passage that we can now clear up, thanks to the stuff we just learned: there are 3 "torahs" or "laws" mentioned here, they are highlighted in different colors above:

1. The Torah of the Ruach (spirit or breath) of life (Messiah himself)
   
2. The law of sin and death (the desires of our flesh)
   
3. The Torah [of Moses] (God's commandments, the Law)
   

Too often, we read that bit out of context and think Paul is contrasting the Torah of Moses with living by the Torah of the Spirit (that is, living in Messiah). But we just finished reading the context, and we know what he's talking about! Yes!

So, what is he talking about, you ask? Ah, we just need to think back to Paul's reasoning and his lengthy argument and resolution regarding sin:

1. God gave us the Torah, which defines sin.
2. By nature, our flesh rebels against God's Torah. This rebellion against Torah is called the law of sin.
3. God gave us a way out of this contradiction: the law of the Spirit of life, setting us free from condemnation of the law of sin.

Paul says the Torah is powerless to stop our flesh's desires; it's role is merely to tell us right form wrong, nothing about helping us stop sinning. Paul's right; we still do wrong even though Torah defines right and wrong. Since the Torah is powerless to stop us from sinning, we needed something to rectify the situation. Messiah did exactly this: even though we still sin, we have a way to be set right with God through our repentant hearts. He made the Torah-prescribed offering for sin on our behalf by being the ultimate, sacrifice lamb slain for the sin of humanity. He condemned sin itself, so that men aren't condemned to die as Torah would otherwise prescribe - no condemnation. Instead, Torah's requirements about us living holy and righteous lives before God are still able to be carried out despite our sin.

Awesome! All of this thanks to Messiah - wooo!

The conclusion? The phrase, "no condemnation in Jesus" means we're not condemned to our sentence of death, as prescribed to those who have broken God's Torah.

It doesn't mean we must keep silent about God's Torah; if anything, it means we should speak it boldly so that we know clearly right from wrong. Without the clear, concise guidelines in God's Torah, we're left with a wishy-washy, confused church that exists today.

I hope this little study has been helpful and leads you fine blog readers to a better understanding of Scripture, God's Torah in particular.

Shalom!



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Now playing: Israel's Hope - O Yeshua
via FoxyTunes

Sound the Great Shofar! (audio)

An Israelite sounding a shofar (ram's horn)

Listen to a shofar in this Messianic song

Listen, I'm telling you a mystery: we won't all sleep forever in death; we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the great shofar sound; for the shofar will blast, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Paul, in his letter to Corinth

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his shofar, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."

-John, in the Revelation of Messiah




And in that day a great shofar will sound. Those who were perishing and suffering will come and worship the Master on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

Isaiah, prophesying to Israel




Sound the shofar in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Master is coming.
It is getting closer!

-Joel, prophesying to the nation




Then the Master will appear over them;
his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign Master will sound the shofar;
he will march in the storms of the south

-Zechariah, prophesying to the people

Lots of shofar blasting going on in the last days when Messiah returns!

As one of the Lord's Feasts -- Yom Teruah, the Day of Shofar Blasts -- draws near, I wanted to post a little about this. I'll be having a detailed article in a week or two about Yom Teruah. Until then, I wanted to post this excellent Messianic song from Meha Shamayim - Sound the Great Shofar.mp3



The song references these Scriptures as well as Ezekiel 37:

The hand of YHVH was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of YHVH and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "O Sovereign YHVH, you alone know."

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of YHVH ! This is what the Sovereign YHVH says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am YHVH.' "

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what Sovereign YHVH says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what Sovereign YHVH says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am YHVH, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I YHVH have spoken, and I have done it, declares YHVH.' "

"When your countrymen ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?' say to them, 'This is what Sovereign YHVH says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick, making them a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.' Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on and say to them, 'This is what Sovereign YHVH says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

" 'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I YHVH make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.' "

Is is crucially important that gentile Christians realize they are Ephraim: both spiritually and physically. Ephraim was a son of Joseph (the coat-of-many-colors guy) born in a gentile nation.

Ephraim and most of the other tribes of Israel were later carried off into captivity a few hundred years after King Solomon. They were mixed with the gentile nations to the point they are lost to this day; Ephraimites are indistinguishable from gentiles.

The only Israelites remaining were the southern nation of Judah, containing Judahites, Benjaminites, and some Levites. Today, we know this group collectively as "Jews". The northern nation of Israel, containing Ephraim and 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel, is lost to this day.

The prophecy in Ezekiel is about how God will bring all of Israel -- Judah (Jews), Joseph (Ephraim/the gentiles), and the mixed multitude of followers of Messiah back together in the last days together as one Israel. Awesome stuff.

Paul reveals this mystery to us in Romans,

The next question is, "Are the Jews out of God's plans for good?" And the answer is a clear-cut no. Ironically, when they walked out, they left the door open and you outsider gentiles walked in. But the next thing you know, Jews were starting to wonder if perhaps they had walked out on a good thing, this Messiah. Now, if Israel rejecting Messiah triggered this worldwide coming of gentile outsiders to God's kingdom, making gentiles serve the God of Israel, just imagine the effect of their coming back! What a homecoming that will be!

But I don't want to go on about Jews, after all, I'm writing this letter to you gentiles in Rome. It's you, the gentiles, that I'm concerned with right now. Because my personal assignment is focused on non-Jews, I make as much of this as I can when I'm among my Jewish kin, hoping they'll realize what they're missing and want to get in on what God is doing. If their falling out initiated this worldwide coming together, their recovery is going to set off something even better: mass homecoming! If this thing Jews did by rejecting Messiah, even though it was wrong for them, turned out for your good, just think what's going to happen when they get it right and see Messiah!

In essence, what happened was that many Jews, being the natural branches as descendants of Jacob, were broken off the tree so that you gentiles could be grafted-in as a wild olive shoot to this Israel-Promises Tree, a sheer gift of God to you. Now that you've seen it in this context, be sure you don't boast over Jews because you have Messiah and they don't. Don't think you're special just because God grafted you in: remember, this grace given by grafting you into the Israel Tree was not done by human hands -- not by your own doing! -- but was and is God-enacted.

Mass homecoming indeed! The homecoming will be when both Jew and gentile will gather together, no longer as 2 peoples with 2 religions, but as 1 Israel under 1 Messiah when he comes back and reigns in Jerusalem. This will happen at the blast of the great shofar.

Shabbat shalom, fine blog readers, and keep an ear out for the shout of the wedding party and the great shofar blast announcing the Bridegroom is coming for his bride, those He calls His own, Jews and gentiles alike.

Ephraim Frank, author of the excellent Israelite Letters blog, authored the following letter I received earlier today. Ephraim talks about what it means to overcome sin; it can't be merely a label or talking about God. It must be deeper and practical: taking on the Father's identity through Messiah. Below is the letter in its entirety, enjoy, hope you all take something from it.

~

Shalom Fellow Israelite,

I don't know if you are like me, but I have really been fighting and struggling to overcome the power of sin, the world of lusts, and the devil. Reading the letters to the "congregations" in the book of Revelation, I noticed that they were all promised some wonderful things if they would only "overcome".

I had to ask myself if I'm any closer to this ideal than I was 35 years ago, when I first received the Life of the Messiah and the Spirit of Holiness. After so many years why am I still struggling in certain areas? Scripture says "… young men, because you are strong, and the word of Elohim abides in you,.. you have overcome the evil one" (1 John 2:14). When I looked at the mirror, it told me that I was a bit passed the young part. But are there any "young men" in the body of Messiah who have overcome the evil one? I had to ponder. There are a lot of wonderful people, but have they "overcome" the power of sin that is working in their members (ref. Romans 7: 23)?

Being a special education teacher, I had to examine to see if I had missed something in my spiritual early childhood development, which could be a handicap in my present spiritual walk. In his writings to little children, John the Apostle gave me a clue as to what may be my problem: "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake…and… "You know the Father…" (1 John 2:12, 13). Knowing that my sins are forgiven is not a problem, but what struck me was the last part of the statement: "for His name's sake". What is the meaning of "for His name's sake", and does it have something to do with knowing the Father? Could it be that in all my "Christian" education I never learned nor saw anyone living for the Father's "name sake"?

One of the first verses I had to memorize many years ago was, "Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). I knew, back then, that Jesus overcame and that that was sufficient to get me to heaven. However, the first part of the verse was left out for some reason.

"You are of Elohim [His name's sake] little children and have overcome them [the spirits that are not from Elohim]" (1 John 4:4). Overcoming seems to take place during childhood, as this is also the time in which one gets to know one's parents. "Little children you know the Father" (1 John 2:13). Yeshua said, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), and Peter, quoting from the Torah, writes, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16, Leviticus 19:2).

I believe that belonging to YHVH, for His Name's Sake, is not just carrying the label of His name, but the very life and nature of the Father. Thus in order to overcome, our faith must take us into the Father's gospel-reality; that means that our identity is in fact no longer ours, but our Heavenly Father's through Yeshua our Messiah: "For you have died and your life is hidden with Messiah in Elohim. When Messiah, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:3-4). Getting to know Him is getting to know who we are as His children, as His body, as His nation Israel . Hence, my overcoming is not going to be based on how hard I work at defeating sin and the world, but on recognizing that my sins were forgiven me not for my name's sake, but for His and that victory and overcoming are based on knowing the Father's righteousness and His life in me. "For whoever is born of Elohim overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith" (1 John 5:4). "And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Yeshua is the Son of Elohim?" (1 John 5:5).

Over the years I have written about the importance of firstborn, and that according to Scripture all first fruit and firstborn belong to Elohim. That means that they are His and are here for His name's sake. Yeshua was the perfect example, He was not just the only begotten Son of Elohim, but He was also the firstborn of creation and firstborn from the dead (ref. Colossians 1: 15-18). Yeshua overcame because He knew who and what He was as a firstborn redeemer, and lived for His Father's Name sake. We too are likened to the first fruit of the new creation (ref. James 1: 18), but not only of the 'new', we are also of the 'old'; " Israel is my firstborn" (Exodus 4:22); "Ephraim is my firstborn" (ref Jeremiah 31:9). As firstborn, we belong to YHVH Elohim for His name's sake. This is seen in YHVH's response to us through the prophet Ezekiel:

"Therefore, say to the house of Israel , 'Thus says YHVH Elohim, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel , that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. "And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I amYHVH," declares YHVH Elohim, "when I prove Myself holy in you in their sight" (Ezekiel 36: 22-23).

May it be so!

Shabbat Shalom,

Ephraim

4 Exorcism Psalms from the Dead Sea Scrolls

I recently purchased an English translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest known manuscripts of Scripture, the copies themselves being almost 2000 years old, and were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves around Khirbet Qumran, Israel. I'll post these 4 Exorcism Psalms below. 

The scrolls are quite interesting, giving a glimpse of how well our Scripture matches up to older manuscripts, giving us an idea of how much was lost, how well the translators copied the older Hebrew manuscripts into Greek, Latin, and later, English. 

The first Psalm is virtually unreadable, as the scroll has worn away in certain areas. The second Psalm is better preserved, but difficult to read. The third and fourth Psalms are well-preserved and readable. I've preserved the tetragrammaton the scrolls contain; these 4 Hebrew letters (Yodh, Heh, Vav, Heh) which represent the name of God, have since been replaced in our Bibles with titles like "Lord". But the original Scripture contains those 4 letters, which we transliterate into English as YHVH, from which names like Yahweh, Yehova, and Jehova, derive. Furthermore, there are areas in the scroll worn away with missing or partially visible letters. For these areas, the English translation simply will contain "[...]" for sections of text that are missing or unreadable due to wear and tear on the scroll. So without further ado, here are the 4 exorcism psalms found at Qumran, part of the Dead Sea scrolls:

The First Exorcism Psalm: On Expelling Demons

Not much can be gleaned from this psalm, as the wear and tear on this scroll renders it almost unreadable.

1[...2...] and the one who weeps for him 3[ ... ] the curse4 [...] by YHVH 5 [...] dragon 6 [...] the earth [... 7...] exorcising [...8...] to [...9...] this [...10...] to the demon [...11...] he will dwell.

The Second Exorcism Psalm: Trusting in YHVH for Protection

This Psalm, attributed to Solomon, invokes the God of creation for protection against evil powers. God's power is highlighted from Scripture, and the Psalmist calls on angelic powers to combat demonic forces.

A Psalm of Solomon He will invoke [...] the spirits and the demons [...] These are the demons. And the prince of enmity [...] Israel [...] the abyss [...] the great [...] his people [...] healing [...] leans upon your name, and calls [...] He says to Israel, "Hold fast to YHVH, ... who made the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, who separated light from darkness. [...] the depths the earth and [...] the earth. Who made these signs and wonders on the earth? YHVH, it is he who made these through his power, who summons all his angels and all the holy offspring to stand before him [...] all the heavens and all the earth [...] who committed sin against all humanity, and all evil against all people. But they know his wonderful [...] which they do not [...] If they do not desist out of fear of YHVH from [...] and from killing the soul of [...them?...] YHVH, and they will fear that great [...]. "One of you puts to flight a thousand." [...] servants of YHVH [...] great and [...] [... and] great is [...] adjuring you [...] and the great [...] and mighty and [...] all the earth [...] the heavens and [...] May YHVH smite you with a mighty blow in order to destroy you [...], and in his fierce wrath may he send against you a powerful angel to carry out his entire command, who will show no mercy to you, who [...] against all these who will send you down in to the great abyss and to deepest Sheol, and who [...], and there you shall lie, and darkness [...] very much [...]. No longer on the earth [...] forever and [...ever?] by the curse of Abaddon [possibly, destruction?] the fierce anger of YHVH in darkness for all [...] affliction [...] your gift [...] [...] which [...] and those possessed by demons [...] those crushed by [...] Raphael has healed them. Amen, Amen, Selah.

The Third Exorcism Psalm: YHVH Has Power to Strike Down Demons 

This Psalm, which is attributed to David, is uttered against a demon. The reference to this demon's horns is particularly interesting in view of popular depictions of the devil as having horns.

A Psalm of David. Against [...demons?] An incantation in the name of YHVH. To be invoked at any time to the heavens. For he will come at you at night, and you will say to him: "Who are you? Withdraw from humanity and from the offspring of the holy ones! For your appearance is one of vanity, and your horns are horns of illusion. You are darkness, not light, wickedness, not righteousness [...] the commander of the army, YHVH, will bring you down into deepest Sheol, [...] the two bronze gates through which no light can enter, and the sun will not shine for you that rises upon the righteous to [..."] And then you will say [...] the righteous, to come [...] for a demon to harm him, [...] of truth from [...] because he has righteousness [... ] and [...]

 

The Fourth Exorcism Psalm: Psalm 91

Psalm 91 has brought comfort and hope to Jews and Christians over the centuries. Not only does it evoke God's help and protection against physical and human dangers, this Psalm has been connected with exorcisms of demonic forces in both rabbinic and Christian traditions. Listen to a musical rendition of this comforting psalm.

A Psalm of David. 

The one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty; 

Who says of YHVH, "My refuge and my fortress, my God is the constant one in whom I can trust." 

For he will deliver you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. 

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will rest; 

His faithfulness upon you is a shield and his truth is a buckler. 

Selah. 

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day; nor the plague that destroys at noon, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness. 

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not strike you. 

You will merely look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have invoked your shelter [...] his delight. 

You will see no harm, and no disaster will strike in your tents. 

For he will give orders to his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. In their hands they will lift you up, so that you do not strike your foot against a stone. 

You will tread on the cobra and the viper; you will trample underfoot the strong lion and the serpent. 

Because you delight in YHVH he will rescue you and make you secure and will show you his victory. Selah. Then they will answer, "Amen, Amen." 

Selah.