Have you ever heard of the seat of Moses?
Yeshua Messiah mentions it in Matthew 23, so I think we should take a look at it…
If our Messiah speaks of it, then we should know and understand what He said.

We see this direct quote of Messiah in Matthew 23:1-3
Then Yeshua spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying, “The Torah scholars and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. ³ So whatever they tell you, do and observe. But don’t do what they do; for what they say, they do not do.

What basic information can we pull from these verses?
1.  Messiah is speaking to ‘the crowds’
Since the word crowd is plural, this record may indicate He spoke        this on more than one occasion.
2.  Messiah also spoke this to His disciples.
3.  He is referring to the educated religious leaders of His day, the
Torah scholars and Pharisees.
4.  Specifically, He is referring to when they sit in the seat of Moses
5.  Messiah says to do what they say when teaching from the seat of
Moses
6. But then He warns to not do what they do, to not follow their
example of what they live out

This leads to the main question of:  Why is there a difference between what they say in the seat of Moses, and what they actually do in their lives?  Messiah instructs us to do one and not the other.

If we take a close look at the Greek, we see Strongs NT #2515.
καθέδρα
Transliteration:
kathedra;  kä-the’-drä
Definition:
a chair, a seat
used of the exalted seat occupied by men of eminent rank or influence, as teachers and judges
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon:
of the exalted seat occupied by men of eminent rank or influence, as teachers and judges: ἐπί τῆς Μωϋσέως καθέδρας ἐκάθισαν, sit on the seat which Moses formerly occupied, i. e. bear themselves as Moses’ successors in explaining and defending his law,

This word by itself could simply mean a seat or chair.  When combined into a specific noun as “Moses’ Seat” or “The Seat of Moses” it takes on a new meaning.
Thayer’s describes it well, stating that it is a seat of authority used by men of eminent rank or influence, used to explain and defend the law of Moses.
Historically, when in the seat of Moses, teachers read the Torah word for word, without injecting any commentary.
Messiah says to do what they say when they teach from the seat of Moses.  In other words, Messiah says to do what the Torah says.

Yeshua Messiah then goes on to tell us to NOT do what the religious leaders do when outside of the seat of Moses.  We are NOT to follow their example in life.
If the narrative ended here, we wouldn’t have much to go on, although we could follow these simple instructions.
1. Do what the Torah says.
2. Do not do what men say.

But there is much more…
The remainder of Matthew 23 is a scathing rebuke of the educated religious leaders of His day.
We learn from the rest of the chapter why we should not follow their example.
What the Pharisees live out in their own lives and expect from others is a heavy burden.  Their requirements are born out of arrogance and self-importance. They honor themselves, while discouraging the people.

Verses 13 and 14 are especially horrific:
¹³ “But woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not enter yourselves, nor do you let those enter who are trying to go in.

Messiah says these teachers will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Even worse, He says they shut others out of the kingdom, by teaching them false doctrine.

Messiah calls them hypocrites. He calls them blind guides.  He calls them whitewashed tombs (pretty on the outside, but dead on the inside).
Messiah says they are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
He calls them murderers of the prophets.
He calls them snakes, and a brood of vipers!
He asks how they will escape the condemnation of Gehenna?

Matthew 23 does not paint a pretty picture.
Messiah absolutely detested the educated religious leaders of His day, and He told them so in significant detail!!

What are we to learn from this?
First and foremost, we learn that Messiah tells us to do what the Torah says. If you are unfamiliar with what that means, the Torah consists of the first five books of the bible.  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
This is where we learn the commandments given by Yahuah.

Do you see the significance of this?
Mainstream Christianity teaches that the law of the Old Testament has been done away with…
Messiah is telling us to do what it says.
Whoa…
Can this possibly be right?
Does Messiah say this anywhere else, so that we can be sure?

John 14:15
 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
John 14:21
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.”
John 15:10
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” 

~~~~~~  “Yes, but my pastor says the writings of Paul teach us that the law has been done away with…”  ~~~~~~

Well, Messiah says otherwise…
Matthew 5:17-19
¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. ¹⁸ Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

~~~~~~  “But my pastor went to seminary and has his PHD in theology and religious studies”  ~~~~~~

We are warned against twisting Paul’s writings in a way that would lead to lawlessness (not following Torah, as Messiah commands us to do).

2Peter 3:14-17
¹⁴ Therefore, loved ones, while you are looking for these things, make every effort to be found in shalom, spotless and blameless before Him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that the patience of our Lord means salvation—just as our dearly loved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom given to him. ¹⁶ He speaks about these matters in all of his letters. Some things in them are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist (as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures)—to their own destruction.
¹⁷ Since you already know all this, loved ones, be on your guard so that you are not led astray by the error of the lawless and lose your sure footing. 

Scripture says that making this mistake will lead to our destruction.
Not cool…

What else can we learn from Messiah’s words in Matthew 23?
We learn that Messiah is not concerned about the knowledge, wealth, power, and influence that educated religious leaders have in society. He will tell them straight up that they have missed the mark, and that their false teachings will prevent other good men and women from entering the kingdom of heaven.

If we ask mainstream church pastors where they get their authority to teach scripture, most will refer to the diplomas neatly displayed on their office walls.
How much authority do pastors have according to scripture?
Matthew 28:18
¹⁸ And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

If “ALL” authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Messiah, how much authority is left over for church leaders?
Exactly none.

Is it possible that educated religious leaders of modern times could compare to the educated religious leaders of Messiah’s time?Ecclesiastes 1:9
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done will be done again.
There is nothing new under the sun.

Let’s wrap this up with a statement from the wisest man to ever live:  What is the responsibility of man in this life?
Ecclesiastes 12:13
¹³ A final word, when all has been heard:
    Fear God and keep His commandments!
For this applies to all mankind.