D32-22: Freedom in the Lord is NOT freedom from Torah

“Adonai saw and was filled with scorn
at his sons’ and daughters’ provocation.
He said, ‘I will hide my face from them
and see what will become of them;
for they are a perverse generation,
untrustworthy children.“
-Deuteronomy 32:19

Verse 19 gives it to us straight with no holds barred.

God says because Israel who are His sons and daughters rejected Him, He will in turn hide His face from them.

This means He will withdraw His presence from them.

Do you recall what “face” means in Hebrew?

It is PANIM.

So where is the Lord’s face or presence today?

The testimony of the New Testament is that it is with us via the RUACH HAKODESH or the Holy Spirit.

If the Holy Spirit is with us, then Hashem is with us.

If the Holy Spirit ain’t with us, then Hashem ain’t with us.

It’s just that simple.

The Lord then goes on to say…

“I will hide my face from them
    and see what their end will be”.

Obviously there couldn’t be a more rhetorical statement than this.

The Lord knows darn well what’s gonna happen to His people once He removes His presence from them.

He’s essentially telling His sons and daughters…

“So you think you know so much and think that all of your blessings have come from some god or source other than me.  Alright homies, let’s see what happens when I remove my presence from that you have taken for granted for so long” (That’s a paraphrase).

And remember we find the exact same pattern established in Matthew chapter 7 when Yeshua says to some utterly shocked people…

…”Get away from me you workers of lawlessness!”

It didn’t matter that these so-called believers had openly professed Messiah and even that they did great things using the authority of His name.

At the end of the day, they were “workers of lawlessness” meaning they didn’t follow God’s laws (what the heck else would this mean?).

As a result, Yeshua forsook them.

Let me make things clear here folks.

We’re talking about self-professing believers who were really good at walking the walk and talking the talk.

In terms of surfaces manifestations, by any stretch of the imagination they seemed to be full-fledged and sincere believers and folks who were even fellowshipping regularly with a community of believers.

However, when it came to Hashem’s holy commandments, they paid no heed.

To abandon God’s commandments was to abandon God.

These aren’t my words nor is it my theology.

This is clearly what Holy Scripture says.

And it doesn’t matter one bit if in our own hearts and minds we don’t think we’ve disavowed the Lord.

Whenever we add evil things to our walk with the Lord OR…

…whenever we decide to come into union with those unclean things the Lord has declared are off-limits to us, by Scriptural definition we have abandoned the Lord.

The Lord has set up clear definitions and boundaries in His Torah.

There ain’t no wiggle room for negotiation.

Freedom in the Lord is NOT freedom from Torah.

It is freedom and power to obey Torah.

Rabbi Shaul (aka the “Apostle Paul”) spoke on this over and over and over again.

So what was the consequence of the Lord removing His PANIM (face) from Israel?

Complete and utter disaster is the answer.

Once the Lord removed His protection, Israel became vulnerable to attacks from their enemies on all sides.

The were also subjected to a variety of natural disasters.

God also reversed Holy War protocol!

Instead of Israel attacking and winning with God, they would now attack and lose minus God.

Instead of dwelling in safety and having shalom in their Promised Land of inheritance, they would be sent back to Egypt again be placed under bondage to a cruel task master.

I’m done.