Shabbat Bible Study for March 2, 2019
©2019 Mark Pitrone and Fulfilling Torah Ministries
Year 3 – Shabbat 4 Adar Alef
Exodus 12:1-20 – Ezekiel 45:16 – 46:18 – Psalm 48 – Col.2:1-3:7
Shemoth 12.1-10 – This first month is determined – how? First of all, this day is probably on or shortly after the new moon day – Rosh Chodesh. If it were the end of the month, this statement wouldn’t make much sense. But how did they know when the year was to change? Some say it has to be when the equinox occurred, the day when the light and the darkness were of equal length. This would happen in the month of March, according to our reckoning, on either the 20th, 21st or 22nd. But is the equinox the beginning of the biblical year/1st month? Perhaps, but not necessarily. In fact, the word month derives from moon. And the new moon is when the month begins. The new moon COULD coincide with the equinox, but seldom does. But without direct revelation from Y’hovah how would Moshe be able to know which new moon would begin the new year?
Just using what information we have in scripture, I think we need to accept that the time was when the barley was ready to harvest and the wheat was still green grass, because the plague of hail and fire destroyed the flax and barley grain and straw and not the wheat or rye grasses
31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley in the ear, and the flax bolled. 32 But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they not grown up. (Ex.9.31-32).
Therefore, I think that the new moon that falls when the barley is ready for at least parching (in the ear) is what Y’hovah was talking about. This new moon could be before the equinox or after. What SEEMS to happen every year (with very few exceptions) is that the first day of unleavened bread falls out on the full moon following the vernal equinox. What MUST happen are 2 things; 1) The 1st day of unleavened bread falls out on the full moon of the 1st month – the 15th day of the lunar month is ALWAYS a full moon, and 2) The barley MUST be harvestable for the day following the next weekly shabbat so that there can be a sheaf of ripe barley waved before Y’hovah as a firstfruits thanksgiving offering. So the sun must have been warm enough to ripen the barley and flax in the southeastern Mediterranean area and the moon must be full for the Feast of unleavened bread to begin. And the evening offering before that full moon is the Pesach/Passover offering. Without BOTH of those conditions the new biblical year cannot begin. So the sun and moon together witness to the beginning of the biblical year and the cycle of the Feasts of Y’hovah. The sign in the heavens is the sun and moon, the earth sign is the Aviv Barley; the first [earth sign] usually precedes the second [heaven sign], sometimes closely.
As an aside: this coming Thursday will be dark of the moon. I believe that this next new moon (dark of the moon on 6Mar2019 at 1103AM EDT about; 1803/6:03PM in Israel – sliver probable in Israel the next evening, 7 Mar) will be the beginning of the Adar Bet, but COULD be the beginning of the new biblical year. We’ll see when Nehemiah has his Aviv search, probably in about 2 weeks. If the barley is NOT aviv, Pesach will be 20April, making for a very cold Sukkoth in northern Ohio.
Israel’s zachanim [elders] went out to look over their flocks to see which yearling lamb was the best to offer to Y’hovah. They were to separate this lamb from the flock and not allow it to go into the fields with the other sheep. They were to watch it and care for it for 4 days, examining it for any character defects; they had already examined it for physical defects and found it to be the best of the yearlings. Then they were to kill it and drain its blood into a basin. This basin was often built into the threshold of the main entrance to a home. They were to use a branch of hyssop (v.22) to apply the blood of their lamb from the basin to the lintel and doorposts of their homes. Then they were to roast the lamb whole. It was not to be eaten raw, boiled or fried, but roasted. After the blood was applied to the doorposts and lintel, they were not to leave the house until Elohim was finished killing all the firstborn of the Egyptians. I assume that if they were outside the house and not under the protection of the blood on the threshold, lintel and doorposts, they were fair game for the ‘Death Angel’. After all the plagues Y’hovah had sent on Egypt, LOTS of Egyptians knew who the only true Elohim was, and MANY of them followed Moshe’s instructions as well. When they painted their doors with lamb’s blood, they marked themselves out as Israelites and renounced their membership in the Egyptian club. And Y’hovah honored their decision to identify with him. What remained of the lamb was to be eaten or burnt by the time of, or at, the morning offering.
Vv.11-20 – Next Y’hovah gave instruction on their demeanor and style of dress and HOW they were supposed to eat the lamb, herbs and bread. They were to eat the lamb ready for fight or flight; loins girt, shoes on, staff in hand. They would, therefore, necessarily have had to eat one handed. There is no provision to sit or recline to eat, so I assume they ate on their feet and probably with go-bags packed, strapped firmly on their backs and ready to move out. They were supposed to make sure they didn’t cook too much lamb and to eat it quickly, so they wouldn’t need to take the time to burn it. Is this how WE are supposed to remember the Passover? It is not required, for in Yeshua’s day, they were keeping a much more traditional Passover:
16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they sat and did eat, Yeshua said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. (Mk.14)
14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. (Lk.22)
We should probably do as Yeshua did, for even the Passover Yeshua kept with his talmidim was a commemoration of what had happened about 1500 years before.
Who would go through the land of Egypt? Y’hovah, not a man. Who would smite the Egyptians? Y’hovah, not a messenger. Who would kill the firstborn of every critter in Egypt? Y’hovah, not an angel. Y’hovah was going to go through the land and kill the firstborn in every house on which the blood was NOT found on the lintel and doorposts. The father of the house took a sprig of hyssop in his hand (yud) and, after dipping it in the blood from the basin he would paint the lintel and doorposts (chet) with the blood. The significance is the word spelled with those 2 letters, chet yud, or chai; life. So Y’hovah would not bring death to the house marked twice by life, the Word that means life painted in the substance that is the life of the body, the dom or blood.
We are commanded to keep this feast in remembrance throughout our generations – all our descendants are to celebrate chag haMatzah for 7 days, following the Passover. The 1st day and the 7th are each a Kodesh Miqra, a set-apart gathering of believers. There are 3 such gatherings every year, Passover/Unleavened Bread, Shavuoth/Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkoth. It is these days, along with the weekly shabbats on which we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Heb.10.25, Lev.23.3, 7, 8, 21, 24, 27, 35, 36), at least 52 weekly sabbaths + 7 special yearly mikroth which can fall on any day of the week. Beginning not later than sundown ending the 14th day of the 1st month we are to eat matzot until sundown ending the 21st day of the 1st month – 7 full days. Why? For the same reason that there is a Red Heifer for the water of purification – because Y’hovah commands it. It is not ours to question why. It is our part to obey. For those same 7 days we are to not have chametz in our homes. Why? Same reason, ultimately. Y’hovah wills it. It is this kind of obedience that leads us to garner wisdom from Torah. When we choose to obey Y’hovah, he rewards us in the best manner possible, the way that is designed to bring us closest to him in the shortest possible time.
Chametz is any gluten bearing flour mixed with H2O that will gather the yeast out of the air and begin to freely ferment. The Yeast itself is not chametz. It is the 3 ingredients taken together that are chametz. It generally takes the flour/H2O mixture about 18 minutes to gather enough yeast from the air to begin to ferment and rise. Q&C
Ezekiel 45:16 – 46:18 – Since 1] this Temple has never been built, 2] there is no Temple in the NEW Jerusalem (for Y’hovah and the Lamb will be the Temple of it) and 3] it is prophesied by a true prophet of Y’hovah, I assume that this will be the Millennial Kingdom Temple. The only way that cannot be true is if there is another epoch of future history of which scripture gives absolutely no clue. People are going to bring their oblation to the prince of Israel, who just happens to be Mashiyach ben David, Yeshua. And then he will bring the offerings to the Temple from those oblations. Why would that be? Why would Yeshua prepare sin, meat, burnt and peace offerings in the Temple? Is it possible that he is acting as mediator? It sure looks like he is taking people’s offerings and bringing them to the Temple, doesn’t it? And he only prepares the offerings for the priests to offer. We know that he will not be offering any sin or trespass offerings for his own reconciliation. The bullock will be offered to reconcile the Temple, to cleanse it to receive the freewill offerings of Y’hovah’s people.
45.21-25 make it clear that there are but 2 ‘presentation’ Feasts to be observed in this Temple, Pesach and Sukkoth – the spring and fall 7 day Feasts. Shavuoth, Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are conspicuous (to me) by their absence. Perhaps the Feasts and the fast have seen their completion by then. We may see final fulfillment of Shavuoth this or next year, and the final fulfillments of Yom Teruah (Resurrection Day, Last Trump) and Yom Kippur (and Yovel) 3 – 3½ years after that. I think the final fulfillment of Shavuoth will see the anointing of the 2 witnesses, and possibly the 144K on Shavuoth (some year very soon, if I don’t miss my guess). I believe there will be at least 1 Adar Bet during those 3 years, perhaps 2. If 2 Adar Bets occur in that time, it will set the stage for Rev.11,
3 And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees [ZecharYah 4] , and the two candlesticks standing before the Eloha of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sedom and Egypt, where also our Master was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Rev.11.3-12)
IF there are 2 Adar Bets, 1260 days from Shavuoth would put us in the ballpark of Yom Teruah 3+ years after. IF I am correct on this, the 2 witnesses would be slain by Anti-messiah perhaps on the 26th of the 6th month [Elul] around sunrise. 3½ days later to be resurrected (at the end of the 29th as the 1st of the 7th month begins) and called up to the heavens just as the last trumpet blows in the heavens and the vials begin to be poured out. Rev.9.13-11.14 = first 2 woes, the 5th and 6th trumpets. 11.15 = last woe and the 7th trumpet. Please remember all the qualifiers I just put out – if, may, I think, etc. This idea about the 2 witnesses and Shavuoth just came to me as I was studying, so I certainly COULD be wrong. But I DOUBT it! But there were a LOT of ‘ifs’ and ‘I thinks’… so …
On the 14th of the 1st month, in this Temple, there is a bullock offered as a sin offering, which is offered for inadvertent or ‘had to do it’ sins (‘had to’ break a lesser command, like walking over a grave, to perform a greater commandment, like preserving a life). V.23 recalls Shavuoth metaphorically with 7 bulls for each of the 7 days, and 7 rams for each of the 7 days (49 of each) and a goat for each of the 7 days. 49 +1 = 50. And Shavuoth metaphorically points at Yovel, which is proclaimed every 50th Yom Kippur. The trespass offering is also conspicuous by its absence. The trespass offering is the one that Yeshua completely fulfilled on the tree. There is one, as we’ll see in a few minutes, but I don’t think it is associated with Yom Kippur. All the same offerings are made on all the days of Sukkoth, according to v.25. Q&C
46.1- – The Millennial Temple will be open to the people only on Shabbats. THE New Moon is a Shabbat in accordance with,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, “In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.” (Leviticus 23:24)
I think THIS is THE New Moon that was required to be observed by Israel as a Shabbat, not necessarily EVERY new moon. I think every new moon will be acknowledged, as they should be now. But this is the only New Moon that is designated as a Shabbat. 46.1 says, “the day of the new moon” the Temple will be opened. It is a singular day. It doesn’t say, “the new moon days”, or “the days of the new moons”. In v.3, the people will worship in the Shabbats and the new moons. There will be 1000 years in the millennium, so 1000 New Moon Shabbats, 2000 Pesach Shabbats, 2000 Sukkoth Shabbats and 51000+ weekly Shabbats for the people to worship Y’hovah in. Of course, this does NOT mean that Y’hovah will not be worshipped on other days, as well. It DOES mean that ALL days designated as Shabbats SHALL be observed by EVERYONE. And that will be one of the sources of chafing and rebellion at the end of the Millennium.
It surely looks like Mashiyach offers offerings in the Millennial Temple. Why? He certainly is not offering because he needs justification, for he is justified enough that his justification justifies US! So these offerings cannot be for his own NEED to be reconciled to Avinu. I think these offerings he offers are done for a witness to us and that the animals offered are metaphors to teach us something. The witness to us is that if the prince/king does this, then we ought to, as well. When he walked the earth in his ministry years, he told his cousin, Yochanan about this attitude:
13 Then cometh Yeshua from Galilee to Yarden unto Yochanan, to be baptized of him. 14 But Yochanan forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Yeshua answering said unto him, Suffer now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3.13-15)
“It becometh us” means that they need to stand out for people to see. The word is prepo, and literally means “to tower up” or “be conspicuous”. The people needed to SEE that what they did was different from the Iuaidoi Jews, by which I THINK the gospels mean the political leaders of the Hebrew religion, and NOT the Hebrew people. I see the Mashiyach’s offerings as exactly the same thing. He is conspicuous in his righteousness and is an example for the people to follow. I think the metaphor in the animals sacrificed is that the lambs represent the 6 work days and the ram represents the Shabbat, i.e.; that we worship everyday, but the Shabbat is set apart in every way, including our offerings. This burnt offering is a freewill offering that the prince offers for the people as an example and a metaphor, not because it HAS to be offered for any atonement. The ‘meat’ offering for the ram is prescribed, but the offering for the lambs is to be given ‘as he is able’, or ‘as Y’hovah prospers’ the one who offers, in this case, as the people provide the stuff of the meat offering. “Meat” ≠ flesh food, but = grain or flour.
The prince also offers a special offering for ‘the new moon’. I’ve already told you what I think that means – the 1st of the 7th month. It COULD be every new moon day, but I lean toward it being specific to the 7th month’s new moon that sets apart the beginning of Creation. At any rate, it includes all the offerings for the Shabbat and adds a bullock for this special Shabbat, designated as such in Lev.23 and alluded to in Gen.1.14, where the month is conspicuous by its absence (signs, seasons, days and years – no months).
Vv.1&12 designate the prince’s gate as the East Gate, while v9&10 shows the people using the north and south gates. The prince approaches and departs using the same gate, while the people go straight through; enter from the north, depart to the south and vice versa. I think that if we left by the gate we entered, it would symbolize repenting of going Y’hovah’s Way. Meanwhile, there is no mention of a west gate. The prince stays throughout the Shabbats – he doesn’t leave until the last of the people has departed. Once again he is conspicuous to the people every Shabbat at the Temple; weekly, monthly (if applicable) and yearly. V.10 could be metaphorical as well as literal. I think he arrives at the festivals with the first of the people and leaves with the last of them. But he may also arrive spiritually with each worshipper and go out with him – a literal spiritual battery recharge.
Why the change of number in vv.13&14, from 3rd person singular he, meaning the prince, to 2nd person singular thou? Is he speaking to the reader or the priest or the prince? I lean towards it being instruction for both the prince and the priest on duty, because v.15 changes number again to 3rd person PLURAL, they. Remember that the people bring their oblation to the prince and he then brings all these offerings from out of that oblation (45.13-16). The prince is offering our offerings FOR us, as he offered himself FOR us.
The monkey wrench that gets thrown into the works is in 46.16-18, where the Prince can give an inheritance to his sons, or a gift to his servants. The part about the servants being given a gift is pretty straightforward, and I have no problem with it. But will Mashiyach the Prince have physical sons to whom to give an inheritance? Or are the servants from among those who are NOT members of his body, while the ‘sons’ ARE members of his body? The inheritances given are in perpetuity, l’olam va’ed. But the gifts to his servants revert back to the Prince in the Yovel year. I think that v.18 points up the wickedness of inheritance taxes. They rob the people of their property and scatter the people to the winds. Q&C
T’hellim 48 – Mount Zion is ‘beautiful for situation. ‘Situation’ is translated from H5131, נוף, noph. Its root is H5130 נוף nuph. Nuph means shake, wave or bend. Noph means ‘high’ or ‘height’, but the idea is the heights of a tree, waving in the wind, as if it is raising its hands in praise. So David is saying that Mt. Zion/Yerushalayim is praising Y’hovah. ‘On the sides of the north’ is used in another place, as well – Is.14.13:
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of Elohim: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Sounds like the same place as Ps.48, doesn’t it? Where the spiritual worship of Y’hovah occurs. HaSatan covets Y’hovah’s worship. In this psalm, we see haSatan’s forces coming against Y’hovah in his place, the ‘sides of the north’ and trembling in fear. Elohim is the refuge of all who call on him. All the kings of the earth will come up against him in the last battle of this age (sounds almost Tolkienian, doesn’t it?). I think the reason they will marvel is that their familiar spirits will see the spiritual defenses and tremble at them, affecting their human hosts who will want to turn tail and run. Remember the orcs in The Return of the King movie? The fear was very evident when they saw Gandalf’s light driving away their covering darkness, and they’d have run had it not been for the Nazgul king flying overhead, driving them forward. I think it will be similar at Armageddon. The further I get into this psalm, the more I’m reminded of that movie – not the actual events of it, but the underlying likenesses to the prophetic scriptures. In v.7 Y’hovah breaks the ships of Tarshish, like Aragorn, his companions and the dishonored dead do the Southron ships. As it was prophesied, so it will be in the city of the Great King (v.2), the city of Y’hovah Tsavaoth, the city of Elohenu, who will establish it l’olam va’ed. The Great King = Elohenu = Y’hovah Tsavaoth. There is no separating them, and the rabbis have told us that the Great King is MashiachTzidkenu. Elohim’s grace and mercy are seen in the midst of his Temple and according to his Name his strength is righteousness. We are going to have to give account of the graciousness of Y’hovah’s righteousness to the new generation (creation) that follows this generation because there will be no sin or need for his grace in the generation to come – the olam haba, for Y’hovah will have subdued sin from human nature
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)
The Hebroot 5753 behind the KJV word ‘iniqiuties is avah עוה, ‘to transgress, to deviate from the proper way’. The ‘proper way’, the Way of Y’hovah, is to do Torah without ‘deviation’, and that deviation comes about through the working of our ‘evil inclination’; what fundy, dispy Christianity calls the ‘old sin nature’ [OSN in Mark shorthand]. Micah tells us outright what Jeremiah alludes to in 31.31-34,
31 Behold, the days come, saith Y’hovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith Y’hovah: 33 But this the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith Y’hovah, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know Y’hovah: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Y’hovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Colossians 2.1-10 – When the scripture speaks of a mystery, it is revealing a deep thing of Elohim. This is something that is not readily apparent in the Peshat, but is hidden from plain view in the Sod. This was done so that the plans of Elohim would not be open to the understanding of everyone, including haSatan. If haSatan had known what Y’hovah’s plans were, he would have at least tried to not do some of things he did – for example, he would have worked hard to NOT crucify Mashiyach’s, as Paul revealed in
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Master of tifereth. (I Corinthians 2:8)
Please notice that it says the mystery is singular, but the mystery of Elohim has 2 descriptors, Avinu and Mashiyach’s. I think that this says that Avinu and Mashiyach both reveal Elohim. And the simplest and most contextually correct way of reading v.3 has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge being hid in Mashiyach’s. The grammar and syntax of the sentence (vv.1-3) says that the mystery of Mashiyach is that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of Elohim and Avinu are hid in him.
Vv.4-7 tell us to not even listen to anyone who would turn us away from the Truth of Torah. If anything would draw us away from Torah Truth we ought to ignore it, no matter how good it sounds. But we need to stay in the Truth and ensure that we are rooted in Mashiyach’s, who is the Root. The whole ‘Roots and Branches’ analogy that Paul uses in Romans and alludes to here is a very ancient biblical teaching that the rabbis use to great effect in their deeper teachings. For a taste of that, look at Derech Hashem, by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto, RaMChaL, which is the closest thing to a Jewish systematic theology I’ve ever read. That may have actually been his purpose in writing it back in the 18th C. CE. If you DO read it, you will be amazed at the Pauline character of it, at least in part. But be wary, since Luzatto was a kabbalist, and I think Rav Sha’ul was also.
V.8 begins a treatise on the difference between life in Mashiyach and life according to oral law, life in Torah liberty and life in bondage to the traditions of men. Philosophy means traditions of men and vain deceit means rudiments of the world, all of which is contrasted to Mashiyach. Philosophical traditions and the useless meanderings in the base things of the world’s systems do nothing but spoil the believer’s savour to Y’hovah. When we get caught up in them, we stink. V.9 says that all that is Elohim dwelt in the person of Mashiyach Yeshua, not 1/3 of the Trinity. Y’hovah is ONE! And we are complete in him. The greek word there is pleroo and means crammed full, like the net in Jn.21. Yeshua is also the head of all principality and power, both designations for spiritual beings in the heavenlies (Eph.1.21). Paul is the only author who uses the terms, and the aforementioned Luzatto refers to the ideas in his Derech Hashem, where he talks about angels and shedim (demons). These principalities are very real, though to our limited physical perception are invisible (cf.1.16). Many modern day kabbalists, like Madonna, Angelina Jolie and such, are misusing the ability we have to affect things in the spiritual realms, not to draw closer to Y’hovah, which is the legitimate purpose of Kabbala. The problem with messing with kabbala is that the enticement to power in spiritual realms plays into our covetousness, and will tend to witchcraft in most of us. For that reason I will steer clear of it, and recommend that you all do the same. I don’t trust myself to not aggrandize my own lusts and thereby walk to the right hand or the left. Q&C
V.11-23 – V.11 says we are CCd in Mashiyach, which is the CC of the heart. We are not just CCd in him, we are also buried with him in our immersion and raised in him by our coming out of the mikvah, according to Yeshua’s faith and faithfulness. The ordinances in ch.2 have nothing to do with Tanakh. They have to do most with the practices of the pagan religions of the world.
As in all of Paul’s letter to the Kehalim in Asia and Europe, the pronouns he uses are important in knowing to whom or about whom he is writing. He uses a LOT of you’s and ye’s in this letter, by which he means the gentiles in the kahal. When he uses the pronoun we or us, he is generally talking to Jews/Hebrews. And when he says our, he is generally speaking of both Hebrew and gentile together in Mashiyach.
The context at this point is CC, and there were a bunch of Pharisee CCers going out into the kehalim trying to force CC on the new gentile converts against the instructions of the Netzari Beit Din in Acts 15. Sore losers, eaters of sour grapes, don’t you know. These are the same guys who brought false accusation against Sha’ul in J’lem in Acts 21. (On pg.751 of the AENT is a good treatment of CC that I will not go into, because it is 4 pages long in REALLY minuscule type. If there’s time read the 6-7 marked paragraphs.)
The ‘handwriting of ordinances in v.14 is talking about the traditions of men and the oral law, and it makes reference to the bitter water in Num.5.22-24. Yeshua drank of that bitter water for us and the curse didn’t fall on him, as it would have on every one of us. It was the handwriting of the priest against the woman with the jealous husband, the accusation against us that is unfounded because we are found in Yeshua, which accusation was nailed to the tree with him, not his instructions in Torah. V.15 shows us the source of the false accusations and traditions of men; the very principalities and powers that Yeshua showed up on the day of his resurrection.
In v.16, notice the word therefore, and look at the previous verses to see what it’s there for. The Handwriting that was nailed to Yeshua’s tree; the false accusations of the enemy against us were contrary to us and died with him. HE took those false accusations on himself, drank of that bitter water and blotted them out. So don’t let any man rob you of the liberty that you have in Mashiyach and his Torah, and don’t you even THINK of going back to the rudiments of this world system. In v.16, Paul is speaking to whom? The pronoun you tells us that he is writing to the gentiles in Colosse. He is warning them against letting their gentile acquaintances bully them back into doing the ‘rudiments of the world system’, i.e.; their paganism. He says don’t let those guys who haven’t a clue judge you about your keeping the instructions of Lev.11. Let the body of Mashiyach judge you in your righteousness, not your former pagan buddies in your lack of iniquity as they try to steal away your fellowship with Y’hovah. Vv.20-23 brings us to the conclusion of the matter – the rudiments of the world are the doctrines of men, not the instructions of Elohim. Living in the world is not obedience to Y’hovah, but it is being subject to ordinances – the ‘commandments of the doctrines of men’. Therefore being subject to ordinances is living in disobedience to Torah’s instructions. Those commandments of the doctrines of men may have the appearance of wisdom, but are, in fact, unbeliever’s foolishness.
Ch 3 begins with an admonition to quit worrying about keeping men’s ordinances, and to start keeping the Word of Y’hovah. As Paul tells us in Rom.6, we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to Mashiyach with whom our lives are hidden in Elohim. V.5 tells us to mortify, or consider dead, the works of the flesh. This is not to literally kill our bodies, but to submit to the Ruach haKodesh and thereby to nullify the deeds of the flesh. All those 5 deeds of the flesh in v.5 deal with a sensual desire and are a part of the pagan temple worship. Vv.6-7 shows that all of these things will be judged in the tribulation and especially in the vial judgments of Y’hovah’s wrath and that these gentile believers have been delivered from them by the work of Yeshua on the tree. These ordinances of men (as well as the 2nd person pronouns) make it plain that his main audience in Colosse was gentile, for no religious Jew would consider doing any of these things as a part of their worship of Y’hovah. Q&C
End of Shabbat Bible Study
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