Well, Passover has now ended in Israel. It was a time of contemplation, gratefulness, and study.
There is a tendency to either look forward to bread and pizza, or to feel a little bit of a letdown. All of the preparation, special menu considerations, time off (especially in Israel), festivities (seder, getting together with friends) are now over.
This week’s Parasha gives some great insight for us. First, in Leviticus chapter 9, we read that the L-rd said that if the Israelites would do various sacrifices unto Him that His glory would appear unto the people. In Leviticus 9:23, we read:
23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people.
This encourages us that we can be CONFIDENT in the promises of G-d. He WILL do what He says.
The next event takes place in Leviticus chapter 10. There we find that Nadav and Abihu, sons of Aaron, offer a strange fire unto the L-rd. This fire was not one which He had commanded. The punishment for this was that G-d brought forth fire which consumed them and they died. Because this was a just punishment from the L-rd, Aaron remained silent. In fact, Aaron and his other sons, Eleazar and Itamar, were told not to mourn (do not rend your clothes, lest you die). The Children of Israel mourned the evil which Nadav and Abihu had done.
G-d will punish evil. We can REST in the knowledge that G-d is Just and in the end HIS plans and purposes will come about.
Another very important principle from the account of Nadav and Abihu is that G-d in not pleased with worship the way WE want to do it. We are to PRAISE and WORSHIP and SERVE Him as He commands us to do. It is not about us and how it makes us feel. This is such a huge trend in Christian worship today.
Lastly, in Leviticus chapter 11, we read about different kosher laws. Many people ask why do we have these laws? Verse 45 explains,
45 For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Now on the one hand, that doesn’t totally explain, but it does give a clue. The kosher laws are not related to “healthy eating.” There is some intrinsic attribute of these non-kosher animals which G-d deems detrimental to holiness. The main concept I glean from this is that we are to OBEY G-D, not necessarily understand the reason behind it.
During the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, we focus on the redemption provided to us through Messiah Yeshua. Now, let us focus on living a life preparing us for the Kingdom–Being confident in our relationship with Messiah, resting in His care and justice, and obeying Him regardless of our level of understanding why.
Hi I am just learning to keep Torah as Yeshua kept Torah. If I am to walk Christ like then that means doing exactly as He did. I am a Gentile but believe that we should have more respect for Judaism. The Christian Church has wiped out the Jewish parts of Yeshua. Bless You for having a wonderful blog. Richard
Obey, and worship as He desires. It has ever been simple instruction.
We can trust fully that the Father, and Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit have our best interests at heart, we who love the Living G-d.
Henry Froese
June 11/2017
I enjoy learning about how God is blessing Israel, in so many promises of the prophets of the
old testament are being fulfilled. At the same time there is grievous apostasy happening within
gentile Christian churches, the music is mostly worldly entertainment and not God honoring.
Keep preaching the bible faithfully.
So are we suppose to eat Kosher? I thought the New Testament with Peter shows God has called all things clean? I love your teachings but still get confused with the back and forth of Keeping Torah which I thought was abolished in Yeshuas flesh. And focusing on Yeshua doing as He did (not necessarily observant i.e.: worked the Sabbath, woman touched Him, delayed the feast and touching dead etc. ) He preached the good news (not Torah otherwise why did they try to kill Him and apostles? ) healed the sick, cast out demons and did good. Seems one should focus more on the New birth in Holy Spirit and the works of Him in truth. Thank you for all your teachings but sometimes I feel like everyone is holding onto Torah just in case He didn’t do enough, instead of seeking Him in truth and Spirit. I don’t mean to be contentious I just get very confused. Thank you!
Thank you for your comment. When you write “I feel like everyone is holding onto Torah just in case He didn’t do enough” reveals that you are looking at this from a salvation viewpoint. We make it very clear on LoveIsrael.org that the only means of salvation is through the Work of Yeshua on the Cross for our sins. The Torah was never an instrument of salvation, but rather showed us our need for salvation. We are just suggesting that Torah principles, including kashrut, should be viewed through the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives and we should pray that G-d show us how we can apply it to our lives. In regard to your quote about Peter being shown “all things are clean”, that is a misinterpretation. What G-d was showing Peter was that previously, the Gospel had only been shared with the Jewish people, and G-d was now sending him to share with non-Jews, in this case Cornelius.