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Egypt was a
cruel taskmaster for Israel.
Moses was raised in the
Pharaoh’s house, and was fluent in Hebrew and Egyptian
languages. After a false start in trying to deliver God’s
people, he spent forty more years being prepared in the desert.
He filled the offices of prophet and priest. He was sent in
God’s time to the Pharaoh, and left a Messianic message for us
that portrays, through the Passover lamb, Yeshua’s crucifixion.
Ninevah was the
cruelest kind of enemy to Israel.
Jonah, like other
Israelites, hated Ninevites. After fleeing from God’s direction,
he spent time in the stomach of Ninevah’s fish-god until God
finished preparing him. He took God’s Word to Ninevah
faithfully.
Jonah was especially
prepared by God to fill the office of a prophet. He was sent in
God’s time to Ninevah, and left a Messianic message for us that
portrays Yeshua’s crucifixion and resurrection in great detail.
Gentiles were
considered “unclean” to Hebrews; they were idolaters.
Paul (Sha-ul’ in
Hebrew, Pa-ul’-os in Greek) was of the highest order of the
Hebrews1; he was a judge in the highest court – the
Sanhedrin2. To be such, he was required to have
mastery of Torah, and of Hebrew, Greek and other languages. He
was most zealous in his religious cause, and persecuted
followers of Yeshua as idolaters. When God finished preparing
Paul, he was in a unique position to be able to take God’s
Hebrew words to gentiles of Greek and other languages3.
Paul was especially prepared by God to fill offices of prophet
and apostle. He was sent in God’s time to the gentiles, and left
a Messianic message for us that explains, more fully than any
other, how the Torah pictures Yeshua, and how the Torah applies
to us.
God sent twelve Hebrew
apostles4 primarily to the twelve tribes of Israel,
and one very-prepared Hebrew apostle specifically for the
gentiles5.
1 Paul was “a
Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5). He received religious
training under Gamaliel, a renowned Torah teacher (Acts 22:3).
2 Paul was
apparently a judge at Yeshua’s trial (Acts 8:1), and carried out
the Sanhedrin’s orders (Acts 8:3). He had access to the High
Priest (Acts 9:1). He was present at the judgment of Stephen
(Acts 7:58-59).
3 Paul said, “I
thank God, I speak in more foreign languages than you all” (1
Corinthians 14:18). A judge of the Sanhedrin was required to be
able to communicate in various languages with those seeking
halachic rulings, and witnesses and defendants.
4 A Sheliach
Tzibbur was a messenger sent out from the Temple of Holy One
to the Qehal – the congregation / synagogue / church
(This title is commonly translated “Messenger of the Synagogue”
or “Angel of the Church” as in Revelation 2 & 3). He must be a
Hebrew (Luke simply had a Hellenistic name). The Temple, “made
after the pattern in heaven,” represented Yeshua – the apostles
were messengers sent out by Yeshua to the churches.
5 “Gentiles” does
not mean Ephraimites (of the tribe of Joseph), as some teach
today. It means the world other than the twelve tribes.
There is no one on
earth today that can come close to Paul’s understanding of
Messiah, of Torah, or of Hebrew or Greek languages. While there
is much room for discussion about translations and
interpretations, it is at the height of hypocrisy for anyone
today to think that he can sit as a judge over Paul’s writings.
I would love to have a tenth of his understanding of Messiah and
Torah.
When I first came to
the faith, I had many questions.
Paul said (Galatians
2:16 KJV) “a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and
not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified.” But James said (James 2:24) “Ye
see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only.” There appears to be a contradiction here, but that is
only due to interpretation. We cannot be justified by becoming
good enough through the performance of deeds (“works”) of God’s
instruction (“law”). We can only be justified through faith in
Messiah Yeshua, Who took upon Himself the penalty for our sins
and imputes / accounts His righteousness to us. But if that
faith does not produce results – if our actions (“works”) do not
reflect what we believe – then it is really not faith at all: it
is a “dead” faith. While works that are the fruit of faith are
also according to God’s instruction (“law”), we do not perform
them in order to be justified, but they are a necessary result
of a real faith. Such “works” are properly performed as love for
our Savior and our neighbor. Paul and James thus give
complementary statements that can greatly enhance our
understanding.
Luke said of Paul (Acts
9:7 KJV) “And the men which journeyed with him stood
speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.” Paul
recounted (Acts 22:9), “And they that were with me saw indeed
the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him
that spake to me.” There appears to be a contradiction here,
but that is only due to translation. A more literal rendering of
the end of the latter verse is (NAS) “but did not understand
the voice of the One who was speaking to me.” Some seemingly
hard problems have very simple explanations.
The more answers that I
found, the more questions I discovered. Eventually I came to
accept that there were answers to all of my questions, and it
need not shake my faith that I did not see them all now. We need
to look for understanding of the Biblical text, not cast doubt
upon it. We need to help one another to increase faith, and not
hinder others. Our present problem is that we do not have as
much faith even as a grain of “mustard seed” (Matthew
17:20).
Paul and Torah
Paul strongly affirmed Torah,
while refuting the doctrine of salvation by mitzvot /
works. He continually showed that mitzvot observance is
the fruit and evidence of faith, that faith through which we are
saved.
The mitzvot include loving
Yahweh our God and loving our neighbor. On these two greatest
commandments hang all three categories of mitzvot:
judgments, ordinances, and statutes. Judgments include
safeguarding one’s neighbor and honest speech. Ordinances
include setting the Sabbaths aside for holy service, and
performing animal and grain offerings when the Holy Temple is
functioning (past and future). Statutes include kashrut
(food laws) and circumcision. Paul affirmed and observed all of
these, while insisting that salvation from sin is based upon
Yeshua through faith in Him.
Paul was in his day, and is
today, falsely accused of abrogating Torah and teaching against
mitzvot observance, especially as applied to Gentiles. In
his day, this seems to have been mainly due to a false doctrine
of salvation by mitzvot observance. Today, it seems
largely due to a misunderstanding that Paul was teaching
different rules for Gentiles, and otherwise due to popular
Christian teaching of lawlessness (where a supposed “legalism”
is condemned).
Examples:
[To be continued.]
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