Genesis 9
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” 18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. 20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” 28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died. (Genesis 9, ESV Bible)
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1, ESV Bible)
The Seven Noachide Laws
God brought Noah, his family, and all the animals out of the ark. Noah promptly built an altar and made a sacrifice to the LORD as a gesture of thanksgiving. God received this sacrifice and vowed never again to wipe out all living things, so long as the earth endures.
Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)
Some changes in human society, however, were necessary. Even though humanity was starting over, human beings themselves had not changed. God recognized that "the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21). Humans still had selfish, self-serving hearts. If society was to be preserved from plummeting into utter anarchy and immorality again, some basic rules of conduct would be necessary. Judaism refers to these basic rules as the Noachide Laws.
What are these laws? A literal reading of Genesis 9:1-6 reveals only a few general principles. The sons of Noah (that is, human beings) are commanded to reproduce and fill the earth. They are allowed to eat whatever they want so long as they do not "eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood" still in it (9:4). They are not to murder one another. If a person does murder another person, God demands the murderer's life. Obviously Genesis 9:1-6 is not meant as an exhaustive list of rules to govern human morality and ethical conduct. We could call these rules the Four Laws of Genesis 9:
Be fruitful and multiply.
Do not eat un-bled meat.
Do not murder.
Put murderers to death.
The rabbis of early Judaism were not content with just four laws. They read between the lines of Genesis 9 and made some logical inferences to derive seven general laws that they believed are binding on all of humanity.
They assumed monotheism to be self-evident as God speaks to Noah, so they wrote in two laws pertaining to belief in God. They understood the commandment to "be fruitful and multiply" as the antithesis of sexual immorality, so they added a prohibition on fornication. They noted that the sin of robbery was one of the moral deficiencies that brought the flood, so they added a prohibition on theft. They saw that the requirement for man to spill the blood of a murderer could be misunderstood as an endorsement of vigilante-style justice, so they steered it toward a more civil form of jurisprudence by mandating the establishment of courts of law. These seven laws are called the Laws of Noah:
Do not worship idols or other gods.
Do not blaspheme God's name.
Do not murder.
Do not commit sexual immorality.
Do not steal.
Do not eat things while they are still alive (i.e., meat with blood).
Establish courts of justice.
Other rabbis had opinions about additional laws that should be added to the list, but most agreed on these seven." To be sure, these seven laws are all things that can be derived from one place or another in the Bible, if not directly from Genesis 9. They form a sort of minimalist approach to ethical monotheism: believe in God, be a decent person, be kind to animals, and settle your disputes in court.
Traditional Judaism teaches that these are the only laws in the Bible that apply to Gentiles (non-Jews). According to that opinion, laws like keeping the Sabbath, providing for the poor, and honoring one's parents are not meant for Gentiles. Some opinions in modern Judaism go so far as to state that if Gentiles keep just these seven rules, they will be welcomed into paradise and eternal life.
However, there are problems with these ideas. The rules God gave to the sons of Noah were not given as a means for achieving eternal life or anything of the sort. Neither were they given as the sum total of man's obligations before God. They were simply rules of conduct given to Noah and his sons in order to keep society from degenerating to the chaotic state that characterized it prior to the flood.
Bible students often notice some similarities between these laws and the four prohibitions that the apostles placed upon the Gentile believers in Acts 15. Both lists contain prohibitions on consuming meat that has not been properly bled and on sexual immorality. It is possible that the Noachide laws influenced the apostles' decision, but the apostles were not suggesting that the Gentile followers of Yeshua should be limited to just four or seven commandments. Instead, they encouraged them to attend the synagogue where the Torah of Moses (containing all the commandments given to the people of God) was read every week.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Unrolling the Scroll.
6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. (Genesis 9:6, ESV Bible)
The Image of God
Human life is precious because human beings are made in the image of God. The Torah teaches an enormously high regard for human life by demanding the life of a murderer. One may wonder, if killing a human being is wrong, how does killing another human being make it right? The answer is that it does not. The death of the murderer does not right the wrong. It simply satisfies the measure-for-measure demands of God's scale of justice. It does not make the original murder less grievous, nor does it make the life of the murderer less consequential than that of his victim. The murderer's death by a court of law is just as much a tragedy as the death of his original victim. In God's justice system, the murderer is therefore responsible for the loss of two lives: his victim's and his own.
Even animals are held to this standard of justice regarding human life. The Torah says that an animal that takes a human life is to be treated as a murderer and put to death.
In the case of human beings, before a murderer can be put to death, the Torah requires a fair court trial in which the matter is duly established by reliable eyewitness testimony. Circumstantial evidence is not admitted. For more on the Torah's standards regarding manslaughter and murder, see Numbers 35:9-34 and Deuteronomy 19.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Unrolling the Scroll.
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, (Genesis 9: 8-9, ESV Bible)
Covenants
The Bible is a book about covenants. A covenant is an agreement between two parties who agree to certain terms and stipulations. More than that, a covenant defines the relationship between those parties. Covenants are more binding than simple contracts. Unlike contracts, which might expire at a certain date, covenants are permanent. In the world of the Bible, breaking a covenant was a big taboo.
There is an element of holiness and divinity in covenant making. In the ancient world, a covenant usually involved a sacrifice, religious rituals, and an invocation of the gods (or God). This deity became the covenant's warden; He was supposed to ensure that both parties kept their end of the deal. The covenanting parties often agreed on a token or sign of their covenant that would be a reminder of their obligations.
In our culture, we don't make many covenants. The closest thing we have in the modern world is the marriage covenant. At a wedding, two parties (bride and groom) agree to certain terms that will define their rela-tionship. The agreement is usually officiated by a clergyman of some sort. Various rituals, such as the exchange of rings, lighting of candles, or sharing a common cup are performed. Sacred vows are taken before God. A shared meal follows the ceremony. All of these common wedding elements are relics of ancient covenant ceremonies.
The Bible contains the stories of many covenants, the most important of which are between God and men. In the Noah story, God makes a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and all the creatures that were on the ark. Before Noah even got on the ark, God promised him, "I will establish My covenant with you" (Genesis 6:18).
Several of the classic elements of covenant making are present in the story. Noah offers a sacrifice to God. God spells out terms and conditions for Noah and all humanity in the laws discussed above. As for God's part, He Vows never again to smite the earth with a flood or destroy all life because of man's sin. He vows that for as long as the earth endures, day shall follow day and season shall follow season. He says life on earth will "never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth" (Genesis 9:11).
According to the terms of this covenant, God has obligated Himself to find some other means of dealing with humanity's sin. As the Bible pro-gresses, God will make additional covenants with His people to ensure redemption instead of destruction. As we continue to study the Torah, we will explore the concept of covenant making further.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Unrolling the Scroll.
The Seven Laws of Noah
The LORD accepted Noah's sacrifices and replied by offering him a covenant. A covenant is a formal declaration of commitments that define a relationship between two parties. Ancient covenant-making ceremonies typically required animal sacrifices as a component of the covenant ritual. Every covenant entails terms and conditions incumbent upon both parties in the covenant. For His part, the LORD promised Noah that He would never again flood the earth with water. Noah and his sons had to commit to maintaining certain standards of ethical conduct.
Jewish tradition explains the terms of God's covenant with Noah as consisting of universal standards called the Noachide laws. The sages taught that these commandments of the Torah apply universally to all human beings. If not, how could God have punished the Gentiles in the story of Noah? Why did He punish the people of Sodom and Gomorrah? Why did He drive out the Amorites and Canaanites in the days of Joshua? How could He judge the nations if God imposed no standard of righteousness by which to make judgment? As Paul says, "Sin is not imputed when there is no Torah" (Romans 5:13).
A literal reading of Genesis 9:1-6 reveals only a few general principles. The LORD commands the sons of Noah (that is, human beings) to reproduce and fill the earth. He commands them not to murder and not to allow a murderer to live. He allows them to eat whatever they want so long as they do not "eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood" still in it (Genesis 9:4).
Obviously Genesis 9:1-6 does not provide an exhaustive list of rules to govern human morality and ethical conduct. We could call these rules the Four Laws of Genesis 9:
Be fruitful and multiply.
Do not eat meat with life/blood still in it.
Do not murder.
Put murderers to death.
The rabbis read between the lines of Genesis 9 and made some logical inferences to derive a total of seven general laws that they believed to be incumbent on all of humanity. They assumed that monotheism was self-evident as God speaks to Noah, so they wrote in two laws pertaining to belief in God: prohibitions on idolatry and blasphemy. They drew that conclusion from several Bible passages that condemn the nations for idolatry and blaspheming God. The rabbis understood the commandment to "be fruitful and multiply" as the antithesis of the sexual immorality that had corrupted the earth during the days of the Nephilim, so they added a prohibition on fornication. Since God punished the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the people of Canaan for sexual immorality, the sages argued that the prohibition on sexual sins must apply universally.
The rabbis also noted that the sin of robbery was one of the moral deficiencies that brought the flood, so they added a prohibition on theft to the list. Finally, they saw that the requirement for man to spill the blood of a murderer could be misunderstood as an endorsement of vigilante-style justice, so they steered its interpretation toward a civil form of jurisprudence by mandating the establishment of courts of law. These seven laws are called the Noachide Laws, i.e., the Laws of Noah:
Do not worship idols or other gods.
Do not blaspheme God's name.
Do not murder.
Do not commit sexual immorality.
Do not steal.
Do not eat things while they are still alive (i.e., meat with blood).
Establish courts of justice.
To be sure, these seven laws are all things that can be derived from one place or another in the Bible, if not directly from Genesis 9. They form a sort of minimalist approach to ethical monotheism: Believe in God, be a decent person, be kind to animals, and settle your disputes in court. The earliest witness to the list appears in the Tosefta:
The children of Noah were admonished regarding seven religious duties: setting up courts of justice, idolatry, blasphemy, fornication, murder, thievery, and concerning a limb cut from a living beast. (tAvodah Zarah 8:4-6)
Other rabbis had opinions about additional laws that should be added to the list, but most agreed on these seven.
The sons of Noah were commanded concerning seven things: idolatry, incest, murder, cursing the Divine Name [blasphemyl, civil law courts, and a limb torn from a living animal. Rabbi Chanina said, "Also concerning blood from a living animal." Rabbi Leazar said, "Also against cross-breeding." Rabbi Shimon said, "Also against witchcraft." Rabbi Yochanan said, "Also against emasculation. (Genesis Rabbah 34:8)
The seven laws of Noah function more like general categories. Maimonides did not enumerate them among the traditional 613 commandments, but through deduction and implication they serve as seven broad categories of Torah that encompass numerous specific commandments.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Depths of the Torah, Book One.
Laws of Noah in the Apostolic Era
The existence of the laws of Noah explains why the apostles felt no need to write out a new Torah for the Gentiles or to spell out the obvious moral and ethical statutes of Judaism such as prohibitions on murder, theft, idolatry, etc. Judaism already assumed that a basic minimum standard of the Torahs moral and ethical laws applied to all human beings. In addition, Judaism already applied at least one dietary restriction to Gentiles: the prohibition on eating the limb of a living animal.
That is not to say that the apostles considered observance of the laws of Noah or the four laws of the apostolic decree as sufficient for attaining salvation. The laws of Noah offered Gentiles a baseline for ethical, moral conduct, but salvation came to the God-fearing Gentile believers "through the grace of the Master Yeshua."
Some critics object that the rabbinic sources that speak of the laws of Noah do not date as early as the Apostolic Era, but the apocryphal book of jubilees (c. 150 BCE) demonstrates that the theological concept behind the laws of Noah already existed well before the days of the apostles:
Noah began to command his grandsons with ordinances and commandments and all the judgments which he knew. And he bore witness to his sons that they might do justice and cover the shame of their flesh and bless the one who created them and honor father and mother, each one love his neighbor and preserve themselves from fornication and pollution and all injustice ... (And he said], "No man who eats blood or sheds the blood of man will remain upon the earth ... You shall not be like one who eats [meat] with blood, but beware lest they should eat blood before you. Cover the blood ... You shall not eat living flesh." (Jubilees 7:20-32)
1. IDOLATRY
The prohibition on idolatry applies to all human beings, both Jews and Gentiles. It includes the prohibition on making or honoring any physical representation of the LORD and the prohibition on worshiping, sacrificing, or praying to any god other than the LORD. It includes the prohibition on worshiping any created thing, whether heavenly bodies, angels, animals, natural phenomenon, trees, or human beings. It prohibits the creation of any object for purposes of veneration and worship. The prohibition on idolatry forbids us from bowing to an idol or showing it any form of service or even acknowledging that an idolatrous religion is true. Even if the idol is not present, it is forbidden to honor it. For example, pouring out a libation to a god before a meal qualifies as idolatry, even when no idol is present. One should be careful to avoid even the appearance of honoring an idol. The prohibition on idolatry forbids persuading others to practice idolatry. According to Jewish tradition, it also includes the prohibitions on occult arts, spell casting, charms, spirit channeling, fortune telling, communing with the dead, sorcery, divination, and other magical rituals. In summary, the Torah's numerous laws that deal with idolatry pertain also to Gentiles.
2. BLASPHEMY
The prohibition on blasphemy applies universally to all human beings. Blasphemy entails cursing God, or railing derisively against Him. The sages derived that the prohibition on blasphemy applies to Gentiles from the story of Job. Job was not Jewish. When Satan struck him with many afflictions, "his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and diel' He replied, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips" (Job 2:9-10).
Therefore, Jewish tradition prescribes a blessing even on the occasion of hearing bad news. Even if (God forbid) one hears terrible news, he showd say, "Blessed be the True Judge."
The prohibition on blasphemy includes all the laws about sanctifying God's Name. For example, this law includes the prohibitions on making false oaths, swearing falsely in the name of the LORD, or taking the LORDs name in vain.
3. MURDER
The prohibition on murder applies universally to all human beings. The Torah specifically mentions the prohibition on murder. The LORD hence forth required Noah and his sons to pay for human life with the life of the murderer:
Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man. (Genesis 9:6)
Whereas previously He had allowed Cain to live, the LORD now requires a murderer to be put to death for his crime. The new, rigid requirement prevents the rise of unchecked violence that led to the flood in the first place.
Judaism distinguishes between murder and manslaughter. For example, killing in war, self-defense, or as a punishment decreed by a court is not the same as murder.
In Jewish law, the prohibition includes the murder of the unborn and euthanasia. One who is able to prevent the death of another and does not do so transgresses the prohibition against murder. The law forbids participating in murder in any form. The law against murder also includes the prohibition on suicide. It includes all the Torah's laws of manslaughter and the cities of refuge.
By extension, the laws against murder include the prohibitions on gossip, evil speech, and character assassination, which the Torah equates with murder: "You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:16).
4. FORNICATION
The prohibition on fornication (zanah, זָנָה) and sexual immorality applies universally to all human beings. Jewish law interprets the prohibition on fornication to forbid sexual relations with anyone other than one's spouse. The rabbis derived the principle from Genesis 2:24: "A man shall leave his ther and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one Aesh." Rashi explains, "The Holy Spirit says this to forbid the Sons of Noah from forbidden relationships."
The exact definition of forbidden relationships for Gentiles was unclear in the days of the apostles. Rabbi Akiva taught that all the Torah's laws of sexual immorality also applied to Gentiles, but the extent to which they applied was debated. According to one early rabbinic explanation, the rules of sexual conduct are much more stringent for the Jewish people than they are for the sons of Noah. The Tosefta says, "In regard to these forbidden relationships, the Gentiles are judged in accordance with their own laws. As we will see below, the apostles clarified the ambiguity for Gentile disciples of Yeshua by prohibiting all sexual immorality. Therefore, the general prohibition on sexual immorality forbids Gentiles from homosexuality, bestiality, pedophilia, incest, adultery, prostitution, and sexual contact with anyone outside of wedlock.
5. THEFT
The prohibition on theft applies universally to all human beings. Not only does this prohibition apply to theft of personal property, it also prohibits kidnapping, all forms of malfeasance, swindling, extortion, and dishonesty for the sake of taking advantage of another. It prohibits overcharging, using unjust weights and measures, moving boundary stones, encroachment on another's livelihood, and all forms of dishonest or abusive business transactions. The law against theft prohibits withholding the salary of a worker. It includes the prohibition on rape and seduction (which involve the theft of sexual gratification). Cannibalism falls under the prohibition of theft. Some authorities include the prohibitions on assault under the prohibition of theft. Others include the prohibition of coveting. In summary, the prohibition on theft includes all the Torah's laws that prohibit taking advantage of someone else.
Apostolic-era writers summarized the first five Noachide laws in the Didache as follows:
You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit pedophilia, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten. (Didache 2.2)
6. Limb of a Living Animal
The prohibition on eating things while they are still alive applies universally to all human beings. The LORD commanded Noah: "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood" (Genesis 9:3-4). On the surface, this law sounds like similar laws in the Torah that prohibit Jews from ingesting blood or eating the meat of unslaughtered animals. One verse from Deuteronomy, however, makes that interpretation impossible:
You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy I4:21)
If the Torah advocates giving the meat of an animal that died of itself to a Gentile, then the law in Genesis 9:3-4 cannot be understood as a prohibition on the meat of unslaughtered animals. To reconcile the seeming discrepancy, the sages interpreted Genesis 9:3-4 as a prohibition on eating the meat of a creature while it is still alive, "with its life, that is, its blood." For example, a person might decide to amputate an animal's limb and eat it in order to save the rest of the animal for a later time.
This law hints toward other laws in the Torah such as laws about treating animals in a humane manner and further dietary laws about proper slaughter and clean and unclean meat. It does not, however, make the full gamut of Jewish dietary laws incumbent upon Gentile believers. As the Didache says, "Concerning food. Do as much as you are able."
7. COURTS OF JUSTICE
The commandment to establish courts of justice that will carry out justice and maintain civil order applies universally to all human beings. The commandment is inferred from the statement to Noah, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed." This law implies the existence of a court of law that can condemn the guilty, exonerate the innocent, and mete out punishment. The Torah's many laws of justice, legal procedure, litigation, tort law, fines, penalties, and rules are included in this category."
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Depths of the Torah, Book One.
More Than Sons of Noah
If Judaism already had in place a minimum standard of Torah to govern Gentiles, why did some Jewish believers insist, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the (whole) Torah of Moses" (Acts 15:3)
The God-fearing Gentile believers were not just "sons of Noah." Through Paul's gospel, they considered themselves co-heirs to the messianic promises and spiritual members of the people of Israel. They fellowshipped with the Jewish believers, shared meals with them, and worshiped in their synagogues. They considered themselves spiritual sons of Abraham (and Isaac, and Jacob). Those arguing for their full conversion only wanted to restore the boundaries that the Gentiles had crossed. They wanted to eliminate the tension created by non-Jews interfacing so closely with the Jewish community.
The God-fearing Gentile believers were more than sons of Noah, but they were not Jews or proselytes. The Torah speaks of "a stranger who sojourns among you." The stranger is not a full proselyte. For example, in Exodus 12:48, he is uncircumcised. Nevertheless, he lives among the Jewish people and receives certain protections and privileges from the nation. Even if they did not live in the land of Israel, the God-fearing Gentile believers qualified as strangers among the Jewish people. They were servants of the Jewish King.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Depths of the Torah, Book One.
Laws for Strangers in Israel
If Judaism already had the Noachide Laws in place as a minimum standard of Torah for Gentiles, why did the apostles feel it necessary to create the list of four specific prohibitions for Gentile believers? At first glance, it appears that some of the prohibitions are redundant. The apostles could have simply told the God-fearing Gentiles, "Keep the laws given to Noah."
Again, the God-fearing Gentile believers were more than "sons of Noah" or simple God-fearers. Through his allegiance to King Messiah, a Gentile believer entered into close fellowship with the Jewish people and became an adjunct member of the nation. In the language of the Torah, he became a "stranger who sojourns among you." In the Torah, certain laws apply to both the Jew and the stranger who sojourns in the midst of the people of Israel. All four of the apostolic decrees belong to that category of laws.
The four commandments of the apostolic decree go beyond the universal laws of Noah. The apostles seem to have derived them from Leviticus 17-18. In those chapters, the Torah describes the sins of the Canaanites, warns the People of Israel against imitating their ways, and prescribes four prohibitions that both the Israelite and the stranger who dwells within the nation must keep. "These correspond to the four prohibitions of the apostolic decree, in the order in which they occur in the apostolic letter":
Abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. (Acts 15:29)
1. "ABSTAIN FROM THINGS SACRIFICED TO IDOLS
They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot ... Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man also shall be cut off from his people. (Leviticus 17:7-9)
The prohibition on sacrificing outside the Temple presupposes an idolatrous sacrifice. According to this passage, the stranger who dwells among the people of Israel is also prohibited from sacrificing outside the Temple, and by extension, from eating food sacrificed outside the Temple. This is not the same as a general ban on idolatry. As demonstrated above, Judaism includes the prohibition on idolatry in the universal laws of Noah that apply to all of humanity. The prohibition on things sacrificed to idols goes one step further. It requires a heightened distancing from idolatry and things polluted by idolatry based upon the Torah's prohibition on eating food sacrificed to the gods.
2. "AND FROM BLOOD ...”
And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. (Leviticus 17:10-11)
The prohibition on blood is not, as some explain, a prohibition on murder. The apostles considered the law against murder as part of the universal laws of humanity given to Noah. Nevertheless, the prohibition on blood still seems redundant since God gave the same prohibition to Noah in Genesis 9:4. Why would the apostles repeat a prohibition that already applied to all Gentiles?
As noted above, Judaism interprets Genesis 9:4 to prohibit eating part or all of an animal while it is still alive. Therefore, according to the broad terms of ethical monotheism imposed by the synagogue, Gentiles are permitted to ingest unslaughtered meat or an animal's blood so long as the animal is dead. The apostolic decree against blood clarifies that Gentile disciples fall into a different category. As strangers in the midst of the people of Israch. Leviticus 17:10-11 specifically prohibits Gentile believers from consuming blood.
3. "AND FROM THINGS STRANGLED..”
Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, "No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood." So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. (Leviticus 17:12-13)
The prohibition on "things strangled" refers to the meat of animals not properly slaughtered according to ceremonial Torah standards. It includes all types of carcasses, and animals that died of injury (other than ritual slaughter) or disease. As noted above, Deuteronomy 14:21 specifically allows non-Jews to eat a carcass, but the Torah requires the "stranger who sojourns" within Israel to employ the Torah's method of slaughter, pouring out the blood upon the ground. Since the Gentile believers fell into the latter category, the apostles forbade them from the meat of strangled animals. Essentially, this means that Gentile believers should avoid meat that has not been slaughtered and drained properly.
4. "AND FROM FORNICATION."
But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these [sexual] abominations; neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you. (Leviticus 18:26)
The prohibition on fornication in Leviticus 18:26 comes at the end of a long list of forbidden unions (Leviticus 18:6-23). The list prohibits incest, intercourse with a woman in menstruation, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality and, by implication, all similar sexual deviancies. The apostolic prohibition on sexual immorality might seem redundant since the seven universal laws of Noah already prohibited fornication. Why would the apostles repeat an obvious prohibition that already applied to all Gentiles? As stated above, Apostolic-era opinion stated that the rules of sexual conduct for the sons of Noah could be determined by Gentile society: "In regard to these forbidden relationships, the Gentiles are judged in accordance with their own laws." This opinion left the meaning of sexual immorality vague and undefined for Gentiles. The God-fearing disciples, however, fal into a different category. As strangers in the midst of the people of Israel, the Torah holds them to the same standards of sexual purity to which it holds the Jewish people: "Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).
According to Judaism, the four prohibitions of the apostolic decree did not apply universally to all Gentiles-only to Gentiles in the midst of Israel. On that basis, the apostles spelled out the halachic consequences of their decision to allow God-fearing believers to remain as Gentiles. "Even if Gentiles are saved as Gentiles, they must be exhorted to abide by those commandments that already apply to them in Scripture and its interpretive tradition."
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Depths of the Torah, Book One.
Social Obstacles
The apostolic decrees require believing Gentiles to abstain from meat contaminated by idolatry, from meats that are not slaughtered according to a kosher standard, from the consumption of blood, and from sexual immorality. The four laws are not a substitute for the rest of the Torah, nor are they meant as the four minimum commandments that will merit salvation. Since Gentile believers have been "grafted in" to the nation, the additional four laws apply to them, over and above whatever laws apply universally to all human beings.
The four laws also enabled Jews and Gentiles to congregate together more easily. Each law created an obstacle between the Gentile and social interaction with the pagan world. At the same time, the four laws removed obstacles to social interaction with Jews.
The four laws ensured the Jewish community that Gentile believers no longer participated in the local idolatrous shrines, meals tainted by idolatry, sexual promiscuity, and other pagan indecency. The laws brought the Jewish and Gentile believers closer together in table fellowship by assuring the Jews that meat served by Gentiles was slaughtered in a kosher manner consistent with Jewish law.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Depths of the Torah, Book One.
The Laws of Love
When we combine all of the seven Noachide laws and their various derivatives with the four laws of the apostolic decree and all of their implications, we discover that many of the Torah's 613 commandments, particularly the prohibitions, do apply directly to Gentile believers and are incumbent upon them. Therefore, one cannot say that the Torah is incumbent only upon the Jewish people. Most of the Torah also applies to Gentile Christians in a binding manner.
Another category of the Torah's laws also applies equally to Jews and Gentile believers. Jewish tradition states that the commandment to 'love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) refers only to one's fellow Jew The Master challenged this interpretation when He expanded the meaning of "neighbor" to extend to anyone who is in need. Therefore, all the commandments that fall under the general category of "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" apply directly to Gentile disciples on the authority of the Master who said, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Torah and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12). The apostles used that teaching as the basis for requiring the God-fearing Gentile believers to adhere to the Torah's commandments governing social interaction and human relationships:
For the whole Torah is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)
He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Torah. For this, "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Torah. (Romans 13:8-10)
The "love your neighbor category" finds expression in the numerous apostolic references to "one another." All the commandments in the Torah that relate to the way one should treat another, therefore, apply directly to Gentile believers. Commandments pertaining to "your brother" and "your neighbor" and "one another" should be interpreted in like manner, i.e., incumbent upon both Jews and Gentile believers toward both Jews and Gentile believers.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Depths of the Torah, Book One.
11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:11, ESV Bible)
Never Again
The LORD solemnly swore to Noah that He would never again bring a flood to destroy the entire world: "I swore that the waters of Noah would not flood the earth again" (Isaiah 54:9). Likewise, the LORD swore to the Jewish people that, after the final redemption, Jerusalem will never be destroyed again. He said, "For this is like the day of Noah to Me [after the flood] ... So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you nor will I rebuke you" (Isaiah 54:9). The LORD will rebuild Jerusalem as an eternal city.
In another place, Isaiah says, "The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm" not to give Israel's grain and new wine to foreigners (Isaiah 62:8-9). Instead they will eat the grain before the LORD and drink their wine in His courts. This refers to Jerusalem.
The Almighty swore that He will rebuild Jerusalem as an everlasting city and gather in the exiles: "The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel" (Psalm 147:2). The Jewish people might complain, "Master of the world! Not long after you said these things, Jerusalem was built and then destroyed." The LORD replies, "On account of your sins it was destroyed, and you went into exile, but in the future I will build it and I will never again destroy it. "
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Shadows of Messiah, Book One.
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9:12-15, ESV Bible)
Sign of the Covenant
When a covenant was made in the ancient world, the parties selected a sign to be a reminder of their obligations. When God made His covenant with Noah, his descendants and all living things, He selected the rainbow as the sign. Ordinarily, a rainbow appears in the sky after a storm or rain shower has passed. As such, the rainbow was a fitting choice for a reminder of this covenant.
The prophet Isaiah refers to the story of the rainbow as he foretells a day when God and His people Israel will be reconciled. In that day, God will forgive the sins of His people and make a covenant of peace with them. There will be no more need for God to unleash divine wrath. In Isaiah 54:9, the prophet comforts the faithful remnant of Israel, assuring them that the difficult days of judgment and chastisement are over:
"For this is like the days of Noah to Me, when I swore that the waters of Noah would not flood the earth again; so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says the LORD who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:9-10)
The rainbow is a beautiful reminder of the God who keeps His promises. It reminds us that God is not only a God of wrath and vengeance. Though He doles out stern justice, He desires peace with His people. He is a God of lovingkindness, and His lovingkindness will never be removed from His people.
Life is full of storms. We all experience deluges of trouble. The rainbow reminds us that after the storm is over, God's love still prevails. The rabbis wrote a special blessing to be prayed on the occasion of seeing a rainbow in the sky:
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who remembers the covenant, is faithful to His covenant and establishes His Word.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Unrolling the Scroll.
16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:16, ESV Bible)
The Rainbow
The LORD gave Noah the rainbow as a sign of His covenant with all living creatures on the earth. The rainbow teaches us about Messiah. God offered it as a token of peace between Himself and humanity. He set it in the sky as a sign of His covenant faithfulness and mercy. In its full arc, the rainbow spans the distance between heaven and earth. The Prophet Ezekiel likens the glory of God to the resplendence of the rainbow:
As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. (Ezekiel 1:28)
Like the rainbow, Yeshua reflects the radiance of the glory of God. A rainbow appears when light intersects airborne moisture. The moisture in the atmosphere causes the light to refract, splitting it into the multiple colors that we see. In the language of the Torah, "the bow will be seen in the cloud" (Genesis 9:14). When heaven and earth intersect in this manner, they produce a beautiful refraction and splendid display of divine glory. When the heavenly Word intersects an earthly man, it refracts into a beautiful demonstration of God's glory on earth called the Messiah.
The rainbow is God's bow, a sign of divine judgment. When we see the rainbow, it reminds us that we are worthy of the same fate as the generation of Noah. According to the sages a generation that does not merit destruction does not see the rainbow in the sky.
One day God's judgment will be unleashed. In that regard the rainbow also serves as a warning. Though God has promised not to flood the earth again, He has not said that He will not exercise other judgments on the earth. Though the rainbow symbolizes God's universal covenant with all living things, it is also a weapon of His hand. The Prophet Isaiah speaks of Messiah as the "select arrow" that God has hidden in His quiver:
He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; and He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. (Isaiah 49:2)
One day the Almighty will fit His "select arrow" to the string of His bow, as the Master told us, "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). What is the sign of the Son of Man, and how will they see Him coming on the clouds with glory? The Torah tells us, "It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud" (Genesis 9:14). In that day, we will see the select arrow, no longer concealed in the quiver of God. Perhaps we will see the bow that is called "a sign" and the rainbow that is compared to the "great glory" of God.
The Talmud warns against gazing at rainbows because the rainbow reflects a portion of the glory of God, as mentioned in Ezekiel 1:28.10 By the same token, the Talmud warns that a person should not gaze directly into the face of the Messiah because He will carry the radiance of glory that was once upon Moses. Likewise, the sages warned against gazing at the priests while they pronounced the benediction because the priests place God's name upon Israel while they pronounce the blessing.
Yeshua reflects the glory of God; He is the Prince that is to come; He is our high priest, blessing us and placing God's name upon us. Even as we gaze upon Him, as the old hymn says, "The things of earth grow strangely dim."
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Shadows of Messiah, Book One.
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. (Genesis 9:20, ESV Bible)
Noah’s Altar and Vinyard
As soon as he left the ark, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices to the LORD. Tradition says that he rebuilt "the same altar which Adam had built when he was cast out of the garden, and sacrificed on it, and the same altar on which Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices." That is to say, Noah rebuilt the altar atop Mount Moriah where the Temple would one day stand. Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. The Targum says, "He found a vine which the river had carried away from inside the garden of Eden; and he planted it in a vineyard, and it flourished in a single day; and its grapes became ripe, and he pressed them out. "
Noah's altar and Noah's vineyard allude to the Messianic Era. When the Messiah comes, He will rebuild the holy Temple in Jerusalem and reestablish the altar of the LORD. He will usher in an age of miraculous fertility during which vineyards will produce abundantly, wine will flow in generous measure, and the righteous will drink from the grapevines of Eden at the banquet of King Messiah.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Shadows of Messiah, Book One.
23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. (Genesis 9:23, ESV Bible)
Covering Sin
Noah was a godly, righteous man. But even godly, righteous men make mistakes. Abusing alcohol is a sure way to make serious blunders. Noah's drunkenness brought him shame and family trouble. Worse than getting drunk and making a fool of himself, Noah did so in view of his sons. There comes a time in every child's life when he realizes that his father and mother are not perfect people. Our parents make mistakes. Sometimes lots of them. That's to be expected, since parents are also human beings. When we see our parents make blunders or behave badly, how do we as their children respond? God commands us to honor our father and mother. How can we honor them when they behave dishonorably?
The Torah shows us two alternatives. Noah's son Ham "saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside (Genesis 9:22). The other two sons, Shem and Japheth, took a blanket and covered their father. Ham's choice was to sneer at his father. The other two sons honored him. In fact, they would not even look on his nakedness as they covered him.
People do and say foolish things all the time. The natural human inclination is to expose their folly by pointing it out to others. The godly thing to do, however, is to look away from the foolishness of others and try to cover their shame.
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8)
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Unrolling the Scroll.
Immodesty in the Tent
Noah drank too much wine, uncovered himself in his tent, and passed out. Ham saw his father's nakedness and told his brothers about it. Shem and Japheth covered their father without looking on his nakedness. When Noah woke up and found out about what had happened, he cursed Ham. Noah's drinking binge resulted in a curse (on Ham) and blessing (for Shem and Japheth), which set the course of human history.
The Torah offers only cryptic hints about the details of Ham's indiscretion. That he "saw his father's nakedness" might be euphemistic for we know not what. The Torah's reticence has given rise to various suggestions, none of which are certain.
Regardless of the exact nature of the indiscretion, it constituted a breach of modesty. Modesty in dress, speech, and deed characterize the gody person. Unlike the sensual and hypersexual culture in which we live, the people of God must maintain firm boundaries, a healthy reverence for privacy, and a genuine sense of shame around breaches of modesty. In the culture of Torah-based Judaism, expressions of intimacy are appropriate only between husband and wife and only in the privacy of their own home. Even casual, physical contact between the sexes constitutes a breach of the first degrees of modesty.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Depths of the Torah, Book One.
27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” (Genesis 9:27, ESV Bible)
The Tents of Shem
Noah cursed his son Ham and his grandson Canaan, but he blessed his sons Shem and Japheth. Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite people. Shem was the ancestor of the Semitic peoples, including the Hebrews. The Messiah comes through the line of Shem. The Torah hints toward that destiny when Noah blesses the LORD as "the God of Shem" (Genesis 9:26).
Noah blessed his son Japheth, saying, "Let him dwell in the tents of Shem." According to the Targum, this means that the descendants of Japheth will become proselytes in the days of the Messiah: "His sons shall be proselytes and dwell in the schools of Shem, and Canaan will be a slave to them." In the days of Messiah, all nations will either be joined to Israel (as with Japheth) or subjugated to Israel (as with Canaan).
Shim'on ben Gamli'el (a classmate of Paul) authorized the Greek Septuagint version of the Scriptures on the basis of Genesis 9:27. One of the descendants of Japheth is Javan, the father of the Greek peoples. When other sages of the Apostolic Era argued against using the Greek version of the Scriptures, Shimon ben Gamli'el defended it on the basis that Japheth (a father of the Greek peoples) must dwell in the tents of Shem (a father of the Jewish people). As the apostles presented the gospel to the Greek-speaking world, they frequently relied on the Greek Septuagint version.
References
This section is from teachings from FFOZ Shadows of Messiah, Book One.