There is only one God
16 Av 5777
In Deuteronomy, Moshe explained to his people that they were a privileged nation and needed to take heed of the Creator’s Words reminding them that no other nation had such a God and Protector who would be with them always. He advised them to teach this to their children throughout their generations and that the nations would learn from them. This is a call for us today to continue to teach this wonderful revelation not only to our children’s children but also to the world. Moshe warned Israel that they must “listen” to the statutes and judgments that he was teaching them or there would be consequences. When we tell our children “Listen to me” we mean “Obey me”. The greatest gift to us from our Creator is free will which encompasses the capacity to communicate and make decisions, right or wrong. With this comes responsibility.
A most important warning to us in chapter 4 of Deuteronomy states: You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God just as I lay them down for you. The Torah was given to us through God’s direct revelation and we have no authority to change any of it. Every major religion without exception has theologized His Word, replacing His divine revelation with their understanding. The Torah gives us moral and ethical principles to live by, not a legalistic practice. Whenever people change the Word of God, they make themselves equal to the Creator and create their false gods. The Creator from the beginning was warning Israel not to accept the gods of the other nations. The Creator will not share His Divinity with anyone or anything. Just because man has created a god does not make it God. Whenever Israel tried to be like the other nations they would become assimilated losing their identity and they would forget who their true God was.
In his role as Mashiach, Yeshua’s job was to bring his people back to the Torah for them to fulfill their role of being ohr l’goyim, light to the Gentiles. His greatest enemies were from organized religion, the Pharisees and the Sadducees who didn’t want him to rock the boat. They would travel miles to make a proselyte and place heavier burdens upon them than even they were willing to bear. Yeshua was a true revolutionary and called them hypocrites accusing them of changing the Words of the Creator for their gain. He was a pain in the neck to them so they plotted to get rid of him by accusing him of being against the Roman Empire thus moving him from the religious realm into the political setting. That was the way he could be destroyed. Today we are experiencing something similar. The people creating the most havoc on the world stage are the religious people and the politicians together. Who suffers? It is the children, women and the innocent victims of their hatred. Yeshua warned the people that if they stayed on the path of idolatry they would ultimately be destroyed. Is it a coincidence that not long after Yeshua was killed, the second Temple was obliterated? No one can deny the historical facts. From the moment that the people were expelled from Israel 1700 years or so ago, it has taken a miracle to bring them back to the land. Today instead of learning from their mistakes Israel once again wants to be like the other nations. Israel has been called to be a unique, distinct people. The commonwealth of Israel includes anyone who is under the banner of the God of Israel and He God calls us, both Jew and Gentile, we are changed from within and we become the carriers of His Truth, the Torah. It is not easy but it is fulfilling to live for Him. Let us ask ourselves very seriously whether we would prefer to follow a religion or the true God. Which God have you chosen? Our Creator does not share His Divinity with any other created being.