Monthly Archives: April 2026

Misvot (commandments) of the Lord 2

— The new testament vs. old testament on commandments

Matt. 5:19-20:: Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments (entolē), and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matt. 5:19:: I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law (nomos) till all is fulfilled.

It is often stated that the commandments were only for Israel. Yet let us dig deeper into the words of Yeshua. What did Abraham, the father of faith, do?

Gen. 26:4-5:: I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge (mišmereṯ), My commandments (miṣvot), My statutes (ḥuqqâ), and My laws (torah).

Please note that the commandments, miṣvot in the hebrew, is entolai in greek (plural forms). Here is a powerful verse right from the Torah. There is power in following Torah, expecially when it comes to sickness and health.

Ex. 15:26:: If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments (miṣvâ) and keep all His statutes (ḥōq), I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.

One could argue, maybe my condition was not put onto the Egyptians so it is excluded from his promises. Notice this verse also says it is he, Jehovah or Yehwey (praise his holy name) who puts the diseases onto the Egyptians. You might say it is Satan who does this or it is the consequences of sin in the world.

Remember what happened to the Philisteans when the had the ark of the covenant?

1 Sam. 5:6:: the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors,[fn] both Ashdod and its territory.

1 Sam. 5:11:: there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city (of Ekron); the hand of God was very heavy there.

Just perhaps Satan was still in heaven then so he was God’s henchman to cause evil upon people because Yeshua said I see Satan fall like lightening from heaven (Luke 10:18). The sad fact is that wherever Satan resides sickness and disease still rule upon the Earth.

Within the Torah we see the Lord speaking about commandments:

Ex. 24:12:: the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law (tôrâ) and commandments (miṣvâ) which I have written, that you may teach them

I am not going to give you every verse which speaks of commandments for there are about 613 of them. Nor should we worry about sacrifices and offering the way that ancient Israel did to atone for every sin. What I am is suggesting that Yeshua upheld the law of commandments.

— New covenant on curses for not abiding by the law

Gal. 3:10-14::
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

So what curse comes from the law? The one of doing only part of the law and not all of it.

The Torah reads in Deut. 27:26::
Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.’

— Commandments found in the sermon on the mount (Matt. 5:20-48)

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20)

Murder, Adultery, Sanctity of Marriage, Swearing, The Extra Mile, Loving Your Enemies

— The new testament vs. old testament on commandments

Matt. 5:19-20:: Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments (entolē), and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matt. 5:19:: I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law (nomos) till all is fulfilled.

It is often stated that the commandments were only for Israel. Yet let us dig deeper into the words of Yeshua. What did Abraham, the father of faith, do?

Gen. 26:4-5:: I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge (mišmereṯ), My commandments (miṣvâ), My statutes (ḥuqqâ), and My laws (torah).

Please note that the commandments, miṣvot (misva singular) in the hebrew, is entolai in greek (plural forms). Here is a powerful verse right from the Torah. There is power in following Torah, expecially when it comes to sickness and health.

Ex. 15:26:: If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments (miṣvâ) and keep all His statutes (ḥōq), I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.

One could argue, maybe my condition was not put onto the Egyptians so it is excluded from his promises. Notice this verse also says it is he, Jehovah or Yehwey (praise his holy name) who puts the diseases onto the Egyptians. You might say it is Satan who does this or it is the consequences of sin in the world.

Remember what happened to the Philisteans when the had the ark of the covenant?

1 Sam. 5:6:: the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors,[fn] both Ashdod and its territory.

1 Sam. 5:11:: there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city (of Ekron); the hand of God was very heavy there.

Just perhaps Satan was still in heaven then so he was God’s henchman to cause evil upon people because Yeshua said I see Satan fall like lightening from heaven (Luke 10:18). The sad fact is that wherever Satan resides sickness and disease still rule upon the Earth.

Within the Torah we see the Lord speaking about commandments:

Ex. 24:12:: the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law (tôrâ) and commandments (miṣvâ) which I have written, that you may teach them

I am not going to give you every verse which speaks of commandments for there are about 613 of them. Nor should we worry about sacrifices and offering the way that ancient Israel did to atone for every sin. What I am is suggesting that Yeshua upheld the law of commandments.

— New covenant on curses for not abiding by the law

Gal. 3:10-14::
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

So what curse comes from the law? The one of doing only part of the law and not all of it.

The Torah reads in Deut. 27:26::
Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.’

— Commandments found in the sermon on the mount (Matt. 5:20-48)

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20)

Murder, Adultery, Sanctity of Marriage, Swearing, The Extra Mile, Loving Your Enemies

Healing Blockers

While we wait upon the Lord for healing, whether that is instantaneous or takes a lifetime, let’s look at some items that can postpone or even stall your healing. Yeshua wants to heal us, it was a big part of his ministry while upon the Earth.

— Unforgiveness:
“AND WHENEVER YOU STAND PRAYING, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses (paraptōma).” (Mark 11:25)

King David said ‘who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults’ (Ps. 119:12). This is the same greek word paraptōma in the Septuigint. In many ways it is the unforgiveness of the heart that keeps us bound. We think ‘nobody sees this secret sin of mine’. Yet the Lord does. We all have faults and fall short of God’s standard from time to time.

According to the Mayo Clinic these benefits result from forgiveness:

Improved mental health
Less anxiety, stress and hostility
Lower blood pressure
Fewer symptoms of depression
A stronger immune system
Improved heart health

— Spiritual Oppression:
Can lead to a spirit of depression, heaviness or fatigue. Spiritual oppression is not the same as what is often called possession or demonization. Apostle Paul said ‘we are pressured (afflicted) in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair’ (2 Cor. 4:8). We need to break off the spirits of oppression. Depression in itself is not demonization, it is an attack. For sure Yeshua cast out demons and that is sometimes associated with physical healing. Demons can block healing but tend to work on the mind and emotions more than physical ailments. Notable examples are 1) the Blind and Mute Man (Matt. 12:22–24) and the Deaf and Dumb Spirit causing convulsions (Mark 9:17-29). Yeshua did cast out other unclean spirits and the result was clarity of mind and peace but not necessarily physical healing.

— Guilt (Unforgiveness of Self):
Isaiah 6:7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt [awon] is taken away, and your sin [chattah] atoned for. There is more to this story about holiness which I will cover in a few minutes.

— Sin/Iniquity/Transgression:
Chattah, which is most often translated as sin, means to miss the mark. Awon, often translated as iniquity, relates more to the inner character and points to an intentional twisting of a given standard. Pesha, often translated as transgression, is more of a willful rebellion against the given standard.

Psalm 51::
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my pesha [transgressions]. Wash me thoroughly from my awon [iniquity], and cleanse me from my chattah [sin]! For I know my pasha [transgressions], and my chattah [sin] is always before me. Against you, you only, have I chattah [sinned] and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in awon [iniquity] and in chattah [sin] did my mother conceive me.

The good thing is David did not die because of his sin. The bad thing is he paid the price in other ways. So physical maladies are sometimes related to sin/iniquty/transgression. I think the big take-away here is how sin/iniquty/transgression blocks healing. It is our seperation from God.

Is. 59:2 your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins (chattah) have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

You have been seperated from God because internally you twisted the standard.
He hides his face from you since you missed the mark.

Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked (rasha): but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Wicked = Actively doing wrong and morally wrong

Exodus 15:26 And said, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that heals you (Jehovah Rapha).

Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law (tôrâ); But let your heart keep my commandments (miṣvâ): 2 For length of days (forbearance or self-restraint, possibly rule), and years of life, and peace, will they add to thee.

— Negative Confesions:
Proverbs 18:21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Not only the tongue but also the beliefs of the heart … If you confess Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead (Rom. 10:9)

Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

— Self Doubt and Unbelief:
James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Asking for wisdom or anything from God requires confidence.

Does God want to heal me? Closely tied to self-doubt is just plain unbelief.

Mark 6:4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household.” 5 So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal (therepeo) them. 6 And He was amazed at their unbelief.

— The sin of familiarity causes many to remain ill:
The “sin of familiarity” is a spiritual concept where becoming too casual or accustomed to spiritual leaders, divine truths, or miracles leads to disrespect, lack of honor, and contempt, ultimately hindering one’s ability to receive blessings. This mindset causes people to take things for granted, causing a “red light” for the flow of grace and power in their lives. Muriam and Aaron where too familiar with Moses. She contracted leprosy, he did not, at least visabily.

How casually do you take your relationship with Yeshua? Is he just your good buddy?

— Pride:
King Uzziah contracted leprosy because he assumed what what ordained by God at the temple only for the Priests to burn incense was ok for him to do (2 Chr. 26). He had leprosy for the rest of his life. This just goes to show you that no matter how great a leader might become the sin of pride can make one unclean. There is another case of pride in the great Syrian leader called Naaman who was advised to do a simple task.

2 Kings 5:9–11:: So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed. 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.

Sometimes it is the simple, even obvious things we miss that are key to our healing. Remember, Naaman had a terrible skin disease, maybe not leprosy itself but bad enough. He also had pride, meaning he expected a big display or ceremony for healing. Do we often expect the Lord to act a certain way? Does he arrive on the scene and wave his hands and call on his father to heal us or does he just give simple instructions he wants us to follow? Remember what Samuel said to King Saul ‘obedience is better than sacrifice!’ And when the healing evangelist comes to town we want to rush to his/her service. It is not that there are not certain gifts of healing in the body of Christ so much as our attitude toward obeying what the Lord instructs.

— His suffering atonement, our sin:
This is related to Sin/Iniquity/Transgression but I want to contrast here how that is related to what Yeshua did at the cross.

Matthew 8:16 says “when the even came, they brought unto him many that were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick (therapeuō): so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities (astheneia), and bare our sicknesses (nosos).” (Mattiyahu [Matthew] 8:16-17)

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (Is. 53:4)

ḥŏlî (khol-ee’) = grief, disease, sickness, affliction, sadness, evil, or calamity
maḵ’ōḇ (mak-obe’) = sorrow or pain

(Septuigint) He bore our sins (hamartías) and suffered (odynátai) for us, and we considered him to be in pain and in hurt and in harm.

Three things I want to point out here regarding the Septuigint. One: he bore our sins, not just our griefs. The Masoretic texts tell us it is our griefs but it is more than that. Two: we often neglect the second part of this verse. It is about him. He suffered, he was in pain and in hurt and in harm. Three: Only some bible versions speak of our infirmities and our sicknesses (pains). This appears to be reading something into Isaiah not supported by many bible translators (our infirimities vs. our griefs) and our sicknesses vs. our sorrows). What we do have is an affirmation in the next verse regarding our trespasses and iniquities.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our trespasses [Hebrew: pesha, Gr: anomias], he was bruised for our iniquities [Hebrew: avon, Gr: hamartias] the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (rapha).
Note: In 1 Peter 2:24 the word healed here is iaomai

So I might be reading into this text as much as some bible translators but it appears to me that the reason we have infirmities and sicknesses is because of our trespasses and iniquities. Whether that is a personal statement or corporate statement I cannot say but I am just trying to be faithful to bible translation. Just going back to the idea of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience but is possible Matthew had a slightly different version of the Tanakh available. But what is obvious is the healing ministry of Yeshua. And it would be amiss if I ever said all suffering in sickness is tied to our sin/iniquity/transgressions. It is just one avenue to explore.

Mt 8:1–3 When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured.

Healing from leprosy is spelled out in great detail in Leviticus 13 & 14. The idea that priests would examine a leprous person so much dismisses the notion that it is a highly contageous disease because you cannot get it through casual contact. Here Yeshua reaches out and touched the man. He was firstly willing to reach out to an austracized member of society. Secondly, while making him clean it shows both compassion for the outcast and cleansing from impurities. That is, the effects of spiritual uncleanness.

I like what John said in the epistle.

1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

It is not just coming to Jesus and saying “heal me!”. It is about keeping his commandments and doing what pleases him. Let’s not forget his stringent requirements at the sermon at the mount. There are lots of blessings (beatitudes) offered for those that do and act rightly. Many just want a quick fix. We cry out “Jesus Save Me!” while never really repenting of our sins or for that matter the sins of a nation as did Isaiah.

The seraphim touched my mouth with a glowing coal and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for (Is. 6:7).

Isaiah realized he was a man of unclean (impure) lips and lived amongst people of unclean lips. We want our healing yet are we ready to say ‘woe is me’ before getting healed. Even the lepers had to confess their sins yet they had already suffered greatly. What a day and hour we live in when unclean lips seem to permeate society, even at the highest levels.

I am hoping the Lord hears your cries and moves upon your situation to bring healing, hope, and restoration. In the end it might be one thing blocking your healing or even a combination of things.

Misvot (Commandments) of the LORD

Let’s first look at what Apostle Paul said to the Romans so we can dispell any notions that Paul was against the law in any fashion.

The law (nomos) is holy, and the commandment (entolē) holy and just and good. (Rom. 7:12).

nomos (nom’-os, masculine) anything established or received by usage, a custom, a law, a command
entolē (en-tol-ay’, feminine) 1) an order, command, charge, precept, injunction, 2) commandment

For I delight in the law (nomos) of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members (Rom. 7:22-23)

It is the sin nature which dwells within each one of us that makes it impossible to perfectly keep the law of God. The law is spiritual so says the Apostle (vs. 14) yet we are in this fleshly, sinful body.

Many might point to Abraham as the father of faith and so that is what we follow, not the law contained in odinances:

Eph. 2:14-16:: For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law (nomos) of commandments (entolē) contained in ordinances (dogma), so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Jew and Gentile together, that is what Paul said. Never a split caused by Gentiles divoring themselves from Jewish beliefs and customs. Judiasm holds our roots, it upholds the law of God.

— Faith of the Patriarchs

Let’s look at a bible verse spoken to Issac when the Lord God blessed him and re-iterated his covenantal promises given to Abraham, his father. The reason the LORD gives is that Abraham obeyed God’s voice:

Abraham obeyed my voice (qôl) and kept my charge (mišmereṯ), my commandments (miṣvâ), my statutes (ḥuqqâ), and my laws (tôrâ) (Gen. 26:5)

One source I found states this verse as follows:
Abraham does hear My proclamations, and he takes care of My services: My anchors, My moral demarcations, My issuings

This suggests to me that to be part of the Abrahamic covenant and promises we should do likewise.

First let me suggest there are two nouns which preclude the requirements:

qôl (kole) means voice, sound, or noise (like the still small voice Elijah heard)
mišmereṯ (mish-mer’-reth) means guard, charge, function, obligation, service, watch so it primarily deals with what Abraham did, not the specifics of what things he did. In other words, he was a guard/sentry, one who kept watch to perform what God almighty requires.

The three nouns of requirements are:
misvot (singular miṣvâ, feminine) = commandments (See Neh. 9:13: ‘her’ laws)
huqqim (singular ḥōq, masculine) = statutes
torot (singular tôrâ, feminine) = law, direction, or instruction

I will submit to you that Paul when he speaks of the law included both the law itself and specifically the statutes. When he speaks of the commandment he is thinking of all misvot, the entirety of 613 commandments.

So we are going back to what Abraham kept. Not the law of Moses but the law laid down with the faith of Abraham.

To Jacob was declared statutes and ordinances.

He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes (ḥōq) and ordinances (mišpāṭ) to Israel (Ps. 147:19)

mišpāṭ (mish-pawt’) ordinance, judgment, justice

Comments in my referenced stackexchange source suggest that what Christ actually nailed to the cross what the dogma which is contained in ordinances (mišpāṭ). There is a parasha that is called Mishpatim (Ex. 21:1-24:18, 30:11-16). I cannot say, without further study, that all of those requirements have no meaning for the Christian for some do not apply and others are judgements on how we should live as a society.

Col. 2:13-14:: You, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements (dogma) that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Dogma can be translated as ordinances although the Septuigint only uses this word in the book of Daniel (Ezra contains the Hebrew equivalent ta’am). This still leaves statutes declared to Jacob and likely to us, as well. Remember in Gen. 26:5 it was only the commandments, statutes, and laws that Abraham followed (ordinances were given unto Jacob). Though a study of laws vs. statutes vs. ordinanances is quite involved.

— Faith in Christ means we uphold the law, not ignore it

Gal. 3:2:: his only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works (egon) of the law (nomos), or by the hearing of faith?

James 2:17:: faith by itself, if it does not have works (ergon), is dead

Notice here it is the same works (ergon) that James appears to be talking about. So instead of saying works of the law is bad it is really saying we should rather establishes or uphold it.

Rom. 3:31: Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law (nomos).

I will say this bold statement here which you can disagree with because we each have our own opinions: without christians loving and upholding the law as much as possible no mass conversion of Jews will ever happen. For the Jewish nation loves the law and some might even say they worship it. Statements like ‘Christ has abolished the law for those who believe’ will only antagonize most Jews.

Rom. 10:4:: Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.[Or end of the law, that everyone who believes may be justified]

In the next two verses Paul contrasts the righteousness that comes from observing the law vs. that which comes about by faith. The problem with our understanding here, in my opinion, is what does faith entail.

We read in Gen. 15:6 that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”. In chapter 17 Abraham circumcised his whole family as a seal of the covenent between he and God. We already covered the idea of Abraham keeping God’s commandments, statutes, and laws (Gen. 26:5). So if Abraham is the father of faith and he kept those charges given unto him, how could we possibly say we follow the faith of Abraham when we actively ignore the law?

Read what Christ himself said ‘for I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20)’. It is only by God’s grace and mercy that any of us stand a chance to get into heaven.

I am not saying here that the faith of Abraham required by Christians is more legalistic and pedantic than that of the scribes and Pharisees. For us such we would be locked into a very legalistic and ritualistic system. I am thinking more along the lines of Yeshua when he says speaks of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Prophet Jeremiah tells us he heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9)

It is the thoughts and intents of the heart that can be deceiptful. The Pharisees many times kept the law fictitously, only wanting people to honor them in the marketplaces and to keep the law out of hypocrisy and not with sincerity. We should follow the law for love of God and truth. It is the law (torah) that is written upon our minds and hearts (Rom. 2:15, Heb. 8:10). This is the proclamation of Jeremiah for believers in the new covenant.

— Supplemental Notes

In Jewish law, mitzvot (commandments) that are considered “ordinances”—specifically those without a clear, rational, or ethical reason, often viewed as divine decrees—are known as Chukkim (חֻקִּים). These statutes are generally obeyed because they are commanded by God rather than for their social or logical benefit.

Examples of Mitzvot that are Ordinances (Chukkim): Source???

  • The Red Heifer (Parah Adumah): The classic example, as it defies human reasoning.
  • Dietary Laws (Kashrut): Rules regarding permitted and forbidden foods.
  • Prohibition of Mixtures (Kilayim): Mixing certain fabrics (wool and linen) or planting seeds together.
  • Family Purity Laws (Niddah): Regulations concerning ritual impurity.
  • Ritual Defilement by Corpses: Rules concerning the impurity of a corpse and the waters of separation.

However, I would point out that the greek word ‘dogma’ only appears 12 times in the Septuigint translation of the old testament and that is all in Daniel and mostly pertains to the decrees given by the King.

Daniel himself violated the king’s decree (dogma) by bowing down and worshipping the God of his ancestors in ancient Persia. The decrees given by the king in the book of Esther were called ‘dat’ which is a word of unknown origin according to the BLB but could be of persian origin and got into later Hebrew. It is possible this word is related to dogma but is not translated that way. I cannot find a connection to chukkim so that part comes from Jewish sources.

Sources:
https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/40144/what-are-gods-voice-charge-commandments-statutes-laws-that-abraham-kept
https://www.119ministries.com/119-blog/commandments-statutes-ordinances-and-judgmentswhats-the-difference/#:~:text=We%20have%20discovered%20that%20statutes,charges%2C%20given%20to%20be%20followed.

Passover Lamb 2

Our pascal lamb, for the believer, is none other than Christ himself. We shall see here that the original intent of Passover was a family affair, not something done at the temple as a religious rite. I will further comment on how the new covenant believer is the temple and sacrifices should be outside city gates. Let’s look this week at a broader view of sacrifices, especially during Passover and how renewal of Passover is a blessing before impending judgement.

— Sacrifices during Passover

You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you; but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide (Deut. 16:5)

When it comes to burnt offerings, after the consumption of the body in fire…
The priest shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place (Lev. 6:11)

Besides the lamb (of the sheep or goats) other animals were sacrificed during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to include lambs, bulls and rams. Lambs were sacrificed twice daily in the Tamid Sacrifice as a burnt offering. This was distinct from the Passover lamb sacrifice which was to be done after the Tamid afternoon sacrifice on Nissan 14. Remember the Tamid sacrifice of a lamb was twice daily, a burnt offering and not eaten.

Also remember leaven in bread represents sin, pride, and hypocrisy. No leaven is allows as part of burnt offering (food) and for all of the feast.

Another of the animals sacrifice was the bull…
the bull of the sin offering and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp (Lev. 6:17)

Bulls got sacrificed on the first of each month and during special holy days.
Num. 28:11:: at the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish … similar offerings also during Passover and the Feast of Weeks (Num. 28:20,27). The burnt offering is a voluntary offering for unintential sins. Sins done in ignorance. It was to be a bull for the entire community. A female goat or even fine flour could be offered up by the poor. A ram was typically used for a trespass offering. That is, violations of things holy unto the Lord and for ‘sins’ against one another.

But this is not a lesson on all sacrifices Israel offered up during the year. Let look a bit on the Passover sacrifices during the future time of Ezekiel’s temple:

Ez. 45:21-25:: In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. On the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah. In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.

Being an outcast even from our own community sometimes occurs. Reading in the book of Hebrews:

Heb. 13:10-14:: We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

In this respect we set up our own camp. It includes the altar of Yeshua outside the camp of Israel. We have hope for an eternal city when the Lord Yeshua makes his abode with us and in us. We do enter into the city by way of the high priest Yeshua when his death tore open the curtain to the holy of holies. His blood was brought into the city. Some say the actual ark of the covenant was buried below Golgatha at the time of Christ’s execution so his blood did seep into the actual Temple of God. I think this is a bit of a stretch but it does highlight Christ’s role as priest.

Finally, remember that while the lambs are burnt up after the daily Tamin sacrifice the Pascal lamb is really not a burnt offering. It is taken home and roasted in the fire, then eaten that same evening in a family setting. Christ’s body was eventually consummed on the third day as it was tranformed to heavenly flesh.

— Passover renewed by King Josiah (2 Chr. 35 & 2 Ki 23:21-23)

Sometimes we forget about Passover because of other issues but we can renew ourselves and even all of society to the LORD’s feast and begin anew.

2 Chr. 35:18:: There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

2 Ki 23:22:: Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

The time from Samuel to Josiah was a space of approximately 300-400 years. The 2 Kings reference could extend this to 440 years. Unfortunately Josiah was killed in battle 10-15 years later as Judea slipped more and more into apostacy. I want to point out that this Passover, unlike any for a long time, roughly corresponds to the period of Israel being in exile in Egypt.

We too can be renewed with a reprive of pending judgement. I think President Trump is one such reprieve in modern times. Prayer in the White House is a great start. Trump has been called a modern day Cyrus. In this he needs to let the captives of Persia return to their homeland. Perphaps that is the ultimate goal of war with Iran.

The end did eventually come for Judah after Josiah. Perhaps the same fate will happen here in America after Trump. The real question is whether the Angel of Death will continue being held back. We have to properly apply the blood of the passover lamb to the door posts and lintels of our own lives.

Yeshua himself renews the Passover at the Last Supper.
1 Cor. 11:26 he says “for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Master’s death until He comes.

Remember the blessing over the bread and wine.

Matt. 26:26-28:: as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Remember, the Seder dinner was just that. A dinner. When we partake of only juice and bread we abbreviate what was the original ceremony.

Blessing Over the Wine (Kiddush)
Recited before drinking each of the four cups.

Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Transliteration: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’gafen.
Translation: Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Blessing Over the Matzah (Bread)
Recited after washing hands but before eating the matzah.

HaMotzi (Standard bread blessing):
Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ
Transliteration: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.
Translation: Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Sources:
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11934-passover-sacrifice#:~:text=The%20paschal%20sacrifice%20belongs%20to,liberation%20of%20the%20entire%20people.