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Righteousness or Profaneness

Yirmeyah (Jeremiah) 34:15-16
15 “Although recently you turned and did what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.
16 Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each man took back his male servant and each man his female servant, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male servant and female servants.”

Apparently, a year of release had come, and Israel had proclaimed a year of release to all the male and female servants.  Everyone had let their servants go just as Torah teaches one to do in a year of release.  When they did this, YHWH looked with great favor upon them, and even commended them for doing what was right in His sight.  This was a wonderful thing to happen in Israel.

However, it was not long-lived, as these people who had become used to being served by others, did not like doing things for themselves.  They wanted their servants back, both the male servants and the female servants.  So, those who had money and power rescinded the year of release.  When they did this, it profaned the name of YHWH.  When they took back their male and female servants, it was a great evil in the eyes of YHWH. 

The shocking thing about this occurrence back in Yirmeyah’s day, is that it is happening once again today.  “How,” you ask?  Please consider some things to help understand what is actually occurring in the world today, particularly in the religious realm.

Many people today are waking up to the truth that the religion called “Christianity” does not quite measure up to Scriptural truth.  It is sadly lacking in many ways.  In truth, Christianity has many pagan practices incorporated into the regular worship and practices which it advocates.  Because of this, many people are exiting Christianity in large numbers.  This is a growing worldwide phenomenon, which crosses all denominational lines.  People are finding a new found freedom in their worship and service to Mashiach Yeshua.  It is precisely at this point that the above passage of Scripture comes into sharp focus.

Yochanan (John) 8:36 
“If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Freedom; everyone would truly love to be free.  Not too many people are truly free, because many do not like others having something they do not have.  Yet this is exactly what Yeshua promises:  freedom.  This is a freedom to do what, though?  This is a freedom from what?

First it is a freedom to worship YHWH.  This means it is a freedom from sin.  Yeshua actually makes this statement in teaching about this freedom.

Yochanan (John) 8:34 
Yeshua answered them, “Amein, amein, I say to you, every one that commits sin is the bondservant of sin.”

This principle is consistent throughout Scripture:  one cannot serve two masters.  He can serve sin or he can serve YHWH.  But one cannot serve both.  If one is the slave to sin, then that is his master and he will obey his master.  However, if YHWH is his Master, then he will obey Him.  But this is where the rub comes in.  It is not possible for a person simply to obey YHWH.  In order for an individual to obey YHWH, he must come to the realization that he is a sinner, and he must ask YHWH to forgive him.  This is done through Mashiach Yeshua as He is our kinsman redeemer and He purchased the right to redeem all through His own Blood.  It is only in this way that one may receive this freedom from sin and be able to serve YHWH.

However, man, being what he is, will often bind up bundles not able to be carried by anyone.  He does this so that others will be his servants.  Man loves to be the master over others.  It is precisely here that one finds where the religious world is today. 

YHWH, through Yeshua, is calling His people to walk in freedom before Him.  But because of man’s own lack of faith and trust in YHWH and his unwillingness to let YHWH be Sovereign over each and every person’s life, man makes rules and regulations and laws to regulate the masses.  Instead of teaching and equipping the talmidim of Yeshua, the attempt is made to legislate righteousness.  The house of Judah has done this for ages in the making of fences to protect the Torah.  However, in their eyes, these manmade regulations end up being of higher value than the Torah itself.  This is not good and is a great hindrance to those who would desire to walk in the Spirit of YHWH as one is commanded to do.

Furthermore, Christianity is not any better, in that the hierarchy of Christianity simply tosses the Torah aside and replaces it with manmade traditions and regulations.  These are of no more value than what Judah has done.  In both cases, the person is expected to keep the manmade rules more stringently than YHWH’s Torah.  Thus, both are a hindrance.

When a person comes to Yeshua and becomes His talmid, then Yeshua will not only make him free, but He will also fill him with His Spirit.

Yochanan (John) 8:31-32 
31 Yeshua therefore said to those Yehudi that had believed him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My talmidim;
32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

And,

Yochanan (John) 14:17 
“even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive; for it beholds Him not, neither knows Him; you know Him; for He abides with you, and shall be in you.”

A person has two distinct yet divergent options.  One option is that one can choose to profane the name of YHWH by laying upon others rules, regulations, fences, or what-have-you, that do not allow nor assist one in walking in the freedom and liberty Mashiach Yeshua offers.

Or, one can not only walk in the fullness of the freedom and liberty Mashiach Yeshua offers, but also allow and help others to walk in the fullness of that freedom and liberty as well.  This each one is actually called to do.

Please note this next set of verses taken from Ephesians 4:11-16 as to what each person is called to be doing with and for each other.

11 And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Yeshua Mashiach gave these for a specific purpose as stated in this next verse.

12 for the perfecting of the talmidim, to the work of ministering, to the building up of the body of Mashiach;

Each person is to help perfect one another in Mashiach.  If there is fighting and tearing at one another, how can this be done?  It can’t!  How long is one to do this?  The next verse states how long it is to be done.

13 till we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Mashiach;

The body of Mashiach is a very long ways from achieving the unity of the faith.  How is the body of Mashiach going to achieve the unity of the faith?  Will it be by legislation?  No!  It will be through the process of allowing each person to grow up in Mashiach (see Unity: A Scriptural Definition).  One does not hurry the growth of a child.  A child from birth grows at a given rate.  No man can speed up that process.  Likewise, no man can speed up the process of growing up in Mashiach.  One needs to allow YHWH to deal with each person according to His time.

14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

One of the things that is true about this movement, is the number of people who are in it for the money.  They use His Torah and Mashiach as a means to gain great wealth, not understanding that they have their reward in full.  Rather, one is to help each other, watching over each other, that no one falls into the temptation of pursuing monetary gain rather than the pursuit of being a mature man in Mashiach.

15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Mashiach;

Who is the Head?  It is Yeshua Mashiach, the Son of YHWH our Elohim!  No man is the head.  Yeshua is the Son of David who is rightly sitting on the throne of David and has been since He ascended to the Father.  Each person is to grow up into Him.  No man is to be the talmid of another man; rather, he is to help others grow up into Mashiach!

16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in due measure of each several part, makes the increase of the body to the building up of itself in love.

When one works and interacts according to His Torah and according to His Spirit, then each joint, that is, each relationship between two of His people, supplies what is needed for each and every person to be trained and equipped according to the working of His Spirit in each one person.

Matithyah (Matthew) 20:25-28
25 But Yeshua called them to Him, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
26 Not so shall it be among you; but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister;
27 and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant;
28 even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Here is the truth of this matter:  those who are to be leaders in Israel are to do so in the same fashion as Yeshua did.  He gave His life in service to others.  Likewise, those who are leaders in Israel are to do the same.  Yeshua states that Israel is not to have leaders like the gentile nations!  Each person is a brother.  No one is to have greater esteem than another.  Each is to be esteemed alike.  This is not to say that the words of those who have been serving YHWH longer should not carry more weight, for they should.  Their words should be more highly esteemed, but not their person.  This is the way it is supposed to be in Israel, but it is not yet this way. 

Ya’aqov (James) 2:4 
Do you not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Israel is not to have a structure like the nations.  Israel is structured vastly differently as all are brothers.  Is it not time that the members of the body of Mashiach begin acting like it?

One final thought.  As in the days of Yirmeyah many people enslaved again those who had been set free, so too today, this happens after a release has been granted.   How so?  If one person forgives another person of anything at all, and then later brings up to that person that which has supposedly been forgiven, he is attempting to make him indebted to him once again.  In short, he is attempting to enslave him, to control his actions.  Brothers and sisters, this is not our duty or responsibility, it is the responsibility of the Ruach Qodesh (Holy Spirit) to do this.  No man is to control another man in this fashion.  Each person needs to mature in Mashiach enough that there is no need to manipulate the actions of another in any fashion.

Are we ready to walk in the freedom and liberty Yeshua has brought to us?  Are we willing to walk in that freedom?  And even more importantly, are we willing to let others walk in that same freedom and liberty Mashiach Yeshua brought to us?

ABBA YHWH, we claim release to all, and ask no one to serve us; but we make ourselves available to serve Your people; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach.  Amein.

Shabbat Shalom
Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com

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