THE DOUBLE INHERITANCE OF THE FIRST-BORN AND THE REBELLIOUS SON

I was laying awake last night when my thoughts returned to my reading in Par'shat Ki Tetseh about the inheritance of the first-born and the rebellious fist-born.

You see, I am a first-born and should receive double inheritance, but my decision as a teenager to become a disciple of Yeshua the Rabbi from Nazareth caused my family to reject me. Not only I did not receive a double share, but I didn't receive anything at all.

There is no problem though, because my riches are not of this world. If I stay faithful to Him, I will rule and reign with him in the World to Come and receive my double-inheritance in my Mashiach, who owns the cattle on a 1000 hills.

Mashiach Himself is a firstborn son. He is a king who was denied His throne: the throne of Israel. Like the rebellious son, He was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton and like the rebellious son was rejected by his brothers and made subject to the death penalty.  The irony is that whereas He was not rebellious but obedient in all things even unto death, we are more like the rebellious son who deserves to die. He took upon Himself the just reward of our waywardness.

But Mashiach did not regard this present world. He had His eyes on the world to Come in which He will also receive His just inheritance: the throne of Israel, and with it: the world!

May it be soon Abba, even in our days!

PAR'SHAT SHOFTIM AND MESSIAH

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the parasha this morning. It defines the parameters for prophets and kings, which then defines the parameters of Messiah so we should not be fooled by a false Messiah.

As a king of Israel, the Messiah is to be Torah observant, as the king is not above the Torah. Any Messiah therefore who is not Torah observant is a false messiah and should not be heeded.

The same goes for prophets. Hashem puts His Word in their mouth, in essence then, they are to profess Torah, and as we were told in Par'shat Re'eh, any prophet who teaches disobedience or rebellion against the Torah is a false presumptuous prophet who should not be heeded.

Today, we have been fed a Messiah called Jesus who teaches against obedience to Torah. People even misuse Romans 14 to teach that he who follows Torah is weaker brother. When Jews therefore today refuse such a Messiah, they actually stand for the Torah and for Yeshua, the real Jewish Messiah who said,

Mat 5:17 "Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete.

Mat 5:18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud ( י ) or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened.

Mat 5:19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

 

The problem with the Torah-teachers of the days of the Master was not their teachings, but the fact that they were not a good sample of their own sermons. That is why Yeshua also said,

 

Mat 23:3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don't do what they do, because they talk but don't act!

May we learn to recognize and disciple ourselves after the real Messiah, who is Torah observant, and teaches Hashem's commandments!