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FROM HOREB TO TODAY

4/15/2013

Matthew 5:19
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

People invariably feel uncomfortable when I suggest to them that we ough some due diligence to Hashem's commandments. In order to soften the blow, they usually quickly protect theselves with the statement, “Oh yes, but he forgives me”, or "We are not under the Law!". These people usually understand very little about the Bible but they know how to use that statement like a theological security blanket. They allow themselves to be proud, to lie, to be selfish with their time or finances, while forgetting that these are the real offenses that are an abomination to Hashem (Proverbs 6:16-19),

There is a theology out there claiming that 2,000 years ago Yeshua came and abolished the need to obey the commandments of the Torah. Think about what this means. This means that 2, 000 years ago, Yeshua came and abolished the moral code that helps us discern right from wrong, good from bad, holy from profane, and sanctified from common. That same theology also claims that the Torah has become obsolete to whoever recognizes Yeshua as his Messiah because he is the Torah written in their hearts. If it were all true, the facts on the ground show me a different reality as those who claim to have Hashem's Torah written in their heart certainly don’t act like it. If it were, our Yeshua believing Western world should be a paradise certainly not facing the sort of social issues it presently faces. Actually, the people who adhere to that theology are doubly guilty for their ungodly actions because they live in opposition to the Torah written in their conscience.

This notion that the Torah is obsolete not only takes away the understanding of right and wrong, but also the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom. It is therefore the utter foolishness and lawlessness, which is the exact etymological root of the word iniquity. If 2,000 years ago, as people claim, Yeshua abolished to need to live by the Torah commandments, what need is there then today of a Savior to cover our sins?

My friend, the role of Messiah is and has always been to teach us the proper application of obedience to Torah. He came teaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17), which means, “turn your ways towards God for the days of his kingdom are near; start living by his Torah and by his instruction.”

In Yeshua, nothing of the sort becomes obsolete, not even the sentence of death that is written against us because of our sins. What happens is that he takes it all upon himself. We therefore owe him our lives. From the Yom Kippur on Mt Horeb when the Moses brought down the Torah for the second time to today, he is our atonement; he is our covering.

PRAYER:

Abba Father: may we understand that your Kingdom is ruled by the commandments that you have outlined in your word. May we realize that we are responsible to your Torah; that repentance means to turn back and start living by your teachings and principles. Forgive us for following erroneous teachings that negate the importance of obedience while we forget the teachings of the Messiah You sent to tell us that, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19); Amen אמן.

P. Gabriel Lumbroso
www.thelumbrosos.com

For P. Gabriel Lumbroso's devotional UNDER THE FIG TREE in Kindle edition click here.

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ISRAEL VINDICATED (special Yom Kippur 5773 edition)

9/28/2012

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Matthew 24:31
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Behold the Great Day has come

We have fasted for it over the centuries and until this day afflict our souls in prayers of repentance. Now has Hashem heard our voices; the blood of His many martyrs reaches to His nostrils and now He inclines His ears to our cries. May He who brings Israel back to Him be blessed for truly, He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock (Jeremiah 30:10).'

On this day, see the reward of our work over the centuries. See Him who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come (Isaiah 63:1-4).

The galloping of His white horse echoes Moses' song. The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelations 19:11-6; Deuteronomy 32:34-43).

As Moses and all the prophets sang of the deliverance of Israel, of its return to his land and his God, let us foresee and rejoice of His mighty works for truly Adonai has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of Hashem, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow (Jeremiah 31:11-13).

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THE KNOWER OF SECRETS

9/6/2012

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Luke 8:17
For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

There are many commandments in the Torah; some are of outwardly visible obedience, some are of a more internal nature. It is easy to pride ourselves with obedience by mostly concerning ourselves with the outwardly visible commands , the physical manifestations of obedience everybody can see. Everyone can see what we eat, sometimes. Everyone can hear the words we say, sometimes. Everyone can see our tzitzits, if we wear them outwardly. Not everyone can see and hear what goes on in the privacy of our homes, our bedrooms, even much less the things that go on in our hearts, or in our souls. Pride and self-righteousness are also difficult to detect in someone, and the last person to notice them in ourselves is us.

When the Children of Israel arrived near the Land, they were asked to climb up on two mountains and renew their covenant (contract) with Hashem. They were to conduct an elaborate ceremony pronouncing a carefully selected series of curses and blessings. Looking over the curses in this ceremony, it seems that they were concerning hidden sins; the things we do in private. In this ceremony, heaven and earth were called as witnesses as to how the children of Israel will live while in the Land (Deuteronomy 27: 11-26)..

Yeshua often rebuked religious folks for hypocrisy. He rebuked those who made a big outward show of religion at the cost of spiritual pride reflected in self-righteousness, prejudice, and intolerance.

As we search our hearts in this season preceding Yom Kippur, may we make sure to attend to our hidden sins. The wise King teaches us that iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), so if we cannot find the things we need to work on in our lives, we may engage the help of close friends, spouses, or teenage children. These people know us best. May we not resist the hard truth the Holy Spirit may inspire them to tell us. This is the only way to grow. God already knows these things about us; we are the ones who need to discover them. As we open our hearts to rebuke and correction, our Father who sees in secret will reward us (Matthew 6:18).

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CONTRADICTION OR TWO DIFERENT THINGS?

4/30/2012

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Matthew 19:16-19
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" And he (Yeshua) said to him … “If you would enter life, keep the commandments." He (the man) said to him, "Which ones?" And Yeshua said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

This week we are studying about the observances that mark what is commonly called ‘Yom HaKippurim/the Day of Atonements’. These come at the heel of the mishap with Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10). After the premature death of the two young men, people now realize the serious nature of what they were getting involved in by coming close to God and any precautionary measure are welcomed. This is what this is all about: a protocol by which it is safe to approach God.

The text of Leviticus tells us that God tells the Children of Israel that, On this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins(Leviticus 16:30). Did it really work? Why was Yeshua needed then? Later the writer of Hebrews tells us that, It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). Did one statement contradict the other?

We ask these questions because of a misunderstanding in the nuances of the language due to translation, but also because we are again looking at these things through the ‘Old vs. New Testament’, and ‘Law vs. Grace’ lenses, one working against the other. Also, our present parameters of understanding being very far removed from the original texts, culture, and ideas makes it very difficult.

A clearer reading of these texts though reveals that they speak of two different things. The first speaks of national ritual cleansing by the priest approaching the Ark behind the curtain on the behalf of all the people, a cleansing that has to be repeated year after year, while the second speaks of national spiritual eternal redemption done once and for all. The sages of Judaism understood that only repentance brought expiation for sin not offerings, as they say, Neither sin offering, not guilt offering nor the Day of atonement can bring expiation without repentance (Tosefta Yoma 5.9), and repentance, meaning the return of the heart towards obedience to Torah, was the main message brought by John the Immerser and Yeshua (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). We must also remember that when the Levitical Festivals were given, which includes Yom HaKippurim, (Leviticus 23) they were given to the Children of Israel as a perpetual command (Leviticus 23:31).

Today we have a Temple-less reality so we are only able to fulfill certain parts of these commandments like the fasting for example. One Day the Temple is to be rebuilt and inaugurated by Messiah. May we on that Day be as a Bride who has prepared herself for the coming of her betrothed; one who is physically and spiritually ready to enter His Kingdom, familiar with His biddings and the ways of His kingdom. Studying the Levitical laws of offerings and the Levitical Festivals teaches about the functions and roles of Messiah in our life.

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TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST ... ?

4/12/2011

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Hebrews 9:24
For Messiah has entered … into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Each year in the Fall Leviticus teaches about a day of fasting and repentance called: ‘Yom HaKippurim’ or, ‘The Day of Atonements’ (Leviticus 23:26-32).. This day is usually observed by the Jewish people but not by the Christians. On that day in Israel, the whole country stands still. It’s a day of fasting, rest and prayers. All shops are closed and the only traffic allowed is emergency vehicles. Fall in Israel has the most comfortable weather and it is common on the evening of Yom Kippur for people to stroll down for a walk with their children in the middle of the empty highways and streets.

The first ordinances of Yom Kippur are given us in chapter sixteen, within the context of ritual purity and on the heels of the incident with Nadab and Abihu. This tells us that Yom Kippur is about purity and atonement in order to approach the Almighty in the Tabernacle or later on, the Temple.

Since neither the Tabernacle nor the Temple is present today, one may legitimately ask, ‘What does this have to do with me today?’ Also, the fact that Yeshua is presented as our once for all atonement offering, we may feel that like this ceremony in at this time obsolete.

These are legitimate questions, but they may deserve a little more studying. First, the festivals of Leviticus twenty-three were never identified as the ‘Feasts of the Jews’ as is often done in the Gospels, but rather as the ‘Feasts of the Lord’ (Leviticus 23:2, 44). A Jew is technically a descendant of Judah the son of Jacob, so the term ‘Feast of the Jews’ only relates to the fact that these were celebrated in Jerusalem of Judea. All the inhabitants of Israel had to go or send representatives to Jerusalem for these Feasts, and they have been ordained as a perpetual ordinance for those who follow the God of Israel.

Ritual purity relates to the fact that we are human, so as long as we are in this physical biological state, we are still impure. The fact that Yeshua died to redeem us from that impurity and even to take our sins upon Him does not negate the fact that we are still today in this dimension of sin and impurity. While we are declared sinless and pure before God through the atonement/covering of Yeshua, our actual experience of reality is one marred with imperfection. To say otherwise is to be oblivious to reality. Also to question the remembrance of the facts that brought us back into relationship with the Father is like a husband asking, ‘If I married her, it seems obvious that I love her; why does she need to hear it again … and again?” Or “Why do we have to bother with anniversaries?”

Paul himself mentions about this Yom Kippur fast (Acts 27:9), and he was known for observing the Festivals (Acts 24:14). Again people may have to reconsider what they we have been taught about the relationship of Yeshua’s believers with the Hebrew Scriptures.

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THE COVERING SHIELD

3/7/2011

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Matthew 6:12
Forgive us our debts

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life(Leviticus 17:11). What a mystical verse! Much is spoken about blood atonement in Scriptures. We are even told of the voice of the blood of Mashiach speaking a better word than that of the blood of martyred Abel’s crying to God from the ground (Genesis 4:10; Hebrews 12:24).

Much has been lost in our understanding of Scriptures not only because of translations, but because of our failure to acknowledge the Semitic linguistic dynamics of their origins. Again we have an issue, this time with the word ‘atonement’. The word ‘atonement’ is very important in the Scriptures. It’s what they are all about, so we surely must make an effort to understand it properly according to its own cultural context, values and merits.

The origins of the word ‘atonement’ is the Hebrew root word ‘kaphar’ from which we derive the words ‘lid’, ‘cover’, and ‘covering’. Even the word ‘kapporeth’ for the golden lid of the Ark covered by the wings of the cherubs called in English ‘the mercy seat’ (Exodus 25:17), and ‘Kippur; for the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) are derivatives of ‘kaphar’. A way to explain the use of this word is to use the analogy of a credit card . Let’s say that like many of us you have contracted a very large balance on your credit card and you are unable to pay it. You risk losing your credit, even losing your car or your house until a generous soul comes around and say, don’t worry; I’ll ‘cover’ your credit card balance.

It is not that the balance never existed or that it has been deleted from the records, it is only that it has been covered. The credit card company then doesn’t look anymore at your failure to pay your debts (which is a biblical command) but at the covering that expunged it. Even Matthew quotes the Master on the forgiveness of sin using financial terminology, he says, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:12).

We indeed because of sin have lost credit in the sight of the Father. He is ready the yank the rug from under us but He allows someone to cover the balance of our sins: Mashiach. It is not like we never sinned, but all He sees now is the covered balance by Yeshua. King David related to this principle as a shield. Here are a few of his statements, But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart (Psalms 3:3; 5:12; 7:10).

As Ruth was by kinsman redeemer Boaz, may you be ‘covered’ (atoned) under the ‘wings’ of Yeshua the Messiah (Ruth 3:9).

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FROM HOREB TO TODAY

ISRAEL VINDICATED (special Yom Kippur 5773 edition)

THE KNOWER OF SECRETS

CONTRADICTION OR TWO DIFERENT THINGS?

TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST ... ?

THE COVERING SHIELD

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