In Order to Learn Torah - One Must Have Peace

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by Karl D. Coke, PH.D.

There is a phobia in the Christian community over observing Torah. The mere mention that one feels led to obey any one of the Lords commands recorded in the Torah has caused Christians to say, "Be careful, you are placing yourself under Law!" They are quick to speak the classic untrue Christian cliche "We are saved by grace; they (Jews) are saved by obeying the Law."

This phobia over living a Torah-observant life style must come to an end. It has divided believers long enough. The freedom to follow all that the Lord requires without fear of being rejected or labeled is over due. Only that which the Lord writes on the tablet of each heart should be what that man is free to obey. Jesus said in John 8:41, "I do not accept praise from men." Further, He said in John 8:29, "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." Jesus, the Lion of Judah, never pleased man. He only and always pleased His Heavenly Father.

The Apostle Paul captured our Lords desire to please God and not man. He says in II Corinthians 5:9, "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are home in the body or away from it." Jesus, the sinless Messiah, pleased only His Heavenly Father. We, like Paul, must make that our goal. All believers must be liberated into pleasing only their Heavenly Father. Those to whom the Lord is speaking about being "observant" should no longer feel they must do so secretly. God is speaking to Believers throughout the earth today about becoming observant. What He requires should be what they desire.

To deal more honestly with what God requires, I now ask both Jews and Christians two questions. Firstly, to a Jew I ask, "Are you Jewish?" Then secondly I ask, "Are you observant?" I now ask Christians, "Are you a Christian?" and "Are you observant?" Asking only the first question of both allows them to hide a non-observant life-style. The second penetrates to the heart of their faith and love of God.

Pleasing God
To become observant, one must throw off the shackles of "men-pleasing" and worrying about being "put under the Law." Rabbi Yaakov Culi 1689-1732) wrote in The Torah Anthology, Book Seven, "In order to learn the Torah, one must have peace. If people discuss the Torah, it must be to attain truth, not win arguments or display ones knowledge." God is speaking to Christians worldwide about observing Torah. They confess they put off becoming observant because they would be labeled and cast away by fellow believers. Yet, their hearts long after pleasing the Lord. It is time for the releasing of men to simply please the King of kings.

To please God without becoming a legalist or a crusader to impose the "Law" upon others is a matter requiring great understanding. God was in Christ reconciling Jew and Christian (Gentile believer) into one new man. Man should not alter Gods plan. Care must be given to becoming a "Believer" in Gods Messiah. Without this faith one cannot be saved. However, after salvation, becoming observant to what He places on the heart should not require a change from being a Christian to becoming a Jew. Observing what the Lord places upon the heart should only change ones life-style from pleasing man to pleasing God. The measure of whether or not one is acceptable to God has nothing to do with being Christian or Jewish. It only has to do with being a believer in Gods written and incarnate Word.

Doing Gods Word Gods Way
It is not enough to do Gods Word. Gods Word must be done Gods way. Great care must be given to obeying Gods commands by also walking in His ways. There is a Word of God to obey, and, a way of God in which to walk. The prerequisite to both is love. Love for God produces a willingness in man to obey His Word. Love of God produces a willingness in man to walk in His ways.
Men build churches, but are they building them Gods way? The Church has taught Gods commands but relieves men from obeying them. The reason appears to be that the Church doesnt know how to obey Gods commands. Therefore, the Church has settled on making converts, not disciples. It never wants to be accused of being "Judaized." It is content to specialize in splitting hairs over the meaning of Gods laws. It rarely rises to the occasion of requiring obedience to Gods Word. "Grace" is given as the excuse, but fear of being labeled "Jewish" is the reason behind nonobservance.

Becoming a Haredi
What is a haredi (ydir,h; )? A Haredi is a person who trembles at the Word of God. As one rabbi, head of a small yeshiva in Jerusalem, put it, "A haredi doesnt originate anything." A haredi is simply a God-fearer whose single desire is to please the Lord. Haredim (plural) are those mentioned in Leviticus 20:26 by God when He said, "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." Peter had this verse in mind when he wrote, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. " (I Peter 1:13-16).

Moses said, "The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways" (Deuteronomy 28:9). God wants both: keep His commandments and walk in His ways. According to Hosea 6:6, God desires "mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

Ezekiel speaks of the current condition in the church in chapter 33:30-32. God said to him, "As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord. My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."

God also reveals this lack of being observant to His ways in Isaiah 30:9-11. He said, "These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lords instruction. They say to the seers, See no more visions! and to the prophets, Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel! "

I had an elder of a church I pastored stop a woman from dancing during our praise and worship. I spoke with him and asked why he objected. He "didnt want any of that stuff in his church" was his reply. I responded with, "The Bible not only allows dancing unto the Lord, it actually commands it!" His response to me was, "I dont care what the Bible says!" Such is the common plight of Gods Word within todays Church. People simply do not care what it says.

Well, I care what the Word of God says! Further, I care how God wants me to walk in His ways. I am haredi! I tremble at Gods Word. I believe if obeyed, Gods Word guarantees blessings, and, if disobeyed has consequences.
If God is speaking to you about being observant to Torah, do so within the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. It is kind of nice knowing you get to observe a Shabbat! Do not worry about being labeled "Jewish." You became Jewish the day Jesus moved into your heart.