If you haven’t already had the opportunity to read through the previous parts of this “Food For Thought” series. I highly recommend that you do so before proceeding with this portion. This will help you better understand the context and progression of the topics discussed. Below are the links to parts 1-4 and another link to other significant “Food For Thoughts” related to names and changes done to the faith. Let’s continue the Changing Dietary Instructions portion.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Name Food for Thoughts

Conflict Over Unwashed Hands

1. And the Pharisees and scribes who came from Jerusalem gathered around Him.
2. And seeing some of His disciples eating bread with unclean, that is unwashed hands, they complained.
5. Then the Pharisees and scribes questioned Him, Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?
6. And answering, He said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites; as it has been written: “This people honors Me with the lips, but their heart is far away from Me;
7. and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Isaiah 29:13)
8. For forsaking the commandment of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, you hold the tradition of men: washing of utensils and cups, and many other such like things you do.
9. And He said to them, Well do you to set aside the commandment of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 so that you may establish your own tradition?
14. And calling all the crowd near, He said to them, All hear Me and understand.
15. There is nothing from outside the man, having entered into him, which is able to defile him. But the things going out from him, those are the things defiling the man.
17. And when He entered into a house from the crowd, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.
18. And He said to them, Are you also so undiscerning? Do you not perceive that all that enters from the outside into the man is not able to defile him?
19. This is because it does not enter into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the waste-bowl, PURGING THE FOOD.
20. And He said, That passing out of the man, it is the thing that defiles the man.
21. For from within, out of the heart of men, pass out the evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22. thefts, greedy desires, iniquities, deceit, lustful desires, a wicked eye, blasphemy, pride, recklessness.
23. All these evil things pass out from within and defile the man.

Mark 7:1-2, 5-9, 14-15, 17-23 (HRB)

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In this and all Food for Thoughts I recommend you read the Scripture(s) provided and the entire chapter they are from to obtain more insight.

In both Mark 7:1-23 and Matthew 15:1-20, we learn of the same events told by two different authors. In these accounts, we see the Pharisees complaining about and criticizing Yahshua and His disciples for eating BREAD (not meat) with unwashed or unclean hands. As you read the text and study it closely, you will begin to understand that the Pharisees were never genuinely concerned about the health of Yahshua or His disciples in regaurds to dirty hands. Their main focus was on maintaining their man-made religious and ceremonial ritual of handwashing. This man-made practice was not only created as a hedge or safeguard to avoid sin, but they also believed it was a way to wash their sins away. Furthermore, maintaining strict adherence to these and other traditions also allowed them to maintain their desired perceived superiority over others.

Lost Food in Translation

The King James Version (KJV) and many other modern-day Bible translations have added, changed, mistranslated, or misinterpreted the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, as in Mark 7:19. These tiny deceitful changes to the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 which seem harmless or inconsequential, are truthfully insidious. They have led many people astray with the false doctrines produced by them. Mark 7:19 is the Scripture we will study today to unravel the truth.

The translators suggest that Yahshua went against His own words of NOT annulling the Torah and Prophets (Matthew 5:17) and said, “making all foods clean,” “purging all meats,” or “purifying all the meats.” However, these phrases do not appear in any original manuscript, whether in Aramaic or Greek. The original manuscript reads “purging the food or purging all the food.” If you follow this contextually and go back to Mark 7:2-3, 5, you will see that the dispute was not even about food, but about Yahshua’s disciples eating food (Bread) without washing their hands in the traditional way of the Pharisees.

If you follow the original manuscript and stay in context you will see that Yahshua points out that the digestive system can easily eliminate a speck(s) of dirt from unwashed hands, unlike a heart or mind filled with wickedness. Simply put, why are you (Pharisees) worrying about the dirt on their hands that the body removes through the digestive tract, but not the dirt or wickedness on your heart that allows all the things of Mark 7:20-23 to come out and defile? These words probably left the Pharisees angrier, as we know they were only concerned abo

Mistake or Deliberate

It seems the translators misunderstood the grammatical gender difference between the neuter and masculine form of the Greek words katharismos(2512), which refers to the action of the stomach purifying (cleaning) foods ingested, and katharizó(2511), which would imply that Yahshua purified (cleansed) the food. It is possible, at best, that the translators made a genuine mistake in their interpretation, or worse yet, and more probable, they aimed to mislead deliberately and still do today.

I do not say deliberately lightly, but it’s hard to avoid saying as the translators have added their own interpretations as evidence. While some modern translations are faithful to the original text, others have included brainwashing false doctrines by adding their own interpretations in parentheses (). I have listed a few that have included commentary that misleads readers to inaccurate understandings of the text, which significantly impacted their understanding of what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 wants:

• Amplified (AMP) – (By this, He declared all foods ceremonially clean.)
• New International Version (NIV) – “(In saying this, J e s u s declared all foods clean.)”
• English Standard Version (ESV) – “(Thus he declared all foods clean.)”
• New Living Translation (NLT) – “(By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)”
• Message (MSG) – “(That took care of dietary quibbling; J e s u s was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)”
• Christian Standard Bible (CSB) – “(As a result, He made all foods clean.)”
• Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) – “(Thus he declared all foods ritually clean.)”

Another Witness With the Same Food Story

Further evidence of the context of these Scriputse is found in the parallel passage in Matthew 15:1-2, 3, 8-11, 15-20 (HRB) shown below.

1. Then the scribes and Pharisees came to Yahshua from Jerusalem, saying, 
2. Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat BREAD. 
3. But answering He said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 on account of your tradition?
8. “This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me; but their heart holds far off from Me. 
9. But in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the command-ments of men.” (Isaiah_29:13)
10. And calling the crowd near, He said to them, Hear and understand 
11. It is not the thing entering into the mouth that defiles the man, but the thing coming forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man. 
15. And answering, Kefa (Simon Peter) said to Him, Explain this parable to us. 
16. But Yahshua said, until now, even you do not understand? 
17. Do you not yet perceive that everything entering into the mouth goes into the belly, and is thrown out into the waste bowl? 
18. But whatever that proceeds from the mouth proceeds from the heart and becomes a defilement to a man. 
19. For from the heart go out evil thoughts Murder, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy. 
20. These things are the things defiling the man. BUT EATING WITH UNWASHED HANDS DOES NOT DEFILE THE MAN.

Matthew 15:1-2, 3, 8-11, 15-20 (HRB)

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In this and all Food for Thoughts I recommend you read the Scripture(s) provided and the entire chapter they are from to obtain more insight.

This passage makes it extremely clear that Mark 7:1-23 is not about Yahshua cleansing all foods or meats. Again, it has absolutely nothing to do with clean or unclean food. This ordeal is about the Pharisees complaining to Yahshua that His disciples were not following their man-made traditions of pouring the water in a particular fashion up to the elbow to display washing of the hands. Yahshua, as always, turns this into a teaching moment for all to hear. He contrasts digestive impurity with mental impurity, illustrating how easily the digestive system cleans physical or digestive impurities, unlike what comes out of a person through their heart. Yahshua also illustrates that humanity continually makes their made-up traditions more significant, or dare I say superior to the commandments, precepts, and words of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

Food in the Sheets

While the “Conflict Over Unwashed Hands” is still fresh on your mind, notice in Mark 7:17 and Matthew 15:15 how the Scriptures recorded how Yahshua’s disciples did not understand and needed further explanation. Matthew explicitly points out that Kefa (Peter) needs further explanation. Now look at Acts 10:11-14.

11. And he saw the heaven being opened and a certain vessel like a great sheet coming down on him, being bound by four corners, and let down onto the earth; 
12. in which were all the four-footed animals of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the birds of the heaven. 
13. And a voice came to him, Rise up, Kefa (Peter), slay and eat.
14. But (Kefa) Peter said, Elohim forbid my Master, because I NEVER DID EAT ANYTHING COMMON OR UNCLEAN.

 Acts 10:11-14 (HRB)

In this and all Food for Thoughts I recommend you read the Scripture(s) provided and the entire chapter they are from to obtain more insight.

Acts 10:13-14 provides even more compelling evidence that Yahshua did not abolish or annul the dietary law. Chapter 10 of Acts was written 10 to 12 years after Yahshua’s resurrection and about 13 to 15 years after the “Conflict Over Unwashed Hands”. Yet we have Kefa (Peter), one of Yahshua’s closest disciples, the one who asked for clarification and understanding in the earlier Scriptures (Matthew 15:15), who, all these years later, is still observing the dietary law. 

In Acts 10:11-14, Kefa saw a sheet full of both clean and unclean animals. And a voice from Heaven said to slay and eat, to which “Kefa (Peter) said, Elohim forbid my Master, because I NEVER DID EAT ANYTHING COMMON OR UNCLEAN.” This statement clearly indicates that the dietary law was still in effect as Kefa was still calling foods clean and unclean. This also indicates that Yahshua did not abolish the Torah, which includes the dietary law. Therefore, we can conclude that the dietary law remains relevant and valid today.

Questions?

• Would Yahshua (Jesus) go against His own words and Annul the Torah? (Matthew 5:17)
• Would Yahshua loosen the commands of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and teach men things contrary to His Father’s Commands? (Matthew 5:19)
• Would Yahshua rebuke the Pharisees for creating and following their own laws but not the laws of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, only to turn around and do the same thing? (Mark 7:6-9)
• Would Kefa (Peter), who walked with Yahshua and got specific instructions from Yahshua about what he meant still call some foods unclean if Yahshua cleansed them? (Acts 10:14)

Conclusion

We will cover “Food in the Sheets” and more in next week’s Food For Thought.

By: David Edwards – HalleluYAH – Praise YAH – Praise 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄

The post Dietary Food Instructions appeared first on Journal Thy Journey.

2. For I testify to them that they have zeal to Elohim, but not according to knowledge. 

3. For being ignorant of the righteousness of Elohim, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of Elohim.

Romans 10:2-3 (HRB)

A few months ago, a friend shared a head-scratching video with me asking for my thoughts on the topic. The video featured a charismatic preacher/pastor who irrationally claimed that men with facial hair or beards were prideful, not anointed, and not true believers. I found his statements and rant absurd, and honestly, it left me feeling quite puzzled and taken aback. It begs the question, if YAHWEH created us with facial hair, why would he condemn us to the Lake of Fire for having it? Nonetheless, what shocked me even more was the congregation’s cheering and enthusiastic support of the pastor’s interpretation of biblical Scripture, which he ironically didn’t even provide in the clip I saw.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of this preacher is limited; therefore, I cannot determine his true intentions from this one message. Consequently, that leaves a few options to categorize this preacher’s message. At best, he misunderstood and misinterpreted some Scriptures and would benefit from prayer and guidance from YAHWEH. YAHWEH can open our minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). Alternatively, he may have genuine zeal to follow YAHWEH but have been misguided by the false doctrine he was taught, resulting in the prioritization of flawed false teachings over the word of YAHWEH. At worst, he is a false teacher working for the father of lies and needs stern rebuking. Since he is this passionate and wrong about beards, I am concerned about what else he is teaching and its accuracy. 

Here Are the Biblical Facts Related to This Topic:

• Beards were common, well-maintained, and not to be worn like the pagans.
  • Leviticus 19:27 and Leviticus 21:5

• Not having a beard was shameful for some.
  • 2 Samuel 10:3-5 —  Remain in Jericho until your beard grows

• Instances of Beards
  • David (1 Samuel 21:13)
  • Aaron (Psalm 133:2)
  • Ezekiel (Ezekiel 5:1)
    • Ezekiel finished this final act of defilement by shaving his head and beard, which was a pagan ritual for the dead (Ezekiel 27:31, Isaiah 22:12) which the Torah forbade (Deuteronomy 14:1). This whole process was extremely humiliating and disqualifying from serving Elohim Leviticus 21:5 Isaiah 7:20 (Study note from HRB)
  • Ezra (Ezra 9:3)
• The Bible does not say that Beards will keep you from eternal life with YAHWEH.

Caught Up By Their Words

In today’s world, there is a growing fascination with charismatic speakers, including biblical teachers, preachers, and pastors. Christians have become unable and unwilling to accept the true meaning of Biblical Scripture because the personality of Mr. or Mrs. Charismatic mesmerizes them with falsehoods. So much so that if their pastor teaches falsehoods and you show them the truth in the Scripture, they would rather their pastor’s version over the word of YAHWEH.

This fascination is not limited to faith speakers, as the charisma of business tycoons, social media influencers, motivational speakers, and politicians also mesmerized people. Many of us have witnessed this phenomenon of people mindlessly following what politicians say, accepting their every word without question or investigation. Even when someone presents evidence that the politician is lying, they still exhibit blind loyalty. We’ve also witnessed similar responses from individuals when social media influencers or business tycoons like Elon Musk make unfounded claims without supporting evidence. People alter their lives as a result, and sometimes, even the stock market fluctuates due to these claims.

Listening to the Voice of Yahshua Instead of Man

Scriptures of Yahshua talking to the people.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

John 10:27 (HRB)

43 Why do you not know My speech? It is because you are not able to hear My Word. 

44 You are of the Devil as father, and the lusts of your father you desire to do. That one was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own, because he is a liar, and the father of it. 

45 And because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 

46 Who of you rebukes Me concerning sin? But if I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 

47 The one who is of Elohim hears the Words of Elohim; for this reason you do not hear, because you are not of Elohim.

John 8:43-47 (HRB)

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In this and all Food for Thoughts I recommend you read the Scripture(s) provided and the entire chapter they are from to obtain more insight.

Christianity emphasizes the significance of having and maintaining a personal relationship with Yahshua and YAHWEH. However, numerous Christians fail to devote time to reading the love letters (Bible) YAHWEH gifted to humanity; some neglect to even talk to Him regularly through prayer. For these reasons, the voice of YAHWEH is unknown to them, and they are left relying on the words of these charismatic speakers.

Question?

How long do you expect a marriage or personal relationship to last if you neglect to understand your spouse’s wants, needs, and desires (studying and reading the Bible) and rarely talk to them (praying)?

Answer!

Not long, and I’m tempted to say that there is no marriage or personal relationship going on here! Maintaining a personal relationship, whether with a spouse or with Yahshua and YAHWEH, demands effort and regular communication. Neglecting your spouse’s wants, needs, and desires or failing to communicate regularly with them will lead to the dissolution of the relationship. The same applies to your relationship with Yahshua and YAHWEH. If you do not take the time to read and study His Word, to understand His wants, needs, and desires for you, and if you do not engage in prayer and conversation with Him, then a personal relationship cannot exist. If you believe otherwise, you are mistaken.

Your relationship with Yahshua and YAHWEH will be damaged and possibly end not because they didn’t want a personal relationship with you but because you were not interested in them. Instead, you were interested in charismatic preachers, pastors, and politicians and their words, rather than Yahshua and YAHWEH and their words. Remember, Yahweh said He would never leave us, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t leave and walk away from him. (Deuteronomy 31:8, Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5, Joshua 1:5, Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20, Genesis 28:15, Psalms 94:14)

Conclusion

It is extremely dangerous to become overly invested in the words and actions of individuals by getting caught up in their intoxicating theatrical performance and gold-dripped words rather than the actual word of YAHWEH. Listening to and accepting whatever these people say without checking it against scriptures, facts, or research is also dangerous. Evaluating information based on its source and evidence is essential, rather than blindly believing everything you hear. By having a personal relationship with Yahshua and YAHWEH, which includes reading and studying the Word and praying, we can know Him, His words, His voice, and His speech. This will enable us to reject charismatic individuals’ false teachings, doctrines, and lies. We will also be able to respectfully and intelligently share information with pastors, preachers, and fellow believers in hopes of shining a light on the truth.

Please review the “How Is Your Study Life” series for info about reading and studying the Bible. You are also welcome to order a copy of Journal Thy Journey: A Chronological Reading Plan for the Bible. This journal is a great companion for your Bible study. It will help you study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and help you develop a consistent study habit.

By: David Edwards

The post Who Have You Been Listening To? appeared first on Journal Thy Journey.