We all see post after post after post on Facebook and other sites about being Torah Observant, or being Hebrew Roots, or whatever label is used…
What does that mean, exactly?

It means we make of list of things we are supposed to do, and we do it, right?
Or we do some of it anyway, right?
Yes, that’s it.
Lesson over.
Have a nice day.

Hmmmm, wait a minute.
Maybe we should look at this some more.

What does it mean to be Torah Observant?
Is it all about obedience?
We see in scripture that obedience is important and necessary, but why? What if we keep the feasts, wear tzitzits, honor Shabbat, and eat clean?
Is this the magic checklist that makes us “in covenant” with Yehova?
No, it is not…

Why do we choose to observe and honor these things?
Obedience will earn us salvation, right?
No, never.

Ephesians 2:8-10
⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves—it is the gift of Yehova. ⁹ It is not based on deeds, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship—created in Messiah Yeshua for good deeds, which Yehova prepared beforehand so we might walk in them.
Verses 8 and 9 above tell us:
— We are saved by grace
— Through faith
— It is a gift
— So no one boasts

Verse 10 is interesting, though.
It tells us we are created for good deeds, which Yehova prepared for us to do. What are those deeds?
That debate has played out in a million different small groups and bible studies throughout the land, spanning many centuries.
Obviously, defining these good deeds are left for mankind to decide, right?
“Good deeds” are very subjective to man.
What if there were a standard?
What if God wrote down what these good deeds are for us?
Ahhh, light bulb moment.
The Torah!!!
His written instructions for us to follow!!
Woo hoo!!
Now I get it…

But, do I really get it??
Am I to read Torah and make a list of tasks and do them and be saved? Why do the tasks matter? Why does obedience matter?
Because Yehova expects us to be compliant, brainless, little drones, right?  A Torah observant army of mindless robots, right?
Tzitzits — check!
Keep the feasts — check!
Honor Shabbat — check!
Eat clean — check!

No, Torah is not a simple checklist of tasks.
I’d call it more of a test, than anything.
What kind of a test?
The test is defined in Deuteronomy in the Torah, and in 1John in the New Testament…

Deuteronomy 13:4-6
⁴ You must not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams—for Yehova your Elohim is testing you, to find out whether you love Yehova your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁵  Yehova your Elohim you will follow and Him you will fear. His mitzvot [commands] you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling. ⁶ That prophet or dreamer of dreams must be put to death! For he has spoken falsehood against Yehova your Elohim, who brought you out from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to entice you from the way Yehova your Elohim commanded you to walk. So you will purge the evil from your midst.

In verse 4, we see the test is to find out if we love Him.
It reminds me of these direct quotes of Yeshua Messiah:
John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he 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.

Let’s look at this test in the New Testament
1John 2:3-6
³ Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— ⁶ whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.

Deuteronomy 13 mentions listening to His voice.
1John 2 mentions knowing Him.
These words remind me of this direct quote of Messiah:
John 10:27-28
²⁷ My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life! They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 

Both tests require us to keep the commandments.
Why?
So Yehova will know these things about us:
— We know Him
— We listen to Him
— And if we know and listen to Him by action, it shows that we love Him.

And that is the key.
We have to love Yehova.
We have to love Yeshua Messiah.
That is what He is looking for in us.
Our obedience in Torah observance is not just a list of tasks to keep.
Our obedience in Torah is evidence that we know Him, that we hear His voice, and that we love Him.
It is about relationship.

And if we know Him, will He know us?
Let’s look at this idea in the Torah and in the New Testament.
Honoring and keeping the Sabbath shows that we hear Him, it shows that we listen to Him, it shows that we know Him, and it shows that we love Him through our obedience. In return, Sabbath keeping let’s Him recognize us as His.
Exodus 31:13
¹³ “Speak now to the children of Israel saying, ‘Surely you must keep My Shabbatot, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so you may know that I am Yehova who sanctifies you.

Obedience is about relationship and respect.
It is about humbling ourselves before Yehova.
It is about agreeing to His ways, as opposed to insisting on doing things our own way.

What happens if we don’t listen to His voice?
What happens if we don’t hear Him?
What happens if we don’t do the things He says?

Luke 6:46 [direct quote of Messiah]
“Why do you call Me ‘Master, Master’ and do not do what I say?”

Matthew 7:21-23  [direct quote of Messiah]
²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’”

If we don’t show Him that we know Him, then He will claim to NOT know us!! And that is bad, because He will send you away if He does not know you.  “I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!”

Ok, so it is important for us to listen, know, and obey, as that is how Yehova and Yeshua will know we love Him.
But what if we only do some of the things He says?
That just means we are all in different places on the path, right?
Matthew 7:13-14
¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

We can find various scriptures about the path, and the way.
What we cannot find in scripture is the idea there are different places along the path or the way.
Either we are on the path, or we are not on the path.
Either we are submitted to Yehova, or we are not.
Either we hear His voice and do the things He says, or we do not.

I see lots of self-proclaimed Torah observant people say they honor and keep Shabbat, unless they have to work, or unless a new movie comes out they really want to see, or unless their in-laws want to go out to eat…
They say they are Torah observant, but can’t seem to give up bacon or shrimp.
They claim to be Torah observant, but won’t wear tzitzits.
They are willing to keep the feasts, unless it conflicts with their work schedule.

I see a constant stream of “but this” and “but that”…
Never ending excuses, reasons, and justifications for being in rebellion to the word of Yehova.
Being partially committed, or partially submitted, or partially obedient is NOT a different place on the narrow path.
It is rebellion against Yehova and His right rulings.
It means you are not on the narrow path.

The things I just said may sound harsh.
Please pray about them. If you find yourself in rebellion to some [or any!!] of the ways of Yehova, please pray about it.
Half-obedience is not rewarded.
Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the promise land because they wholly and completely followed Yehova.
The rest of their generation died in the wilderness and were denied the promise because of their disobedience and lack of trust.

Hebrews 3:15-19
¹⁵ As it is said,
“Today if you hear His voice,
    do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
¹⁶ Now which ones heard and rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt with Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was He provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest? Was it not to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were not able to enter in because of lack of trust.

If we could travel back in time and speak to this generation of people, they would have claimed to be Torah Observant!!
They kept the feasts. They honored Shabbat. They ate clean.  They wore tzitzits (except Korah – he got sucked into the earth over this issue).
Do you see the point I’m trying to make?
This entire generation of the Exodus kept Torah.
But they did not trust Yehova.
Their hearts were not in it.
Their love did not show.
Their relationship with Him was flawed.

If you want to be on the narrow path, then follow Him wholly and completely.
If you want to be on the narrow path, do not be in rebellion to any of His right rulings, His commands, His instructions.
If you want to be on the narrow path, be in relationship with Yehova and Yeshua Messiah.
We do that by hearing His voice.
Listening to His voice.
Obeying His voice.
It shows our love for Him, just as scripture tells us many times.

John 3:36
He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Our best example in scripture of this idea and this concept is David. The Psalms show David’s absolute love for the words and the ways of Yehova.
He was not perfect in keeping those ways.
He committed adultery. (2Samuel 11)
He committed murder. (2Samuel 11)
He conducted an unauthorized census of Israel, resulting in the deaths of 70,000!! And the angel of Yehova was set to destroy Jerusalem, but Yehova relented (1 Chronicles 21).

David was not perfect in His obedience.
But he was known to love the ways of Yehova.
Psalm 119:97
O how I love Your Torah!
It is my meditation all day.
And that is what God wants from us.
Love. He wants us to love His words and His ways, His right-rulings.
And our love must be as scripture defines it, not an idea of our own making.