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KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS

Which ones do we keep?

Yehshua clearly taught His disciples that He did not come to get rid of jot or tittle of the law till heaven and earth as we know it pass away.

Matt 5:17-18

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to verify it or render it perfect.

18 For verily I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, until all be brought to pass.

Do those who call themselves the Jewish people today have the correct list of the commandments in the 613 commandments that they have compiled? If you compare their list to scripture, they certainly have added to it and taken from it by interjecting their own ideas.

Is Yehshua simply referring to the Ten Commandments? No, He is referring the entire law. The law that was given through Moses was a law of physical requirements to teach us spiritual lessons. The exception is the sacrificial system.

Ps 19:7

7 The law of Yehweh is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of Yehweh is sure, making wise the simple.

We are told in mainstream christianity that we are saved by grace. Yes, it is a matter of His grace and mercy but man has taken His grace and turned it into a license to transgress His law.

Is grace the message taught by Yehshua or any of the prophets? Did Yehweh Elohiym change? Scripture teaches that He changes not; He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

The sacrificial system was to teach us the seriousness of transgressing the law. Of course there is no temple to offer up sacrifices today and no Levitical priest hood in place.

The sacrificial system also pointed to our Messiah who died on our behalf to pay for our transgressions but not so we could keep transgressing the law. He shed His blood so that we could be forgiven and change direction.

Yehshua certainly did clarify some things and he certainly magnified others. The law was put in place by our Creator to shape and mold us in His image, His perfect, holy character.

Deuteronomy 7:6

6 For you are a holy people unto Yehweh your Elohiym: Yehweh your Elohiym has chosen you to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

He is purposing to build a family. In Genesis we read He intends to make us in His image.

What is wrong with the equation? The same thing that was wrong with Adam and Eve, we reject His instructions and choose right and wrong for ourselves.

So are we created with a design flaw? Yes, by design, we were created incomplete. This is necessary to accomplish His plan to build a family. He gave us free will and free choice to choose His ways to complete us, to want what He has to offer.

He owes us nothing. He gave us life and He freely allows us to go and live our life on our own apart from Him if we choose to. He does not force His ways on us.

Moses records in Deuteronomy 30:

19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life , that both you and your seed may live:

20 That you may love Yehweh your Elohiym, and that you may obey his voice, and that you may cleave unto Him: for He is your life, and the length of your days: that you may dwell in the land which Yehweh swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

We have the choice to choose Him.

Today I am going to discuss some basic commands about who He is to be to us.

Lev 22:32-33

32 Neither shall you profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am YEHWEH which hallows you,

33 That brought you out of the land of Egypt (which is a symbol for coming out of our bondage of sin), to be your Elohiym: I am YEHWEH.

It says here that we shall not profane His holy name which is who He is, it is His character.
Profane is translated from the Hebrew word

(khaw-lal'),  Strong’s #2490
to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane, to break, to defile, to pollute, to prostitute, to stain,

Hallow and hallowed here is the Hebrew word (kaw-dash'); OT:6942  a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally):

We are commanded here to not wound or dissolve who He is. He is to be pure to us and He purposes to make us pure if we will hearken unto Him and yield to His design.

This is most serious indeed because in His perfect way of drawing it up, we are to purge out evil from the midst of us.

Lev 24:16

16 And he that blasphemes the name of YEHWEH, he shall surely be put to death

Blasphemes is translated from the Hebrew word
(naw-kab'); OT:5344 a primitive root; to puncture, literally (to perforate, with more or less violence) or figuratively (to specify, designate, libel):

I have heard that the Jewish people pervert this by saying that the written name of Yehweh cannot be erased. This is not what the instructions are saying.

The word used for name here is the Hebrew word is Strong’s # 8034
(shame); an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character:

So puncturing or doing evil to His character was commanded to be punishable by death. Think what a wonderful world it would be if people lived esteeming the character of Elohiym and where afraid of representing His character wrong.

I know I have certainly lived a life of blaspheming His character as I have claimed to be His while rejecting His commands.

I am so happy that He has granted me mercy and forgiven me. I do not want to take lightly His character ever again. In doing so, I would also be blaspheming the blood of His son who died on my behalf.

His mercy is incredible but we must not take it lightly. If we say we are His and we bear His name, we must come out of the bondage and stop transgressing His perfect instructions.

In John 8 when Yehshua is left talking to the woman who was brought before for committing adultery, He pardoned her, but with the admonition of go and sin no more.

Ex 22:28

28 You shall not revile Elohiym.

Revile here is from  Strong’s #7043
qalal (kaw-lal'); to be (causatively, make) light, literally (swift, small, sharp, etc.) or figuratively (easy, trifling, vile, etc.):

We are to know that He is self-existing and there is none other self-existing one beside Him

Ex 3:14

14 And Elohiym said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM:

Isa 45:5-6

5 I am YEHWEH, and there is none else, there is no Elohiym beside me: I girded you, though you have not known me:

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am YEHWEH, and there is none else.

He is saying here that He is self-existing and there is no other self-existing Elohiym.

We do know that there is now another in His family, His Son is certainly part of His family now but He is the only one that was always self-existing, that always was.

Deut 6:4-5

4 Hear, O Israel: YEHWEH our Elohiym is one YEHWEH:

5 And you shall love the YEHWEH your Elohiym with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your might.

Matt 22:37-38

37 Yehshua said unto him, you shall love YEHWEH your Elohiym with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

This is a commandment. And Yehshua told us the night before He was killed that IF we love Him, we will keep the commandments.
Commandment number one;

Ex 20:3

You shall have no other Elohiym’s before me.

Commandment number 3;

Ex 20:7

You shall not take the name of YEHWEH your Elohiym in vain; for YEHWEH will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.

We discussed the word name earlier. It is His character. Take here is to wear or bear. Vain is

Strong’s number 7723
shav (shav); in the sense of desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain):

Deut 6:13-17

13 You shall fear YEHWEH your Elohiym, and serve Him, and shall swear by His name.

The Jewish people had perverted this one as well by the time Yehshua walked among them so He corrected them by telling them not to make your oaths by His name.  Yehweh was saying that we are to commit our self to His name or His character, but not make an oath by His name. Our only oath is to be to Him, a pledge to commit ourselves to Him.

14 You shall not go after other elohiyms, of the elohiyms of the people which are round about you;

He is saying here that we are not to serve made up images of His character or whom others say Elohiym is. Not worshipping Him as the pagans do. This very commandment is broken by nearly everyone alive today and nearly everyone who has ever lived.

15 (For YEHWEH thy Elohiym is a jealous Elohiym among you) lest the anger of YEHWEH thy Elohiym be kindled against you, and destroy you from off the face of the earth.

16 You shall not tempt YEHWEH your Elohiym.

17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the YEHWEH your Elohiym, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He has commanded you.

We are to imitate His ways, imitate His name.

Deut 28:9-10

9 YEHWEH shall establish you as a holy people unto himself, as He hath sworn unto you, if you shall keep the commandments of YEHWEH your Elohiym, and walk in His ways.

10 And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of YEHWEH;

The word used for sworn here is the same word used in Dt 6:13 that we are to commit our self to His name. He tells here in this verse that He will commit Himself unto us but please catch the “IF”. There are lots of big IF’s in the scripture. Yehshua certainly clarified the promises with some big IF’s. Here is an example;

John 15:10

10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

It is all about keeping the commandments, all of them. We must let Him write them in our hearts and embrace them because they teach us His character that we are to become.

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