9.8.26 – Set the Record Straight

It is coming! Yom Teruah is less than a week away. It is time to celebrate—with great anticipation—the resurrection day that is initiated with a shout and the blowing of the shofar (1 Thess. 4:16–17), and the day we remember the commitment we made when we entered into His covenant.

Soon we will find ourselves in the space between Yom Teruah and Yom HaKippurim. These Ten Days of Awe are significant and incredibly practical for the year ahead, as we put into practice being doers of the Word (James 1:19–27). At the same time, we do not want to over-spiritualize these days by leaving out the actions that Yahweh truly wants us to live out for mankind to see (Matt. 5:14–16). These days are still about repentance—turning from faithless actions (Rom. 10:17) that are not pleasing in His sight (Heb. 11:6), and instead doing what is pleasing (Heb. 11:6; Rom. 10:17).

So how do we know what actions are pleasing and what are not? Ah, that is the million-dollar question, is it not?

The Ten Days of Awe give us an opportunity to rehearse His character, preparing for the final verdict: who enters through the "open doors" to the marriage of the Lamb, and who experiences the "closed doors"—as in the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1–13).

There is a Greek mindset that has infiltrated the Scriptural way of life. It revolves around accepting "positional truth" without living out the "visible truth." In our spiritual culture, we love to claim our "position in Messiah," but we often fail to recognize that without the physical, visible action that validates that position, it is worthless. We are not being salt or light to a world that desperately needs it. Consequently, we say things about ourselves that do not match our actions, and the world continues to repel our lifestyles.

Let me give you an example that may hit closer to home than we would like to admit, from the words of Yeshua. In Matthew's gospel, we have His words from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7). These are instructions to a group of people on how to manifest the holy character of our Father in heaven—actions that run contrary to the system of this world and, unfortunately, to the religious system of our day.

Yeshua said in Matthew 5:43–45: "You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust."

Six times in this section of Matthew's gospel, we find Yeshua saying, "You have heard that it was said." The days of Yeshua were no different from ours. Denominations are built on hearsay or "so-and-so said." Yeshua, however, came to set the record straight (Matt. 5:19–20).

It was a common understanding in that day—especially among a group called the Essenes—to live completely separate lives, showing love to their neighbors and despising their enemies. It was their way of maintaining separation and modeling holiness. But Yeshua tells us, "But I say to you…"

What is He saying? Go back and read those verses again. Do you see His emphasis? Hebraically speaking, Yeshua is telling us that if we are going to be called "sons of our Father," then we should act like our Father. How did He act? How does He act? Personally, I can testify that when I was His enemy, Yahweh Elohim loved me and reconciled me through the death of His Son (Rom. 5:8–10), not holding my past against me (2 Cor. 5:19–21). Yeshua tells us to treat our enemies as He treated us (2 Cor. 1:1–4; Eph. 5:1–2). Generally speaking, He treats His neighbor and His enemy the same. He makes the sun rise and the rain fall on the just and the unjust. He provides life-giving sustenance to all, regardless of who they are… hmm.

This is the kind of behavior that leads us to be "perfect," even as our Father in heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48). Uh oh—be careful. Our Bible tells us to be "perfect," and we know how difficult it is to be without flaw or error. But is that really what He means by perfect (telios)? So what does He mean? Yeshua is actually quoting Leviticus 19:2, where we are told to be "holy," even as our Father is holy. In other words, be set apart. Make decisions toward His character every day, and you will receive the title "perfect" (telios)—just as those in Corinth were called (1 Cor. 2:6–7)—because you are moving toward a goal. Model what Yahweh does, and you will be holy, and He will call you perfect.

Model His character for the world to see—even to your enemies? Yes, even to them. Keep His commandments! Model His Word for the world to see. Live by faith, and He will be pleased (Heb. 11:6).

For too long, we have thought repentance revolves only around the overt taboo issues of society—adultery, drunkenness, drugs, cheating, divorce, etc. And while these are indeed areas for repentance (Gal. 5:19–21), we often overlook the most fundamental issues of the faith: how do we love both our neighbor and our enemy?

Who is on your "hit list"? Are you heeding Yeshua's words to "love your enemy"? Are you holding their past actions against them? Are you following the Essene philosophy of showing holiness/separateness by hating your enemies? Or are you treating your enemies the way Yahweh treated you?

Let the Yom Teruah celebration continue! And let us take a serious inventory of our lives. We are getting closer to the books being closed. For some who have not dealt with the issues in their lives this past month, they could find themselves locked into a prison of their own making for a long time—until the debt is paid in full (Matt. 18:28–35).

Chag Sameach and shalom!
Alan