We hear a lot about legalism, but does anyone really know what it means?

The typical answer is that it means obeying the Torah, also called “The Law”, but if we do not follow the law, then we are- by definition- lawless, and didn’t Shaul tell the Thessalonians that God will kill the lawless?

How can I be saved by ignoring the law if God kills those who ignore the law?

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My definition of legalism is that it is a performance-based system for salvation. What that means is that salvation comes not from faith, but from performing the instructions in the Torah, perfectly.

To date, the only human capable of doing that was Yeshua, which is why his sacrifice was accepted by God. And how do we know that it was accepted? Because Yeshua was raised from the dead and is now in the presence of the Lord.

Now here’s the kicker…Yeshua followed the Torah, perfectly, which is why he received salvation.

You see, the Torah is more than just a set of laws and regulations- it is the ultimate User’s Manual for how to live a righteous life, and by doing so be able to receive salvation.

I’ll bet that is confusing a lot of people, but the truth is undeniable- Yeshua lived a “legalistic” life and yet he was saved. But my religion tells me that I can only be saved by faith, and not the Torah. Oy gevalt! Which is it?

It’s both, but don’t fret, folks!

The good news is that you still need to be saved by faith; the bad news is that faith without works (that means obeying the Torah) isn’t enough.

I was raised Jewish, so I haven’t been conditioned to believe that all you need is faith (by the way, most people I talk to don’t have any idea what “having faith” really means). My conditioning, so to speak, was that the Torah has all we need to know in order to live a righteous life, and that we are to be faithful to God, and God, alone. I was also told that the Messiah has not come yet.

Over the past 25+ years, I have come to the understanding that faith is a choice: we choose to believe that God exists, we choose to believe that Yeshua is the Messiah God promised to send, we choose to believe that he lived a righteous life and sacrificed himself so that, by means of his innocent blood that was spilled, we can receive forgiveness of sin.

And after making those choices, we can now choose to live our lives by God’s instructions in the Torah, which includes which Holy Days to celebrate, which foods to eat, and a whole set of business ethics and penal laws that are also in the Torah (didn’t know that, did you?)

OR

we choose to live our lives by man-made tenets and ceremonies, celebrate man-made holidays, and (for the most part) reject pretty much everything that God said to do, which means we also have to pretty much reject how Yeshua lived his life.

Gee, that sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? I thought legalism was just following the law, and – to be truthful- of course it is! When we follow the law, we are acting legally. DUH!

But, since the New Covenant doesn’t have any laws or commandments in it, by not following the Torah, one is living – by definition- without law.

Time Out: if you are thinking that there is a new commandment in the Gospels, it’s when Yeshua said he was giving a new commandment in John 13:34, that isn’t really new. It’s from Lev. 19:18.

The bad form of legalism is what the Pharisees taught: they said if you would just obey the letter of the law, even if you were faithless, you would be saved. But, in reality, that won’t do it, and we know this because God, himself, said so! He told the people, through more than one prophet, he would reject their sacrifices because their hearts weren’t in it, and also because they didn’t demonstrate real repentance.

Here’s the proper formula, as I see it- you need to make those choices to faithfully believe in God and Messiah Yeshua, and you also need to act faithfully by obeying what God said to do, and reject any religion that tells you to ignore the Torah.

I know this is a hard word for all you “good Christians” out there, especially the ones who have told me I am not saved because I do all that “Jewish” stuff.

Well, surprise! Doing all that Jewish stuff is why Yeshua’s sacrifice was accepted, why he was resurrected, how you can please God and ensure receiving blessings on earth (read Deuteronomy 28), and one more thing… being obedient to the Torah is how you can secure your salvation.

Please remember to subscribe and share these messages with everyone you know, even unbelievers because you never know how fertile the soil will be until you put a seed in it.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot, and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Yeah, I know you were expecting some Thanksgiving Day message, but there are so many of them out there, I didn’t want to get lost in the crowd.

So let’s talk about God’s (alleged) name …or maybe we shouldn’t mention it, at all?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.
(This one is a little longer than usual).

What is God’s name? Is it Jehovah? Yahweh? Adonai? HaShem? Lord? God? Harry? Oy-ving?

Maybe what we should be asking, before trying to figure out how to pronounce

יהוה

is whether or not we are supposed to figure out how to pronounce it, at all?

The third commandment says: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain”, so what does it mean to use it in vain? According to the Internet dictionary, the term “use in vain” means…”without success or a result.” I guess that means that if we ever use God’s name, we should only use it in a way that produces something, or has some result.

Before we figure out how to use God’s name where it results in, or produces, something, how about we see what God said his name is?

In Exodus, Chapter 3, verses 14-15, God tells Moses what his name is (CJB):

God said to Moshe, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be],” and added, “Here is what to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.’” God said further to Moshe, “Say this to the people of Isra’el: ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation.

So God says his name is “I Am“, but he adds that the way we are to refer to him is as “the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”.

Hmmm… not Jehovah, not Yahweh, not Adonai, not any of the typical names that we see being thrown around like a hot potato, without any respect or admiration shown for the majesty and power of the entity that name represents.

God really doesn’t give a name, anywhere, to himself, but rather he refers to himself in terms that are descriptive of who and what he is, and I believe that is because he is above the need for a name.

What do I mean by that? Well, simply enough, we give each other names to identify ourselves as someone who is uniquely different from everyone else. Many people have the same first name, so the addition of a middle and/or last name separates them: for example, there are many Stevens in the world, and some Steven Roberts, as well. But there is only one, or (at least) very, very few Steven Robert Bruck’s in the world.

But how many gods are there? To be honest, as many as people want to create. According to the Bible Gateway site, there are about 8,747 false gods. Besides the ancient names, such as Amon, Molech, Dagon, Ashtoreth, Ba’al, etc., there are other gods from other religions, such as the many gods in Hinduism, there is Buddha, the many Roman and Greek gods, and they all have a real name. Each one of them is uniquely identified by a name, but the one, true God has no name, to speak of, but tells us who he is by referring to a title and a description.

And what does it mean when, in the Bible, someone refers to “the name of the Lord”? Most of the people I have met and read posts from are adamant that they MUST use whatever pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (that’s the fancy term for those 4 letters God said to Moses) they have been taught represents the God of our fathers, the God of… well, you know who I mean. But I am certain, from reading the Bible many times, that “the name of the Lord” doesn’t mean an actual name, like Steve or Harry or Oy-ving (you have to pronounce that last name with a Jewish accent to really get the humor in it), but rather it represents his reputation and his renown throughout the world.

When God referred to himself in Exodus 34, passing by Moses, he announced himself this way (CJB):

Adonai passed before him and proclaimed: “YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh  is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth;  showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.

He did mention the Tetragrammaton, but then told us about himself in descriptive terms. He always refers to his name in a way that refers not to a specific pronunciation, but what that “name”, those 4-letters, represent! The Y-H-V-H is not to be pronounced, but to be recognized as God, the one who is the God of our fathers; as God, the one who brought us out of Egypt; as God, the one who promised we would dwell in the Land he told Abraham about; as God, the one who will send the Messiah; as God, the one who created the earth and the heavens; as God, the one and only.

When God mentions himself, he doesn’t dwell on the 4-letters, he specifies who and what he is, what he has done, and what he is capable of doing.

God doesn’t need a name because he is defined by what he has done!

There are those who are called “Holy Namers” (not meant to be complimentary), and they are so adamant about how to pronounce the 4-letters that they throw God’s alleged “name” around like it was your name or mine, without the proper respect for who and what that name represents.

I am sorry, but God is not my drinking buddy or someone I can just scream “Yo, Yahweh! Over here, Man!” when I want to get his attention in prayer. He is the one and only true creator of everything, and he is so holy that the angels call him the holiest of all holies!

And when was the last time you read in the Bible an angel calling God by his “name”?

I know that there are many who will say I am wrong, and that it isn’t a sin to use the 4-letters anytime we want to, pronouncing it any old way we want to, and that – in fact!- it would be a sin not to pronounce God’s name, and using any other name (than the one they like) is praying to a false god.

Yeah, I have seen many take it that far off base, refusing to remember that we are saved by faith, not pronunciation.

I use God or Adonai (Hebrew for “Lord”) because it is what I have used my whole life, and as a Jew I also have great respect for God’s Holy Name, so I don’t use it.

I almost forgot to mention how we use God’s name in a way that produces a result or has a purpose, which is, after all, the definition of not using it in vain. You know what? I am not sure about how to do that! If I use it when swearing or cursing, that should have a result, for sure, but then again, doesn’t the bible tell us not to do that? (Matthew 5:34-37 and Deuteronomy 5:11)

I suppose the only way to use his name which would have a purpose and/or result in something, would be in prayer. But that means when we are writing or talking about him, or referencing him in a story or post, we should NOT use the Tetragrammaton because the purpose or result of what we are writing about doesn’t need to have the Holy Name of God used in order to get the point across. What I mean is that the point of my message can have the same exact purpose using “God” or “Adonai” or even “HaShem” (Hebrew for “the name”) as it would if I used the 4-letters. And because of this, I believe using a pronunciation of those 4-letters, other than in prayer, is a violation of the 3rd Commandment.

I hope this message causes some of you to reconsider just how you refer to God in the future. Think of it this way: if you met the President of the United States, would you shake his hand and say, “Hi, Donnie, How are ya?” Or, if you met the King of England, would you say “Yo, Chuckie! How’s it hangin’?”

No? Then what makes you think you can refer to God using his first name?

Thank you for being here and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know, even the non-believers- you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

In his letter to the Romans, Shaul (Paul) says that the Torah identified what sin is (Romans 7), earlier saying that Grace can always overcome sin (Romans 6). He then goes on to ask if Grace can overcome sin, does that mean we can go on sinning?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Of course, Shaul tells us that just because Grace can overcome sin that is no reason to keep sinning.

(And if it had been appropriate at that time, I’m sure he would have added a “DUH!“)

Yeshua made forgiveness available to anyone, at any time, because by means of his sacrificial death there was no longer a need to sacrifice an animal at the temple in Jerusalem (which was required under the Torah). Therefore, if we can receive forgiveness through Yeshua, no matter where we are, does that make sinning easier to do?

I mean, if Christianity teaches the Torah (which sort of created sin by telling us what it is) is not for Christians, and all anyone has to do is accept Yeshua as the Messiah so they can ask forgiveness in Yeshua’s name, doesn’t that make it easier to sin? And, what with Grace overcoming all sin and Yeshua making Grace available just by asking, then why not go ahead and sin?

Now, what is really scary to me is that there are, and I have no doubt about this, some people out there right now saying to themselves, “Hmmm…yeah, that makes sense.”

It NEVER makes sense to sin: period, end of story, close the door on your way out!

What does make sense is that Yeshua had to replace the need to bring an animal to the temple because within just 4 decades after his resurrection, the temple was destroyed, leaving everyone who has not accepted Yeshua as the Messiah no way to receive forgiveness.

In case you didn’t know: The Book of Leviticus identifies the sacrificial system as the only means to receive forgiveness, and in chapter12 of the Book of Deuteronomy, God commands that sacrifices are only to be made where he places his name; initially, that was the Tabernacle Moses built, then it was the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem.
This is why I say that without the temple, according to the Torah, there can be no forgiveness of sin.

It has become all too easy for Christians to sin and not worry about it, what with the “believe in Jesus and you will be saved” ad campaign, not to mention the ridiculous idea that once you have been saved, you are automatically forgiven of your sins (known as OSAS). These tenets of Christianity have misdirected so many God-fearing people who think they are doing the right thing in God’s eyes, while what they are really doing is rejecting everything that God said we should do if we want to live a righteous life!

Here’s the kicker, people: just because Yeshua made forgiveness easier to receive, if you are not repentant, you are not going to be forgiven, and thinking that you can sin and be forgiven just because you “believe in Jesus” is a one-way ticket to Sheol.

God is not stupid- he knows the heart and the mind of everyone. If you think, probably due to what some religion has told you, that Yeshua made forgiveness easy to attain whenever you sin, that is not honoring either Yeshua or God.

Shaul was right- the Torah identifies sin, and that is why we must know the Torah, intimately! God gave the Torah to teach us (both Jews and Gentiles!) how to live a righteous life, and just because we can’t do everything we should, all the time, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying to be as obedient as best as we can.

Yeshua’s sacrifice wasn’t made so that it is easier to be forgiven, it was made to replace the need to bring an animal to the temple. That’s all it was meant to do- everything else under the sacrificial system still exists: you still need to confess sin, you still need to repent of sin, and you still need to ASK for forgiveness- it ain’t automatic!

The real danger of this idea that forgiveness is automatic is that when we think it comes without asking, at first try not to sin, but when we do we know we don’t need to confess it or ask to be forgiven. Eventually, and inevitably, knowing we are forgiven already, we stop trying not to sin. I mean, if I can be forgiven of my sins every time I sin, without having to confess it, or repent of it, or do anything, why try not to?

So, let’s recap:

1. God identified sin by giving us his Torah;
2. The Torah tells us that if we sin, we do not get to be in God’s presence for eternity;
3. God made a way for us to receive forgiveness of our sins, which is the sacrificial system;
4. That system required us to bring an animal to the temple in Jerusalem;
5. Yeshua’s sacrifice replaced the need to bring that animal to the temple, making it easier to receive forgiveness.
   

But did Yeshua’s sacrifice make it easier to sin? NO!

Yeshua made it easier to receive forgiveness, but it is religion that has made it easier to sin.

Thank you for being here and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know. That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot, and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

The festival of Sukkot is a joyous Holy Day, which is different from a holiday. You see, a holiday is a man-made celebration, whereas a Holy Day is one of the celebrations that God commanded us to observe, all of which are found in Leviticus 23.

But did you know that Sukkot is the only Holy Day where God commands two different ways to celebrate it?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the Video.

When we go to Leviticus 23, verses 33-36 tell us to celebrate Sukkot every year on the 15th day of the 7th month. But later, when God concludes his commandments about the Holy Days (verse 37), in verses 39-43 he gives different instructions for Sukkot, which can’t obey until after we enter the Land!

So did we celebrate Sukkot when we were in the desert, or did we wait until we were in Israel?

God also says, in Leviticus 23:9, regarding the festival of Shavuot that we are to celebrate it after we enter the land and harvest its ripe crops.

So, nu? Did these Holy Days go on hold until some 40+ years later, after the people were settled in Israel and had time to plant and harvest their own produce?

We know that while in the desert no one was circumcised (Joshua 5:2), which makes sense since the ritual required a lengthy recovery time, and they never knew when they would be moving the camp. So, if circumcision, a definite must-do, was allowed to be delayed, maybe the observance of Sukkot also was delayed?

“Wait a minute, Steve! You said that Shavuot was not to be celebrated until they were in the Land, so isn’t that one that was delayed, also? “

No, it wasn’t delayed because this Holy Day was not to be celebrated until after we settled in the Land. However, with Sukkot, the first time God mentions it he specifies on the 15th day of the 7th month we are to hold a holy convocation and make sacrifices for 7 days. It was later in this chapter when God repeated this date, but added that we are to use river willows, palm fronds, choice fruit, and thick branches when we celebrate, most of which would not be available in the desert. He also adds a significant difference: in this second command God adds that we build Sukkot and live in them for 7 days.

It makes sense that this specific Holy Day celebration requires two different ways to celebrate: one way for when we were in the desert (sacrifices, but no fruits, fronds, or building of a Sukkah), and another for after we were in the Land (where we had access to those materials, and by then are living in houses).

It makes no sense to build a sukkah in the desert when you are already in a sukkah! Duh!

So what we have is, for the three pilgrimage Holy Days, Pesach (Passover) would have been celebrated every year during the 40 years in the desert (after all, the Sanctuary was right there), and Sukkot would have been celebrated (they already had the Sukkahs built), but Shavuot would have to wait until they were in the Land and the first crop was harvested. And when that time arrived, Sukkot would also be celebrated differently.

To me, this shows how God understands our conditions on earth. Even though the circumcision was a requirement to be under the Abrahamic Covenant, because of the conditions in the desert, God allowed it to be delayed. And although Shavuot was a required celebration, God knew we had to wait until we were in the land. Sukkot was required while in the desert, but once in the Land, God changed the rules to be in line with the different conditions.

Now, does this mean that we can decide when we have to obey God and when we don’t? No, sorry, but there is no excuse we can make for disobedience to God, other than being a result of our human frailties and weak faith; and even in those cases, God has prepared for us a means to be forgiven.

That means of forgiveness is through the sacrificial system, which has never gone away.

In fact, the sacrificial system and Sukkot have something in common: they both have been altered based on changed conditions.

Sukkot was altered after the people were in the Land, and the sacrificial system was altered after Yeshua’s resurrection.

Before they entered Israel, for Sukkot they sacrificed, and after they were in Israel, they also used harvested produce and built Sukkot. Before Yeshua’s resurrection, no sacrifice would be accepted unless it was brought to the place where God put his name (Deuteronomy 12:11), but after Yeshua was raised (to prove his sacrifice was accepted), the requirement to bring an animal to the temple in Jerusalem was no longer needed because through Yeshua, we could receive forgiveness of sin anywhere, anytime, by means of his once-and-for-all sacrifice The conditions changed even more, which God prepared for by sending Yeshua, when in 70 AD the Romans completely destroyed the temple.

TIME OUT: When I say Yeshua’s sacrifice was a once-and-for-all sacrifice, that means it was done once, for all people, but it does NOT mean that your sins are always automatically forgiven. We still must confess, repent, and ask forgiveness (by means of the blood Yeshua spilled) for every single sin we commit.

So, are you surprised at this relationship between Sukkot and the sacrificial system? Truth be told, I didn’t even understand it myself until I started to write this message! But, now that I am done, I think it is a wonderful way to show, again, how God knows what we need, when we need it, and will always provide it for us.

That’s it for this week, so Chag Sameach (Happy Festival) and let’s all look forward to next week when we celebrate Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah), also called Sh’mini Atzeret (Eighth Day Gathering) as we turn the Torah back to the beginning, and get to read through it, all over again.

Baruch HaShem!

I am doing this message a little early because Hurricane Milton is coming through later tonight and tomorrow, and I might not have any electric power with which to post this.

I have often heard the Christian teaching that the Torah was done away with by Yeshua’s sacrifice, which I cannot justify by anything in the Bible, Old or New. As a Believer in Messiah, and Jewish (as well), I try to live my life in accordance with what God said to do in the Torah, and not what men have taught based on Shaul’s (Paul) letters.

So, if you are a Gentile Believer, you might be wondering why I, accepting Yeshua as my atonement for sin, still observe Yom Kippur?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

The reason why I observe Yom Kippur (I don’t say celebrate it because, really?- who finds fasting for 24 hours a celebration?), as well as the other Holy Days commanded in Leviticus 23, is simple: because God said we should. I know, I know, you’ve been told that Yeshua is the fulfillment of the law, and that all that “Jewish” stuff is not necessary for Christians.

I challenge you to find anything that Yeshua ever said or implied indicating that we do not have to obey the Torah, which includes all the High Holy Days outlined in Leviticus 23.

Yom Kippur is a day when we come before God, as he commanded, confess our sins, then ask him to move from the Throne of Judgement to the Throne of Mercy so that he will forgive our sins and write our names in the Book of Life.

The reason that Yom Kippur is so important, still, is that only God can forgive sins. Yes, in Matthew 9:6 Yeshua says he is granted that power, but when you interpret that passage correctly (at least, as I think it is correctly understood), Yeshua indicates that his authority to forgive sins is ONLY when he is on the earth, and only in order to prove he is from God.

Look, it is really simple…Yeshua died so that we can come before God and ask HIM to forgive our sins. His death provides the means to be forgiven that was previously only available to us when we brought an animal to the temple in Jerusalem, which is what the Torah required. Yeshua’s sacrifice changed only one thing in the Torah- the need to bring an animal to the temple. That is why Yeshua told us that we cannot reach the father except through the son, which is because in 173 AD the temple was destroyed, making obedience to the Torah regarding sin sacrifice impossible.

And here’s what’s really sad: the temple still ain’t there! Without the temple, the forgiveness we can receive through Yeshua is the only means of being forgiven.

So, even though sins can only be forgiven through Yeshua’s sacrifice, it still makes sense to obey God’s commandments, which he gave us in the Torah. Not to be legalistic, not to be “correct”, and not just because I am Jewish (which I am and always will be- I am NOT a Christian!), but to be obedient to God.

Do you really think that God will reject anyone, believer or not, who obeys what he said to do in the Torah? After all, God did promise in Deuteronomy 28 to bless those who obey him, so even if we can’t sacrifice an animal at Yom Kippur, doing everything else is still obedient to God, right? And God cannot sin, or go back on his promises, so even if you have been taught to not to anything the Torah says, that is what some religions say, but it is not from God.

Hey!- let me ask you something: we know Yeshua lived the Torah perfectly because if he hadn’t, he would not have been an acceptable sacrifice, and Christianity teaches the best thing any Christian can do is to follow in the footsteps of the Messiah, so then why is it that one of their major tenets is to reject everything the Messiah did?

If you reject the Torah, you are not obedient to God or to Yeshua: the ones you are being obedient to are some men who didn’t want to have to do this stuff, and misused Shaul’s letters to make their own religion. Do you really think that the son of God rebelled against his father and taught that we don’t have to do as his father said?

You go ahead and reject God’s instructions, blame it on Yeshua or on your religion, but I am pretty sure that when you use that excuse before God at Judgement Day, he ain’t gonna buy it!

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

And for those who are obedient to God, may you have an easy fast!

The traditional Torah reading for this Holy Day is called the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac, and it is in Genesis 23. This passage is also well-known as being messianic, indicating the way the Messiah will show obedience to his father and that he will be a sacrifice.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Let’s have a quickie review of the Akedah: Abraham is told by God to sacrifice Isaac, and he is led to Mount Moriah. Isaac asks Abraham where the lamb for the sacrifice is, and Abraham tells him that God will provide the lamb; but we all know by now Isaac is starting to feel like he might be the lamb. By the way, Isaac was more likely a grown man at that time than some young child.

OK, so they get there, Isaac gets on the rock, lets Abe tie him up, and waits for the final blow. Just as Abe is about to strike him with the knife, an angel tells Abe to hold off- this was just a test. There was a ram caught in a bush, so Abe sacrifices the ram, which is why we use a ram’s horn for the shofar, as a memorial to that ram.

The messianic aspect here is pretty obvious- a son is sacrificed by a father to show obedience to God, even unto death. Just as Isaac was willing to die to obey his father, Abraham, Yeshua the Messiah was willing to die to obey his father, God Almighty. The difference is that Isaac’s sacrifice was never meant to be fulfilled, but was a test of Abraham’s faith, whereas Yeshua’s sacrifice had to be completed, in order that all people may receive forgiveness of sin and be saved.

You know what? We are always told of the faithfulness of Abraham, but what about Isaac? Don’t you think he was pretty faithful, as well as obedient, by letting himself be tied up and killed?

I believe that the Akedah is not the only story of a father and son that is messianic; there is an anti-messianic story in the Bible, which we find happening about a thousand years later.

In 2 Samuel, chapters 15-20, we read how King David’s son, Absalom, rebelled against his father and tried to take the kingdom from him. He started by influencing the people at the gate, telling them that if he was judge, he would make sure they got fair treatment, sort of implying they can’t count on that from David. He acts friendly to them, and eventually turns many who were loyal to David over to Absalom. Once he had enough followers, including many in the army, he lied to his father to get permission to go to Hebron to make sacrifice, but once there he proclaimed himself king. David, upon hearing this, immediately fled the city. In time, Absalom’s followers went to war with David’s followers, and Absalom was killed by Joab, the commander of the army.

Here’s something interesting: we know that the anti-Messiah will first appear to be a man of peace, then when the time is right, he will turn and show his true colors. Well, in Hebrew, the name Absalom means “father of peace”.

So, we have Isaac, son of the father of nations, who obediently allowed himself to be sacrificed, and we have Absalom, son of the king of nations, who defied and rebelled against his father, trying to steal his father’s rulership.

Sound somewhat familiar? Yeshua, the obedient son of God, allows himself (as did Isaac) to be sacrificed, in order that all humanity may be saved, but the Anti-Messiah, the son of Satan, (as with Absalom) wants to steal the kingdom from God by causing all humanity to sin, thereby making it impossible for anyone to be with God.

Today, Christianity presents Jesus Christ as an Absalom, a rebellious son, telling us to ignore his father’s commandments, and has even gone as far as to present Jesus AS God, himself, so that they pray to and worship Jesus, essentially rejecting God the father.

But many Christians, as well as most Messianic Jews, know that Yeshua is, and requires us to be, obedient to his father’s commandments, teaching us the true, spiritual meaning of those commandments. That is the fulfillment of the New Covenant (the REAL one, in Jeremiah 31:31), which is when God said he will write his Torah on our hearts, and all will know him.

During this new year, let us strive to be more like an Isaac, obedient to our Father (the one in heaven), which means to be obedient to his Torah, and less like an Absalom, rebelling against our Father (yeah, I still mean the one in Heaven) by rejecting his Torah.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot, and Shanah Tovah!

How often have you heard people say that the God of the Old Covenant is one of cruelty and punishment, but the God of the New Covenant is all about love and forgiveness?

Throughout my lifetime, both before and after I accepted Yeshua to be the Messiah, I have had to hear that ridiculous statement.

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When I hear people say that in the New Covenant God is merciful and forgiving, but in the Old Covenant he is cruel, I ask them, “Do you believe God is unchanging?” And, of course, they say that he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

So, I continue to ask, “If God is unchanging, are there two Gods in the Bible- one before Yeshua came and one after Yeshua came? And, if God was different after Yeshua came, since the only God who promised to send a Messiah was the cruel one, which God do they think is truly Yeshua’s father?”

At this point, I get nothing but stares, eyes going up and down, mind turning at 1000 RPM trying to figure out how to answer without negating what they have been taught.

The smell of burning wood is overpowering.

The truth is, people, there is, was, and always will be just one God. He is the same God- merciful, forgiving, and trustworthy, from one end of the Bible to the other. And, if anyone wants to argue that in the New Covenant God is not cruel or punishes people, let me draw your attention to Acts 5:1-11.

This is where we read about Hananyah and his wife, Shappirah. They sold property and gave most of it to the Elders for the poor, but they held some back for themselves. That, in and of itself, was not a sin, but they lied about it when asked, saying they have given all of what they had. The moment that Hananyah lied to Kefa (Peter), he was struck dead! And later, when the wife came in (not knowing what had happened), she also lied, and she was struck dead, too!

So, nu? Is that forgiving? Is that all about love?

God is always the same: he does punish the unrepentant sinners, and he does forgive those who ask it, truthfully, with a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Psalm 51). God has, and always will, punish those who sin and do not do t’shuvah (repent/turn from sin) because he HAS to! God has to obey the rules he makes; if he doesn’t, we can’t trust him and the promises he has made aren’t worth the sheepskin they are written on.

Here’s the thing: if you ever hear someone say that the God of the Jewish Bible is different from the God of the Christian Bible, ask them the questions I do, and hopefully, you will be able to help them know who God really is, and not what some religion told them.

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That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!