16 Beshalach 2025

it has been speculated that to rightly divide the word of God is to understand the scriptures properly. That is probably the intention of Shaul.

That fits with what Yeshua taught about the Torah, the Old Testament law.

Matthew 5:17-20 NKJV says, 

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Yeshua says that the law will not be done away with until earth passes away. The earth still exists. And that those who do not teach people to keep God's Old Testament commandments will be worthless compared to those who teach the law. Some of the leadership in Israel was making up man-made commandments (most notably, the Sanhedrin which is the governing body in Israel). They were making exceptions to God's commandments at that time and Matthew 15 is a record of that. At the conclusion of his argument in Matthew 15:9 NKJV Yeshua said, "And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." 

Yeshua could even be cryptically saying in Matthew 5 that The Hebrew decorations (the jot or tittle He refers to) on the letters are therefore worth more than those who do not teach people to keep the law. Also, therefore, those who do not teach the law will not exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees and will not enter the kingdom of heaven. The Sanhedrin was responsible to hear cases at both the local levels and at Jerusalem so they formed man-made laws to define things such as what could be done on the Sabbath and other issues. They made God's commandments difficult to follow and overreached their responsibility in doing do. Deuteronomy 4:2 NKJV says, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." In Matthew 23:1, the Hebrew Matthew says to follow Moshe (namely, God's laws) and not all the extra religious laws of those that impose them.         

We are not to contrive what we think is right but keep God's good commandments. Proverbs 12:15 NKJV says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise." The Bible tells us what is wise. This is a foundational scripture. Deuteronomy 4:6 NKJV says, "Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' So, Proverbs is not talking about the wisdom of those seemingly worldly wise, but the wisdom of God's commandments. It is not talking about following your own wise thoughts or your heart. Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Sometimes our heart is right, but at other times it can be desperately wicked. We are to follow God's commandments and not what someone thinks is right unless it is what God says we are to do. 

People can have all kinds of ideas on life. They may think they are above accepting God and God's good commandments. They may think they cannot change or simply refuse to change. Some people just do whatever they want to do as long as they do not get thrown in jail. Some think there are no truths for life. People can come up with all kinds of excuses to not accept truth or change their life for the better.