My dearly-departed husband, Bill, and I used to have a sweet little Miniature Schnauzer named Dallas, that left this world a few years ago at the ripe ol’ age of 14.
Dallas was afraid of many things, and so, it wasn’t hard to contain him in his little postage stamp, fenced-in back yard consisting of just a few wires Bill had fastened to some rebar posts.
He could have easily jumped over the short fence, but luckily for us, he was somewhat of a coward. (He also wouldn’t go near the heat vents in the house, because they were apparently too scary and weird…)
We've moved since then, but what I’m getting at is that the little fence served as a kind “Torah” for our little fur person. As long as he stayed within its boundaries, he was safe. In that yard, he was forced to remain close to the house where we could keep an eye on him through the French door.
But - had he ever escaped and run up the hill into the woods, he would have run the risk of becoming a meal for any number of predators, including a bear, lynx, or coyote.
If he had decided to run down the hill and across the properties of two of our neighbors, he would have ended up on a fairly busy highway. He would have faced possible danger even if he had simply trotted down our driveway toward road, because many in that particular neighborhood never bothered to follow the 25 mph speed limit....
And I shudder to think what would have happened if Dallas had tried to make it all the way to the freeway which was only a half mile away!
What I’m trying to illustrate is that YHWH gave us HIS Torah (Divine Instructions in Righteousness) to keep US safe in a fallen world. Unfortunately, in a world where most don't want ANY rules, MOST "believers" don't bother to follow those Instructions - because they mistakenly believe that "those Old Testament rules applied only to the Jews. (So, God expects only "the Jews" to be holy?)
Think about it: Adam and Eve were safe in the Garden until they decided to break just one little rule ... and suddenly, they found themselves outside of their safe haven, in a “fallen world” where hard work, pain, sorrow, sickness and death ruled … where jealousy, greed, drunkenness, lewdness, arrogance, fornication and adultery and all manner of vileness lay in wait as the world’s population began to grow ... where most (even many believers) don't seem to know "right from wrong; nor do they care to learn...
In our “fallen world,” we aren’t guaranteed health, wealth, riches or anything else our carnal selves desire. But when we belong to YHWH/Yeshua, we have the guarantee of eternal life, along with true shalom (peace) in knowing that, no matter what else happens, HE is with us, guiding and teaching and allowing us to grow in knowledge of Him so that we CAN PREPARE for that eternal life!
The Divine Instructions serve to not only please ADONAI and place us in a closer relationship with Him; but they also make our entire earthbound existence run more smoothly, because HIS Ways are perfect! The bottom line is, if we choose to IGNORE those rules, we will be considered "lukewarm" - and you know what THAT means! Revelation 3: 16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
1 John 2: 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. 6 He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked.
How did Yeshua walk? By Torah! He didn't make up new rules. He kept Torah and expected US to do the same. It's what sets us APART from the rest of the world! Revelation reveals this:
Revelation 12: 17 "The dragon was infuriated over the woman and went off to fight the rest of her children, those who obey God's commands AND bear witness to Yeshua."
Revelation 14: 12 "This is when perseverance is needed on the part of God's people, those who observe his commands AND exercise Yeshua's faithfulness."
The moral of the story?
If our little Dallas doggie had dared to jump over his “Torah” fence that kept him safe, he most likely would have ended up dead - or at least, seriously hurt.
Same thing applies to YHWH’s people: If they jump their Torah “fence” the world will close in and cause them to lose not only their “way” but very possibly, their eternal life. There will be NO "lukewarm" in Heaven!
(See Romans 1:18-32; Numbers 15: 30; Hebrews 6:4-8 and 10:26-27; 2 Peter 2: 19-21; 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10; Deuteronomy 7: 9-10, Revelation 3:16, etc.)
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