On Friday night (Erev Shabbat – 2nd September, 2022) on Marty Goetz’s Messianic House of Worship channel (You Tube), Marty, always Spirit-led, included the beautiful anthem, “Ebenezer (‘Thus far the LORD has helped me’),” which after opening with the line, “Come Thou Font of every blessing, TUNE our hearts to sing Thy praise…” and with “To rescue me from danger, He interposed His precious Blood,” goes on to end by repeating the HOLY PLEA: “…take our lives, LORD, keep and SEAL (i.e. sanctify) them, for Your (Cause, of sanctification, for Your) Courts above…” (2 Thess 2:13,14; Heb 2:11; 12:1-11).
This magnificent lyric reminds us that unless, once reconciled and justified by faith, we are sanctified by the commandments, to “hallow” (glorify, exalt) YHVH’s Name by obeying Matt 6:10 under grace (under the safety net of the covering of the Blood while we learn the covenant, on probation as candidates for resurrection to life), we place ourselves BEYOND the help of grace, due to rebellion (Jn 5:24,28,29; Rom 2:6-13).
You’ll find that hymn at 31 mins 40 secs on the 2nd Sept 2022 episode time bar, running to 38 mins.
This is a Providential musical introduction to what we can deduce as the main thrust of this week’s Portion, which is our ATTUNEMENT, by the Spirit, to a life perfect before God (Gen 17:1; 26:5; Matt 5:19,48; Col 1:22,28) by being dedicated (consecrated) to discovering the FREEDOM of INNOCENCE REGAINED by our cleansing from defilement, by the washing of the Blood and washing by the water of the Gospel, to keep ourselves in His love to enter into life by staying clean, which is possible only by being doers and not just hearers of His sayings/ways (Deut 18:18,19; Matt 7:21-27; 19:27; Jn 8:51,52; 14:15; 15:3,4,10; Eph 5:26,27; James 1:22-25; Jude vs 3,21).
This free restoration to ORIGINAL INNOCENCE (Adam’s original state of grace) has to be maintained and preserved by obedience to the faith, requiring “diligent inquisition (enquiry, investigation)” into, and judgment of all motives and actions contrary to the letter and spirit of “the Way” (Deut 19:15; Lk 21:20; Jn 8:31-36; 2 Cor 13:1,5).
So from the perspective of the Atonement and Reconciliation which we have through the redemption which is in the Blood of our Messiah, even the forgiveness of sins (2 Cor 5:14-21; Eph 1:7), we can regard this Portion as ‘an essay on self-governance,’ by the Spirit (Rom 7:25-8:4,6,7,14), to ultimately build sheep nations upon the foundation of “pillar” households – households consecrated to truth and righteousness at all costs through Instruction in “the Way,” in reverence and Godly fear, to make the yoke of NATIONAL governance easy, and their burden, light, just as it is for the FAITHFUL individual citizen of heaven (Matt 11:29,30; Lk 20:21; Rev 3:10-12).
Emperor Cyrus’ vision of Jerusalem physically rebuilt in fulfilment of his (and our) prophetic intercession (Ps 122:6-9; 137:4,5; Is 44:28), is a precursor to this phenomenon of deep personal sanctification (1 Thess 5:23), for “the City of our Great King” (Matt 5:35) to one day soon be the global urban model of a righteous capital (Is 1:25-27; 4:1-6; 60-62; Zech 8:8), and ultimately the Capital of a new universe.
We could call the future world, to whom those “accounted worthy” of that honour will belong (Lk 20:35), LOW MAINTENANCE SOCIETIES, requiring minimal external regulation in a world where men no longer “learn war.”
Apart from goat nations, who’ll reap curses and correction from a “rod of iron,” governments will ‘wear their power lightly’ because the prevailing tone, tenor and state of society will be one of all-pervasive, voluntary “everlasting righteousness” (Dan 9:24), where the lion will lie down with the lamb in a show of harmony of seemingly irreconcilable realities wrought by the unification of all things in heaven and earth, in the Messiah, when the love and shalom of YHVH attains its highest and eternal expression (Eph 1:9,10; Col1:19,20).
Just as believers “weaned from the milk” and exercised in strong meat through diligent obedience to the faith to be offerings acceptable to God, confident of a good report before the Judgment Seat of Messiah (Is 8:13,14,16,20; 28:9-13; 1 Tim 6:11-14; Rom 1:5; 2:14,26; 15:16-18; 16:26; 2 Cor 5:9-11; Heb 5:11-14; 6:1-11; 10:36-39; 12:25-29; 1 Jn 2:3-6,17,28,29), are a joy to spiritual leadership, barely drawing on their service as pastoral ministry (Heb 13:7,17).
While governmental and judicial office (Rom 13) obviously continue in both secular AND spiritual life (where servant-leadership revolves around competent discernment in counselling/judgment of matters), along with hereditary constitutional monarchy (with Divinely proven title to succession as in Deut 17; 1 Tim 2:2), and a royal priesthood which exists, not by presumption of office or general membership, but by the election-of-grace (2 Peter 2:9,10), the GENIUS of the New Covenant’s REGENERATION of human beings (Titus 3:5) is the DEVOLUTION of a spirit of sound judgment (“judgment as a robe and diadem”) to EVERY individual believer, even the competence and authority to judge the nations and angels (1 Cor 6:2,3; Phil 1:9).
This makes us directly accountable to the Godhead for examination of OUR every belief, utterance and action (1 Cor 11:30-32; 2 Cor 13:1,5; 2 Peter 1:10,11) and for evaluation of those of others, primarily to avoid “unequal yoking” and “friendship with the world” – since the power to BECOME true sons by taming the tongue and governing our actions, for us to master our spirits and “possess our souls” (Lk 21:19) is now permanently RESIDENT in our temples of the INDWELLING Spirit of the Messiah (Jn 1:12: Eph 3:20).
It’s no accident therefore that the great warning in Ps 19:7-13 against being found guilty of the “GREAT transgression” which is PRESUMPTION (Deut 17:12,13; Ps 19:13), avoidance of which is a pre-requisite for remaining AS INNOCENT as the day our confession of Y’shua as Master and our believing He was raised from the dead, “made us clean” (Ps 19:13; Jn 15:3), is HIGHLIGHTED in this Portion, so strongly associated with “righteousness and judgment (being) the foundation of His Throne” (Ps 97:2), ignorance of THE DETAIL of which makes it impossible to “be PERFECT with the LORD thy God” (Deut 18:13).
So OUR high call to “glory and virtue” through uncompromised holiness (Eph 1:4; 4:1-3,23,24; 2 Peter 1:3), is strongly rooted in these six chapters, which by analogy with civil and criminal law (Deut 19:9-20) show how great the personal cost will be to those who dare to presumptuously make-up doctrine (for which Replacement Theology is infamous), instead of rigorously verifying truth from two or three witnesses of Scripture from the Torah and the Prophets (Acts 24:14; 2 Cor 13:1,5; 2 Tim 3:14-17).
The heifer (Deut 21:1-9, a type of the rarity of the perfect oblation of the Lamb of God, is the great mystery motif, as either heifer or red heifer, that forever represents the PURITY OF INNOCENCE demanded by the Most High, of ANYONE believing for a place in Hebrew eternity (Ps 24:3-5; Hab 1:13; Lk 6:40; 1 Jn 3:3,4,7,10; Rev 21:12).
The Holy Torah that created the Universe by the Spirit of YHVH through the spoken Pre-incarnate Word commanding unseen reality into existence, was the MATRIX of (pattern for) the New Covenant, and which to this day is invaluable in settling our understanding of the knowledge of the renewed Covenant’s identity; as well as our own identity; and settling our comprehension of the WAYS of that “everlasting Covenant” and its linked-in dependency on ALL preceding covenants, upon which our worthiness for acceptance in a bride destined for Hebrew eternity depends – resurrection to life being a conditional promise to a “reserved remnant” who keep their salvation intact by wholeheartedly subscribing to all YHVH’s ways, to learn and to practice them as directed by the Spirit, as the law of love (Is 55:8; Jer 50:20; Lk 20:21,35; Jn 5:28,29; Rom 2:6-29; Phil 2:12-15; Heb 5:9; 8:8-11; 10:16; 1 Jn 2:3-6,17,28,29).
This Portion clearly defines the gravity of the ‘Shema’ (the umbrella love command), by locating and illustrating Y’shua-Jesus in the Torah which He MAGNIFIES by its amplification by Him from first Torah principles, in Matt 5-7.
Go now to Deut 18:13,15,18,19 (Acts 3:22,23), where Moses essentially PERSONALIZES the ‘Shema’ as Messianic (Deut 6:4,5; Mk 12:28-34), as “Hear (HIM, Y’shua), O Israel,” later to be paraphrased magisterially by Peter in Acts 3:22-26 and by the Father directly from Heaven as “HEAR ye HIM” (Matt 17:5), just as the marriage covenant and its statutes and judgments would be resoundingly confirmed in Heb 12:25-29, as “See that ye REFUSE not HIM Who SPEAKETH…” because He will ne revealed on His return, as a Consuming Fire.
Y’shua speaks directly out of the Torah from Deut 18:13 in Matt 5:19,48; and from Deut 18:18,19 in passages like Matt 7:21-23; Jn 5:24; 8:51,52 12:47-50.
From “be perfect [blameless and absolutely true/faithful] with the LORD Your God” (Deut 18:13) echoed in Gen 17:1; Matt 5:48 and Lk 6:40; as well as in purity passages like 1 Jn 3:3,4, since Father and Son are One; to TERRIBLE WARNINGS to those who profess the faith yet who hypocritically, do not OBEY THE GOSPEL (which “many” believe has no prescriptions for holy living) (Deut 18:19; Matt 7:13; Jn 3:19-21; Acts 3:23; 2 Thess 1:8; Heb 10:26-39)
So to end, with Deut 18:19 and Acts 3:23 front-of-mind, let’s talk frankly, candidly about LOVE and LIFE in the Spirit, because OUR perfection through the forming of the Divine Nature in us (Rom 8:4,29; 2 Peter 1) by our submission to the Spirit of Holiness to work out our own salvation to preserve “the unity of ‘The faith'” (i.e. “fully knowing doctrine”) (Eph 4:12-14; 2 Tim 3:10), is attained (as in Phil 3:10-17) only when law becomes love (Rom 7:7,12-16,22,25; 2 Tim 4:3-8; 1 Jn 5:2&3), when doctrine purged of human tradition is accepted wholeheartedly for application by the rule of faith, by remembering to treat the wisdom of the Hebrew Scriptures as the elder “SISTER” of the New Testament (Prov 6:23; 7:1-4), because the Torah and the Prophets, the womb of and nurturing influence on our right-understanding of the “everlasting covenant” (Heb 13:20,21), are not only ‘no stranger’ to either love or life inspired from above, but are written to help us reconcile grace and law, faith and obedience, and therefore love and sacrifice of self-will (2 Jn vs 5&6).
That being so, who amongst us, having the evidence of Deut 18:19 and Acts 3:23 before us, would dare persist in believing the self-indulgent fallacy that grace and the love of YHVH do NOT operate within sharply defined boundaries, for our ultimate good (Matt 7:13,14).
The Torah (in conjunction with the Prophets and the writings), brings a sobering check and balance to the ecstasy of misrepresentation of the Gospel as a rose-strewn highway to eternal life.
Not DEFINING love correctly, impairs our EXPERIENCE of the life INTENDED for the chosen WHO WISELY DO NOT GRIEVE THE SPIRIT (Eph 1:4,5; 4:23,24,30).
What SHOULD be “our life and the length(ening) of our days” (Prov 3-7; Deut 32:47) remains what COULD be (Deut 11:13,21), because we dispute the “it,” in “IT (i.e. “ALL the Words [“the Way of life”]…which you shall COMMAND your children to observe to DO…”) is not a VAIN (futile) thing for you…” in Deut 32:46,47.
That clear instruction dates back to YHVH’s Instruction to Abraham in Gen 18:18,19, which Abraham could issue to his dynasty without hypocrisy because he himself had learned to love and appreciate the efficacy of the wisdom of the Holy Torah then in existence Gen 26:5.
Y’shua as Seed of Abraham, was handed Abraham’s baton, as we see Gen 17:1; 18:18,19 reflected exactly in Matt 5:17-19,48; 26:5and again in 2 Tim 3:14-17.
The Hebrew Scriptures (the “Sacred Writings” of 2 Tim 3:15) were PRESCRIBED to REDEEMED Timothy as daily spiritual nourishment for reproof and correction, establishment of sound doctrine for training in righteousness, to keep the Messianic household of Abraham in “the Way of YHVH,” by ratification of the “laws of life” (Rom 7:7,12-16,22,25) as the “Way of Holiness” (Is 35:8) which is “the Way (or Path) of Life” (Ps 16:11; Prov 6:23).
We weren’t promised a honeymoon THIS side of the first Sukkot/Tabernacles of the millennial Kingdom age (consummation of marriage), BUT, if we treat our courtship as a Heaven-sent opportunity to be increasingly conscientious in our consecration to DOING truth and righteousness, we will certainly taste more of the “powers” and benefits of the age to come (Heb 6:4,5), even though THAT degree of commitment will undoubtedly make us targets for tribulations, which, with our co-operation, our God will turn into character-forming exercises of faith under fiery pressure (Acts 14:22; 2 Tim 3:12).
English believer and thinker Francis Bacon insightfully observed:
“PROSPERITY is the blessing of the Old Testament; ADVERSITY is the blessing of the New which carrieth the GREATER BENEDICTION and the clearer revelation of God’s favour.The virtue of prosperity is TEMPERANCE; the virtue of adversity is FORTITUDE, which in the study of morals, is the more HEROIC virtue. The good things which belong to PROSPERITY are to be WISHED; but the good things that belong to ADVERSITY, are to be ADMIRED. Certainly, if miracles are the command over nature, they appear MOST in ADVERSITY”
“…the pencil of the Holy Spirit hath laboured more in describing the afflictions of Job (and Paul), than the felicities of Solomon.”
“Certainly, virtue is like precious odours, most fragrant when they are incensed or crushes: for prosperity doth best discover (reveal) VICE; but ADVERSITY doth best discover VIRTUE” in which there is glory (2 Peter 1:3).
“Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; while adversity is not without COMFORTS and HOPES” (2 Cor 1; 12).
He described Christian RESOLUTION (the fruit of FORTITUDE), as “sailing the ‘frail bark’ (boat) of the flesh through the waves of the world.”
“It is true greatness to have in one the frailty of a man, and the security of a god,” he wrote (Ps 82:6; Jn 10:35).
By teaching us “the Way of YHVH,” through the knowledge of YHVH gained through experiences pre-ordained for patient endurance in the crucible of refining fire (Mk 9:49; Rom 5:3-5; 1 Peter 5:6-12; 4:12-18), it is the chief purpose of the New Covenant to teach us the honour to be received and conferred by overcoming ANY eventuality with thanksgiving (Eph 5:20; 1 Thess 5:16-18; Heb 13:15) through total dependence upon our Father by His Spirit, through His Son, for their “praise, honour and glory” (1 Peter 1:1-9).
The Holy Torah is to be magnified (Ps 138:2; Is 42:21) as the chief wisdom-repository in Messiah (Matt 13:44-46,52; Col 2:2,3) to keep us perfectly aligned with the full counsel through the faith of Y’shua (Rom 3:31; Rev 12:17; 14:6,7,12), for our successful preparation for glorification in the First Resurrection (Rom 8:4,17,23,29; Rev 20:6).
HalleluYaH
Lyric for hymn referred to above:
“Here I Raise My Ebenezer…”
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, written by English pastor Robert Robinson in 1758.
Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’m come; and I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious Blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart, O take and seal it (sanctify it – Jn 17:17,19; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Rom 15:16-18; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Thess 2:13,14), seal it for Thy courts above.
[It is a Hymn about God’s amazing grace and His amazing faithfulness…that He seeks us out when we are not seeking him, showers us with His mercy in Jesus, and holds onto us no matter what, especially when we are not faithful ourselves]
