TK Torah Keepers
Archive for March, 2010
Pesach Seder
TK TORAH KEEPERS PASSOVER SEDER FOR HOME OR FELLOWSHIP
LEADER: We gather together this night as the children of Israel in celebration and gratitude of YHWH’S love, mercy, faithfulness and deliverance.
PEOPLE: Halleluiah! Blessed be YHWH the Sovereign of the Universe who fulfilled his promises to our fathers and blessed his people with freedom.
LEADER: YHWH has commanded that his people remember these events and rehearse them in the ears of their children, from generation to generation and to celebrate these events from year to year.
READER: And YHWH said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: 2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am YHWH. (Exodus 10:1-2 KJV)
READER: And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to YHWH throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. (Exodus 12:14 KJV)
LEADER: Tonight therefore, we fulfill this commandment and recall all that YHWH has done for us.
PEOPLE: Halleluiah! Blessed be YHWH the Sovereign of the Universe.
LEADER: In the Hebrew mind to “remember” is more than just recalling the past. For the Hebrew to remember is to relive these events in the present. By remembering/reliving the events leading up to the exodus from Egypt every generation gets to experience this great deliverance for themselves. Thus every Israelite may declare:
PEOPLE: Blessed be YHWH who has delivered ME from bondage!
LEADER: It is important that right from the start we recognize that this celebration is a celebration of the PAST, the PRESENT, and the FUTURE. Therefore we will celebrate all three of these aspects throughout the course of this night.
The story of our deliverance begins not in Egypt but in the land of Canaan, where YHWH made a promise to our father Abraham.
READER: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Genesis 15:13-16 KJV)
LEADER: In preparation for Israel’s arrival in Egypt YHWH sent Joseph to prepare a place for the children of Israel. A great famine in the land of Canaan drove the children of Israel out of the Promise Land and into the land of Egypt. But even there, YHWH promised our father Jacob that he would be with him.
READER: And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. (Genesis 46:3-4 KJV)
LEADER: The Pharaoh was blessed by Joseph and gave to the children of Israel the best land of Egypt for a possession. But the land of Goshen began to possess the children of Israel. Instead of returning to the Land of Promise the children of Israel remained in the land of Goshen in Egypt.
READER: And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. (Genesis 50:14 KJV)
LEADER: Once again YHWH promised through Joseph that he would visit his people and lead them again to the Land of Promise.
READER: And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Genesis 50:24 KJV)
LEADER: But the children of Israel remained in Egypt, became fruitful and multiplied. But soon there rose up a Pharaoh that did not remember Joseph and who feared the multitude of Israel.
READER: And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. 8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. (Exodus 1:7-10 KJV)
LEADER: Out of fear Pharaoh began to make the children of Israel suffer. Pharaoh set taskmasters over them to afflict them. But the more he afflicted them the more they multiplied. Then he made their lives bitter with hard bondage. Next he schemed to have the midwives kill all the newborn male children. When they refused, Pharaoh ordered that all the new born male children of Israel be thrown into the river.
LEADER: It was at this time that Moses was born and set adrift in an ark in the Nile River. Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in Pharaoh’s court. But Moses still identified with his people. When he saw an Egyptian persecuting his Hebrew kinsman, Moses rose up and killed the Egyptian. When Pharaoh heard of this evil, Moses fled Egypt fearing for his life.
In Midian Moses became a shepherd and tended the flock of Jethro. It was while tending Jethro’s flock that Moses encountered YHWH.
READER: And the angel of YHWH appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2 KJV)
LEADER: YHWH assured Moses that he was aware of what was happening to the children of Israel in Egypt.
READER: Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And YHWH said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:6-8 KJV)
LEADER: YHWH sent Moses and his brother Aaron back to Egypt to share the good news with the children of Israel.
READER: Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am YHWH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am YHWH your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am YHWH. (Exodus 6:6-8 KJV)
LEADER: But the children of Israel were so oppressed and afflicted that they could not hear the good-news that Moses brought them.
READER: And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. (Exodus 6:9 KJV)
LEADER: Next Moses went to Pharaoh and demanded that the children of Israel be allowed to go and serve YHWH. But the Pharaoh ruled in arrogance….
READER: And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith YHWH God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is YHWH, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not YHWH, neither will I let Israel go. (Exodus 5:1-2 KJV)
LEADER: So YHWH began to introduce himself to Pharaoh the ruler of Egypt in a most spectacular way. While Pharaoh was the ruler of Egypt, YHWH is the Ruler of the Universe! With ten plagues YHWH introduced himself to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt.
(THE SONG THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT)
THE FIRST PLAGUE—BLOOD
READER: Thus saith YHWH, In this thou shalt know that I am YHWH: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. (Exodus 7:17-18 KJV)
READER: And Moses and Aaron did so, as YHWH commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 7:20-21 KJV)
(Everyone Drinks the Tomato Juice)
THE SECOND PLAGUE—FROGS
READER: And YHWH spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. 6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat YHWH, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto YHWH. 9 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? 10 And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto YHWH our God. (Exodus 8:5-10 KJV)
THE THIRD PLAGUE—LICE
READER: And YHWH said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:16-17 KJV)
THE FOURTH PLAGUE—FLIES
READER: Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. 22 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am YHWH in the midst of the earth. 23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be. 24 And YHWH did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. (Exodus 8:21-24 KJV)
THE FIFTH PLAGUE—MURRAIN
READER: Behold, the hand of YHWH is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. 4 And YHWH shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel. (Exodus 9:3-4 KJV)
THE SIXTH PLAGUE—BOILS
READER: And YHWH said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 9:8-9 KJV)
THE SEVENTH PLAGUE—HAIL
READER: And YHWH said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and YHWH sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and YHWH rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. (Exodus 9:22-26 KJV)
THE EIGHTH PLAGUE—LOCUST
READER: And YHWH said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and YHWH brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. (Exodus 10:12-14 KJV)
THE NINTH PLAGUE—DARKNESS
READER: And YHWH said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10:21-23 KJV)
(Turn lights out and light a candle or oil lamp)
THE TENTH PLAGUE—DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN
LEADER: But after each of these plagues Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the children of Israel go. But YHWH had one plague more in store for Pharaoh.
READER: And YHWH said to Moses: And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith YHWH, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. (Exodus 4:22-23 KJV)
READER: And Moses said, Thus saith YHWH, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. 6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. 7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that YHWH doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. (Exodus 11:4-7 KJV)
(All of the FIRSTBORN stand up)
LEADER: Four days prior to this night YHWH commanded that the children of Israel choose a male lamb or kid of a year old, and bring it into their home. On the 14th day of the first biblical month the children of Israel were told to slaughter the lamb on the threshold of their homes, to take a branch of hyssop and to apply the blood upon the two doorposts and the lintel above the door to their home.
(Place Red Ribbons on the Door Frames of the House)
This blood was to be a sign for the children of Israel and a sign to YHWH. For the children of Israel the blood was a sign that YHWH had made a provision for the children of Israel to protect them from judgment and secure their release from bondage. For YHWH the blood was a sign that the children of Israel had faith in his promise and provision.
That night the children were to eat a very special meal. YHWH gave specific instructions for when, what, and how the meal was to be eaten.
READER: And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is YHWH’S passover. (Exodus 12:8-11 KJV)
LEADER: YHWH further commanded the children of Israel that they were to remove all the leaven from their homes and to eat unleavened bread for seven days.
READER: Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance forever. (Exodus 12:15-17 KJV)
LEADER: That night while the children of Israel ate the Passover—YHWH went throughout all the land of Egypt smiting all the firstborn from beasts in the field to Pharaoh’s palace.
READER: And it came to pass, that at midnight YHWH smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve YHWH, as ye have said. (Exodus 12:29-31)
LEADER: The children of Israel hastily finished their meal and prepared to leave the land of Egypt in the morning. But once more Pharaoh hardened his heart and pursued the children of Israel. But again YHWH intervened. With the mighty blast of his nostril YHWH miraculous parted the Red Sea so that the children of Israel could pass safely through it on dry ground. When Pharaoh entered the sea, however, the walls of water closed in around him and Pharaoh and his army were destroyed. Moses and the children of Israel sang for joy on the distant shore.
THE PEOPLE: I will sing unto YHWH, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2 YHWH is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:1-2 KJV)
LEADER: So it is this night that we celebrate what YHWH has done for us.
THE PEOPLE: YHWH has done great things for us, let his name be praised! Halleluiah!
LEADER: But as we prepare to eat this meal let us understand its symbols.
THE PEOPLE: The LAMB that is slain is YHWH’S PROVISION for our deliverance. The MATZAH is the symbol of a leaven free life, a life committed to living the pure Torah. The BITTER HERBS are a reminder of the bitterness we endured while living in the pollution of Egypt.
LEADER: The Apostle Shaul taught us that everything that happened to Israel was for our example. Therefore we should understand that Israel’s deliverance from Egypt is a shadow picture of yet another great deliverance.
READER: Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (1 Corinthians 10:11 KJV)
LEADER: From the fall of Adam and Havah in the beginning of the Bible, all humanity has been waiting for the promised “seed of the woman” to come and free us from bondage to sin and death.
READER: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3:17-19 KJV)
READER: They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Yeshua answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. (John 8:33-34 KJV)
READER: For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:20-23 KJV)
LEADER: In the events surrounding this night we should recognize the prophetic shadow picture of Yeshua our Messiah.
THE PEOPLE: “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”
LEADER: The bitter herbs are a symbol of the bitter affliction Yeshua endured from those who could not receive him. The Matzah is a symbol of the sinless life of Yeshua, and the lamb slain is a picture of Yeshua who poured out his life blood to redeem us from a life of bondage to sin, fear, and death.
READER: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15 KJV)
THE PEOPLE: Blessed be YHWH our God who has made provision for our deliverance and our salvation!
READER: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Messiah our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8 KJV)
READER: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)
LEADER: From the Fall of Adam and Havah, all humanity has been held in bondage to the tyranny and oppression of sin, fear, and death.
READER: Yeshua answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you. Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. (John 8:34)
READER: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Yeshua Messiah our Master. (Romans 6:23)
READER: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
THE PEOPLE: Blessed be YHWH who through his Anointed One has set us free!
READER: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32 KJV)
READER: Yeshua saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. (John 14:6)
READER: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36 KJV)
LEADER: Tonight we eat this meal in the hope of our redemption and salvation.
THE PEOPLE: Blessed be YHWH who has made provision for our salvation!
LEADER: Tonight we eat this meal in exile. Once again we eat this meal under a foreign rule. Once again we wait for the return of the deliverer, our Messiah, to gather us from the four corners of the earth, and bring us again to the Land of Promise.
READER: If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will YHWH thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: (Deuteronomy 30:4 KJV)
READER: Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; 7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. 8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. (Isaiah 43:5-9 KJV)
READER: Behold, the Lord YHWH will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:10-11 KJV)
READER: Hear the word of YHWH, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. (Jeremiah 31:10 KJV)
THE PEOPLE: Tonight we eat this meal in haste and in hope, gratefully remembering what YHWH has done for us in the past, and joyfully anticipating what he will do for us in the future. May YHWH our Creator, our Redeemer, our Deliverer, and our Savior be praised now and forever! Amen. Come Yeshua our Messiah, and establish your Kingdom! Amen.
LEADER: Let us now eat the meal of redemption and bless the name of our deliverer.
THE PEOPLE: May YHWH be praised in all the earth, may his Anointed One, Yeshua our Teacher, be glorified among his people! Amen.
THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT
(sung to tune of The 12 days of Christmas)
With the first plague of Egypt, Yahweh gave to thee:
1) The Nile River Flowing with blood.
2) Herds of croaking frogs
3) Swarms of biting lice
4) Flies as thick as darkness
5) DISEASE ON ALL LIVESTOCK
6) Boils upon their faces
7) Hail on land and beast
8) Garden eating Locusts
9) Three days of deep darkness
10) First born a dyin’
Copryright 2000 by Michael Rood—If you copy this, copy it right in its entirety. Public performance rights granted on request.
Pray Without Ceasing
Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV)
Every year as the barley is declared to be aviv and the first sliver of the new moon is seen in the land of Israel, the emails and phone calls begin pouring in asking not only when to keep the various moedim (appointed times) and miqra’ay qodesh (holy rehearsals), but also how to keep these appointed holy rehearsals. For those committed to living the pure Torah, without the leaven of Pharisaic or rabbinic takanot (reforms) and ma’asim (precedents), celebrating the various appointed rehearsals is filled with challenges. The challenge issues from the fact that there is no prescribed form of worship for the children of Israel outside the land of Israel, and apart from the altar.
At Mount Sinai YHWH gave the children of Israel the Torah containing the protocol as to how to draw near to him and worship him. Once the Tabernacle was erected and the priesthood ordained the prescribed rituals of worship focused upon the altar of sacrifice and the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies. The majority of the Torah may be said to focus upon the Tabernacle and its worship service. The bulk of the Book of Shemot (Exodus) contains the revelation of Tabernacle and its furnishings including the priestly garments. The bulk of the Book of Vayiqra (Leviticus) focuses upon the various sacrifices, offerings, liturgical calendar, and priestly requirements. Even the Book of Bemidbar (Numbers) focuses upon the ordering of the camp, the election of the Levites for ministerial service, and gives the most detailed account of the various offerings and sacrifices given for each of the appointed holy rehearsals. In the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) we are specifically commanded that once YHWH puts his name upon his chosen place that we are no longer free to build our own altars and or make our offerings freely wherever we would choose.
But unto the place which YHWH your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: 7 And there ye shall eat before YHWH your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein YHWH thy God hath blessed thee. 8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. (Deuteronomy 12:5-8 KJV)
Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto YHWH thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which YHWH shall choose to place his name there. 3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. 4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there anything of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. 5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the Passover within any of thy gates, which YHWH thy God giveth thee: (Deuteronomy 16:2-5 KJV)
Because we have failed to keep the Torah, the Temple was destroyed, the Altar desecrated, and we we have been exiled to the four corners of the earth. The Torah prophesied that such events would happen. The only worship described by the Torah for those in exile is that of worshipping and serving idols.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And YHWH shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither YHWH shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. (Deuteronomy 4:26-28 KJV)
This is exactly what happened to most of the children of Israel—we assimilated into the pagan culture around us and began worshipping false images of the Creator, and his Messiah. We adopted pagan worship practices, embraced a pagan calendar, and forgot or rejected the Torah completely.
YHWH did not intend for us to be exiled from the Promise Land. The hope of our Creator, Redeemers, and Deliverer was that we would be so moved with love and gratitude for him that we would rejoice to be in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants. With all of the incredible promises and blessings associated with the Covenant it is hard to imagine that we would choose to forsake YHWH and his Torah. Now, in exile, we are at a loss as to what we are to do. YHWH gave to provisional instructions for worship in exile.
I do believe that the Torah does give us an example to follow. Our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all lived prior to the Covenant at Mount Sinai. There was no Tabernacle or Temple for Abraham to go to. There was no established priesthood, or even prescribed offerings and sacrifices. Abraham simply walked and lived in the reality of the Eternal One. Mindful of the presence of the Eternal One, Abraham lived his life before YHWH. We have no record of Abraham keeping the Sabbath, or the appointed holy rehearsals (this doesn’t mean he didn’t keep the Sabbath or appointed rehearsals, only that there is no record of it). What is clear is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob followed the leading of the Eternal One regardless of where they were. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were pilgrims and sojourners on this earth. We too are pilgrims and sojourners in the land of our exile. Therefore we should follow our fathers’ example and learn to walk and live before the face of YHWH. I believe that this is what the Apostle Shaul is referring to when he encourages us to pray without ceasing. Shaul is not asking us to cease all of our labors, to remain in our prayer closets, and to say prayers 24/7. Shaul is encouraging us to remain mindful of the Eternal One without interruption. In other words, we should never allow ourselves to lose contact with YHWH throughout our day. Like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob we must learn to discern the Spirit’s subtle presence and guiding. We must learn to listen to the still small whisper even when we are neck deep in the chaos and demands of our mundane life and work. This way of living is not by prescription but by inspiration. This does not mean that we ignore the Torah or the appointed holy rehearsals.
Even though we cannot “keep” the feasts as the Torah commands, we can celebrate the feasts as best as we are able. Our heart is to show YHWH that we are sorry for neglecting the feasts and that given an opportunity to return to the land and fulfill the covenant we now have the heart to do so. Realizing that we cannot truly fulfill the letter of the commandment, we can fulfill the spirit of the commandment. This we can do, only by the Spirit’s leading. We must learn to walk not only in the presence of YHWH but in rhythm with him as well. If we live a prayerful and prayer filled life surely the Holy One will lead and direct us in all our ways.
The Way of the Strange Woman
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. (Proverbs 7:1-5 KJV)
Solomon warns his son, and anyone else that will listen, to keep the commandments of YHWH and live. We are to bind the Torah upon our fingers and write them on the tablets of our heart. Let us take careful note of the promise of life connected to the keeping the Torah. We are to seek wisdom as our sister and kinswoman, but we are to keep away from the “strange woman which flattereth with her words.”
We may understand this fatherly advice as a simple prohibition against marital infidelity, or sexually immoral women. But this is clearly not the whole intent of this teaching. Since “wisdom” is anthropomorphically described as a woman, we may assume that the “strange woman” is likewise being used allegorically. Let us look at how Solomon describes the way of the strange woman.
For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart. 11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) 13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. 19 For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. (Proverbs 7:6-20 KJV)
The strange woman is described as being loud and stubborn. The strange woman exercises her ways in the dark and cover of night. She is a vain woman of flattering words and concerned with outward appearance. There are two particular features that should not be missed. First, she is clearly unfaithful to her husband, “the man of the house” who is away while she seeks her lover. Second, she has offered her “Peace Offering” and now uses this holy meat as a means to entice others into her immorality. In other words, she has gone to the Temple to worship, and then immediately returns to her carnal ways of debauchery. Solomon goes on to warn of the outcome of giving into her seductive ways.
Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. (Proverbs 7:24-27 KJV)
Brothers and Sisters, I will confess to you that I have known this woman personally. For a great deal of my life I had an affair with this woman. Who is this strange woman? She is RELIGION; as defined as legalistic, institutional, vain, ritualistic, Pharisaic piety. There is possibly nothing quite as seductive to the young in faith as the external appearance of holiness. So many would be disciples today are looking for the 12 easy steps of discipleship. It seems we all have a penchant for religious traditions and customs. Most believers are not only content with praying one hour a day, or religiously reading their daily devotional, or keeping the Sabbath, and eating kosher, wearing their tzitziot (fringes) on their clothes, but quite proud of their external holy achievements. A part of what is seductive about rabbinic Judaism for disciples of Yeshua the Messiah, is all of the religious customs and traditions. Performing these rituals, customs, and traditions in a legalistic or vain fashion, whether they are commanded by the Creator or created by men, can easily deceive us into thinking we have done our religious duty and are therefore holy and righteous people. This is the lesson that the proverb is teaching us about. The strange woman, presumably did what the Torah commanded; she made her peace offering. The performance of external rituals and traditions can fool us into thinking that we have satisfied the righteous requirements of the Law. Such is clearly the case of the strange woman in the proverb who made a Peace Offering and then cheats on her husband without restraint. Note that the woman used her “religious obligation”, the Peace Offering, to seduce her next suitor. The same may be said of many churches and synagogues today. Their rituals, traditions, customs, and external appearances of obedience become the means of seducing the ignorant and undiscerning into their houses of religion. This same type of religious piety seems to be at the heart of Yeshua’s rebuke of the Pharisees who meticulously gave a tenth of their herbs and seeds, but neglected justice and mercy.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23 KJV)
When we proudly rejoice that we “have seen the light” concerning the truth of the Torah, and have begun fulfilling the commandments of YHWH—we must be sure that we are not simply replacing one religion with another. The call to keep the Torah and the call to follow Messiah are not an invitation to a new religion. Keeping Torah and being a disciple of Yeshua are one and the same calling. Keeping the Torah and being a disciple of Yeshua are a way of life and being not a ritual. Keeping the Torah and following Yeshua is an inward reality that manifests itself in loving and faithful obedience, not vain ritual, and religious observances. Being a member of the body of Messiah is a whole heart, whole mind, and, whole life commitment. While the Torah does command that the children of Israel perform certain actions, such as eating a restricted diet, circumcising their sons on the eighth day, wearing tzitziot on their corners of their garments, wearing clothes made form a single fiber cloth, keeping the aviv calendar and the cycle of appointed rehearsals (the Sabbath and the Feasts days), these actions alone are not the fulfillment of the calling. All of the commanded actions are to be the external expression of an internal reality. In other words, a trained monkey could be taught to wear fringes on his garments and to refrain from work on the Sabbath, but this does not mean the monkey is keeping the Torah. Merely keeping the external symbols of faith is not the same as living in genuine faith. YHWH has called us to a lifelong commitment that requires that we submit our lives lovingly to the yoke of the Torah. Our only desire is to manifest the image of YHWH in the world. Like Messiah Yeshua, our Master, our only hope is to do the will of the Father and complete the work he has willed for us to do. To accomplish this calling, the Torah must be written upon our hearts. Our obedience to the commandments of YHWH must originate from within us, from a heart born again and restored. Obedience for the sake of blessing, escape of punishment, or for the sake of appearing holy, is self-serving religion and belongs to the ways of the strange woman. Yeshua called us to deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily in order to fulfill the Torah.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23 KJV)
When the Torah is genuinely written upon our hearts, when our actions are motivated by pure love for the Holy One, then we will do all that he commands us and it will be with joy, peace and zeal. We will not be seduced by the strange woman’s offering of momentary religious actions followed by a return to the old ways of the flesh that we have been called from. YHWH is not interested in religion. Yeshua was, in fact, crucified by religion. The simple minded are the ones who are seduced by religion’s easy and pleasant way. Religion seeks to avoid the way of the cross. The promise of religion is that you can please the Creator while at the same time enjoying and fulfilling your own carnal desires. Religion promises us a balance and moderate life. But the words of Messiah are clear,
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24 KJV)
As the wife of YHWH we are not to have two husbands. We cannot divide our time in a “balanced” way between serving the intentions and causes of the Creator with part of our time, while at the same time serving ourselves with the rest of our day and energy. We should remember Shaul’s teaching on sexual unions.
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Messiah? shall I then take the members of Messiah, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Spirit of the Holy One which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:15-20 KJV)
We cannot be a member of the body of Messiah and the whore religion! We cannot pretend to be holy, righteous, just, merciful and faithful—to do such is hypocrisy. While it is tempting, to heed the seductive invitation of religion to be content with merely fulfilling the minimal and external obligations of the Torah, while pursuing the carnal pleasures of a self centered life, we must remember that this easy and pleasant path of the strange woman leads even the strong to death. Those who enter this strange woman’s house with her vain religious rituals, customs and traditions, do rightly enter into the chambers of death.
For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. (Proverbs 7:26-27 KJV
To the contrary we should remember that the way of Yeshua, the way of the cross, leads to life.
Yeshua saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 16:25 KJV)
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. (Mark 8:35 KJV)
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Luke 9:24 KJV)
The way of Yeshua leads to LIFE.