Blessings and Curses
Terms for blessings, and curses – Only two choices, it comes down to obeying the commandments.
Deut 11
26 ‘See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:
- 27 the blessing, when you obey the commands of YHWH your Elohim which I command you today;
- 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commands of YHWH your Elohim, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other mighty ones which you have not known
Clean and Unclean
Deut 12:15,21-22 “whatever your being desires you shall slaughter and eat, according to the blessing of YHWH your Elohim which He has given you, within all your gates. The unclean and the clean do eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer alike.”
This is not clean and unclean animals, but are referring to anyone can eat within their own gates (Verse 16,23 just repeats to pour the blood on the ground first). Anyone, clean and unclean. Unclean seems like such a harsh word to use. Perhaps if we translate it to, we all have sin, we are all sinful. Then we can agree that we are all unclean. The Hebrew definitions for these words are:
* Unclean : Tame H2931 – ṭāmē‘ : ritually impure, polluted especially sexually impure
* Clean : Taor H2889 – ṭâôr : physically and morally pure
Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, everyone has become unclean. That is now part of our “human nature”. Even Abraham, Moses, their wifes, everyone. It is just a fact. We can strife to live clean as much as possible, and we should, but it is just a matter of time that we will be unclean again. Yeshua made a statement in Matthew 5:48 “Therefore, be perfect, as your Father in the heavens is perfect“. This word “perfect” in Greek is G5046 – teleios, which means to become mature, to your fullness with integrity and virtue. That is what perfect means. Perfect in english again is such a horrible word, and have bad connotations to it. But let us try to keep our bodies and minds clean where we can, but also aim to be mature, striving for integrity and virtue.