We’ve covered a lot of territory in Numbers Chapter 14 so far.
We went over the rebellion of the Israelites against the Lord and how because they hesitated and refused to trust the Lord’s promise that they would be successful in taking the land of Canaan, they were sentenced to 40 years of wandering in the desert.
We also learned about a principle called “Vertical Retribution“, something you probably never learned in all your years of attending a Christian church.
Again, “Vertical Retribution” is the principle that the divine punishment due somebody for a sin against God can be postponed and carried over to the person’s descendants and that this postponement can actually extend over generations.
Along the same lines, this principle can also be applied to divine mercy
In this case, a mercy due a person can be postponed and then given to that person’s children of later generations.
It’s really like we’re talking about a kind of spiritual bank account with credits and debits that can be transferred over from one person to another.
We’re going to be discussing this principle a bit more because it’s so important to acquiring a proper understanding of the New Testament.
Speaking about the New Testament, this is as good a time as ever to remind you about some important points.
The first point you need to understand is that the New Testament is merely commentary on the foundational material that came before.
In this sense, it’s NOT really Scripture.
That’s right man, I said it.
But don’t get me wrong.
I’m not saying it’s not inspired commentary, it most definitely is, but it’s not really Scripture on the same level as the direct Words of HASHEM that Moses received on Mount Sinai.
Think about it for a second.
What is the definition of a commentary?
By definition, a commentary are writings that “comment” on what came before, right?
Do you want to know why more than half of the phrases and sentences that form the New Testament are direct quotes which have been directly lifted from the Torah and the Prophets?
It is because of what I’ve just said.
The New Testament is merely inspired commentary on what came before.
The TANACH consisting of the Torah and Prophets are the foundational material and the New Testament simply comments on it with the Apostle Paul being one of the chief commentators.
And by the way, the Hebrew word for commentary is MIDRASH.
That’s why I am always so insistent that there’s no way you’re really going to be able to understand the New Testament minus an understanding of Torah.
It just ain’t gonna happen man!
What do you think happens when one skips over the foundational material and just reads the commentary?
I’ll tell you what happens.
You get a religion (AKA Christianity) with over 20 billion different denominations each with its own aberrant theologies like the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roman Catholicism, the Moonies ad infinitum ad nauseam.
The truth be told, there is only ONE true foundational religion and that religion is Judaism.
And when I say Judaism, I’m talking about the original teachings and commands as handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Even the original Messianic faith as expressed by Yeshua’s disciples and the Apostle Paul was considered to be a form of Judaism in its time.
Understand that IT IS ONLY IN THE TORAH where you will receive detailed instructions in the foundational God-principles necessary to understanding the New Testament.
The New Testament assumes its readers ALREADY HAVE A STRONG FOUNDATION IN TORAH AND THE PROPHETS.
If I was to summarize in a super simple manner what the purpose of the New Testament is, it would boil down to the following:
-The NT serves as a witness to who the Messiah is and highlights what he did while he was here
and
-The NT Expands and expounds on the meaning of the Torah commands and what the Prophets said
And that’s pretty much it.
Don’t get me wrong.
The New Testament is incredibly uplifting and inspiring commentary.
However, minus the Torah it’s like a hamburger minus the beef.
The 4th commandment says,
“Remember the day of Shabbath to set him apart for a special purpose. You shall serve and do ALL your creative businesses within 6 days. Whereas, the 7th day is a Shabbath to Yahweh your mighty one. You, your sons, your daughters, your servants, your maids, your cattle and your immigrants who is within your gates will labour on that day. Because Yahweh made the skies, the land, the waters and ALL which are in 6 days and he rested on the 7th day. Thus, Yahweh respected the day of the Shabbath and set him apart for a special purpose”.
Yet, the Catholic Church moved the Shabbath to Sunday.
“The truth be told, there is only ONE true foundational religion and that religion is Judaism”.
Very surprised there aren’t any comments concerning this statement of yours…🥺
Judaism, as it can be recognized as a system of man’s traditions, under Rabbinical authority, not Levitical authority, begining after the Babylonian exile, came after the true system of Justice and Righteousness (Torah observance), not a religion, but a lifestyle of devotion to YHWH, which is the foundation, not Judaism.
Hi Jeffrey,
You are correct…and I appreciate you clarifying this.
When I say “Judaism” here, I mean the original Torah instructions Moses handed to Israel at Sinai.
I have to revise this article.
Thanks again for pointing that out.