The Commandments Of Custom

What are the commandments of custom?

Stephen the Jew was falsely accused in Jerusalem of saying that the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) would destroy the customs given by Moses in the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) (Acts 6:13-14).  What are these customs?

Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka the Apostle Paul) and Silas the Jew were falsely accused in Philippi of teaching customs of Jews that it was not lawful for uncircumcised Romans to keep (Acts 16:20-21).  What are these customs?

Paul the Jew was falsely accused in Jerusalem of teaching those of the circumcised ethnic group of Israel outside of the Promise Land to no longer keep the customs like circumcision, even though he had continued to keep all the commandments of the Law of Truth (Acts 21:21-24).  What are these customs?

Those of other uncircumcised ethnic group outside of the Promise Land who followed the Man of Truth were not commanded to observe these customs (Acts 21:25).  What are these customs?

Paul the Jew was happy to answer the false accusations of those from the circumcised ethnic group of Israel who had rejected the Man of Truth in Caesarea because King Agrippa was expert in their customs (Acts 26:2-3).  What are these customs?

Paul the Jew told the religious leaders of the circumcised ethnic group of Israel in Rome that he committed nothing against the customs of the circumcised ethnic group of Israel (Acts 28:16-17).  What were these customs?

We can see from the context where these customs are mentioned that these customs were part of the Law of Truth and applied to those of the circumcised ethnic group of Israel, but not to those of other uncircumcised ethnic groups.  We can see that these customs included circumcision and some even applied to those of the circumcised ethnic group of Israel outside of the Promise Land.

So, these customs are defined by the commandments of the Law of Truth.  Yet, it is evident that many of the commandments of the Law of Truth like not committing adultery applied those of other uncircumcised ethnic groups who followed the Man of Truth.

So, these commandments of custom are some of the conditional commandments in the Law of Truth that do not apply to all people at all times in all places under all circumstances.  We are going look at them closely in their whole context because context is king!

We will begin with the customs that were given as signs to the ethnic group of Israel.

Circumcision really is a cut above the rest.  It is a sign to mark (token) that the descendants of Abraham are part of the covenant that he made with the Father of Truth concerning the Promise Land (Genesis 17:7-14).

There are really three types of Sabbath.  The weekly Sabbath was given as a sign to the descendants of Israel (Exodus 31:13).

The annual Sabbaths in the Feasts of Unleavened Bread were a sign to the Congregation of Israel that the Father of Truth had delivered them from Egypt (Exodus 13:6-9).  In the Sabbath (seventh) year, everyone among the Congregation of Israel in the Promise Land had to hear all the commandments of the Law of Truth so they could keep them (Deuteronomy 31:10-12).

For the ethnic group of Israel, it does matter what they eat.   The Father of Truth gave them customs that define what is for dinner.  They are to only eat clean animals that can be sacrificed to the Father of Truth because that marks them as a special ethnic group that the Father of Truth treasures above all other ethnic groups on Earth (Leviticus 20:25-26).

So, circumcision, the Sabbaths, and not eating unclean animals were all commandments given to the ethnic group of Israel to mark them as different from all other ethnic groups on Earth.  These commandments would not be signs of this if all ethnic groups were commanded to keep them.

So, what other commandments of custom help define the culture of the ethnic group of Israel?

The ethnic group of Israel was not to mention the names of other gods (Exodus 23:13).  However, this means in the context of worship, for the Prophets of Truth mentioned the names of other gods in the writings of the Book of Truth (Numbers 22:41).  The most important thing was to not apply the customs that other ethnic groups used in worshiping their gods to the worship of the Father of Truth, instead of following His commandments in worship (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).

So, they were not to use enchantments or observe horoscopes or mark their bodies with things like tattoos (Leviticus 19:26-28).  This included cutting themselves or even shaving off part of their eyebrows because they were chosen as an ethnic group to represent the Father of Truth to all other ethnic groups on Earth (Deuteronomy 14:1-2).

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be kept as a sign upon their hand and a frontlet between their eyes to keep the commandments of the Father of Truth in their mouth (Exodus 13:7-9).  So, the ethnic group of Israel is to teach them to their children continually because those words are in their heart (Deuteronomy 6:4-7).

The ethnic group of Israel is to bind the Word of Truth upon their hands and keep them as a frontlet between their eyes as well as write them on the doorposts of their home and upon their gates (Deuteronomy 6:8-9).  This helps them and their children to obey the commandments of the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 11:18-20).

So, the bare commandments of custom that serve as signs are not all that is needed to define the culture of this ethnic group.  These other commandments of custom also mark them as different than all other ethnic groups.

Every ethnic group also has customs concerning things like clothing and hair styles that define the culture of that ethnic group.  So, there are commandments of custom that eventually caused the ethnic group of Israel to make cloaks, aprons, and handkerchiefs with fringes with a blue thread on each corner.  In like manner, there were commandments of custom that defined what was to be on their head and when.

What benefits are there from keeping these commandments of custom?

If the ethnic group of Israel will keep these commandments of custom along with the other commandments, then none of them will be afflicted with disease by the Father of Truth and will be healed of all diseases that they already have (Exodus 15:26).  He will bless their food and drink for obeying His commandments about things like eating only clean animals, so that there will not be one sick person among them (Exodus 23:25).  He will take away all sickness and afflict their enemies with dreaded diseases instead (Deuteronomy 7:15).

The ethnic group of Israel will not have one barren woman or one miscarriage and all of them will live to a great age (Exodus 23:26).  This will even be the case of their animals and crops, if they will obey the commandments of custom as well as the other commandments (Deuteronomy 7:11-14).

The ethnic group of Israel will be given the power to gain wealth, so the Father of Truth can establish His covenant concerning the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 8:18).  He will cause them to be blessed in everything they put their hand to, so that they will lend and not borrow as well as be above all other ethnic groups (Deuteronomy 28:11-13).

In fact, if the ethnic group of Israel will keep the commandments of customs as well as the other commandments, then not only will they live long on the Earth, but their days will be like Heaven on Earth (Deuteronomy 11:21-22)!  They will be blessed in everything they do, so that all other ethnic groups will recognize that the ethnic group of Israel has been placed above everyone else, because they are holy to the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 28:1-10)!

When the Man of Truth rules, all of kingdoms of the uncircumcised ethnic groups outside of the Promise Land will have to serve the kingdom of Israel (Isaiah 60:10-12).  The uncircumcised members of the Congregation of Israel that will live in the Promise Land as part of the kingdom of Israel will be servants to the circumcised ethnic group of Israel there during his reign (Isaiah 61:5-9).

The New Jerusalem will be in the eternal kingdom of Israel marked by the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on the gates, when the Father of Truth comes to live among men in the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:12-13).  The kingdoms of the uncircumcised Gentiles will live in other kingdoms and will have to bring tribute to the eternal kingdom of Israel (Revelation 21:22-27)!

This is why the Man of Truth said that those who kept and taught others to keep the commandments of custom would be greater in his kingdom than those who did not (Matthew 5:17-19).  He also said that the commandments of righteousness were more important than the commandments of custom (Matthew 23:23).

Indeed, circumcision is very profitable as Paul the Jew said, if one also keeps the commandments of righteousness (Romans 2:25-26).  It gives the circumcised ethnic group of Israel every advantage over those who are uncircumcised, especially since they were given the Word of Truth that brings salvation (Romans 3:1-2).

So, can other people gain these advantages?

Anyone can become part of the ethnic group of Israel if they are circumcised (Exodus 12:48).  That is how so many people born into other ethnic groups became part of the circumcised ethnic group of Israel in the time of Esther (Esther 8:17).

In like manner, Paul the Jew circumcised Timothy – who had a Gentile father – after Timothy came into the House of Truth, so Paul the Jew was in no way opposed to teaching others to keep the commandments of custom (Acts 16:1-3).  This obligated Timothy the Jew to keep all the commandments of customs as well as the commandments of righteous, but Timothy was not trusting in keeping these commandments to save him from sin instead of faith in the Man of Truth (Galatians 5:2-4).

Indeed no one has ever been justified by keeping the commandments of the Law of Truth (Galatians 2:16).  Keeping of the commandments of custom cannot replace faith in the Man of Truth because no one else has ever kept all of them without fail (Galatians 3:10-12).

Both the circumcised and the uncircumcised are justified by faith in the Man of Truth (Romans 3:28-30).  The advantages of circumcision and keeping the commandments of custom DO NOT INCLUDE SALVATION (1 Corinthians 7:18-20).

Circumcision and keeping the commandments of custom are useless by themselves.  People must have the better circumcision for those things to be beneficial.

People must keep the weightier matters of the Law of Truth if they are going to be part of the kingdom of the Man of Truth.  Keeping the lessor matters of the Law of Truth only gives people a better position in his kingdom.

So, people should not keep the commandments of custom to be saved, but because they are saved and want a greater place in the kingdom of the Man of Truth.  A greater place in the kingdom of the Man of Truth will cause them to be closer to the Father of Truth both in this world and the world to come.

However, coming into the House of Truth will give you the ability to keep the commandments of the Law of Truth (Romans 3:31).  You will no longer have a mind that is opposed to the Law of Truth once the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) lives in you (Romans 8:5-9).

You can only come into the House of Truth by surrendering control of your life to the Man of Truth because you have faith that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).  Both those obligated to keep the commandments of custom and those not obligated to do so become part of the kingdom of the Man of Truth by the same means (Romans 10:10-13).

Come into the House of Truth!