Firstfruits, the beginning harvest is always written about as either an agricultural offering or an offering of our firstborn children to be dedicated to the service of our Creator. Even in the New Testament Firstfruits refers to the beginning harvest of mankind. This may seem to be problem for people not involved in agriculture or who are childless, but the way the first fruits are used gives us the information needed to see how everyone is able to offer their choicest first products. The beginning harvest is set aside for the Levitical priesthood who had no property. The early priest relied only on the offerings of the people. Their food, clothing and homes were supplied by the community. This allowed for the weavers, tailors and even the metalsmith to contribute their skills as first fruit offerings. The corruption of the Levitical priesthood after the exile renders the first fruit offering currently impossible except for the symbolic rehearsal necessary to maintain the knowledge and understanding of the feast.
OBEDIENCE -- CONTINUE
The Benefits of Obedience: What Can We Expect From YHVH When We Obey Him?
Obedience to YHVH is Pleasing to Him:
[Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.] -- Joshua 1:8. Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy for gaining prosperity that YHVH taught Joshua goes against such criteria. He said that to succeed Joshua must: 1 -- be strong and courageous, because the task ahead would not be easy: 2 -- obey YHVH’s Law and: 3 -- constantly read and study the Book of the Law; YHVH’s Word. To be successful, follow YHVH’s Words to Joshua. You may not succeed by the world’s standards, but you will be a success in YHVH’s Eyes and His opinion lasts forever.
Obedience to YHVH Often Leads to Peace:
[When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years, for Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of ADONAI his YHVH.] -- 2 Chronicles 14:1-2. Asa’s reign was marked by peace because he [did what was pleasing and good in the sight of ADONAI his YHVH.] This refrain is often repeated in Chronicles; obedience to YHVH leads to peace with YHVH and others. In the case of Judah’s kings, obedience to YHVH led to national peace, just as YHVH had promised centuries earlier. In our case, obedience may not always bring peace with our enemies, but it will bring peace with YHVH and complete peace in His Kingdom. Obeying YHVH is the first step on the path to peace.
The Challenge of Obedience: How is Obedience Challenged?
Obedience is Often Challenged by Difficulties:
[Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to these liars!] -- Exodus 5:9. Moses and Aaron took their message to Pharaoh just as YHVH directed. The unhappy result was harder work and more oppression for the Hebrews. Sometimes hardship comes as a result of obeying YHVH. Are you following YHVH, but still suffering or suffering even worse than before? If your life is miserable, do not assume you have fallen out of YHVH’s favour. You may be suffering for doing good in an evil world.
Obedience is Often Challenged by Deception:
[When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us.’] -- Joshua 9:6. As the news about their victory became widespread, the Israelites experienced opposition in two forms: 1 – directly: kings in the area began to unite against them and 2 – indirect: the Gibeonites resorted to deception. We can expect similar opposition as we obey YHVH’s Commands. To guard against these pressures, we must rely on YHVH and communicate daily with Him. He will give us strength to endure the direct pressures and wisdom to see through the trickery.
How Does Obedience Challenge Us?
Obedience Challenges Us To GO Beyond Mere Understanding:
[If you break the smallest Commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys YHVH’s Laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.] -- Matthew 5:19. Some of those in the crowd were experts at telling others what to do, but they missed the central point of YHVH’s Laws themselves. Yeshua made it clear however, that obeying YHVH’s Law is more important than explaining it. It is much easier to study YHVH’s Laws and tell others to obey them than to put them into practice. How are you doing at obeying YHVH yourself?
Obedience Challenges Us To Go Beyond Mere Outward Conformity:
The Pharisees were exacting and scrupulous in their attempts to follow their Laws. So how could Yeshua reasonably call us to a greater righteousness than theirs? The Pharisees’ weakness was that they were content to obey the Laws outwardly without allowing YHVH to change their hearts or attitudes. Yeshua was saying therefore, that the quality of our goodness should be greater than that of the Pharisees. They looked pious, but they were far from the Kingdom of YHVH. YHVH judges our hearts as well as our deeds, for it is in the heart that our real allegiance lies. Be just as concerned about your attitudes that people do not see as about your actions that are seen by all.
Obedience Challenges Us To Act Out Of Love For YHVH:
Yeshua was saying that His listeners needed a different kind of righteousness altogether -- love and obedience --, not just a more intense version of the Pharisees’ righteousness -- legal compliance. Our righteousness must: 1 -- come from what YHVH does in us, not what we can do by ourselves: 2 -- be YHVH-centred, not self-centred: 3 -- be based on reverence for YHVH, not approval from people and: 4 -- go beyond keeping the Law to living by the principles behind the Law.
OBEDIENCE
From the six-year-old who leaves her games because her mother has called her in for supper to the business executive who pays his taxes on time, we all live in a web of relationships dependent upon obedience to authority. Like a loving parent, YHVH sets standards for our good and to protect us from evil and harm. YHVH desires obedience motivated not by fear but by love and trust. Ironically, obedience actually frees us up to enjoy life as YHVH intended, because it keeps us from becoming entangled or enslaved to those things that distract us and cause us heartache. Even though YHVH’s Commands is sometimes difficult or does not make sense from our human perspective, obedience will always bring blessing, joy and peace. Obedience is an act or instance of submitting to an authority. It is compliance with the demands or requests of someone over us. The general words for obedience in both Hebrew and Greek refer to hearing a superior authority. One Greek word that is translated obedience, includes the idea of submission to authority in the sense of arranging or ordering oneself under someone in a place of command. Another Greek word suggests obedience that is a result more of persuasion than of submission. Obedience to YHVH and human authorities is an obligation stressed in both the Old Testament and New Testament. Abraham was additionally blessed on one occasion because he obeyed YHVH in offering Isaac on the altar -- Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:5. YHVH’s continued blessing upon Israel by virtue of the Sinai Covenant was contingent upon their obeying His Voice and keeping His Covenant -- Exodus 19:5. On the verge of entering Canaan, Moses placed before Israel a blessing and a curse; the former if they listened to and obeyed the Commandments of Adonai and the latter if they did not -- Deuteronomy 11:22-28.
Deuteronomy warns that the penalty for stubborn and rebellious children is, first of all, chastisement and then death by stoning if they persistently refuse to listen -- Deuteronomy 21:18-21. One evidence that a person is a child of YHVH is continued obedience to the Commandments of YHVH -- 1 John 2:3-5. Yeshua said that those who love Him would keep His Commandments -- John 14:15. And Peter, speaking of believers, calls them obedient children -- 1 Peter 1:14. Believers are to render obedience to a variety of people: believers to Adonai -- John 14:21-24, wives to their husbands -- Ephesians 5:22-24, children to their parents -- Ephesians 6:1, citizens to their governmental officials -- Romans 13:1-7 and servants to their masters -- Ephesians 6:5. However, in spite of the strong stress on obedience in the Bible, such obedience is never made the grounds for justification before YHVH. Paul declares that salvation is a gift of YHVH that will produce good works -- Ephesians 2:8-10. So too, James speaks of works of obedience as flowing from faith -- James 2:14-26. Yeshua Himself, on the night of His betrayal, emphasized by repetition that love for Him is measured by obedience to His Commandments -- John 14:15. He underscored this by asserting that His own love for the Father was evidenced by His obeying the Father’s Commands -- John 14:31. The Bible mentions many people whose obedience to YHVH comes from their faith and love for Him -- Hebrews 11. For example, Abel believed YHVH and offered a more excellent sacrifice -- Hebrews 11:4); Noah put his faith in YHVH’s Word and prepared an ark -- Hebrews 11:7; by faith Abraham left Ur at YHVH’s direction, not knowing his destination -- Hebrews 11:8; Moses put his faith in YHVH and refused the privileges of being called Pharaoh’s son, choosing rather to identify with Israel, YHVH’s people -- Hebrews 11:24-25. The greatest example of obedience based on trust in YHVH is Yeshua Moshiach Himself. He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant; He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross -- Philippians 2:7-8.
The Freedom of Obedience: In What Ways is Obedience to YHVH True Freedom?
Obedience Keeps Our Relationship With YHVH Open and Free:
[He replied, ‘I heard you, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ ADONAI Elohim asked. ‘Have you eaten the fruit I Commanded you not to eat?’] -- Genesis 3:10-11. Adam and Eve got what they wanted: an intimate knowledge of both good and evil. But they got it by doing evil and the results were disastrous. Sometimes we have the illusion that freedom is doing anything we want. But YHVH says that true freedom comes from obedience and knowing what not to do. The restrictions He gives us are for our good, helping us avoid evil. We have the freedom to walk in front of a speeding car, but we don’t need to be hit to realize it would be foolish to do so. Do not listen to satan’s temptations. You do not have to do evil to gain more experience and learn more about life.
Obeying YHVH is in Our Best Interest:
[Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between prosperity and disaster, between life and death. I have commanded you today to love ADONAI your YHVH and to keep His Commands, Laws and regulations by walking in His Ways. If you do this, you will live and become a great nation and ADONAI your YHVH will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.] -- Deuteronomy 30:15-16. YHVH has called us to keep His Commands, while reminding us that His Laws are not hidden from us or beyond our reach. Have you ever said you would obey YHVH if you knew what He wanted? Have you ever complained that obedience is too difficult for a mere human? These are unacceptable excuses. YHVH’s Laws are written in the Bible and are clearly evident in the world around us. Obeying them is reasonable, sensible and beneficial. The most difficult part of obeying YHVH’s Laws is simply deciding to start now.
Obeying YHVH, Even When We Don’t Understand, is True Freedom:
[Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of ADONAI our YHVH burst out against us. We failed to ask YHVH how to move it in the proper way.] -- 1 Chronicles 15:13. When David’s first attempt to move the Ark failed -- 13:8-14, he learned an important lesson: when YHVH gives specific instructions, it is wise to follow them precisely. This time David saw to it that the Levites carried the Ark -- Numbers 4:5-15. We may not fully understand the reasons behind YHVH’s instructions, but we do know that His wisdom is complete and His judgment infallible. The way to know YHVH’s instructions is to know His Word. But just as children do not understand the reasons for all their parents’ instructions until they are older, we may not understand all of YHVH’s reasons in this life. It is far better to obey YHVH first and then discover the reasons. We are never free to disobey YHVH just because we don’t understand.
Freedom To Obey Comes Through YHVH’s Grace:
[YHVH’s Law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, YHVH’s wonderful kindness became more abundant.] -- Romans 5:20. As a sinner, separated from YHVH, you see His Law from below, as a ladder to be climbed to get to YHVH. Perhaps you have repeatedly tried to climb it, only to fall to the ground every time you have advanced one or two rungs. Or perhaps the sheer height of the ladder seems so overwhelming that you have never even started up. In either case, what relief you should feel to see Yeshua offering with open arms to lift you above the ladder of the Law, to take you directly to YHVH! Once Yeshua lifts you into YHVH’s Presence, you are free to obey; out of love, not necessity and through YHVH’s Power, not your own. You know that if you stumble, you will not fall back to the ground. Instead, you will be caught and held in Moshiach’s loving arms.
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Chag Sameach! Welcome to our special Shabbat/Holy Day Service. SHABBAT SHALOM!
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Link to service -
Chag Sameach! Welcome to our special Shabbat/Holy Day Service. SHABBAT SHALOM!
Join us live for music, dancing, testimonies, teaching and a Q&A session.
Don't miss out on new teachings every week. Please click on the "LIKE" button if this video has been a blessing to you.
For more information about MTOI (Messianic Torah Observant Israel), visit our website at
Join us on Social media!
Like us on Facebook:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Twitter:
Join us on The Torah Network:
Join us on Telegram: and
We are located in Cleveland TN, and have extension fellowships across South Africa. If you would like to know more about us, we would love to hear from you! Feel free to visit us on our website to see where they are located, email us at contact.sa@mtoi.org or call us at 081 471 8940.
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#chagsameach #pesach #unleavenedbread #shabbat #shabbatshalom #torah #yahweh #yeshua #elohim #messiah #messianic #torahobservant #mtoiworldwide #clevelandtn #mishpocha
So thankful to to have been able to celebrate Passover for the first time. Yah really worked it all out for us to be obedient even though the devil tried to get in our way, from flat tires to running out of propane for our grill! He worked it all out! So thankful for the blood of our perfect lamb.❤️
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