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The Guard-en Precepts
An excerpt from CG Workbook 5 Vol. 5 Ki Tavo
There has always been the problem with sacrifices, whether first fruits in the Garden, first fruits in the Temple, or the first fruits of our own increase. The test has always been whether the Dvar (Word) was life, and a man would joyfully sow, cultivate, select, and give away his best work, or whether the Dvar was death, and a man would sorrowfully give his best, or worse yet, give his worst so that the dever (pestilence) would break out on the untamed beast of the nefesh (soul): the appetites, emotions, and even the intellect unbridled by the Dvar of Truth, which must spring from spiritual places.
Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to transgress the Dvar Emet (Word of Truth). In Heaven, there is only truth. In this world, truth is mixed with reality, creating lies from a thread of truth. Adding the knowledge of evil opened the door to entropy, which is a curse of crossing over to the side of evil. A Hebrew is one who has "crossed over."
Crossed over what? The Euphrates River like Father Avraham? In a spiritual sense, yes. The Euphrates[1] was the Perat River in Eden, and a Hebrew is one who seeks entry into the Garden to restore that close fellowship with Elohim, albeit through sacrifice. A Hebrew seeks to reverse the effects of entropy by guarding and keeping, that is, "working" the Torah.
Guarding the garden meant that Adam had to guard both it and himself from diminution. The natural state of anything, physical or spiritual, is decline, unless one exerts conscientious effort to prevent it. When one fails to put energy into growing, one erodes in a subtle way.
The concept of working the garden is parallel to all of the positive commands of the Torah, while the concept of guarding the garden parallels the negative precepts of the Torah. All spiritual self-expression and growth could have been effected through the way Adam worked the garden, and all spiritual decay and harm could have been avoided by the way he guarded it. (Heller, p. 33, quoting from Ibn Ezra: Bereishit)
This view of working the garden as a parallel to "working" the Torah is interesting, for it suggests that it is possible to grow the fruit, especially the first fruits, by performing the positive commandments ("Thou shalts") with joy in the work. To guard that growth, one would observe the negative commandments ("Thou shalt nots"). These would not be works of self-righteousness, but of elevating the Creation with the Dvar Elohim:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)
If Yeshua is the Word of Creation, then no "work" a man does is original. A man can only work, that is, create growth in the earth, by obeying the Word. "Things" in Hebrew is devarim, from Dvar.
How one relates to the Devarim affects the growth of fruit and even how one feels about that fruit. Is it fruit I have grown with the work of my own hands, or is it His fruit that I have merely "worked" according to my obedience to the Dvar Elohim? If it is His fruit, then it is easier for me to relinquish what wasn't really mine in the first place! My relationship to the fruit reflects my relationship to the Word.
The Word is the Father's Word, and I can only speak the Word after Him. The obedience to the Word is Yeshua's, and I can only obey the Word after him. That's what will hold the Garden together. The Torah is my work-manual, and it holds the details of how to grow the fruit. I, however, must monitor my feelings concerning the work. Shabbat is a weekly helper for self-evaluation, for it focuses attention on the Spirit, which is the source of truth, diverting our attention from the fallen world, which is a source of truth mixed with reality, which is a lie.
The deceit that often prevails is the deceit of our souls bound by the chains of reality, truth mixed with evil, which is a lie. In this sense, we are all living in a lie. The Ruach HaKodesh re-teaches us the truth, which is the value of reading Scriptures every Shabbat, especially if the lying reality of the other six days distracts us from the Word. Ever notice that the Scripture emphasizes PUBLIC reading and ministry of the Word?
The soul and its crony the flesh lie against the Spirit; therefore I must cultivate the Guard-en of Truth, which originates in spiritual realms. If I am addicted to intellectual pursuit and greater knowledge, then that is exactly what will kill my life in the Word. If I am addicted to the pleasures of the senses, then that is exactly what will kill my life in the Word. If I am addicted to my own emotions or manipulating the emotions of others, then that is exactly what will kill my life in the Word.
The commandments were given for us to live not only by them, but live IN them. Live in Truth. Look around. Are there people dying in the Torah? Killing others with it? Then they have succumbed the Truth and life of the Word to their own soul cravings for attention, authority, wealth, and respect from others. The Torah was not created for this, and its true function must be worked in tandem with guarding against encroachment by the evil urges to gain status from it. Spirit must always guide the flesh in order for firstfruits of life to spring from the flesh of man.
[1] It is the Euphrates that is dried up to make a crossing for the kings of the East in Revelation. This suggests a scenario where, like Pharaoh into the Reed ("Final") Sea, the kings are lured in by making them think that they are on the offensive, yet the cheruvim guard the holy places and holy ones. When their feet cross inside the boundary of the Perat River, destruction will break out in altar judgments. A Hebrew is one who crosses over in obedience, not disobedience. Review CG Workbook Five Vol I: Bereishit - A River Runs Through Us for the function of the Perat as equivalent to the Ruach HaKodesh and the fourth branch of the menorah. The Kings of the East are violating the authority of the Ruach Adonai when they cross to the west. Likewise, the Land is vomiting out those inside the Land who bring the dispirited, stagnant offerings of Kain.
Monday Night Online Torah Class
I am planning to begin a Monday night online class via WebEx after Sukkot. We will use the Creation Gospel 5 Torah commentaries as a "jumping off place" for the class, which will look into the weekly Torah portions. The class will run from 9:00 - 10:00 pm EST on Monday nights. If there is enough interest in Europe, Africa, etc., I may try to schedule an additional class at an alternate time. This class will not require homework, although there will be suggested study assignments and students will be encouraged to connect for extra study on the portion.
Depending on the number of students who enroll, the cost will likely be $20 per month. I'll need to compare the final number to my current WebEx plan to ensure we cover costs. Students will need to install WebEx on their computers, but the system also accommodates phone logins, which is handy when traveling. Students will have access to the video files of each class for up to one month following, so when life gets in the way, the lesson can be watched or listened to at a later time.
If you are interested in joining the class, send an email to creationgospel@gmail.com with your name and email address for updates. An informational email will be sent out by the end of September for those who send an email.
LaMalah Children's Centre
We can't thank our donors enough for their monthly support of the Children's Center in Kenya. We are saving for the purchase of a vehicle for the Centre, so if you can help, please click on the link below:
http://www.thecreationgospel.com/donate/
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