Which is worse? Never knowing that there is a ALMIGHTY GOD or knowing that HE IS and then doing your own thing. Which is worse?
To quote Yoda from Star Wars, “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”
Second quote: “All I know is the choices me make, dictate the life we lead.”Bill Rago ‘The Renaissance Man’ ….” “To thine own self be true.”(Shakespeare–Hamlet)
Leviticus 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: Ye shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.
Your Soul, IS the Spirit of the Living GOD of Israel in the Flesh(Genesis 6:3). HE is HOLY, your soul should be holy. You show your Holiness by DOING what the LORD GOD said to do. This means that you overcome your Flesh(dirt, soil, body) and Live for your SOUL(The SPIRIT OF GOD in you.)
Adam; Cain; Noah; Abram; Jacob; Moses; Children of Israel in Egypt, all had an introduction to The Creator of The Heavens and The Earth. And then they were told what to do. Each did or did not hear or do what they were told. These are the ones we will examine in this writing, to find the evidence of what happens when you do or do not what is right.
Adam
As Adam is being placed in the Garden of Eden, Adam is told by GOD: “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat”.
Genesis 2:
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’
Yet, when Eve gave him to, he did eat without discussion. Later, when he stands before the ALMIGHTY, he blames “the woman Thou gavest”.
Genesis 3:
12 And the man said: ‘The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’
This blaming Eve, is not acknowledged by GOD and does not effect the punishment Adam receives. More to the point Adam is charged with the First Sin. No the first sin was not eating any thing. Let us take a look at what GOD said.
Genesis 3:
17 And unto Adam He said: ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
The first sin is that Adam did not listen unto HIS FATHER. Remember the Spirit in the Flesh, that is not marked as dead, this can be changed as we learn later. But for now, know that Adam could not blame anyone else, he did not listen and he did not do.
Cain
Cain is unhappy that his burnt grain did not get respect by GOD. The LORD consoles and warns Cain about his emotions.
Genesis 4:
6 And the LORD said unto Cain: ‘Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee is its desire, but thou mayest rule over it.’
Cain goes on to commit the First Murder(we have not been told about murder so the punishment is not that of murder-we are punished for what the LORD has told us, not for what HE has not told us.) and is punished accordingly. Again Cain did not Listen to GOD.
Noah
In short Noah listened unto GOD and we are aware of Noah’s Arc Story. Because he Listened, he was righteous. It is not stated in that story, but in
Ezekiel 14!
Ezekiel 14:
13 ‘Son of man, when a land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously, and I stretch out My hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast;
14 though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
Each of those Noah, Daniel and Job; listened and kept the GOD’S Law.
Abram (who became Abraham)
Abram in
Genesis 12, is called by GOD and told to leave his fathers house and go where the LORD will show him. GOD says that HE will bless and protect Abram and make him the father of many. Abram is 75 years of age and Sari is 66, when the told to do this. They just go, no discussion, no negotiation, they just go.
There are I believe only three times Abram(Abraham) get it right(no argument, no discussion, no negotiation) and just believe the WORD OF GOD.
Genesis 12 is the first time. The next time is a Yes and a No, in the same chapter.
In
Genesis 15, Abram tells GOD that he is still childless and that his man servant will inherit. The LORD takes Abram outside to see the stars, and is told: “’Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them’; and He said unto him: ‘So shall thy seed be.’”; “And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness.”
Ok, so Abram there is declared righteous for believing the WORD of THE LORD, Great. Believe GOD equals righteousness. So when GOD says: ‘I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.’; why did Abram negotiate with “’O Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?’” Because of this, a split animals contract is made, but attached to that contract(Covenant) is: “And He said unto Abram: ‘Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance.“ Four hundred years! Ouch.
Yet, while the Written Torah does not say that Abram told Sari, we have “Sarai said unto Abram: ‘Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall be builded up through her.’ And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.”. Hagar’s promise: “’I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her: ‘Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.’” This part of the story in found in Genesis 15 and 16. Remember the chapters are not in the Written Torah and are later additions. So read as a whole, gives a continuous picture.
Lack of belief in GOD’S power causes man to act on his own and from this one story it can be seen: 1) righteous to believe and 2) negotiating or acting without being told by GOD to do can cause problems for thousands of years.
In the end Abraham gets it right, in that he Hears the WORD OF GOD, and does it without negotiation or discussion. Resulting in “ ‘By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.’” Abraham go it right and the blessing passes to Isaac his son.
This last part is found in
Genesis 22.
Jacob
Jacob at 70 years of age, leaves his fathers home and goes to the old country to get a wife. Along the road he stops for the night and has a dream. A ladder in this dream extends from heaven to earth. The introduction is: “the LORD stood beside him, and said: ‘I am the LORD, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.” A powerful introduction, or I believe that would get me to take notice. Let us see:
Genesis 28:
“12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood beside him, and said: ‘I am the LORD, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’”
I ask you to notice that this blessing does not have a time limit. I mean that it is not Jacob’s life that is the end point. The end point is “I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” –This is not yet completed!
But, this is Jacob’s first encounter with the ALIMGHTY, so he does not believe GOD, because if he did he would not make a alternate deal. “20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then shall the LORD be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.’”
[Side note: a tenth of his sons? Judah gets the scepter and Jerusalem, Benjamin and a portion of Levy, is that a tenth? Taken by GOD later and not actually given by Jacob.]
Before going down to Egypt to be with Joseph, Jacob inquires of the LORD about what to do. It seems obvious that Jacob believed the LORD and HIS WORD and did as instructed by The LORD in the end.
Moses
Moses does not know GOD until he is 80 years of age. Although, looking at the life of Moses, we can clearly seen GOD’S Hand on him. But, the introduction is:
Get Moses’s attention”
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said: ‘I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.’
We got his attention: Talk to him: “4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: ‘Moses, Moses.’ And he said: ‘Here am I.’ 5 And He said: ‘Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’ “
The introduction: 6 Moreover He said: ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
So beginnings a real piece of history with power and glory. Moses does not want to be sent. He doesn’t want the job of saving anyone and has many reasons he should not go. The LORD knows what HE is doing and sends Moses anyway. (Moses is not power hungry; not seeking glory; nor fame; not wealth. He seems to only want to live a quiet life as a shepherd.) GOD’s plan will demonstrate the strong will and humbleness of this leader. There are always tests, which prove us, strengthen us and help us grow. Moses was tested.
First test of Moses: While The staff of Moses had been used to perform the miracles and plagues before Pharaoh, the Egyptians and the Hebrews, most people would begin to do things on their own, not waiting for instructions. Not so with Moses. Look here:
Exodus 14:
13 And Moses said unto the people: ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you to-day; for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.’
15 And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. [This sounds as if Moses was suppose to do it on his own, but Moses waited for instructions. He is not god, he is a servant of GOD and remembers his place. The process has been that GOD tells Moses what to do twice, then Moses either does it or has Aaron (his prophet setup by GOD) perform the deed.]
16 And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.
It seems to me that Moses pass this test, we go on.
Second test: The golden calf incident.
Exodus 32. Moses has been up on the mountain for forty days, and the Children of Israel are quick to return to the ways of Egypt, tell Aaron to to make a golden calf for worship. They have already been given to law, the first ten at the mouth of GOD and the remainder by Moses. They have agreed to this Covenant sealed in blood(
Exodus 24), and yet here they are in idol worship. The Lord gets angry.
7 And the LORD spoke unto Moses: ‘Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have dealt corruptly;
8 they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said: This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’
9 And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. [Here we have the build up about the why]
10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation.’ [Punishment and note a remnant of One.]
That is the setup for the test. I will give you the power, the glory, the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by starting over with you (Moses). The response:
11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said: ‘LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and saidst unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.’
Well, there you have it, an absolute disaster averted. Moses not only has been chosen by the people to lead beyond the mountain(His job was only to bringing them here.) but he has been tested to prove that he will defend this defiant, stiff necked group, going forward.
Note the change in the relationships. Moses did not want this job. Now that he has the job of shepherding this people, he defends them like they were his own sheep. Concerned about them more than about himself. The perfect lead going forward. The ALMIGHT KNEW what HE was doing when selecting Moses.
Conclusion:
It is better to know the LIVING GOD OF ISRAEL, and to do what HE says to do. You have the potential to enjoy the Life of Your SOUL when the life of your body is done. Which happens all too soon, even if you live to 175 years like Abraham, it is nothing compared to what is to come.
At this time and for a long time now, the people of the earth have had the Bible, Old Testament, The Written Torah of Moses and the Tanakh(the Original Old Testament). You can learn about GOD by yourself, or with others. Keep the Law, HIS LAW.
Which version? you say.
Exodus 24:
3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said: ‘All the words which the LORD hath spoken will we do.’
4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent the young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he dashed against the altar.
7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the hearing of the people; and they said: ‘All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and obey.’
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said: ‘Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you in agreement with all these words.’
The covenant of blood and the Written Law:
Exodus 20 to 24.
Remember the quotes are the beginning: “To thine own self be true.” By keeping the WORD OF GOD.
I can show you the way, if you want to know.
IT is to our benefit to HEARKEN until the LIVING GOD OF ISRAEL, and to our pain and shame to do otherwise.
My prayer is that The LORD grant you eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, then you return unto HIM soon!(
Isaiah 6: 9 And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.’)
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Shalom,
Yaakov
