Commentary on \"The Law\" of Moses

If you know, you know. However, most people don't know, so they mix, confuse, and distort. This is why Christians are fighting with Hebrew Israelites over topics concerning the Law of Moses. One group is fixated on "Grace," while the other is fixated on doing. So in this post let's start by defining some terms.

If you think the "law of Moses" is a set of regulated laws then you have missed the mark. Not even Jesus describes the "law of Moses" in this way:

"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." Luke 24:44 KJV

Commentary: It should be pretty obvious that Jesus is speaking of three separate categories of written documents. "The prophets" are a set of writings that scholars have designated as "major" and "minor" writings of the prophets. These are the writings ascribed to a particular prophet. The "Psalms" you should already know were written by several people. David being the most known. The "Law of Moses" can be easily understood to mean the five books of Moses. In no way was Jesus referring to the five Books of Moses as a set of regulations, but rather, a collective body of history, prophecy, laws, commandments, statutes, judgments, and ordinances. The five books have been titled with specific names. Collectively, they are called "all this law" in Deuteronomy 27:1-8.

"And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, keep all the commandments which I command you this day. And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister: And thou shalt write upon them ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee. Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them with plaister. And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God: And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the LORD thy God. And thou shalt write upon the stones ALL THE WORD OF THIS LAW very plainly."

Commentary: The phrase "all the words of this law" is another variant of the phrase "all this law." It just means everything that Moses wrote, which is called "the law of Moses." This phrase is important because many people use the Hebrew term "torah" as a regulation of standards, that is, "apodictic law." But "torah" does not mean "law," though it is translated that way in English translations. Since it is translated that way, a veil has been placed over the minds of the people who cannot see the truth. Torah (I'm using the Hebrew term), commandment, judgment, statute, and ordinance all have different meanings. To make it simple, they don't mean the same thing.

The Hebrew term "torah" means "teaching." "Torah" comes from the root Hebrew word "Yarah," which means "to point out." A Hebrew teacher is a "moreh," which comes from "Yarah" and means "one who points out." "Commandment," on the other hand, is the Hebrew term "Mitzvah." It is the noun of the verb "Tzavah," which means "command or charge or issue orders." The commandments (מצוה) are what is called "apodictic law." These are unconditional regulations that apply to all. This should not be confused with "case law," which is a set of conditional regulations expressed using the conjunction "if." Apodictic laws are expressed by the phrases "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not." This is why the "Mitzvah" begins with the phrases "Thou shall" and "Thou shall not."

Now that I have shown you the meaning of "torah" and "Mitzvah," let me show you how Moses wrote Yahuah's distinction between them. Your KJV Bible will never show you the distinction, but I will because it is crucial to a proper understanding of the writings. I will show you the KJV translation and then show you how it should be translated.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and A LAW, and COMMANDMENTS which I have written, that thou mayest teach them." Exodus 24:12 KJV

Commentary: No doubt, Yahuah is referring to the stone tablets on which he wrote what is translated in many versions as the 10 commandments. The problem is, Yahuah said that he would provide Moses with "...tables of stone, and a LAW, and COMMANDMENTS..." Now there were only ten commandments. So it has been said. But when you leave things to Christian/non-Christian translators, you will unfortunately be misguided. You may think I am taking a jab at your translation and I am, but after I show you the truth, you will hopefully begin to think on it. Here is what the verse actually says:

"12) And Yahuah said to Moses, 'Ascend to me on the mountain and be there and I will give to you slabs of stone and THE TEACHING (Torah) and THE COMMANDMENT (Mitzvah), which I wrote, to cause you to teach them.'" Exodus 24:12 —My Provisionary Hebrew Translation

Commentary: Not only does Yahuah, our God, show the distinction that should be made between "the teaching," that is, "the Torah/Law," and "the commandment," that is, "the Mitzvah," but he also shows us that he gave Moses 9 commandments and 1 teaching on the stone slabs. Not 10 commandments, but to each his own if you want to dispute that fact. All you have to do is read what God said to see that small detail. The 9 Apodictic Laws/Regulations are in the mind of Yahuah, a collective set he calls "The Commandment." As for the single Torah/teaching written on the stone slabs, it should be considered "The Written Torah," which many rabbis correctly understood existed. I'm not saying that their designation of "The Written Torah" is correct because they consider the five books of Moses as the "written Torah." It is not! The "Written Torah" was written by the finger of God. There is no debate about that, although some people may still argue otherwise. Exodus 24:12 Yahuah said he will give Moses "...slabs of stone and THE TEACHING (Torah) and THE COMMANDMENT (Mitzvah), which I wrote, to cause you to teach them." Notice that "The Teaching" and "The Commandment" are singular. This is because the Hebrew text is written that way, and I have already explained what Yahuah meant when he made this statement.

It is said that Moses gave the sons of Jacob all these laws after the Ten Words (the Ten Commandments), but that is incorrect. Moses was already giving the sons of Jacob laws and commandments (Ex. 16:28) before the ten words, the covenant that they broke when they made the golden calf. The giving of the ten words can be seen in Chapter 20 but GOD gave Moses laws and commandments in Exodus chapters 12:49 (Passover), 13:9, 16:4, and 28; 18:16 and 20 way before God spoke the ten words (commandments) in chapter 20 and before Moses received those words on stone slabs in Exodus 24. To place the importance of the 9 Commandments over the Torah is a misnomer and highly misplaced knowledge. Many people confuse the purpose of both, which is the reason for the conflict between Hebrew Israelites and Black and White Christians. There is a place for both and hopefully one day you will understand it. But I have a question for you. Did God say he would write Ten Commandments on your heart when you accept the New Covenant or did he say he would write his LAW (Torah/teaching) there?

"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law (Torah) in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." Jeremiah 31:33 KJV

Let's not be ridiculous; Torah (teaching) and mitzvah (commandment) are not the same thing. However, Moses taught the meaning and significance of the commandments, including the Ten Commandments. I mean, ten words that are viewed as a collective set of apodictic regulations that most people call the "Ten Commandments." As seen here:

"And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments (words)." Exodus 34:28 KJV

The last phrase in that verse, "Ten Commandments," is actually עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים "the ten words."

Now how does this information help you understand what Paul says when he makes these statements about the law?

"Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not The LAW the same also?" 1 Corinthians 9:7-8 KJV

The quote above comes from Deuteronomy 20:6. When Paul asks the question, "...Say I these things as a man? or saith not The LAW the same also?" He is asking if the Law of Moses, 'saith not the same also?' And he means "All this law." That is because all the writings of Moses are useful to point out the teaching of Yahuah. But many Christians and Hebrew Israelites don't know that the laws, statutes, and commandments were meant to be taught.

"And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which THOU SHALT TEACH THEM, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it." Deuteronomy 5:31 KJV

If you didn't notice, God placed an apodictic regulation on Moses, commanding him to teach "...all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments..." An apodictic regulation, what you call "law"—which is actually a commandment—was given to Moses, the individual who was the moreh (teacher) at that time. Those who came after, Aaron and the generations of his sons to Jesus, the high priest, were supposed to teach the same meaning and significance found in "all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, etc."

Through Christianity, the meaning and significance of these things (the Truth) were lost. You can thank the Pharisees, who believed in Jesus yet attempted to bind the gentiles to strict observance of the law (all this law) and the church fathers, most of whom didn't know Hebrew. Although it may not matter much, knowledge of Hebrew and God's spirit would have made a difference!

"Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded TO TEACH YOU, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged." Deuteronomy 6:1-2 KJV

I've attempted to show you again and again that you need to be careful with these translators. If you think the term "commandments" is plural here in the Hebrew text, you are mistaken. It is singular and should be translated as "The Commandment," like I showed you above. Moses is referring to "the words that were written on the stone slabs." The same goes for Deuteronomy 5:31.

The last thing that I want to show you is this. This blessing comes from Moses to all Israel and is a prophecy. I want to show you what the part about Levi means.

Deuteronomy 33:8-10—My Provisionary Hebrew Translation:

8) And to Levi he said, 'Your Thummim and your Urim are for your gracious one, the Man whom you tested at Massah. "You will contend with him over waters of Meribah; 9) who is saying of his father and of his mother, 'I did not see him,' and his brothers he caused not to discern, and he did not know his sons: for they guarded your speech and your covenant they will protect. 10) They will cause to teach your judgments to Jacob and your Torah to Israel: they will place incense in your nostrils and a complete burnt offering upon your altar."

This verse is speaking prophetically concerning Jesus Christ and his sons who will teach Israel. Oh, you didn't know Jesus had sons? Well, hasn't the Word of God engendered you? Maybe not since you don't know the truth that will set you free. That explains why you keep falling in your sins.

I have a lot more to teach concerning the distinction between laws, statutes, commandments, judgments, and ordinances, but we will discuss it another day.

Shalom!