Shabbat shalom everyone,
This is the sixth Sabbath of the Omer-counting period, so we are going to be taking a look at the sixth part of God’s Covenant. It is the third covenant with the Assembly of Israel (after the one with Abraham and the Patriarchs, and the Sinai covenant).
The main thrust of this Covenant, is the provision that if Israelites turn away from YHVH, they can come back – it is a way of keeping the door open. If Israelites have turned their backs on YHVH, we can be assured that Yahveh will never turn against us. A parent who dearly loves their children will never turn on them, no matter how low they have sunk. Your children are still your children; children who have forgotten Yahveh, will never be forgotten by Yahveh.
The Covenant for Godfearers and Converts
There is another aspect of this covenant that I would very much like to focus on today. This is the most important part of the Covenant for Gentile Godfearers, and also for Converts, but for different reasons.
It is expressly and unambiguously stated, that this covenant was sworn not only with the Israelite men, women and children present on the plains of Moab, but also, with ‘the foreigners who reside among you in your camp’ (MT Ex 29:10, HEBT Ts. 32:10). These were the descendants of the Egyptians and Nubians who had made the Exodus out of Egypt alongside the Israelites.
Those of you here who identify as Godfearers, can take pride in the knowledge that these non-Israelites swore the Covenant with YHVH on your behalf, on the plains of Moab, 3,429 years ago!
Not only that. MT Dt 29:13-14 (HEBT T.M. 32:13-14) says, “It is not with you alone that I am making this Covenant, along with its sanctions; I am making it both with those who are alive here today, standing with us before the presence of Yahveh our God, and also with those [future generations] who are not standing here with us today.“
This means that this covenant was sworn not only with the Israelites and Godfearers who were alive back then – it was also sworn with the souls of all future Israelites, all future converts, and all future Godfearers yet to be born!
This is confirmed with the opening verses of Moses’s blessings upon the individual tribes of Israel. MT Dt 33:2b (HEBT T.M. 36:2) says:
“It was Yahveh who came from Sinai,
and dawned upon us from Sei‛īr;
God shone forth from Mount Pārān,
coming with myriads of holy ones –
and from God’s seat of power,
God’s fiery ones with them.”
In ancient Israelite theology, the name that we humans have while our pre-birth souls are still in heaven – the type of being we are, before we come to earth – is qedoshim (‘holy ones’).
God swore the Covenant with you before you were born
The Sinai covenant was made and mediated between God and Israel through Moses, and it was the people present who agreed to the terms. But the Covenant made at Moab was different.
It was made with everyone, from the highest elder to the lowest woodcutter (MT Deut 29:10-11). It is also stressed that this covenant and all the others are incumbent, not only on those present, but also on those yet to be born (MT Deut 29:14-15). It is incumbent both on full Israelites, and Gentile Godfearers (‘resident foreigners’, MT Dt 29:11 – that is, on non-Jews who have not gone through conversion, but still do their best to live Torah).
When Yahveh appeared in Glory on Mt Horeb – and wherever else Yahveh appeared in Glory – there we were with God, in the heavenly form of humans called, ‘holy ones’. Whenever you see that term in the Bible, then if you are an Israelite or a Gentile Godfearer, then you yourself were there with God – your human soul in its heavenly form, was there with God; it’s talking about you, personally!
What this all means is that, before you were born on earth – before your soul was put into a human body – and while you were still a ‘holy one’ in heaven, you yourself swore this covenant with Yahveh then!
Isn’t that wonderful, and amazing! While your soul was still in its pre-earthly, heavenly form, both God and you knew that you would one day be serving Yahveh’s Kingdom on earth. If you are now a Godfearer, then while you were still in heaven, you yourself swore this covenant with God!
The same if you are a convert. When you were still in heaven, you were fully aware that, during your time on earth, you were one day going to convert to the Israelite faith. God called you to service in God’s kingdom while you were still in heaven, and God swore the covenant with you while you were still in heaven.
This is why Godfearers should NEVER have cause to doubt that you are part of God’s covenant; your eternal soul has already been a part of God’s Covenant for 3,429 years!!!
And you who converted to the Israelite faith, you can rest firm in the knowledge that you were called personally by Yahveh 3,429 years ago!!! You were not just called out at the point that you took the decision on earth to convert to the Israelite faith; you yourself made the decision to convert millennia ago, in heaven! There was a reason you were destined to spend the initial part of your earthly life in another religion – perhaps, to learn what the hunger and yearning for Yahveh was truly like – and you were destined to find Yahveh, feel Yahveh’s pull on your soul, and then convert.
Background to the Renewed Covenant in Moab:
As I mentioned earlier, the main purpose of this covenant, is to provide a way for Israel to return to Yahveh, after worshipping other gods.
Shortly after the terms of the Sinai Covenant are given to the people of Israel, the Israelites say, “Everything YHVH has said, we will do”, and “We will do everything YHVH has said; we will obey”. The covenant is duly ratified in the traditional manner, with sacrifices and a sacred meal shared between the parties. However, not long after that, they break the covenant by worshipping the golden statue of an Egyptian god, the Apis Bull (referred to in the Miqra as the “Golden Calf”).
The sin of the Golden Calf was not that they worshipped a different god (because after they have made the calf, Aaron says that they will be holding a festival to YHVH). The sin is that they worshipped the God of Israel in the form of this bull – they worshipped the bull as if it were a fleshly incarnation of the God of Israel. The true sin of the Golden Calf, was that their worship falsely proclaimed that the God of Israel had equivalents and earthly manifestations (in this case, that the Apis bull was an incarnation of the God of Israel); that the God of Israel could take physical forms, and that the God of Israel could be worshipped in the form of an idol – these are the sins understood in the worship of the golden calf.
Because of this, God realised that there would have to be an appendix or set of provisos to the Sinai covenant. When they reach the plains of Moab, just before they cross over into Canaan to possess the land, God adds that God is aware that the Israelites will turn to other gods in the future, and they will be exiled for it. But if they turn back to YHVH, then they will be brought back to the Land. This is essentially what the Covenant made on the plains of Moab is about: if Israel disregards God’s laws and worships other gods, God will exile us; but if Israel turns back to YHVH after we have been exiled, then Israel will be re-gathered into the Land.
The responsibilities of the Covenant
This Covenant was made with native-born Israelites, as well as with Godfearers.
As with all the different parts of the Covenant which Yahveh has cut with us, God has responsibilities, and we have our responsibilities.
God’s responsibilities:
- Confirm Israel as God’s people (all who worship Yahveh and adhere to this covenant, are God’s people)
- Restore Israel’s fortunes
- Gather Israel from among the nations where they have been scattered, and bring us back to the Promised Land
- Circumcise our hearts (i.e. cut away our stubbornness, and turn Israel’s heart and mind only to YHVH)
- Put these commandments in the mouths and hearts of Israelites (so that they become second nature)
Our responsibilities:
- Repent for worshipping other gods
- Return to YHVH, and worship YHVH alone
- Observe faithfully once more God’s commandments and laws
The Blessings of this covenant:
- Israel will be respected throughout the whole earth
- The land will prosper, and give abundant produce
- Israel’s enemies will be resoundingly defeated
- Israel will be the head, not the tail
Implications
In ancient times, when Israelites went off and prostituted themselves to other gods (sometimes quite literally), it was obvious that they had done so, and no one today disputes that they did. But what about today? In ancient times, some Jews went off and worshipped other names (because only Yahveh’s Name is holy); are there Jews today who worship other names? In MT Ex 23:13 it says:
“Now, concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; do not invoke the names of other gods, nor let them be heard from your lips.”
Nor are Jewish people permitted to prophesy in the names of other gods:
“But the prophet who speaks a message. . . . in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” (Deut 18:20)
Does this have implications for born-Jews who worship ‘Jesus’ as a god? In my opinion it does. They are indeed worshipping, praying to and invoking another name, and have turned away from praying exclusively to YHVH.
Throughout history – even before Christianity – various pagan religions claimed that their god and our God were the same; but if you read the original Hebrew of scripture, God proclaims ‘I am Yahveh’ 156 times.
What this means is that, ‘I am not Molekh, nor Baal, nor Asherah, nor anyone else by any other name, whether god or human; I alone am Yahveh’ (i.e. that only Yahveh is Yahveh, and that no one else is Yahveh). Isa 43:11 says, “I – and I alone – am Yahveh, and besides Me there is no other saviour;” also Isa 45:5 – “I am Yahveh – there is no other [i.e. there is no one else who is Yahveh]; and besides Me there is no other god’.
In Jer 16:19-21, the prophet Jeremiah explains that one day, the Gentile nations will realise that they have manufactured gods for themselves, that they have inherited falsehoods from their forebears, and on that day, God Himself will make them know that God’s Name is Yahveh, and not anything or anyone else – not ‘Lord’, not ‘Jesus’, not ‘Molekh’ or ‘Baal’ – only Yahveh. I think all Yahwists who acknowledge and worship YHVH alone, should be aware of these implications, if only to protect themselves from attacks from Christian and Messianic missionisers.
As Talmidis, we are not ones to dwell on harsh punishment and divine wrath, but when Nazarenes, Messianics, Hebrew-Christians and Jews-for-Jesus pester us, aggressively missionise us, and claim they alone are following the only true word of the bible, if only they could read the terms of the Covenant made at Moab, they would realise they are doing nothing of the kind! They are working against the very covenant they swore with Yahveh in heaven!
Are Messianic Jews still Jews?
In mainstream rabbinic Judaism, nowadays Messianic Jews are still considered to be Jews. This is because modern rabbinic Judaism has the modern western view that ‘race’ is by ethnic descent, and that Judaism is a race, not merely a religion.
In complete contrast, in ancient times, your ethnicity was not defined by biological descent, but by the culture you belonged to, and the language you spoke. For all intents and purposes, the ‘resident foreigners’ who lived amongst Israelites were legally considered part of the Assembly of Israel, regardless of what biological ethnicity they were born into.
If an Israelite turned to worship other gods, then they were cut off from the community. This meant that they were no longer considered part of the Assembly of Israel. They were no longer entitled to the benefits and blessings of the community of Israel. ‘Messianic Judaism’ is actually not a form of Judaism; its beliefs and theology prove that it is in fact a form of Paullist Christianity. It should never be viewed by Talmidis as just a branch of the Israelite faith – Paul of Tarsus is their teacher, creator and progenitor, and Paullist theology is Christianity, regardless of what customs you practice.
This means that if a Jew becomes a Messianic, they are worshipping ‘Jesus Christ’, and not YHVH. In short, this means that Messianics ‘have turned to other gods’, and are therefore no longer part of the Assembly of Israel. You are only a part of the Assembly of Israel if you worship Yahveh, and only Yahveh.
However, the Moab covenant means that the option to return to Yahveh is always there, and the option to rejoin the Assembly of Israel is always there.
Our reaction to missionisers
Meeting a Messianic is like meeting a fervent Christian Evangelical – there is no difference, apart from their culture. I have mixed with many Messianics, and I can honestly say that the experience is always as traumatising, as is meeting a Christian evangelical. They pester you and harry you, and won’t stop until you physically leave their presence, and are able to prevent them coming after you.
So, what do we do about this? When you hear of Jews becoming Messianics or Jews-for-Jesus, how should we react?
As Talmidis, we should never react with hatred or anger – that is not our way of life. I think that the only thing that can be done, is preventative education – making our young people aware of the positive Israelite beliefs that effectively counter their claims. Jewish children need to be made aware of the heart of our heritage, and the heart of what Yahwism is: “YHVH alone”. They need to be made aware that no one and nothing else is YHVH; they also need to be made aware that it is the fire of God’s Glory that cleanses us from sin, not the ‘blood of Jesus Christ’. Also, that they are not the first religion to try to claim that their god is a physical incarnation of our God!
At the end of the day, one’s personal religion is one’s personal choice, a matter between you and God; if someone wants to go away and become a Messianic, that’s their choice – God alone is your Judge. However, to make claims about YHVH which are not part of the Israelite faith, but saying that they are, is misrepresenting the Israelite faith, as well as speaking falsehoods in the Name of the God of Israel (which breaks the third Commandment, if I’m not mistaken).
I have encountered Messianics who were decent and friendly towards me. I have also met Messianics who, when they heard that I was a Talmidi, they treated me like a leper, and hurriedly advised their co-conspirators not to have anything to do with me.
The way that Messianic apologists work, is that they have been trained to expertly twist Jewish theology. There is nothing you can possibly say that will convince a Messianic that they are wrong, if they are convinced they are right. They will always find a way to respond to any truths that you put forward, and say that they are false.
My advice therefore, is to avoid all arguments with Messianics, just as you should avoid arguments with Evangelicals. They know how to traumatise you, gaslight you, and break you down; and when your mind has become malleable enough, that is when ‘they will turn you to other gods’.
Summary
Above all, I want to emphasise for you the positive aspect of this covenant – that it was sworn between God and all Godfearers and Converts, as well as Israelites. It is God stating unequivocally that Godfearers are part of the Assembly of Israel. Even if mainstream Judaism does not accept Godfearers, we always will.
A Prayer
Heavenly Father, beloved YHVH, help us to comprehend the covenants You made with the human race, and especially the ones You made with the Congregation of Israel. As we read the covenants You cut with us, and meditate on their meaning, help us to understand our responsibilities and duties. Enlighten our minds, so that we come to appreciate how we are to apply Your covenants in our everyday lives. As we think today about what we read, be with us, and fill our hearts with Your Presence. Instill within us a true spirit of seeking, and a hunger for knowledge. Blessed are You O YHVH, our Teacher and our Guide. Amein.