027 Laying Down the Law

The Watchman discusses  the fear within the church concerning the shofar, the prayer shawl, and anything appearing to be "Jewish".  He explains  how those fears are rooted in unconscious antisemitism and the Law when, in fact, those fears are unfounded. He points out why there is nothing to be fearful of but one's own presuppositions and church instituted prejudice.

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Transcript

027 Laying Down the Law

Welcome to The Watchman Speaks! I’m your host, Lonnie Richardson

I’m going to address something today that many of you may disagree with…vehemently. That’s okay, you have every right to disagree with me. I’m fine with that. However, I am not one to compromise the Word of God and when that Word is compromised, I take a bold stance against that. It’s not that I wish to express or convey any superiority of understanding or wisdom.  I am more interested in what God said than what I or you think. But I have grown weary of the church being misled by unscrupulous pastors and teachers who author books so that those pastors and teachers can make a dollar peddling what sounds and feels good. Riding a bicycle one hundred miles in a day sounds like fun and a worthy fitness goal, but when you actually attempt to do so, it turns into a different story. Also, it is my duty as a watchman to warn you of these errant teachings so that you do not wander about in a deceived state of false assurance. Whether you choose to heed the warnings or not is your decision. There will be no blood on my hands.

What am I going to discuss? Let me ask a question. Why is it that when a shofar, a trumpet, or a tallit, a prayer shawl are brought out in the church, that the church feels a sense of foreboding and uneasiness? I’m speaking of the people in the church, in America, these United States of America.

I’ve been told by pastors when I’ve asked about sounding the shofar or donning my tallit that they would prefer that I didn’t. They said, “The people wouldn’t understand it and it might frighten them.” 

No, what he was really saying is that he was afraid that some of the congregation would be offended, and they would not come back. If they don’t come back, they won’t be putting their dollars in that offering plate. 

What would they have to be frightened of? Both are documented in God’s Word. If they don’t understand or they are fearful of the shofar or the tallit, I’d say that the Pastor has not done his job.

A certain case in point occurred a week ago when I was asked to visit with a church about thirty miles away. I was contacted by a dear friend of mine who is a Messianic Jew to come sound the shofar and briefly share some things with the congregation. I agreed, and Cheryl and I made the short trip out of town for the visit. Prior to the church services starting, a gentleman approached my friend and accused him of attempting to make their worship service “Jewish”. I did not learn of this accusation until afterwards. I can only assume that this gentleman thought the same of me.

If that were the case, there are a few things wrong with this gentleman’s conclusion. First, I am not a Jew. I’m as red necked, evangelical as a protestant can be. The second thing that I question is that it seems as if this gentleman considered anything “Jewish” to be a bad thing. It was as if he was resistant to the concept of being Jewish. Both the shofar and the tallit are documented in both the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. What objections could this gentleman have to that? Because he considered them “Jewish”. That is veiled antisemitism.  

When the Pastor of the church, whom I believe to be a good man, introduced my friend and me to the church, he did so referring to the shofar as “a Jewish trumpet”. I cringed in my seat. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the shofar or concerned for that matter. He was happy that we were there. He was joyful. But he did not understand that the shofar is not “a Jewish Trumpet.” 

The shofar is God’s trumpet. We did not even present the tallit for this service because we knew that the trumpet might be accepted but the tallit would probably scare some people. But the word tallit means “little tent”. All of Israel could not fit in the Tabernacle or the tent of meeting. So, God designed the tallit so that each person would have their own “little tent” in which to meet with God in prayer. I’ll get into the tallit a little later on.

But what amazes me is how the modern, western church will absolutely begin pinging off the wall the moment that they see a shofar, or a tallit brought out. The reaction is as if you would have released every known level four disease known to man from the CDC in the midst of the church! It’s almost as if they are thinking, “Oh NO! The JEWS are invading the church!” Don’t blow a gasket fellas. Ladies, loosen that girdle. It is we gentiles who invaded the church and, I might add, made a big mess of things. 

The shofar and the tallit were established by GOD long before there were any “Jews”. That means that it was for ALL people. 

What do I mean by that?

Well, the shofar was firmly established in the biblical text in Exodus 19 and, perhaps, according to ancient Hebrew custom and tradition, as far back as Genesis 22 when Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac and God provided a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice. Abraham is the Father of the Hebrew nation, Israel, and the Jews. 

What do I mean by that?

Abraham and Isaac, and their descendants, were Hebrew. Esau’s descendants were Hebrew. Jacob whom God named Israel would be the father of the nation of Israel, who were, by the way, also considered Hebrew. Initially, when the nation of Israel was led out of Egypt, Israel was a Hebrew nation. Israel was the nation. They were a race of people known as Hebrew.

1st Samuel 13:3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba; and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 

It was not until the nation of Israel split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 975 B.C., that there were there “Jews”. The tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi of the Southern Kingdom became known as “Jews” in the biblical, historical sense. Today, anyone descended from any of the tribes of Israel are considered “Jews”. So, in order of context, we have Hebrews, Israel, ancient Jews, and modern Jews. Just putting that out there so that you know. 

So, the shofar was initiated long before there were Jews. As I already said, the shofar was firmly established in Exodus 19 and possibly as early as Genesis 22. So was the tallit in the Book of Numbers 15:37-41. People will say, “Yeah but that was for the Jews.” I remind you that the tallit was established long before there were “Jews”. At the time there were Hebrews that made up the nation of Israel.

I’m just imparting this information so that you will know. So why is the modern church so reticent in regard to the shofar or the tallit? Why makes them so afraid?

I’ll tell you what the root of the issue is. Because the shofar, the tallit, and other practices are deeply rooted in the opening recesses of the Bible, or the Torah, the Pentateuch, The Books of Moses, in ancient Hebrew culture and early history of Israel, the issue at hand is that these things leave a lingering smell and taste of…..the law. 

Most evangelicals gasp in horror and disbelief when the law is mentioned. Many have a difficult time even to dare to read anything prior to Matthew. “We’re not under the law!” they scream. “We are under a new covenant. We are under the blood of Jesus!” 

Well, they got one out of three correct, but one out of three won’t cut it.

Let’s start with the latter and work backwards to the former.

Yes, Jesus died to fulfill the law for the sake of righteousness and ceremony. Our righteousness is by the redeeming blood of Jesus and our faith in Him. We no longer have to have a High Priest to enter into the Holy of Holies every year with the blood of goats and bulls to atone for our sins. Jesus entered into the Holy of Holies not made by the hands of man ONE TIME and offered His blood to atone for our sins. 

Which brings me to the topic of grace. I’m going to say this one time so listen closely. Joseph Prince has done more harm to the body of Christ with his teaching on grace than any other person approaching the subject. “The blood of Jesus covers our sin.” “We are dead to sin.” I can agree with that in proper context. Sin cannot cause us any harm because our sins past, present and future are totally forgiven!” I can agree with that to an extent but only in proper context. You see, it’s the context of what God said, and how He said it, That makes a HUGE difference.

That sounds good. It’s warm, it’s soft, and fuzzy. It feels good. Jesus has overcome the law.

No, that’s not what Jesus said. Jesus said, in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus has not overcome the law, He has overcome the world. The worldly things that cause our flesh to desire sin and sinful behavior.

Jesus also said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until and heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Matthew 5:17-18.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all has not been accomplished and heaven and earth have not, as yet, passed away. If it has, I didn’t get the memo.

My goodness! It would seem that we are faced with a dilemma. On one hand Jesus is saying, “I can save you.” But on the other hand He is saying, “the law is still the law.” What is this? Contradiction? Not hardly. It is an indication as to how grace has been twisted into something that it is not. 

How do I define grace? Well, grace is the offering, the sacrifice that God made by hanging the Son on the cross to provide you and me a ticket out. Would you offer your son up to be sacrificed so that I would not suffer the same fate? I doubt it. That offering, that sacrifice, was for the forgiveness of our sins. Here’s the caveat. The offering of that sacrifice itself was grace in that we do not deserve the chance or the offer for salvation and eternal life in God’s presence. 

What did Jesus say to the woman when the religious leaders brought her before Jesus stating that she has been caught in the very act of adultery? Those leaders told Jesus that by law she was to be stoned. What did Jesus have to say? He knealt down and drew in the sand and said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” They all threw down their rocks and walked away. 

Jesus told the woman, “ Go, and sin no more.” He was telling her that she had been pardoned, forgiven, and to go but do not continue in sin. Which leads me to another point. Not only did Jesus die for the sake of righteousness, ceremony, but for judgment.

He reserved judgment for Himself for a later time.

Whenever I talk about the law there is always someone who steps up and says, “Yeah, but we don’t stone people anymore.” They would be correct. The act of stoning according to the law was a sentence of judgment. Perhaps we should not have stopped stoning people. If we hadn’t stopped stoning people, we probably would not be facing many of the issues that we see in our society. But that would have negated the judgment of Christ that is to come. Jesus has reserved the judgment for Himself. He is the judge, and He will judge.

I can hear the screams and howls of protest already. “But He forgives all our sins.”

Grace was conferred with the offering, the sacrifice, on the cross. Why would we ask for continued grace? How can we ask for more. Shouldn’t we, as Jesus told the woman caught in the act of adultery, “Go, and sin no more.”

“But no one is perfect!” I can hear the screams and protest continue.

No, none of us is perfect. But if you think you can continue in conscious, repetitive, and habitual sin tipping your hat and winking at Jesus when you go by…well…I wouldn’t want to walk that tight rope. One might hang themselves with it. 

What does Paul say in Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” He goes on to say that in baptism we are buried in the likeness of Christ who took our sins upon Himself and then we are raised in the NEWNESS OF LIFE.

A newness of life. Let me say this to all those who believe that they are dead to sin and that sin is no longer sinful. A newness of life? When you meet MY Jesus. You change. I don’t go along with this stuff that Steven Furtick preaches that God didn’t have to change you, that He only revealed who you were all along. No. Uh uh. I don’t buy that. When you meet My Jesus, you change.

I was once lost in sin. I was sinful. I was good at it. I enjoyed it. I had fun with it. But when I met Jesus, all that changed. I no longer wanted to sin. Am I sinless? No, I can’t tell that lie. Do I sin less? A whole lot less than I once did and when I recognize sin in my life, I repent and turn away from it. But that’s the key. You recognize your sin, you turn away from that sin, you repent, and you “sin no more.”

Hebrews 10:26-30   For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”

“The fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries”? Vengeance is Mine, I will repay”? “The Lord will judge His people”? Those are quotes from the Old Testament. And for what will the Lord Judge His people, repay and exact vengeance? 

On those who go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, for whom there is no sacrifice for sins but a terrifying expectation of judgment. How much severer a punishment is deserved, for those who have set aside the Law of Moses, and trampled underfoot the Son of God and shown disdain for the blood of His covenant.

Well, how do you know what sin is? How do you know if you are continuing in sin? You refer to the Law. You do not refer to the Law for salvation or ceremony of atonement or for pronouncing judgment. You refer to the Law to know what sin is and how to avoid it by power of the Holy Spirit within you. It is truly that simple. The law is a code of moral conduct of how we not only present ourselves to others but how we conduct ourselves privately.

Now I’d like to address you good people who scream, “We’re under NEW covenant.” Are you?

We all know that Jesus bore those stripes for our healing, our deliverance and the provision of our salvation. Right? That’s new covenant, right? Well, it might surprise you that the New Covenant that you’re so proud of isn’t so new. What do I mean?

If you’ll look in Exodus 15 verse 26 you will see that God laid down some requirements, prior to the law, and proclaimed Himself “Healer”. That covenant name is Yhwh Raphe.

In Exodus 16 God provided water from a rock and manna from heaven. His covenant name is Yhwh Y’rah.

In Exodus 17 the Amalekits attacked Israel. Moses went up onto a hill. As long as he held his hands up, Israel prevailed. There He is Yhwh Nissi, the Lord is my Banner of Victory. 

I could go on and on, and perhaps I will someday, how much of the New Covenant is still rooted in Old Covenant that is, as yet, unfulfilled. So come down off your high horse. Much of that New Covenant is not so new. It is however affirmed by Jesus and Holy Spirit.  

Another thing, in case you think that I am in error, I present to you what Jesus said in John 12:47-48

47 “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”

 

I see this as affirmation to what I’ve already said. Jesus died and fulfilled the law for the sake of salvation. Salvation is not acquired by the law for if it was so then Jesus died needlessly. Jesus fulfilled the law for the sake of ceremony in that He is the High Priest that atoned for our sins. It is not that we should not remember or observe Yom Kippor, the Day of Atonement. We should celebrate even more that we have a High Priest that has made atonement for us with His own blood. Jesus fulfilled the law in regard to judgment in that we do not condemn or execute judgment. He is the judge and jury at the last day.

 

What Jesus did not do is abolish the law as a means to point out, instruct, and lay a foundation as to how we should live our daily lives. Not, as in Orthodox Judaism, because we feel like we have to. But because we want to honor the Spirit of Grace and the Sacrifice of the Son on our behalf. 

 

The law is not a bad thing. Paul tells us in Romans 7:7, “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

 

And, In Romans 6:12-13, “So then, the Law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”

 

Where does all this lead? Back to where I first started. To the modern evangelical church who views matters that appear “Jewish” and the disdain for what appears “Jewish”. The Jews, even Messianic Jews, have not forgotten what God said. On the other hand, the western church in America have not only forgotten what God said, but have accepted the twisted teachings of some popular television pastors/authors. Be very careful with that. It’s your responsibility to find the truth for yourselves.

 

So, I’m going to keep on sounding the shofar in churches. I’m going to continue to wear my tallit at times. I’m going to remember what God said and conduct myself accordingly. Why shouldn’t I? I mean, God gave me His word to light my path. I’m going to follow that path, not to make a show, but out of reverential fear and love for my Heavenly Father, my Lord and Savior, and Holy Spirit who abides within me. To label such as “Jewish” is an anti-semitic act shadowed by ignorance. 

 

I am The Old Watchman, Ezekiel. You have been warned!

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