What is Torah?
1 – The Instructions
The Hebrew word ‘Torah’, which modern Christians see in their Bibles translated as “law” would actually be better translated as ‘instructions’. They are more accurately described as the Creator’s instructions to us.
Instructions for what?
To understand that, you must first understand the nature of the world we are born into.
When He created this world for us, it was a good and beautiful place. Man was given dominion over the earth and all that was in it. When man sinned and consequently turned the dominion of the earth over to Satan, the world changed. Suddenly it was no longer a peaceful, safe place where we could literally walk with God in the cool of the day, as described in the book of Genesis. Now it is a maze through a minefield. Satan hates mankind. His goal is our destruction. He has gleefully put obstacles, distractions, temptations and much more all through our experience here, often cleverly disguised as intriguing or pleasurable things. Each one of them is a landmine that has the potential to destroy us, to keep us from making it safely through the maze . . . and back home to our heavenly Father.
The Creator knew that we wouldn’t make it through this minefield maze without some help. He would need to give us instructions for how to navigate the maze without triggering the myriad mines that Satan has laid for us at every turn.
He had a plan.
2 – The Marriage Vows
He started with a man of faith, Abraham. From that man, He built a multitude. A whole nation of people with a shared history, background, and experience. He called them Israel. He grew them to that nationhood in captivity in Egypt. When He brought them out of that place, He did it with a mighty hand, with the most amazing series of miracles the world had ever seen. And then He brought them to a mountain in the desert, and asked them: Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.
This was the marriage proposal. Will you obey my voice and keep my covenant? If you do, then you will be my Segullah – my peculiar treasure – my bride.
What was their answer? Exodus 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
They accepted the proposal. They answered a collective “I do”.
A covenant is another word for an agreement; a contract. In this case, a marriage contract. It’s clear throughout scripture that it is a marriage covenant by the way Israel is repeatedly referred to as an unfaithful wife when she goes “whoring” after other gods. It is also well illustrated in this quote from Jeremiah 31: 31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
It was on the day of Pentecost – Shavuot – that he wrote His ‘law’ on our hearts. If you assert your right to be free of His ‘law’, how is it written on your heart?
The modern western church refers to itself as “the bride of Christ”, although I’m afraid most modern Christians probably don’t understand the full depth of meaning there. The Torah, the commandments, are the marriage vows. If you don’t understand that, you don’t understand the marriage, or what it means to be the bride.
You shall have no other gods before me (I will keep myself only unto you)
Remember my Sabbath, to keep it Holy (every seventh day we’ll have our date night, our sacred time together)
Most of the commandments are designed to help the people make it through the minefield maze and find their way back home to the Almighty, their husband. Don’t murder each other; don’t steal from each other; etc. First we need to get as many of us as possible safely out the other side of this minefield maze, and THEN will be the marriage supper of the lamb.
The new covenant has the same set of vows as the previous covenant. Just like a lease agreement on an apartment – if the first tenant breaks the rules and gets evicted, the Landlord will find a new tenant. He will have the new tenant sign a lease that is substantially the same as the previous tenant’s lease. The only difference is the party he is contracting with. Even if a person divorces their first spouse, then regrets it and re-marries that person, they still promise to love, honor and cherish, in sickness & health, etc. It wasn’t the set of vows that caused Israel’s marriage to fail, it was the infidelity of the bride. The creator’s Torah is perfect. It will get us safely home to Him, IF we follow it.
Unfortunately, most of modern western Christianity believes that the Torah was done away with. Even though Yeshua Himself said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5:17) And no, fulfill does not mean destroy or do away with.
If you despise and refuse the wedding vows, how can you be the bride?
Indeed, the book of the Revelation tells us who will make it home to the Father:
Rev_12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Yeshua Messiah.
Rev_14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.
Rev_22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
3 – The Roadmap
Only those who successfully run the gauntlet of this minefield maze that is life on earth will have the opportunity to be included in the marriage supper of the lamb, as the bride. He who endures to the end will be saved. The Almighty gave us the Torah, the instructions, to give us the best possible chance at being successful in that endeavor. It’s our roadmap for how to get home. Why would anyone despise and discard that roadmap? Messiah Yeshua certainly didn’t.
Many Christians might think, “Well, I don’t cheat on my spouse. I don’t murder . . . or steal. I guess I obey the Ten commandments. I should be alright.” But do you even know in what ways you might be violating His Torah?
In the Torah, Yehovah commands His people to observe 7 specific feasts. He details His feasts first in Exodus, and then in Leviticus, and finally again in Deuteronomy. Most people think of these as ‘the Jewish feasts’, even though when the Creator commanded them, there was no such thing as a ‘Jew’. His feasts are an indispensable part of the roadmap. If His people obey and honor His feasts, that would give them a lifelong education on what is happening in the story of the universe, and this would help them to know what to do when necessary, and what’s coming next.
Messiah Yeshua fulfilled the spring feasts 2000 years ago, when He came as ‘Messiah ben Joseph’, the suffering servant. He will fulfill the fall feasts within our lifetime when He returns as ‘Messiah ben David’, the conquering king.
In the 4th century of the common era, Emperor Constantine forbid believers to observe the Creator’s scriptural feasts, as well as forbidding them to honor the Creator’s scriptural sabbath. He ordered Sunday, the day of Roman pagan sun god worship, to be the legally required day for ALL worship. He also ordered Christians to switch to a ‘christianized’ version of the traditional Roman pagan holidays, which the scriptures refer to as abomination.
If you worship on ‘the lord’s day’ – Sunday – instead of honoring the Sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday), you are obeying Constantine instead of the Creator Yehovah.
If you celebrate Christmas; Halloween; Easter; and other such days that Yehovah’s word refers to as abomination – instead of Passover; the feast of Unleavened Bread; Shavuot; Yom Teruah; Yom Kippur; Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, which the Creator commands for His people to celebrate . . .
. . . then you are obeying; following; worshipping . . . Emperor Constantine instead of Yehovah, the Creator of the Universe.
I want to be counted among the Creator’s people. He said His feasts are for HIS PEOPLE.
Most people will not understand that this is truly more important than life or death. Remember what the book of Revelation states three times as being necessary to enter the kingdom and eat from the tree of life. Two things – “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Yeshua“
My prayer is that you will understand this and take it to heart, so that as many of us as possible will be included in the marriage supper of the lamb.
I invite you to lift up your roadmap and seek the narrow path.