dan wrote:Some today insist that Christians must keep the Sabbath day, that those who worship on the first day of the week (Sunday) are in great error. They reason that "Sun-day" comes from the pagan worship of the Sun god, that Jesus and Paul kept the Sabbath day as an example for us to follow, and that the Roman Catholic church is responsible for the change in the day of worship. Those who continue to worship on Sunday will receive the mark of the beast.
I don’t think Christians must keep the Sabbath; it is not a part of their Religion. I would say that those who are a part of Yah’s family must observe the Sabbath. Notice here I said observe, not keep perfectly. We are called and instructed to shamar – closely observe, carefully examine, and revere and rely upon Yahowah’s Torah. And since in His torah He instructs us to remember the Sabbath ….
God has no interest in us worshiping him anyway, so if you believe in a god that wants to be worshiped, that god is not Yahowah.
I would say that you should not keep Sunday as the Sabbath, not because it is related to Sun worship, but because it is not the Sabbath. However the evidence is clear that the early ecclesia kept the Sabbath, and that it was moved by Constantine to the Lord’s day, Sol inviticus Mithras, the unconquerable sun Mithras.
Yahowsha did keep the Sabbath, I have no interest in what Paul did, and we should follow His example. He did after all say that those who love Him will keep His commandments.
dan wrote:Let’s briefly look at these arguments. First, nowhere does the Fourth Commandment say that Christians are to worship on the Sabbath.
Correct, in fact nowhere in Scripture are Christians ever mentioned, not once, not ever. God did not give Christians any command, instructions or advice; He is not interested in Christians.
Also no one here would say, nor does Yahowah ever say that we are to worship on the Sabbath.
Dan wrote:It commands that we rest on that day: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work . . . For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8–11).
Actually, Satan’s title LORD, was not penned either in the tabltes scribed by Moshe or the ones Yahowah wrote Himself. Moshe and Yahowah both knew and used His name, man has since copyedited God, and replaced His name with Satan’s title.
Also God never said the keep the Sabbath holy, he said to keep it Qowdesh. Let’s examine these two words for a moment and see how man has corrupted God’s message.
–adjective
1.
specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use orauthority; consecrated.
2.
dedicated or devoted to the service of god, the church, orreligion.
3.
saintly; godly; pious; devout.
–noun
8.
a place of worship; sacred place; sanctuary.
—Synonyms
1. Blessed. HOLY, SACRED, CONSECRATED, HALLOWED imply possessionof a sanctity that is the object of religious veneration. HOLY refers to the divine, that which has its sanctity directly from God or isconnected with Him. Something that is SACRED, while sometimes accepted as entitledto religious veneration, may have its sanctity from humanauthority: a sacred oath. Something that is CONSECRATED isspecially or formally dedicated to some religious use: a lifeconsecrated to service. Something that is HALLOWED has been made holy by being worshiped.
Qowdesh on the other hand is something that has been separated and set apart for the purpose of cleansing, purifying and uplifting.
So let’s look at what Yahowah actually instructed.
“Remember (zakar – recall, reflect upon, recognize, mark, memorialize, mention, proclaim, and be earnestly mindful of) that the Sabbath (shabat – the seventh day, the time of observance, of rest to reflect on God’s promise to settle our debts so we could settle with Him on the seventh) day (yowm) is set apart (qadash – is separated unto God for purifying and cleansing and thus special). Six (shesh) days you shall work (‘abad – labor) and do (‘asah – prepare and produce, fashion and finish, advance, assign, and accomplish, institute and celebrate) all (kol – the entirety of) your service of representing the Messenger and proclaiming the message (mala’kah – your Godly duties and heavenly labor). But the seventh (shaby’y – the solemn promise which fulfills and satisfies those who listen and are observant of the role of the seventh) day (yowm), the Sabbath of (shabat – the seventh day, the time of observance, of rest and reflection, and of ceasing and desisting from ordinary labor to consider the promise to settle all disputes and settle down with) Yahowah (YaHoWaH) your God (‘elohym), you shall not do (lo’ ‘asah – not prepare or produce, fashion or finish, advance, or assign, nor accomplish) any part of (kol) the work of God’s Representative and Messenger (mala’kah – from mal’ak, the ministry and mission of the heavenly envoy, the Divine endeavors and labor of God’s corporeal manifestation) yourself (‘atah), nor your son (ben), your daughter (bat), your servants and employees (‘ebed / ‘amah), your means of production (behemah – animals and beasts of burden), nor those visitors (ger – foreigners) who relationally (‘asher) are in your home, property, or community (sa’ar – area enclosed by a door or gate, a household, assembly, city, or nation). For indeed in (ky – because surely and truly in) six (shesh – symbolic of mankind being bleached white and purified) days (yowm) Yahowah (YaHoWaH) made (‘asah – prepared and produced, fashioned and finished, instituted and celebrated) accordingly (‘eth) the heavens (shamaym – the spiritual realm) and the earth (‘erets – the material world), and the seas (yam), and all (kol – everything) which relationally (‘asher) is in them (ba). And (wa) He became completely settled (nuwach – rested after settling all unresolved issues) during (ba) the seventh (shaby’y – the solemn promise which fulfills and satisfies those who listen and are observant of the role of the seventh) day (yowm). Therefore (ken – consequently, this is true and correct) Yahowah blessed and adored (barak – knelt down and lowered Himself to greet those He had created and lift them up on) the Sabbath (shabat – the seventh day, the time of observance, of rest and reflection, and of ceasing and desisting from ordinary labor to consider the promise God has made to settle our debts and settle us in His home on this) day (yowm), setting it apart (qodesh – separating it from others, dedicating it to separation, cleansing, and purifying).” (Shemowth / These are the Names / Exodus 20:8-11)
We have been asked to follow Yahowah’s example, resting on the seventh day, so that we can remember and reflect upon the promise He has made, and subsequently fulfilled, to settle our debts and resolve every issue which has separated us. Considering what He has done to serve us on this day, especially on the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread in 33 CE, it’s not too much to ask. Also, while the simplistic view of this Commandment tells us to observe the Sabbath, the deeper spiritual message is that Yahowah has promised to save us so long as we rest and rely on Him to do His job.
As with most everything Yahowah reveals, there is more to God’s Instruction than initially meets the eye. The title shabat Yahowah chose to describe the “seventh” day tells us that this is the time to “observe,” and thus carefully consider the “promise” He has made to us, His “sworn oath” to save us.”
More than this, the Sabbath is about “nuwach – resting,” because God wants us to realize that we cannot earn our salvation. It is a gift, one whereby we must rely on Him to do everything which is required to redeem us. And He accomplishes this merciful result by way of “nuwach – settling” our debts so that we might become “qodesh – cleansed and purified,” and thereby be “set apart unto” Him, which enables our Heavenly Father to “nuwach – settle” us in His home. This is the reason Shabat and the Spirit are both described as: “qodesh – set-apart, purifying, and cleansing.”
God is also telling us that when it comes to our existence, and to life itself, He has a plan, one which He has and will continue to follow, and one which He wants us to understand. It is based upon six, which is symbolic of man who was created on the sixth day, in addition to God who is one, equaling the perfect result, represented throughout Scripture as seven. For example, there are seven Called-Out Assembly Meetings, six steps we must follow to receive God’s mercy: Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits, Seven Sabbaths, Trumpets, and Reconciliations. Collectively, these six steps lead to the Called-Out Assembly Meeting of Shelters, the seventh Festival Feast, where we are allowed to camp out with our Heavenly Father.
And lest we forget, by proclaiming the importance of observing the Sabbath, God has once again placed Himself in conflict with the world’s two most popular religions: Islam and Christianity, whose adherents pray and worship on Friday and Sunday. So I ask you: why do you suppose the founders of these religions collectively thumbed their noses at God’s instructions by selecting days on either side of the Sabbath? The answer, while unpopular, is obvious: Muhammad and Constantine were opposed to God.
And please, don’t buy into the Christian myth that we “should worship God every day, making Sunday as good as any other.” Not only doesn’t God want to be worshiped, there is but one day, at the exclusion of all others, set apart to focus upon our relationship with Him. The Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans worshiped their false gods on Sunday, which is why Sunday Worship was mandated by Roman Catholicism in direct conflict with God’s instructions. There is no justification for it in Scripture.
But this leads to another question: do the billions of Muslims and Christians who thoughtlessly stumble into mosques and churches on Fridays and Sundays without resolving this conflict believe God is capricious (and thus unreliable), or that God has given religious clerics the authority to contradict Him? Or has their faith preempted thinking?
I have learned that there are tremendous insights to be gleaned by going back in time and considering the picture painted by the paleo-Hebrew alphabet with which these instructions were initially inscribed. Shabat, written as שַׁבָּת by the Masoretes, begins with the letter Shin, In paleo-Hebrew it was represented pictorially by teeth, and thus symbolized language and words, instructions and directions, in addition to nourishment. Affirming this legacy, “shama’ – listen” and “shamar – observe” both begin with Shin.
The second letter, Beyth, was depicted by a graphic representation of a sheltered enclosure or dwelling place, and it symbolized being part of a family which was protected inside of their home. Even today, beyth means “family and home,” and beryth, which is derived from it, provides the title for Yahowah’s “Family-Oriented Covenant Relationship.”
The final letter in shabat, Taw, was conveyed in paleo-Hebrew using an upright pillar with a horizontal support beam. It conveyed the ideas of an upright pillar which was designed to hold up and enlarge a tent or the Tabernacle. It also represented a doorway, in addition to a mark, a sign, a symbol, and a signature—all of which are symbolic of Yahowsha’.
Therefore, the letters which form shabat convey: instructions regarding the doorway which provides access to God’s home, to being part of His family, to being sheltered and protected by the Upright One.
Dan wrote:Sabbath-keepers worship on Saturday. However, the word "Satur-day" comes from the Latin for "Saturn’s day," a pagan day of worship of the planet Saturn (astrology).
Actually most who observe the Sabbath recognize that it is NOT Saturday, it is the Seventh day, and Scripturally days start at sundown, so if one were to coordinate the Sabbath with the pagan Gregorian calendar it would be from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night. Plus as I have pointed out, no one here is interested in a god that needs to be worshiped, since Yahowah certainly doesn’t.
The fact is that every day on our pagan calendar is named in honor of a pagan God. But as I pointed out already the evidence is clear that Sunday worship originated in honor of a pagan God.
Dan wrote:If a Christian’s salvation depends upon his keeping a certain day, surely God would have told us.
Well first no one has said that Salvation was predicated upon keeping the Sabbath, so this is a straw man argument. But God did tell us to keep the Sabbath set apart.
Dan wrote:At one point, the apostles gathered specifically to discuss the relationship of believers to the Law of Moses. Acts 15:5–11, 24–29 was God’s opportunity to make His will clear to His children.
Really, hmm, I read through that section of Acts and from what I can tell God was not present there. The Apostles were merely men, yes they were men who had the great opportunity of spending three and a half years learning at the feet of the Ma’eseyah, but they were men none the less, they were not perfect.
So you are left with a choice, you can follow the words of men, great men who were right on many things, but who were wrong many times as well (Read the eyewitness accounts these men were far from perfect.) Or you can listen to what Yahowah and Yahowsha said. Having examined Yahowah’s statement on the instruction regarding the Sabbath, let’s look at Yahowsha’s statement regarding the Torah.
"Do not assume that I have come to weaken, dismantle, invalidate, or abolish (kataluso – loosen, tear down, or dissolve, put an end to, do away with, or annul) the Torah (nomos – Law) or the Prophets. I have not come to do away with it, but instead to completely fulfill it. Truly (amein – this is reliable and trustworthy) I say to you, till heaven and the earth pass away not one jot (iota – the smallest letter in Hebrew) nor tittle (keraia – the top stroke of Hebrew letters) shall be passed by (parerchomai – be ignored or disobeyed, be disregarded) from that which was established in the Towrah until the time and place it all happens. Therefore, whoever dismisses (luo – does away with, dissolves, invalidates, or abolishes) the least of these commandments (entole – precepts, prescriptions, and authoritative directions)or teaches (didasko – indoctrinates or instructs) people to do the same, they will be called the least important (elachistos – will be considered to be so small as to be insignificant and undignified) in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever performs (poieomai – accomplishes and celebrates, practices and profits from) them, and teaches them, they will be called the greatest and most important in the kingdom of heaven." (Mattityahu/Matthew 5:17-19)
"For then this is the Torah and the Prophets: enter, starting with the first step in the path by the way of the narrow and specific doorway, because the way is wide, it is crafted to be broad, expansive, and unreliable, and the route is broad which leads away, which deceives and influences someone to go astray to the point of destruction and perishing, needlessly destroying themselves and squandering their lives. And the vast preponderance of people, are those experiencing this path. The doorway is narrow, exacting and specific, and the path goes against the crowd, which leads to life, and few discover, and experience it. You must be alert, carefully examine, and turn away (prosechete — you should pay close attention, watch out for and beware of, guarding yourself) from false prophets who come to you from within dressed in sheep’s clothing, yet they actually are wolves who are exceptionally self-promoting and self-serving(harpax — vicious thieves who secretly and deliberately rob, extort, and snatch away; from harpazo: violently, forcibly, and eagerly claim and seize for oneself and pluck away)." (Mattityahu / Matthew 7:7-15)
Dan wrote:All He had to do to save millions from damnation was say, "Remember to keep the Sabbath holy," and millions of Christ-centered, God-loving, Bible-believing Christians would have gladly kept it. Instead, the only commands the apostles gave were to "abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication."
Again, these were men, they were flawed, and we should never take the word of men over that of God.
Dan wrote:There isn’t even one command in the New Testament for Christians to keep the Sabbath holy.
To start with there is no New Testament, at least not according to Yah. And as I pointed out before you can’t find one reference to Christians anywhere.
Yahowsha specifically stated that He did not come to do away with the Torah, and that not one Jot or Tittle, not the smallest letter of it would change, until heaven and earth passed away, since the commandment about the Sabbath is in His Torah, I guess that means it hasn’t been done away with, last I checked heaven and earth were still here. He also said not to dismiss the least of them or teache others to do so.
Dan wrote:In fact, we are told not to let others judge us regarding Sabbaths (Colossian 2:16), and that man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man (Mark 2:27). The Sabbath was given as a sign to Israel (Exodus 31:13–17); nowhere is it given as a sign to the Church. Thousands of years after the Commandment was given we can still see the sign that separates Israel from the world—they continue to keep the Sabbath holy.
The very fact that you are citing a verse whereby Paul the false apostle dismiss and teaches others to dismiss one of Yahowah’s commandments should be enough for everyone to reject him, but unfortunately Christians would rather reject what Yahowah and Yahowsha said in favor of Paul. And Yahowsha’s comments in Mark, do not say that we are not to keep the Sabbath, he was condemning what the religious men of His time had done to it. Through their oral law the Religious Jews had turned the Sabbath into a list of dos and don’ts that were to be rigorously kept, Yhowsha was pointing out to them this error, He never said not to observe the Sabbath.
So that you know Israel is ‘Yisra’el, those who strive with, and are empowered by God. Sounds like a group I want to be a part of, I don’t know about you.
Dismissing the Torah as being for the Jews is the gravest mistake one can make. Yahowah has but one covenant, contrary to what Paul taught, and that covenant is found in but one place, the Torah.
Dan wrote:The apostles came together on the first day of the week to break bread (Acts 20:7). The collection was taken on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2). When do Sabbath-keepers gather together to break bread or take up the collection?
They all also kept the Sabbath, so if you are going to follow their example why do you reject and dismiss the Sabbath?
You can assemble any day of the week you like, but the Sabbath is still to be a day set apart.
Dan wrote:It’s not on the same day as the early Church. They tell us that the Roman Catholic church changed their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, but what has that got to do with the disciples keeping the first day of the week? That was the Roman Catholic church in the early centuries, not the Church of the Book of Acts.
Again, they did not replace the Sabbath with getting together. They would meet up on the first day of the week. SO WHAT. They still observed the Sabbath.
The Sabbath wasn’t replaced until the birth of the Universal Church, under Constantine.
Also, just an aside, there is no basis what so ever for church in Scripture. Church is derived from Chirch, a pagan goddess. The word which man has corrupted to Church, is ecclesia, and it means out calling, or out called assembly, it is the Greek equivalent of Miqra, the title Yahowah used for the seven most important days on His calendar, seven days most Christians couldn’t name if there life depended upon it. In translating there are only two honest ways to deal with the Greek word ecclesia, if it is a name or title it should always be transliterated ecclesia, and then it’s meaning explained, if it is a word it should always be translated out-calling or out called assembly. In no way can one get Church from either method. The same is true with Christ, which even if you were to transliterate from the Greek, it is not Christ, which means the application of drugs, the Greek was Chrestus, which means useful implement.
Dan wrote:Romans 14:5–10 tells us that one man esteems one day of the week above another; another esteems every day alike. Then Scripture tells us that everyone should be fully persuaded in his own mind. We are not to judge each other regarding the day on which we worship.
You won’t convince anyone here by quoting Paul. Again I say if I have a choice between what man says, in this case a man who contradicted Yah at most every turn, and what Yahowah said I am going to go with Yah. If you wish to put your faith in Paul, then I feel sorry for you.
Dan wrote:Jesus did keep the Sabbath. He had to keep the whole Law to be the perfect sacrifice. The Bible makes it clear that the Law has been satisfied in Christ. The reason Paul went to the synagogue each Sabbath wasn’t to keep the Law; that would have been contrary to everything he taught about being saved by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8,9). It was so he could preach the gospel to the Jews, as evident in the Book of Acts. Paul had an incredible evangelistic zeal for Israel to be saved (Romans 10:1). To the Jew he became as a Jew, that he might win the Jews (1 Corinthians 9:19,20). That meant he went to where they gathered on the day they gathered.
I for one could care less why Paul kept the Sabbath. As I have said time and again, I am interested only in what Yah has to say.
Dan wrote:D. L. Moody said, "The Law can only chase a man to Calvary, no further." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law so we are no longer in bondage to it. If we try to keep one part of the Law (even out of love for God), we are obligated to keep the whole Law (Galatians 3:10)—all 613 precepts. If those who insist on keeping the Sabbath were as zealous about the salvation of the lost as they are about other Christians keeping the Sabbath, we would see revival.
The fact that Paul referred to Yahowah’s Torah as a curse is abominable, and should be enough to make one dismiss him. Personally I am annoyed to say the least that Paul would try to use the Torah to prove that the Torah is a curse.
Lets examine Galatians 3:10
"For (gar) as long as (hosos – as much as) they exist (eisim) by means of (ek) doing the assigned tasks and activities of (ergon –by works and by observing in the sense of doing what is says in) the Torah (nomou – Law (singular genitive, and thus a specific characterization)), they are (eisin) under (hupo – influenced by the auspices of) a curse (katara – they are denounced and detested, and will not have their burdens lifted or their souls raised), because (gar) it is written (grapho – inscribed in Scripture)that (hoti): ‘All (pas) [are] accursed (epikataratos – exposed and subject to judgment, and bereaved of salvation) who (hos) do not (ou) remain alive in and who do not persevere with(emmeno – continue to be faithful to, hold fast to, carefully obey, recognizing the trustworthiness of, and continually abide with, keep, endure, and survive by way of) all (pas) that (tois) is written(grapho) in (en) the scroll (biblion – documented record) of the Torah (nomou – Law (singular genitive, and thus a specific characterization)), doing (poieomai) it (autos).’" (Galatians 3:10)
There are two proclamations delineated in Galatians 3:10. The first is false: "For as long as they exist by means of doing the assigned tasks and activities of the Torah, they are under a curse." The second is true: "All are accursed who do not remain alive in and who do not persevere with all that is written in the scroll of the Torah, doing it." The first statement is from Paul. The second statement is from Yahweh. Since they are mutually exclusive, who do you think is trustworthy?
It’s true: we cannot work for our salvation. And the Torah is the source of life. But this context, and considering Paul’s word choices, we are precluded from thinking that this is what he intended to say in his proposition or justification. The only point of connection between his declaration and the Scriptural quotation is the word "curse." So his argument hinges upon it.
By citing a passage that includes "curse" and "Torah," Sha’uwl was hoping that his audience would believe that he was right in stating that "the Torah is a curse." Beyond the fact that his proof statement contains the same verb and noun of his proposition, it would otherwise have been counterproductive to cite Deuteronomy 27:26 in this context. After all, this verse says nothing about working for our salvation, and many other Torah passages do, especially those pertaining to the Sabbath and the special Sabbaths associated with the Miqra’ey. So, if Paul’s purpose had been to reinforce the idea that we cannot work for our salvation, he would have used a completely different proof text.
But if Paul was intending to say that "observing the Torah" cannot save us because we have to do "everything that is written in the scroll of the Torah" or be "accursed" by it, then the verse fits—at least in a twisted sort of way. Therefore, the most reasonable interpretation of Paul’s point is: since you can’t do everything the Torah says, the curse of the Torah is inevitable. (But be careful. The Torah has a specific solution for that problem.)
Translated "curse," in Sha’uwl’s proposition, it is fair to say that katara is a difficult term to nail down. It is an adjective, comprised of a compound of kata, meaning "according to," "down from," or "against," and ara, meaning "a prayer or supplication," which is "an earnest request." Ara is based upon airo, which conveys the ideas of "raising up, elevating, and lifting up, bearing someone’s burdens, taking them by the hand, and carrying them away." So, with the exception of "down from and against" all of this sounds pretty good. Therefore the "curse" connotation of this word is derived from kata negating the benefits of ara. And that means that the "curse" is "not being lifted up," and "not having one’s burdens carried away." It isn’t that the "accursed" are being punished, but instead, as a result of a just evaluation, they won’t receive any help. And, so that you know,epikataratos, appearing later in this same verse, is a derivative of katara.
In this light, the second half of this passage, which is a flawed Greek rendering of Deuteronomy 27:26, actually says: "Everyone (pas) is exposed and subject to judgment and bereaved of salvation (epikataratos) who does not remain alive in and who does not persevere with all that is written in the scroll of the Torah, doing it." They "katara – are not going to have their prayers answered, burdens removed, or souls lifted." Clearly then, even in the Greek rendition, the Torah passage does not infer that a person has to do everything the Torah says, nor does it suggest that the Torah is a curse.
Before we contemplate the full intent of Sha’uwl’s message, and say for certain that we understand it, let’s consider the Scriptural verse he cited. The conversation begins with the first verse of the 27th chapter, where a long list of blessings are delineated, all of which flow from observing the Torah. Then starting with the 9th verse, we find that those "who live with God (Yisra’el)," are asked to "be silent and listen," because "this day you have become a family unto Yahuweh, your God. Listen to the voice of Yahuweh, your God, accomplish and celebrate (‘asah– gaining from and working) with (‘eth) His precepts (miswah – authoritative directions and prescriptions), and with (‘eth) His (huw’) decrees and clearly communicated thoughts (hoq – statutes and prescribed written decrees), which relationally (‘asher) I instruct (sawah – direct) you today." (Deuteronomy 27:9-10) In other words, our Heavenly Father is telling His children to listen to Him and to observe His Torah instructions.
From this point, Yahweh delineates a series of behaviors which He promises will engender an unfavorable response. "Cursed (‘arar – invoking harm upon oneself by making oneself unlikable) is the man who makes idols, and detestable crafted images with their hands..., who lightly esteems his Father and Mother..., who steals his neighbor’s property..., who misleads a blind person..., who denies justice to a stranger or foreigner, an orphan, or a widow..., who commits any form of incest..., who commits bestiality..., who strikes and beats his neighbor..., and who accepts a bribe and thereby harms an innocent person." (Deuteronomy 27:15-25)
We should not be surprised, therefore, that those who perpetrate these unsavory behaviors will be shunned by God. This list is then followed by a summary conclusion: "Cursed (‘arar – invoking harm upon oneself by making oneself unlikable) is whoever (‘asher) is not (lo’)established (quwm – restored, supported, caused to stand, lifted up, confirmed, and enabled to endure) by (‘eth) the words (dabar – the message) of this (zo’t) Towrah (towrah – law, prescriptions for living, directions, teachings, and instructions), accomplishing and celebrating(‘asah – gaining from, doing useful and productive things, and working) with (‘eth) them (hem). And (wa) the entire (kol) family (‘am – nation) said (‘amar – answered, promised, and declared), ‘This is true, acceptable, and reliable (‘aman – affirming, supportive, and verifiable).’"(Deuteronomy 27:26)
Therefore, we can now say for certain, that according to Yahweh: "Cursed are those who are not established and renewed by the message of the Torah, who do not celebrate and benefit from it.... This is "true and reliable, ‘aman!" And that means that any attack on the Torah, any belittlement of it, any attempt to negate or annul it, any statement which suggests that it is a curse, would be directly opposed to Yahweh’s position and Word.
Reinforcing this essential instruction, the very next verse says: "It shall exist (hayah – it was, is, and will be) that if you really listen to (sama’ sama’ – pay extremely close attention to and actually hear) the voice of Yahuweh, your God, and you revere, keep, and carefully observe(samar – closely examine and scrutinize, care about, cling to, become secure in, and benefit from)and do (‘asah – accomplish and celebrate) all My precepts (miswah – authoritative directions and prescriptions) that I instruct (sawah – and direct) you this day, Yahuweh, your God will place and appoint you (natan – grant you the opportunity to be) as the most high (‘elyon) among and above(‘al) all (kol) the nations (Gowym – people from different races and places) of the earth (‘erets). And flowing over you will be all of the blessings (barakah – beneficial promises and valuable gifts), continuing to overtake and inundate (nasag) you, if you listen to the voice of Yahuweh, your God." (Deuteronomy 28:1-2) The Torah’s message is as wonderful as it is consistent, as rewarding as it is enlightening. God just said that the Torah’s instructions exist to bless us.
Paul not only removed the cited Deuteronomy passage from the context which illuminated its meaning, he misquoted it. Please compare Paul’s: "All are accursed who do not continually obey all that is written in the scroll of the Law, doing it" (Galatians 3:10), with Yahweh’s:"Cursed is whoever is not established (quwm – restored, supported, caused to stand, lifted up, confirmed, and caused to endure) by the words (dabar – the message) of this Towrah (towrah), accomplishing and celebrating (‘asah – gaining from, doing useful and productive things, and working) with them." (Deuteronomy 27:26) This will not be the last time Sha’uwl will misquote the Torah. In fact, he will make a practice of it.