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You may contact us by e-mail at: Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue or by letter addressed to: Rab Davis, PO Box 203, Lecanto, FL 34460-0203.
None of my teachings are done in secret. All proof can be found in the biblical citations included with each message. References to Jewish writings are given as well. All the proof you need to ascertain their credibility is found in Scripture informed by context, linguistics, customs and by extra biblical documented material when necessary.
Doctrinal Statement
· We believe in the One “Echad,” True Elohim as declared in the Shema (Deut.6: 4), Eternally existent as a “compound unity” of THE FATHER (YHVH); THE SON (Adonai); and THE HOLY SPIRIT (Ruach HaKodesh).
· We believe in the fall and lost estate of man, whose total depravity makes necessary a new birth by the Spirit of G-d.
· We believe in the personality of HaSatan and his present control over unregenerate humankind.
· We believe Yahshua (Jesus), the Messiah is YHVH Elohim’s Word (Torah) Manifest, the eternal Son of Elohim having been eternally existent in the G-dhead, Who in His incarnation as Yahshua HaMashiach was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) and born of the virgin Mary and is the One predicted in the Hebrew Scriptures as the Messiah, G-d incarnate, fully divine and fully human, who was sinless, but made sin for us so that we might be reconciled unto YHVH Elohim through Him.
· We believe we are reconciled through our trust in Yahshua’s faithfulness and by obedience to YHVH’s Torah in accordance with the Sevenfold Witness of Yahshua’s definition of a True Believer in the Book of Revelation we become sons of G-d.
· We believe that Believers are united by the Ruach HaKodesh into the commonwealth of Israel awaiting the day when we shall be physically united with Him as his Bride, co-ruling with Him in the world to come
· We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old (Tanakh) and the Refreshed, Renewed Testament (B’rit Chadashah) in the original text is the inerrant, infallible, inspired word of G-d delivered unto humankind through the agency of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh). That YHVH revealed His plan of reconciliation, and salvation as well as instruction and guidance for all believers.
· We believe in the resurrection of the saved into everlasting life and the resurrection of the damned into eternal damnation.
· We believe that Yahshua the Messiah is the Living Word (Torah), and that Elohim’s revelation to humankind is complete in Him.
· We believe that the nation of Israel (Judah and Ephraim) and the Jewish people have irrevocable promises from YHVH concerning then and their rightful possession of the Land of Israel.
· We believe that in these latter days YHVH will unite the two olive trees of Israel into one entity Israel (Judah and Ephraim) of His Covenants. (Jer. 11:10, 16; Jer. 2:1-21; Jer. 30:1-11; Eze. 37:16-25).
Both are Jews who believe that Yahshua is the Jewish Messiah. Both have had the benefit of a Jewish religious education. Rab Davis has also attended Christian Bible schools and seminary and has earned a BA in Pastoral Theology as well as other degrees in Bible and theology. His Jewish education consisted most importantly of mentoring by his Rabbi Grandfather, and his attendance at Yeshiva. Aside from his Jewish religious education he has over 10 years of formal education through Christian schools of higher education. Rabbis Tama and Phil Davis are both ordained, are partners in the ministry, and are set apart for this work. They serve as Rabbis and Cantor at Beth Elohim Synagogue in Lecanto, Florida. Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue was founded by Rabbi Davis in 1997 and was duly incorporated by the State of Florida as a non-profit corporation and enjoys tax exempt status. Rabbi Davis has served in the ministry for over 30 years. Rabbi Tama' Davis has previously served as a worship and praise leader and soloists for over 10 years. She has successfully completed a three year, six month program that resulted in her ordination. She is a medical professional in the field of wound specialists with a Master's Degree, and a family nurse practitioner. Rabbi's Phil and Tama' Davis lead a congregation, publish a newsletter, conduct Yeshiva classes, maintain an International teaching ministry, and are noted speakers and teachers at religious conferences. they are guest lecturers on Messianic Judaism at the local college's comparative religion class. They frequently speak at Christian churches and organizations on the subject of Torah and the Jewish roots of Christianity. Both are published writers. Rabbi Phil Davis has authored several booklets and more recently "No Covenant for the Gentile Church." He is presently working on a book: "A Messianic Rabbi's Thoughts." They have two dogs, Odie and Monkee, and two cats Goshen and Yenta.
1. Yahshua was a Jew, an orthodox (religious) Jew. He
observed the tenants of his faith. His lineage was of the House of David (Judah)
and the priesthood (Zachariah). Mary was descended from both branches. He taught
and lived in Israel. His disciples were Jews. He attended the required festivals
and observed the proper sacrifices in Jerusalem. He died and ascended into
heaven from Israel and will return to consummate the biblical prophecies given
by Israel’s prophets. He will return to rule as King of Kings as the rightful
heir on the throne of David, a Jewish King of Israel, in a Jewish land, from
Jerusalem. Temple worship will be reinstituted and sacrifices observed. Hebrew
will be the spoken language of His kingdom.
2. The inspired Bible is a Jewish book. The Old
Testament (Tanakh) was written by Israelites. The Torah (writings) Law was
written by Moses an Israelite. The minor/ major prophets and poetical books were
written by Israelites. The New (Strong’s: refreshed, renewed) Covenant (Brit
Hadassah,) was written by Jews including Luke according to contemporary
scholars. Also the oracles of G-d were delivered unto the Jews and we cannot
make G-d a liar.
3.
The first believers were Jewish. Messianic Judaism was tolerated for a time by
mainstream Judaism and considered just another Jewish sect at the beginning. The
Bible used was the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament (Brit Hadassah) had not yet
been compiled. The order of service was Jewish in nature and concept. The center
of the religion was Jerusalem. The rite of circumcision for Gentiles became an
irritant outside of Israel, even though the Messianic Jerusalem council ruled it
was not required officially for Gentiles. However, certain individuals or groups
still insisted upon it contrary to the council’s ruling. This is analogous to
today’s Christian churches’ tenants being challenged and/or ignored. The
Covenants were delivered to Judah and Israel and no one else (See my pamphlet,
“No covenants given to the Gentile Church”. Gentile believers are grafted
into Israel.
4. Sun-worship has been fused with the Christian
faith. G-d brought Israel out of Egypt, the land of sin, Acts 7:38, 39 and 42.
In Acts 7:42 YHVH delivered Israel up to worship the host of heaven, because
they would not abide by, and remain faithful to the Covenant, the “Ten
Words” (Deu. 4:13 Hebrew text, correctly translated in the New English Bible
or Green’s interlinear). Israel would not abide by the “Living Words”
(Acts 7:38 NIV) that they received at Mt. Sinai through Moses. Moreover, our
Savior Yahshua, the Mediator of the NT (Refreshed, Renewed Covenant) (Heb. 8:6,
9:15; 12:24) has been seeking to mediate the NT to us. The contents of the
Renewed Covenant are the same as the Covenant of the old, namely the Law of YHVH
(Heb 8:10, 10:16; Jer. 31:33), of which the “Living Words” or the Ten
commandments form the foundation.
5. The Ten Commandments are given on two tablets. The
second tablet with the last six commandments is the basis of the ethical or
social law. The first tablet with the first four Commandments is the basis of
the religious law. For almost two thousand years the Institutional Church has
been striving to get believers to adhere to the second table. But the first
table has been ignored, neglected, turned aside or “done away with.” In Luke
16:17 Yahshua confirms the permanency of the Law: “And it is easier for heaven
and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the Law to fail. Should we follow
any human authority in an attempt to evade Commandment keeping, including the
Fourth-the Sabbath? The Dictionary
of New Testament Theology discusses this alleged Sabbath-annulling by
Yahshua and concludes, “We may conclude then, that though Yahshua broke
through the rabbinic tradition (oral law), about the Sabbath, there was no
annulling of the observance of the day. Since this question lingered on, The
Archbishop of Reggio at the Council of Trent in 1562 set all hesitation aside by
openly declaring that tradition stood above Scripture! His words were, “The
authority of the Church (legalism) could therefore not be bound to the authority
of the Scripture, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not
by the command of Christ, but by its own authority,” and Protestants by and
large have followed this tradition ever since. This is analogous of Jews
relegating G-d’s Law to a lower status than the oral law, which well-meaning
but misguided Christians, so frequently condemn being akin to removing the beam
from your own eye before judging the splinter in another. Is there any
difference? In Matthew, Yahshua said: “Do not think that I came to destroy
(abolish or annul) the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy (abolish
or annul) but to fill. For verily I say to you, till heaven and earth pass
away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law till all
come to pass (or be accomplished). Whoever therefore breaks one of these
commandments the least, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom
of heaven; but whosoever does and teaches [them], he shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven.” This word
“fill” in v. 17 (Greek pleroo) has different
meanings when used figuratively. The New English Bible translates it as
“complete”, and so does the Canisius Translation. The word pleroo cannot mean “annul” or “abolish” here in v. 17,
because firstly, then Yahshua would have contradicted Himself in one and the
same verse. Secondly, pleroo is used
in Matthew 3:15 and Col. 1:25 where it would be preposterous to suggest a
meaning of “annul” or “abolish”. The
Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, like others, suggests: complete,
confirm, meeting the full requirements, corroborate, establish, totalize or even
fully preach (the best rendering of Col. 1:25). Others have suggested: execute,
or live up to, or comply with as the best rendering, especially in Matt 3:15. In
Matt. 5:19, the correct rendering of “breaking one of these Commandments the
least” (see Interlinear or the Rotherdam Version), clarifies the difficulty
created by the ordinary translations and brings it into harmony with all
Scripture.
6. In
the year 321 the Roman Emperor Constantine whose family had been sun-worshippers
and as he himself said of the sun-deity: “Unconquered Sun, my companion,”
also confessed Christianity. This edict declared that Sunday was to be the rest
day and was commanded in honor of the sun, and not in honor of the Messiah. The
Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible emphasizes the motive of Constantine
for legislating Sunday as a day of rest stresses the general importance of the
sun G-d by the Empire. From the fourth century on there was an increasing
assimilation of Yahshua to the sun-G-d (as the Sun of Righteousness), the
Christos Helios ( Eusebius [early Church father] Life of Constantine 1.4.18; and the notable mosaic of Christos
Helio recently discovered in the tomb of the Julii under the Vatican. This
theme of “Christ-the-True-Sun,” had already been proclaimed by
Clement of Alexandria (another Church father ca. 150-215) as well Origen who
followed in the footsteps of Clement, his teacher, proclaimed the Savior to be
“The Sun” (Genesin Homilia 1,5 and 1,8 identified the Messiah with the sun).
There are too many of these church fathers claimed by both Catholic and
Protestant institutions to enumerate here.
7. In 336 or 364 the Council of Laodicea’s
directive instructed Christians not to Judaize by resting on the Sabbath. It was
apparently obeyed by Rome and Alexandria the two centers infiltrated by and
mixed with pagan religions. Two contemporary historians namely Sozomen in the
year 440 and Socrates in the year 439 both recorded observations regarding this
remarkable situation. Socrates wrote, “Although almost all churches throughout
the world celebrate the sacred mysteries of the Sabbath (Friday at sundown until
Saturday at sundown) of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at
Rome, on account of some ancient traditions, have ceased to do this (Socrates Ecclesiastical History, 5, 22,
as recorded in Nicene and Post-Nicene
Fathers). Sozomen confirms this, “The people of Constantinople, and almost
everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the
week, such a custom is never observed at Rome or Alexandria” (Same reference
as above). As the influence and power of the Roman Church grew supported by
civil and political power, Sabbath-keeping dwindled until there was hardly a
remnant left, scattered and persecuted.
8.
Constantine’s religious polity characterized itself in a striking manner by
this establishment of Dies-Solis (Sun-day) as a mutual feast-day for the heathen
and Christians in the year 321 which excluded them from the Jewish believers and
separated them from the Messianic faith of Yahshua. In Exodus we read:
“Therefore, because they wanted to be excluded from the Covenant people
(Israel), they rejected the sign of the eternal Covenant: the Sabbath. Elohim
emphatically declared this to be the sign of the eternal covenant between him
and His people. If believers, Jews
and Gentiles, are adopted into Israel through trust in Yahshua, then we must
keep this sign. YHVH said His Covenant is eternal, forever and the Sabbath is a
sign of that eternal Covenant. The Covenants, Laws, the Worship, the Promises
from YHVH were given only to Israel (Rom. 9.4 NIV), and since He only made His
Covenant with no other people than Israel we are obliged to keep this sign. In
the Good News Bible this verse even says of Israel, “They are Elohim’s
people...they have the True Worship...” So, when the church rejected the
Covenant Law that Elohim had made with His people, Israel -the Ten Words- Elohim
gave them up to worship the hosts of heaven, just as He had done previously
(Acts 7:42).
9. New Testament is found nowhere in scripture.
This is a mistranslation in the Latin Vulgate. The renewed or refreshed Covenant
NT (the Hebrew work chawdawsh is
derived from the verb chawdash, which
means “renew”{see any Hebrew Lexicon} and the Greek equivalent kainos,
is best rendered as “fresh” or “renewed”, hence renewed or refreshed
Covenant {Testament} see Strong’s concordance-root word) is given only to the
House of Israel and Judah, (Heb. 8:8). Most professing Christians don’t know
this and are greatly surprised by this revelation. Any convert from the Gentiles
has to be grafted into Israel if he wishes to be a “partaker of the root of
the fatness of the olive tree,” (Rom. 11:17). This is why Jews do not have to
give up their Jewishness when they become believers; they are still Jews of the
tribe of Judah of the nation of Israel. There is no such thing as a “completed
Jew,” it would be more correct to call a Gentile or Jew who believes a
“completed Israelite.”
10. There are many other proofs of paganization
within Christianity, but I will only give one more to make my point why I feel
G-d has called me to return to the faith of Yahshua and the Messianic faith of
the early believers. “Easter” found in Acts 12:4 of the King James Version
is a mistranslation of the Greek Pascha.
All other translations have subsequently rendered it correctly as
“Passover.” Barnes
Notes comments on this mistranslation in the single occurrence of the word
“Easter” in the King James Version, as follows: “There was never a more
absurd or unhappy translation than this.” Not only is the name “Easter”
incorrect, but the time of the feast. You would not keep your birthday on the
same day each year but would keep it according to the date of the calendar.
Constantine’s church instituted “Easter Sunday.” The controversy between
the paganized western Church and the Near East believers was finally settled at
the Council of Niacea in the year 325 where it was decided Easter was to be kept
on Sun-day and on the same Sunday throughout the world and that “none should
follow the blindness of the Jews.” Polycarp,
the disciple to the Apostle John, had learned from the Apostle himself that the
14th of Abib was the Scriptural day of the year, which had been legislated by
G-d Himself to determine the onset of Passover, which our Savior Yahshua kept
the night before he was betrayed. Polycarp, Polycrates, Apollinarius and others
contended for the correct calculation of Passover to be reckoned from the 14th
of Abib (Nissan). With Constantine taking the lead, the Church decided to reject
the Scriptural way of determining the date and in favor Easter Sun-day,
according to the day of the week thus further separating the church from its
Judaic beginning. Easter also has a pre-Christian origin which is the festival
in honor of Eostra the Teutonic dawn-goddess, also known as Eos, the Greek
dawn-goddess, and as Usha of Ushas, the Hindu dawn-goddess (look in any Oxford
English Dictionary). This Eostre
was also known to be the spring goddess and the goddess of fertility (hence the
tradition of the fertility symbols of eggs and bunnies). It is another form of
sun-worship, another variant of the dawn-deity, Eostre, also called Eastre.
Eostra or Ostara (Jan de Vries, Altgermanische
Religionsgeschichte, I; pp 356-359-Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology, pp. 288-291; The Oxford English Dictionary; G. Jobes, Dictionary of Mythology and Folklore and Symbols, under “Ushas”,
“Eos”, and “Easter”, J.G.R. Forlong, Encyclopedia
of Religions, under “Ushas”, “Eros,” and “Easter.”) Most
probably this Eostre, dawn-deity/fertility deity is the same as Astarte recorded
in the Hebrew Scriptures as Ashtaroth and Ashtoreth who was also known as the
“queen of heaven.” We should be warned for we read in Mark 7:7, “Howbeit
in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,”
replacing G-d’s times and festivals with the traditions of man.
11. There is a great deal more evidence of
paganism inculcated into institutionalized religion for which G-d warns us to be
separated, but there is not enough time or space to address all the evidence in
this paper. Let it be said if we are to be True Believers we must divest
ourselves of all pagan influences and strive to observe and obey the Word of G-d
as revealed in the Bible and by Yahshua Himself. Salvation comes through trust
in Yahshua’s finished work as ordained by G-d, but the mark of a True
Worshipper is as Yahshua Himself revealed in the Seven-Fold Message of
Revelation. Yahshua defines what True
Worship is in 7 places-the number of spiritual perfection. We learn that True
Worship rests on two fundamental principles, and the True Worshipper has to
comply with these requirements: To guard
the commands of G-d (YHVH) and to believe in Yahshua (Jesus)!
We read this
in Rev. 12:17, Rev. 14:12, and also
in Rev. 15:2-3 where the over comers are described as those who sing the
song of Moshe (The Law) and the song of the Lamb, Yahshua. Now for the other
four witnesses: “Word,” “Command," and “Teaching” are very often
synonyms, or interchangeable. See for yourself in Ps 119: 142, 151, 160. compare
also Ps. 119:105 with Prov. 6:23, and read Prov. 13:13 as well. This leads us to
the other four witnesses to what a True Worshipper is as found in Rev.
1:2, Rev. 1:9, Rev. 6:9, and Rev.
20:4
Yahshua further revealed in this book written for us
the following:
In Rev 1: 2 (NASB) “I know
your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men,
and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not,
and you found them to be false;
3 and
you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown
weary.
4 But
I have this against you, that you have
left your first love.
5 Remember
therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to
you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place-- unless you repent.”
Rev 3: 15 “I know
your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or
hot.
16 So
because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I
will spit you out of My mouth.”
Rev 18: 4
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come
out of her (the apostate church), my people, that you may not participate in her
sins and that you may not receive of her plagues;”
Rev 21: 6 And
He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the
spring of the water of life without cost.
7 He who overcomes shall inherit these
things, and I will be his G-d and he will be My son.
8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and
abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all
liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which
is the second death."
Rev 22: 12
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has
done.
13 "I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the
end."
Baruch Hashem~Blessed be His name!
Let’s examine the motivations for
following Torah. There are several reasons why the Torah is to be lived. All
reasons are meant to be considered equally.
1.
Because G-d Tells Us To!
One word frequently used to describe
much of the content of the Torah is the Hebrew mitzvah. This simply means “commandment.” It is something G-d
has told us to do. Don’t be frightened by the concept, as if it is something
only for the Tanakh. Although Jewish scholars are quick to assert that there are
613 commandments in the Torah, New Testament scholars nave noted that there are
over 1,000 such “commandments” in the Brit Chadasha! A commandment is a
commandment. After all, what is the difference between celebrating Shavuot
and choosing elders to govern your fellowship? Both are commanded. We want get
into that here.
2.
Torah Gives Definition
What does it mean to
be Jewish or an Israelite? As noted earlier, the Torah is the only authoritative
document, which answers this question.
Many Jewish traditions are purely cultural, but the Torah presents a required
lifestyle of holiness that is cross-cultural. Whether from Morocco or Brooklyn,
Jewish people are bound together by certain practices, such as circumcision
and eating kosher, that are taught in the Torah. It is the Torah, then, that
gives the Jewish descendants of Jacob their identity. Believing in Yahshua only
makes that identity complete as an Israelite of G-d’s “called out ones.”
3.
Because it is Who We Are!
Personally, this
reason may be best because it solves all of the problems for both Jewish and
non-Jewish people. First, if we follow Torah only because it is commanded, it
can easily turn into legalism. Let us enter by a different door altogether. Let
us enter the arena of Torah through the door of our identity in Messiah, and see
where it leads us.
The Scripture
teaches us a critical truth. In bringing us to faith in Yahshua, G-d has made us
into completely new people. We are new creations, with the Messiah living in us.
Moreover, we are receivers of and participants in the Refreshed, renewed
Chadasha. Jeremiah 31 teaches that G-d promises to write Torah on
our hearts when He makes us new. Do not miss the full implications of
that. Torah is written on our hearts! Among other things, this means that Torah
is part of our basic makeup as believers in Yahshua. The new-creation man or
woman, therefore, should only do what comes naturally to him or her. In this
case, it means living out what is written in the Word-all
of the Word.
4.
The Mirror
Why do we follow Torah? Because it is
who we are as new creations. When we read of the redeemed person as described by
the precepts of Torah, we are, in reality, reading a description of who G-d
has made us in the Messiah. Let us go to the concept of the mirror image
referred to in James 1:22-25. Here we learn the importance of being doers of the
Word instead of listeners only. The illustration is of a person looking at
himself in a mirror, but verse 25 describes that “mirror” as the Torah.
(Though translated “law” in nearly every English translation, it is actually
Torah.) He who does not do the Word is
one who looks at his face in the Torah and immediately forgets what he looks
like. In that state, therefore, he does not do the Word. But the person who
sees himself in the mirror-the Torah-and remembers what he looks like, this is
the one who does the Word. When we look into the mirror of the Torah, our
reflection is that of a redeemed person as described therein. The individual
teachings, in essence, describe what the redeemed one looks like. Because it
is Yahshua who has made us new, made us the righteousness of G-d (II Corinthians
5:21), all that is left for us to do is to choose to walk in that new life-the
righteous life of Yahshua-the life of Torah.
That means, we do not follow Torah as
though it were merely a list of do’s and don’ts. We follow it because it is
written on our hearts. It is who we are as new creations. It comes naturally
to us because G-d has made us into new people! But unless we know what our real
spiritual identity is, we can’t enter into the whole realm of our new life in
Messiah that is available through the Torah.
5.
Because Our Messiah Did It
Don’t all believers want to do what
Yahshua did, and to be like Him? Aren’t we encouraged to be like Him in
scripture? We are quick to practice letting His love flow out from us, and
learning to worship and pray as He worshiped and prayed. Rightly so. But what
about following the Torah as Yahshua did? His life was so characterized by Torah
that even as late as the next generation of Jewish believers after Him, He was
referred to as “The Torah.” Even John 1 describes Yahshua as the Word, a
reference to the Torah.
There is one
more key to this point, which will unlock its importance for us. The key is to
remember that Yahshua is in us! We are new creations, with the Living Torah
inside of us. This truth is so powerful that, when we think about it, the
question we should be asking is not “Should we follow the Torah?” but “How
do we come to know this ‘treasure in jars of clay’?” (II Corinthians 4:7)
6.
Because of what it Communicates to unbelievers
This is the final and most emotional
point. I am speaking here as Jewish person to other Jewish people and Messianic
believers especially. But I am also making an appeal to non-Jewish believers,
who need to be awakened to a major theological tragedy that has been
perpetuated for the last 1,800 years.
The anti-Torah
theology, which so dominates the body of Messiah today, originally taught and
practiced in the second century, arose from a distinct anti-Judaism propounded
by some of the most influential scholars and leaders in the body of Messiah. And
because many theologians in the Body today have swallowed the anti-Torah
teachings of the Church fathers, the conclusions they continue to teach and
publish naturally reflect the same bias. The believers of our era may not be as
anti-Jewish as many of the Church fathers were; nevertheless, many have
inherited their anti-Torah, anti-Jewish interpretations of the Brit Chadasha
Scriptures.
Many today do not think for themselves,
nor practice honest exegesis of the Brit Chadasha (NT). If they did, they would
conclude that the Brit Chadasha, in reality, is very Torah-positive and
encourages a Torah lifestyle. And while it is no easy task to change beliefs
that have been dearly held for over 1,800 years, change they must-if for no
other reason than to be honest with the Bible.
But there is another reason. We need to ask some very serious questions. What
does the prevailing anti-Torah theology say to the traditional Jewish world?
How do they see us? What do they understand of our thinking? Moreover, Jewish
believers, what is the message being conveyed to our families and Jewish
friends by our attitude toward Torah?
Simply stated, we are communicating
confusion and error to the very people through whom the Word of truth originally
came. As a result, on the human level (that is, apart from the elective grace of
G-d) there is very little motivation within the traditional Jewish world to hear
the Good News. Rabbi Benjamin Blech is a prominent teacher at New York’s
prestigious Yeshiva University, a major educational institution for the
Orthodox Jewish world. In his excellent textbook on basic Judaism, he makes this
very poignant criticism of “Christianity”, as he understands it:
"Christianity therefore rejected the law
and gave a new interpretation to the covenant at Sinai. This is the crucial
distinction between the Old Testament and the New. The Torah was assuredly given
to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, but its laws were no longer binding,
according to Christianity. How could G-d have given directives that He Himself
later saw fit to change? He Asks.
Blech is saying
that by rejecting Torah we have, at best confused the Jewish people in regard to
G-d’s revelation in the Scriptures. At worst, we have written them off as a
group. Inasmuch as the Church’s anti-Torah bias led to the theological (and
physical) persecution of the Jewish people, Christian rejection of the Torah has
ultimately resulted in Jewish rejection of Yahshua. In short, for our people,
the Good News has become nothing but the sad and bad news.
The Church’s
anti-Torah theology is a tragic flaw as concerns the Jewish people. Dr. David
Stern recognizes this when he says, I am certain that the lack of a correct,
clear, and relatively complete Messianic Jewish or Gentile Christian
theology of the Torah is not only a major impediment to Christians’
understanding their own faith, but also the greatest barrier to Jewish
people’s receiving the Gospel. Most Christians have an overly simplistic
understanding of what the Torah is all about; and second, that Christianity has
almost nothing relevant to say to Jews about one of the three most important
issues of their faith.
7.
Are We Listening?
Our goal in pursuit
of Torah will be accomplished when each believer can sing along with David, Psalm 19:7-11. Many believers do sing this song, in reference to the whole Word
of G-d. This is fine. Remember, though, that when David wrote these words, he
was writing about the Torah.
“The Torah of the
L-rd is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the L-rd is sure, making
wise the simple. The precepts of the L-rd are right, rejoicing the heart; the
commandment of the L-rd is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the L-rd is
clear, enduring forever; the judgments of the L-rd are true and righteous
altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter
also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your
servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
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