260 How important is Moses in the life

How important is Moses in the life of a believer in Messiah?

Historians agree that Moses was born around 1520 BCE in Egypt. Both his parents namely Amram and Jochebed were from the tribe of Levi, making him a full-blooded Levite. The life of Moses can be divided into three periods of 40-years: his time during which he was brought up and educated in Egypt as the son of an Egyptian princess, his exile in Arabia and his governance of Israel, as described in Acts 7: 17 - 36, in this way: “But as the time of the promise was approaching which Elohim had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, (18) until THERE AROSE ANOTHER KING OVER EGYPT WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOSEPH. (19) It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive. (20) And it was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of Elohim; and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. (21) And after he had been exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away, and nurtured him as her own son. (22) And Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. (23) But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. (24) And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. (25) And he supposed that his brethren understood that Elohim was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand. (26) And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?’ (27) But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? (28) YOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?’ (29) And at this remark MOSES FLED, AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he became the father of two sons. (30) And after forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT SINAI, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH. (31) And when Moses saw it, he began to marvel at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Master: (32) ‘I AM THE ELOHIM OF YOUR FATHERS, THE ELOHIM OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.’ And Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. (33) BUT YHVH SAID TO HIM, ‘TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. (34) I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT, AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO DELIVER THEM; COME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.’ (35) This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?’ is the one whom Elohim sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. (36) This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.”

The Egyptian princess who found Moses in the Nile River called him Moses meaning ‘drawn out’ since she drew him out of the water as per Exodus 2: 10. Moses’ name and the account of his being saved from death through the agent of water symbolize something similar to when we are immersed and saved from a life of sin and eternal death, as Rav Shaul described in Romans 6: 3 & 4, saying: ‘Or do you not know that all of us who have been immersed into Messiah Yahshua have been immersed into His death? (4) Therefore we have been buried with Him through immersion into death, in order that as Messiah was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.’ Both Moses and Israel were saved from death through water: the River Nile and the Red Sea as Rav Shaul further wrote in first Corinthians 10: 1 & 2, saying: ‘For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.’ However, the Encyclopedia Judaica (1971, Vol, 12 p372) holds that the phrase “Because I drew him out of the water” should logically have required the word ‘mashui’, meaning ‘one that has been drawn out’. Moshe on the other hand means ‘one that draws out,’ showing how this infant slave would later be used to draw out the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt and from the Red Sea. In one day Moses’ slave clothes were replaced with the raiment of a prince. He went from bearing a death sentence to a position of honor and privilege in Pharaoh’s household and was educated and trained as a royal child, with the best education the Egyptians provided. Then Moses’ life changed again when he had to flee for his life to the land of Midian. For the first time Moses’ life of luxury and privilege was over. From then on YHVH trained Moses through the life of a shepherd, preparing him for his service to Elohim and to lead his people Israel. The Scriptural record of Moses’ next act also deals with water, when he helped some young maidens water their sheep. This is then also when he met Zipporah one of the seven daughters of Jethro. Moses shortly afterwards married Zipporah and she bore him a son, Gershom, whose name means ‘foreigner’ thus identifying both Moses and the child as strangers and pilgrims in the land, as witnessed in Hebrews 11: 13, as follows: ‘All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.’ Whilst in Midian, Elohim told Moses through the miracle of the burning bush to save His people Israel from slavery in Egypt.

It was very difficult for Moses to perform what YHVH required of him and he tried to evade (YHVH)’s directive, saying in Exodus 3: 11, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt.” Humanly speaking, this fallen prince of Egypt knew the extent of Pharaoh’s power and the futility of an outcast Israelite to convince him to let the Israelites go free. This was when YHVH told Moses that He is the Eternal (or I AM) and that he would be with him all the way. To convince Moses Elohim performed two miracles: Moses’ staff became a snake and then turned back into a stick, and Moses’ hand became leprous and was healed instantly. Elohim told Moses that he would be able to perform these same miracles before Pharaoh and in addition to these also be able to change water from the Nile, poured on the ground, into blood. Moses again pleaded with YHVH to send someone else instead of him. Even though this displeased Elohim, He agreed to send Aaron, Moses’ brother with him as a spokesman. Eventually Moses agreed to and undertook his mission with willingness. Together Moses and his brother Aaron went to Egypt and called the elders of Israel together to inform them about Elohim’s intention to free them from Pharaoh’s rule. But when they eventually approached Pharaoh he was not receptive to their message. Elohim therefore unleashed 10 plagues in succession on the Egyptians. The Egyptians were very religious people, but pagan to the core. They had gods for everything and painstakingly tried to please them. In fact they had 39 main gods, many of them depicted in Egyptian art with animal bodies or heads. They had numerous priests that cared for many types of sacred animals that represented different gods. The Israelite’s exodus out of Egypt represented a confrontation between YHVH the Elohim of Israel and the false gods of Egypt. It would remove any doubt in the minds of the Israelite’s as to who the true Elohim was. It was not only Elohim’s plan to take them out of Egypt, but also to discourage worship of the supposedly powerful Egyptian gods. YHVH made it clear to Moses in Exodus 12: 12, saying: “For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment—I am YHVH.” Elohim directed each of the 10 plagues against the Egyptian gods that supposedly held influence over all the aspects of nature. The plagues symbolized as a collective spectacular demonstration to both the Israelites and Egyptians that the gods the Egyptians worship were false and helpless to help anyone who besought them.

Let’s consider the 10 plagues that Elohim unleashed upon Egypt. He turned water into blood, making the water undrinkable and rancid and the fish perished. The Egyptians counted on the Nile goddess Hapi and the powerful Osiris to protect the Nile. But, their prayers to the Egyptian gods could not purify the water. Only when Moses and Aaron prayed to YHVH the true Elohim, were the waters refreshed once again. The second plague was aimed at the frogs the Egyptians associated with the Nile and worship in the form of Heqt, whose statue carried the head of a frog. Heqt the god of frogs was supposed to control the frog population, but when too many frogs appeared during the second plague, the Egyptian’s prayers and incense offered to Heqt could not change the situation. It was only when YHVH the Elohim of Israel intervened that the frogs died and the crises stopped. The third and fourth plagues that came forth represented Kheper the scarab god represented by beetles and other insects. When the swarm of lice and gnats stung the Egyptians, the magicians asked the insect god to control them, but again only when Moses asked YHVH the Elohim of Israel to remove the plague, did they stop. The plague that affected the cattle which the Egyptians deemed to be under the control of the bull god Apis and the cow goddess Hathor could not be stopped by them and all the livestock in Egypt died, but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died. The plague of boils which came next, which the Egyptian’s god of medicine Imhotep a physician they worshipped and the god of magic Thoth could not cure, even to the point where the magicians could not stand before Moses, due to the boils they suffered. Again when Pharaoh and the Egyptians pleaded with Moses that Elohim would take away the problem, did Elohim stop the plague. It is also after this plague that Elohim said to Pharaoh in Exodus 9: 15 & 16, ‘For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth, (16) But, indeed, for this cause I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power, and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.’ This witness remains for us who study Torah today.

Egypt’s food crops were affected severely by the next two plagues; a hailstorm struck the harvest, followed by a swarm of locusts that completely decimated it. The crops were supposed to be guarded by Seth the harvest god and the weather goddess Nut was supposed to prevent the bad weather, but the prayers of the Egyptians fell on ears that could not hear anyway. The ninth and tenth plagues were aimed at the two supposed to be the mightiest gods in Egypt, namely Ra which is represented by the sun, and Pharaoh himself. The darkness of the ninth plague brought about darkness for three days during which the sun did not shine. Notwithstanding the prayers the Egyptians offered, Ra could not help them. Pharaoh was also powerless to stop the final plague, the death of the firstborn in Egypt. With all Pharaoh’s gods proven to be non-existent, the ruler of Egypt finally gave in and virtually begged Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt. The plagues accomplished their purpose and obtained freedom for the Israelites and Moses gained respect from the people, as witnessed from Exodus 11: 3, in this way: ‘And YHVH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.’ The final plague caused the Egyptians to become so traumatized that they begged the Israelites to go. Because the Israelites left in great haste, their bread dough did not have time to rise and they had to bake unleavened bread for their journey. But even in that was a lesson, as we read from Exodus 13: 6 - 9, as follows: “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to YHVH. (7) Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders.(8) And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what YHVH did for me when I came out of Egypt (our personal sin). (9) And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of YHVH may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand (meaning Yahshua) YHVH brought you out of Egypt.” The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a sign that we want to keep Elohim’s law, as much as the wearing of phylacteries are signs that we will do Elohim’s law as well as learn it. Notice we do it first and then we learn about its meaning.

Elohim planned to destroy the Egyptian army when they followed the Israelites through the Red Sea. He first miraculously opened the sea for the Israelites to pass through dry shod, then drowned the Egyptian army as they struggled to get through the muddy sea bed, by closing up the sea around them, after the Israelites arrived on the other side. Moses as the deliverer of Israel freed them from captivity in Egypt. Then he led them for the next forty years through the wilderness. The wandering of the nation of Israel can be likened to the wandering as Nazarene believers through the wilderness of the world. The Israelites failed to learn and obey from their time of trials and tests in the wilderness. Elohim taught them to trust and obey Him throughout their journey, but they failed to enter the Promised Land, because of unbelief resulting from disobedience. It is for this reason that we are warned in Hebrews 4, since the promise of entering Elohim’s rest in the soon coming kingdom of Elohim on earth remains, not to lose out because of unbelief (in the gospel), when Messiah returns one day soon. Unbelief resulted in Satan’s success to deceive the whole world into disbelieving Messiah’s gospel, as Rav Shaul explained in 2 Corinthians 4: 3 & 4, saying: ‘And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, (4) in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Messiah (meaning when Messiah comes into His kingdom as King of kings and Master of masters), who is the image of Elohim.’ If we do not believe in the coming kingdom of Elohim, to the point where we make Elohim King in our lives already and therefore also keep all of the Torah applicable to us, we will not enter that rest of the kingdom of Elohim, when Messiah returns.

Our Jewish brothers to this day believe in the true gospel of the coming kingdom of Elohim, with Messiah coming to rule the united nation of Israel as well as the rest of the world from Jerusalem. They already believe in the resurrection of the dead and know that the kingdom of heaven will come to earth as it is now in heaven, just as Messiah taught His disciples to pray. In fact most Rabbis agree that if one believes in the coming kingdom of Elohim, he should keep all of Torah to confirm his belief. Satan has deceived the rest of mankind through mainly Christianity that good people will go to heaven at death and the wicked will be tormented in an eternal hellfire forever. When Satan rebelled against Elohim, he wanted to take over Elohim’s throne in the third heaven as witnessed in Isaiah 14: 13 & 14, in this way: “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars (angels) of Elohim, and I will sit on the mount (government) of assembly in the recesses of the north (the throne of Elohim). (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ In addition we know that Satan and his demons will ultimately be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented forever, as witnessed in Revelation 20: 10, as follows: ‘And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are cast also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’ Satan has succeeded in selling his own desires as well as his final destination to his deceived audience, Christianity, as their most important teaching.

Moses was a man of Elohim and as a general and prince in Egypt, as the governor of Israel, as deliverer, leader and prophet, he was totally dedicated to Elohim. He was a humble man, understanding that everything he had and everything he accomplished came from Elohim as he recorded in Deuteronomy 8: 11 – 20 and especially in verse 18, saying: “But you shall remember YHVH your Elohim, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant (the Ten Commandments, Statutes and Judgments) which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Even though Moses failed to enter the Promised Land because he struck the rock twice due to his frustrations with the Israelites, after Elohim specifically instructed him to talk to the rock and water will come forth from it, we see witnessed in Hebrews 11: 24 – 29, 39 & 40, that he will definitely be in the kingdom of Elohim, as follows: ‘By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; (25) choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of Elohim, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; (26) considering the reproach of Messiah greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. (27) By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. (28) By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn might not touch them. (29) By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. (39) And all these (the ones mentioned in Hebrews 11: 7 – 38 including Moses), having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, (40) because Elohim had provided something better for us, so that apart from us, they should not be made perfect (at Messiah’s return).”

YHVH promised Moses that His people will also believe in Moses forever as recorded in the first part of Exodus 19: 9 in this way: ‘And YHVH said to Moses, “Behold, I shall come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe in you forever.” At the time Moses did perhaps not fully understand what YHVH meant, but later when YHVH gave Moses instructions regarding His other Feast Days, Moses realized fully what YHVH meant. The Feast Days of Elohim given in Leviticus 23 are His Set-apart Days to be kept by all those who worship Him. Even though the weekly Sabbath occurs every seventh day of the week, Elohim told Moses that he (or those who represent him – i.e. Sit in his seat) was responsible for proclaiming the annual Feast Days of Elohim, provided they are in due season. YHVH does not expect each individual to determine the annual Set-apart calendar for themselves. Instead He intended the calendar to be proclaimed by an authoritative body – it is definitely not every man for himself? Even so, we see increasingly how people simply do what is right in their own eyes. YHVH is not the Author of such Spiritual anarchy. He gave the responsibility for determining the annual Feast Days calendar to Moses. YHVH specifically told Moses in verses 2 & 4 of Leviticus 23, saying: “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘(YHVH)’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as set-apart convocations – My appointed times are these: (4) These are the appointed times of YHVH, holy convocations which you (Moses) shall proclaim at the times appointed (the KJV correctly reads: ‘in their season’) for them.’” The Hebrew term for convocation is ‘miqra’, which refers to an officially called assembly. In Numbers 10: 2 Moses was told that two silver trumpets were to be made and one of their main uses were “for summoning the congregation” and “when convening the assembly” (verse 7). But who was responsible to use these trumpets? We read the answer from verse 8 of Numbers 10, as follows: “The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations.” Continuing in verse 10 we read: “Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your Elohim. I am YHVH your Elohim.” The noun ‘miqra’ is derived from the verb ‘qara’, rendered as “proclaim” in Leviticus 23: 2 and 4. What exactly does it mean? It is the same word used in Genesis 1: 5 where we read: ‘And Elohim called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.’ A further example where the Hebrew word ‘qara’ is translated as called may be read from Genesis 1: 8 & 10, where Elohim “called” the expanse heaven (v 8), the dry land He “called” earth, and the gathering of the waters He “called” seas (v 10). Later we learn that YHVH Elohim brought before Adam the animals He had created to see what he would call them. We read in the second part of Genesis 2: 19, “and whatever the man called (qara) a living creature (‘nephesh’ or soul), that was its name.” So we see that qara also means to "call”, “name” or “designate” and YHVH assigned the responsibility to name all the different animals to Adam.

In Leviticus 23, we learned that Moses and the group of elders also mentioned in Deuteronomy 17: 8 – 12 were responsible for naming or proclaiming the days on which the congregation was to assemble before Elohim. Numbers 10 explains that this refers to the Priesthood and shows that YHVH gave them the responsibility to announce the arrival of new moons and annual Feast Days. It was not an individual matter for each Israelite to arrive at by himself; rather it was a collective matter to be proclaimed by an authoritative body. Nevertheless, there is more - most read right over the implications of who was to name, or proclaim, the days that would be considered Elohim’s appointed festivals. The Priesthood was given the right to name, or proclaim, those days – in the same way that YHVH gave Adam the authority to name, or designate the animals He had created. YHVH gave the Priesthood guidelines and principles by which they were to proclaim those days, but He did not spell out every single detail. He gave them the principles with which they had to make judgments. We read in the first part of Psalm 103: 7, ‘He made known His ways to Moses.’ We read further in Psalms 147: 19 & 20, ‘He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. (20) He has not dealt thus with any nation, and as for His ordinances, they have not known them.’ This is talking about Israel, before the nation Israel split in two and were taken into captivity, because of idolatry. Since then only the Jewish nation remained faithful to Elohim and has been keeping His Set-apart Days since Ezra and Nehemiah returned to the Promised Land about 500 years before Messiah’s first coming, as witnessed in Nehemiah 9 & 10, when those members of the house of Judah who returned with Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the city walls and the temple made an agreement in writing, sealed by the names of the leaders, their Levites and their priests. We read accordingly from Nehemiah 10: 28 & 29, as follows: ‘Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gate-keepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of Elohim, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding, (29) are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in Elohim’s law, which was given through Moses, Elohim’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of Elohim our Master, and His ordinances and His statutes.’

Moses prophesied about another prophet who would arise after him as witnessed in Deuteronomy 18: 18 & 19, in this way: ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (19) And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.’ That prophet was Yahshua the Messiah as is confirmed in Acts 3: 19 – 22, as follows: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of YHVH; (20) and that He may send Yahshua, the Messiah appointed for you, (21) whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which Elohim spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. (22) Moses said, ‘YHVH ELOHIM SHALL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED in everything He says to you.’” Moses was a forerunner to this great prophet to come. Rav Shaul compared the two prophets in Hebrews 3: 1 – 6, saying: ‘Therefore, holy brethren (those who are set-apart by the Torah and the Set-apart Spirit), partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Yahshua, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. (2) He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. (3) For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. (4) For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is Elohim. (5) Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; (6) but Messiah was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope (to be in the kingdom of Elohim) firm until the end.’ Pulling back the curtain of history, we are able to read Elohim’s revelation through both prophets. Messiah told us in no uncertain terms, that we are to live by every word of Elohim (in both Matthew 4: 4 and Luke 4: 4), which includes every word that Moses recorded for us in the Torah.

In addition Yahshua taught His disciples in Matthew 23: 1 – 3 saying: ‘Then Yahshua spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, (2) saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; (3) therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them.’ Yahshua added the we should not do according to the deeds of the Pharisees, simply because they are human and like all other human beings err at times. Earlier Yahshua taught His disciples (but also us His modern day disciples) how we as His followers should apply Torah in our walk with Elohim in Matthew 5: 17 – 20, saying: ‘Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. (18) For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. (19) Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.’ Again for those who immediately conclude that the Pharisees will not make it into the kingdom of Elohim, Yahshua said this because those of us from the lost sheep of the house of Israel coming from the Churches of this world are more prone to idolatry compared to our Jewish Brothers who remained loyal to Elohim and His Torah for the past 2500 years since their captivity in Babylon.

Rav Shaul in agreement with Yahshua’s statement in Matthew 23: 2 & 3 wrote in Romans 3: 1, saying: ‘Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? He answers his own questions in verse 2, saying: ‘Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of Elohim.’ In verse 3 of Romans 3, Rav Shaul answers those (from the Assemblies of YHWH) who believe that YHVH took the oracles away from the house of Judah and gave it to them (similar to the Pope who believe that he and his false church have the right to decide when and how to serve their G-d as the prophet Daniel prophesied in Daniel 7: 25[1] about Rome the fourth kingdom in his vision), saying: ‘What then? If some (of our Jewish Brothers) did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of Elohim, will it? He again answers his own question in verse 4, saying: ‘May it never be! Rather, let Elohim be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT THOU MIGHTEST BE JUSTIFIED IN THY WORDS, AND MIGHTEST PREVAIL WHEN THOU ART JUDGED.”’ Continuing to discuss the oracles of Elohim, Rav Shaul wrote in Romans 9: 3 – 5, saying: “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Messiah for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, (4) who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the (timing of the) temple service and the promises, (5) whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Messiah according to the flesh, who is over all Elohim blessed forever. Amein.”

We read further about those who took the oracles or words of Elohim upon themselves in Jeremiah 23: 30 -36, as follows: “Therefore behold, ‘I am against the prophets,’ declares YHVH, ‘who steal My words from each other.’ (31) ‘Behold, I am against the prophets,’ declares YHVH, ‘who use their tongues and declare, ‘YHVH declares.’ (32) ‘Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,’ declares YHVH, ‘and related them, and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,’ declares YHVH. (33) ‘Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ‘What is the oracle of YHVH?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ YHVH declares, ‘I shall abandon you.’ (34) Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The oracle of YHVH,’ I shall bring punishment upon that man and his household. (35) Thus shall each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘What has YHVH answered?’ or, ‘What has YHVH spoken?’ (36) For you will no longer remember the oracle of YHVH, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living Elohim, YHVH of hosts, our Elohim.” Those who usurp the authority of the Jews to declare the Feast Days of Elohim according to their own calendars are further warned by Yahshua in a vision to Yochanan in Revelation 3: 9, saying: “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews, and are not, but lie – behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” Rav Kepha warned us about false teachers who would introduce destructive heresies, even contradicting what Yahshua taught in 2 Peter 2: 1, saying: ‘But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies (doctrines about different calendars so that when Messiah returns on Yom Teruah one day and our Jewish Brothers are in their synagogues, as witnessed in Zechariah 12: 7 – 14, those who follow such calendars will not be waiting for Him and might be a day or two too late, resulting in Him closing the door on them), even denying (a word translated from the Greek word ‘arneomai’ which also means to contradict) the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.’ We need to make sure that we do not follow those who mislead us and heed Rav Shaul’s warning message in Hebrews 10: 26 - 29, saying: ‘For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and THE FURY OF FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. (28) Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. (29) How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of Elohim, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

Finally for those Christian and other teachers who assert that their followers need not be concerned with the writings of Moses namely the Torah, Yahshua also said in John 5: 43 – 47: ‘I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him. (44) How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only Elohim? (45) Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father, the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. (46) For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. (47) But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?’ Those who claim faith in Yahshua and disregard Torah are simply mistaken. It is for this reason that we as Nazarene Jews/Israelites are told in Revelation 14: 12 that our perseverance (or continual existence) is depended upon obedience to the commandments of Elohim and our faith in (or more correctly of) Yahshua. We end reiterating Rav Shaul’s words in Hebrews 10: 35 & 36, as follows: ‘Therefore, do not throw away you confidence, which has a great reward. (36) For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of Elohim, you may receive what was promised.’ Think about it!

[1] Daniel 7: 25, ‘And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.’