The Way of the Lord Yahuwah
The Way of Yahwah - Israel returning to the Covenant
To Israel and the Nations
Whether we are Israelite or Gentile we are encouraged, urged and required by Yahwah through his prophets on their prophetic authority to walk in and teach our children the way of righteousness and justice. This is the way of Yahwah and the foundation of the throne of Yahwah.
Let us seek to follow this Way and please Yahwah and he will bless us by fulfilling his promises to the forefathers and to us in our generation.
Yahwah promised Abraham "I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless them that bless you and curse him that curses you and in you will all the families of the earth be blessed…
Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them…so shall your descendants be"
"Then he believed Yahwah and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"(Torah Ber)
These are not all the promises which Yahwah made to Abraham but these will do to help us understand that we need to practice righteousness and justice if we are to receive our portion of the promises Yahwah made to Abraham.
(2) What then was the foundation of righteousness?
The first thing was that Yahwah acted on Abraham by speaking to him. He commanded him "Get out from your country from your relatives and from your fathers house "We learn immediately here that Yahwah not us is the source of righteousness.
Our first step in the way of righteousness is to listen to the voice of Yahwah to believe it and to do it. Abraham had no scripture to help him, no Torah at that point, nothing but the pure voice of Yahwah and his faith in, and obedience to the voice of Yahwah was a step in the way of righteousness. We need to listen to and obey the voice of Yahwah in order to walk in righteousness. The Torah records that Moses was to tell the sons of Israel
"If you indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation"
Now we see in the case of Abraham that he obeyed the voice of Yahwah. We may understand that to keep the covenant of Yahwah you will need to listen to the voice of Yahwah. The first thing the voice of Yahwah spoke to the sons of Israel was the covenant. This covenant consists of the 10 Words Yahwah spoke with his voice on the mountain of Horeb. These two authorities the, the living Voice and the Covenant have to be the two highest authorities in Israel indeed in the world. If these are not obeyed then the generation that ignores the voice and refuses to guard the covenant will be a generation that does not inherit the promises of Yahwah gave to Abraham. To keep the covenant and obey the voice of Yahwah is really to practice justice and righteousness. For in practicing justice when the covenant is transgressed is to bring the community back to the walk of righteousness and to guard it.
So we could say that the covenant of 10 Words, practiced is righteousness. You practice it by listening to the Voice of Yahwah from his prophets. However when this covenant is transgressed, the way to return to its righteousness and to guard it, is through justice. So we could say doing the covenant is righteousness and breaking it is transgression, guarding the covenant is to do justice. If these two are lacking then Israel’s festivals (at least 17 of the 613 Mitzvoth and offerings(over 70 of the 613) are unacceptable to Yahwah.
"I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies…take away from me the noise of your songs…But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream" (Amos). We must always understand Yahwah’s priority is not the signs of the covenant but the practice of the covenant not the shadow of the righteousness and justice, but righteousness itself.
( The Covenant is with all the sons of Israel and the house of Jacob, not just a part of them. So if one group, like Achan’s family, disobey the Voice and break the Covenant, and the rest of the community does not act with justice, as Joshua did with Achan, then the whole community is responsible for the transgression. In the case of Achan it was through the Voice of Yahwah the transgression of the way of Yahwah was discovered and through the Voice of Yahwah the transgressor was discovered.
However only when he confessed with his own mouth was he judged and condemned. This judgement was in accordance with the Torah, for without his confession there would have been no witnesses.
If we look at the time of scattering of Israel (722BCE) and later the time of the exile to Babylon (586BCE), we see that the Voice of Yahwah pointed to specific transgressions of the covenant of 10 Words which Israel and Judah had transgressed as the cause of the scattering and the exile.
Hosea said to Israel before their scattering "Seek me that you may live. But do not resort to Bethel" What was in Bethel? An idol of their own making.
Jeremiah had stated "Do not go after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them and do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands" Which is clearly referring to Words 1 and 2 of the Covenant)
A voice, like that of Abel’s blood, will cry out to Yahwah to bring justice. While the transgression continues to go unjudged and unpunished, so if the community allows transgression to add to transgression, the cry for justice goes before the throne of Yahwah becoming louder and louder. He will judge according to righteousness.
The Torah, which when understood by the Spirit, is the way to practice righteousness and justice, is ignored by those claiming to uphold it, when really they are undermining the true Torah, the Voice and the Covenant. They do this in order to uphold a Torah of their own making, which they call Oral Torah. (The Oral Torah teaches us many things but where it causes transgression of the covenant or the written Torah the written Torah must take precedence, especially in the land of Israel), so the cry for justice to be executed gets louder and louder.
I will not cover this in detail now but to illustrate some of the transgressions of Torah which the followers of the Gemarah practice. I will list a few:
Commandment 2 of the Covenant does not reject bowing down to and serving men. However the Rabbi’s insist that somehow the Christian practice of bowing down to and serving Yeshua is idolatry. So they refuse what Yahwah permits, and Psalm 72 and Daniel 2 prophesy. When the followers of Messiah do this they ARE IN VERY GOOD COMPANY - because Abraham did this (Gen 18)
Shabbat is reinterpreted from its meaning in order to uphold the dating of Shavuoth which has nothing to do with the written Torah. The day after the seventh Shabbat is clearly a Sunday. (Admittedly this is my opinion and not essential to righteousness)
By establishing the Rabbis as authority , and they continually work against the messengers which Messiah sends to Israel, the Rabbi’s not only refuse to listen to the living voice of Yahwah but forbid their disciples to as well.
(4) by continually blaspheming the name of Yeshua.
And the longer the community doesn’t not act against these covenant breakers, the closer we get to the Day of Yahwah when he himself will send judgement. And for those covenant breakers he will send appropriate punishments, because although in their delusion, they believe they are the guards of Torah, they are really its greatest transgressors. They keep the festivals happily enough and outwardly adorn themselves with Tefillin and Tzitzit and Mezuzahs, these things being dispensable, but justice and righteousness which really determine a man’s relationship with Yahwah, are not only overlooked but in many cases opposed. Oh orthodoxy return to Yahwah’s orthodoxy not your historically convenient one.
A man who listened to the written Torah and returned
We have the example of Josiah. He turned back to Yahwah and so the judgement which was due on his generation because of Manesseh was delayed because of the righteousness and justice practiced by Josiah, but it came on the next generation because they refused Josiah’s ways and transgressed the covenant as it is written.
"Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice" (Jer 22).
The Profaners of Yahwah’s name.
"For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke it (punishment)
Because they rejected the Torah of Yahwah and have not kept his statutes;
Their lies have led them astray,
Those after which their father walked
So I will send fire upon Judah and I will consume the citadels of Jerusalem"
For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke it’s (punishment)..
Because they sell the righteous for money and the needy for a pair of sandals….
Also turn aside the way of the humble….
In order to profane my name."
Amos prophesied around 800 years before Messiah the Humble One was rejected by the nation. We are writing 1970 years after the rejection of Messiah, the Righteous One, but the transgressions are the same. Israel is watching violent covenant breakers transgress the dictates of righteousness, break the covenant to support their wrong path and cause cries of distress to go up from the righteous. Nevertheless despite the profaning of the name of Hashem these transgressors bring, Yahwah is faithful to the messianic afflicted remnant and to those who are needy.
Those who stole the Torah scroll from the Roi Israel congregation in Rechavia in June 2000, are transgressors not only of the Torah but also of the covenant of Sinai. They transgress the word of the covenant "Thou shalt not steal".
(If justice is not done, then the community is guilty of not guarding the covenant. Hence after a time the whole community will be judged personally by Yahwah and only the blameless righteous will escape.)
They are also guilty of profaning the name of Hashem, for every act of violence against the innocent sheep of the Messiah the Shepherd, is a transgression against the righteousness of Yahwah, exemplified by Abraham the father of the faithful. These violent, lawless activities immediately get reported around the world and provoke prayer to Yahwah that he vindicate his great name against these covenant breakers the torahless ones. A cry goes up that they might turn from their wicked ways back to the pleasant ways of Yahwah recorded in the scriptures.
The afflicted messianic congregation and the followers of Messiah the Despised One are also the righteous who are sold for money and the needy for a pair of sandals"
How is this? Well a few years ago and over the last few years they have been the subject of constant persecution by such groups as the "Yad Lachim" and other anti messianic organisations. These organisations keep a form of Torah, keeping their festivals, keeping their shabbats, keeping their religious practices, but they transgress the whole point of the Torah, to practice righteousness and justice. They burn down the houses of the messianic believers and even the Tents of Mercy up in Kiryat Yam. The congregation help incoming immigrants with clothing and food and bring many back to Yahwah, through return preached in the name of the Messiah Yeshua the Abhored One, who is hated without a cause.
So Yahwah said He looked for justice but behold bloodshed, for righteousness, but behold a cry of distress"
These transgressors of the Torah of Yahwah, do their violent terrorist acts in secret and some are paid for them. They seek to deceive the righteous in order to harm them. They do not set up a courts and establish a testimony against whom they see as idolaters, have them judged according to Torah, but they act in violence and secrecy, burning the house of the righteous which contains Torah’s and Tanach’s in Hebrew. Hence they are burning the name of Yahwah, and breaking and ignoring the Torah which says regarding the gods of the nations of Canaan "you shall utterly overthrow them" and regarding Yahwah "You shall serve Yahwah your God"
Now how is breaking the covenant and committing violent acts of injustice, with no court and no trial serving Yahwah God of Israel?
It is not! This demonstrates pure blindness and shows absolute ignorance of Torah and Yahwah. The word to Coniah son of Josiah belongs to these people
"Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy"
"Do justice and righteousness and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of the oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place"
"But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself declares Yahwah, that this house will; become a desolation…For I will set apart destroyers against you, each with his weapons, and they will cut down your choicest cedars" Jeremiah.
Now these transgressors who burn down the houses and synagogues and churches of Messianic and reform or conservative Jews do not plead the cause of the afflicted and needy but are the cause of their affliction and their need. If the stranger is not to be mistreated how much more the sons of Israel, your own flesh and blood?
For when immigrants were coming in from persecution and suffering from places difficult for Israelites to live in, places such as Ohel Rachamim, helped them to settle in the land. Not for pay or reward but for the glory of Yahwah and to sanctify his name and to turn people to righteousness. These people came here with few resources and little knowledge of Yahwah. When they got here the Messianic believers did not begin to put on them the yolk of a made up Torah, a burden heavy to bare, but they began to teach them the covenant of Yahwah , the ten words Yahwah spoke on Sinai. They began to teach them in the way of righteousness, through repentance taking them from no knowledge of Yahwah, to knowledge of Yahwah. They taught them how to pray, how to love Yahwah, how to glorify Yahwah, through the praise of Psalms of praise, hymns of thanksgiving and spiritual songs.
Not to praise with malice and hatred but without guile in the integrity of their heart.
Oh how pleased Yahwah is with this type of praise and service.
But these covenant transgressors who refuse to return to Yahwah, began to burn down their houses. For money they would spy on the innocent sheep of Yahwah to cause them distress. And so Israel becomes a place where Yahwah looked for justice but behold bloodshed, for righteousness but behold a cry of distress"(Is 5)
However, I want to emphasize that these protagonists of wickedness who carry hatred for truth in their bosom still have the way of repentance open to them through the Messiah Yeshua the Abhorred One. They can be freely forgiven of all their transgression by the blood of Yeshua, which has with in it the power of forgiveness and atonement. They can then begin to walk again in the covenant of Yahwah, not with the stone hard heart they have within them now. But with a new heart, a new spirit and Yahwah’s Spirit which will teach them the way of Yahwah in truth.
"I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Chuqqim and Mishpatim"
The Cost of the refusal to Return
However while they refuse, the wrath of God is being stored up against them in every profanation of the name of Yahwah they cause. Every time the story of their evil deeds is retold among the righteous of the nations, and every prayer which goes up for justice and protection for the righteous of Israel, will stand against them on the day of their death and until the day of their death. They will have no place in the world to come even if they wear Tefillin and Tzitzit every day of their rebellious lives.
Let the wicked turn back to Yahwah today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts. Do not be among those who "think lightly of the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant hearts you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Romans)
I say to you who are the transgressors of the Ten words and the Voice of Yahwah, who refuse the covenant of Yahwah in truth
" Be warned and flee from the wrath to come and bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And the axe is already laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (John the Baptiser)
Then there are those who do not agree with the wicked ways of Yad Lachim (which in a little while will be no more), but have power to do good, justice and righteousness but do not do it.
In Israel it is all for one and one for all. You are responsible for the covenant and it’s protection also. When these transgressors act do you support the afflicted?
Do you begin to plead the cause of the needy as did Josiah?
Do you remember the covenant of brotherhood?
Or have you to rejected the Torah of Yahwah?
You may not be among those "Who distress the righteous, accept bribes and turn aside the poor in the gate" (Amos)
But you may be the "prudent person who keeps silent for it is an evil time"
You need then seek good and not evil, that you may live.
Pray for the persecuted minorities.
Do not be silent for the time will come when these violent men will turn on you, listen to the example of Esther.
Store up for yourselves righteousness against the day of the glory of Yahwah.
Turn to Yahwah listen to his Messiah and seek the cause of justice.
The voice of Yahwah
The question is now how does Yahwah speak to the Israel and the nations?
Obedience to Yahwah’s voice, is a requirement of all nations including Israel, indeed primarily to Israel, since their father Abraham taught them how to listen.
It is written
"God speaks once or twice, yet no one notices it.
In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds
Then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction"
Elihu
It is also written:
"Hear now my words,
If there is a prophet among you
I Yahwah, shall make myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.
Not so my servant Moses, He is faithful in all my household
With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly and not in dark sayings
And he beholds the form of Yahwah" (Torah)
So we can see at least two ways Yahwah speaks to mankind. Clearly and through the dark saying s of a dream. This applies to people as well as prophets. When we reach the Moses level of revelation it is a mouth to mouth face to face revelation, above the normal level of prophecy.
We see that Yahwah makes himself known to the prophet, through the dream.
So the scripture teaches us "today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion".
So a soft, willing, responsive heart is needed if we are to walk in the way of righteousness.
As in the case of Abraham, however, when Yahwah commands something by his voice we need to obey him. When Yahwah promises something by his voice we are to believe him. This is what was credited to Abram as righteousness.
Abraham would have taught his children both these ways of righteousness.
Calling on the name of Yahwah.
Another righteous activity is that of calling on the name of Yahwah. This first occurred in the time of Enosh. He was the grandson of Abraham and it is written "and he called his name Enosh. And then men began to call on the name of Yahwah." Torah
Abraham also called on the name of Yahwah and this would have been one of the practices of righteousness, which Abraham would have taught his children. We call on the name of Yahwah rather than calling on the name of some idol or false deity. This then ties into Word one of the 10 words
"I am Yahwah your God… you shall have no other gods besides me."
An appropriate question then is what does it mean to call on the name of Yahwah?
Well Abraham first called on the name of Yahwah after he had built an altar to Yahwah. He did this at a mountain east of Bethel and pitched his tent and called on the name of Yahwah.
He went away on some travels and returned later to the same place and again he called on the name of Yahwah. So the calling on the name was linked at that time to a specific mountain and location where Abraham has built an altar. We note carefully that we are seeing the examples of people who called on the name of Yahwah not on Yahwah himself, unless the name of Yahwah is synonymous with Yahwah.
We see that calling on the name of Yahwah is also linked with salvation and precedes the day of Yahwah for Joel says "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of Yahwah will be delivered , for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape".
So when we call on the name of Yahwah we will be delivered.
We can ask from what we will be delivered? And it is from the troubles of the days of judgement. The righteous are preserved for calling on the name of Yahwah is a righteous act because he is the true God and eternal life. Calling on some other name is an act of unrighteousness and needs repentance.
The word call, in Hebrew, is "qara" and means to cry out, to call aloud, to roar, to proclaim, to summon.
So we need to cry out to Yahwah. The purpose of the temple was to have a place for Yahwah’s name to dwell, and Yahwah’s eyes were on that place and everyone who prayed toward that place, Solomon prayed, would meet special favour and have their prayers answered. This was a key element in the mission of The House to bring many nations to worship Yahwah. They would come to the House and pray to Yahwah. He would answer them and they would go back to their nation and declare the great works of Yahwah.
The action of calling, took place in the beginning of the messianic community in Jerusalem.3 When Peter first preached the gospel he quoted Joel regarding men calling on the name of Yahwah.
Peter stated " Every one who calls on the name of Yahwah shall be saved"
Repent and let each of you be baptised in the name of Yehoshua ha Mashiach for the forgiveness of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit….Be saved from this perverse generation"
So how were they to be saved?
There action was repentance and submission to baptism in the name of Yehoshua ha Mashiach"
With these two actions they received forgiveness of sin, which means they would be righteous in Yahwah’s sight. They also received the Holy Spirit who would begin to work on the inside of these people to increase the level of their righteousness and to spread righteousness to the ends of the earth.
"The Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat and drink but of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (food, drink and clothing) will be added unto you. (Yeshua )
So here to call on Yahwah was repentance and baptism in the name of Yehoshua the Nazarene.
This is the beginning of the way of righteousness. For Yehoshua said of John that he came in the way of righteousness and he also said to John at his baptism
"Permit it to be so for now so that we can fulfil all righteousness." So note that Yehoshua came to fulfil all righteousness not a partial righteousness.
Now if John came in the way of righteousness we can learn from him for teaching our children in the way of righteousness.
So what did John do in his way?
He proclaimed return. He told all people to return to God and to bear fruit befitting repentance. So we can teach our children and our friends how to repent. How to continually turn to God in times of trouble. How to understand that if they sin Yahwah is forgiving and accepts back those who fall or fail and repent.
He taught the people to share their surplus property with those in the community who had needs. If you have two cloaks and your brother has none, give the extra one to your brother. He also taught those who had food to share with this who did not. This all tied with the Isaiah 58 fast.
He proclaimed a judgement day on fruitless trees and warned people not to rely on their physical heritage as safe grounds before Yahwah. If they bore no fruit Yahwah would cut them down, physical seed of Abraham or not. This is historically factual in Israel. God is moved to bless when Israel practised righteousness and justice. He reproved even leaders for their transgressions of righteousness, through transgressions of the Torah.
I assure you being circumcised on the eighth day will not help you one iota if you have a stone heart and uncircumcised ears ( see King Saul). I also assure you that putting on Tefillin and wearing Tzitzit which are there to remind you of the covenant and the Torah will not help you one iota, if you are a thieving, adulterer, who curses, steals, covets his neighbour’s possessions, bears false witness against his Messianic neighbour and blasphemes the name of Jesus (Yeshua, Yehoshua the Son of God) and the Holy Spirit.
On the day of God’s wrath, breaking the covenant will not be forgiven because you wore Tzizit and Tefillin and can recite Torah by heart. What is there to remind you does not replace that which it is there to remind you of.
A king once gave his son a watch to remind him that at 7 am every morning he should go out to the gate and do justice and righteousness. The King then told his son I am leaving for about a month. Remember at Seven o clock every morning be ready at the gate to judge the people. If you wear the watch you will not forget. After a month the king did not return. The son began to over sleep. After a number of years the son forgot about judging the people and
used to sleep until 9-o clock. He went about just having a good time and making sure everyone did just as he said and became very careful to be dressed just as he thought a king should be dressed. Then he had a son. When his son grew up he passed on the watch. He told his son it is very important that you wear this watch. Because my father before he left gave me this watch. By it you can tell the time and all will know you are my son.
After a number of years the king returned. And he waited at the gate at 7-o clock. And he waited all day and his son nor his son’s son never came. He went to the palace and asked his son’s son. Why didn’t you come at 7-o clock? The grandson replied. "Come where for what?"
Such is the position of he who wears Tzitzit and does not do righteousness.
(iv) He taught the career people to do their jobs honestly. A righteous tax collector collects only what he is ordered to. The soldiers are also given wise counsel as to how to act righteously as soldiers. "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages. So all in their various careers could fulfil their careers honestly. We need to teach these things to our children and friends.
(v) He preached the good news of repentance and forgiveness of sins to the people. However although he was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth he did not have the power to baptise others in the Holy Spirit.
He taught humility by example by only doing his work and pointing to Yehoshua as the one who would empower the people to walk in the fullness of righteousness through the Holy Spirit.
He taught his disciples how to pray. We need also to teach our children and friends how to pray.
So it is that today you are called to repentance. To forgiveness of your sins forever in the name of the Messiah Yehoshua the Nazarene. You are called to receive the Holy Spirit and to begin to do acts of righteousness and bear the fruit of repentance. You are called to pray, to share, and to give to the poor. And all this as in the sight of Yahwah, not man. In short you are called back to the Torah of Yahwah not the Torah of men. Not because you are good but because Yahwah is merciful.
Here is a prayer to help you in returning to the pathway of Yahwah:
Heavenly Father, who made the heavens, the earth , the sea and all that in them is,
Grant us according to your riches in glory that we might
be strengthened with might by your Spirit in the inner man.
That Messiah may dwell in our hearts through faith (emunah),
That we being rooted and grounded in love
May together with all the Chodeshim (saints) be able to comprehend
The length and the breadth and the height and the depth
And to know the love of Messiah that surpasses knowledge
That we may be filled with all the fullness of God
Now to you oh Yahwah
Who are able to do exceedingly, abundantly above
All that we can ask or imagine through the power at work in us
To you be glory in the Kehilat (Church) through Messiah Yeshua,
Throughout all ages world with out end Amen.
And finally a daily prayer which will help lead you to truth.
Heavenly Father, Sanctify your name. Your will be done in my life
May I go where you want me to go, see what you want me to see,
Hear what you want me to hear, live as you want me to live
Love as you want me to love and walk as you want me to walk
Your will be done in my life today, I bind, break and destroy any plan, scheme or work
Of the evil one, of the devil which would seek to hinder your will being done in my life
Today, in the name of Yeshua the Messiah Amen.
To Israel and the Nations
Whether we are Israelite or Gentile we are encouraged, urged and required by Yahwah through his prophets on their prophetic authority to walk in and teach our children the way of righteousness and justice. This is the way of Yahwah and the foundation of the throne of Yahwah.
Let us seek to follow this Way and please Yahwah and he will bless us by fulfilling his promises to the forefathers and to us in our generation.
Yahwah promised Abraham "I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless them that bless you and curse him that curses you and in you will all the families of the earth be blessed…
Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them…so shall your descendants be"
"Then he believed Yahwah and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"(Torah Ber)
These are not all the promises which Yahwah made to Abraham but these will do to help us understand that we need to practice righteousness and justice if we are to receive our portion of the promises Yahwah made to Abraham.
(2) What then was the foundation of righteousness?
The first thing was that Yahwah acted on Abraham by speaking to him. He commanded him "Get out from your country from your relatives and from your fathers house "We learn immediately here that Yahwah not us is the source of righteousness.
Our first step in the way of righteousness is to listen to the voice of Yahwah to believe it and to do it. Abraham had no scripture to help him, no Torah at that point, nothing but the pure voice of Yahwah and his faith in, and obedience to the voice of Yahwah was a step in the way of righteousness. We need to listen to and obey the voice of Yahwah in order to walk in righteousness. The Torah records that Moses was to tell the sons of Israel
"If you indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation"
Now we see in the case of Abraham that he obeyed the voice of Yahwah. We may understand that to keep the covenant of Yahwah you will need to listen to the voice of Yahwah. The first thing the voice of Yahwah spoke to the sons of Israel was the covenant. This covenant consists of the 10 Words Yahwah spoke with his voice on the mountain of Horeb. These two authorities the, the living Voice and the Covenant have to be the two highest authorities in Israel indeed in the world. If these are not obeyed then the generation that ignores the voice and refuses to guard the covenant will be a generation that does not inherit the promises of Yahwah gave to Abraham. To keep the covenant and obey the voice of Yahwah is really to practice justice and righteousness. For in practicing justice when the covenant is transgressed is to bring the community back to the walk of righteousness and to guard it.
So we could say that the covenant of 10 Words, practiced is righteousness. You practice it by listening to the Voice of Yahwah from his prophets. However when this covenant is transgressed, the way to return to its righteousness and to guard it, is through justice. So we could say doing the covenant is righteousness and breaking it is transgression, guarding the covenant is to do justice. If these two are lacking then Israel’s festivals (at least 17 of the 613 Mitzvoth and offerings(over 70 of the 613) are unacceptable to Yahwah.
"I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies…take away from me the noise of your songs…But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream" (Amos). We must always understand Yahwah’s priority is not the signs of the covenant but the practice of the covenant not the shadow of the righteousness and justice, but righteousness itself.
( The Covenant is with all the sons of Israel and the house of Jacob, not just a part of them. So if one group, like Achan’s family, disobey the Voice and break the Covenant, and the rest of the community does not act with justice, as Joshua did with Achan, then the whole community is responsible for the transgression. In the case of Achan it was through the Voice of Yahwah the transgression of the way of Yahwah was discovered and through the Voice of Yahwah the transgressor was discovered.
However only when he confessed with his own mouth was he judged and condemned. This judgement was in accordance with the Torah, for without his confession there would have been no witnesses.
If we look at the time of scattering of Israel (722BCE) and later the time of the exile to Babylon (586BCE), we see that the Voice of Yahwah pointed to specific transgressions of the covenant of 10 Words which Israel and Judah had transgressed as the cause of the scattering and the exile.
Hosea said to Israel before their scattering "Seek me that you may live. But do not resort to Bethel" What was in Bethel? An idol of their own making.
Jeremiah had stated "Do not go after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them and do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands" Which is clearly referring to Words 1 and 2 of the Covenant)
A voice, like that of Abel’s blood, will cry out to Yahwah to bring justice. While the transgression continues to go unjudged and unpunished, so if the community allows transgression to add to transgression, the cry for justice goes before the throne of Yahwah becoming louder and louder. He will judge according to righteousness.
The Torah, which when understood by the Spirit, is the way to practice righteousness and justice, is ignored by those claiming to uphold it, when really they are undermining the true Torah, the Voice and the Covenant. They do this in order to uphold a Torah of their own making, which they call Oral Torah. (The Oral Torah teaches us many things but where it causes transgression of the covenant or the written Torah the written Torah must take precedence, especially in the land of Israel), so the cry for justice to be executed gets louder and louder.
I will not cover this in detail now but to illustrate some of the transgressions of Torah which the followers of the Gemarah practice. I will list a few:
Commandment 2 of the Covenant does not reject bowing down to and serving men. However the Rabbi’s insist that somehow the Christian practice of bowing down to and serving Yeshua is idolatry. So they refuse what Yahwah permits, and Psalm 72 and Daniel 2 prophesy. When the followers of Messiah do this they ARE IN VERY GOOD COMPANY - because Abraham did this (Gen 18)
Shabbat is reinterpreted from its meaning in order to uphold the dating of Shavuoth which has nothing to do with the written Torah. The day after the seventh Shabbat is clearly a Sunday. (Admittedly this is my opinion and not essential to righteousness)
By establishing the Rabbis as authority , and they continually work against the messengers which Messiah sends to Israel, the Rabbi’s not only refuse to listen to the living voice of Yahwah but forbid their disciples to as well.
(4) by continually blaspheming the name of Yeshua.
And the longer the community doesn’t not act against these covenant breakers, the closer we get to the Day of Yahwah when he himself will send judgement. And for those covenant breakers he will send appropriate punishments, because although in their delusion, they believe they are the guards of Torah, they are really its greatest transgressors. They keep the festivals happily enough and outwardly adorn themselves with Tefillin and Tzitzit and Mezuzahs, these things being dispensable, but justice and righteousness which really determine a man’s relationship with Yahwah, are not only overlooked but in many cases opposed. Oh orthodoxy return to Yahwah’s orthodoxy not your historically convenient one.
A man who listened to the written Torah and returned
We have the example of Josiah. He turned back to Yahwah and so the judgement which was due on his generation because of Manesseh was delayed because of the righteousness and justice practiced by Josiah, but it came on the next generation because they refused Josiah’s ways and transgressed the covenant as it is written.
"Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice" (Jer 22).
The Profaners of Yahwah’s name.
"For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke it (punishment)
Because they rejected the Torah of Yahwah and have not kept his statutes;
Their lies have led them astray,
Those after which their father walked
So I will send fire upon Judah and I will consume the citadels of Jerusalem"
For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke it’s (punishment)..
Because they sell the righteous for money and the needy for a pair of sandals….
Also turn aside the way of the humble….
In order to profane my name."
Amos prophesied around 800 years before Messiah the Humble One was rejected by the nation. We are writing 1970 years after the rejection of Messiah, the Righteous One, but the transgressions are the same. Israel is watching violent covenant breakers transgress the dictates of righteousness, break the covenant to support their wrong path and cause cries of distress to go up from the righteous. Nevertheless despite the profaning of the name of Hashem these transgressors bring, Yahwah is faithful to the messianic afflicted remnant and to those who are needy.
Those who stole the Torah scroll from the Roi Israel congregation in Rechavia in June 2000, are transgressors not only of the Torah but also of the covenant of Sinai. They transgress the word of the covenant "Thou shalt not steal".
(If justice is not done, then the community is guilty of not guarding the covenant. Hence after a time the whole community will be judged personally by Yahwah and only the blameless righteous will escape.)
They are also guilty of profaning the name of Hashem, for every act of violence against the innocent sheep of the Messiah the Shepherd, is a transgression against the righteousness of Yahwah, exemplified by Abraham the father of the faithful. These violent, lawless activities immediately get reported around the world and provoke prayer to Yahwah that he vindicate his great name against these covenant breakers the torahless ones. A cry goes up that they might turn from their wicked ways back to the pleasant ways of Yahwah recorded in the scriptures.
The afflicted messianic congregation and the followers of Messiah the Despised One are also the righteous who are sold for money and the needy for a pair of sandals"
How is this? Well a few years ago and over the last few years they have been the subject of constant persecution by such groups as the "Yad Lachim" and other anti messianic organisations. These organisations keep a form of Torah, keeping their festivals, keeping their shabbats, keeping their religious practices, but they transgress the whole point of the Torah, to practice righteousness and justice. They burn down the houses of the messianic believers and even the Tents of Mercy up in Kiryat Yam. The congregation help incoming immigrants with clothing and food and bring many back to Yahwah, through return preached in the name of the Messiah Yeshua the Abhored One, who is hated without a cause.
So Yahwah said He looked for justice but behold bloodshed, for righteousness, but behold a cry of distress"
These transgressors of the Torah of Yahwah, do their violent terrorist acts in secret and some are paid for them. They seek to deceive the righteous in order to harm them. They do not set up a courts and establish a testimony against whom they see as idolaters, have them judged according to Torah, but they act in violence and secrecy, burning the house of the righteous which contains Torah’s and Tanach’s in Hebrew. Hence they are burning the name of Yahwah, and breaking and ignoring the Torah which says regarding the gods of the nations of Canaan "you shall utterly overthrow them" and regarding Yahwah "You shall serve Yahwah your God"
Now how is breaking the covenant and committing violent acts of injustice, with no court and no trial serving Yahwah God of Israel?
It is not! This demonstrates pure blindness and shows absolute ignorance of Torah and Yahwah. The word to Coniah son of Josiah belongs to these people
"Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy"
"Do justice and righteousness and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of the oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place"
"But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself declares Yahwah, that this house will; become a desolation…For I will set apart destroyers against you, each with his weapons, and they will cut down your choicest cedars" Jeremiah.
Now these transgressors who burn down the houses and synagogues and churches of Messianic and reform or conservative Jews do not plead the cause of the afflicted and needy but are the cause of their affliction and their need. If the stranger is not to be mistreated how much more the sons of Israel, your own flesh and blood?
For when immigrants were coming in from persecution and suffering from places difficult for Israelites to live in, places such as Ohel Rachamim, helped them to settle in the land. Not for pay or reward but for the glory of Yahwah and to sanctify his name and to turn people to righteousness. These people came here with few resources and little knowledge of Yahwah. When they got here the Messianic believers did not begin to put on them the yolk of a made up Torah, a burden heavy to bare, but they began to teach them the covenant of Yahwah , the ten words Yahwah spoke on Sinai. They began to teach them in the way of righteousness, through repentance taking them from no knowledge of Yahwah, to knowledge of Yahwah. They taught them how to pray, how to love Yahwah, how to glorify Yahwah, through the praise of Psalms of praise, hymns of thanksgiving and spiritual songs.
Not to praise with malice and hatred but without guile in the integrity of their heart.
Oh how pleased Yahwah is with this type of praise and service.
But these covenant transgressors who refuse to return to Yahwah, began to burn down their houses. For money they would spy on the innocent sheep of Yahwah to cause them distress. And so Israel becomes a place where Yahwah looked for justice but behold bloodshed, for righteousness but behold a cry of distress"(Is 5)
However, I want to emphasize that these protagonists of wickedness who carry hatred for truth in their bosom still have the way of repentance open to them through the Messiah Yeshua the Abhorred One. They can be freely forgiven of all their transgression by the blood of Yeshua, which has with in it the power of forgiveness and atonement. They can then begin to walk again in the covenant of Yahwah, not with the stone hard heart they have within them now. But with a new heart, a new spirit and Yahwah’s Spirit which will teach them the way of Yahwah in truth.
"I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Chuqqim and Mishpatim"
The Cost of the refusal to Return
However while they refuse, the wrath of God is being stored up against them in every profanation of the name of Yahwah they cause. Every time the story of their evil deeds is retold among the righteous of the nations, and every prayer which goes up for justice and protection for the righteous of Israel, will stand against them on the day of their death and until the day of their death. They will have no place in the world to come even if they wear Tefillin and Tzitzit every day of their rebellious lives.
Let the wicked turn back to Yahwah today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts. Do not be among those who "think lightly of the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant hearts you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Romans)
I say to you who are the transgressors of the Ten words and the Voice of Yahwah, who refuse the covenant of Yahwah in truth
" Be warned and flee from the wrath to come and bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And the axe is already laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (John the Baptiser)
Then there are those who do not agree with the wicked ways of Yad Lachim (which in a little while will be no more), but have power to do good, justice and righteousness but do not do it.
In Israel it is all for one and one for all. You are responsible for the covenant and it’s protection also. When these transgressors act do you support the afflicted?
Do you begin to plead the cause of the needy as did Josiah?
Do you remember the covenant of brotherhood?
Or have you to rejected the Torah of Yahwah?
You may not be among those "Who distress the righteous, accept bribes and turn aside the poor in the gate" (Amos)
But you may be the "prudent person who keeps silent for it is an evil time"
You need then seek good and not evil, that you may live.
Pray for the persecuted minorities.
Do not be silent for the time will come when these violent men will turn on you, listen to the example of Esther.
Store up for yourselves righteousness against the day of the glory of Yahwah.
Turn to Yahwah listen to his Messiah and seek the cause of justice.
The voice of Yahwah
The question is now how does Yahwah speak to the Israel and the nations?
Obedience to Yahwah’s voice, is a requirement of all nations including Israel, indeed primarily to Israel, since their father Abraham taught them how to listen.
It is written
"God speaks once or twice, yet no one notices it.
In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds
Then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction"
Elihu
It is also written:
"Hear now my words,
If there is a prophet among you
I Yahwah, shall make myself known to him in a vision.
I shall speak with him in a dream.
Not so my servant Moses, He is faithful in all my household
With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Even openly and not in dark sayings
And he beholds the form of Yahwah" (Torah)
So we can see at least two ways Yahwah speaks to mankind. Clearly and through the dark saying s of a dream. This applies to people as well as prophets. When we reach the Moses level of revelation it is a mouth to mouth face to face revelation, above the normal level of prophecy.
We see that Yahwah makes himself known to the prophet, through the dream.
So the scripture teaches us "today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion".
So a soft, willing, responsive heart is needed if we are to walk in the way of righteousness.
As in the case of Abraham, however, when Yahwah commands something by his voice we need to obey him. When Yahwah promises something by his voice we are to believe him. This is what was credited to Abram as righteousness.
Abraham would have taught his children both these ways of righteousness.
Calling on the name of Yahwah.
Another righteous activity is that of calling on the name of Yahwah. This first occurred in the time of Enosh. He was the grandson of Abraham and it is written "and he called his name Enosh. And then men began to call on the name of Yahwah." Torah
Abraham also called on the name of Yahwah and this would have been one of the practices of righteousness, which Abraham would have taught his children. We call on the name of Yahwah rather than calling on the name of some idol or false deity. This then ties into Word one of the 10 words
"I am Yahwah your God… you shall have no other gods besides me."
An appropriate question then is what does it mean to call on the name of Yahwah?
Well Abraham first called on the name of Yahwah after he had built an altar to Yahwah. He did this at a mountain east of Bethel and pitched his tent and called on the name of Yahwah.
He went away on some travels and returned later to the same place and again he called on the name of Yahwah. So the calling on the name was linked at that time to a specific mountain and location where Abraham has built an altar. We note carefully that we are seeing the examples of people who called on the name of Yahwah not on Yahwah himself, unless the name of Yahwah is synonymous with Yahwah.
We see that calling on the name of Yahwah is also linked with salvation and precedes the day of Yahwah for Joel says "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of Yahwah will be delivered , for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape".
So when we call on the name of Yahwah we will be delivered.
We can ask from what we will be delivered? And it is from the troubles of the days of judgement. The righteous are preserved for calling on the name of Yahwah is a righteous act because he is the true God and eternal life. Calling on some other name is an act of unrighteousness and needs repentance.
The word call, in Hebrew, is "qara" and means to cry out, to call aloud, to roar, to proclaim, to summon.
So we need to cry out to Yahwah. The purpose of the temple was to have a place for Yahwah’s name to dwell, and Yahwah’s eyes were on that place and everyone who prayed toward that place, Solomon prayed, would meet special favour and have their prayers answered. This was a key element in the mission of The House to bring many nations to worship Yahwah. They would come to the House and pray to Yahwah. He would answer them and they would go back to their nation and declare the great works of Yahwah.
The action of calling, took place in the beginning of the messianic community in Jerusalem.3 When Peter first preached the gospel he quoted Joel regarding men calling on the name of Yahwah.
Peter stated " Every one who calls on the name of Yahwah shall be saved"
Repent and let each of you be baptised in the name of Yehoshua ha Mashiach for the forgiveness of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit….Be saved from this perverse generation"
So how were they to be saved?
There action was repentance and submission to baptism in the name of Yehoshua ha Mashiach"
With these two actions they received forgiveness of sin, which means they would be righteous in Yahwah’s sight. They also received the Holy Spirit who would begin to work on the inside of these people to increase the level of their righteousness and to spread righteousness to the ends of the earth.
"The Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat and drink but of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (food, drink and clothing) will be added unto you. (Yeshua )
So here to call on Yahwah was repentance and baptism in the name of Yehoshua the Nazarene.
This is the beginning of the way of righteousness. For Yehoshua said of John that he came in the way of righteousness and he also said to John at his baptism
"Permit it to be so for now so that we can fulfil all righteousness." So note that Yehoshua came to fulfil all righteousness not a partial righteousness.
Now if John came in the way of righteousness we can learn from him for teaching our children in the way of righteousness.
So what did John do in his way?
He proclaimed return. He told all people to return to God and to bear fruit befitting repentance. So we can teach our children and our friends how to repent. How to continually turn to God in times of trouble. How to understand that if they sin Yahwah is forgiving and accepts back those who fall or fail and repent.
He taught the people to share their surplus property with those in the community who had needs. If you have two cloaks and your brother has none, give the extra one to your brother. He also taught those who had food to share with this who did not. This all tied with the Isaiah 58 fast.
He proclaimed a judgement day on fruitless trees and warned people not to rely on their physical heritage as safe grounds before Yahwah. If they bore no fruit Yahwah would cut them down, physical seed of Abraham or not. This is historically factual in Israel. God is moved to bless when Israel practised righteousness and justice. He reproved even leaders for their transgressions of righteousness, through transgressions of the Torah.
I assure you being circumcised on the eighth day will not help you one iota if you have a stone heart and uncircumcised ears ( see King Saul). I also assure you that putting on Tefillin and wearing Tzitzit which are there to remind you of the covenant and the Torah will not help you one iota, if you are a thieving, adulterer, who curses, steals, covets his neighbour’s possessions, bears false witness against his Messianic neighbour and blasphemes the name of Jesus (Yeshua, Yehoshua the Son of God) and the Holy Spirit.
On the day of God’s wrath, breaking the covenant will not be forgiven because you wore Tzizit and Tefillin and can recite Torah by heart. What is there to remind you does not replace that which it is there to remind you of.
A king once gave his son a watch to remind him that at 7 am every morning he should go out to the gate and do justice and righteousness. The King then told his son I am leaving for about a month. Remember at Seven o clock every morning be ready at the gate to judge the people. If you wear the watch you will not forget. After a month the king did not return. The son began to over sleep. After a number of years the son forgot about judging the people and
used to sleep until 9-o clock. He went about just having a good time and making sure everyone did just as he said and became very careful to be dressed just as he thought a king should be dressed. Then he had a son. When his son grew up he passed on the watch. He told his son it is very important that you wear this watch. Because my father before he left gave me this watch. By it you can tell the time and all will know you are my son.
After a number of years the king returned. And he waited at the gate at 7-o clock. And he waited all day and his son nor his son’s son never came. He went to the palace and asked his son’s son. Why didn’t you come at 7-o clock? The grandson replied. "Come where for what?"
Such is the position of he who wears Tzitzit and does not do righteousness.
(iv) He taught the career people to do their jobs honestly. A righteous tax collector collects only what he is ordered to. The soldiers are also given wise counsel as to how to act righteously as soldiers. "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages. So all in their various careers could fulfil their careers honestly. We need to teach these things to our children and friends.
(v) He preached the good news of repentance and forgiveness of sins to the people. However although he was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth he did not have the power to baptise others in the Holy Spirit.
He taught humility by example by only doing his work and pointing to Yehoshua as the one who would empower the people to walk in the fullness of righteousness through the Holy Spirit.
He taught his disciples how to pray. We need also to teach our children and friends how to pray.
So it is that today you are called to repentance. To forgiveness of your sins forever in the name of the Messiah Yehoshua the Nazarene. You are called to receive the Holy Spirit and to begin to do acts of righteousness and bear the fruit of repentance. You are called to pray, to share, and to give to the poor. And all this as in the sight of Yahwah, not man. In short you are called back to the Torah of Yahwah not the Torah of men. Not because you are good but because Yahwah is merciful.
Here is a prayer to help you in returning to the pathway of Yahwah:
Heavenly Father, who made the heavens, the earth , the sea and all that in them is,
Grant us according to your riches in glory that we might
be strengthened with might by your Spirit in the inner man.
That Messiah may dwell in our hearts through faith (emunah),
That we being rooted and grounded in love
May together with all the Chodeshim (saints) be able to comprehend
The length and the breadth and the height and the depth
And to know the love of Messiah that surpasses knowledge
That we may be filled with all the fullness of God
Now to you oh Yahwah
Who are able to do exceedingly, abundantly above
All that we can ask or imagine through the power at work in us
To you be glory in the Kehilat (Church) through Messiah Yeshua,
Throughout all ages world with out end Amen.
And finally a daily prayer which will help lead you to truth.
Heavenly Father, Sanctify your name. Your will be done in my life
May I go where you want me to go, see what you want me to see,
Hear what you want me to hear, live as you want me to live
Love as you want me to love and walk as you want me to walk
Your will be done in my life today, I bind, break and destroy any plan, scheme or work
Of the evil one, of the devil which would seek to hinder your will being done in my life
Today, in the name of Yeshua the Messiah Amen.
posted by Evangelist Edi Nachman Bsc. PGCE @ 6:47 PM
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