In all things you should trust God, not man (including me).

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

An Introduction to God

Volume Five

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Mitswah – His Terms and Conditions

In our quest to get to “yada’ – know” Yahowah even better, and to better “byn – understand” what He is offering and wants from us in return, this is an ideal time to consider the statements Yahowah wrote with His own hand. On the first of the two tablets, God summarized His message to humankind, providing an essential perspective from which to understand everything He would reveal to us in His Towrah. On the second, He taught us how to live our lives.

As always, these translations are amplified, providing you with a more complete rendering of Yahowah’s advice. In addition, they include the Hebrew words themselves, because it is vitally important that you take the time to verify their meanings. In all things you should trust God, not man (including me).

“And (wa) God (‘elohym – the Almighty) conveyed (dabar – communicated, spoke, and wrote, provided instruction and direction with) all of (kol) these statements, using words (dabar – statements and promises), providing perspective (‘eleh – from a relatively close vantage point) in our presence (‘eth – in association with us and in proximity to us), saying (‘amar – explaining, claiming, answering, counseling, warning, and promising):…”

Religious institutions are wont to call what follows “The Ten Commandments.” But according to “‘elohym – God Almighty,” their Author, He “dabar – conveyed and communicated” “dabar – statements using words.” These “statements” are not numbered, and He did not call them “commandments.” There are few things more relevant to developing a relationship with God than understanding this.

Then on the top right of the first of these two stone tablets, the Creator of the universe and Author of life, wrote…

“I am (‘anky) Yahowah (efei), your God (‘elohym – the Mighty One (suffixed in the second person singular), who relationally (‘asher – and who as a favor) brought you out and delivered you (yatsa’ – I descended to serve you, extending Myself to guide you, doing everything which is required to lead those who respond away) from the realm (min ‘erets – out of the land and region) of the crucible of Egypt (mitsraym – the smelting furnace where metals are refined and tested (a metaphor for judgment and oppression)), out of the house (min beyth – from the home, household, family, and place) of slavery (‘ebed – servitude, bondage, worship, and working for one’s salvation). You shall not exist with (lo’ hayah la – you shall not be moving towards) other (‘aher – someone else’s, different, extra, or additional) gods (‘elohym) in relation to (‘al – near, before, or in proximity to, or in addition to) My presence (paneh).” (Shemowth / Names / Exodus 20:2-3)

Please note: God began by introducing Himself, spelling out His name so that we might know it, etching “efei” in stone. He said that His Word would provide us with the perspective we would need to exist in His presence. He positioned Himself serving us, working as our savior and guide, personally leading us away from judgment and human oppression—from works-based salvation schemes. And all He asks in return—at least of those who wish to live in His presence—is that we respond to Him and recognize that He alone is God.

The first verb, “yatsa’ – I brought you out,” was scribed using the hiphil stem while bearing the perfect conjugation. By considering what they collectively convey, we come to better understand how we are expected to respond to what God is offering. With the hiphil stem the object of the verb, in this case those God was leading, participate in the action. In other words, to benefit from God’s willingness to deliver us from judgment we must recognize the offer and then respond. Such is the nature of the Covenant Relationship, where we must engage to participate. And such is the nature of our salvation, where we must answer Yah’s invitation and walk to God along the path He has provided.

By using the perfect conjugation, Yahowah is telling us that He has done everything that He can do, leaving nothing to be done. The perfect speaks of a completed action, irrespective of time. It reveals that God would, and now has, “descended to serve us, extending Himself to guide us, so that those who respond will be lead away from the crucible of human oppression and will be delivered from judgment.

Therefore, when we reflect the full implications of the way yatsa’ was written, God said: “I have done everything which is required to lead those who respond away” from the ill effects of subjugation.

Should you not see the symbolism of brace of “mitsraym – crucibles” representing human oppression and divine judgment, God spells it out for you with “beyth ‘ebed – the house of slavery and bondage.” The epitome of religious, political, military, and economic oppression is enslavement and servitude. And the consequence of judgment is the loss of freedom and incarceration.

The second verb, “hayah – to exist,” was modified with lo’, serving as a form of negation, thereby nullifying your existence. It was suffixed with la, a preposition meaning “to, toward, or concerning,” telling us that there is a consequence that will move us in one direction or another. In addition, hayah was suffixed in the third person singular: you, revealing that these words are all about us.

More than this, hayah was written in the qal stem and imperfect conjugation. This stem speaks of that which is genuine and actual, and should be interpreted literally as an expression of reality. That distinguishes from something which is hypothetical or symbolic. Therefore, it reads: “you literally will not exist.” As the voice of relationships, the qal reveals that the subject of the verb, which would be you and me, are subject to the verb’s action, which is the termination of our continued existence. That is to say that our soul’s survival is predicated upon our response to this statement.

In a world which has distanced itself from most overt expressions of paganism, this statement may not resonate sufficiently to save the religious. But here is the rub: The Christian “Lord Jesus Christ” was modeled after Bacchus, Dionysus, Osiris, and Tammuz, and not Yahowah, and thus he represents a different and additional god – albeit a false one. And worse, Allah’s persona is a perfect match for Satan.

Further, rather than using the perfect conjugation as God did with yatsa’, hayah was scribed in the imperfect. It conveys the idea that there is an ongoing and unfolding consequence of this statement which will endure throughout time. So, we out to be very careful in our observations and considerations.

The verb hayah is as important as any word in the whole of God’s Word. It literally serves as the basis of Yahowah’s name – explaining what it means. In Ancient Hebrew hayah was written eie. I see this telling us that how we respond to Yah’s “yad – hand” determines if we transcend or mortality. Said another way, those who observe what Yahowah has revealed to us in this life, as a result of what He has done, will get to live with Him in the next. And since this speaks of time, as does hayah itself, please note that this verb reads the same right to left as it does left to right. It is not stuck in the ordinary flow of grammar or time as we currently are, with us moving away from the past into the future. With Yah, the past, present, and future all exist as one.

Since the verb hayah means “to exist,” and speaks of “being” irrespective of time, by negating it as lo’ does in this case, the statement reveals that those who embrace other gods will “cease to exist.” And that is because false gods will never be tolerated in Yah’s presence. That is what hell is for, not heaven.

It is also telling that lo’ hayah-la ‘aher ‘elohym ‘al-paneh is a simple statement of fact. It isn’t a command, much less a commandment. Rather than commanding: “You must not go to Venus,” it is similar to saying: “You cannot breathe the air on Venus.”

I find it interesting that after mislabeling these statements as “Commandments,” religious institutions universally skip over Yahowah’s name, the relationship He established with us, and the role He personally plays in our salvation, only to misrepresent hayah to say “you shall not have” as opposed to “you shall not exist.” That is a lot of mistakes considering that we’ve only read the first twenty Hebrew words.

Here now is the second of the three statements Yahowah etched in stone on the first of the two tablets. As you consider God’s words, compare them to man’s truncated “You shall not make a graven image.”

“You should not ever do anything which associates yourself with (lo’ ‘asah la – you should never attend to, act upon, engage with, or profit from, you should never conceive or fashion on your behalf (qal imperfect – conveying a literal interpretation and ongoing implications)) a carved image or idol (pesel – a religious icon or object of worship representing any god), or any (kol) visual representation of something (tamunah – likeness, appearance, picture, drawing, painting, or form which depicts or resembles anything), which is (‘asher) in (ba) the heavens above (samaym min ma’al – the spiritual realm on high including the sun, moon, planets, and stars above), or (wa) which is (‘asher) on (ba) the earth (‘erets – land and ground, even the material realm) below (tahath), or (wa) which is (‘asher) in (ba) the waters (mayim) beneath the land (tahath ‘erets).

You should not ever not bow down and worship them or speak for them (lo’ hawah – you should never prostrate yourself in obeisance and homage to them, show any allegiance to them, or promote their message because doing so will influence you), and (wa) you shall not serve them (lo’ ‘abad – you should not work or labor in their cause as their ministers, nor should you submit to them in servitude, neither should you act upon them or engage with them).

For indeed (ky ­– because and emphasizing this point), I (‘anky), Yahowah (efei), your God (‘elohy), am a zealous and jealous God (qana’ ‘el – a God who is desirous of exclusivity in a relationship, a God who is emotionally passionate and extremely protective of those He loves), counting and reckoning (paqad – literally taking stock of and actually recording, assigning, and depositing) the perversity and sin of twisting and distorting (‘awon – the depravity of perverting and manipulating, deviating from the way, the guilt and punishment derived from delusion and depravity, the liability for unfaithfulness and wrongdoing) of the fathers (‘ab) upon (‘al) the children (ben – sons) concerning (‘al) the third and the fourth generations (silesym wa ‘al ribea’) of those who genuinely hate and are hostile to Me (sane’ – of those who actually abhor, detest, and loathe Me, literally striving maliciously against Me, shunning Me).

But (wa) I will genuinely act and actually engage to literally prepare, perform, and produce (‘asah – I will actively effect and appoint, offer and celebrate, and I will demonstrate by doing what is required to deliver on behalf of those who respond) unmerited and unfailing mercy, unearned favor, and undeserved kindness (checed – steadfast and loyal love, a totally devoted and affectionate relationship, faithfulness and goodness) on behalf of (la’ – to enable the approach of) thousands (‘eleph) who move toward Me and love Me (la ‘ahab – who form a close and affectionate, loving and friendly, familial relationship with Me as a result of being concerned about Me and therefore come to know Me) and also (wa – in addition) who approach Me by closely observing and carefully considering (la shamar – who enter My presence by becoming observant and actually focusing upon, thoroughly examining, and thoughtfully evaluating) My terms (mitswah – the conditions of My Covenant, My authoritative directions and instructions which serve as prescriptions for My relationship agreement).” (Shemowth / These are the Names / Exodus 20:4-6)

Yahowah has asked us not to be religious. God is overtly opposed to religious imagery, opposed to religious behavior, and antagonistic toward religious service. He is intolerant of the promotion of any message associated with any god by any other name (and that would include Allah, Jehovah, the Lord, and Jesus Christ). This is because, more than anything, Yahowah is committed to developing a monogamous relationship with us. Endearing Himself to us, and protecting us, is the very essence of His nature—something He is passionate about, which is why He is personally engaged in our salvation.

For these reasons Yahowah warns us about the consequence of distorting, twisting, and perverting His message—something every religion has done. By corrupting His testimony, we condemn our own children—as they are then raised in a milieu of religious deceptions.

By contrast, God has affirmed in writing that those who “shamar – closely observe, who carefully examine, and who revere and rely upon His instructions,” will “checed – receive mercy—an unearned and undeserved gift” Yahowah has personally prepared and delivered. And yet, His unearned favor and unmerited kindness will be enjoyed by one in a million people. That is precisely what “thousands” among billions conveys. As such, all popular religions have been summarily excluded as a means to Divine mercy.

And should you want to be among the few who will benefit from Yahowah’s “checed – mercy,” please note: when God etched this advice in stone there was but one place where His “mitswah – the terms and conditions of His covenant contract” were written—the Towrah. According to God, the Torah is the source of “checed – unmerited, undeserved, unearned, and unfailing favor which leads to a loving relationship” with Him.

Before we press on and consider what more Yahowah etched in stone, I’d like the opportunity to more systematically review each of the four sections which comprise this sweeping summary statement. As we just read, God wrote: “You should not ever do anything which associates yourself with (lo’ ‘asah la – you should never attend to, act upon, engage with, or profit from, you should never conceive or fashion on your behalf (qal imperfect – conveying a literal interpretation and ongoing implications)) a carved image or idol (pesel – a religious icon or object of worship representing any god), or any (kol) visual representation of something (tamunah – likeness, appearance, picture, drawing, painting, or form which depicts or resembles anything), which is (‘asher) in (ba) the heavens above (samaym min ma’al – the spiritual realm on high including the sun, moon, planets, and stars above), or (wa) which is (‘asher) on (ba) the earth (‘erets – land and ground, even the material realm) below (tahath), or (wa) which is (‘asher) in (ba) the waters (mayim) beneath the land (tahath ‘erets).” (20:4)

Since these were written by God to teach us so that we might respond appropriately to Him, the verbs which are designed to guide our actions are especially important. Here ‘asah, which was negated by lo’, was written using the qal imperfect, which is to say that we “should never have anything to do” with God’s laundry list of religious objects. The qal stem dictates a literal interpretation, telling us that God is serious about us disassociating from the kind of images which permeate Christian churches, while the imperfect conjugation refers to any behavior that is ongoing over time. In addition to advising us “not to do something,” lo’ ‘asah also encourages us “not to act upon and not to engage with” these things. It says: “not to serve or profit from any association” with religious or political symbols.

While ‘asah can be translated “make, conceive, or fashion” using its secondary connotation, there are many Hebrew words which are far better suited to describe the act of conceiving, creating, building, carving, or engraving of an idol. For example, to carve in Hebrew is: qala’, chaqah, chatubah, miqla’ath, or charosheth. To engrave is: pituwach or pathach. To create is bara’. And to build is banah. So with so many words which more adeptly describe the construction of a religious icon, we ought not look to the secondary connotation of ‘asah to fill this role. And that brings us to its primary meaning, which when negated and then suffixed with la, tells us “not to ever do anything which associates ourselves with, to never attend to, to act upon, or to never engage with” a “pesel – object of worship.” Therefore, just because you never personally carved a crucifix, you are not exonerated if you worshipped in a church where a cross was present. And you’d be guilty of violating this instruction if you preached on behalf of the cross, pledged your allegiance to a flag, or felt patriotic while standing before a political statue in a national monument.

A “pesel – object of worship and religious icon” can come in many forms, from the wine and bread of Communion and the Eucharist, to the crosses or crucifixes which are on prominent display in most churches and cathedrals. And a “tamunah – visual representation and likeness” is especially all encompassing. It would include the pictures and busts on the walls and the images depicted in the stained glass windows. But if you look closely, especially in an orthodox church, you’ll notice how many references there are to the sun, moon, and stars, with circles around the crosses, halos above the heads of the saints, and starbursts embellishing objects used in church rituals. Not only are men and animals on display, both carved and painted, the Christian god is depicted as a man. But that is not the end of it. The pope wears a Dagon hat, symbolic of the fish god of old, and evangelicals often adorn their cars with an ICTHUS, which is also a fish from the waters beneath the land.

I’d like to think about something else, something I think is directly related to an “object of worship.” And that is the Christian caricature known as “the Lord Jesus Christ,” whereby god is not only modeled after pagan deities, this god was formed in the very image of man. His likeness is ubiquitous in places of worship and prostration. And he is most often adorned with a halo, symbolic of the sun.

Moving on to the second of the four statements, in this the second of three statements inscribed on the first of two tablets, we read: “You should not ever bow down and worship them or speak for them or to them (lo’ hawah la – you should never prostrate yourself in obeisance and homage to them, show any allegiance to them, or promote their message because doing so will influence you), and (wa) you should not serve them (lo’ ‘abad – you should not be coerced into working or laboring in their cause as their ministers, nor should you ever be beguiled into submitting to them in servitude, neither should you act upon them or engage with them).” (20:5)

This instruction is designed to clearly distinguish the kind of images Yahowah considers inappropriate, as well as to affirm that it is our response to these political and religious symbols, not the act of “making” them that is destructive to the relationship God is seeking to achieve. To engage in the Covenant we have to walk away from political, religious, and societal allegiances. And yet look how often people sing national anthems to their flag, pledging to serve what it represents. By standing at attention, removing our hats, and placing our hands over our hearts while others salute, we transform this political symbol replete with stars into an object of worship, and then we speak for it by bellowing out its anthem in the presence of roaring cheers. In America, the Lincoln Memorial is a shrine, a temple to man. And the Statue of Liberty, the national image of freedom to which countless patriots opine, is the Greek goddess Athena, complete with her light and sunburst crown.

Since it is our response to these pagan and political symbols which is at issue, we should not be surprised that there are two verbs in this brief statement. The first, hawah, was once again negated by lo’. It was inscribed in the imperfect because Yahowah realized that we “would make a habit of continually bowing down to, worshiping, and speaking for” the images mankind had crafted. But more than this, hawah was engraved using the hishtafel stem, something so rare it is only found 170 times in the Hebrew text. It is known as the causative reflexive form. And it reveals that the subject, which would be you and me, are influenced by the way we act with respect to the verb. Those who bow down in the presence of religious imagery will find themselves prostrate before God in judgment. Those who worship will be associated with the object of their faith. Those who speak for and promote the gods and institutions man has created will be seen as being allied with them. The truth is: religion and politics change people, just as the military does, in a way that displeases Yah, thereby disassociating those who fall prey to their beguiling nature from Him.

The most obvious, and indeed egregious, violation of this divine edict today is the example of Catholic and Orthodox Christians bowing down before and praying to one of the millions of statues of Mary, whom they believe is “the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven,” albeit, those titles are both Babylonian, as is the religious festival named in her honor: Easter.

So by using “lo’ hawah la” to say “you should not ever bow down and worship, speak for or to, nor show any allegiance for” what could only be construed as political and religious symbols,” and by announcing that “you should never promote their message because doing so will influence you,” Yahowah has expressed His utter disdain for humankind’s propensity to place its collective faith in that which is conceived and controlled by man. But He was not done. You see, the next verb is “lo’ ‘abad – you should not serve them.”

Once again, Yahowah used the imperfect conjugation when He scribed ‘abad, which speaks of habitual, ongoing behavior with unfolding consequences. But this time He used the hophal stem. It is the passive counterpart to the hiphil, which is to say in this case that religious imagery and political symbols influence an individual based upon how an individual acts towards them. So then here is an example of the hophal: “Satan compelled Paul to coerce billions of souls into worshipping him as god, convincing them that he died and was resurrected ala the pagan gods of old.” So while the lost souls are participating in the action, they were beguiled into doing so.

‘Abad, which is the Hebrew word for “work,” depicts “the expenditure of considerable energy or intensity” toward a goal, which in this case is being religious or political. But more than that, ‘abad speaks of service, which today we typically associate with the big three: a religious service, public and thus political service, and military service. And while I would argue that none of these equate to providing a service because the participants are paid and the work is counterproductive, I’d like to draw your attention to the military where “service” is considered to be a sacrifice, both honorable and heroic, for which a debt of gratitude is expected. And yet militaries are trained and equipped to kill. That is their job. And most are good at it. And while that is irrefutably true, there is something equally problematic with fighting: the conditioning that makes it possible. Indoctrinated by their superiors, a soldier’s judgment is altered and the conscience is seared. Even worse, the public is brainwashed into believing that their safety and liberties are provided by these trained killers, their deadly institutions and vicious weapons.

And lest I forget man’s economic systems where most “‘abad – work” is applied, next time you have a chance look at your nation’s currency. If you are an American, you will see the eye of Osiris, a temple to Ra, and inscriptions promising a New World Order written in the language of Rome, the nation which destroyed Yahowah’s Temple and tortured the Ma’aseyah.

One more thought before we move on. Is there any difference between what Yahowah has thus far written and the initial requirements of the Covenant where we were asked to walk away from human schemes and then to trust and rely exclusively on Yah? Hasn’t God simply reinforced those requests with these statement

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All Glory be to Yahweh!

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