Yitro (Exo 18-20) grace, hayesod, law, legalism, mitzvot, ten commandments, Torah

TORAH: Exodus 18:1-20:23
HAFTARAH: Isaiah 6:1-7:6
B’RIT CHADASHAH: Matthew 5:8-20

John 5:46 For if you were believing Moses, you would then
believe Me; for that one wrote concerning Me.
John 5:47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will
you believe My Words?
YESHUA SAID YOU CANNOT BELIEVE IN HIM WITHOUT
KNOWING THE WRITINGS OF MOSES the TORAH !
Luke 22:29 And I appoint a kingdom to you, as My Father
appointed to Me,
Luke 22:30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My
kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.
3

Biblical Hebrew includes only about 4,000 words, far fewer than the
100,000 or more we have in English. Because Hebrew has so few
words, each is like an over-stuffed suitcase, bulging with extra
meanings that it must carry in order for the language to fully
describe reality. Unpacking each word is a delightful exercise in
seeing how the ancient authors organized ideas, sometimes
grouping concepts together in very different ways than we do.
For example, the word shema (pronounced “shmah”) is often
translated as “hear.” But the word shema actually has a much
wider, deeper meaning than “to perceive sound.” It encompasses
a whole spectrum of ideas that includes listening, taking heed,
and responding with action to what one has heard.
***“How do you tell someone to obey?” “Shema,” responded my
instructor.
4

Now, “Yam Suf” or “Sea of Reeds” or “Rushes” in Hebraic thought is a metaphor for the
“lush and fruitful” in a “sea” or “ocean of peoples”. These “lush, fruitful plants” represent
what sustains and has value. What you have is this “sea” or “ocean” or “vast numbers of
peoples”.
Then you have the “reeds” or “rushes” or “those that provide nourishment and
sustenance” to the people.
It was out of these “fruitful reeds and rushes” in the waters that Moshe was taken and
raised to become the instrument of Yah’s deliverance for B’nei Yisra’el. He was the
chosen from among the fruitful, or the chosen out of the chosen. So, Elohim chose to
bring His chosen people unto Himself, by the way of His Word and the instrument of His
deliverance.
THE Splitting the of YAM SUF = SEA OF REED = KARAT = sign of the covenant with father
Abraham. -- God Continues to work out His promise to the father of faith.
“ will give the land of promise to your descendants ( children of israel) abraham’s seeds (
gentiles grafted in).
Heb 11:10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose
architect and builder is God. ( symbolical of the promiseed land)
Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 6

Deut 32:39 See now that I, I am He, and other
elohim are nothing against Me. I kill, and I
preserve alive. I wound and I heal, and there is
no deliverer from My hand.
Deut 32:39 …., At walang dios sa akin: Ako'y
pumapatay, at ako'y bumubuhay; Ako'y ang
sumusugat, at ako'y ang nagpapagaling: At
walang makaliligtas sa aking kamay.
10

Isa 45:5 I am YAHWEH, and there is none else; there is no
Elohim except Me. I will clothe you, though you do not know
Me,
Isa 45:6 that they may know from the rising of the sun, and
to its going down, that there is none besides Me; I am
YAHWEH, and there is none else;
Isa 45:7 forming light, and creating darkness; making peace,
and creating evil.
I, YAHWEH, do all these things.
( everything comes from YHVH ELOHYM)
BLESSINGS AS WELL AS CURSES COMES FROM
YOU, TO DO US GOOD IN THE END. *
11

( everything comes from YHVH ELOHYM)
BLESSINGS AS WELL AS CURSES COMES FROM GOD, TO
DO US GOOD IN THE END. *
Mal 2:2 If you will not hear, and if you will not set it on your heart to
give glory to My name, says YAHWEH of Hosts, then I will send the
curse (Allah) on you, and I will curse your blessings. And indeed, I have
cursed it, because you are not setting it on your heart. ( CONTEX:
TITHES WERE CURSED)
Mal 2:2 …., sabi ng Panginoon ng mga hukbo, magpapasapit nga
ako ng sumpa sa inyo, at aking susumpain ang inyong mga
pagpapala; oo, akin na silang sinumpa, sapagka't hindi ninyo
inilagak sa inyong puso.
Prov 10:22 The blessing of YAHWEH, it makes rich, and he adds no pain
(sorrow) with it.
Pro 10:22 Ang pagpapala ng Panginoon, ay nagpapayaman, at hindi
niya idinadagdag ang kapanglawan.
( ANG BLESSINGS/ PERA PAG HINDI NAG OBEY SA
COMMANDMENTS NI YAHWEH ma CURSE !)
GOD CANNOT ME MOCKED ! WE REAP WHAT WE SOW!
7 LAW OF THE HARVEST ( biblical principle)

Jer 2:13 For My people have done two evils: they
have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, to
hew out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that
can hold no water.
Mayim Chayim = ‫ִם‬‫י‬ ַ‫מ‬‫ים‬ִ‫יּ‬ ַ‫ח‬
John 4:14 But everyone who drinks from the waters
that I give to him will not thirst forever. But those
waters that I give to him will become in him a
spring of water that will spring up into life that is
eternal.
14

Note that when the middle letter of the alphabet, the Mem, is
placed in between these two letters ("aleph-mem-tav"), you have
the word Emet,meaning "truth." The Mem derives its name
from mayim, the Hebrew word for "water," and thus represents the
fluid transition of history from the beginning to the end.3
The Mem also has a numerical value of forty, a number symbolic of
a time of testing, proving, development and judgment.
For instance:
Forty Sa'ah of water in a mikvah (immersion tank)
Forty days of the flood of Noah's time
Forty days on the mountain for Moses
Forty years in the desert for the Israelites
Forty days for a human embryo to take on a recognizable human
form
Forty days of Yeshua being in the Wilderness
"Forty less one" being the number of the punishment of stripes;
categories of work forbidden on the Sabbath, and weeks of a
pregnancy
Forty cubits being the height of the entrance to the Sanctuary of the
Temple
16

of Reeds
17
MOSES MEDIATOR of SINAI COVENANT
YESHUA MEDIATOR OF A BETTER COVENANT – STILL
INCLUDES TORAH HEBREW 8 - 10

YESHUA THE GLORY OF YHVH
Revelation 1:7 7 Behold, he comes with the clouds, and
every eye shall see him whom they have pierced (every
eye shall see him, even those who did pierce him), and
all the tribes of the land [shall] wail because of him
shall. Yes! Amen!
Clouds (anan ‫ענן‬)
The Clouds of Glory are associated with the Feast of
Sukkot (Tabernacles), which holds enormous Messianic
significance. For instance, in Matthew 17:4, Peter
wanted to build "tabernacles" when he saw Yeshua,
Moses and Elijah. Also, in Matthew 21:8, the people
laid down "branches" in front of Yeshua, welcoming
Him as Messiah. (Branches called "the Lulav" are a key
part of Sukkot.) The Tenakh tells us that Sukkot will be
celebrated by all of the nations in the Millennial
Kingdom (Zechariah 14:16-19). 19

The link between the Heavenly Clouds and
Sukkot:
Sukkot observances in general are related to the Clouds of
Glory. Besides the physical benefit of providing shelter and
protection, these Clouds also provided an important spiritual
benefit. Just as these Clouds caused Israel to be set apart, and
elevated physically, they likewise were responsible for the
transmission of the Essence of illumination that made them
unique. As a result, they were differentiated from all peoples
and literally elevated and removed from the physical world
itself ... This is the Light of holiness, transmitted by God which
surrounds every righteous man of Israel, distinguishing him
from all other individuals, and raising and elevating him above
them all. This is the concept that is renewed every Sukkos
through the sukkah itself .1
21

SUKKOT AND AGRICULTURE FARMING
Isaiah. 30:23 Then He will give you rain for the
seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread
from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and
plenteous; on that day your livestock will graze in a
roomy pasture.
23 At Siya ay magbibigay ng ulan sa iyong binhi,
na iyong hahasikan ang lupa; at ng pagkaing
bunga ng lupa, at magiging mataba at sagana.
Sa araw na yaon ay manginginain ang iyong
mga hayop sa mga malaking pastulan.
* MLTC BINAYOYO FARM BEGINNING OF BLESSINGS !
22

The idea of Messiah coming on the clouds is found
in the; Tenakh, the "New Testament,"
We find the following in Scripture:
Daniel 7:13 - I was seeing in the visions of the night,
and lo, with the clouds of the heavens as a son of
man was [one] coming, and unto the Ancient of
Days he hath come, and before Him they have
brought him near.
Matthew 24:30 - Then the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the
earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory.
23

Matthew 26:64 - Yeshua said to him, "It is as you
said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will
see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the
Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Acts 1:9- 11 - Now when He had spoken these
things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a
cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they
looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand
gazing up into heaven? This same Yeshua, who was
taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like
manner as you saw Him go into heaven." 24

In the following passage from Talmud, the sages saw that the
Tenakh contained what appeared to be a contradiction. One
the one hand, Messiah would arrive triumphantly on the
clouds, on the other hand, lowly on a donkey. The
conclusion was that if Israel merited it, he would come on
the clouds, but if they failed, he would come on a donkey:
Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 98a - R. Alexandri said: R. Joshua b.
Levi pointed out a contradiction. it is written, in its time [will
the Messiah come], whilst it is also written, I [the Lord] will
hasten it! — if they are worthy, I will hasten it: if not, [he will
come] at the due time. R. Alexandri said: R. Joshua opposed
two verses: it is written, And behold, one like the son of man
came with the clouds of heaven whilst [elsewhere] it is
written, [behold, thy king cometh unto thee . . .] lowly, and
riding upon an ass! — if they are meritorious, [he will come]
with the clouds of heaven; if not, lowly and riding upon an
ass.
*** Messiah will come regardless of whether His people
merit it or not. 25

29
HE REVEALED HIMSELF THRU HIS
LAWS
IN ORDER TO ENTER INTO A
COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH
HIM WITH HIS HOLINESS
HIS LAWS/TORAH ARE HIS VERY
ESSENCE ( HOLY SPIRIT)

Rev. 1:12 And I did turn to see the voice that did speak with
me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lamp-stands,
"See the Voice"
Note that John does not say he turned to see who spoke, or
from where voice came. Rather, he says he turns to see the
voice. How does one see a voice? The same question may be
asked regarding the events of Mt. Sinai, as read about in the
Torah:
Exodus 20:18-19 - And all the people are seeing the voices, and
the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount
smoking; and the people see, and move, and stand afar off, and
say unto Moses, `Speak thou with us, and we hear, and let not
God speak with us, lest we die.‘
Mat 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud
overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said,
"This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen
to Him!"
The connection between John's vision and that at Mount Sinai will
be elaborated on in this study. 30

And Yithro, the priest of Miḏyan, Mosheh’s father-in-law, heard of all that
Elohim had done for Mosheh and for Yisra’ĕl His people, that ‫יהוה‬ had
brought Yisra’ĕl out of Mitsrayim. (Exodus 18:1)
In this week's parashat, Yitro ("Jethro") visits Moses at the "Mount of God",
Mount Sinai. Jethro means "excellence" or "eminence". He was also called
Reuel, meaning "friend of God", which may have been a personal name. He
was Zipporah's father, and hence Moses' father-in-law who cared for Moses’
family and kept them safe while Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Scripture emphasizes the fact that Jethro was
Moses’ father-in-law twelve times in this chapter
alone.
Could it be that by this repetition Yahweh wanted us
to understand “in-law” to mean that Jethro was
“in-covenant” and that he put His faith in the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, meaning he followed
and obeyed ‫’יהוה‬s commandments?
***This would have been a huge transformation for the former
Midianite priest. 31

The father of the Midianites was Midian, a son of Avraham by
Keturah, his wife, after Sarah died. So, as a Midianite, Yithro was
seed of Abraham; but, not “according to the promise” as from
Isaac. ( rabbi simon altaf of great britain UK – evangelising
muslim using torah and is succesfull in UK)
Yithro was just four generations from Abraham. And, as
Abraham would have taught his children the ways of ‫;יהוה‬ by the
time Yithro came along, he would have understood Who ‫יהוה‬ is.
Yah chose and ordained Yithro for his relationship with Moses
and the wise and righteous counsel he would give Moses. And,
in this choosing, ‫יהוה‬ provided for Yithro’ s redemption, and that
of his house. As a “Priest of Midian”, Yithro would have led and
administered worship there. According to Scripture, Midianites
worshipped many mighty ones, including their most powerful
mighty one, “ba‟al pe‟or” (lord of light – a sun deity). The rabbis
teach that Yithro had understanding regarding many pagan gods.
So, why was he given ‫יהוה‬righteous wisdom? 32

Jethro was the family priest and a leader of the Midianites, a people
who had originated from Midian, a son of Abraham. This made Moses
and Jethro distant cousins.
But with just a little study, we see another meaning for this word.
“Kohen”, while Hebrew, has cognitive words from cultures all over the
ancient Middle East, like “kahin” or “kahn” in Arabic cultures and
dialects. On one hand, we see ongoing references to “priest”;
- but on the other hand, we see that this word also refers to “king” or
“ruler”. The ancient Arabic rulers were often referred to as
“priests”. History teaches that Yithro was the “Ruler of Midyan”.
- Rashi‟s commentary on these verses indicates that, while he lived
amidst wealth and comfort, Yithro was prepared to journey into the
desert to hear the words of the Torah.
The name Yitro (Jethro), comes from the Hebrew root yeter, meaning
abundant or exceedingly abundant.
*** God is able to do exceedingly abundantly (yeter) more than we
could ever ask or think or imagine! (Ephesians 3:20)
33

And Mosheh sent off his father-in-law, and he went away to his own
land. (Exodus 18:27)
In the next chapter, we read that the Children of Israel receive the
revelation of the Torah, but first, we are going to read that, Moses
sends his father in-law away in verse 27.
- However, rabbis and Hebrew scholars teach that Yithro was in fact
present for the revelation of the Torah? Well, we need to remember
this principal; that time does not exist in Torah.
- All the events that happened and commands that were given from
Exodus 18 through Numbers 10:32, including the whole book of
Leviticus were part of that one year at Sinai as one event. As we
read in And Mosheh said to Ḥoḇaḇ, the son of Reʽuw’ĕl the
Miḏyanite, Mosheh’s father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place
of which ‫יהוה‬ said, ‘I give it to you.’ Come with us, and we shall do
good to you ..“And it shall be, when you go with us, then it
shall be that whatever good ‫יהוה‬ does to us, the same we
shall do to you.” (Numbers 10:29-32)
It is here that Yithro and his family return to Midian and his son Hobab
agrees to remain with Moses and the Children of Israel, and come into
the Land with them.
34

Php 2:5-12
(5) Let this mind be in you, which mind was also in Messiah
Yehshua,
(6) who existed in the very form of Elohim, thought it not robbery
to be the equal with Elohim,
(7) but emptied Himself, taking the image of a servant, having
become in the image of the sons of men
(8) and being found in form like a man, He humbled Himself, having
become obedient until death, even the death of a torture stake.
(9) For this reason also, YAHWEH highly exalted Him and gave Him
a name above every name,
(10) that at the name of Yeshua "every knee should bow," of those
in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth,
(11) and "every tongue should confess" that Yeshua Messiah is
YAHWEH, (the Son) to the glory of YAHWEH His Father. (Isa. 45:23)
(12) So then, my beloved, even as you always obeyed, not as in my
presence only, but now much rather in my absence, work out your
salvation with fear and trembling,
40

.
44
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one having part in the first resurrection. The
second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of YAHWEH and
of His Messiah, and will reign with Him a thousand years

The first five commandments deal with our relationship with God. The
second five deal with our relations with our neighbour.
The rabbis say that all 613 principles can be found in the Ten prophetic
statements given at Mount Sinai. Understanding ‫יהוה‬’s teaching and
instruction for marriage and obeying them consecrates the Bride as
she enters her walk of redemption, bringing her toward holiness,
ready, without spot or wrinkle, to her Bridegroom on His wedding day.
Note: Lest one recoil at the thought of having to keep 613
commandments of the Torah please be advised of the fact that there
are approximately 1050 commandments in the Apostolic Scriptures
(New Testament)!
55

NOWHERE in the Hebrew Scriptures will you find the phrase
“Ten Commandments”:
• And he was there with ‫יהוה‬ forty days and forty nights. He
did not eat bread and he did not drink water. And He wrote
on the tablets the Words of the covenant, the Ten Words.
(Exodus 34:28)
• “And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing,
the Ten Words, which ‫יהוה‬ had spoken to you in the
mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the
assembly. Then ‫יהוה‬ gave them to me, (Deuteronomy 10:4)
“Words” and “Statements” are somehow more comforting
terms than “Commandments” and fit perfectly with the
meaning of the word “Torah” which is “Instructions” and not
“Law”. 56

And Ḥeḇer the Qĕynite, of the children of Ḥoḇaḇ the father-in-law of
Mosheh, had separated himself from the Qĕynites and pitched his tent
near the terebinth tree at Tsaʽanayim, which is beside Qeḏesh.
(Judges 4:11)
We see that Yithro becomes a convert, along with his son Hobab.
And, even though Yithro (Re‟uwel) returns to the land of his birth,
his son goes on to sojourn with Israel and inherit the Land of
Promise.
The name “Hobab” (Chet-bet-bet) means “cherished” or literally
“whom I have loved”. And, the numeric value of the letters in Hobab is
12 which equals “abadah” or “he who was lost”, Elohim indeed “loves
he who was lost”.
It‟s also interesting that 12 is the numeric value of the word
“dagah” which is “fish”. Fish are a metaphor in Scripture for the
Kingdom of Israel.
63

Torah teaches us the same lesson; that there is one Torah
for all Israel and the “stranger” who sojourns with Israel,
according to Exodus 12:49, Leviticus 18:26 & 19:33-34 and
Number’s 15:15-16 and numerous other verses.
Torah speaks of the “stranger” who sojourns with Israel 70
times and how HaShem loves him and how all Israel is to
love him also. In fact, the first verses devoted to this we
read last week,
as the Children of Israel were leaving Egypt, heading into
the wilderness, in Exodus 12:43-49 And ‫יהוה‬ said to Mosheh
and Aharon, “This is the law of the Passover: No son of a
stranger is to eat of it, but any servant a man has bought
for silver, when you have circumcised him, then let him eat
of it. ..“All the congregation of Yisra’ĕl are to perform it.
“And when a stranger sojourns with you and shall perform
the Passover to ‫,יהוה‬ let all his males be circumcised, and
then let him come near and perform it, and he shall be as
a native of the land. But let no uncircumcised eat of it.
“There is one Torah for the native-born and for the stranger
who sojourns among you.”
64

It is fitting that the parshah which tells of the Giving of
the Torah at Mount Sinai is named after Yitro (Jethro),
Moses' father-in-law -- a convert as all those who
witnessed the Giving of the Torah were "converts".
Thus (as noted in the commentary on Parshas SHEMOS) the
Covenant at Sinai was accompanied by the three components
of conversion: circumcision (Rashi on Ex.12:6), ritual immersion
in the waters of the Mikveh (Ex. 19:10) and burned offerings
(Ex. 24:5).
For before G-d, we are all converts -- GERIM, dwellers‟ in a
land and on an earth that is not ours but G-d's.
We are all here only by the grace of G-d, utterly dependent
upon His kindness and compassion”.
Rabbinic commentary 65

and her two sons, of whom the name of one was Gĕreshom, for he
said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land,” and the name of
the other was Eliʽezer, for he said, “The Elohim of my father was my
help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.” (Exodus 18:3-4)
Moses sons:
• “Gereshom” is from the root word “ger” and
means “foreigner”, “stranger” or “convert”,
whose whole name means “one in exile”.
• “Eliezer” literally means “El is my help”.
In naming his sons, Moshe acknowledges that he
was also a “sojourner” or “ger” and that it
was HaShem who called him out and brought
about all the events of his life, and the deliverance
of Israel.
66

We are all “converts” before Him. The term “ger
toshav” for “stranger who sojourns”. “Toshav ‫ּת‬‫ׁשב‬
” comes from the same root as “teshuva” or “to
repent” or “turn back” to Elohim. As we read through
Genesis we kept seeing the words “stranger” and “sojourner” with
regard to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In fact, they appear 14 times in
Genesis alone in reference to our forefathers and their seed. We are
all “ger” or “sojourners” in a land that isn’t ours; but HaShem‟s. We
have all come to be “ger toshav”, or “converts” by His “chesed”
(“loving kindness” or “mercy”) and “chen” (“favor” or “grace”).
Why? Because, that way no one can claim that the Torah belongs to them
by birthright or through ancestral merit. As Elohim chose the Children of
Israel to receive the revelation of Torah and to bring the Torah and
Elohim’s wisdom to the rest of the world, He made sure to include those
sojourning with Israel, including Yithro and his family. In Elohim, there is no
room for pride or arrogance.
WHY WAS TORAH GIVEN in THE WILDERNESS?
BAMIDBAR 67

WHY WAS TORAH GIVEN in THE WILDERNESS? ‫ר‬ ַ‫בּ‬ ְ‫ד‬ ִ‫מ‬ ְ‫בּ‬
YESHUA IS THE WORD (DAVAR in the WILDERNESS)
68
Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him,
and out of Egypt, I called My Son.
Mat 2:14 And rising up, Joseph took along the child
yeshua and His mother by night and withdrew into
Egypt. 15 And he was there until the end of Herod, that
might be fulfilled that spoken by YAHWEH through the
prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I have called My Son."
(Hos. 11:1)

John 1:23 He said, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness: Make
straight the way of YAHWEH," as Isaiah the prophet said. (Isa.
40:3)
Isa 40:3 The voice of him who cries in the wilderness: Prepare the
way of YAHWEH; make straight in the desert
(wilderness/bamidbar) a highway for our Elohim.
Isa 40:5 And the glory of YAHWEH shall be revealed, and all
flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of YAHWEH has
spoken. Isa 40:10 Behold, Adonai YAHWEH will come with
strength, and His arm rules for Him. Behold, His reward is with
Him, and His wage before Him.
Isa 40:11 He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather
lambs with His arm; and carry them in His bosom; those with
young He will lead;
Isa 40:13 who has meted out the Spirit of YAHWEH, or a man His
counsel taught Him? 70

71
ADONAI ORDAINED THE JOURNEY IN THE WILDERNESS
Elohim led the people around by way of the wilderness of the
Sea of Reeds. And the children of Yisra’?l went up armed
from the land of Mitsrayim. (Exodus 13:18 )
In Hebrew it reads, “derech ha midbar Yam Suf”. Again we
have “derech” or “the path”. The word “ha” is “the” and
“midbar”, while it means “wilderness” or “deserted place”, it
also means the “mouth” or “instrument of speech”. It shares
the same root as “debar” or “the word”. It’s fitting that in
Debarim (The Words), Chapter 8, verse 3, Moshe reminds the
people of what happened in this week’s parsha.
***These are the words Yeshua quoted when tempted by
satan; “And He humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and
fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your
fathers know, to make you know that man does not live by
bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of
‫יהוה‬

Act 7:37-38 "This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel,
'GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM
YOUR BRETHREN.'
(38)"This is the one who was in the congregation in the
wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to
him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and
he received living oracles to pass on to you.
KEHILA’T BAMIDBAR = CONGREGATION in the WILDERNESS
YESHUA = ANGEL OF GOD /MALACH ELOHYM
Act 7:30 "After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED
TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME
OF A BURNING THORN BUSH 72

73
THEREFORE THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER OF YESHUA
OUR MESSIAH IS LIKENED TO THE JOURNEY IN
THE WILDERNESS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
TOGETHER WITH ALL THE SOJOURNERS ( YITRO
AND SONS) – THE REVELATION OF TORAH IS THE
ONE OF THE MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE JOURNEY.

Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand; repent ( teshuv) and
believe ( emunah) in the gospel/goodnews."
GOOD NEWS = BESORAH root BASAR ( FLESH)
YESHUA was GOD IN THE FLESH = BESORAH
Mark 1:17 And Yeshua said to them,
"Follow Me, and I will make you
become fishers of men." 74

Act 2:36-42 Then assuredly, let all the house of
Israel acknowledge that YAHWEH made known this
same Yeshua whom you crucified, He is both
YAHWEH and Messiah. (37) And hearing, they were
touched in the heart, and said to Peter and the rest
of the apostles, Men, our brothers, What shall we
do? (38) And Peter said to them, Repent (Teshuv)
and be baptized (Mikveh), each of you in the name
of Yeshua YAHWEH for the forgiveness of sins, that
you may receive the gift of the Spirit of Holiness.
75

(39) For the promise is to you and to your children,
and to all those afar off, as many as the Master our
Elohim shall call. (40) And with many other words
he earnestly testified and exhorted, saying, Be saved
from this perverse generation. (41) And some of
them readily received his words and believed and
were baptized. And there were added in that day
about three thousand souls. (42) And they were
continuing steadfastly in the doctrine of the
apostles, and in fellowship, and in the breaking of
bread, and in prayers. 77

We are all “converts” before Him. The term “ger
toshav” for “stranger who sojourns”.
“Toshav ‫ּת‬‫ׁשב‬ ” comes from the same root as
“teshuva” or “to repent” or “turn back” to Elohim.
--- We are all “ger” or “sojourners” in a land that isn’t ours; but
HaShem‟s. We have all come to be “ger toshav”, or “converts” by His
“chesed” (“loving kindness” or “mercy”) and “chen” (“favor” or
“grace”).
***2Ti 2:23-26 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing
that they do gender strifes. (24) And the servant of the Lord must
not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (25) In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth; (26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of
the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
78

Lev 24:22 Ye shall have one manner of law /torah, as
well for the stranger/Ger , as for one of your own
country: for I am the LORD your God. ( ISANG
KAUTUSAN LAMAN)
Num 15:15 As for the congregation, there shall be one
statute both for you and for the sojourner (toshav
/nagbabalik loob sa diyos) that lives with you, a never
ending statute throughout your generations; as you
are, so shall the sojourner be before YAHWEH.
Num 15:16 There shall be one law and one ordinance
both for you and for the sojourner that lives with you.
79

Mat 23:1-10 Then Yeshua spoke to the crowd and to His disciples, (2)
saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down on Moses' seat.
(3) Then all things, whatever he (Moses) tells you to keep, keep and
do. But do not do according to their (Scribes & Pharisees) works, for
they talk, and do not do. (4) For they bind heavy and hard to bear
burdens, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but they do not
desire to move them with their finger. (5) And they do all their works
to be seen by men. And they widen their tefillin and lengthen the
tekhelet (blue string in the tassel) of their robes. (6) And they love
the chief places at festivals and the chief seats at the synagogue. (7)
And the greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabboni,
Rabboni. (8) But do not you be called Rabboni (my great one) for One
is your Great One, the Messiah, and you are all brothers. (9) And call
no one your father on earth, for One is your Father, the One in
Heaven. (10) Nor be called master, for One is your Master, the
Messiah.
80

THE SAME YESHUA/JESUS THAT TOLD US TO:
RIGHTEOUSNESS = TZEDEKAH GOOD WORKS ( KEEPING
MITZVAH COMMANDMENT
RIGHTEOUSNESS = TZEDAKAH ( GIFTS TO GOD AND CHARITY TO THE
POOR ORPHANS AND NEEDY PEOPLE (WIDOW)
Mattthew6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.
Psalm 119:164 Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your
righteous ordinances. – King David
Deut 6:23 He brought us out from there in order to bring us in,
to give us the land which He had sworn to our
fathers.' 24 "So the LORD commanded us to observe all these
statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our
survival, as it is today. 25 "It will be righteousness for us if we are
careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God,
just as He commanded us.
81

YESHUA’s REFORMED INTERPRETATION OF THE TORAH IS THE REAL
HALACHAH – THE WAY TO FOLLOW OR IMITATE ON HOW A
COMMANDMENTS SHOULD BE OBSERVED.
Matthew 15:3-6 And He answered and said to them, "Why do you
yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your
tradition? …And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake
of your tradition.
Mat 5:17 Do not think that I came to annul the Torah or the Prophets; I
did not come to annul, but to fulfill. ( to correctly interpret the torah)
Mat 5:18 Truly I say to you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, in
no way shall one yod or one stroke pass away from the Torah until all
comes to pass. 19 Therefore, whoever loosens one of these
commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called
the worst in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever does and teaches
them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I say to you, If your righteousness (tzedakah) shall not
exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the
kingdom of YAHWEH, never! ( A CALL OF HIGHEST TORAH OBSERVANCE)
82

RIGHTEOUSNESS = TZEDEKAH GOOD WORKS ( KEEPING
MITZVAH COMMANDMENT
GREEK MINDSET = INTERPRETATION BASED ON TRADITIONS OF MEN.
IS HUMANISTIC
– FALSE IDEOLOGIES AND ASSUMPTION THAT DELIBERATELY CHANGES
THE 'ORIGINAL” MEANING OF BIBLICAL TEXT ACCORDING TO HOW
THE ORIGINAL AUTHORS DEFINE THEM IN THE DAYS OF THE TANAKH
AND IN THE FIRST CENTURY.
NO MATTER HOW SINCERE THE INTENTIONS MAYBE. YET IT COME
OUT SHORT OF THE REAL MESSAGE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.
MAKES THE BIBLE COMMON NOT HOLY WHEN WE INTERPRET IT
ACCORDING TO OUR MODERN WAY OF THINKING.
83

OUR MANDATE AS CITIZENS OF GODS KINGDOM- WHO UNDERSTOOD
OUR CALLING TO FOLLOW and IMITATE THE REAL JEWISH RABBI
MESSIAH YESHUA HAMASHIYACH
Mat 28:18-20 And coming up Yeshua talked with them, saying, All
authority in Heaven and on earth was given to Me.
(19) Then having gone, disciple all nations, baptizing them into
the name of the Father and of the Son, (20) and the Holy Spirit
teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And,
behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age.
Amen.
DISCIPLE THE NATIONS ( NON JEWISH NATIONS) WITH WHAT?
-- A NONE TORAH OBSERVANCES TEACHINGS = GREAT OMISSION
WHAT A TRAGEDY? THAT MANY CHRISTIANS DIDN’T GET IT RIGHT.
BUT NOW ITS OUR TIME……A TIME OF RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS..
84

The Word Of God is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and
training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16),
but many Christians today ignore some very important parts of
Scripture—namely, the “instructions” of God, or in Hebrew, Torah.
So, how much do you know about Torah?
-- If you’re a Bible-believing Christian, you might be
surprised to discover that you actually already believe in
keeping Torah to some degree. Indeed, the Torah (often
translated as “Law” in English) is found in the first five books of the
Bible and is comprised of God’s instructions to His people.
-- These instructions include commandments such as take care of the
poor and love your enemies; don’t lie, steal, commit adultery, etc. Most
Christians would agree with those commandments. However, the Torah
also contains several commandments that are generally ignored by
many Christians today, such as keep the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11), keep
the Biblical Feast days (Leviticus 23), and don’t eat unclean animals
(Leviticus 11). The following is a list of five reasons Christians should86

Five reasons Christians should stop ignoring these parts of Scripture.
1) Torah is all about Yeshua/Jesus.
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for He wrote of me.
But if you do not believe His writings, how will you believe my words?
(John 5:46-47)
Moses was the one who wrote down God’s instructions contained in the
Torah. Throughout his writings there are prophetic hints about the
Messiah who is later revealed in the New Testament as Yeshua (Jesus).
In fact, the Messiah’s very name is mentioned in the Torah:
The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.
(Exodus 15:2) The word salvation in this verse is the Hebrew word
Yeshua. Indeed, Yeshua’s name means “salvation” and serves as a
proclamation of His mission: to deliver us from the punishment we
deserve because of our sins. This is just one of many references to
Yeshua in the Torah. As the New Testament states, Moses wrote about
Yeshua. Therefore, if we believe the words of Moses, we will believe the
words of Yeshua. Stated more negatively, if we reject the words of
Moses, we are, in a way, rejecting the words of Yeshua.
87

1) Torah is all about Yeshua Jesus.
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for He wrote of me.
But if you do not believe His writings, how will you believe my words?
(John 5:46-47)
-- Did you know that the Sabbath and Biblical Feast Days actually serve
as prophetic foreshadows of Yeshua? Consider the Sabbath: We are
commanded to completely rest in God’s provision on the seventh day.
In other words, we don’t do on the Sabbath the things we normally do
during the rest of the week for self-provision (i.e., your normal paid
job). This is because the Sabbath day is a picture of our ultimate rest in
Christ. We can’t “work” for our Salvation; we can only trust in God’s
provision through His Messiah. Therefore, every time we rest on the
Sabbath, we are affirming the Gospel message. In the same way, each
of the seven Biblical Feast days tells the story of the death,
resurrection, and second coming of Christ.
(For a detailed teaching on how the Feasts point to Yeshua, see our
series God’s Prophetic Calendar.) 88

2) Jesus kept and taught Torah.
Most biblical scholars and historians agree that Yeshua lived His life as
a Torah-observant Jew. His followers called him “Rabbi.” He attended
Synagogue every Sabbath. He celebrated Passover and all of the other
Biblical Feasts. Furthermore, the original Messianic movement that
emerged out of His teachings continued to keep Torah throughout the
first century (we’ll discuss that later in this article). Professor of Biblical
Literature, Dr. Brad Young, Ph.D., puts it best:
“We too often view Jesus in a historical vacuum with the result
that we transpose our twenty-first century Western values and
concerns onto him. We tend to make him into a good
Methodist, Catholic, Baptist, Anglican, Pentecostal, or whatever
denominational orientation we may be. The historical Jesus
remains a Jew. His faith and obedience to his Father in heaven
had at its center the precious gift given at Mount Sinai: Torah.”

Yeshua Himself told us not to even think that He came to abolish the
Torah. He further states that nothing from the Torah will pass away until
heaven and earth pass away (Matthew 5:17-19). Interestingly, according
to Scripture, our current heaven and earth will someday pass away and
a new heaven and earth will be established: Then I saw a new heaven
and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away (see Revelation 21:1-4). This event occurs after the thousand-year
reign of Christ on earth and will include a complete end to death,
mourning, crying, and pain (verse 4). Since death, mourning, crying, and
pain still exist in our world today, it follows logically that nothing from
the Torah has passed away yet.
*** It’s also interesting to note that the word Christian literally means
“Follower of Christ.” Indeed, we as Christians are told to walk as
Yeshua walked. Since Yeshua kept and taught Torah, we believe it’s
appropriate for Christians to do the same.
Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in
which he walked. (1 John 2:6)

3) The Apostles kept and taught Torah.
Just like their Rabbi Yeshua, the Apostles all kept Torah. Commandments like
the Sabbath, Feasts, and dietary instructions remained central practices of
their faith long after the resurrection of their Lord. In fact, Yeshua’s
instructions to His disciples just prior to His ascension were to make disciples
of “all the nations” and teach them all that He had commanded them
(Matthew 28:19-20). “All” that He commanded them obviously would have
included Torah.
Even the Apostle Paul agreed with Yeshua that the Torah is not abolished; he
exhorted Christians to uphold the Torah by faith in Christ (Romans 3:31). He
even instructs Gentile Christians at the church of Corinth to observe the Feast
of Passover:
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are
unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us
therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice
and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians
5:7-8)
91

3) The Apostles kept and taught Torah.
Furthermore, we know that the disciples celebrated the Feast of Shavuot
(Pentecost), which is when they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). Acts 17:1-2
tells us that Paul’s custom was to attend Synagogue services every Sabbath,
and on numerous occasions we see that Paul defended himself against false
accusations that he taught against Torah (Acts 21:20-24 & 24:14).
Also, Paul implicitly instructed Christians in 1 Timothy 4:4-5 not to eat unclean
animals but to receive food that is sanctified by the Word of God. (The Word
of God sanctifies only clean animals.)
*** Many times throughout the New Testament we are told to
imitate the Apostles (see 1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1; Philippians
3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9).
-- Therefore, shouldn’t we imitate them in keeping Torah?
THE BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT = METAPHOR FOR TEMPLE IN
JERUSALEM
92

4) The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to keep Torah.
According to Paul, our basic human nature tends not to agree with God.
However, the good news is that we have help from the Holy Spirit to walk in
God’s ways. Paul discusses this in-depth in the eighth chapter of Romans.
***He says that our flesh (our basic human nature) is hostile to God and
does not submit to His Torah:
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God,
for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it
cannot. (Romans 8:7) ( ayaw ng ating laman ang sumunod)
This is because the Torah is “Spiritual” (Romans 7:14), and
our flesh is concerned only with fleshly things.
-- Paul says that only those who live according to the Spirit
are concerned with Spiritual things, which would include
the Torah:
93

4) The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to keep Torah.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the
Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5)
As Christians, we are to walk according to the Spirit, not the
flesh. The flesh is weak and cannot submit to Torah.
However, the Holy Spirit is given to empower Christians to
keep the Torah:
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could
not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the
righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4) 94

5) Keeping Torah is a blessing.
Many Christians misunderstand what the New Testament teaches
about the Torah and therefore consider it to be a burden, but that
is not how the Biblical authors felt about it. The only way the
Torah could be a burden is if a person misunderstands it and tries
to earn salvation by keeping it. -- That is what the false teachers
that Paul addressed in the book of Galatians believed. They
taught that the Gentiles could be saved only if they first got
circumcised according to the law:
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you
cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1)
The Apostles taught that salvation is only by grace through faith in Christ,
not by getting circumcised:
We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as
they will. (Acts 15:11) 95

Our obedience to Torah is simply the result of a transformed life in
Christ. We don’t keep Torah to be saved; we keep it because we’re
saved! ( TAKE HAYESOD COURSE)
When we correctly understand the place of Torah in our lives, it
is a source of blessing. In fact, the longest chapter in the Bible
(Psalm 119) is devoted to the joy of Torah. In that Psalm, King
David expresses the love for Torah that all Believers should have.
For example: When we consider the vanishingly small percentage
of families that still eat dinner together in our age, we can see
how keeping Torah is a blessing. Torah serves to bless families by
bringing them together once a week on Shabbat (Sabbath).
We’ve heard countless testimonies from Christian families who
have committed to keeping the Sabbath every week, and in every
case it has brought them closer together and has even restored
broken relationships.
96

Furthermore, modern science is finally catching up with God’s
Word as studies have presented conclusive evidence
revealing the serious health risks associated with going
outside of God’s dietary boundaries. It has been proven that
most unclean animals carry parasites, disease, and are
extremely high in toxicity. Therefore, Torah blesses our health
by giving us good guidelines for healthy eating. Those are just
a couple of examples of how Torah is a blessing. It’s no
wonder that Moses stated he was setting before us blessings
and curses, life and death (Deuteronomy 30:19). Just like
God’s Word says, we are blessed when we keep Torah.
What about you?We hope that this short list gave you
something to think about! Prayerfully consider joining the
Christians around the world who are returning to the roots of97

What about you?
We hope that this short list gave you something
to think about!
Prayerfully consider joining the Christians
around the world who are returning to the
roots of their faith and enjoying the blessings of
keeping Torah.
For more information on our Christian Roots,
Contact MLTC c/o broaike@yahoo.com
www.facebook.com/biblestudyhebrewgreekmindset 98

And Mosheh told his father-in-law all that ‫יהוה‬ had done to Pharaoh
and to the Mitsrites for Yisra’ĕl’s sake, all the hardship that had come
upon them on the way, and how ‫יהוה‬ had delivered them. And Yithro
rejoiced for all the good which ‫יהוה‬ had done for Yisra’ĕl, ..And Yithro
said, “Blessed be ‫,יהוה‬ who has delivered you out of the hand of the
Mitsrites and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the
people from under the hand of the Mitsrites. “Now I know that ‫יהוה‬ is
greater than all the mighty ones, indeed in the matter in which they
acted proudly, above them.” Then Yithro, the father-in-law of Mosheh,
brought a burnt offering and other slaughterings unto Elohim. And
Aharon came with all the elders of Yisra’ĕl to eat bread with the father-
in-law of Mosheh before Elohim. (Exodus 18:8-12)
How was Jethro given the understanding and insight to do this unless
he had studied Torah? After the sacrifice for his past innocent sins,
Aaron and the elders of Israel came and broke bread with Jethro in the
presence of ‫,יהוה‬ sealing and confirming that Jethro had indeed come
into a covenant relationship with ‫.יהוה‬ 100

And it came to be, on the next day, that Mosheh sat to rightly rule the
people. And the people stood before Mosheh from morning until
evening. And when the father-in-law of Mosheh saw all that he did for
the people, he said...Stand before Elohim for the people, and you shall
bring the matters to Elohim. “And you shall enlighten them concerning
the laws and the Torot, and show them the way in which they should
walk and the work which they do. “But you yourself, seek out from all
the people able men, who fear Elohim, men of truth, hating unfair gain.
And place these over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. .. the hard matters they
brought to Mosheh, but they rightly ruled every small matter
themselves. (Exodus 18:13-26)
The people needed to be shown how to be led by ‫יהוה‬ and lean
on Him for their own needs. He began to teach Moses how to
administer good leadership allowing Moses the freedom he needed.
This also facilitated a way to educate ‫’יהוה‬s people on how to walk in
the living principles themselves and learn how to discern the way of
holiness through obeying ‫’יהוה‬s Word. 101

“And you shall enlighten them concerning the laws and the Torot, and
show them the way in which they should walk and the work which they
do. “But you yourself, seek out from all the people able men, who fear
Elohim, men of truth, hating unfair gain. And place these over them to
be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of
tens. (Exodus 18:20-21)
• First, they must be able men", men of accomplishment. These people
would most likely to be wise, have a knowledge of the law, and be
able to recognize truth over error in conflict.
• Secondly, they must "fear God", the Holy One of Israel. Those who
reverence ‫,יהוה‬ will not be afraid of man, or be persuaded by syrupy
flattery or angry threats.
• Thirdly, they must be contented "men of truth" who despise the
temptations that the love of recognition and money bears. The
leaders and judges must be those "hating covetousness”
• Fourthly, these men would be "rulers of thousands, and rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens
102

This was the first formal government established for the Children of
Israel. It was practiced until the Romans drove Judah out of the Land;
although, they have been governing their worship by this principle
right along.
Israel has already begun to re-establish this governing body today:
• It starts with the rulers of “tens”. What’s a “ten”? It‟s a “minyon”
which represents the congregation. So here we see the rabbi,
“Shamash” or under-shepherd.
• Rulers of “fifties” which are in Hebrew, “Shoter‟im” or “overseers”.
• Rulers of “hundreds” which are “Shaliachim” or “Emissaries”.
• And finally, there are rulers of “thousands” which represent the
larger “Beit Din” or “House of Judgment” also “Sanhedrin”. The
Hebrew word “Sanhedrin” means “Court”, as it equates with the
“Supreme Court”.
103

In the third month after the children of Yisra’ĕl had come out of the
land of Mitsrayim, on this day they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
(Exodus 19:1)
In the third month after leaving Mitzrayim, to the day, they came into,
or arrived at, the wilderness of Sinai. They left “Rephidim” (Reish-fey-
yud-dalet-yud-mem), which means “rest” or “to support” or “prop up”.
After the crossing of the Reed Sea and the death of the Egyptian army,
HaShem brought them to a “place of rest” and gave them water. The
numeric value of the letters in “Rephidim” is 344 which equals
“la‟shoochah” or “to meditate”. Here they had time to meditate on
what Elohim had provided, from deliverance out of bondage, to
supporting or sustaining them with manna and water. Then, they enter
the “Wilderness of Sinai”. “Wilderness” is that word “midbar” which is
also “mouth”, “speech” or “words”. And “Sinai” literally means
“thorny” or “rough”. Before they would break camp and move on, they
would indeed hear “thorny words” from the mouth of their Creator
and Deliverer.
104

For they set out from Rephidim, and had come to the Wilderness of
Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Yisra’el camped there before
the mountain. (Exodus 19:2)
Verse 2 says that they encamped before, or in the face of, the
mountain. The Hebrew word here “va‟yichan” or “encamped”, is
singular and grammatically implies that they were as one camp, of one
heart, as in one person. That’ something to think about.
Can you imagine Israel doing that today, encamping anywhere as one
camp or one person? With all the bickering and in-fighting and arguing
within just this movement, let alone with Christians and our brother
Judah, it’s hard to imagine all Israel uniting together before Elohim.
But, that’s the purpose of the “wilderness”; to unite the obedient and
separate out the rebellious.
105

‘You have seen what I did to the Mitsrites, and how I bore you on eagles’
wings and brought you to Myself. (Exodus 19:4)
The eagle (nesher in Hebrew) is protective of its young. While the mother
eagle is training the young to fly, she sometimes flies under them with
her wings spread out to catch them if they fall. Likewise, God brought out
the Jewish People in such a way that He personally watched over their
fledgling attempts at living in covenant and communion with Him.
The word nesher (H5404), however, can also be translated as griffin
vulture. This vulture flies higher than the eagle, and is wonderfully
graceful in the air. This vulture is monogamous and females lay only one
egg per year. Both members of the pair participate equally in caring for
the egg, and change places every day or two.
The phrase “on vultures’ wings” doesn’t sound poetic to speakers of
English. But when one considers this alternative translation, we
understand that God, through His miraculous redemption, raised the
Jewish People as a nation to spiritual heights that were abundantly above
anything in the world.
106

‘You have seen what I did to the Mitsrites, and how I bore you on eagles’
wings and brought you to Myself. (Exodus 19:4)
The eagle (nesher in Hebrew) is protective of its young. While the mother
eagle is training the young to fly, she sometimes flies under them with
her wings spread out to catch them if they fall. Likewise, God brought out
the Jewish People in such a way that He personally watched over their
fledgling attempts at living in covenant and communion with Him.
The word nesher (H5404), however, can also be translated as griffin
vulture. This vulture flies higher than the eagle, and is wonderfully
graceful in the air. This vulture is monogamous and females lay only one
egg per year. Both members of the pair participate equally in caring for
the egg, and change places every day or two.
The phrase “on vultures’ wings” doesn’t sound poetic to speakers of
English. But when one considers this alternative translation, we
understand that God, through His miraculous redemption, raised the
Jewish People as a nation to spiritual heights that were abundantly above
anything in the world.
107

And Mosheh went up to Elohim, and ‫יהוה‬ called to him from the
mountain, saying, “This is what you are to say to the house of Yaʽaqoḇ,
and declare to the children of Yisra’ĕl: ..if you diligently obey My voice,
and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured
possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine – ‘and you
shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation.’ ..(Exodus 19:3-
6)
‫יהוה‬ tells Moses, if Israel would obey His voice and accept His covenant
offer, they would become:
1. "a peculiar treasure" (verse 5). Israel would be a precious
possession, highly esteemed and jealously guarded by ‫.יהוה‬
2. They would become "a kingdom of priests" (verse 6). Further, they
would have no earthly king over them, but Israel would be a
theocracy (1 Sam. 12:12), and they would rule the heathen.
3. They would become "a holy nation" (verse 6). Israel would be a
set-apart nation, unlike any other nation on earth.
109

And Mosheh came and called for the elders of the people, and set
before them all these words which ‫יהוה‬ commanded him. And all the
people answered together and said, “All that ‫יהוה‬ has spoken we shall
do.” So Mosheh brought back the words of the people to ‫.יהוה‬ And ‫יהוה‬
said to Mosheh, “See, I am coming to you in the thick cloud, so that the
people hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” And
Mosheh reported the words of the people to ‫.יהוה‬ And ‫יהוה‬ said to
Mosheh, “Go to the people and set them apart today and tomorrow.
And they shall wash their garments, and shall be prepared by the third
day. For on the third day ‫יהוה‬ shall come down upon Mount Sinai
before the eyes of all the people. “And you shall make a border for the
people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go
up to the mountain or touch the border of it. Whoever touches the
mountain shall certainly be put to death. ‘Not a hand is to touch it, but
he shall certainly be stoned or shot with an arrow, whether man or
beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, let them come
near the mountain.” (Exodus 19:7-13)
110

Moses delivered the message of Elohim's generous promise, with its
enticing benefits and advantages, to the leaders WHICH THEY
ACCEPTED WITHOUT NOTING THE REQUIREMENTS.
To confirm this Elohim was about to give the people a “great sign” on
the third day by coming down in the thick cloud. This is a significant
prophetic Scriptural phrase that occurs in relationship to the work of
Messiah among his people. For two days (verse 10) the people were to
wash and prepare themselves for the third day when ‫יהוה‬ would
appear to marry them in covenantal relationship.
This will also result in the people would knowing and believing Moshe
from then on. He would not have to perform any more great signs as
the only miracles that Moses and Aharon would perform in the
wilderness for the next forty years would be only to fulfil the direct
needs of the Children of Israel.
111

So ‫יהוה‬ had Moses set-apart “sanctify” the people. Most dictionaries
equate “sanctify” with “purify”, “make holy” or “make sinless”. The
Hebrew word here is “qadash” which means “to set-apart” or “make
separate”. For two days the people were to set themselves apart and
wash their clothes. Further, they were not to have marital relations
during this “setting apart” of themselves. They were to make
themselves “ritually clean” for their meeting with HaShem on the
“third day”. This is part of what we, will have to do again in our
wilderness experience. The prophet writes in Hoshea 6:1-3 about our
awakening to who we are in these last days; ‘Come, and let us turn
back to ‫.יהוה‬ For He has torn but He does heal us, He has stricken but
He binds us up. ‘After two days He shall revive us, on the third day He
shall raise us up, so that we live before Him. ‘So let us know, let us
pursue to know ‫.יהוה‬ His going forth is as certain as the morning. And
He comes to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.’
(Hosea 6:1-3)
112

And all the people answered together and said, “All that ‫יהוה‬ has
spoken we shall do.” So Mosheh brought back the words of the people
to ‫.יהוה‬ (Exodus 19:8)
The commandments became the Israelite’s mission statement. This
was a unifying document that gave them a shared purpose. And it is a
shared purpose that defines community. Couples, families,
congregations, businesses, sports teams, all thrive when rallying
around a shared purpose or a goal.
At Mount Sinai, the people have agreed to do…shema, all that ‫יהוה‬ has
spoken. They are of one heart and they are eager to enter into this
covenant with the One who has delivered them. Shemot 19:8 says that
the people answered “together.” That Hebrew word is “yachdav” and
its root is “yachad” which means “united.” These words are also
related words to “echad” which means “one.”
-- Unity is the perfect will of the Father, and we need to work
towards this vision: Where there is no vision, the people are let loose,
But blessed is he who guards the Torah. (Proverbs 29:18)
113

The first century believers were very community oriented as they
shared life together:
And they were continuing steadfastly in the teaching of the emissaries,
and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.
And fear came upon every being, and many wonders and signs were
being done through the emissaries. And all those who believed were
together, and had all in common, and sold their possessions and
property, and divided them among all, as anyone might have need. And
day by day, continuing with one mind in the Set-apart Place, and
breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness
and simplicity of heart, praising Elohim and having favour with all the
people. And the Master added to the assembly those who were being
saved, day by day. (Acts 2:42-47)
It is pointed out that the people were of one heart and mind:
And the group of those who believed were of one heart and one
being. And no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had all in common. (Acts 4:32)
114

People congregated in homes as evidenced by Rav Paul in his personal
greetings at the end of Romans:
Greet Priscilla and Aqulas, my fellow workers in Messiah ‫,יהושע‬ who
risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but
also all the assemblies of the gentiles (Romans 16:3-4)
The Gospel of Messiah ‫יהושע‬ thrived under these conditions of
community. The people had a common vision of spreading the good
news of the resurrection and of being obedient to the Torah. This is “the
conduct worthy of the Gospel of Messiah”:
Only, behave yourselves worthily of the Good News of Messiah, in order
that whether I come and see you or am absent, I hear about you, that
you stand fast in one spirit, with one being, striving together for the
belief of the Good News, without being frightened in any way by those
who oppose, which to them truly is a proof of destruction, but to you of
deliverance, and that from Elohim. (Philippians 1:27-28)
Our vision should be no different today not forgetting our “first love”:115

And it came to be, on the third day in the morning, that there were
thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain. And the
sound of the ram’s horn was very loud, and all the people who were in
the camp trembled. And Mosheh brought the people out of the camp
to meet with Elohim, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. And
Mount Sinai was in smoke, all of it, because ‫יהוה‬ descended upon it in
fire. And its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and all the
mountain trembled exceedingly. And when the blast of the ram’s horn
sounded long and became louder and louder, Mosheh spoke, and
Elohim answered him by voice. And ‫יהוה‬ came down upon Mount Sinai,
on the top of the mountain. And ‫יהוה‬ called Mosheh to the top of the
mountain, and Mosheh went up. And ‫יהוה‬ said to Mosheh, “Go down,
and warn the people, lest they break through unto ‫יהוה‬ to see, and
many of them fall. “And let the priests who come near ‫יהוה‬ set
themselves apart too, lest ‫יהוה‬ break out against them.” ..(Exodus
19:16-25)
116

‫יהוה‬ stipulated a three-day consecration time for the Bride before she
came to meet her Betrothed at the Mountain of ‫יהוה‬ . As in a wedding,
the bride makes herself ready. She changes her clothes and washes
herself before putting on clean clothes. This is called a mikvah and is
for a change of status. On the third day a very long blast was heard and
a cloud covered the mountain. The cloud covering became
the chuppah or covering under which ‫יהוה‬ came out to meet His bride.
And when the Day of the Festival of Weeks had come, they were all
with one mind in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from the
heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where
they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided tongues, as of
fire, and settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the
Set-apart Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit
gave them to speak. (Acts 2:1-4)
Thundering’s, fire and tongues of various languages occurred at both
Shavuot at Sinai and Pentecost at Jerusalem.
117

And Elohim spoke all these Words, saying, (Exodus 20:1)
It is here that HaShem Himself gives the “Ten Words” or “Ten
Commandments”, the “Ketubah”. The backbone of Torah, the
explanation of the two greatest commands, Love HaShem and Love
your neighbour as yourself. The people heard all ten from ‫יהוה‬ Himself.
Sages proclaim that the universe became hushed, soundless when ‫יהוה‬
spoke.
When the Holy One, blessed be He, presented the Torah at Sinai, not a
bird chirped, not a fowl flew, not an ox lowed, not an angel ascended,
not a seraph proclaimed Holy. The sea did not roll and no creature
made a sound. All of the vast universe was silent and mute. It was then
that the Voice went forth and proclaimed, 'I AM YHVH your
ELOHIM!' (Shemos Rabbah 29:9). When God revealed Himself to Israel,
the world fell silent [holding its breath, so to speak], because this
moment was pivotal not only to Israel but to all creation; had Israel not
accepted the Torah, the universe would have come to an end [see
Shabbos88a] (The Chemosh. Stone edition. page 406). 118

“I am ‫יהוה‬ your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of
the house of slavery. (Exodus 20:1-2)
The Ten Commandments, begins with an unusual four-letter word: “Anochi”.
Verse 2 begins in the Hebrew with; “Anochi ‫יהוה‬ Elohecha…” or literally, “I ‫יהוה‬
your Elohim brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of
slavery”. There is no “who” in the Hebrew. The word “Anochi” means “I”. But,
“ani” is the common Hebrew pronoun for “I.” So, why did HaShem use
“Anochi”?
The letters, Aleph-nun-kaf-yud, are an acronym for “Ana Nafshi Ketovit
Yehovit”. This literally means, “My Soul Wrote Gave” in other words,
“My Soul I wrote and Gave to You”. In what we‟re about to read, the
Ten Commandments, is the very soul (Nafshi – the personal form of
Nefesh) of our Creator King. In fact, by inscribing His very “Soul” into
His Words, we can see how these Words of His, renew our minds and
transform us.
119

NOWHERE in the Hebrew Scriptures will you find the phrase “Ten
Commandments”:
• And he was there with ‫יהוה‬ forty days and forty nights. He did not
eat bread and he did not drink water. And He wrote on the tablets
the Words of the covenant, the Ten Words. (Exodus 34:28)
• “And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten
Words, which ‫יהוה‬ had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst
of the fire in the day of the assembly. Then ‫יהוה‬ gave them to me,
(Deuteronomy 10:4)
“Words” and “Statements” are somehow more comforting terms than
“Commandments” and fit perfectly with the meaning of the word
“Torah” which is “Instructions” and not “Law”.
120

NOWHERE in the Hebrew Scriptures will you find the phrase “Ten
Commandments”:
• And he was there with ‫יהוה‬ forty days and forty nights. He did not
eat bread and he did not drink water. And He wrote on the tablets
the Words of the covenant, the Ten Words. (Exodus 34:28)
• “And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten
Words, which ‫יהוה‬ had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst
of the fire in the day of the assembly. Then ‫יהוה‬ gave them to me,
(Deuteronomy 10:4)
“Words” and “Statements” are somehow more comforting terms than
“Commandments” and fit perfectly with the meaning of the word
“Torah” which is “Instructions” and not “Law”.
121

The first five commandments deal with our relationship with God. The
second five deal with our relations with our neighbour.
The rabbis say that all 613 principles can be found in the Ten prophetic
statements given at Mount Sinai. Understanding ‫יהוה‬’s teaching and
instruction for marriage and obeying them consecrates the Bride as
she enters her walk of redemption, bringing her toward holiness,
ready, without spot or wrinkle, to her Bridegroom on His wedding day.
Note: Lest one recoil at the thought of having to keep 613
commandments of the Torah please be advised of the fact that there
are approximately 1050 commandments in the Apostolic Scriptures
(New Testament)!
123

Remember that the Ten Words are but the mighty cornerstone of the
613 commandments of the Torah. The Jewish rabbis teach that all 613
are implied in the Ten; or that the Ten can be expanded into 613. The
Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish writings contain a number of phrases
that express the quintessential essence of the Torah. One of these
best-known passages naming several of these phrases is in the Jewish
Talmud: “Rabbi Simlai said, ‘613 commandments were given to
Moses—365 negative mitzvot (commandments), the same as the
number of days in the year, and 248 positive mitzvot, the same as the
number of parts in a man’s body. David came and reduced them to
eleven (Ps 15), Isaiah to six (Isa 33:15), Micah to three (Mic 6:8), Isaiah
again to two—“Observe and do righteousness” (Isa 56:1). Then Amos
came and reduced them to one, “Seek me and live” (Amos 5:4)—as did
Habakkuk, “The righteous one will live by his trusting [or by faith] (Hab
2:4)”’ (Makkot 23b–24a, abridged, from the Jewish New Testament
Commentary, by David Stern, p. 565).
124

According to Rashi, the entire Ten Words were revealed
simultaneously, in a manner that would have been impossible to
articulate. What could be the purpose of a communication which could
not be cognitively understood? If the Almighty spoke all the Ten Words
at once, no one could possibly have even understood one word!! The
sages note that perhaps the people did not “hear” at all!! The verse
immediately following the Ten Words states:
And all the people saw the thunders, the lightning flashes, the sound of
the ram’s horn, and the mountain smoking. And the people saw it, and
they trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Mosheh, “You speak
with us and we hear, but let not Elohim speak with us, lest we die.”
(Exodus 20:18-19)
A more literal translation says that the people were “seeing the
voices.” It does not say that the people “heard” the words of Elohim.
The text says that they “saw” the voices, the flames, the sound of the
shofar and the Mount smoking. These things frightened them, and
they asked Moshe to speak that they might instead “hear” from him.
125

And ‫יהוה‬ said to Mosheh, “Say this to the children of Yisra’ĕl: ‘You
yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens.
(Exodus 20:22)
Rashi explains that when the Torah says that the people “saw the
sounds”, they actually “saw” that which is usually “heard”. These were
very unusual and divine circumstances. To “see” the glory of the Word
of Elohim with our own eyes…does this sound familiar?!!
And the Word became flesh and pitched His tent1 among us, and we
saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father,
complete in favour and truth. (John 1:14)
On the Mountain, we have ‫יהוה‬ speaking in a miraculous way in which
the people could “see” what is normally “heard”. It was a completely
supernatural experience. No one could possibly doubt that its source
was ‫.יהוה‬ 126

Writes, regarding Parsha Yitro, “The purpose of the face-to-face
meeting with God at Sinai was to reveal the existence of this spiritually
unity that emerges from the shared spiritual source… The people who
stood at Mt. Sinai perceived the soul world with absolute clarity, while
the physical world receded into the remote distance generally occupied
by spiritual matters. A meeting between the Congregation of Israel and
God taking place at this high level of spirituality clearly exposed the
spiritual connection that exists between all Jews as well as the
connection between God and Israel.”.
127

“I am the LORD your God.” — Ex. 20:2a:
128

“I am ‫יהוה‬ your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim,
out of the house of slavery. (Exodus 20:2)
Know that there is an Elohim. Don't just believe in Him; seek to know
intellectually as well as emotionally, through the design of His creation
and genius of Torah. Rabbi Noach Weinberg, zt’l, in his teaching on
Parsha Yithro, tells us, “The first of the Ten Commandments is the
mitzvah of Emuna, to believe in the one God as the first Cause of all
existence, Who constantly creates and sustains all of creation. There is
another fundamental concept that is connected to Emuna, that of
Bitachon, trust in God… The obligation to have Emuna requires that
one believe in the fundamental tenets about God such as First Cause
and Divine Providence, whereas Bitachon is applying that belief in
practice.”
129

How can we be sure that ‫יהוה‬ intended for this to be the “First Word”?
In the oldest Hebrew manuscripts that we have, including the Dead
Sea Scrolls, there is an “aleph” (the first letter, also the number 1) in
the margin. Other commandments/words are also numbered.
In the early 300’s, the Roman Church excluded the 1st commandment
and instead began with the 2nd which they also divided into two.
Because they wanted no connection between things that were
considered Jewish and Christianity. It was an anti-Semitic decision.
By virtually ignoring the First Word for thousands of years, we have
missed a cornerstone of our faith. The First Word impresses on us that
“we must know” this Elohim before we can even go on to the rest of
the Words/Commandments. First, what is His personal Name? The
personal name of ‫יהוה‬ was given to Moses on this very mountain 40
years earlier when he was shepherding sheep. Now Moses the
shepherd has returned with the Father’s flock and they will hear for
themselves His holy Name. 130

This First Word is the way ‫יהוה‬ has chosen to define who He is. Why
did He choose this description as “your Elohim who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”? Why didn’t He say, “I
am the Elohim who created the heavens and the earth?” Or, “I am the
Elohim who has ultimate power on the earth?”. What else could He
have been saying?
• By referring to their bondage in Egypt, He was referencing that He
was their covenant Elohim. The experiences they had had leaving
Egypt pointed them back to the fulfilment of the covenant promise
made to Abram. Knowing this would give them a sense of connection
with the patriarchs and the promises given to them. (Genesis 15:12)
• ‫יהוה‬ had delivered them from serving Pharaoh and now it was Him
they were to be serving (Exodus 9:13)
• He says, “I am YOUR Elohim”….your Master. He had redeemed them
from slavery in order that they might become His bride.
131

“Imagine a king who comes to a province and is not recognized. His
courtiers urge him to start giving orders, since he is a king. Yet, the king
hesitates. If they do not accept my sovereignty, he asks, why would
they obey my commandments? God faced the same question at Sinai.
If the Israelites are unsure of my existence, God wondered, why would
they obey My laws? Therefore, the first commandment concerns not
action, but apprehension. It addresses our internal sensibility, not our
external behaviour. It asks not for obedience, but for relationship, and
relationship is the foundation of the Torah.”
132

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”— Ex. 20:3:
133

“You have no other mighty ones against My face. “You do not make for
yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens
above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under
the earth, you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I ..am a
jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the
third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing
kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My
commands. (Exodus 20:3-6)
We are not to commit idolatry. This means making and worshipping
carved or molten images. We are not to practice idolatry and say it is
unto Him. The Hebrew words in Torah here are “phasal” (fey-samech-
lamed) for “carved (or graven) image”, which means “carved”,
“molded”, “fashioned” or “made”. And, “te‟moonah” (tav-mem-yud-
nun-hey) for “likeness” which is “appearance” or “image”.
“Therefore, diligently guard yourselves, for you saw no form when ‫יהוה‬
spoke to you at Ḥorĕḇ out of the midst of the fire, lest you should do
corruptly and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the form of
any figure – the likeness of male or female, (Deuteronomy 4:15-16)134

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD your God in vain”
— Ex. 20:7a :
135

“You do not bring1 the Name of ‫יהוה‬ your Elohim to naught, for ‫יהוה‬
does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught.
(Exodus 20:7)
Do not make, or cause, His name to mean, or become, “nothing”. We
are not to use substitute names or titles in place of His Set-Apart
Name “ ‫,”יהוה‬ in our prayers and intimate time.
Likewise, we are not to diminish His Name by using it commonly, as
that too is part of making His name nothing. Terms like “Adon” or
“Adonai” (Master / my Master) are fine to use in everyday
conversation. Jews also use “HaShem” in this same context. In prayer
and study, they read ‫.יהוה‬ They revere His Name to such an extent
that they don’t speak it openly. That is reverence and not a character
flaw, as some would have you believe. He specifically says that He will
not leave those who bring His Name to naught unpunished. We should
be careful in all aspects here.
136

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” — Ex. 20:8:
137

“Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart. “Six days you labour, and
shall do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath1 of ‫יהוה‬ your
Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter,
nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor
your stranger who is within your gates. Footnote: “For in six days ‫יהוה‬
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and
rested the seventh day. Therefore ‫יהוה‬ blessed the Sabbath day and set
it apart. (Exodus 20:8-11)
‫יהוה‬ is really clear here that the Sabbath is the seventh day, because
He blessed it and set it apart. Man does not have the authority or
permission to change it. “Remember the Sabbath …”? Why did he only
say “remember” with this commandment and not the others?
138

“Honor thy father and thy mother” — Ex. 20:12a:
139

“Respect your father and your mother, so that your days are prolonged
upon the soil which ‫יהוה‬ your Elohim is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)
The fifth commandment, was included among those that deal with the
honour and reverence to be shown to the Almighty. This is revealing.
When people honour their parents, "God regards it as if they honour
Him, for, as the Sages express it: There are three partners in a human
being: God, father, and mother. If someone honours his parents, God
considers it as if he had honoured Him. But if not, God says, I did well
not to dwell among them, for if I had dwelled among them they would
have tormented Me, as well" (Kiddushin 30b-31a). Our obligation to
Elohim requires us, whatever our age, upbringing, or station in life, to
show respect and honour to our parents, whether the parents deserve
it or not. Parents should be honoured for (1) their age, experience and
wisdom, (2) their care and contributions, (3) their love and affection
(4) because they are instruments (so to speak) who were created
before their children, and through whom their children were given life
and brought into the world, and (5) because it honours and extols the
Almighty. 140

“Thou Shalt Not Kill” — Ex. 20:
“Thou shalt not commit adultery” — Ex. 20:14:
141

“You do not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
The Hebrew word here is “ratsach” (reish-tzadee-chet), which means
to “break in pieces” and has the connotation of pre-meditated murder
or assassination. In all of Jewish literature, it has always been taught to
include hatred and desiring to see someone harmed.
“You do not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
The Hebrew word for “adultery” here is “tena‟af”. It is made up of two
words “ten” and “af” which translates as “giving anger”. This sin
destroys the relationship between husband and wife and it is the
opposite of loving your neighbor as yourself. It also means “idolatry”
or “idolatrous worship” as referenced in “And I saw that for all the
causes for which backsliding Yisra’ĕl had committed adultery, I had put
her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous
sister Yehuḏah did not fear, but went and committed whoring too.
(Jeremiah 3:8)
142

“Thou shalt not steal” — Ex. 20:15:
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”— Ex. 20:16:
143

“Thou shalt not covet…” — Ex. 20:17a
144

“You do not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
This refers to more than money or property. The rabbis teach, just as
Gesenius‟ Lexicon and Brown, Driver, Briggs add that this also refers to
deceiving someone, kidnapping or taking that which pertains to
someone's livelihood.
“You do not bear false witness against your neighbour. (Exodus 20:16)
This sin perverts a verdict and destroys justice.
“You do not covet your neighbour’s house, you do not covet your
neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his
ox, nor his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbour.” (Exodus
20:17)
The Hebrew word here is “chamad” which means to “desire” or
“delight in”. The connotation is that to “delight in” means also to
“fantasize about” having that which is your neighbour's; thereby,
causing you to dislike or, according to Scripture, “hate” or “loathe” that
which is yours. It creates or sets up idolatry / adultery in your heart for
whatever is someone else's.
145

And ‫יהוה‬ said to Mosheh, “Say this to the children of Yisra’ĕl: ‘You
yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens. ‘You
do not make besides Me mighty ones of silver, and you do not make
mighty ones of gold for yourselves. (Exodus 20:22-23)
The word here for spoken is “dabar” or “to have words with”, as well
as “to lead” or “guide”. “You do not make besides Me mighty ones of
silver, and you do not make mighty ones of gold for yourselves.” While
this is a reminder; it is also in addition to the Second Commandment.
Other translations read, “You shall not make with me gods of silver,”
etc. The Hebrew word used here as “besides” or “with” is “eetee”
(aleph-tav-yud) and means “neighboring” or “next to” or “with”. Also,
we do not have the word “elohim”, but “eloah” which is singular. So,
what‟s he saying? “You do not make an “eloah” (mighty one) out of
silver or gold that which is next to Me”. In other words, don’t make
idols out of ‫יהוה‬ in the image of man, or the “malachim” (messengers -
angels). I’m talking statues, pictures or any image, “phasal” or
“te‟moonah”. 146

‘Make an altar of earth for Me, ... ‘And if you make Me an altar of
stone, do not build it of cut stone, for if you use your chisel on it, you
have profaned it. ‘Nor do you go up by steps to My altar, lest your
nakedness be exposed on it.’ (Exodus 20:24-26)
Elohim prefers an altar of earth, Adam/man. We become the altar for
that which we worship, because of the sacrifices/offerings we make;
our time, energies, and the “bulls of our lips”. If that altar is stone, then
we are not to “chisel” it (put our marks on it) or fashion it with our
works. On His altar we obey Torah. Remember what Yeshayahu said in
Chapter 51:1; “Look to the rock you were hewn from, and to the hole of
the pit you were dug from.” It‟s HaShem‟s altar, not our work. We
place our “works” on His altar. We give them to Him. We do not
ascend His altar by steps. The Hebrew here is “ma‟aleh” (mem-ayin-
lamed-hey) which means “steps” or “stairs”, and also “stage”. In other
words, we,re not to ascend His altar as if “going up on a stage”. It‟s
not for show, lest our nakedness (ervah) or “shame” be uncovered or
revealed. 147

Israel as the bride and ‫יהוה‬ as the Bridegroom, it turns the Mosaic
covenant into the “ketubah” or the wedding covenant. Here are the
steps:
• We have already read of the intentions made by the Groom in the “I
wills”: "Therefore, say to the people of Isra'el: 'I am Adonai. I will free
you from ..the Egyptians, .. I will take you as my people, and I will be
your God. ..(Exodus 6:6-7)
• The bride is set apart in order to prepare for the wedding. Israel was
set apart as she was brought into the wilderness (Numbers – place of
the word) where her character was transformed. This is also called
sanctification, or the process of being made holy. For Israel, this was
to happen during the period we know as the “Counting of the Omer”
• The formal proposal: ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and
shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession
above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine – (Exodus 19:5) 148

• The bride’s answer to the proposal: And all the people answered
together and said, “All that ‫יהוה‬ has spoken we shall do.” So Mosheh
brought back the words of the people to ‫.יהוה‬ (Exodus 19:8)
• Preparation for the special day: And ‫יהוה‬ said to Mosheh, “Go to the
people and set them apart today and tomorrow. And they shall wash
their garments, (Exodus 19:10)
• The Groom comes down and stands beneath the wedding canopy
(chuppah) And it came to be, on the third day in the morning, that
there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the
mountain. And the sound of the ram’s horn was very loud, and all the
people who were in the camp trembled. (Exodus 19:16)
• The Groom presents the wedding proposal through the friend of the
bridegroom (Moses): And Mosheh brought the people out of the
camp to meet with Elohim, and they stood at the foot of the
mountain. (Exodus 19:17) 149

• A shofar blast will announce the special day: And when the blast of
the ram’s horn sounded long and became louder and louder, Mosheh
spoke, and Elohim answered him by voice. (Exodus 19:19)
• The marriage contract (ketubah) is given to the bride. It includes all
the conditions of the marriage covenant. (Exodus 20)
• The token of the covenant symbolizing its permanence: ‘And the
children of Yisra’ĕl shall guard the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath
throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. (Exodus
31:16)
Thus ended the first stage of the marriage covenant called the
betrothal. During the betrothal you are legally married to your spouse,
but you do not yet physically dwell with them.
150

Jeremiah provides us with more insights into the betrothal of Israel in
the wilderness:
And the word of ‫יהוה‬ came to me, saying, “Go, and you shall cry in the
hearing of Yerushalayim, saying, ‘Thus said ‫,יהוה‬ “I remember you, the
kindness of your youth, the love of your bridehood, when you went
after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. “Yisra’ĕl was
set-apart to ‫,יהוה‬ the first-fruits of His increase. All who ate of it
became guilty – evil came upon them,” declares ‫’.יהוה‬ ” (Jeremiah 2:1-
3)
We are also in the stage of betrothal with our Bridegroom if we are in
a personal relationship with our Messiah ‫.יהושע‬ We are legally
married, yet we do not yet physically dwell with Him. We have the
same marriage contract as that given to the Israelites and the same
token of the covenant (Shabbat).
151

The Jews say it is them. The church insists that they are the bride. Is
‫/הוה‬Yeshua a polygamist?
“This is the Mosheh who said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘‫יהוה‬ your
Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. Him
you shall hear.’ “This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness
with the Messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our
fathers, who received the living Words to give to us, (Acts 7:37-38)
“Assembly” is the Greek ecclesia which is translated as “church”. The
assembly, Israel, the church…it’s the same entity in Acts as it was in
Exodus. The “church” was not a separate entity that was “born” on
Shavuot/Pentecost as pictured in the book of Acts. This same assembly
was present at Shavuot/Pentecost on Mt. Sinai. And the “Prophet like
me” becomes identified in Acts 7:38 as Yeshua. He was the One who
spoke to the children of Israel on the Mountain. So the answer as to
who is the bride…it is all who “hear” the “prophet like Moshe” and
who “receive the living oracles” which was the living Word of Elohim
spoken on Mt. Sinai. 152

The bride must prepare her wedding dress as described in Ephesians 5:
in order to set it apart and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
Word, in order to present it to Himself a splendid assembly, not having
spot or wrinkle or any of this sort, but that it might be set-apart and
blameless. (Ephesians 5:26-27)
Clothing is a description of our attitude and actions. Those who keep
their wedding garment “unspotted and without wrinkle” are spiritually
mature before their Bridegroom. Consider these verses:
• And the armies in the heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean,
followed Him on white horses. (Revelation 19:14)
• “See, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who is staying awake and
guarding his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
(Revelation 16:15)
153

Much of what was written in the Brit Chadasha was to exhort believers
to strive to overcome the desires of the flesh, be obedient, and to seek
to grow in the maturity that would clothe them in the proper wedding
attire. It is not unlike the transformation process that we’ve seen
happening in Exodus. Now consider Rav Paul’s words:
For I am jealous for you with a jealousy according to Elohim. For I gave
you in marriage to one husband, to present you as an innocent maiden
to Messiah. (2 Corinthians 11:2)
For this is the goal:
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him praise, for the marriage of the
Lamb has come, and His wife prepared herself.” And to her it was given
to be dressed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the
righteousnesses of the set-apart ones. (Revelation 19:7-8)
154

155
PERFECT PLAN 42 Things about the Midbar (Wilderness)
1. Feasts can be celebrated in the wilderness. Ex 5:1
2. God can be served in the wilderness Ex.7:16
3. We can offer (spiritual) sacrifices to God the
wilderness Ex 8:27
4. There is questioning about eternal life in the
wilderness Ex 15:22
5. There is grumbling in the wilderness
6. God feeds us in the wilderness.
7. Our dwellings are temporary in the wilderness
8. There is worship in the wilderness
9 There are numberings (to make us feel strong)
in the wilderness (Num 1:10)

156
21. God knows of our wilderness walkings, shoes
don't wear out.
22. God provides for all our needs in the wilderness
Deut 8:4
23. God will bring us out of the wilderness
24. God sees our disobedience in the wilderness
25. We are tormented like David by our enemies in
the wilderness.
26. God protects us, as He did for David, in the
wilderness.
27. Wildernesses can be beautiful places, as Engedi
is, where David also hid
28. God's voice shakes the wilderness Psalm 29:8
Psalm 29:8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the

157
29. David wrote Ps 63 while in the wilderness
O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee
earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns
for Thee In a dry and weary land where there is no
water..
30. God shepherds in the wilderness Ps 78:52
31. God changes the wilderness into a pool of water
32. Salvation of the LORD is seen in the wilderness
2 Chron 20:16 and he said, "Listen, all Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King
Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not
fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude,
for the battle is not yours but God's. (16)
'Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will
come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them

158
33. John announced Yeshua Jesus in the
wilderness Matt 3
34. Yeshua Jesus was baptized in the wilderness
35. Jesus often slipped away to the wilderness to
pray
36. Miracles occur in the wilderness, even the
feeding of 4000 men Mark 8:4 on
37. God puts up with us in the wilderness Acts13:18
38. There are perils in the wilderness 2 Corin 11:26
39. There is nourishment in the wilderness Rev 12:6
40. The way up is through the wilderness 2 Kings3:8
41. God speaks in the midst of the wilderness
"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be
exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the
earth." The LORD of hosts (Adonai Tsavaot) is with

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