In this article I claim that the only way to be set free - truly free - is through obeying Yahweh's Law or Torah empowered by Yah'shuah the Messiah (Jesus Christ). And this I would like to explain, but first I'll borrow Solomon's explanation:
"Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. (Prov.4:10-27, NIV)
Solomon knew that the Law of Elohim (God) was the only way to live and be free and wanted his son to realize this also. Now I would like to study this freedom in detail. Let's start with the 10 Commandments as they are what we first think of when we talk about Yahweh's Law. They are to be found in Exodus 20:3-17. The first and second commandments are:
"You shall have no other gods before Me" ... You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, Yahweh your Elohim (God), am a jealous Elohim (God), punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments".
At first these might seem restrictive but this actually sets those who obey free from the bondage of idolatry. I recently read about the American Indians and how their young men used to torture themselves for hours as they tore two sticks out of their breasts during their idolatrous sun dance around a high pole. Yet that is nothing compared to the cruelties Baal worshippers had to go through like frying their babies alive. And even if the idol is oneself or another human being, it is very time consuming, unstable and always fails to satisfy the worshipper. All idols are craving, only the true Elohim (God) returns the worship sevenfold and gives satisfaction to the worshipper. He has even promised to show love to a thousand generations of those who are faithful. That is truly liberating!
The third commandment is:
"You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your Elohim (God), for Yahweh will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His Name".
Now what does this set you free from? Well, Elohim's (God's) judgement. He will not hold those guiltless who misuse His Name because such stop others from knowing the true Elohim (God) and receiving His freedom. It also frees you from breaking the first commandment to not worship an idol - anyone who is using Elohim's (God's) Name for something it isn't, or calling upon a god who doesn't bear His true name (YHWH or Yahweh) is in fact not worshipping the true Elohim (God)!
The fourth commandment is:
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your Elohim (God). On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy".
It is not hard to see how this commandment is liberating. It saves you from burn-out, which is rampant in the world today. It gives you a day to relax and meditate on the Most High. It gives fuel for the coming week and since the Sabbath has been dedicated by Elohim (God), He blesses those who observe it. In our family we noticed how much more we enjoyed the day of rest when we changed it from Sunday to Saturday. (It was not until after Kasia left that we discovered the error of Talmudic Saturday worship and switched finally to the biblical seventh day of the week in Yahweh's Creation Calendar - SBSK).
The fifth commandment is:
"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land Yahweh your Elohim (God) is giving you".
A child who despises it's parents has great problems with knowing how to be with others. To be able to respect and honor one's parents gives a firm physical and emotional base to build on. Of course ungodly parents can't provide the same base as God-fearing ones, but it is still better to honor them for the child than to despise or hate them, because such emotions quench the Spirit of Elohim (God) which is love. Not just any love though, but one that patiently works in every human heart and persuades all to obey Elohim's (God's) liberating laws and witness of Yah'shua the Messiah's (Jesus Christ's) redemption for all who will receive it - even lousy parents.
It is also good to submit to our Heavenly Father's pattern of authority as this provides stability and a clear picture of where one belongs in the body of believers. Once one knows how to submit (be a child), it gives the foundation for righteously leading (parenting) others who are submitted (children).
The sixth commandment is:
This frees you from the spirit of murder which is a strong haunting dark force (demon(s) or the devil himself). It lets you enjoy safety in Yahweh and a clear conscience that a murderer no longer partakes of. It frees you from living and dying by the sword, which means always fearing for your life and having others fear you. Thus it frees you from loneliness.
The seventh commandment is:
This sets you free from being sexually and emotionally mixed up. There are also demons who delight in unlawful sex and the seventh commandment frees the obedient from being haunted by these. (All the commandments are in fact liberating the faithful from dark forces that get access whenever each of them are broken respectively.) Not committing adultery (woman breaking wedlock) also enables trust to be built between the spouses and allows you to be transparent with your spouse(s).
The eighth commandment:
This gives the obedient a chance to have a multitude of responsibilities. If you can trust someone to not take what is not theirs, you can give them stewardships of all your belongings. But no-one would want a thief for the same job. Amongst other things I'm sure this was why Pharaoh allowed Joseph to be the most important man in Egypt superceded only by himself.
The ninth commandment is:
If you only say the truth you never have to worry about being caught tripping on your own tongue. You are freed from having to speculate on how to make your story credible, and you never have to worry about meeting someone who knows the truth(s) you are trying to cover up. Not lying also liberates you from suspicion, and makes people respect you, in the same way as if you don't steal.
The tenth commandment is:
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor".
Not coveting releases you from wanting to break any of the other commandments. It allows you to rejoice in what you have and takes away the gnawing urge to get what others have, which is very painful and unfulfilling. It allows you to live the life Elohim (God) has given you to the full whether you are rich or poor, and be satisfied!
What I have mentioned above barely touches on the true liberation Elohim (God) gives through His Commandments. I'm sure you who read this know of plenty more that only these 10 Commandments liberate us all from if we are only willing to and dare obey them in the strength of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) who is the only One who never sinned and now empowers us to do the same day by day if we let Him.
So my prayer today is that we allow Yahweh's Law or Torah to saturate our lives so that we have it written on our hearts and constantly on our minds so that we become perfect as Yah'shua (Jesus) commanded:
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt.5:48, KJV).
I am aware that in my own strength I am nothing and a sinner, but He said:
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).
But we must also remember that He continued to say:
"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins]" (Mark 11:25-16)
So it all boils down to the two great and liberating commandments:
"Love Yahweh your Elohim (God) with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).
Author: KMK
