Do Not Do As They Do in the Land of Canaan...

“…you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you.
You shall not walk in their statutes...” (Lev 18:3)

And יהוה spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, I am יהוה your Magistrate. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow My rules and keep My statutes and walk in them. I am יהוה your Magistrate. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am יהוה. (Lev 18:1-5)

This is one passage that many seem to be turning a deaf ear. Perhaps many think this passage does not apply to us today. Pay special attention to the following instruction: 

​“…and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow My rules and keep My statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God.” (Lev 18:3-4)

Consider how many believers are uniting with those living in the land of Canaan and are doing as they do against the explicit instruction in the Word of יהוה. Consider who is currently living in the land of Canaan. Does the nation or people that is occupying the land of Canaan - to which יהוה is bringing us - live faithfully according to יהוה’s rules and יהוה’s statutes? Does the nation or people who live in the land of Canaan do what is right in the eyes of יהוה or what is right according to their own eyes? Does the “king” who rules over them meet the criteria set forth in Deuteronomy 17:14-21? Are the people who are uniting with those living in the land of Canaan worshiping יהוה the way those living in the land of Canaan worship their gods? Is it written that the seed of Abraham will buy portions of the land or is it written that יהוה will bring the seed of Abraham into the land to inherit the land? Is it written that the seed of Abraham will plant vineyards and groves or is it written that the seed of Abraham will inherit vineyards and groves which they did not plant?

While these may seem as difficult and offensive questions for many who claim to obey the Word of יהוה or Torah, we feel it is important for us to measure ourselves against this instruction just as it is important for us to measure ourselves against יהוה’s other instructions. Why are many who claim to live according to the Word of יהוה not heeding this commandment and taking this instruction seriously?
 
The prophet Jeremiah recorded what the Word of יהוה said about the faithfulness of the two houses – Israel and Judah (Christianity and Judaism). In chapter 3, Jeremiah recorded why faithless Israel (Christianity) was given a certificate of divorce:

The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: "H​ave you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? And I thought, 'After she has done all this she will return to Me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD." And the LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. (Jer 3:6-11)

Many have awakened to and realized what is described in the above passage about faithless Israel (Christianity) and her adulteries. As a result, many have departed from faithless Israel (Christianity) and from “doing” as she does. And many speak boldly against faithless Israel (Christianity). Yet did the Word of יהוה say that her "treacherous sister Judah" was more righteous? No! It is actually written that "faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah." According to Jeremiah, the Word of יהוה described Judah (Judaism) as a treacherous/unfaithful sister, playing the whore, committing adultery. Note that Judah did not return to Him with her whole heart, but only in pretense (H8267). Pretense is an untruth, by implication a sham. A sham is a counterfeit. Other synonyms for the word pretense include: deceit, falsehood, lie.

H8267
(שֶׁקֶר  sheqer  sheh'-ker)
From H8266; an untruth; by implication a sham (often adverbially): - without a cause, deceit (-ful), false (-hood, -ly), feignedly, liar, + lie, lying, vain (thing), wrongfully.

In other words, according to the Word of יהוה, faithless Israel's "treacherous sister Judah" did not return to Him with her whole heart, but in sham or counterfeit...only in deceit, falsehood, lies. Likewise did the prophet Amos write about Judah:

Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked. So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem." (Amo 2:4-5)

Again, the Word of יהוה described Judah (Judaism) as unfaithful by rejecting the law of יהוה and not keeping His statutes. He said their lies led them astray…the lies after which their fathers walked.
 
Despite these warnings, many have united with and are, in fact, "doing" as they do in the land of Canaan...according to the ways of faithless Israel’s “treacherous sister Judah” (Judaism) even though she is considered less righteous than faithless Israel (Christianity)! The same people who recognized faithless Israel's (Christianity's) adulteries and departed from her seem to be uniting with her “treacherous sister” and playing the whore and committing adultery and following her sham - her counterfeit, her lies - instead of uniting to the Word of יהוה and faithfully walking according to His rules and His statutes.
 
In the gospel accounts, it is recorded that the Righteous Branch spoke similarly about and directly to faithless Israel’s "treacherous sister" and the lies that have led her astray…the lies after which her fathers walked (and this account was some 600 years after Jeremiah’s account and some 750 years after Amos’ account.):

“How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Mat 16:11-12)
 
He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Mat 15:3)
 
"Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men." And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!" (Mar 7:6-9)
 
“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Joh 8:44)

According to the Word of יהוה, we shall follow His rules and keep His statutes and walk in them...for if a person does them, that person shall live by them. If we follow faithless Israel or her "treacherous sister Judah", then we will be following the way of unfaithfulness, counterfeit and lies. In the account of Joshua, the people were to follow the ark of the covenant. Consider what was inside the ark of the covenant. Furthermore, the Righteous Branch said, “Follow me…”. The Righteous Branch said, “Abide in me...”
 
So, who are you following? Who are you united with? Who are you abiding in?

Consider three different trees, each producing three different kinds of fruit. One tree produces the fruit of the house of Israel's (Christianity’s) teachings, one tree produces the fruit of Judah's (Judaism’s) teachings, and one tree produces the fruit of the teachings of the Word of יהוה. Which fruit would the Word of יהוה consider your fruit to most closely resemble? This is the tree that you would be “united” to or “abiding” in (aka “grafted into”).
 
Are you united with “faithless Israel”? Are you walking according to her ways?
 
Are you united with her “unfaithful sister Judah”? Are you walking according to her ways?
 
Are you united to the Word of יהוה? Are you following the Word of יהוה, faithfully walking in His ways, His rules and His statutes?
 
Are you abiding in the Righteous Branch as represented by the center branch of the lampstand (menorah) and Aaron's branch - both of which are represented by a budding and blossoming almond branch?

Are you producing the same fruit...the fruit of light?
 
Are you watching over His Word and guarding it from traditions, doctrines and lies of men?