by Gary L. Evans
(revised 8/4/2023)
The Law of Liberty — Part 5
Mat 3:1-4 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
John was a Levitical priest, both his father and mother being pure blood Levites. But he stayed out in the wilderness or rural areas around Judea rather than in downtown Jerusalem about the temple. He wore animal skins for clothing and ate locusts, which was a large variety of grasshopper, and wild honey. And he taught the people who came to him that they must repent and turn back to God’s Law in order to prepare for the coming of The Lord, The Messiah, Who would bring in The Kingdom of Heaven.
Is it lawful to eat grasshoppers? Of course, John The Baptist ate them. Of course, one might need to eat a mess of them to make a good meal.
Lev 11:21-22 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
So our Lord taught that the grasshopper and “beetle” (a type of leaping locust) were clean creatures we could eat. They do not carry disease that can infect us and make us sick. John knew The Law and certainly knew his FREEDOM to eat locusts for food.
This knowledge may be of importance to us if we ever find ourselves surviving in the wilderness away from cities. Their abdomens may be sun dried or baked to store for a long time and added to soups or stews as protein. They taste like pieces of meat.
Lev 11:1-3 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
Animals that have split hoofs and chew the cud we may eat. That includes cows and goats and sheep and deer and elk, and animals like them.
Lev 11:4-6 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Note for examples of the unclean that the rabbit has paws, even though it does chew the cud, and monkeys have hands and also carry thirty different cancer viruses.
Lev 11:7-8 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
We must not eat the pig, even though it is cloven-footed, because it does not chew the cud. Our Father taught us good things in His Law, to FREE us from sickness and premature death.
The swine is naturally infested with trichinosis, which is a microscopic worm that once the eggs hatch in our intestines burrow through the flesh of our bodies and into the muscles of our hearts, and also into our brains. They eat their ways into our hearts and into our brains and live their lives sucking our life from us for the rest of their lives. Although they are very small, most people who eat the swine are infected with thousands or hundreds of thousands of these worms per square inch of heart muscle, and similarly in their brains. Do you know that man did not discover the existence of trichinosis until the early eighteen hundreds with the invention of microscopes?
How did Moses know to warn God’s People not to eat swine? It was not aliens from outer space that told Moses about microscopic parasitic worms that man would not learn about until four thousand years later. The Scriptures we are studying right now are indeed The Word of God. God warned His People because He loves us as His dear children and wants us to be FREE from sickness and disease and to live long lives.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
The Law of Liberty — Part 6
Lev 25:23-28 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.
According to God’s Law, it was forbidden that any man take permanent possession of another man’s land. It continued to belong to him and to his children forever. Why? Because the earth belongs to God, and He declared that no one take the land of another family. Thus our Father made His children FREE from becoming indentured servants for their entire lives, and certainly not from generation to generation. Even if a man became poor, his children would still have an inheritance. No matter the amount of the debt, in the year of the Jubilee, which occurred at a Set Time every fifty years, the remaining debt was nulled and voided.
Lev 25:35-36 And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.
Our Father forbid the taking of interest on any loan. That would be a terrible sin to do such a thing. It was expected that if one had the ability to help his neighbor who was in distress that he should do so without demanding an increase in return.
Lev 25:37-42 Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile: And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
And if anyone was in need and had to borrow, then he could serve as a laborer for hire in order to repay the debt. But the terms of the loan must be calculated based on the nearness of the next year of Jubilee, because after that the remaining debt must be forgiven him.
Do you see that according to God’s Law the charging of interest on any loan is a crime? Do you see that according to God’s Law no servitude or use of land as collateral for a loan could continue beyond The Year of Jubilee, which occurred every fifty years? Do you see that according to God’s Law it is impossible for His Children to ever become slaves or ever permanently lose their inheritance of land in this world? That is guaranteed FREEDOM!
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
The Law of Liberty — Part 7
Deu 15:1-3 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;
After seven years, every uncollateralized loan must be forgiven. Today we call this personal bankruptcy, the biggest difference being that this forgiveness was automatic in that a man did not need to apply for it with an application to some court. This is a different Law from The Year of Jubilee which regarded the putting up of ones land for collateral for a loan. Because no matter what happens, in The Year of Jubilee, all unpaid debts were forgiven and the land returned to the owning family. This Seven Year Release regarded short term loans.
Deu 15:4-8 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
This commandment regards how one must treat his neighbor: “open thine hand wide unto him and lend him sufficient for his need.”
Deu 15:9-10 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.
The Lord promises to make a man happy for his generosity by helping his neighbor during his distress. Since it was unlawful to charge interest on a loan, it was our Father Who promised to provide the increase.
Deu 15:11-12 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
There will always be some poor in the land. But after six years of service, a man or a woman must be freed from servitude. In this way no one could ever become the slave of another man in any sense of the word for more than six years. And then he was free from his debt and from his service.
Deu 15:13-14 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
And when a servant was set free in the seventh year, he must be provided with a generous portion to enable him to get restarted with his own farm, with at least a starter flock of sheep or goats or cattle, and with starter vines so he could plant his own vineyard, and with grain to plant and to feed his family until he could get his first crop in for the harvest. Today our custom is only a feeble remnant of this release, which is called severance pay.
Deu 15:15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.
God’s Law is The Law of Liberty, which means, FREEDOM.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
The Law of Liberty — Part 8
Deu 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
A “tithe” was a tenth of the increase from year after year.
Deu 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
The people must eat before The Lord, where He chooses to place His Name there, their tithes of corn and wine and oil and firstborn of their herds and flocks so that they would learn to reverence The Lord forever.
Deu 14:24-26 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
But if the place where The Lord has chosen to place His Name there be too far for the people to carry their cattle and sheep and grains, then they should sell the tenth of their increase for money and take it to that place which The Lord has chosen and buy oxen, sheep, wine, or strong drink, or anything else they desire, and they must eat and drink those things before The Lord. They must also rejoice and be happy, all of their household.
Deu 14:27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
And the people must share with the Levitical priests, because they depend on the people for their livelihood since they have no inheritance of land.
What our Lord does not forbid is not forbidden. God made no Law forbidding wine or strong drink. These are part of our reward for working long days at labor. And they are also part of our tithing to The Lord in due season.
Do not let arrogant self-exalted men place heavy burdens on you regarding this matter. By their very making up of “new laws” out of the wicked imaginations of their hearts, they transgress God’s Law, and are therefore guilty of terrible sins. We have the FREEDOM to enjoy wine and beer and liquor as part of the fruits of our labor.
Deu 16:13-15 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
Our Lord commanded His People to celebrate three major feasts each year, and The Feast of Tabernacles was one of those. This was after the harvest of crops and from their vineyards to make wine. And they were to share all of their bounty with other people at the feast. It was a time of rejoicing and celebration. Wine was an important part of all major feasts each year.
Deu 16:16-17 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
The Law of Liberty — Part 9
Lev 15:16 And if any man’s seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
This is The Law regarding masturbation. A man must wash with water and be ceremonially unclean until the next day.
Lev 15:17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.
And if he soils his garments or anything else, then they also must be washed in water.
Lev 15:18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
This is The Law regarding when a husband and wife join in copulation. Afterwards they must wash in water and be considered ceremonially unclean until the next day.
This is what our Lord says about masturbation and about coitus between a husband and wife. Therefore every man and woman are FREE to enjoy themselves alone in the privacy of their own bed. And every married couple is FREE to enjoy themselves together in the privacy of their own bed. Cleanliness is all that is required, which is just basic common sense.
Do not let any man place any burden upon you or put you on any guilt trip regarding these matters. Because wicked perverted men pretending to be preachers of The Gospel, but in truth are not, seem to have a very bad habit of sticking their filthy hands down into the pants of the members of their congregations, figuratively speaking of course, although not always.
Deu 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
The Law may never be changed. It is perfect and complete. The Word of God is Eternal.
This has only been an introduction into our Father’s Law, and has been intended to cover only several basic but important matters to get your attention and inform you about things that have much influence over each of our lives. God’s Law is not complicated or difficult to understand if we take the time to think about it as we study.
It helps to read all of it because many verses in later chapters provide more insight into the meaning of earlier verses that we have already read. The first five books of The Bible are properly called The Law, or Torah, and of those the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy are the primary books of The Law.
Our Father loves us very much and desires that we remain healthy and live long lives and enjoy the fruits of our labors, and does not hold back any good thing from us, and has decreed through His Law that we have FREEDOM while we live in accordance with His Will.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.