Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. ³⁷ For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant. (Psalm 78:36-37 KJV)

 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: (Isaiah 29:13 KJV)

 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷ Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Mark 7:6-7 KJV)

 The difference between legalism and obedience is a simple matter of the heart.  The Torah is filled with promises of many great and wonderful blessings; of fertile land, multiple descendents, good health, long life, wealth and protection from human enemies, and natural disasters.

 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; ⁴ Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. ⁵ And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. ⁶ And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. ⁷ And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. ⁸ And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. ⁹ For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. ¹⁰ And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. ¹¹ And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. ¹² And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. (Leviticus 26:3-12 KJV)

 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of YHWH thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that YHWH thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: ² And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of YHWH thy God. ³ Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. ⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. ⁵ Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. ⁶ Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. ⁷ YHWH shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. ⁸ YHWH shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which YHWH thy God giveth thee. ⁹ YHWH shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of YHWH thy God, and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of YHWH; and they shall be afraid of thee. ¹¹ And YHWH shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which YHWH sware unto thy fathers to give thee. ¹² YHWH shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. ¹³ And YHWH shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of YHWH thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: ¹⁴ And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14 KJV)

 These blessings are the natural consequences of living in a loving relationship with YHWH the source of all these blessings.  In other words, these blessings are not a bribe to seduce us to obedience. These blessings are the natural fruit of living in a loving relationship with the Living God, the Sovereign Creator of the Universe.  The true calling upon the children of Israel is to love God with the whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.

 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I YHWH thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, ¹⁰ And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:9-10 KJV)

 And thou shalt love YHWH thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV)

 Know therefore that YHWH thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (Deuteronomy 7:9 KJV)

 And now, Israel, what doth YHWH thy God require of thee, but to fear YHWH thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve YHWH thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (Deuteronomy 10:12 KJV)

 Therefore thou shalt love YHWH thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. (Deuteronomy 11:1 KJV)

 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love YHWH your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, (Deuteronomy 11:13 KJV)

  For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love YHWH your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; (Deuteronomy 11:22 KJV)

 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for YHWH your God proveth you, to know whether ye love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:3 KJV)

 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love YHWH thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: (Deuteronomy 19:9 KJV)

 And YHWH thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love YHWH thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:6 KJV)

 In that I command thee this day to love YHWH thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and YHWH thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. (Deuteronomy 30:16 KJV)

 That thou mayest love YHWH thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which YHWH sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (Deuteronomy 30:20 KJV)  

 Let us take very careful notice of the connection between keeping the Torah and loving YHWH our God.  This connection between love and obedience was also taught by our Master Yeshua the Messiah, and his disciples.

 If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15 KJV)

 Yeshua answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. ²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (John 14:23-24 KJV)

 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18 KJV)

 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1 John 5:3 KJV)

 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10 KJV)

 Some may argue that Yeshua was referring only to the commandments that he created on his own. But this would contradict everything that Yeshua claimed about being sent by the Father, and speaking in the name of the Father.

 Yeshua answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. (John 7:16 KJV)

  I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43 KJV)

 Yeshua answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. (John 10:25 KJV)

 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24 KJV)

 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? ¹⁷ And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:16-17 KJV)

 Clearly our Master Yeshua was teaching the Torah. Yeshua taught that our obedience should be motivated by a desire to love YHWH our God with our whole heart mind and being.  Our obedience to the covenant is not a means of salvation or of  obtaining blessings but is the expression of our love for YHWH our God, who created, called, redeemed, delivered and invited us into covenant with him.  Our obedience is to be the expression of a heart filled with gratitude and love for the Sovereign One who through the life, death and resurrection of his son has offered us salvation.  Our love, expressed in obedience, is the proper response to what YHWH has already done for us not the means of gaining something more.

 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1 KJV)

 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16 KJV)

 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. ¹⁰ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:9-11 KJV)

 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16 KJV)

 We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 KJV)

 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12 KJV)

 If the children of Israel who were called, redeemed, and delivered out of a temporal bondage in Egypt were inspired to love YHWH with loving obedience for their temporal freedom, how much more so those of us who have been delivered from the spiritual and eternal bondage of fear, sin, and death by our redeemer Yeshua should give ourselves in loving obedience to the Father who has already demonstrated his love for us.  Those who have been set free by the Son should give their lives with even greater zeal to the keeping of the Torah.

 Yeshua answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. ³⁵ And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. ³⁶ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:34-36 KJV)

 Love manifested in obedience is a selfless love.  The intention of the obedience is to serve YHWH not the self.  This is the love that Yeshua our Master taught and modeled for us.

 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (John 10:17 KJV)

 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:13-14 KJV)

 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44 KJV)

 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. (Luke 6:32 KJV)

  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Messiah Yeshua: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 KJV)

 Yeshua’s obedience, even unto the cross was not for his own sake but the sake of the Father who created, called, anointed and sent him to carry out his perfect will in the world.  Yeshua’s obedience, even unto to death, was motivated by love for YHWH and for his people.

 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (John 6:38 KJV)

  Yeshua saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34 KJV)

  But Yeshua answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. (John 5:17 KJV)

 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. (John 9:4 KJV)

 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4 KJV)

 Keeping Torah is not simply fulfilling the letter of the law.  Yeshua accused the Pharisees of hypocrisy because they kept the letter of the law perfectly—but their hearts were not right.  The Pharisees and religious leaders of Yeshua’s day were indeed fulfilling the letter of the law and more so in order to achieve worldly or temporal blessings and recognition.

 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23 KJV)

 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. ² Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:1-2 KJV)

 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:16 KJV)

 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:5 KJV)

 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (Matthew 23:14 KJV)

 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, (Matthew 23:5 KJV)

 Such legalistic fulfillment of the letter of the Torah is not keeping the Torah.  Such legalistic keeping of the Torah is not motivated by love of God but love of self.

 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. ³⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (Matthew 12:34-35 KJV)

 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. (Matthew 15:18 KJV) 

 We must not be deceived.  It is possible for those who legalistically fulfill the letter of the law out of love for themselves to appear to be keeping the Torah.  The lover of God and the lover of self may both keep the Sabbath.  The lover of God and the lover of self may both keep the Feasts.  The lover of God and the lover of self may both keep all the distinctions of tahor and tamei (clean and unclean) in their lives.  In fact, as was the case with the Pharisees, it may even be that the lover of self will go beyond the letter of the law to prove his worthiness.  But only the lover of God is keeping Torah.  While both the lover of God and the lover of self bring the same offering, the heart is far different.  Two stories in the Torah help to demonstrate this fact.  The first is that of Cain and Able.

 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto YHWH. ⁴ And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat ones thereof. And YHWH had respect unto Abel and to his offering: ⁵ But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:3-5 KJV)

 Both of these brothers brought a minchah offering to YHWH from the fruit of their labor.  But one offering was accepted and the other rejected.  What was the difference?  It is clear from the language of the text that Abel not only brought the first, but also the best of his flocks.  Clearly Abel had put thought into his offering revealing the heart behind the offering. While Cain did indeed bring an offering, there is no indication that he brought first or the best of his crop. 

 The second story is that of Abraham and Melchizedek.  After Abraham rescued Lot and defeated King Chedorlaomer and his army, Abraham was met by two kings as he returned home with all the spoils of war.

 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. ¹⁷ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. ¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of El Elyon. ¹⁹ And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of El Elyon, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰ And blessed be El Elyon, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. ²¹ And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. ²² And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto YHWH, El Elyon, the possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: ²⁴ Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. (Genesis 14:16-24 KJV)

  Let us note that each king made an offering unto Abraham.  Melchizedek came with the humble gift of bread and wine for Abraham, and most likely his troops. The King of Sodom offered Abraham all of the goods captured in the battle.  Surely the king of Sodom’s gift was far more valuable than that of Melchizedek.  Yet, Abraham gave a tithe of the spoils to Melchizedek and refused to receive anything from the hands of the King of Sodom.  Melchizedek’s gift was given freely, without request for anything in return.  Melchizedek offered Abraham fellowship, bread and wine, and a blessing without any thought for himself.  The King of Sodom, on the other hand, demanded the return of all the people—his subjects.  Abraham by his rebuke revealed the heart of Bera King of Sodom: “lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.”  This statement may be taken in two ways.  First, it may mean that later, when Abraham is successful, that Bera would claim the credit for Abraham’s success and thus rob YHWH of the glory that is due him alone.  It may also mean that Bera will later begrudge Abraham his God given success claiming that Abraham stole Bera’s wealth, refusing to return the spoils. Either way, Abraham discerned the heart of the King of Sodom and rightly rejected anything from him.

 YHWH too is a distinguisher of the heart.  YHWH sees what our finite human sense cannot.  YHWH sees the motivation of the heart behind every word and every action. 

 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 KJV)

 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. (Genesis 20:6 KJV)

 And thou shalt remember all the way which YHWH thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Deuteronomy 8:2 KJV)

 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for YHWH searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. (1 Chronicles 28:9 KJV)

 But YHWH said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for YHWH seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but YHWH looketh on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7 KJV)

 Only that which comes from the heart is acceptable to YHWH.

 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. (Exodus 25:2 KJV)

 Take ye from among you an offering unto YHWH: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of YHWH; gold, and silver, and brass, (Exodus 35:5 KJV)

 We may also recall Yeshua’s parable concerning the Pharisee and the Tax collector at prayer.

 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. ¹³ And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14 KJV)

 While this story is well known to us and may have little impact upon us, I assure you that the first hearers of this story were shocked and maybe even offended by the teaching.  How is it that the lowly sinner was justified when the righteous acting Pharisees, who went beyond what the Torah required, was not?  The answer to this question is a matter of the heart.  YHWH was not merely looking at the actions of their lives but the intent of the heart.  The tax collector was honest and humble before YHWH acknowledging his failures and unworthiness.  The Pharisee on the other hand was exalting himself and pointing to his perception of worthiness. It is clear that the Pharisee’s motive was the hope of personal gain and recognition and not the love of YHWH.  We too may be surprised on the Day of Judgment as to who is blessed and who is cursed. 

 While we may be deceived by outward appearances of righteousness YHWH is not.  YHWH sees whether the Torah is being kept out of a selfish desire for riches, recognition, and blessings, or in the hope of escaping judgment, curse, and suffering. For the legalist, the Torah remains outside of his heart and is experienced as an imposition and impingement upon life.  For the legalist, the Torah is a burden, a challenge, a hurdle and a means to a greater end.  For the legalist, the Torah is a personal quest to gain the most blessings and notoriety by doing whatever is necessary to achieve this personal goal. 

 For the genuine Torah Keeper, however, the Torah is written on upon the heart.  For the genuine Torah Keeper, the Torah emanates from within the heart expressing itself in external obedience.  For the genuine Torah Keeper, the Torah is kept first in the heart and manifested in a joyful obedience and praise of YHWH.  The genuine Torah Keeper is liberated and free and does not feel the Torah to be burdensome or grievous. For the genuine Torah Keeper obedience to the Torah is an expression of love for the Father in gratitude for the many blessings already given and enjoyed and not the means of seeking yet more.

 Since the destruction of the Temple and defiling of the priesthood, there is much of the Torah we cannot do.  As Torah observant believers living in exile in the 21^st century, there is much we have yet to learn and understand.    Because of the great language and cultural differences between the modern believer and the children of Israel that stood at Mount Sinai with Moses, or listened personally to the teachings of Yeshua, we may never fully understand the Torah and therefore fail to keep it perfectly.  With each passing Torah cycle new knowledge and understanding are gained and life adjusted accordingly.  But, until Messiah returns to teach us correctly, we may be sure that we will fall short of perfection.  Our ignorance and inability to outwardly keep the Torah perfectly should not plague us with undo anxiety.  The Father is looking at our heart.  It should be our hearts desire to do it perfectly.  Sins of ignorance will be forgiven.  Until all things are restored, the Father is pleased if he sees in us the genuine desire to keep the Torah out of love for him.  If our hearts are right then our actions will follow and both will be pleasing in his sight.