Bad News/Good News
©2004 Mark Pitrone, and
Fulfilling Torah Ministries

I was reading and attempting to understand Jeremiah Chapters 10-12 today when this passage struck me like a ton of bricks: Jeremiah 12:1-2, "Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? [2] Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins."

It was the end of v.2 that stuck me so hard, because it seemed to describe American society in 2004. It says that the wicked and treacherous who are happy and prosperous acknowledge YHWH in their words, but not in their hearts and lives. Now, I realize that Yerem'yahu (Hebraic spelling of Jeremiah) wrote this word to Judah 2600 years ago, but does the passage not also speak to the situation in America and American churches today? Jeremiah was seeing this type of lifestyle in the people of Judah and Jerusalem in the time just prior to the Babylonian conquest and exile.

In Romans 11 Rav Sha'ul (the apostle Paul) tells us that some of the branches of the olive tree were cut off to make room for the wild branches (that's us, in case you didn't know). He then says that if YHWH was not hesitant to remove the good branches to make room for us, we need to be careful that he not do the same to us. Here's the passage: Romans 11:17-21, "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; [18] Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. [19] Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. [20] Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: [21] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee."

Here's the point; we have been warned by the prophets of old, and by modern day prophets, like Gruver and Duduman to name just 2, that America is ripe for severe judgment and condemnation from YHWH for the very same reasons that Israel and later Judah were judged and condemned. In the 17th and 18th centuries, America was a thriving, growing, spiritually aware place where the preachers in the pulpits thundered the terrible judgments and awesome mercy and grace of YHWH - judgment for sin, mercy and grace for repentance and determination to do the Word. We have, as a nation, forsaken the way of YHWH. We have said previously that we are called by his name, but our hearts are a long way from his.

Look at what we've wrought. We tolerate sin in the highest positions of authority in our land, in some cases we even celebrate it. Names that come to mind include Clinton and Franks in politics, Swaggart, Bakker and, recently, Paul Crouch in religion. We not only give them a pass on the sin, we continue to follow them, thereby condoning the sin. The incidents of leaders with sinful lifestyles like these have become so widespread and common that they are not newsworthy any more, hence the reference to 20 year old 'news'. We also tolerate the abomination of abortion, to the tune of at LEAST 45 million (I've heard 90 million from more than one pro-life activist) babies murdered by 'medical professionals' (the Mafia used to call them 'torpedoes', murderers for hire) and the babies' own mothers (accessories before, during and after the fact) in America in the last 32 years. We euphemistically call infanticide 'choice', when the 'choice' is, in fact, merely a matter of convenience for the murderous mother and profit for the hit man. My mother-in-law had a perfect solution to the source of the abortion problem, the best birth control device I've ever heard of. Take one Bayer aspirin, place it securely between the knees and keep it there until your wedding day. She also had a wonderful saying for the possibility of the loss of control on the aspirin; "If you burn your butt; you have to sit on the blister." Excellent advice.

We think we're 'enlightened' in our tolerance, when we are in fact compromising our principles and our covenant with YHWH. Our toleration of sin in high places is born of our toleration of sin in our own lives. Galatians 6:7, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." We may think we are getting away with our sin, but YHWH is still the creator and sustainer of this universe. He is intensely interested in everything we do and is watching all the time. He will allow us for a time to have what we want and will not force us to do what he wants us to do. However, he promises wonderful rewards for following his way, as well as terrible judgments if we go our own ways. The church in particular and society in general are going their own ways. The longsuffering of YHWH DOES have an end. I've heard it said, "I have one nerve left and you're standing on it." I fear that we are dancing on YHWH's 'last nerve.'

YHWH entered into a covenant with us, which he expects us to keep, at Sinai at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. Exodus 19:3-8, "And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; [4] Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. [5] Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: [6] And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. [7] And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. [8] And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD."

YHWH (the true covenant name, which is usually rendered 'LORD', a title not a name, in our English translations) is a very good writer. He uses sound rhetorical tools in all his Word. Vv.5, 6 are the 'thesis statement' of the covenant. The outline, the bones of the covenant, is in Ex.20.1-17, the passage we call the 10 Commandments. Then in Ex.20.18-23.33 YHWH put the meat on the bones, the paragraphs that explain and expand upon the outline. We agreed 4 times to this covenant. Here are the last 2 times (the 2nd time was in 20.19); Exodus 24:3-8, "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. [4] And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. [5] And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. [6] And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. [7] And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. [8] And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words."

You are probably saying, 'I didn't agree to it!' Well, if you are claiming to be either a Christian or a Jew you agreed to this covenant, whether you know it or not and whether you like it or not. Remember the Romans passage above? (cf.Rom.11.23-24) We 'christians' are graffed into the Jew's olive tree, not they into ours. We are partakers of the Jew's Commonwealth, not they ours. Ephesians 2:11-13, "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; [12] That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." If you do not agree to the covenant, you are NOT walking in the way of YHWH. If you DO agree to it, you need to keep it. Observing to do YHWH's covenant is the very definition of walking in the Spirit, and it is NOT an option for the child of YHWH. 'Observing to do' is from the Hebrew word shamar, which has to do with circumspection, guarding and protecting. We are to be circumspect in all we do and guard and protect the covenants in our own lives to the best of the ability that YHWH graces us with. Provision is made for our inadequacies and failures in this regard. Before Yeshua's fulfillment of them, there were the sacrifices of sheep, bulls and goats to atone for sin. (See our article on Gal.3.19).

YHWH never commands us to do something that either we can't do or that he won't give us the power to do by his Spirit. Only a fool would think he could possibly keep the covenant in his own human strength, but that is what YHWH expects of us, if we agree to it. Since we can't possibly keep it ourselves, YHWH has empowered us to observe to do it by his Spirit, his Ruach haKodesh.

The passage just before that last one is quoted very extensively, usually out of its context. It goes like this, Eph.2:8-10, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." While it is true that we are saved by grace through faith (which faith is not from us, but is itself a gift from God), and that our works did not justify us, nor can they keep us saved, we still need to walk in them, since that is what we are set apart to do. V. 11 begins with the word 'wherefore'. A rule of hermeneutics is, "If you see a wherefore or a therefore look to see what it's there for." The greek word translated wherefore in v.11 is dio, which is a compound of dia, which means through, and hos which is the definite article and usually refers to a common noun. The literal translation, as given by Strong's, is 'through which thing.' The thing through which we are to remember that we were outside the commonwealth of Israel and without God in the world but now are made nigh is our good works in which we walk. These good works are the covenant to which we agreed. Good works = works of Torah's covenant.

In one of the most vehement diatribes against the sinners of every age, Rav Sha'ul says this, Rom.1:28-32, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge (didn't consider his Word), God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; [29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." Do you suppose that he was speaking of the covenant to which we all agreed in Ex.19-23? Can you tell me where the 'church' does NOT fit into that passage? Does not the last verse imply, if not say outright, that those who KNOW the scripture are the objects of the passage? Remember that the statistics of sin in the church mirror those of sin in the world, including adultery, divorce and abortion. "These things ought not so to be." We ought to be "doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving (y)our own selves." (Jas.1.22)

So much for the bad news, we have been lied to. Well, not so much lied to as given faulty information from men who got the same faulty information and passed it on in the integrity of their hearts. I don't believe, and only YHWH knows for a surety, that they were intentionally or maliciously misleading us. I believe it was done in ignorance (though the truth COULD have been discovered), "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" Acts 17:30. What we believed in our ignorance to be the will of YHWH which we acted on in our integrity YHWH will 'wink at' or overlook. However, now that we know the truth, we must repent and begin to walk in HIS way, not our own or any other man's. To not repent, turn 180° and follow YHWH, is sin. 1John 1.9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The originators of the lies, however, have much to answer for, because there was no integrity involved. They created the lies knowing full well what they were doing. Jer.16:19-20, "O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. [20] Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?" If you have been told that you do not need to obey the Law of YHWH, you have been told a lie. You need to observe to do the Covenant, not for salvation or to maintain your salvation, but to keep in remembrance where you were (afar off) and where you now are (nigh). Walking after YHWH is the only chance we have to overcome the wiles of haSatan (the Adversary). In Gal.6 we are told to put on the armour of God. This is a conscious effort that is achieved through obedience to the Covenant.

This short treatise was intended for professing believers, and I pray it will wake many to the sin in their lives. If, however, you are not a child of YHWH (God), you need to trust him today because the vials of his wrath will be poured out soon. He is not willing that you perish, but that you come to repentance (2Pe.3.9). He came to earth as a man, born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, died the death that was reserved for you (and me) and rose from the dead to secure YOUR place in his Kingdom. YHWH our Salvation (the meaning of the name Yeshua [Jesus]), the Creator of all that exists, did it all for YOU in particular. You were on his mind while he suffered on that tree. To paraphrase a verse of scripture, 'YHWH so loved YOU that he gave his only begotten (genetic) son, that if you would believe on him you will not perish, but have his life and be adopted into his family forever and ever.' When you have trusted YHWH, you need to turn away from your sins and follow after his way, to be after his heart.

If there are any questions or comments, diatribes or hate mail, we welcome them at mark@fulfillingtorah.org. Don't hesitate to write.

YHWH bless you and keep you.

YHWH make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.

YHWH lift up his countenance upon you and grant you Shalom.

©2004 Mark Pitrone and Fulfilling Torah Ministries

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