Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] What happens when your actions drown out your words? We've all seen it. People preaching passionately, yet living in a way that contradicts their message. And then what happens? The world stops listening. In this week's Torah portion, Moses says that when Israel lives out the commandments, the nations will recognize their wisdom and praise God. Yeshua echoed this Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father and heaven. If our deeds don't match our confession, our witness goes silent. Join me as we discover how to live in a way that speaks louder than words in this week's five Minute Torah Shalom and blessings from Shalom Macon, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect and grow. I'm Darren and before I get into the five minutes of my five Minute Torah commentary, let's let's cover a few quick facts about this week's Torah portion. This week we are studying the 45th portion of the Torah cycle and the second portion of the Book of Deuteronomy. We are in the portion of ve Etchanan Deuteronomy 3, 23:7 11 and here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one undying the faithfulness of Moses the portion Vetchanan begins with Moses fervent plea to God to allow him to enter the Promised Land. Moses recounts his plea which occurred after God had informed him that he would not be allowed to enter the land due to an earlier incident at the waters of Medebah. Moses had a deep desire to enter the land and an unwavering dedication to the Israelites despite knowing he would not personally experience the fulfillment of God's promise. Number two Heavy Hitters the Ten Commandments and Shema the Torah portion of Veit Chanaan includes a restatement of the Ten Commandments given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The Moses reminds the people of these fundamental laws which are the foundation of their covenant with God. Additionally, the Torah portion includes the core text of The Shema Deuteronomy 6:4:9, a central prayer affirming the oneness and the sovereignty of God affirmed by yeshua in Mark 12. The shema is the central declaration of faith in Judaism and holds significant importance in Jewish liturgy and daily life. Number three don't add, Don't Subtract Guarding God's Word In Vedchanan, Moses issues a strong command do not add to the word and do not subtract from it. Deuteronomy 4:2 Israel is about to enter a land filled with competing ideas, tempting them to soften God's commands or maybe add new ones to suit human agendas. Moses warns that covenantal faithfulness means guarding God's words exactly as they were given. This reminder still challenges us today. Are we willing to obey God on His terms or without editing his words?
[00:02:53] What does it really mean to live by the spirit of the Law and not the letter of the law? For centuries, believers have been told that the law of God is a burden and something Yeshua came to set us free from. But what if that's not what the scriptures say at all? What if Paul's words about the letter of the law killing were never meant to pit God's spirit against his own commandments? In my new book, Spirit of the Law, I take a closer look at the writings of Paul, the teachings of Yeshua, and the Torah itself to uncover a consistent truth. The problem was never God's law. It was the human heart. And rather than repealing his father's commandments, Yeshua came to transform our rebellious heart, empowering his disciples to walk in the fullness of the Spirit of the Law. But in order to accomplish this, we first need to understand what it means. If you've ever struggled to reconcile law and grace, Spirit of the Law will open your eyes to a richer, more faithful, faithful understanding of both. It will challenge assumptions, bring clarity to misunderstood passages, and invite you into a deeper walk of obedience, one that's alive with the Spirit of God. Pick up your copy today and let the spirit of the Law transform the way you see God's word and the way you live it. It may just be the missing key you've been looking for to unlock the Scriptures and open a whole new world of biblical understanding. Once it clicks, you'll want to invite others to join the journey as well. This week's Torah commentary is called Shining the Light of Torah and comes from my book, Five Minute Torah, Volume 3. When most people think of the law of Moses, they don't get warm fuzzies. But God's people shouldn't be like most people. According to this week's Torah portion, God's people should be the exception to the rule. We should have a connection to the Torah deep within our hearts. Through Moses, God told the children of Israel that when they took his commandments seriously and lived them out, the nations will recognize this and praise God. See, I've taught you statutes and rules as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering, to take possession of it. Keep them and do them. For that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? Deuteronomy 4, 5, 8. Yeshua alludes to this in the Sermon on the Mount when he commissioned his disciples past, present and future to live a life that exemplifies a Torah centric life. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. House. In the same way let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5 verses 14 through 16 the Hebrew Scriptures, the scriptures Yeshua would have taught and studied give us the key to unlocking this passage of Yeshua. Proverbs teaches us. For the commandment or the Mitzvah is a lamp and the teaching the Torah is a light. This is Proverbs 6, 23. The lamp Yeshua speaks of is in the context of the Mitzvot, the commandments. The light that others are supposed to see is the Torah. Yeshua is bringing attention to what his Father has already said. When the people of God live out the commandments, others will see the beautiful light of the Torah and glorify God. They will say, these people are living right, they are genuine, and their God is near them. Yeshua longs for the day when Israel will fully enter the new covenant promised by the prophet Jeremiah. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the lord. I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. This is Jeremiah 31 verses 33 and and 34. One of the main features of the new covenant is that living out the Torah will be a natural part of who we are. Yeshua understood this and therefore had low regard for anyone who would relax even the least commandment of the Torah. However, he held in high esteem the one who took the commandment seriously. He taught his disciples. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. This is Matthew 5:19 20. How is our righteousness to exceed that of the Scribes and the Pharisees? Is it simply that we have confessed Yeshua and they haven't? No, it's that our deeds match our confession. Rather than just telling others they should take care of the poor, the orphan and the widow, we should be involved ourselves. Rather than just telling others to be honest in business or faithful to their spouse, we should be doing the same. Rather than just telling others that they should be patient and kind and full of self control, we should exhibit the fruit of these traits in our own lives. In faithful Jewish tradition, Yeshua emphasized deed over creed, knowing that the things we do far outweigh the things we profess. When we live out the will of God through obedience to his instructions, we shine forth the light of the Torah, thereby bringing glory to our Creator. But if the only thing radiating from us is a loud message of Jesus Saves without the fruit to back it up, then we're actually radiating darkness. If the people around us aren't seeing the light of the Torah in our lives, the then they probably aren't seeing Yeshua either, no matter how loudly we speak his name. There's a day on the biblical calendar the ancient sources call one of the happiest of the entire year. It's filled with joy, love and restoration. Yet most people have never even heard of it. What makes this mysterious day so special and why don't more people know about it? Discover the meaning behind this ancient celebration and how it still speaks to us today. It in our latest video on TU Baav. Just click the link right here to check it out.
