Christmas in July: Part 5

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In my previous post, we looked at King Jeroboam of the divided kingdom of Israel and the false festival that he instituted in order to keep his people from returning to Jerusalem.  (1 Kings 12:26-33 if you would like to review).

 Why did he do that?

 Power ... Control ... Fear...

 If the people went back to Jerusalem, they would know the true way that YHVH desired to be worshipped, and they would recognize the imitation that Jeroboam had given them as the fake that it was.

 My friend Christy Jordan of Seeking Scripture has a saying that certainly applies to this situation:
You won't recognize a 
counterfeit
if you don't know
the original!  

That is what Jeroboam was banking on, and it worked!

If you have ever read through Kings and Chronicles, you know the rest of the story...

The divided kingdom was marched away into exile by the Assyrians in 722BC.  I contend that the context of scripture surrounding this fact points DIRECTLY to the institution of the false festival and Jeroboam's disobedience to following the commands as YHVH as the reason.  In 1 Kings 14:7-11, we read of the curse that YHVH makes against the house of Jeroboam.

Following his reign, we read of kings who followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam:

[1Ki 15:34 KJV] 34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

[1Ki 16:2 KJV] 2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

[1Ki 16:19 KJV] 19 For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

[1Ki 16:26 KJV] 26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

[1Ki 22:52 KJV] 52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:

[2Ki 10:31 KJV] 31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.


In light of the evidence, let me ask you: was Jeroboam's sin, a small thing?  

Instead of following YHVH's commands and keeping YHVH's feasts...

He followed his own heart.

Is it okay today for us to disregard YHVH's Word and follow our own hearts?

But Debbie, surely you do not think we need to follow the commands and keep YHVH's feasts today...that is old testament stuff...

Well, let us take a look at that:

*I am a follower of the Messiah of Israel:  Jesus / Yeshua.  Most of my readers are, too.

*Messiah came to this earth as a Jew...to seek and save the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24)

*Messiah taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16)

*Messiah kept the feast days of YHVH (John 7:14)

*Messiah said that He did not come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17-20)

I am aware that many believers think that since Messiah "fulfilled" the Torah, believers are free from the responsibility of trying.  I am unable to reconcile that with reason.  Which of the 10 commandments are we now free to break?  

Can we commit murder and adultery with a clear conscience now?

Is YHVH now okay with us taking His Name in vain?

Are there any compelling reasons left to respect one's parents?

These are ridiculous questions, perhaps.  

But here is one that does not sound so ridiculous...

Are we free to break the Sabbath and establish Sunday as The Lord's Day?

And another...

Are we free to disregard YHVH's feast days and replace them with church holidays never mentioned in the Bible?

But Debbie, a day is just a day.  We worship in spirit and truth.

Did YHVH think that the 8th month feast of Jeroboam was just as good as the 7th month feast that was already instituted by YHVH?

I hear a lot of arguments for "freedom" in Christ.  

But I really struggle to know exactly what it is we seem to want to be free from.

The Psalmist wrote that blessed is the one who has not walked in the advice of the wicked....But His delight is in the Torah of YHVH, and on His Torah he meditates day and night.  Psalm 1. 

Has YHVH changed? (Malachi 3:6)

I am YHVH
I do not change.  

So who does need to change? 

That is the question I have been asking myself for a few years now. And in His beautiful and gentle way, YHVH has been leading me away from the traditions and sins of Jeroboam to a walk more closely aligned to His Torah and the whole counsel of the Bible.  

Are you still here?  I applaud you for reading what I am sharing.  It is hard to read.  Believe me, it is hard to write, too.

Are you ready to keep journeying down this path?  Let's see how all of this may apply to our tradition of Christmas in my next post.  I think that is where we will find the calves we have been looking for...

Come Seek With Me!

*Note:  My friend Christy has a shirt shop on Amazon.  If you liked the "you won't recognize a counterfeit if you don't know the original" quote, there is a shirt for that!

Ready to Move Forward
Christmas in July: Part 6

 Need to Catch Up

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