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We finished the prior article proving beyond a shadow of doubt that the Word of the Lord is eternal and lasts forever. Let me refresh our memory by quoting only two verses on this subject:
(Ecc 13:14) "Whatever God decrees shall be forever; nothing shall be added to it nothing shall be taken away."
(Is 40:18)" The word of the L-rd shall stand firm forever"
If you remember we have stated previously:
The failure to study in detail has robbed the Christian of his ability to read the Bible with understanding whereby he could recognizes certain "signposts"; like Acts 15 for example, where the church of Yeshua endorses as "necessary" and as being "good to the Holy Ghost" that non-Jewish believers in God through Yeshua's ministry observe these Laws of Noah. There are 66 of them; many of which are broken continually by a Christian's religious belief system. Notice that the death of Yeshua had no bearing on the Covenant of Noah and its Covenant requirements for Gentiles which had existed for thousands of years previously as James, the head pastor of the Jerusalem Church, reiterates these Laws and does not abolish or change them.
The Christian Church of today for the most part is totally in the dark about what I have just shown you. Yet if we paid attention to the Covenant of Noah and were familiar with its 66 subsets of Laws in detail then when we read the Old Testament and concern ourselves with references to the non-Jew then we would more easily see "bridges" between these Old Testament references and Covenant stipulations from the Covenant of Noah. Added with this is the ability of the non-Jew to go beyond the "minimum" requirements of his Covenant and "choose" those things pleasing to God contained outside the Covenant of Noah. This has major implications today since the Jew and the non-Jew are to be united as the peoples of God. Later we will see how this principle works in detail as I will present to you the problem at Antioch as we see how Paul was failing to teach the Laws of Noah correctly to his Gentile followers and was severely rebuked by the men from James as recorded by himself in Galatians 2. Understand that this incident of Paul's deviation from Covenant stipulations to the Gentiles precipitated the Acts 15 Council where James made his ruling that the non-Jews were to be taught the Covenant of Noah along with its laws for inclusion into the Israel of God and all this was done long after Yeshua's death.
Answer for yourself: Do you believe Ecc 13:14 when it states "Whatever God decrees shall be forever; nothing shall be added to it nothing shall be taken away"?
Answer for yourself: Do you believe Is 40:18 when its says "The word of the L-rd shall stand firm forever"?
Then if you do let us look in-depth before going on in our study of Covenants at some of the examples of non-Jews in the Old Testament and how God expected they relate to the Israel of God an ultimately to Him. What is important for you to discern as you read the following is if these example were changed by the death of Yeshua and if not then you should ask yourself if your faith causes you to practice the same today. Remember as well that James attests in Acts 15 that the Laws of Noah and the Covenant of Noah had not changed twenty-five years after Yeshua's death, and this being so, has important implications as you read the following examples of non-Jewish believers in the Old Testament.
A "Gentile" is a term signifying a non-Jew, who is not a "son of the covenant" and is only subject to the seven Noachide Laws.
Once a Gentile came to the understanding of the one true God, he would turn from idols and worship the God of Israel. These were the "God fearers", who accepted certain basic Jewish obligations along with the Noachide precepts. According to this, idolatry, shedding of blood, and grave sexual sins were forbidden to Gentile believers. These were originally the Noachide precepts accepted also by the Synagogue on which the Gentiles were obliged. Let me remind you that we see in Acts 15 (at least 25 years after the death of Jesus) the admonition for the Gentiles to adhere to Noachide Laws to be accepted in the believing community of Israel. It is logical that the Apostolic Church of Jerusalem should accept the view of the Synagogue on the conditions which Gentiles needed to fulfill in order to be saved. It can be easily shown that the fulfillment of other commandments of Judaism were not prohibited to Gentiles. On the contrary, the Noachide precepts were only seen as the minimal condition for Gentiles to be recognized as God-fearers. These were so understood by the God-fearers themselves, who were attracted to the Jewish way of life and accepted many Jewish commandments without becoming full proselytes (Sabbath, festivals, etc). This was also the attitude of Christian God-fearers, as may be seen from the Epistle to the Galatians; many of them wished to observe as many Jewish precepts as they could. This did not please Paul but that is too bad. It is evident that, while the leadership of the Mother Church decided to lay no burden upon the Gentile believers beyond the Noachide precepts, it did not object to their voluntarily observing more (Col. 2:16-17). Among the figures of the early Church who instructed Gentile Christians to observe more precepts than these essential ones was Peter, as we know from Paul's criticism of him for demanding that Gentiles live like Jews (Gal. 2:14). Rather than interpreting the apostolic decree as a minimum, Paul saw in the Noachide precepts the maximal obligations of Gentile Christians. Rather than Peter being incorrect, a more comprehensive understanding of the Bible reveals Paul to be incorrect. But the view presented in the Roman New Testament is slanted by Rome's anti-Semitism to say the least and is historically inaccurate as we will see in our Antioch studies which are soon to follow.
The liberation of Gentile Christianity from the yoke of Jewish commandments was a necessary step in order for Christianity to become a Gentile religion, separate from Judaism. It is impossible to know whether Paul was aware that by his "Gospel" he helped to achieve this aim in that he does not speak explicitly about the necessity of separating Christianity from its Jewish roots and he never says that this was his intention, but it is clear that in fact such was his historical role. Paul taught that the Jewish way of life had no validity for Christians, but the Mother Church in Acts felt differently. For Christian God-fearers it was not easy to accept Paul's demand; the complete rejection of Jewish precepts was for many Gentile Christians a painful operation. But if Christianity was to become a world religion it had to become "free from the Law". Only a Christian free from the law could separate himself from Judaism.
With the rise of Christianity the teachers of Israel sought to distinguish between the heathens of the past and those Gentiles who were subject to religious values and morality. The very term "ger tzedek" (righteous gentile) stands for the gentile who turned from idols and made a sincere conversion to the faith of Jesus in the first century. Such a person was respected and welcomed by the Jewish community. The "ger tzedek" submitted to circumcision, immersion, and brought a sacrifice to the temple. Upon completion of such, he was considered as "one born in the land."
There are two other terms for righteous Gentiles: Ger Hashar, and Ger ToShav. In the Bible the Ger Hashar is seen as "the stranger in the gate", and the Ger ToShav was known as "the stranger in the land." These also accepted the faith of Israel (ethical monotheism) and were immersed, but withheld themselves from circumcision. Such "Righteous Gentiles" had a place in the world to come, and it was believed that in the age of the Messiah all Gentiles would come to recognize the one true God according to Zech 14:9.
Once the Ger Tzedek was accepted as a Jew, he was entitled to all the privileges that Jews born into the faith enjoyed. Such converts to Judaism were numerous before the rise of Christianity. Within Palestine and outside, wherever Jews came into contact with pagans, Judaism held a strong attraction. It was expected of the Gentile that given enough time, he would develop from the Ger Hashar to the Ger Tzedek. The later development of Christianity offered the attraction of monotheism and at the same time imposed fewer restrictions on its new adherents that did Judaism. Commencing with the fourth century, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Jews were restricted in their own worship and were no longer permitted to continue their missionary activity and we find the conversion of the Ger Hashar and Tzedek dwindling. In spite of the peril to Jews and proselytes alike, we read throughout history of various instances where Christians joined the ranks of the oppressed Jews.
Now let us look at examples of how non-Jews were expected to relate to Israel and God as delineated in the Old Testament, the "ONLY" Bible Yeshua knew and used.
Let us gain a better understanding how Gentile believers "fit" with God's plan for Israel.
1616 ger, gare; or (fully) geyr, gare; from 1481; prop. a guest; by impl. a foreigner:-alien, sojourner, stranger. ^ gur. See 1482. It is important for comparison to understand that the alien was a Gentile who lived in and among Israel.
Deuteronomy 10:14-22 To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.
Psalms 146:1-10 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, The Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them--the LORD, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, The LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.
Exodus 12:48-49 "An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD'S Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you."
Numbers 9:14 "'An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD'S Passover must do so in accordance with its rules and regulations. You must have the same regulations for the alien and the native-born.'"
The alien (Gentile) was allowed to celebrate Passover if all males in his household were circumcised. He Had all the same rules that the Israelites had! We see from this the overlapping Laws were often the same for the non-Jew and the Jew although they had different Covenants!
Exodus 12:14-20 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat--that is all you may do. "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born. Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread."
You can see that eating yeast during Hag HaMatzah (Festival of Unleavened Bread) was not permitted by God for the Gentile believer or not.
Answer for yourself: Do you eat leaven bread during the Passover week? If you do then someone has failed to teach your properly.
Leviticus 16:29-31 "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month (Yom Kippur-Day of Atonement) you must deny yourselves and not do any work--whether native-born or an alien living among you-- Because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
Answer for yourself: Did you fast, not work, or observe the Day of Atonement last year, and if not, why not as it is a "lasting ordinance" for the non-Jew; believer or not? Is God's Word forever and are his Covenant stipulations forever?
Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 23:12 "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Thus the Gentile, although not officially given the Sabbath in the Laws of Noah, was expected and required to rest on Shabbat.
Answer for yourself: Has your Church taught you to keep the Sabbath or have they substituted the say of the Sun for it…ie. Sunday?
Leviticus 17:8-9 "Say to them: 'Any Israelite or any alien living among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice And does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD--that man must be cut off from his people.
Answer for yourself: Understand that sacrifices were a form of worship and are you aware that non-Jews followed the same pattern of worship as did the Jews up until the early fourth century until prevented by Rome on penalty of death?
Answer for yourself: Could it be possible that certain ways of worship were mandated by God for both the Jew and the non-Jew as they both were expected by God to observe the same pattern of worship in this world which was a pattern of worship in Heaven above? Do you know what this pattern entailed and do you care if you observe it or not, or are you perfectly satisfied in worship according to your "new" replacement Covenant? Is God since he never gave it to you but in reality such a "replacement" worship can be found to have its roots in Gentile pagan religions? Ooohh that is bad and you better know before you die.
Leviticus 17:10-14 "'Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood--I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." "'Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, Because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off."
Answer for yourself: When was the last time you had communion in your church whereby you partook of the body and blood of Yeshua?
Maybe you are not a Catholic, and only take such in a symbolic manner, but again are you aware that such an event like Christian Protestant communion again finds its roots in pagan mystery religions where the devotees of pagan gods eat their body and drank their blood in order to take into them the strength and attributes of their false gods? I never cease to wonder how a Jew like Yeshua, who distanced himself from blood which makes one unclean, would ever use such references for himself when he knew perfectly well that such were customs of the heathen and his Bible commanded in Jer 10:2 "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen…" And this does not explain how Yeshua would expect other pious Jews to follow him in such an abomination.
Leviticus 17:15-16 "'Anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean. But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will be held responsible.'"
Answer for yourself: Does it not amaze you that what you thought only applied to the Jews such as "uncleanness" also applied to non-Jews as well and did you ever expect that such requirements came from overlapping laws contained in the Laws of Noah for all non-Jews which were later restated in the Laws of Moses for the Jews?
Leviticus 20:1-8 The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech (INFANT SACRIFICE) must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech (WHAT DOES THAT SAY FOR NON-INVOLVEMENT BY THE CHURCH IN THE "HOT" ABORTION ISSUE LET ALONE FOR MANY CHURCHES WHO ADVOCATE A PRO-CHOICE STANCE?). Too many Pastors are afraid to touch such a topic because it might offend someone who gives them money…and I speak from experience on this issue believe me! "'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
Leviticus 22:17-20 The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any of you--either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel--presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, You must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
Answer for yourself: Again did you notice the "same" laws for both Jew and Gentile again although they have different Covenants yet these Covenants often contain the same Covenant stipulations?
Leviticus 24:10-23 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them. Then the LORD said to Moses: "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death. "'If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. Anyone who takes the life of someone's animal must make restitution--life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. (FOCUS ON THAT VERSE FOR A MOMENT) I am the LORD your God.'" Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Numbers 15:14-16 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'"
The same law (TORAH) applied to Israelites and aliens.
Answer for yourself: Again did you notice the "same" laws for both Jew and Gentile again although they have different Covenants yet these Covenants often contain the same Covenant stipulations?
What will be horrifying to you to see is that as a Christian you blaspheme God name regularly because of the failure to be taught correctly the Laws of Noah and how to observe them; both in observance of the positive commandments and the refraining from the breaking of the negative commandments within the Covenant of Noah. We will deal with each law in detail in the future so hold on as I prepare this year to present you fully with each of your Covenant stipulations whereby you can be certain of your relationship with God.
Numbers 15:22-31 "'Now if you unintentionally (ACCIDENTALLY FAIL TO OBEY .. POSSIBLY BY IGNORANCE) fail to keep any of these commands the LORD gave Moses-- Any of the LORD'S commands to you through him, from the day the LORD gave them and continuing through the generations to come-- And if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering. The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have brought to the LORD for their wrong an offering made by fire and a sin offering. The whole Israelite community and the aliens living among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong. "'But if just one person sins unintentionally, he must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. The priest is to make atonement before the LORD for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven. One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien. "'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the LORD'S word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.'"
Answer for yourself: Since sacrifices are a form of worship, again did you notice the "same" laws for both Jew and Gentile concerning how to worship God although each have different Covenants yet these Covenants often contain the same Covenant stipulations concerning worship?
I Kings 8:37-43 "When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, And when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel--each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple-- Then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), So that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers. "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name-- For men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this temple, Then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.
5237 nokriy, nok-ree'; from 5235 (second form); strange, in a variety of degrees and applications (foreign, non-relative, adulterous, different, wonderful):-alien, foreigner, outlandish, strange (woman).
Deuteronomy 14:21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner (ger). But you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
Notice here the Covenant stipulations differ between the Jew and the non-Jew. They are not always the same, but overall the vast majority of Laws contained in the Covenant of Noah are reiterated at Sinai in the Laws of Moses.
Exodus 12:45
45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat of it [unless circumcised] (concerning the Passover).
Deuteronomy 15:3
3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact [hold him to the repayment of a loan after 7 years]: but [that] which is thine with thy brother thy hand shall release [not allowed to collect repayment of a loan to a Jew after 7 years];
Isaiah 56:3
3. Neither let the son of the foreigner, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I [am] a dry tree.
Isaiah 56:6
6 Also the sons of the foreigner, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from profaning it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Notice that the non-Jew could "join himself to the LORD" and notice in this instance he goes beyond the Laws of Noah which does not require observance of the Sabbath and acquires a higher mitzvoth of observing the Sabbath. As stated before we as non-Jews are not limited to observe the minimum requirement of our Covenant, but can demonstrate our love for God by taking into our life as many commandments as possible; for each Covenant stipulation or commandments observed is how we show our love for God and strengthen our relationship with Him.
Ezekiel 14:7
7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the foreigner that sojourneth in Israel, who separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to inquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
Answer for yourself: Again did you notice the "same" laws for both Jew and Gentile again although they have different Covenants yet these Covenants often contain the same Covenant stipulations?
Deuteronomy 17:14-15 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," Be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place aforeigner (ish) over you, one who is not a brother Israelite (NOTICE WHO IS TO HAVE RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY IN GOD'S EYES!)
This stranger is different too (this is our nokree).
Deuteronomy 15:1-5 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD'S time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, If only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 23:19-20 Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
The Strong's # for "Godfearer" is 4576: sebomai, seb'-om-ahee; mid. of an appar. prim. verb; to revere, i.e. adore:-devout, religious, worship.
Let me preface that it was these "strangers," "foreigners', and "aliens" who would later be called God-Fearers in the New Testament. By examining these in depth, we can see more correctly what is required for us today as a Christians.
Ecclesiastes 8:12 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.
Acts 2:1-13 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation (GENTILE CONVERTS FROM EVERY NATION) under heaven….
Acts 10:1-8 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!" Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God…
Acts 13:26-31 "Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent...
Acts 13:46-51 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
Acts 17:1-4 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
Acts 17:16-17 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
The Gentile, after turning from idols and repentance (as a sign of his faith in the One God of Israel), and after following immersion in the Mikvah (baptism), was grafted into Israel as Paul would later tell us. But this did not begin with Paul as it had always been this way! The repentant Gentile believer chose God and His Torah. He chose to become "chosen". Since he is now within the "Israel of God", then these commandments given to "Israel" called the Laws of Moses contain within them the Laws of Noah and yet today applies to the Gentile Christian who accepts Yeshua, his teachings, and His God.
Answer for yourself: Is that your understanding and has your church taught this or are you hearing of this for the first time in your life today?
It was Jesus' understanding and still is his today! The tragedy of the matter is that the Contemporary Christian Church has not studied to know who they are. They are included in the House of Ephraim; they are Israel and they don't recognize it. They think there are Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, etc.; but God shows us that there is one plan for all non-Jews and that this plan did not alter at all following Yeshua' death as the New Testament reveals. Many of the Commandments of God as seen in the Torah, the Law, as mentioned in both the Old Testament and New Testament are for the non-Jew, not just the Jew born in the land! And this means it is for the Christian as his obedience or disobedience to these Covenant stipulations relate to his standing before God!
We will continue in the next article in this series. Shalom.