©2021, David E. Robinson: At the Gates of Yerushalayim Ministries
Lessons
from the Wilderness, Volume 37
…Under Command? …
Freedom in Messiah [i] [ii] [iii] [iv] [v][vi]
(John 8:12-58 NASB)
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will
not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." So the
Pharisees said to Him, "You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony
is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even
if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from
and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am
going. "You judge according to the
flesh; I am not judging anyone. "But
even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and
the Father who sent Me. "Even in your
law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. "I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father
who sent Me testifies about Me." So they were saying to Him,
"Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You
know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father
also." These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the
temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. Then He said
again to them, "I go away, and you will seek
Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come."
So the Jews were saying, "Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since
He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?"
And He was saying to them, "You are from
below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your
sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." So they were
saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning?
"I have many things to speak and to judge
concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from
Him, these I speak to the world." They did not realize that He had
been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, "When
you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do
nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
"And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not
left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."
As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to
those Jews who had believed Him,
"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."
They answered Him, "We are Abraham's
descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say,
'You will become free'?" Jesus answered
them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone
who commits sin is the slave of sin. "The
slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
"So if the Son makes you free, you will be
free indeed. "I know that you are
Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in
you. "I speak the things which I have
seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard
from your father." They answered and said to Him,
"Abraham is our father." Jesus *said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. "But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who
has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.
"You are doing the deeds of your father."
They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father:
God." Jesus said to them, "If God were
your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God,
for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you
cannot hear My word. "You are of your father the
devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in
him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is
a liar and the father of lies. "But
because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak
truth, why do you not believe Me? "He
who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you
are not of God." The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not
say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and
you dishonor Me. "But I do not seek My
glory; there is One who seeks and judges. "Truly,
truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death."
The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died,
and the prophets also; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.'
"Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The
prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to
be?" Jesus answered, "If I
glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom
you say, 'He is our God'; and you have not
come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will
be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he
saw it
and was glad." So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty
years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was
born, I am." [vii]
Welcome back. It has been a while since I posted, and I apologize for
that. I have been in recovery from yet another surgery, but I also needed a
break from our study in Revelation so that I could get my notes for the next
segment together. It takes quite a bit of study – and all who have waded
through the past twelve parts of that study, I am humbled, and I thank you.
This has been a labor, one that I started back in 2003, and it is
time-consuming, yet needed, especially in the light of world events today
(2021). One thing I will attempt to do from this post forward: keep the posts
short.[viii]
I know, I know, I keep saying this, but God willing, I’ll keep to it this time…
Today I would like to address the topic of “Under Command.” Join me, will you?
From our scriptures today, please take note
of the highlighted portion, for it is the crux of the matter at hand.
"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."
These words spoken by Messiah Yeshua – what do
they mean today? And more importantly, what did they mean to His audience in
the first century? To paraphrase His words, He said under the Son, those who continue
(abide, keep, “hold fast to My teachings and live-in accordance with them”[ix])
would be free for they would know the truth. Well, that begs two or three,
questions we can ask of the text:
2.
How does this “truth”
free us?
3.
Free to do
what?
Some will say that all three questions are subjective[x]
or can only be answered by relativism[xi].
Let me give you two examples of relativism first:
Figure 1"Relativism" by Andrés Diplotti http://fleasnobbery.blogspot.com/2010/05/relativism-2.html
Figure 2"Relativism 2" by Andrés Diplotti http://fleasnobbery.blogspot.com/2010/05/relativism-2.html
These two illustrations are examples of what Kwame Anthony
Appiah speaks of in “Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a world of Strangers”:
“…if relativism
about ethics and morality were true, then, at the end of many discussions, we.
would each have to end up by saying, “From where I stand, I am right. From
where you stand, you are right.” And there would be nothing further to say.
From our different perspectives, we. would be living effectively in different
worlds. And without a shared world, what is there to discuss? People often
recommend relativism because they think it will lead to tolerance. But if we
cannot learn from one another what it is right to think and feel and do, then
conversation between us will be pointless. Relativism of that sort isn't a way
to encourage conversation; it's just a reason to fall silent…”[xii]
What about
subjective thinking? Look at the illustration below…
Figure 3: Unconcious Bias https://scenechange.co.uk/biased-surely-not/
It is simply another way to look at “is the glass half-empty
or half-full”. Being subjective is relative to the holder of the thought, not
the object of what the thought deals with. So, back to our questions. Can they
be answered in an objective way?
Studying the word of God can be done objectively. It relies upon context to see it correctly, and that context means we must look at the text within the framework of the writer’s worldview and culture. A twenty-first century worldview will not give us the proper context for a first century or earlier document. As Dr. Michael S. Heiser (a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania [M.A., Ancient History] and the University of Wisconsin- Madison [M.A., Ph.D., Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies]; see his CV [Curriculum Vitae] here: https://drmsh.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Cumulative-Resume-2020.pdf) is fond of saying,
“The Bible was written for us, but not to us.”
Now while
this may not be his own “original” quote (several iterations of it can be found
on the internet), it does speak to the issue of objectivity [for a quick
treatment of this theme, see one of Dr. Heiser’s interviews here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG3RFaPhSrU
][xiii]). So,
here are my objective answers to our three questions and yes, these are
opinions, but opinions based upon careful study of the word:
1. What is truth? Truth, in the Tanakh, is the Hebrew word אֱמֶת, 'emet' [Strong’s H571]. It is translated as “truth” in the following verses:
Gen_24:27; Gen_32:10;
Gen_42:16; Exo_18:21; Exo_34:6; Deu_13:14; Jos_24:14; Jdg_9:15; 1Sa_12:24;
2Sa_2:6; 2Sa_15:20; 1Ki_2:4; 1Ki_3:6; 1Ki_17:24; 2Ki_20:3; 2Ki_20:19;
2Ch_18:15; 2Ch_31:20; Est_9:30; Psa_15:2; Psa_25:5; Psa_25:10; Psa_26:3;
Psa_30:9; Psa_31:5; Psa_40:10; Psa_40:11; Psa_43:3; Psa_45:4; Psa_51:6;
Psa_54:5; Psa_57:3; Psa_57:10; Psa_61:7; Psa_69:13; Psa_71:22; Psa_85:10;
Psa_85:11; Psa_86:11; Psa_86:15; Psa_89:14; Psa_91:4; Psa_108:4; Psa_111:8;
Psa_115:1; Psa_117:2; Psa_119:43; Psa_119:142; Psa_119:151; Psa_132:11;
Psa_138:2; Psa_145:18; Psa_146:6; Pro_3:3; Pro_8:7; Pro_12:19; Pro_14:22;
Pro_16:6; Pro_20:28; Pro_22:21(2); Pro_23:23; Ecc_12:10; Isa_10:20; Isa_16:5;
Isa_38:3; Isa_38:18; Isa_38:19; Isa_39:8; Isa_42:3; Isa_43:9; Isa_48:1;
Isa_59:14; Isa_59:15; Isa_61:8; Jer_4:2; Jer_9:5; Jer_26:15; Jer_33:6;
Dan_8:12; Dan_9:13; Dan_10:21; Dan_11:2; Hos_4:1; Mic_7:20; Zec_8:3; Zec_8:8;
Zec_8:16(2); Zec_8:19; Mal_2:6.
I will leave it up to you to search the context in these verses but pay
particular attention to the Psalms and Proverbs. Here the idea of “truth”, in
context, is almost always tied to God’s Torah, or His instructions in
righteousness, loyalty, justice, faithfulness, and more. Truth can then be
established as being either the direct result or the object of God’s own
character and the character of His statues, ordinances, commandments, and His
providence.
a.
How does this truth “free us”? In the Messianic Writings, “truth” is the word ἀλήθεια,
transliteration as “Aletheia” or pronounced phonetically as al-ay'-thi-a. It
can be defined in the following manner:
i.
objectively
1.
what is true
in any matter under consideration
2.
truly, in
truth, according to truth
3.
of a truth in fact, certainly
ii.
what is true
in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth
iii.
Even
subjectively:
1.
truth as a
personal excellence
2.
that candor of
mind, which is free from affection, pretense, simulation, falsehood, deceit [xiv]
This can be found in the following passages:
Mat_22:16;
Mar_5:33; Mar_12:14; Mar_12:32; Luk_22:59; Joh_1:14; Joh_1:17; Joh_18:38;
Act_4:27; Act_10:34; Act_26:25; Rom_1:18; Rom_1:25; Rom_2:2; Rom_2:8; Rom_2:20;
Rom_3:7; Rom_9:1; Rom_15:8; 1Co_5:8; 1Co_13:6; 2Co_4:2; 2Co_6:7; 2Co_7:14(2);
2Co_11:10; 2Co_12:6; 2Co_13:8(2); Gal_2:5; Gal_2:14; Gal_3:1; Gal_5:7;
Eph_1:13; Eph_4:21; Eph_4:25; Eph_5:9; Eph_6:14; Php_1:18; Col_1:5; Col_1:6;
2Th_2:10; 2Th_2:12; 2Th_2:13; 1Ti_2:4; 1Ti_2:7; 1Ti_3:15; 1Ti_4:3; 1Ti_6:5;
2Ti_2:15; 2Ti_2:18; 2Ti_2:25; 2Ti_3:7; 2Ti_3:8; 2Ti_4:4; Tit_1:1; Tit_1:14;
Heb_10:26; Jam_1:18; Jam_3:14; Jam_5:19; 1Pe_1:22; 2Pe_1:12; 2Pe_2:2; 1Jn_1:6;
1Jn_1:8; 1Jn_2:4; 1Jn_2:21(2); 1Jn_3:18; 1Jn_3:19; 1Jn_4:6; 1Jn_5:6;
2Jn_1:1(2); 2Jn_1:3; 2Jn_1:4; 3Jn_1:1; 3Jn_1:3(2); 3Jn_1:4; 3Jn_1:8; 3Jn_1:12.
Again, I will leave it up to you to search the context and
see the sense, the usage in the passages, but you will find similar results as
found in the Tanakh, or Old Testament.
With all this, what is the bottom line then? What are we
free to do?
·
We are to decide.
·
We are free to
choose how we will walk.
·
We are free to make
up our minds about what we will do with this great salvation that has been
offered to us.
Ask yourself what
does this all mean? There is responsibility in this freedom, bought with
precious blood.
·
Are you willing to
be commanded?
·
Are you willing to
step away from yourself, from your pre-judgements (prejudices), pre-conceptions
of how things should be and step into and under the command of God?
My blog is titled “A Search for Messiah” for a reason. It is about how we all are to follow the Messiah, to follow Yeshua.
Matthew 6:19–25 (NASB95)
19 “aDo not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves atreasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys,
and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for
awhere your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “aThe eye is the lamp of the body; so, then if your eye is 1clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 “But
if ayour eye is 1bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the
light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “aNo one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and 1bwealth.
25 “aFor this
reason I say to you, 1do not be bworried about your 2life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than
food, and the body more than clothing?[xv]
What
does it mean to truly follow Messiah? To truly find Him. Look again at Matthew
6:25… It means take no more thought for your life. It means that it is not just
the physical needs and aspects of life, but the Spiritual part that also comes under command.
The
bar mitzvah or the bat mitzvah means that a child has come to the age of
commandment. Even Gentiles have heard of these ceremonies – the “bar mitzvah”
for a son, and the “bat mitzvah” for a daughter. Indeed, that is the definition
of the words “bar” and bat” – son or daughter. In the context of adding the word
“mitzvah” to these words, there is a change in the meaning of the phrase: it
means to become “subject to” command.[xvi]
2. How does this “truth” free us? When we find the truth, we then become free to be ourselves. Or does it? Being “free” has obligations and responsibilities. We have to choose, be under God’s command and live free, or choose our own path, which is nothing short of rebellion. The issue is under whose command we find ourselves – either to righteousness or sin.
In all that I do, in all that I try to teach or enlighten another, the one thing I am not trying to do is convince you to change to my way of thinking. I just present to you what God wants from you, not what I want from you. What I tell you about is not secret knowledge – it is right in your own Bible. When I speak of the Torah, it is there, right before you, from Genesis to Revelation. If you heed the words written for you, if you try to understand them in the context of who they were written to, then you would be able to see and understand what the commandments of God are about: they are the means of change. They are the way to change from the domain of the dead to the realm of the living. Change brings about the ways of living, the ways of seeing the world (as in changing your worldview) and coming under the ways of God and His Messiah Yeshua – Jesus, if you prefer. By the change, you are joining yourself to a people – the Jewish people and to the land of Israel – and you become their brother, their sister
What, though, if you do not follow this path, this ancient way? What if
you decide to choose your own path?
The Bible is full of example of those who did.
Their bodies littered the wilderness,
Their bodies filled the streets.
Their offspring went into captivity, and through their
choices, the world became chaos,
And is so today.
Think of it this way: imagine yourself on a team: a track team, swim team, football team, or whatever. To be a part of the team you do what the team does.
If you are on the swim team, you swim or dive.
Football team? You punt, pass, kick, catch, or block.
What happens if you do not play your role in the team?
You are no longer a part of it – you are off the team.
Why is it we imagine or believe that God is any different? You can follow your own path for sure – just do not expect God to follow you. If you walk away from Him, the consequences are yours, not His.
Now, when the
Jewish person comes upon the same individual, what does he do? They think
mitzvot; they think tzedakah. What is tzedakah?
“…While the word is
used interchangeably for charity, tzedakah is seen as a form of social justice
provided by the donor as well as those who utilize the support to do their work
and those who allow the support into their lives. As is the case with justice, this critical
social responsibility cannot be done to someone – rather, it must be
done with someone…”[xviii]
The word of God is filled with the mitzvah for the poor or
needy:
From the Tanakh:
Deuteronomy 15:7: “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother.”
Deuteronomy 15:11: For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”
1 Samuel 2:7-8: The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world.
Psalm 9:18: For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
Psalm 34:6: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
Psalm 35:10: All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
Psalm 37:21: The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.
Psalm 40:17: As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!
Psalm 41:1: Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the Lord delivers him…
Psalm 72:12: For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
Proverbs 14:21: Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
Proverbs 14:31: Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Proverbs 16:19: It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 19:17: Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Proverbs 22:9: The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
Proverbs 22:16: Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Isaiah 29:19: The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 41:17: When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
From the Messianic Writings:
Matthew 5:3: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:21: And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Luke 6:20: And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 9:11: You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
Galatians 2:10: Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
Ephesians 4:28: Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
1 Timothy 6:18: They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.
James 2:5: Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
James 2:14-17: What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself if it does not have works, is dead.
Here then, is the answer to our
third question:
3.
Free to do what?
Freedom to make a choice, to choose to make a difference. The
difference comes in the motivation behind the good act. Is it because it feels
good, or is it because one is under command? Why do it at all? Why do good
things to another? The heart is fickle, but under command, the heart is made
holy, for the act it does then is not used for any other purpose but to honor
God and help those in need. Remember, it is not that the act of doing right is
done to someone, but with someone. The “with” is God.
“…Blessed are You, O Lord our God, who has sanctified us by the
commandments…”
Just to do something is a position of the head – to a
lesser degree, maybe of the heart also (compassion) - but to do so under
command is where the difference comes. Think about a candle – you light one
when the power goes out, or for a romantic setting. It is still only a candle. But if you kindle a candle on the Shabbat –
what does the candle become? It becomes Holy, for a candle is only a Sabbath
candle if you are under command. It is also as Yeshua commanded a follower of
God to be salt and light to the world. They are sanctified (made holy) by His
commandment.
So, what are we to do? Do we walk away from our sanctification
– the learning of how to be holy – to do our own thing? No matter how right it
seems, if it isn’t ordered or commanded by Him, through Him, and for Him – it is
just our thing, born from selfish motives, the ones hidden deep in our hearts.
Resistance is still resistance if it is our will being put
out there, not His. We who keep to the Torah do so for two reasons: one,
because we love Him. Two, because to do His will is to do what He commands. This
is how we show our love, by keeping His commandments. To do otherwise is to
walk proud before God – to say, “I do not need you to command me, for I already
know what is right.”
Ask yourself, what position of the heart is this?
What needs to be done is to take upon ourselves the yoke of
heaven, to hallow the name of HaShem by walking in His paths, His statutes, His
ordinances, His commandments. They may not seem to be easy to do, they may not be
convenient, they may interfere with what we want or what we like; it may be a
matter of what we do not feel! All these do not matter in the end. If we are to
walk as He did, and as He decrees, then we must come under His command. Neuser puts
it this way:
“…There is nothing just plain natural, or simply human,
about obeying these rules. There is nothing normal or everyday in giving up
what you want to keep or not doing what you want to do. But you decide, by
choosing, why you do one thing and why you do not do something else – and that
makes all the difference. The reason is mitzvah: commandment.
If you are commanded to do something, or if you are
commanded and so do not do something, then you are a bar mitzvah or bat
mitzvah. Then you have the
power, which otherwise you do not have, to turn what is ordinary and routine
into something extraordinary and holy…”[xix]
In writing this, I am not trying to mis-appropriate what
belongs to the Jewish people, that which gives them their unique identity under
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But all humans will one day be under the
command of God, so why not start now for those of us who are not Jews? Let us
join with them and rejoice in the King of Glory, let us all come together for
the day when a Jew WILL rule the world as Messiah-King! We all must change
the ordinary for the extraordinary. It is under command that this change takes
place within us. With the change, we can see the Holy from the profane. We can
walk a life sanctified; we will know how and why we can stand before a Holy God
and live, and how we are to treat our fellow man and woman.
This world we live in is broken. It is a world where most
go their own way, and that is a way unto death. Hate fills our streets, the
halls of our governments, the airwaves, the internet, the churches, the
mosques, the synagogues… Our schools indoctrinate the young and brainwash the adolescents
in a system of “wokeness” that is only a path of destruction that takes them
away from the true path of peace and love – the Way of God. A broken world
cannot fix itself. A broken world cannot put forth the right answers to that
which plague our societies. A broken world only breeds more hatred, more racism,
more degeneracy, more pain, more suffering, more war, on and on. There is but
one solution, only one that works:
…Coming Under Command…
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s Command and His Son, Yeshua Ha’Machiach
Seek this, for yourselves and for your children.
Make the choice to come Under Command.
Till next time, may He richly bless you my beloved,
Amein.
[i]NOTICE OF
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: Unless otherwise cited, all material
found on this blogsite (original text, opinions, conclusions, and other
material not related to cited sources remains the collected intellectual
property of the author of this site, David E. Robinson, Elder, Teacher, and are
owned and controlled by myself and are protected by copyright and trademark
laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws
of the United States, foreign jurisdictions, and international conventions. Any
errors found within, rest solely upon me; please do not blame the Father for my
mistakes. I am teachable and correctable, not infallible. 😊
[ii] FAIR USE DISCLAIMER: This
blog site may contain content that is not authorized for use by its owner. All
such material will be cited back to its original source. According to Section
107 of the Copyright Act: “…the fair use of a copyrighted work […] for purposes
such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies
for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of
copyright…” I have made and will continue to make every effort to stay within
all ethical and moral guidelines in the use of material presented here, and the
use of these materials is solely intended for educational purposes only, and
all efforts to obtain or sustain fair use of non-owned material will be made.
[iii] Author’s note: This site is
for education only and is not affiliated with any institution, organization, or
religious group. It is the sole production of its editor. Use of information
from Jewish-themed websites (or any other source material) should not be
construed as these sites endorsing or confirming any thesis introduced by the
author of this epistle. I present the information from their respective sites
for instructional purposes only and/or to aid in the readers understanding of
the subjects discussed.
[iv] Author’s note:
Throughout this study I may be using the NET Bible® and the NET Notes®: within
the notes you will see symbols like this: (א B Ψ 892* 2427 sys). These are
abbreviations used by the NET Bible® for identifying the principal manuscript
evidence that they (authors and translators of the NET Bible®) used in
translating the New Testament. Please go to https://bible.org/netbible/ and see
their section labeled “NET Bible Principals of Translation” for a more complete
explanation on these symbols and other items pertinent to the way the NET Bible
uses them.
[v] Author’s Note: In these studies, I have used the notes that come along with the passages I cite from the sources that I cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As in all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that I necessarily agree with, especially if it contradicts what I believe pertains to any matters of the Torah or the commandments of God. I give you the notes as they are written by the authors of the material I cite from, so that you can see the information contained within them. It truly is not my place to edit or correct them; if they state anything that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I will address these issues if requested. That is not to say I should not challenge something I believe, in my humble opinion, might contradict the truth of God’s word; that I will do in the main body of my epistles for that is where my gentle dissent belongs. Most (but not all) of the differences will come when I quote from a source that displays a decidedly Western/Greek mindset, as opposed to a Hebraic perspective. I must be intellectually honest – I am biased toward the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His son, Yeshua the Messiah. I pray then we all can find common ground as we study the Scriptures.
[vi] This epistle was inspired by the book “Mitzvah” by Jacob Neusner, copyright ©1981, Published by Rossel Books. May HaShem be praised and glorified, Blessed is His Name forever and ever.
[vii] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Jn 8:12–58). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation; electronic edition, e-Sword, Version 13.0.0, Copyright© 2000-2021, by Rick Meyers. All Rights Reserved Worldwide
[viii] Oops. Already violated this
promise… ☹ Sorry!
[ix] Notes as seen in The Amplified
Bible, “Scripture quotations taken
from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964,
1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org”
[x] From https://www.dictionary.com/browse/subjective:
“…existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking
subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective)…”
[xi] One could say the doctrine that
knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or
historical context, and are not absolute. See epistle for extra comments.
[xii] “Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a
World of Strangers (Issues of Our Time), by Kwame Anthony Appiah,
copyright© W. W. Norton & Company; Illustrated
edition (February 17, 2007)
[xiii] As with all links, please view
with objectivity, and prayerfully. I, in recommending certain points of view by
differing authors, do not necessarily support or endorse nor do I seek to
contradict them. You, beloved, should approach all things and test all things
against the Word of God. I just try to give you a broad lens to look through
when you approach God’s words.
[xiv] Strong’s Module containing the following:
Brown, Drivers, and Biggs; Thayer’s; King James Concordance, electronic
edition, e-Sword, Version 13.0.0, copyright © 2000-2021 by Rick Meyers. All
Rights Reserved Worldwide.
a Prov 23:4;
Matt 19:21; Luke 12:21, 33; 18:22; 1 Tim 6:9, 10; Heb 13:5; James 5:2
a Matt 19:21;
Luke 12:33; 1 Tim 6:19
a Luke 12:34
a Matt 6:22,
23: Luke 11:34, 35
1 Or healthy;
or sincere
a Matt 20:15;
Mark 7:22
1 Or evil
a 1 Kin
18:21; Luke 16:13; Gal 1:10; James 4:4
1 Gr mamonas,
for Aram mammon (mammon); i.e. wealth, etc., personified
as an object of worship
b Luke 16:9,
11, 13
a Matt
6:25–33: Luke 12:22–31
1 Or stop
being worried
b Matt 6:27,
28, 31, 34; Luke 10:41; 12:11, 22; Phil 4:6; 1 Pet 5:7
2 Lit soul
[xv] New American
Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mt 6:19–25). La Habra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
[xvi] From “Mitzvah” by Jacob
Neusner, copyright ©1981, Published by Rossel Books. Pg. 3.
[xvii] From the Talmud, Kiddushin 30a.
[xviii] From the article Jewish
Philanthropy: The Concept of Tzedakah written by Jacquelyn DeGroot https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/jewish-philanthropy-concept-tzedakah
[xix] From “Mitzvah” by Jacob
Neusner, copyright ©1981, Published by Rossel Books. Pg. 18. [Emphasis mine.]
