“Inasmuch as Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge: My commandments, My laws, and My teachings.”
Genesis 26:5 (Torah)
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: Israel is my first-born son.
Exodus 4:22 (Torah)
See, I have imparted to you laws and rules, as the LORD my God has commanded me, for you to abide by in the land which you are about to invade and occupy. Observe them faithfully, for that will be proof of your wisdom and discernment to other peoples, who on hearing of all these laws will say, “Surely, that great nation is a wise and discerning people." For what great nation is there that has a god so close at hand as is the LORD our God whenever we call upon Him? Or what great nation has laws and rules as perfect as all this Teaching that I set before you this day?
Deuteronomy 4:5-8 (Torah)
I the LORD, in My grace, have summoned you, and I have grasped you by the hand. I created you, and appointed you a covenant people, a light of nations—opening eyes deprived of light, rescuing prisoners from confinement, from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
Isaiah 42:6-7 (Tanakh)
A very long time ago, there lived a man, whose name was Abraham. Abraham loved the Lord and the Lord loved Abraham. Because Abraham received the Lord’s favor, the Lord chose Abraham’s seed to make himself known to all of mankind. The Lord taught Abraham his law, before it was given to his descendants in writing, by his servant Moses. The Lord chose Abraham’s descendants, through Isaac, to be a light unto all of the nations. The Lord chose the children of Israel, like a first-born son, so that through them; we might become jealous if the children of Israel were favored by the Lord, when they walked according to his direction. In this way, perhaps, we would seek to know the God of Israel and thus―choose to seek him as our God too. Likewise, we were to fear the Lord and seek to obey him, when we saw the children of Israel punished for their disobedience. Like many of us who were first-born children, a member of a large household, or had several children of our own; the Lord chose Israel like a first-born son, in order to teach us how to live. The Lord wanted all of the people on earth, to know him and love him, and recognize him as God. However, the Lord did not want to force us against our will. The Lord wanted us to want him. The Lord gave us free will to choose him as our God. The Lord did this because he was seeking to build a perfect and peaceful kingdom, where he could dwell among men.
One day the Lord said, “The book of Genesis never ended,” and I was given the wisdom to understand why.
While I was living on a farm, I raised all kinds of animals. My favorite animals were the cattle, registered Charolais. They were large, beautiful, and white, and in the winter they developed a thick, curly, coat of hair. They were not raised to be slaughtered for meat; they were raised to breed a better quality of beef. If a rancher raised Angus; they bred their cattle with a Charolais, in order to breed a leaner, less fatty quality of beef. If a rancher raised Brahmas; he bred his cattle with a Charolais, in order to breed a meatier quality of beef. At one time, I had 130 head of cattle and I loved them and kept a constant record of each one of them. If a mother had difficulty bringing forth her calf or was cantankerous, I would document this. Some of my cows were so tame that if I was walking in the field, they would gingerly approach me and seek my affection. They were gentle in nature and would follow me everywhere I went, even when they were not enticed with food. But some of my animals were mean toward the rest of the herd; they were aggressive, and sometimes they would prohibit the livestock from eating. Every spring and fall the herd would be rounded up and treated. They were each weighed and given their shots, and those that required re tagging, dehorning, or branding were taken care of. At the same time, I would also cull the herd. The day before, I would go through all of my notes and decide who would be culled to which field and who would be sent to market. When a cow was sent to the stock yard, I was usually so frustrated with its performance; I did not care if I cleared a profit from their sale or whether they were slaughtered. The only concern that I had was removing them from my herd and off of my land. Once the animal was off my hands, they were also off my mind. They were literally―cut off.
In the Word of God there are many parables used in order to teach us about life and death. The Lord teaches us about the fish that were caught, but then released, because they were unworthy. Those who preach the Word of God (the fisherman), have attracted many people (the fish), but not all of them will live. They will not live, because they did not take the Word of God to heart and seek to obey his law, by truly repenting of their sins. Several times throughout the Word of God, we are warned that if we continue to live lawlessly; we will be cast into a place of everlasting darkness, and thrown into the great lake of fire. The Lord teaches us about the grass that withers, the wood burning, the stars fading, and the blind sheep slaughtered. When the Day of Judgment arrives, none of us, whether we are Jewish or Gentile, will have an excuse for the life we have chosen to live; but we will be subjected to the punishment we receive, if we have not taken the Word of God to heart, and sought to obey his laws—his way. We are all like blind lambs and we are all guilty, because so many blind sheep have led us astray; our teachers have either added to the Word of God and the laws or abolished the laws altogether. But all of the teachers were wrong. It’s wrong to refer to the Old Testament as “Old” and the New Testament as “New,” because one does not supersede the other, and it is all the Word of God. None of the laws were removed from the Word of God, according to the teachings of Jesus, for he said:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.”
Matthew 5:17 (NIV)
None of the laws were abolished and only one law was improved. The law of sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins was replaced, because it was imperfect, and had to be repeated year after year.
The Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb of God, replaced the imperfect sacrifice; by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice, once and for all, so that if we believed in him and repented, our sins would be forgiven, and we could live. The Lord came to earth to become like us, so that we might learn how to become like him, holy and without sin; by learning how to walk according to his way, and obeying the Laws of Moses. You cannot separate works and faith; you must have both works and faith, according to the teachings of James. (James 2:14-26) Then, if we truly repent, we are forgiven and our sins are washed away by the blood of the Lamb. We are saved by works and by faith and by the grace of Almighty God the Holy Father, because of the pure and perfect sacrifice that was made for us, by his son – Jesus!
Since the beginning of time, the Lord has been culling his flocks and his herds. The Lord has been carefully watching all of humanity, to see who would be willing to walk according to his way and who would not; who would respect him and obey his laws, and who would choose to live lawlessly. The Lord has been trying each one of our hearts, through life and through one another, to see who would be docile and who would be aggressive. Who would be loving
and caring and who would be hateful? The Lord knows who has had compassion for the widows, the orphans, and the poor-hungry strangers in our midst. The Lord knows who has been mindful of his servants: The priests and prophets, and willing to pay a tithe cheerfully or those who have been tightfisted.
The Lord knows whether we have been trustworthy, honest, and fair with each other; in our business affairs, and with our government, and vice versa. The Lord knows everything that there is to know about each one of us. He knows our rising up and our sitting down, our coming in and our going out. Whether in the light of day or in the darkness of night, there is nothing that the Lord has not seen. (Psalms 139:1-16)
I Myself will graze My flock, and I Myself will let them lie down—declares the Lord GOD. I will look for the lost, and I will bring back the strayed; I will bandage the injured, and I will sustain the weak; and the fat and healthy ones I will destroy. I will tend them rightly.
And as for you, My flock, thus said the Lord GOD: I am going to judge between one animal and another.
To the rams and the bucks: Is it not enough for you to graze on the choice grazing ground, but you must also trample with your feet what is left from your grazing? And is it not enough for you to drink clear water, but you must also muddy with your feet what is left? And must My flock graze on what your feet have trampled and drink what your feet have muddied? Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD to them: Here am I, I am going to decide between the stout animals and the lean. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder against the feeble ones and butted them with your horns until you scattered them abroad, I will rescue My flock and they shall no longer be a spoil. I will decide between one animal and another.
Ezekiel 34:15-22 (Tanakh)
Since the beginning of time, the Lord has been creating a utopia. (Revelation chapter twenty-one) A perfect world for you and I, where he could also dwell; however, if we are unwilling to accept him as our Lord and Savior, the King of kings, and High Priest, and willing to submit to his laws; then we will not be allowed to live, we will be culled and slaughtered and thrown into the fire. We will sow death and we will reap destruction.
