Hard Sayings of Paul - Part 4
"For I, Yahuweh, do not change...," Malachi 3:6
How often have you heard ministers today quote Malachi 3:6 mentioned above and then loudly proclaim how the Almighty does not change?" Then they will go on to warn you how we should not add or take away anything from His Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32). Then, almost without stopping to take a breath, they will say the Torah, the Law given to Israel at Mount Sinai, no longer has to be obeyed! They will say the Heavenly Father "changed his mind"; it doesn't have to be obeyed any longer. Or they will pick out a few commandments from the Torah, such as the laws on tithing, and proclaim "that one" still has to be obeyed. As for the rest of the Law, such as the Feast Days (Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 16), Food Laws (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14), and Sabbath day (Exodus 20:8-11), the laws that we are told will endure forever (Malachi 4:1-6; Exodus 31:17; Deuteronomy 5:10; 7:9-10; 29:29; Leviticus 23:14, 21, 31, 41), THOSE Laws have been done away with!
Wait a minute, I thought we just read how the Father said, ...I do not change in Malachi 3:16? Well the fact is, as I've hopefully shown in the previous three articles, the Father did not change his mind about his Law having to be obeyed (Romans 2:11-12; 3:31).
It needs to be pointed out that Yahuweh sent prophet after prophet to tell His people Israel to repent, stop sinning, and turn back to His Law, the Torah (Jeremiah 6:16). Include in that the Messiah, the One who died for our sins, and His disciples after Him, saying the same thing: REPENT, STOP SINNING, and turn back to the Law (Luke 13:3,55; John 8:11; Acts 2:38; 17:30-31).
I'm not going to go back and reiterate all that has been said previously except to possibly remind you of what I believe to be an important point to remember, and understand, when reading the writings of the apostles. That is, when the Messiah and His disciples walked the earth the "only" Scriptures (or Bible), that they had, and the one they preached and taught from, was the Tanak, that which is commonly called the "Old" Testament today. If there is any doubt in anyone's mind as to whether that's true or not please go back and read Part 3 again, The New Testament the and Law.
All the Prophets came to restore the Law:
Consider if you would for a moment the fact that all the Prophets that the Almighty sent, throughout Israel's history, including the Messiah (Matthew 5:17-19; 19:16-17) were sent to tell the people to stop sinning and turn back to the Law.
Here are but a few examples:
Jeremiah 6:16-19: Thus says Yahuweh, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls." But they said, "We will not walk in it." And I set watchmen over you, saying, "Listen to the sound of the trumpet!" But they said, "We will not listen." "Therefore hear, O nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their plans, because they have not listened to My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it also.
2 Kings 17:13-14: Yahuweh warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets." However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers,...
2 Chronicles 36:15-16: Yahuweh, the Elohim of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of Elohim, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of Yahuweh arose against His people, until there was no remedy.
Isaiah 5:24-25: Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the law of Yahuweh of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. On this account the anger of Yahuweh has burned against His people...
Jeremiah 26:4-5: Thus says Yahuweh, "If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened;
Daniel 9:11-13: Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, ... yet we have not sought the favor of Yahuweh our Elohim by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.
Matthew 5:18-19: For verily I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least by the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great by the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:16-17: And, behold, one came and said unto him, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" And he said unto him, "... if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Luke 13:3, 5: Yahoshua said, I tell you, ...unless you repent [stop violating the Law], you will all likewise perish.
Matthew 4:17: From that time Yahoshua began to preach and say, "Repent, turn from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
In the near future, when the Messiah is ruling upon the earth, all the nations will come to Mount Zion to learn the Law of Yahuweh. What Law do you suppose Isaiah was talking about here:
Isaiah 2:2-3: Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of Yahuweh will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahuweh, to the house of the Elohim of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of Yahuweh from Jerusalem (also Micah 4:2).
After the 1,000-year reign of the Messiah upon the earth, when He turns the Kingdom back over to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:25-28), and Yahuweh Himself is King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9), His Law will be obeyed by the whole earth. These passages are all speaking of a future time:
Zechariah 14:9: And Yahuweh be king over all the earth; in that day Yahuweh will be the only one, and His name the only one.
Zechariah 14:16: Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahuweh of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
Isaiah 66:22-23: "For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me," declares Yahuweh, "So your offspring and your name will endure. And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me," says Yahuweh.
Jeremiah 31:31-33: "Behold, days are coming," declares Yahuweh, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, ....I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their Elohim and they shall be My people."
The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel:
In 722 B.C.E., the House of Israel, the 10 northern tribes, received their last warning. They were taken captive by Assyria, and eventually assimilated among the nations, losing their identity and thus becoming known as the "Lost sheep of the House of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24). Yahuweh sent prophet after prophet warning them to "repent," turn back to His Law or suffer the consequences such as Amos, Hosea, Joel, Micah, and Isaiah to name a few. But, as a nation, Israel refused to repent and because they had forgotten the Law of Yahuweh, Yahuweh forgot them.
Hosea 4:6: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your Yahuweh, I also will forget your children.
Hosea 8:1: Put the trumpet to your lips! Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of Yahuweh, because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
As it is today, so many have forgotten the Law of Yahuweh and will find out on Judgment Day that they, too, were "forgotten." The Messiah tells us that,
Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Master, Master,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Master, Master, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me you who practice Lawlessness.'"
When the Messiah said he who does the will of My Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, what was the will of the Father? I think that even those that incorrectly think the Messiah died to do away with the Law, rather then sin, would have to admit that before the Messiah's death the "will of the Father" was to obey His Commandments, His Law. Was Yahoshua then implying that that Law was to be obeyed only for the remainder of His time on earth, and after that it would no longer have mattered?
What do you think the Savor meant in verse 22 when he said, on that day? Clearly Yahoshua is speaking of the "Judgment Day." On Judgment Day it will only be those that did the will of the Father (that is, obeyed His Law) that will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. To those that did not obey the Law, the ones Yahoshua refers to as lawless ("without law"), they will hear those dreadful words of the Master, I never knew you, depart from Me you who work Lawlessness, of Matthew 7:23. The Heavenly Father "did not" change His mind concerning His Law.
The House of Judah:
For nearly 50 years, the prophet Jeremiah warned the House of Judah (the two southern tribes of Israel) that destruction was pronounced against them, and against the Temple and the Holy City. Jeremiah pleaded for the people of his day, who he referred to as "poor and foolish people" (Jeremiah 5:4) for they were simply following their "religious leaders" (Jeremiah 5:31). The average person didn't know how to read or write, and even if they could, to own a copy of a Torah scroll written by a scribe, was a very expensive undertaking which almost no one could *afford. So Jeremiah, as young and naive as he was in the beginning of his ministry (Jeremiah 1:6-7), thought he could talk to the religious leaders.
Jeremiah 5:4-5: Then I, Jeremiah, said, "They are only the poor, they are foolish; for they do not know the way of Yahuweh or the ordinance of their Elohim. I will go to the great men, the leaders, and will speak to them, for they know the way of Yahuweh and the ordinance of their Elohim." But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke and burst the bonds.
Jeremiah 5:31: Yahuweh said, "the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so!...
As it is today, there are so many people that "love it so." They like the idea of a "religion" that doesn't demand anything of them, except to bow their heads and say a prayer, rather then "losing their lives" for Messiah's sake (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25).
Don't be among the multitudes today that are being mislead by their "religious leaders," the modern day priests, pastors, rabbi's and prophets. Those are the very ones that Peter warned us about, those who are telling their flock that the Almighty "changed" His mind on His Law having to be obeyed.
2 Peter 3:17: You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your own steadfastness.
The word "wicked" in the King James Version, and "unprincipled" in the New American Standard Version is #H113 in the Strong's Concordance and it is defined as "lawless."
Almighty Yahuweh said, I do not change... in Malachi 3:6. Do you believe Him?
Just as it was in Isaiah's day, so it is today. They call good (the Heavenly Father's Law) evil. And they call evil (being sin) good, (Isaiah 5:14, 20, 24).
Isaiah 5:20-24: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light [the Law - Proverbs 6:23], and light for darkness.... Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; because they have rejected the law of the Yahuweh of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Yahuweh's "Perfect Law" (Psalm 19:7, The Law of Yahuweh is perfect, restoring the soul...):
Is it possible to improve on something that is perfect? Did Yahuweh give His Law, only to realize later that He made a mistake? No, not at all. As was mentioned early, Paul tells us that not only has Yahuweh's Law NOT been done away with (Romans 2:11-13), but it is established in the lives of the New Testament believers, (Romans 3:31).
Did Yahuweh change his mind when he stated:
- Proverbs 28:9, "He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination."
If Yahuweh does not change, and He says He does NOT, then today those who are not obeying the Law, through their misunderstanding of some of the things Paul said, or for any other reason, then we are told that even their prayers are an abomination. Why is it that their prayers are an abomination? Because they are making a request of the Father and yet at the same time they are unwilling to obey His commandments, His Law.
Image a man walking into a courtroom with a six-shooter in his hand with which he had just killed five people. He goes up to the judge and asks for forgiveness for the five people he just killed. He tells the judge that when he leaves the courtroom he is going to kill one more person with the one bullet he has left in his gun. Could he be forgiven? Of course not. It would appear as if this person is trying to make a fool out of the judge. The same is true when someone goes before the Heavenly Father with their sins in their hands, they never stopped sinning. Their prayers are an abomination to the Father. It was sin that the Savior died to save us from and for someone to think they can continue in sin and still petition the Father in prayer for forgiveness or a favor, is mocking Yahuweh, and it is an abomination. - Hebrews 10:26-27, "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries...
- 1 John 3:3-8, And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him practices sin; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; .... the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of Elohim appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
The Law is Truth:
- Psalm 119:142, Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is truth.
- The apostle James tells us if any among you strays from the truth (the Law) and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins, James 5:19-20 Malachi 2:6 (KJV), The Law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. (iniquity is "sin" and sin is a violation of the Law, 1 John 3:4).
The Law is Liberty:
- So I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts, Psalm 119:44-45.
- James 1:25, But one who looks intently at the Perfect Law [Psalm 19:7], the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Again, what is it that the Savior came to save us from? It was "sin." We were at one time "slaves to sin," slaves to all our carnal passions and desires (Romans 6:17-19). But now, by the spirit of Messiah that dwells in us, we have been set free from sin and have become "slaves to righteousness" (John 8:34-36).
- He that is in you is greater then he that is in the world, 1 John 4:4.
- I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, Philippians 4:13.
James tells us that we all stumble at times (James 3:2), but we should never, knowing something is a sin, do it "intentionally" (1 John 3:9)! That should never happen in the life of someone truly born again (1 Peter 1:3, 14-16).
The Law is Light:
Proverbs 6:23 (KJV): For the commandment is a lamp; and the Law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: The "Word of Yahuweh" is His Law - and it will never be done away with.
Yahoshua tells us that man shall not live by bread along, but every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahuweh, Matthew 4:4. His Law is His Word.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 6: "You shall remember all the way which Yahuweh your Elohim has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahuweh. [6] Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of Yahuweh your Elohim, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
Isn't it amazing that the very thing Messiah tells us we have to live by, is the very thing Satan (through his ministers) have convinced most of the world they don't have to obey - the Torah, the Law. Think about it, for truly the time to think about it will soon be gone. Do you really believe that the Father changed his mind (Malachi 3:6) about His Law?
- The same Law He sent prophet after prophet after prophet to tell Israel to turn back to (Jeremiah 6:16-19; Jeremiah 26:4-5; 2 Kings 17:13; 2 Chronicles 36:15).
- The same Law that He says is perfect (Psalm 19:7), is truth (Psalm 119:142), is light (Proverbs 6:23), and liberty (Psalm 119:44-45; Lamentations 1:25).
- The same Law the Messiah tells we have to live by (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:2, 3, 6).
- The same Law that He tells us will be on the hearts of all His people in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10)?
Today, if you'll hear his voice do not harden your hearts, Hebrews 3:7.
Yahuweh "did not" change His mind concerning His Law.
Is it Possible to Obey the Law?:
Did the Father give us this great idealistic, impossible goal toward which converted souls should struggle but never expect to attain? Is there some hidden reservation or secret meaning in the many times we are told to obey the Law? Did Yahuweh mean what He said and say what He meant?
It is true that we all have sinned, but we do not have to continue to sin. That is, we should no longer "practice" sin (Hebrews 10:26; 1 John 3:7-8). Again, we may stumble at times, but never should we intentionally, premeditatedly, sin. Salvation is "losing your life" and allowing the Messiah, Yahushua to live His life in you and through you.
Paul said in Philippias 4:13, I can do all things through Messiah which strengthens me. How could Paul make such a statement, in that he could "do all things"? Because it was no longer Paul but the Messiah, Yahushua, living His life through Paul.
Galatians 2:20: I have been impaled with Messiah; and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Yahuweh, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
This same "strength" is offered to all who will "lose their life" and allow the Savior to live His life through you (Matthew 11:28-30; John 2:6).
1 John 5:3: This is the Love of Yahuweh that we keep His commandments.
The Law and grace do not work in competition with each other but in perfect cooperation. The Law points out sin, and grace saves from sin. The Law is the will of Yahuweh and Grace is the power to do His will. A text which combines the two in their true relationship is found in
Revelation 14:12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahuweh, and the faith of Yahoshua.
What a perfect description of faith and works! And the combination is found in those who "are saved." You see works of obedience are the real test of love. This is why they are so necessary in the experience of a true believer. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). Words and profession are not enough. The true evidence is obedience. James goes on to tell us that we "are not" saved by faith alone.
James 2:24: You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
The Savior said, If you love me keep my commandments, (John 14:15). That is exactly what most people today DO NOT WANT TO DO! If to love the Almighty demands that we obey Him, the majority will reject it. Unfortunately, most people today are not looking for "truth"; but rather a smooth, easy, comfortable religion, which will allow them to live the way they please and still believe they have the assurance of salvation. Such a religion doesn't exist. As Paul puts it,
2 Timothy 4:3-4: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth [the Law is Truth, Psalm 119:142] and shall be turned unto fables. The ultimate "fable" is that Yahuweh no longer expects His Law to be obeyed.
One of the strongest texts in the Bible on this subject is found in 1 John 2:4, He that says, I know Him and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.
John could write that with such assurance because it is one of the most deeply established truths in the Bible. Yahoshua spoke of those who said, "Master, Master," but did not do the "will of the Father." Then He described many who would seek entrance into the kingdom claiming to be workers of miracles in the name of the Messiah, but He will have to say, Depart from Me, I never knew you, you workers of LAWLESSNESS, (Matthew 7:21-23).
You see, to know Yahuweh is to love Him, and to love Yahuweh is to obey Him. The Apostle John's valid assumption is very clear and simple: If one is not obeying Yahuweh, he does not love Him. If he does not love Yahuweh, then he does not know Him. Do you love the Heavenly Father? Then, show it by walking as the Messiah walked (2 John 2:6); that is, in obedience to His Law.
The last chapter in the Tanak, which is the Bible the apostles would have been preaching from states this:
Malachi 4:1-6: "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says Yahuweh of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says Yahuweh of hosts. Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of Yahuweh. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." (Our hearts are turned to the fathers, the men of faith who went before us. Our hearts are turned to the children to command them to obey the Torah.)
Yahuweh willing, may we be counted among that "Remnant" that endures unto the end (Luke 13:23-24).
This concludes the "Hard Sayings of Paul." Should you have any questions whatsoever, email us and we will do our utmost best to assist you in finding the answers.
*The cost of owning a copy of just the 4 Gospels: In A.D. 310, during a time of severe inflation, the Roman Emperor, Diocletian, issued a wide ranging price fixing edict. By that edict, the pay of a good scribe was 20-25 denarii per 100 stichoi (one sticho, singular, was 16 syllables long).This compares with 25 denarii a day for a laborer, or a mule drivers wage, or 50 denarii a day for a skilled craftsman, a mason, a carpenter or a smith. So a properly scribed copy of the four gospels would cost the equivalent of a craftsman's wages for about 6 weeks--far more then the average person could afford.