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THE TWO LAWS
Opponents of the Sabbath teach that the 10 Commandments were nailed to the cross and, therefore, the 4th Commandment does not have to be observed. Such teachers do err, not knowing the Scriptures.
There are 2 separate and distinct whole laws revealed in the Scriptures. One was nailed to the cross, while the other is still in force.
The Two Laws
"For whoever will keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. {11} For He that said, ‘Do not commit adultery’, said also, ‘Do not kill’. Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, you have become a transgressor of the law. {12} So speak, and so do, as they that will be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.
Moral law—a whole law.
"For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law." Galatians 5:3.
Ceremonial law—a whole law. One cannot take 2 wholes and make one. These 2 laws are separate and whole in themselves.
"For in the Mashayah Yasha neither circumcision avails any thing, nor un-circumcision, but a new creature." Galatians 6:15.
Ceremonial law is no longer binding.
"And I say to you, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn. {24} And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that Yah met him, and sought to kill him. {25} Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, ‘Surely a bloody husband you are to me." Exodus 4:23-25.
In Moses’s day the ceremonial law was to be strictly observed, and its violation almost brought death to the servant of Yah. In Paul’s day it had been abrogated by the death of Yasha.
"Circumcision is nothing, and un-circumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the Commandments of Yah." 1 Corinthians 7:19.
Paul makes it clear that the ceremonial law is done away with but the moral law-the 10 Commandments are still binding.
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Yasha the Anointed, even we have believed in Yasha, that we might be justified by the faith of Yasha, and not by the works of the Law: for by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." Galatians 2:16.
This text is often used by the opponents of the Law of Yah to prove that a person is not justified in keeping the 10 Commandments. It should be borne in mind that it is the ceremonial law which is referred to here and not the moral Law.
"(For not the hearers of the Law are just before Yah, but the doers of the Law will be justified." Romans 2:13.
It is the keeping of the 10 Commandments which justifies. Paul is the writer of both Galatians and Romans; therefore he could not be talking about the same Law in both texts when he states that the works of one justify, while the works of the other do not.
"For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor." Galatians 2:18.
Paul would be contradicting himself if he were to refer to the 10 Commandments in both instances. He recognized 2 separate and distinct whole laws.
Giving and Writing These 2 Laws
"You came down also upon mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: {14} And made known to them your blessed Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses Your servant." Nehemiah 9:13, 14.
Yah gave a law, and Moses also gave a law.
"Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them." 2 Kings 21:8.
The same thought is here brought to view, but in clearer language. Yah commanded a law, and Moses commanded one also. Were they one and the same? No!
Moral Law, Yah, the Son Spoke and Wrote
"And Yah spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of the Only Son, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. {13} And He declared to you His Covenant, which He commanded you to perform, the 10 Commandments; and He wrote them upon 2 tablets of stone." Deuteronomy 4:12, 13.
Yasha spoke, then wrote on tablets of stone.
"You must not add to the word which I command you, neither must you diminish ought from it, that you may keep the Commandments of Yah your Ruler which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2.
Yah warns against adding to, or deducting from, the 10 Commandments. This is exactly what people have done and are doing.
"These words Yah spoke to all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and He added no more. And He wrote them in 2 tablets of stone, and delivered them to me." Deuteronomy 5:22.
He wrote no more than the 10 Commandments.
"When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the Covenant which Yah made with you, then I abode in the mount 40 days and 40 nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water: {10} And Yah delivered to me 2 tablets of stone written with the finger of Yah; and on them was written according to all the words, which Yah spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly." Deuteronomy 9:9, 10.
Written with the finger of Yah, the Son.
"At that time Yah said to me, ‘Carve out for yourself 2 tablets of stone like to the first, and come up to Me into the mount, and make an ark of wood. {2} And I will write on the tablets the words that were in the first tablets which you broke, and you will put them in the Ark.’ {3} And I made an Ark of shittim wood, and carved 2 tablets of stone like the first, and went up into the mount, having the 2 tablets in my hand. {4} And He wrote on the tablets, according to the first writing, the 10 Commandments, which Yah gave to you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Yah gave them to me. {5} And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tablets in the Ark which I had made; and they are there, as Yah commanded me." Deuteronomy 10:1-5.
Yasha rewrites the 10 Commandments. Placed IN the Ark.
Ceremonial Law Written by Moses.
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, {25} That Moses commanded the Levites, which bore the Ark of the Covenant of Yah, saying, {26} Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant of Yah your Ruler, that it may be there for a witness against you. {27} For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against Yah; and how much more after my death?" Deuteronomy 31:24-26.
Moses
wrote this law in a book, placed it beside the Ark, which contained the 10 Commandments. Note the difference: one written by the finger of Yah on stone, imperishable material; the other written by the hand of Moses in a book, perishable papryus or skin. One INSIDE the Ark; the other OUTSIDE.Character of Yah’s Law
"The Law of Yah is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of Yah is sure, making wise the simple." Psalm 19:7.
Perfect with converting power.
"Wherefore the Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. {14} For we know that the Law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." Romans 7:12, 14.
Holy, just, good, spiritual. These are the very attributes of Yah. Such a Law could never be done away, as it is part of Yah Himself.
Duration of the Law of Yah
It has existed from eternity and will remain as long as the throne of Yah is in existence. It is a mistaken idea to think that the Law of Yah was not known until given to Moses on Sinai. Although it was not given in written form before, it had existed from eternity.
"Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my glad tidings of salvation, and the preaching of Yasha, the Anointed, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began." Romans 16:25.
Plan of salvation was laid before this world was brought into existence. The Law antedates the glad tidings.
"Therefore by the deeds of the Law there no human will be justified in His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20.
Without sin there would be no salvation needed.
"Because the Law works wrath: for where no Law is, there is no transgression." Romans 4:15.
"(For until the Law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no Law." Romans 5:13.
"What then will we say? Is the law sin? Let it not be! No, I had not known sin, but by the Law: for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, ‘You must not covet’." Romans 7:7.
"Whoever commits sin transgresses also the Law: for sin is the transgression of the Law." 1 John 3:4.
There could be no sin without the law. As law has to precede sin, it is therefore proof that the law existed back in the days of eternity. Doing away with the law dispenses with the need of the glad tidings, for without the law there is no sin. We cannot separate the law from Yasha, the Mashayah. In the days of Yasha it was all law and no Savior; in the present day it is all the Savior and no law.
When Ceremonial Law Came Into Existence.
"What purpose then is the [ceremonial] Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed would come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by messengers in the hand of a Mediator." Galatians 3:19.
It was added when the 10 Commandments were broken by Adam, and continued until Yasha died on the cross.
Ceremonial and Not Moral Law Nailed to the Cross
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross." Colossians 2:14.
What was against us?
"Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant of Yah your Ruler, that it may be there for a witness against you." Deuteronomy 31:26.
Handwriting, not finger writing. In the ceremonial law there were ordinances pointing forward to the death and ministration of Yasha.
"Let no one therefore judge you in meal, or in drink offerings, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the rest days." Colossians 2:16.
There are no food offerings, drink offerings, new moons, or rest days recorded in the 10 Commandments. All these ordinances are in the ceremonial law as found in Leviticus 23.
"Which are a shadow of things to come; but the substance is of Yasha." Colossians 2:17.
Everything in the ceremonial law prefigured the death of Yasha. No intimation in the 10 Commandments that Yasha was to die.
New Moon, Sabbath Days, Food Offerings, Drink Offerings
"These are the feasts of Yah, even consecrated gatherings, which you will proclaim in their seasons. {5} In the 14th day of the 1st month at evening is Yah’s Passover. {6} And on the 15th day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yah: 7 days you must eat unleavened bread. {7} In the 1st day you will have a consecrated gathering: you will do no servile work therein. {8} But you will offer an offering made by fire to Yah 7 days: in the 7th day is a consecrated gathering: you will do no servile work therein." Leviticus 23:4-8.
The Passover rest day [Sabbath] fell on the 15th day of the 1st month, which was governed by the moon, regardless of which day of the week it fell on.
"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, In the 7th month, in the 1st day of the month, you will have a rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a consecrated gathering. {25} You will do no servile work therein: but you will offer an offering made by fire to Yah." Leviticus 23:24, 25.
The 1st day of the 7th month was a Sabbath—Feast of Trumpets.
"Also on the 10th day of this 7th month there will be the Day of Atonement: it will be a consecrated gathering to you; and you will afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to Yah. {28} And you will do no work in that same day: for it is the Day of Atonement, to make an atonement for you before Yah your Ruler." Leviticus 23:27, 28.
The 10th day of this 7th month was also a Sabbath—Day of Atonement.
"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, The 15th day of this 7th month will be the Feast of Tabernacles for 7 days to Yah. {35} On the 1st day will be a consecrated gathering: you will do no servile work therein. {36} 7 days you will offer an offering made by fire to Yah: on the 8th day will be a consecrated gathering to you; and you will offer an offering made by fire to Yah: it is a solemn assembly; and you will do no servile work therein. {37} These are the feasts of Yah, which you will proclaim to be consecrated gatherings, to offer an offering made by fire to Yah, a burnt offering, and a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day." Leviticus 23:34-37.
Both the 15th and the 23rd days of this 7th month were Sabbaths—Feast of Tabernacles, at which time food offerings and drink offerings were brought to Yah.
"Beside the Sabbath of Yah, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which you give to Yah." Leviticus 23:38.
All these ceremonial days were observed and binding besides the 7th day Sabbath of Yah.
In Conclusion
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; {15} And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:14, 15.
Here the Apostle Paul, writing under inspiration, clearly states that these feasts and ceremonies were nailed to the cross, and therefore should no longer be carried out, because Yasha, by His death and ministration in the heavenly tabernacle, provided the actual reality of which these things of the ceremonial law were but a shadow.
"Who serve to the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of Yah when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, He said, that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you in the mount." Hebrews 8:5.
All these ceremonial services had served unto "the example and shadow of heavenly things’."
Yah’s 10 Commandments are still binding and are the standard of all righteousness. The Sabbath of the 4th Commandment should be observed by every follower of the Savior, as it is part of the Decalogue which was written by the finger of Yasha. We all want to share in the benediction pronounced upon those who keep the Commandments.
"Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the City." Revelation 22:14.