Hope Cottage (Sarah Coller)

To my Torah Observant brothers and sisters:

First, Happy Day of Atonement! It’s a HAPPY day — the day we recognize there’s literally nothing we can do to earn this precious GIFT of salvation; yet we humble ourselves before our God and ask Him to make our hearts clean and ready for service to Him and others.

“He pulled us out of the fire, we must return with buckets of water for the others.”

A sister posted this earlier this morning and, coupled with another discovery on a long rabbit trail of Bible study, I’ve been thinking this…

Are we holding back our water and oil? I’ve been warning the TO community for awhile about the need for evangelism, loving the Christian church community, being an active light, etc. It’s been such a source of frustration as I’ve watched TO people sit back apathetically and refuse to engage with those who also follow Yeshua but don’t yet understand the importance of keeping His instructions. I think, “what in the world do you guys have to lose? You’ve figured out the fulness of the narrow path… why not share this with others!” However, this morning I think I understand things a little better.

When we came into an understanding of Torah and started hanging out with other whole Bible believers, one of the first eye openers for me was the parable of the ten virgins. Five had their lamps full and ready to meet their bridegroom, five didn’t take it seriously and were not ready. When the bridegroom came, the five slackers asked the five ready ones to share some of their oil so they could find their way through the darkness to the bridegroom and be taken inside. It wasn’t that the ready ones were being stingy jerks by refusing to share, it’s just that they’d done what was needed to be in right relationship with their bridegroom and they weren’t going to let anyone mess that up for them. I think this is the heart of many Torah Observant believers today. While we might have a measure of compassion for those who aren’t walking in His instructions; it’s not enough to make us do anything about it, lest we be influenced and fall back into our old ways. I think TO people realize what we have and what a gift it was to have our eyes opened and we don’t want anyone messing that up for us.

What if we could back up a few days, months, or even years in that parable? What if those five virgins were ready years in advance and, knowing that they were ready, took the time to go out and warn other potential brides about their need for oil? See, the story of the virgins is not a story of saved vs. unsaved. It’s a story of understanding vs. not understanding. All 10 virgins knew the bridegroom was coming. They all knew the prophecies, they all knew the signs, they all were waiting in hope. But only five of them were prepared to enter the most intimate place because only five understood that it’s Spirit AND Truth that keeps us in the more intimate covenant.

In Matt. 5:17-20, Yeshua tells us there will be a distinction in His kingdom between those who took His law seriously and those who didn’t. If we want to be found greatest in His kingdom, we must love God, love one another, and take His law seriously. But there’s going to be others in the kingdom, too, who believed in Him and loved Him but didn’t take His law seriously. Wouldn’t it be great if we had so much more of the first and so much less of the second?

We can’t make people fill their lamps, Torah brothers and sisters. But we also don’t have to be afraid to get up, get out, and show them where to find the oil. We start with love, kindness, compassion, and relationship. With proper boundaries, no one can mess this up for us. We know where the place of readiness is and we are ready; and right now, there’s enough oil for both lamps and lampstands.


“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”

Revelation 2:2-5

8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 12