There is a difference between the Laws of Moses and The Covenants(Contracts) with The GOD of Our Fathers.
An example of this is in the Law of Circumcision, where we have Genesis 17:
9 And God said unto Abraham: ‘And as for thee, thou shalt keep My covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations.
10 This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.’
So what is this Covenant with GOD? We see and hear about the law, but what covenant?
Genesis 17:
“4 ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant,
to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’”
We have seen this before, Name change, kings, land, exceedingly fruitful. Yes all of those we have seen and every word that the LORD says is true. So why a new Covenant? Verse 7 has the answer.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
Verse 7 in the Hebrew
ז וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת-בְּרִיתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ, וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ לְדֹרֹתָם–לִבְרִית עוֹלָם: לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹהִים, וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
והקמתי את-בריתי ביני ובינך, ובין זרעך
אחריך לדרטם–לברית עולם: להיות לך
לאלהים, ולזרעך אחריך.
That is a very close translation to the Hebrew text. I included the Hebrew with and without vowels. The Hebrew after the : To be; You; of GOD, and your decendants after . . . .
So there I believe the Contract is that GOD is My GOD and I am HIS, the sign of this is in MY FLESH. It is the cutting of the flesh that is the LAW of Circumcision. It seems that we have forgotten the purpose, meaning and Power of this contract. The Law does not state the Covenant(contract), but we can see it at work in Exodus 12. In the LAW of the Passover feast.
Exodus 12: 43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no alien eat thereof;
Exodus 12:
44 but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.
. . . .
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.’
So what do we have here.
1) Those men of the house, whether born of the nation or bought other people, when circumcised, get to eat. –They are part of the house hold.
2) Someone visiting or hired for the house cannot eat, they are not part of the house or the people.
3) All of the People of Israel WILL KEEP THIS.
4) The Stranger, of hired help, wishing to HONOR THE GOD OF ISRAEL, once circumcised, is no longer a stranger but one of the Nation as if born to the Nation. When we remember that the Circumcision is a sign that YOU BELONG TO GOD and HE to you, then you are commanded to keep this Passover Feast and all of the LAWS of GOD.
The is only on LAW, and it is GOD’S LAW.
What has happened in this investigation of the Covenant and the LAW. We have learned that the Sign is not just cutting the flesh, it is a declaration of relationship with GOD. If you do not keep the LAW then you are no longer HIS and receiving HIS protection. You do such a small thing to cut off, for such a GREAT relationship.
This is the style of most of the TORAH, Written by Moses, Commanded By THE ALMIGHTY. You can see examples of good and bad behavior and the reasoning of the law. I find that for myself, it is better to keep the LAW as Written and then strive to understand the Whys latter. I am still learning after a few decades of seeking and studying. The more I know the clearer this becomes. It is not my doing that makes it clear, it is HIS BLESSING that grants me understanding, and the ability to teach what I have learned.
I am open to challenges in the WORD OF GOD via Moses and the Prophets of the Almighty of Israel. Of course, while following the Rules of The GOD OF ISRAEL at the Hand of Moses.These describe who is a prophet, what to do about that and the need to know the WORD, thereby understanding whether that person speaks for the ALMIGHTY or not.
I understand that this is just one example of the Law versus the Covenant. If you ask I will show you more, of this. Let me know.
IT is to our benefit to HEARKEN until the LIVING GOD OF ISRAEL, and to our pain and shame to do otherwise.
My prayer is that The LORD grant you eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, then you return unto HIM soon!(Isaiah 6: 9 And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.’)
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Shalom,
Yaakov