Land of our Inheritance

The land which is our inheritance covers a bit more land than the current day nation state of Israel. Does the land of Canaan ring a bell? 

"The area known as Canaan in ancient times covered parts of modern-day Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Ancient Canaan also included parts of the coastal regions and areas of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan"

Genesis 13:12 ~ Abram stays in the land of Canaan while Lot settled in the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom. YHWH said to Abram, "Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north, south, east and west, for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever. Get up and walk about the land, through its length and breadth..." Abram moved his tent and dwelt at the terebinths of Mamre* which are in Hebron. 

Numbers 34 ~ When you enter the land of Canaan this is the land that shall fall to you as your portion, the land of Canaan with its various boundaries: 

Your Southern sector shall extend from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom. The boundary shall start on the east from the tip of the Dead Sea.  It shall then turn to pass south of the ascent of Akrabbim and continue to Zin and its limits shall be south of Kadesh-barnea, reaching Hazar-addar and continueing to Azmon. From Azmon the boundary shall turn toward the Wadi of Egypt and terminate at the Mediterranean Sea.

For the Western boundary, you shall have the Great Sea (Mediterranean) and its coast. This shall be your western border.
 

The Northern border: from the Mediterranean Sea you shall draw a line to Mount Hor. From Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and let it reach Zedad. From there the border shall extend to Ziphron, and terminate at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.
 

For your Eastern border, draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham. And the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue downward and abut on the eastern slopes of the Sea of Chinnereth (Sea of Galilee). And the border shall continue down along the Jordan, and terminate at the Salt (Dead) Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around.”

*Note: Mamre was an Amorite, kinsman of Eshkol and Aner, allies of Abraham. The terebinths of Mamre in Hebron are generally agreed to have been oak trees and that grove was named after Mamre.

This land is also pointed out later on to Moses in Deuteronomy 34. The territory has been divided among the twelve clans descended from Jacob (whose name Yah changed to Israel) ~

Moses went up from the steppes of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, opposite Jericho, and YHWH showed him the whole land:
Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, the whole land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev; and the Plain (the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees) as far as Zoar.  YHWH said to Moses, 'This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I assigned it to them and their offspring.'

Many ancient names for these locations have remained and some have not.  It's not the easiest of tasks to find an overlay of the land of Canaan on to the modern day borders of Israel.  But the main message is that the physical land mass of what we know as Israel is not the same as the promised land described by our Creator. His promise is to the people, Israel, those descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their offspring AND anyone who chooses Yah as their God, abide by His Instructions and have the tesitmony of His son, thus becoming adopted into the commonwealth of the House of Israel.  "Israel" is a people, not the U.N. created state.

Click Here to go to my Study: Who Is Israel?

Our Creator's Method of Counting - Part II

If we cannot agree on when a day begins, 
if we don't trust our Creator, then, really, none of this matters.

This study continues the Let There Be Light study

Some folks believe that a day from sundown to sundown is not correct, and refer to  Psalm 113:3 - I'll start with verse one...

1Praise Yah! 
Praise, O servants of יהוה, 
Praise the Name of יהוה! 
2Blessed be the Name of יהוה, 
Now and forever!

3From the rising of the sun to its going down, 
The Name of יהוה is praised.

4יהוה is high above all nations, 
His esteem above the heavens.

Now,  I wouldn't put all my money on Psalm 113:3 as defining what a 'day' is.  These verses are poetic in nature, telling us to praise our Creator, from we when get up until we go to go to bed.... it's  not defining the length of a day or when a day begins, as it is written in Genesis, "... there was evening and there was morning... the next day."

Our Creator has shown us the pattern to follow, just as He showed the pattern of the Tabernacle to Moses, who followed His Instructions perfectly.

We read in Scriptures that Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. At creation, darkness existed before the light: "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light," (Genesis l:2-3) ...  Darkness was already present and therefore came first on day one of creation, and on each succeeding day. A day begins with darkness, become light and fades away to darkness.

Once we learn what a day is and when it began, we understand YHWH did His work of creation in six days; blessed and rested from His work on the Seventh Day. Yah made the seventh day sabbath for us, as a sign between Himself and His people. Since He is Set Apart and rested on the 7th day of creation He desires that we also rest on the 7th day from our work. He set the pattern for us to follow.

Seven is the established order and I asked Mrs. G about what she wrote, "His weekly Sabbaths will fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th every time".  And I aksed, wouldn't a seven day count be 7, 14, 21 and 28, every time? 

Exodus 35:2 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Set Apart day, a Sabbath of Complete Rest to Yahweh Elohim....Leviticus 23:3 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of Complete Rest...Deuteronomy 5:12 'Observe the sabbath day to keep it set apart as Yahweh your Elohim commanded you...

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Now is when Mrs. G lets me in on something I'd never heard of before:

"Yes Dusty, new moon day is a set apart day like the Sabbath, it is day 1 of His calendar, the weekly count starts with day 2 of the month." (Me: huh?) "So when we see Sabbath on the 15th, we count back...15 - 7 = 8, 8 - 7 = 1, new moon day, you can also count forward, 15 + 8 = 22 ... (Me: what?!)

What is written in Torah helps define a day:

Exodus 12 Yah tells Moshe that the month they are to be set free from Pharaoh is the first month of the year... and on the 15th day is when they were set free. 

Exodus 16: the Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin on the 15th day of the 2nd month after they left Egypt (when did the new count of days begin?)

This is where the moon and the month connect = Exodus 19: On the 3rd new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt... 19:16 On the 3rd day as morning dawned. 

This reads as a count of days from the new moon, the 3rd new moon since Yah told Moshe when the first month was. Three Moons = 3 months. He says the third new moon and then counts the 3rd day from that new moon, and indicates what part of the day it was: dawn. He never says the Sabbath Day of Rest is every 8th day. And in Exodus 12, 16 and 19 we can see He considers the new moon as the first day of the month.

After this exchange, Mrs. G provided a link to a site defending (explaining) the 8 day count and new moon day sabbath. This website uses quotes from Scripture and verses out of context to prove their point. Our discussion was becoming more than just defining a day by Yah's terms.  It was becoming confusing to say the least and my conviction about the seven day count from the sighting of the new moon was digging in deeper.  Several days have now passed and I am still not convinced that there is an eight day rhythm or new moon day as a day unto itself.  After taking a look at the website I was able to offer Mrs. G examples of where the info they provided was not exactly on point. They were using Yah's Feast Days to pinpoint sabbath days, using Passover as the first example, and doing that count backwards thing. 

Here is my opening remarks and the discussion that followed:

This is the first time we learn of the process of being set free. The history of the passover lamb and Yah's instructions for people to choose to be saved from death, using the blood of a lamb painted on the doorposts and lintels of each dwelling: Exodus 12:12 - For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and I will mete out punishments to all the (false) gods of Egypt... And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a Sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (that evening meal begins the Days of Unleavened Bread) Exodus 12:15 - Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread- on the very 1st day (of the 7, on the 15th) you shall remove leaven from your houses. The first day and the seventh day are sacred occasions and no work is to be done, only whatever is to be eaten may be prepared.  Exodus 12:17 - you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for on this very day (the 15th day of the 1st month) I brought you out of Egypt, to be observed throughout the ages as an institution for all time. Exodus 12:18 - In the first month from the 14th day at evening you shall eat unleavened bread until the 21st day of the month at evening. ... (the 14th day at evening is when the passover lamb was eaten... and the 15th day began when the sun went down) Exodus 12:24 - You shall observe this as an institution for all time, for you and for your descendants. :25 And when you enter the land that I will give you, as I promised, you shall observe this rite... And when your children ask why and what does it mean, you shall say, 'It is the passover sacrifice to YHWH Elohim because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses.'

In Leviticus this appointment is explained again:
Leviticus 23:4 - These are the set times of YHWH, the sacred occasions, which you shall celebrate each at its appointed time: In the first month, on the 14th day of the month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to YHWH and on the 15th day of that month YHWH's Feast of Unleavened Bread- for seven days.

This fits with a seven day count, the 14th day is a Sabbath and the 15th day is a "High Sabbath" being the first day of Unleavened bread, that lasts seven days and ends on the 21st, a Sabbath Day of Rest. Deuteronomy 16 gives us a little more detail for this set time. It reads that a passover offering is made to YHWH and slaughtered in the place He will choose to establish His Name. For 7 days no leaven shall be found among you. You cannot slaughter the sacrifice wherever you choose but at the place YHWH chooses to establish His Name. In the morning you may start back home; on the 7th day of Unleavened Bread hold a solemn gathering, do no work."  

The 7th day of Unleavened Bread falls on the regular weekly Sabbath day of rest, so we have a Sabbath with another High Sabbath on the 21st day of the month. (Notice it says in the morning they can head back home. That is the day following the passover offering, a High Sabbath)

The website offered by Mrs. G concludes that the "main point for this 1st month is that the Sabbath day is pinpointed to be on the 15th day. We can also conclude the the 8th, 22nd, and 29th were also Sabbath days" (end quote) That conclusion is wrong. The regular sabbath is also when the passover offering is made.  If your read the account from Scriptures, the first day of Unleavened bread is a Sabbath, too. Yahweh says the days of Unleavened bread end on the 21st day of the first month.... which is also part of the seven day count for the weekly Sabbath.

(notes) Exodus 12:29 In the middle of the night YHWH struck down all the first born in the land of Egypt... 30 Pharaoh arose in the night because of the loud cry in Egypt... 31 He summons Moses and Aaron in the night and tells them to leave: Up, depart from among my people, you and the Israelites with your Elohim... take your flocks, your herds and be gone... 33 The Egyptians are happy to see them go and give them any thing they ask for just to finally get rid of them.... His people were dressed and ready to go as Yah had instructed them to be when they ate the lamb. Can you imagine 600,000 men plus women and children plus the mixed multitude, leaving Egypt? on the 15th 'day' of the month, beginning some time before the sun rose, as Exodus 12:29-31 lets us know this begins happening at night, after the passover lamb was eaten on the 14th day at twilight, before the sun went down and it became the 15th day, when He said He would set them free.

Moving right along...  in the website they also (quote) 'conclude that for the 2nd month in a row, the Sabbath is pinpointed to be on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of the month. And the 1st day of the month is new moon day." End quote.

Yes, it is written in Exodus 16 that the entire community that left Egypt came to the wilderness of Sin (Zin) between Elim and Sinai, on the 15th day of the second month. They begin mumbling and grumbling again, complaining and wishing they had all the conveniences of living in Egypt. They believe Moses has brought them out to the desert to die. Yah tells Moses to let them know He will provide 'bread from the sky' and they can gather what they need each day. On the 6th day there will be double the amount because the 7th day is the weekly Shabbat. ....  They are in the wilderness on the 15th day of the 2nd month, and 'manna' is provided for them to gather. They gather what they need each day, for six days: 15th, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20th. Next is the 21st day of the second month, a weekly Sabbath by the seven day count from the new moon sighting.

Now, part three from the website, they assume that the Israelites entered Sinai on the 15th day. (Quote) ".... they came to Sinai in the 3rd month, on the same day they had left Egypt. They left Egypt by night on the 15th of the month." (end quote) I strongly believe this statement to be a misunderstanding of what is written: Exodus 19 ~ On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. == The third new moon would be the 1st day of that third month and on that very day, the first day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. They set up camp in front of the mountain.  Also, as pointed out in the previous comments, they began leaving Egypt after Yah had killed all first born in the middle of the night, which was after sundown on the the 14th day, into the 15th day. They did not leave by night on the 15th day as the website states. The last of the nearly one million people may have wandered out before sundown, but they were gone before day number 15 ended.

Next phase of the discussion, Mrs. G uses verses trying to support the eight day count, which leads us to learning the specifics of His Moedim aka Feast Days. So I shall draw this post to a close and link it to Part Three when I complete that study.

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There is a reason Yah said this:

Isaiah 1:11 - What need have I of all your sacrifices... I have no delight that you come to appear before Me - trample My courts no more. Bringing your offerings is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath you proclaim solemnities and assemble with wickedness I cannot tolerate. Your new moons (months) and your fixed seasons (man's traditions and substitutes for Yah's moedim) fill Me with loathing - they have become a burden to Me, no longer a joy. When you lift up your hands in false praise and worship I will turn My Eyes away from you.

If we were keeping count according to His Plan we would not be filling Him with loathing. We would not be a burden to Him making Him sad, or angry.  We know His Day of Wrath is coming so lets not be part of the reason why.

That Cushite Woman

The murmuring of Aaron and Miriam

Numbers 12:1

When they were in Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against their brother, Moses, because of the Cushite woman he had married:

"He married a Cushite woman! Has Yah spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?"

Yahweh heard them.

Yahweh calls to them: Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting.

Then he calls out Aaron and Miriam and He said:

"Hear these words of Mine: when a prophet of Mine arises among you, I make Myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is trusted throughout My household.  With him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly  and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of Me.  How then did you not shrink from speaking against My servant Moses!"

Yahweh was incensed with them as He departed.  Miriam was struck with snow-white scales. Aaron pleads with Moses admitting their sin they committed in folly. Moses cried out to Yah to heal her, but He says:

If her father spat in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days?  Let her be shut out of the camp  for seven days then let her be readmitted.

Let us now refer to the historical accounts of Moses as they are written in the book called Jasher, beginning with the time Moses killed an Egyptian.

Moses was eighteen years old and desired to see his parents who were living in Goshen. On his way he came across a 'work place' where he saw an Egyptian hitting one of his Hebrew kin.  This man who was being beaten saw Moses and ran to him for help, as Moses was greatly respected in the house of Pharaoh.  He tells Moses that this Egyptian came to his house at night, tied him up and then had his way with his wife in his presence, and now intended to kill him.  Moses was angered and struck the Egyptian, which killed him. Eventually Pharaoh found out about this and sent his guards to kill Moses. Yah sent a Messenger/angel who guided Moses from Egypt, 40 days journey from the border.

Moses ends up in the camp of King Kikianus of Cush and remained with them for nine years.  The king and princes and all the fighting men loved Moses, for he was great and worthy, his stature was like a noble lion, his face like the sun and his strength was like that of a lion - he became counsellor to the king.

When the king died, his men found no other choice but to make Moses their new king - he was now 27 years old and reigned 40 years.  Yahweh granted him favor and grace in the eyes of all the children of Cush.

The people gave to Moses for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus.  Here it is mentioned that Moses feared Yahweh the Elohim of his fathers, so he did not go to her nor look her in the eyes.  He remembered how Abraham made his servant Eliezer swear not to take a woman from the daughters of Canaan for his son Isaac. Therefore, Moses did not turn his heart to nor take the wife of Kikianus as his own.  But he did strengthen himself in the kingdom of Cush and guided them with his usual wisdom and he prospered.

In the fortieth year of his reign, Adoniah the queen has had enough of pretending.  She speaks in front of Moses, the nobles and princes saying, "What is it you have done for all this time?  This man (Moses) has not approached me nor has he served the gods of the children of Cush.  Therefore, let him reign no more. My son (from Kikianus) is grown up and it is better for you to serve him than a stranger, slave of the king of Egypt.

The people gave in but were afraid to go against Moses - they knew his Elohim was with him - and they remembered the oath they swore to Moses so they did him no harm and sent him packing.  He was sixty six years old when he left the land of Cush and traveled to Midian. He was afraid to go back to Egypt on account of Pharaoh.  This is when he comes upon a well and meets the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite. (Exodus 2:16)

Having this information helps explain why Yah got so angry with Miriam and Aaron for speaking out 'falsely' against their brother.   He was not married to the queen of Cush - she was given to him but he stayed true to Yahweh Elohim.

Substitutes

Another thought to ponder by Dusty Sandals

Why substitute turkey bacon for real bacon?

Why substitute imitation crab for real crab?

If we are instructed by our Creator 

not to eat it

why would we want to fake it?

Why don't we just trust Him?

Is this a test of our Faith?

==v==v==v==

I've been there, done this and ate that until I realized I didn't need to make something up to replace what Yah had already put in place. Oh, sure, now 'science' has proven pork is not good for human consumption, but why didn't we just obey Yah's instructions in the first place?

This may be a stretch, but it's what is playing out in my mind:

The 'golden calf' Incidents

They substituted a gold statue of a calf in place of YHWH. (Exodus 32:3) 

Jeroboam had temples built in Dan and Bethel while the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. In them were placed golden calves to be worshiped and he convinced the people that they didn't need to go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship Elohim. (1 Kings 12:25)

These are just a couple of examples of man taking things into his own hands for his own perceived good - instead of trusting and loving the one true Elohim and faithfully obeying His Instructions. Scriptures are a record of historical events that took place which we are to learn from so as not to make the same mistakes as our ancestors.

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor 10: 11)

Even religions have become substitutes for the Truth of His Word. Oh, it may sound like Scriptures and taste a bit like Scriptures, but its not... don't be offering strange fire thinking you are pleasing Yah.

There is no substitute for YHWH

or His Instructions

Back to the topic of foods He said we could eat and those we should abstain from - trust Him to know what He's talking about - He created us and knows what we need for our health and well being.  He gave us an Owner's Manual and most folks try everything their own way before giving in and reading the Instructions.

If you did not know, here is what Yah says we can eat and should not eat, as written in Leviticus and Deuteronomy:

Animals with true hoofs (hoofs with clefts through the hoofs) AND chew the cud. The examples given for what not to eat are the camel, daman, and hare which chew the cud but do not have true hoofs. The swine has true hoofs but does not chew the cud - these are considered 'unclean'. It is alright to eat: ox, sheep, goat (domestic or wild), deer, gazelle, roebuck, ibex, antelope, mountain sheep and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud: buffalo, elk, moose and beef.

Of the things that live in water, we may eat them as long as they have both fins and scales. This excludes from our menu such popular items as clams, lobster, oysters, mussels, squid and shrimp. This also excludes scallops, shark, whale, octopus, eel, swordfish and sturgeon.

I am of the mind that if you cannot see the scales on the fish without the use of a microscope then consider that particular fish unclean. Halibut, for example, have tiny scales naked to the human eye so they appear to us as not having scales... they should not be eaten. YHWH put forth His Instructions to benefit our health and well being. They didn't have microscopes or other testing equipment back then - they trusted Him - as we should in this day and age.

Birds that are not to be eaten: eagle, vulture, kite, falcons, ravens, ostrich, nighthawk, sea gulls, any hawk, owl, cormorant, pelican, bustard, stork, herons, hoopoe and bats.

It's OK to eat winged swarming things that walk on all fours and have jointed legs above their feet (hoppers) as in locust, crickets and grasshoppers.

Any animal that walks on paws, on all fours, are not on the menu. No variety of cat or canine is to be eaten. Also, we are not to eat: moles, mice, lizards of every variety or crocodiles.

We have been given every seed bearing fruit to eat and of grains of the field. Modern day 'seedless' varieties should not be eaten. I gave up one of my favorites: seedless watermelon! All genetically modified foods are off the list of things that can be eaten. They have been tampered with by man.

With all that said, in today's world the majority of our food sources have become corrupt, so sticking to Yahweh's Plan becomes even more challenging. Letting the land rest every 7th year is not being followed so over the years farming has depleted the nutritional value of the land. The food it produces is lacking in vitamins and minerals and what is being added (supplements) isn't nearly enough. I've read that almost all corn is now genetically modified. Seeds have been engineered that produce food that does not 'go to seed'. There are hybrid foods such as beets, carrots and potatoes as well as seedless varieties of apples, bananas, dates, pineapple and grapes. There is an evil plan behind this but that will have to be a study unto itself later on.

It is always easier to go with the flow than to come out of tradition, habits and falsehoods.  When the Hebrews along with the mixed multitude were set free from Pharaoh and their life of slavery in Egypt and began their journey towards the Promised Land, even they began to long for the conveniences they had in Egypt and were ready to give up their freedom to go back to the way they were.

Numbers 11:5 ~ We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna…

(Remember when we use to eat bacon & shrimp & crab? beefalo? seedless grapes & watermelon? pork chops and applesauce? Now that we know these are not of Yah's menu there's nothing tasty to eat. I know! Let's create something that tastes like pork but isn't really pork! Let's pretend!)

Ezekiel 20:21 ~ But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

And for what purpose?

Deuteronomy 8:2 ~ You shall remember all the way which YHWH 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.

Here is an edited quote from commentary by Matthew Henry:

They were tired of the food provision Yah had made for them. It cost them no money, and it took little work to gather the manna, yet they talked of Egypt, and the fish they ate there freely; as if that cost nothing, when in reality they paid dearly for it with a life of hard labor! They could not be satisfied unless they had meat to eat. It is evidence of the dominion of the carnal mind when we want to have the "delights and satisfaction of sense". We should not desire the things YHWH did not allow for us.  (end quote)

Look at ourselves today seeking the 'king's dainties' as we disregard the provisions made for us by our Creator.  I realize that the day will come when He restores all things, but I would rather be on the right track now in preparation for the times to come in the meantime.  Food is an idol for some and others make a living off it. I am not against collecting recipes but turning food into a form of art is elevating it way beyond its intended use for us. And pretending we're eating bacon is just wrong. There was just one tree off-limits to Adam and Eve and look what happened. Same thing is happening now.

Stop doubting the Word of Elohim. Take His Instructions seriously and live by them. Coming out of Egypt wasn't the end of something, it was the beginning.  For each one of us who heed the call to come out of the world system it is a beginning - the start of something new and wonderful in the Name of our Creator.  Don't hesitate to do what is right in His Eyes.

Click here to go to my study: Clean or Unclean

Obedience is Discipline

Obeying the Creator

By observing Torah, which is obeying the laws God gave all mankind, we demonstrate our love for Him. Most Christians are following Torah without knowing it! They keep about 1/3 of the commands simply by living moral, upright lives. We have the testimony of Messiah AND the choice to follow God's commands. If we've got Messiah and follow him and we allow the Holy Spirit to work inside us, YHWH will reveal Truth every step of the way.

If you continue to study Scripture then Knowledge and Understanding will increase, baggage falls away, the narrow gate opens and the straight path is revealed. Halleluyah! and praise Elohim for His steadfast love that all would have the chance and choose to turn from sin and return to Him - the One who created us! 

This is the path we journey along towards our real home. We come across many stepping stones as well as stumbling blocks, but our Faith keeps us steady. Satan's goal is to knock us off that path of righteousness. Our goal is the Heavenly Kingdom YHWH told us about through His servants, the prophets of old.  Messiah confirmed all that God had commanded as it is written in the renewed covenant.  The message has been preserved and handed down through the ages. We are the lost sheep of Israel and those other sheep that have heard our Shepherd's Voice. That doesn't mean we stop learning and become content where we are, but we let the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter Y'shua gave us after he died, continue to guide us, teach us and reveal the Word of God to us. That is why he calls it A Path - we move along his path so as not to stagnate in a perceived comfort zone.

Torah reveals right from wrong. It is a set of instructions necessary for the behavior of mankind, not a tool to use to find favor with God (that's what hypocrites are guilty of). It is just as much a part of our lives today as it was in the days of Moses, and Abraham and Noah.

There is evil in the world today just as there was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns. The world we live in today is much as it was in the days of Noah. And it's going to get worse. Our heavenly Father's laws reveal sin and keep us from evil as we walk through that shadowy valley of Death. We recognize right from wrong because we have the definition of both good and evil described in the 1st five books of Scriptures.

Y'shua Messiah was killed and his blood of atonement 'justifies', or absolves us of the guilt of sin. This act 'sanctifies' or sets us apart unto Elohim. We trust and obey God and this will be credited to us as 'righteousness'. (Galatians 3:6)

Y'shua Messiah did not put an end to what our Creator began.

The Spirit is continually teaching us and God is testing to see what is in our hearts. That was the purpose of the 40 years in the wilderness after Moses led that mixed multitude out of Egypt - YHWH knew what was in their hearts yet tested them to see if they would obey Him like they said they would. Well, as you know, only 2 of the original generation made it to the promise land of Canaan - Joshua and Caleb.

Keeping Torah in today's World

Torah is not a religion but God's perfect governing system for all mankind. Of the 613 commandments, 221 apply only to the temple, priesthood and their duties, sacrifices and ritual purity. Since the the physical temple and all associated with it does not exist today these laws do not apply and no law is 'broken' if some thing doesn't exist.  That leaves 392 'laws', which are divided among the rest of us, according to our station in life.

For example: Over 50 laws apply to you if you are a farmer or running a business. Over 60 laws apply to  judges or those  involved in the judicial system. There are 45 laws that apply to us in regard to social behaviors, community and family affairs, and some of those are for just men, and some just for women.  
 

The laws of God YHWH are not a burden and they are able to be kept.  He would not give us anything that we could not bear.  His rules and regulations bring order to the affairs of man and teach us how to handle our own daily affairs. You and I don't lie, cheat, steal or murder but there are many who do. Yahweh protects us, gives us a legal leg to stand on, if these wrongdoings befall us.  He takes into consideration laws regarding 'Involuntary Manslaughter' as well as 'Premeditated Murder'.

Torah is not complicated and is provided for everyone. It represents the character of YHWH our Elohim and His values according to His will - it elevates human life by establishing justice and equality for everyone.

John 14:15 - Y'shua said if you love me keep my commands. 14:21- He who has and keeps my commandments is he who loves me and will be loved by my Father. 15:10 - If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept the commandments of my Father (Torah) and I abide in His love.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are those who do His commandments for they shall be given the right to the Tree of Life and will be allowed to enter into the city (New Jerusalem).

The Law is the Word of YHWH our Elohim, and His commandments are found in the first five books of Scripture. His Son confirms this by obeying the will of his Father. Throughout Scripture we are told to show we love Him by keeping His commandments then He will be our Elohim and we will be His people. God would not tell us to do something if we weren't able to do so.

Definitions from Webster's

Justification = the condition necessary for salvation; of being absolved of the guilt of sin.
Sanctification = set apart, consecrated, made free from (bondage to) sin, purified, dedicated.
Righteousness = acting in a just, upright manner, doing what is morally right.

Torah is the Hebrew word for Instruction; instructions for discerning what is morally right, and teaches us how to live in a just manner, advising us on how to be justified and become sanctified - it is the instructions which point us to the Promised Land.  God Himself chose His people to be Set Apart as He is Set Apart... this happens by obeying Him, everything He commands.

New Covenant, Old Covenant, is Torah a covenant?

Right off the get-go we are being gently led astray by a bad translation, the word 'New'. The original Hebrew word 'chadash' means to re-new or to make new or repair. It was never a New covenant but a Renewed covenant. Theologians have long used this term to steer the 'church' away from the rules and commands by God written in Genesis through Deuteronomy, aka Torah.

In the research of Andrew Gabriel Roth, he found that " post-apostlic church founder, Marcion (110-160 AD), who was considered a heretic by the early church, coined the terms 'Old Testament' and 'New Testament' suggesting that the old was done away with, replaced with the new.  His false anti-torah theology is still believed by most Christians today."

A covenant is a contract, a promise, a firm agreement, a pact, made in faith by which the parties involved are trusted to uphold their end of said contract. In every contract there is an exchange of value. In the Renewed contract/covenant Y'shua Messiah offers redemption for our lives but we must reciprocate (hold up our end of the contract) by being obedient.

Torah contains the Terms and Conditions of Yahweh's covenant between Himself and mankind. Torah demands the element of Faith to bring mutual benefits between the parties involved.
  
John 15:10 - IF you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept the commandments of my Father Elohim and I abide in His love.

In reality, the new covenant (NT) is a renewal of the older covenant God had formerly made between Himself and His people. Y'shua Messiah and his apostles obeyed the Father, they were Torah observant. It is not a burden and it is not impossible to live by God's Commands.