Loving the Father

Matthew 22: 37

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

Mark 12:30

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Luke 10: 27

So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

I have heard so many times that the New Testament has changed the whole meaning of what it means to love God. All too often I hear people say, we no longer have to keep any of the Mosaic Law because Jesus gave us a new law, which is to love God and to love our neighbor. That is all we must do, just have love. Is this idea a New Testament idea?  I agree, that we must do these things, but my response is always as follows, how? How do we love the Father? What does loving the Father look like? It seems that the opposition already knows the answer because I am always met with first a dodging of the question itself, and second a quote along the lines of the Jesus is the new law, we don’t need to keep the Old Law. I guess my biggest issue is that my question is never answered by anyone that claims that we only need to love the Father. Let’s start with the question, is loving the father and our neighbor strictly a New Testament idea.

Leviticus 19: 18

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19: 34

The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 6:5

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

It would seem that Yeshua (Jesus) was quoting from the Law when He stated these concepts. It is quite obvious that this is not a New Testament idea, but rather one that extends throughout history back to the time of Moses Himself, if not even before that.

Now, for the bigger issue. How does the Father tell us we should love Him? What does He say it should look like? I mean, after all, isn’t that what we need to care about? Should we ignore the love language of the Father and come up with our own ways to “love” Him? Here are a few verses of Scripture that explain to us, what loving the Father should look like.

Deuteronomy 10: 12

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Deuteronomy 11: 1, 13, 22

“Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always.

 ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,

 “For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him—

Deuteronomy 19: 9

and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three,

Deuteronomy 30: 16, 20

in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Joshua 22:5

But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Nehemiah 1:5

And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,  

As is shown in all eight of these verses, to love God, the Father, is always associated with keeping His commands. There is absolutely no way around it. To love God, is to keep His commands, it is really that simple. But that is not all, there is one more verse that I would like to point out that states this very thing, and it is found in the New Testament. Unfortunately, it is purposefully overlooked or twisted in order that it means something different because dispensationalists cannot bring themselves to see the true meaning of Loving the Father.

1 John 5: 3

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Im not sure how it can get any simpler than this. Not only can we see what YHWH wants from us in terms of love throughout the Old Testament, but it is written right here in the New Testament as well. It takes an inexperienced believer in the Word, the WHOLE Word that is, to twist Paul’s writings to claim that he did not preach keeping the Torah. Even Peter has this to say about Paul…

2 Peter 3: 14-16

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

If Peter is directly stating that Paul’s teachings are difficult for those that do not know the scriptures, and we know that only thing considered scripture during that era, then how can modern day believers in Christ claim that they understand Paul when they make little to no attempt to understand the scripture, as in the Old Testament? This makes no sense, and this is why the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Holy Spirit have to be thrown out or completely ignored or twisted to mean something other than what the Prophet Ezekiel says is its purpose. That is a topic from another blog.

The New Covenant

The book of Hebrews says that the Father will make a new covenant with Christianity, or the gentiles that choose to believe in Jesus as a savior. At least this is the modern day interpretation of this passage according to the church. I plan to examine this theory with the intent to let the scriptures speak for themselves. First, here is the passage in reference.

Hebrews 10: 15-18

But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Breaking this passage down, notice the Holy Spirit is mentioned as being a witness to us, and then we see that the next verse has been stated at some point “before”. Obviously, we will need to find this previously mentioned verse in the bible to find out what was being referenced and possibly find out why the author of Hebrews quoted this verse based on the context in the original passages on the context surrounding the passage in Hebrews. Next, notice that the passage mentions the Father putting “My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them”. It seems that the law being put on the heart of a believer is the law of God. The quote comes from the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 31: 31-34

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when 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 lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

As seen in this passage, in which was being quoted, the new covenant that is being prophesied about will be made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Notice, there is nothing here being prophesied about a house of Gentiles. Next, notice that this is indeed the passage being quoted because it is virtually a copy and paste job for the most part. Now notice that this is an Old Testament passage and we have YHWH (the Father) stating that He will put His law into the minds of Israel and Judah. Why is this different and called a new covenant? Originally, YHWH told His people to write His laws on their hearts and they chose to disobey all the commandments, so He is going to guarantee that isn’t the case this time, He is ensuring His Law is put on the hearts of His people.

Deuteronomy 11: 18

“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

The problem that required a new covenant was not a problem with the Law itself, but rather the problem was with the people deciding to disobey the law and not writing it on their heart. We see evidence for this throughout the Old Testament. But we can even see this in the book of Hebrews, chapter 8.

Hebrews 8: 6-13

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when 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 when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”  In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Notice that the new covenant is established, or recognized, on better promises. There is no mention of new laws with this covenant, only new promises. Also, the fault with the original covenant was with the people, not the law itself. As seen, the people chose to disregard the laws they were supposed to memorize and write on their hearts and minds. We know the law is perfect, so, how is it that Christianity today calls the law a curse? Do we have the right to call verses from the Old Testament false? How do we justify calling the Law of God a curse?

Psalm 19: 7

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple

Now, what does the Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Spirit of God, have to do with the new covenant? There seems to be one main goal the Holy Spirit plays in the new covenant. First, let’s look at the prophecy.

Ezekiel 11: 17-21

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

Ezekiel 36: 24-29

For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.

The prophecy about receiving the Holy Spirit specifically states that the Spirit of God causes those who have the Holy Spirit to keep His commands and actually carry them out. There is further evidence of this being the case from the book of Zachariah.

Zachariah 7: 12

Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.

Can we really decide the purpose of the Holy Spirit on our own, completely disregarding what the Old Testament says on several occasions? It seems likely that if this is what is being done, it makes sense that we have so many denominations of Christianity. Would it not make more sense to use what the prophets have said about the purpose of the Holy Spirit? Should we not interpret the New Testament using the Old? Why do we allow men to tell us how to interpret the New Testament instead of allowing the Old Testament to guide our thought process? If we can align the New Testament to everything that is mentioned in the old, should we not do so? Would we rather disregard the Word of God, the Torah and Prophets, in order to keep a man-made doctrine that does not align with all Scripture?

Amos 3: 7

Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Fullness of the Gentiles

What does the New Testament mean when it mentions that Israel is blind until the fullness of the gentiles has come in? If we stay only in the New Testament, it would seem that this would mean the Jews are blind to the Messiah until everyone that wants to become a Christian comes to Christ. But, my question is this, was this the intended meaning the Father was trying to get across to his people?

Romans 11:25

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

This is the verse in which I was referring. Now, I have a hard time believing that this is referring to future Christians. Instead, I believe there is a much deeper meaning to this verse that may only be understood once the original Hebrew words are used. I want to start by going back and comparing a similar verse found in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 48:19

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

The Hebrew word used for the phrase “shall become a multitude” is mĕlo' and its meaning is fullness.

Of nations comes from the Hebrew word gowy and its meaning is Nations.

Therefore we can conclude that the younger brother Ephraim’s descendants will become the fullness of the nations. Now the next step is to look at the word GOWY. Gowy is the very SAME word used for the word gentile in the Old Testament. If that is the case, then again we can conclude that the descendants of Ephraim will become the fullness of the gentiles. Could this be what Paul was trying to tell us? If we try to connect all the New Testament to the Old, which we should considering that the ONLY scripture they had to use during this time to compare Paul’s words to was, in fact, the Old Testament. Here is an example of just what I am referring to.

Acts 17: 10-12

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.  These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.  Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

The Bereans were Jews. They compared ALL of Paul’s words to the Old Testament. It was for this reason that these Jews considered Paul’s words true and then believed in the Messiah. If this is the case, then we can conclude that everything Paul said was in direct relation to the Old Testament, and if this is what caused Jews to believe in Christ, then should we not follow the same steps they took in order to find truth in Paul’s words?

Next, let’s take a look at who Ephraim’s descendants were.

1 Kings 12: 20-21

Now it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin

1 Kings 11: 26

Then Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.

There are several things to take away from these two passages. First, Jeroboam was the king over the northern kingdom of what became known as the House of Israel. Rehoboam became king over what was known as the southern kingdom of Judah. Second, Jeroboam was a servant of King Solomon. Third, Jeroboam was a descendant of Ephraim.

This makes perfect sense. An Ephraimite was now leading the Northern House of Israel. So what happened to Israel next? They were taken into captivity.

2 Kings 17: 6

In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

As read in this verse from 2 Kings, the Northern Kingdom was taken captive into Assyria. Remember, the northern kingdom were led by and descendants of Ephraim.

Jeremiah 3: 6-8

The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce;…

Not only can we see that Ephraim had been divorced by YHWH, but also that she never returned to Him, and continued to assimilate into the nations across the world. Any bible scholar today will tell you that Ephraim is another name for the Northern Kingdom of Israel. So we should be able to conclude that Ephraim made up what the bible calls the “lost sheep of Israel”. If we continue with the verse mentioned in the opening of this blog we see something that should pop out at you at this point.

Romans 11: 25-26

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved;

All Israel will be saved. This is definitely referring to the lost sheep of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Matthew 10: 5-6

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Matthew 15: 24

But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Christ Himself commands the apostles to not go among the gentiles, but go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He also states that He came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

After going through all of this, one can only conclude that the Northern Kingdom was and still very much is an important part of YHWH’s plan. Knowing now that the fullness of the Gentiles means to bring back all the house of Israel, should alter the way we view the scriptures. I am in no way stating that those with no bloodline lineage to the northern kingdom cannot be saved. What I am saying is that both groups, bloodline and no bloodline, are grafted into or back into the Olive tree that represents all of Israel.

Romans 11: 17-21

And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

You may say that this olive tree does not represent Israel, however, if we continue to search the scriptures as the Bereans did, we will find exactly what Paul is making reference to in the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 11: 16

The Lord called your name, Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit. With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are broken.

“For the Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.”

It is very clear that the purpose of using the analogy of an Olive Tree by Paul was to coincide with what the prophet Isaiah said. The olive tree is a representation of Israel, the chosen people group. This is not only the Jews, but all 12 tribes. We, as non-bloodline followers of YHWH are grafted into this family. That being said, we must assimilate to the Biblical ways, and refuse to continue in the ways of the world (sin). The lost sheep of Israel, along with a portion of others that choose to fully immerse themselves in the ways and traditions the Most High God commands us to follow in order to be considered His people, will be grafted in to the Olive Tree known as Israel, and finally complete the Fullness of the Gentiles. 

Delivered from the Law

Romans 7: 1-6

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

This is the entire passage that will be addressed throughout this blog. I plan to break it down and cover everything that is vital to the understanding of what is being said here.

Romans 7: 1

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

The very first thing that stands out in this chapter is that Paul is speaking to the men that KNOW the law. Basically we need to stop reading right here until we know the law of the Torah which is being discussed. Here are some verses concerning the law that is being discussed.

Deuteronomy 24: 1-4

When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Leviticus 20: 10

The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

Jeremiah 3:1

“They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man’s, May he return to her again?’ Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.

Deuteronomy 25: 3

“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.

Numbers 30: 10-11

If she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an oath, and her husband heard it, and made no response to her and did not overrule her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself shall stand.

As we can see from all these verses, the law states that

1.       The woman is bound to her husband by oath

2.       The woman is only bound to her husband until the husband dies

3.       If there is a divorce, the first husband may never take her back if she was defiled by another

Romans 7: 2

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband.

This is stating that the woman is released from the marriage law when the husband dies, this makes her free to marry anyone she chooses.

Romans 7: 3

So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

At this point you should be making some connections with what Christ has done for us. Knowing that we are grafted into Israel, and Israel was the divorced wife of YHWH we can conclude that we were considered the adulterous wife. This will be much more apparent after reading the next verse in this chapter.

Romans 7:4

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.

Here it is, this is the meaning of verse four. We are dead to the law through the dead body of Christ. This is why Christ can be no other than YHWH in the flesh. He absolutely had to die in order for us to be released from the marriage law. This is the only way we could ever be reconciled back to YHWH. According to YHWH’s own Law, He could never take us back. It doesn’t matter how much He wants us or how much we wanted to go back, it is, according to Deuteronomy 24, “an abomination before the Lord”.

Romans 7: 5

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.

Before Christ’s death, we could do nothing but continue to sin. There was no choice, we were divorced and could not come back.

Romans 7: 6

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Now that we have been released from that law, we are free to be reconciled and obtain the Holy Spirit and follow the commands of YHWH freely. It is no longer an abomination before the Lord to be taken back by Him. His death brought peace and a new chance to choose to follow the Creator. His death released us from the marriage covenant law that caused us to live in sin. 

The Law that was Nailed to the Cross

What was it exactly that was nailed to the cross? Was it the entire Old Testament law or was it something more specific? I tend to lean toward the latter. I believe it is not the entire Old Testament law that was removed, and I plan to show that here. First, the verse that is often referred to as a proof text for the law being nailed to the cross.

Colossians 2:14 (is this something IN the law?)

…having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

If the reader has no real depth of understanding from the Old Testament, I concede that it would be difficult to read this as anything other than the Old Testament law being done away with. However, if one takes the time to read, and study the Old Testament, this verse takes on a whole new meaning. Even taking the time to understand that Paul was never preaching against nor did he believe contrary to the Old Testament law. For example the book of Acts mentions Paul as one who walks according to the Law.

Acts 21:24

Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.

Acts 24: 14

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

Paul followed and believe every word of the OT. It has been claimed that the law Paul followed was the law of Christ, however, we have to take into consideration that the law of Christ is the very same law that was given to Moses. The Old Testament, including the prophets and the law is the word of God. Yeshua is also the living, breathing, word of God. Therefore, the only conclusion that can be made is that the law of Christ is the very same thing as the Law of God. If that is the case then Paul could only be following the Old Testament Law. Not only is this the case, but the Jews in Acts 21 only known the law of God and the law of the Pharisees. They themselves claim that Paul walked orderly and kept the law.

Acts 21:20-21

And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

The Jews were misinformed about Paul. Acts 21: 20-21 shows that Paul did not teach against the law, but we can see that if you continue in the chapter as we read further up the page, this was not the case concerning Paul. If Paul always kept and taught the Law of God, maybe we can begin to consider that the Law of God was not what was nailed to the cross.

Next, why does Yeshua ask for a drink on the cross, just before he dies?

John 19:28-30

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

What prophecy is it that required him to drink the sour wine? Can we find a prophecy that states he will have to drink sour wine? Not exactly, however, we do know that Christ was here to release the lost sheep from the curse of the law. That being the case, is there a place in the bible that requires the lost sheep to drink sour wine? The answer to this question is, sort of. It is not exactly the lost sheep, but rather the adulterous wife. This just so happens to be the role the lost sheep of Israel played in the relationship with YHWH in the Old Testament.

Numbers 5: 12-24, 26-27 (law of jealousy) (23 is important) (this is why he had to drink the bitter water)

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught— if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself— then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance.

‘And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord. The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. Then the priest shall stand the woman before the Lord, uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you”— then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman—“the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot.”

‘Then the woman shall say, “Amen, so be it.”

‘Then the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water. And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter her to become bitter.

and the priest shall take a handful of the offering, as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water. When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

Galatians 3:13

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

We know that in the Old Testament, YHWH was jealous of Israel for worshiping other gods. The worship of other gods was repeatedly called prostitution and whoring with other gods. Israel is also called the wife of YHWH, therefore, the law of jealously would be meant for the lost sheep of Israel. As we can see, the very things that happened to Yeshua on the cross was the description of what would have happened to the adulterous wife from the Old Testament law. She would become a curse, but instead, Christ became a curse for us. I say us because we are the lost sheep of Israel. For more on that, see my blogs concerning the lost sheep.

Here are a few verses that show the jealousy of YHWH.

Exodus 34:13

But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images

Deuteronomy 4: 24

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Now to show that YHWH considered Himself a husband to Israel. We know that there will be a marriage in the last days. Modern day Christians read the New Testament and know all about the marriage supper from the book of Revelation. But, was there already a marriage in the Old Testament?

Jeremiah 31:32

not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.

Isaiah 54: 5

For your Maker is your husband,

The Lord of hosts is His name;

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;

He is called the God of the whole earth.

As we can see, it is clear that in the Old Testament, YHWH was the husband of all of Israel. So we have now established that the Father was the husband and Israel was the unfaithful wife. That can only mean that the law given in the Old Testament would have to be carried out and that means all of Israel would have to, according to Numbers 5, drink from the cup of bitter water.

Matthew 26: 39

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Go back to…

Colossians 2:14 (His people are the unfaithful wife)

…having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

The handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us is the law from Numbers 5. It does not necessarily mean the entirety of the Old Testament. We can even see that Yeshua was being shamed, mocked, and cursed during this entire situation.

Matthew 27: 39 (numbers 5:21)

And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads

Matthew 27:40-43

and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

Jesus took the punishment of the unfaithful spouse!!!

He took the curse of Numbers Chapter 5 (that applied to the unfaithful wife) and nailed it to the cross. Just as in Colossians 2:14 completely enabling his divorced wife to be wiped clean of her guilt AND be remarried at the same time.

The law was never a barrier that kept people from him. It was the northern kingdoms disobedience to the law that kept them from him.