Interesting....it seems that it is being said here that we are to live our daily life as though we are Jewish in nature. That is, our daily motions are done according to the Law which was given to Moses. If this is the case, then what are we to do with the Law from the Spirit sent from Jesus Christ? A Law which says that we have been liberated from the bondage of fear, the one which says that Jesus came and shined a light upon those who set in darkness, the one which says that the Law is fulfilled by love, the law which says to follow Jesus to the promised Land.
Just as a citizen of a country cannot be under the jurisdiction of two countries, neither can we, as citizens of God's Kingdom, be under the law from two houses. We either follow the Law (the first 5 Books) given to us through Moses or we follow the Law from the Spirit sent from Jesus Christ. The Law which says that God's will is love and by which, we fulfill the Law which is spoken to us by the Lawgiver Himself.
Remember this: let no one condemn another for which holy days or foods he does or does not partake of? If it is true that we are to live a Jewish lifestyle, then this verse alone says quite the contrary. Not to mention that it also says but about 5 or 6 things from the Law apply to the Gentile Christian. If Jesus leads to the Law, then this verse speaks the reverse also.
It is a conscious thing now. If one is led by the Spirit to keep a certain day, then let him hearken unto the Lord. If another say that all days are the same, then let Him be guided. It is a personal choice and as you have said, it is not used for righteousness, but to get to know Jesus. But, never forget the reason why you do it, to get to know God and His will through His Law. And last but not least, never forget that it can never give justification like Jesus, only death to all who attempts pleasing God through deeds of the flesh. But, I have a hunch that you knew that already
Be pleasing to the Lord and let not that which you allow be a burden upon someone else.
I believe when one begins on the premise that the Torah laws and commandments are Jewish, they have already started out on the wrong premise.
Those who followed Moses out of Egypt where all 12 tribes and Exo 12:38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
Prior to the freeing of the Israelites from bondage, we see in Genesis when Jacob (now called Israel) blessed Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
We read Gen 48:17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
Gen 48:18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
Gen 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and
his (Ephraim) seed shall become a multitude of nations.
Gen 48:20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
multitude of nations = fulness of Gentiles
Let me show you through the Strong's Hebrew Words.
multitude [SUP]H4393[/SUP] = FULNESS
of nations. [SUP]H1471[/SUP] = GENTILES
H4393 = H4393
מלו מלוא מלא
melô' melô' melô
mel-o', mel-o', mel-o'
From H4390;
fulness (literally or figuratively): - X all along, X all that is (there-) in, fill, (X that whereof . . . was) full,
fulness, [hand-] full, multitude.
H1471
גּי גּוי
gôy gôy
go'ee, go'-ee
Apparently from the same root as H1465 (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts: - Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
Got it? multitude of nations is the same as fulness of the Gentiles.
Does this remind you of what Paul spoke in Romans? It should.
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel,
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Ok, hold these two verses in mind, as we move on to the division of the Kingdom of Israel.
Long story shortened. All 12 tribes and a mixed multitude of non-Israelites are freed from Egypt with Moses and Aaron leading them. They camp at 42 places in the wilderness. They are all 12 tribes plus the non-Israelites given one law for all. OK, so they are living a theocratic culture. After 40 years, and the first generation has died off, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, the Israelites cross over (Hebrew means crossed over) to the Promised Land.
Now they cry out they want a King to lead them. God appoints Saul from the tribe of Benjamin to be their king. Saul fails miserably and David is appointed to replace Saul. After David, his son Solomon becomes king. All three of these kings ruled all 13 tribes and any foreigners who joined up under the God of Israel and lived as they did.
Now, Solomon sinned and practiced pagan worship with some of his too many wives. So God ripped the kingdom from Solomon and gave his servant Jeroboam received 10 tribes and his son Rehoboam recieved two tribes...Judah and Benjamin and 1/2 of the Levites followed him.
Fast forward, through multiple good kings and bad kings. Good kings followed Torah and bad kings kept pagan in.
Around 740 BC, the Assyrians took the House of Israel (ten tribes) into captivity. These people were dispursed and never to return back to the land or to One single Kingdom of all the tribes. Before being dispersed they were known as the House of Israel and Ephraim. (Ephraim being the leader of all of them). Ephraim was given a blessing by grandfather Jacob/Israel that he would be a multitude of nations.
Around 350 BC, the Babylonians took the HOuse of Judah (2 1/2 tribes) into captivity. After 70 years, they were allowed to return to Jerusalem.
God ends up divorcing the House of Israel/Ephraim, only with the intentions of bringing them back to the land in the end of days. The House of Israel/Ephraim have forgotten their heritage and consider themselves to be Gentiles (without the God of Israel).
Now by law, the divorced wife cannot remarry as long as her husband is alive.) Thus, the mystery of the ages...Jesus, God with us in the flesh. Yeshua takes our past sins out of the way and wipes our slate clean. We obey baptism and in doing so symbollically show we also died with Christ and are raised up to a new life in Christ. We are His bride.
So Jeremiah and Hebrew quote same scripture.
Jer 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
Jer 31:11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Jer 31:33 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.
eb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 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 continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
When Jesus spoke saying Mat 15:24
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Who are these lost sheep of the House of Israel? Why now, that would be the gentiles who have not practiced Torah for many generations over 700 years. Technically they are still of the House of Israel, they just don't know what God knows.
So Paul's commission to spread the gospel to the gentiles has a very special message if looked at in the right light. Paul, who knew by memory all of the Torah and Tanakh, studied under the finest teacher, was the one called to explain who they rebelled, God divorced them, they were taken into captivity and now they have Paul saying basically, the mystery is God divorced you for your spiritual adultery (do pagan things) and God wants to remarry you. Problem is His very own law prohibits a woman to remarry again if her first husband is still alive.
So Jesus came as Immanuel, God with us, grew up, was perfect and sinles and untouched. He qualified to take the kingdom out of Satans' hand and return to God one nation of the two nations, rejoined.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Good nitght.
