Part 3
Today’s Torah Tuesday will be a little different in order to answer the main question we get here at Lavah Ministries – what exactly is Torah and are we supposed to keep ALL of God’s laws listed out in the front of the book?
When we say Torah, what are we referring to? What are God’s commandments? Are they just the 10 commandments, or is it all of the Mosaic Law? Do they even still apply today? What are we supposed to follow?
Torah refers to the first five books of our Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is the heart of Scripture and is the basis that the rest of Scripture stands upon.
The entire “Old Testament” is called the Tanakh. It contains the Torah, the Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). Tanakh is an acronym putting the the first initials of each of these portions together.
When Yeshua was on the earth and referred to Scripture, the Tanakh is what he is talking about. When he says, “It is written,” he is referring to the Tanakh, not the “new testament.”
So, to get to the main question – are we supposed to follow every single law written out in Torah? There are 613 commandments, are you saying I’m supposed to follow every single one?
The first thing you have to understand is that following Torah is not about salvation. The Torah was never meant to save you. It can’t. The word “torah” in Hebrew means “instruction.” It comes from a Hebrew root word called “yara” which means “to throw, shoot, cast, pour.” When we set our aim on God’s instructions, we are shooting toward the goal. We set our sights on the target. In fact, the definition of “sin” is to “miss the mark.” Your aim on the target of Torah was off. 1 John 3:4 tells us sin is lawlessness. Sin is breaking the laws of God.
Which leads to the next question: What are God’s laws?
When you enter into covenant with Yahweh, through the salvation found in Yeshua, you are accepting the terms of a covenant. Those terms are found in Exodus 20, also known as the 10 commandments. You are vowing to live a life above reproach and to be a person of moral character, not only to Yahweh but towards others. These are the marriage vows, if you will. The “I will honor you til death” vows.
Then comes the “set apart” part. Those are the rest of the commands. Now, let’s ask a major question: Did Jesus follow ALL of the law?
The answer is no. WHAT! First you say to follow the law and then you say Jesus didn’t?!
There are laws for women and laws for priests that Jesus could not follow because he was not a woman nor a levitical priest. Therefore, Jesus did not follow all 613 commandments because he couldn’t. However, Jesus did obey every single command that he could. This includes the way he ate, the holidays he observed, the sacrificial laws – all of it.
This reinforces the concept that the Torah isn’t about checking boxes. It’s not about “I have to follow every single thing or God won’t accept me.” Its a way of life. It’s a way to be set apart. It’s God’s love language. He tells us in Deuteronomy 11 to do these things and it will bring blessing. To not do them will bring curses and won’t be beneficial in the long run.
Jesus came to take the penalty of sin upon himself while also being the Passover Lamb that allows us into covenant relationship with Yahweh. His sacrifice on the cross completely takes away the price that sin carries: death. Before Yeshua, the blood of bulls and goats were required to cover sin. But that’s all they did: cover. The blood of animals could never completely pay the ransom. It just covered the sin. Yeshua’s blood, however, completely takes away the penalty; meaning, I don’t have to live an eternity away from Yahweh because Yeshua took that on himself. Not a fair deal, but he did it anyway. Talk about loving someone to death.
The penalty of sin was paid in full; therefore, the requirement the Torah gives for sin was filled. The instruction book can longer require a price because it was paid by Yeshua. However, the law (the instruction manual) still has clauses in it that state ways to be in unity with God. That’s Torah. That’s his heart for his people. To be separated out from the nations. They’re not laws to make your life harder or keep you in bondage. They’re beautiful kingdom principles and blueprints to the heart of the Father.
Remember, only criminals find laws to be burdensome.
If Torah is about unity and consecration, why would we not want to follow it? God is looking for a bride that is completely set apart, full of the knowledge of who He is and will stand firm on his Word. Following the instructions on how to eat, what holidays to celebrate, how to conduct myself, etc. all give the world around me the knowledge that I’m with Him. If our lives look just like everyone else, then maybe we aren’t set apart.
If you can change your outlook from “I have to” to “I want to,” the whole Bible will come alive in a new way. We GET to honor God with our lives!
Lavah Ministries 