I have been wondering this as some of the threads, and people I meet on the highways and byways. Isreal as a nation was from the Mosaic law and ceremonial law from the exodus on. Abraham, Melchizedek, Job, Isaac, and Jacob, Adam, Eve, Noah, Enoch where not Hebrew, in that sense. They lived out the revelation that God had given them at that time.
Israel was to prefigure Christ's coming, etc, but Christ is here, do we need to emulate life prior to Christ in order to know Him, or are we filled with the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things?
Col 2:16
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
If they want to celebrate that, have at it.
It seems however that it can lead to an elitism attitude, like they really know what it's all about from special information or something. I am not saying this is the case at all times, but it's definitely a possibility.
I went to a messianic service, and the pastor completely ignored me, but conversed with my friends who had Jewish backgrounds. He knew them, but I was completely new, and he didn't know if I was saved or not.
Is living in light of the revelation of the Holy Spirit, the inner man, so hard that we think if we do these Sabbaths and feasts etc we will know what the Holy Spirit cannot teach? Is that looking for a spiritual experience that fades away a day or two after the festival, or looking for the living active presence of the Holy Spirit who helps us worship in spirit and in truth as much as/as often as we desire?
This is a grat subject, people often have comments to say about my use of the Crators Name, Yahweh and the Names of the physical writers of the Scriptures. They often have enmity towards me because of these, but IMO, all I am doing is seeking truth. If the letter "J" was never in any alphabet until the 15th or 16th century how could I call Yeremyah, Jeremiah, im not condemming any who do, but simply it is not his name. Why is it that I need to use names thats follow the rabbinical practice of REMOVING any form of Yahweh's Name, that practice in itself is false, again I seek nothing but truth. If we try to view the Scriptures through western mindsets we can never know what Yahshua said and meant, Yahshua didnt live ( in the flesh) in this time in this place. If we try to follow and understand Yahweh through Bablonian ideas and practices we will never come to the fullness and stature of Messiah, and as much as people dont want to hear it, Bablonian practices have crept in and even overtaken some of Yahweh's truth in the minds of the people, as most are unaware of what Babylon ever practiced so how would they ever know the difference? Bottom line I dont care who the truth comes from as long as its truth, but Yahweh has spoken some words on this topic directly to us:
Yeremyah 16:19-21, "O Yahweh, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in athe day of affliction,
the Gentiles will come to You from the ends of the earth, and will say: Surely our fathers have inherited nothing but lies and vanity; worthless, powerless gods of no use at all! Do men make gods for themselves? Yes, but they are powerless! Therefore behold, I will make them to know--this time I will teach them My power and might; and they will know that My Name is Yahweh!"
Zecharyah 8:23, "This is what Yahweh of hosts says: In those days ten men, out of all languages of the nations, will take hold of the tzitzit of him who is a aYahdai, saying;
We will go with you, for we have heard that Yahweh is with you."
Constantine has a famous quote, "we will have nothing to do with the rabble of the Jews." He also said, "we will celebrate the following Sunday after the equinox as do have nothing in common with the feast of the Jews." What Constantine did know or care to know is that in doing this he was rejecting the instructions of Yahweh, while protraying them as "jew traditions." I fond an interesting parallel here, 1 Samuyl 8:7, "Yahweh answered Samuyl, and said: Listen to all the words the people speak to you, for they have not rejected you; they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them." By rejecting Samuyl;s sons these people were in reality rejecting Yahwe, that is unless you believe the accusers over Yahweh. Now if Samuyl's sons had truly been making their own judgements not accoring to Yahweh's instruction then certianly rejecting then would be just that, rejecting the, but if they did ONLY asYahweh had said then one rejecting them is in reality rejecting Yahweh.
However the things of Yahweh are not of or belonging to the Jews, these are things of and belonging to Yahweh that he rejected. Certianly we should never become a "Jew" or "Hebrew" as then be follwing traditions of men. What I have set out to do is divide all that is from man and all that is from Yahweh, and throw out all that is from man, and hold fast all that is from Yahweh. We are to become as Yahshua and as Yahweh, or faithful servants to Yahshua and Yahweh, and if that means getting rid of the traditions of men, regardless if I grew up doing them or not, I want to rid myself of these traditions of MEN and only follow the "traditions" directly from Yahweh.
halleluYAHWEH!