Some use Galatians to attack Messianic observance of Torah, but there's just nothing in it that aids this attack. I'm observant and love Galatians.
More than understand---and to be clear, I'm not AGAINST Torah observance. For even Paul himself was that in many ways when it came to his referencing the Law for examples of living/illustrations. It was apart of his heritage--and Jesus said it was a blessing for others to bring out the old treasures from the storehouse alongside the new (Matthew 13:52). Where I draw the line is when people try to make Torah Observance MANDATORY for all and look down upon others for not doing as they, seeing how no one truly keeps the Torah as the OT demanded ...and its all about your heart's motive. If one's doing so from a grace-centered perspective or a legalism centered perspective..
I'm for the mindset that the way Torah is observed within the NT is not what should be done as it was in the OT.
In Hebrews 13:8, for example, the sacrifices were considered to be "praise" we give to the Lord---in remembrance of Leviticus 7:12 and Psalm 50:14 and what the scriptures say in I Peter 2:5 about us now being priests/God's new design (temple included)...and in context with the Book, the Jews following Christ were being persecuted at one point due to their faith and distancing from aspects in Judaism. If these Jewish Christians, because of their witness to the Messiah, could no longer worship with other Jews, they could consider praise their sacrifice----one they could offer anywhere and anytime. This must have reminded them of the prophet Hosea's words, "Take away all of their inquity and recieve us graciously so we will render the calvesof our lips" (Hosea 14:2). A sacrifice of praise today would include thanking CHrist for His sacrifice on the Cross and telling others about it....and as Paul mentioned in Romans 12:1-3, our lives are now to be a living sacrifice. These Christians could now be encouraged in their Jewishness, despite how Hebrews 10:32-39 describes the massive persecution that the Hebraic Christians were facing ...
As Messianic Jew, Daniel Stern, said in his commentary on Hebrews 10:
Notice that God does not take away the Torah; rathe, he takes away the first system of sacrifices and priesthood in order to set up the second within the framework of the one eternal Torah.
Moreover, it is not neccessary to suppose that this "taking away" prohibts all animal sacrifices by the Levitical priesthood. The author's point relates only to the sin offerings: "an offering of sins is no longer needed" because the second sin offering system is effectual in a way the first never was..and the other animal sacrifices and the Levitical priesthood could be continued without eclipsing the preeminent role of Yeshua's once-for-all sacrifice and eternal high-priesthood.. Even the sin-offering ritual could be continued, but only if it were regarded as a memorial and not as effective in itself. Just as it was never more than a "shadow", so now, if it should be resumed (which would presuppose the rebuilding of the Temple at some future time), it could not be more than a reminder of the great deliverance provided in Yeshua's death as our final and permanently effective sin offering and his resurrection as our chohen gadol.
Having God's Torah written on one's heart and mind necessarily implies that God has forgiven one's sins, so that an offering for sins is no longer needed. Therefore, readers of this sermon should free themselves from their compulsion to offer animal sacrifices as sin offerings and instead be fully assured of the sufficiency of Yeshua's sacrifice of himself on their behalf. We moderns have no such compulsion, but we too should be convinced of the necessity of blood sacrifice for sin while having assurance that Yeshuas blood sacrifice fulfills the requirement. With this, the author's major argument is completed.
But the author is very specific in limiting what he says. An offering for sins is no longer needed and ruled out. But the other sacrificial offerings remain part of God's order even after Yeshua's death, as proven by Sha'ul's activity in the temple at Acts 21:25-27/ Acts 21 and his own offering of sacrifices which he himself speaks of at Acts 24:16-18 /Acts 24.
With the destruction of the temple, sacrifical offerings became impossible; but if the temple is rebuilt, thank offerings, meal offerings, and praise offerings may be offered once again. The author of this letter does not proclaim the end of the sacrifical system in its entirety, only the end of animal sacrifices for sin.
Praying that what I stated made sense.
In the event I say it wrongly, one view to consider is that of Dr.Michael Brown---as seen in
Can Jewish People Be Saved Without Believing in Jesus? and
The Rosh Pina Project ( an alternative look at Messianic Jews ): The Law of Messiah . But if knowing who the SCRIBES/Teachers of the Law were........alongside how Jesus instructed his followers to obey what the Pharisees/Scribes taught (Matt. 23:23), as some were not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34), the text is clear.
Matthew 5:16-18 / Matthew 5
The Fulfillment of the Law
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
When Jesus speaks on "until heaven and earth pass away" in Matthew 5, he confirms the full authority of the OT as scripture for all time..even down to the smallest components of the text. The OT remains authoratitive compendium of divine testimony and teaching, within which some elements (such as sacrifices/the sacrifical system looking onward to his great sacrifice and other ceremonial laws) predicted or foreshadowed events that would be accomplished in Jesus's ministry ( Galatians 4:10 and Galatians 5:1) and so are not models for Christian behavior.
That specific train of thought is the one that I've been the most influenced by during my experiences within the Messianic Jewish camp. For me, the law being "fulfilled" seems to make room for differing things...and in many ways, its a matter of new principles/dynamics implemented that make the need for older things in a contract to no longer be necessary. Some of the dynamics are similar to what went down in the Book of Esther, when the King made a decree to kill all the Jews...but was unable to reverse it once change of mind happened since no law signed by the king could be repealed...and in response, a new law was made that made it difficult or impossible to implement the first,
Esther 8:9.
It's like amending a Constitution over time to make room for newer developments. If/when God has made clear a LAW is no longer in effect due to it being altered, its assumption to think another's breaking the law...no more different due to others thinking the U.S Constitution isn't supported by others due to how it has been amended with the changing times, whether it be with women's rights or the Civil Rights acts/Slavery.
Paul Himself had such a mindset----for Paul spoke and wrote proudly that he is, not was, a Pharisee (Acts 23:6; Phil. 3:5), yet his understanding of the Kingdom of Christ/its principles helped him to appreciate the Old with the New. It is why it was clear from text that he felt the OT had principles to learn from it in the multiple times he referenced it—-whether in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 in citing the examples of the failures of the Israelites with sexual immorality/grumbling and saying they happened as OUR EXAMPLES/WARNINGS for us today….or in his citing of Deuteronomy 25:3-5 when it came to Church Planters in 1 Corinthians 9:8-10/ 1 Corinthians 9 (and also, 1 Timothy 5:17-19 ) concerning supporting. The same goes for Paul in his referencing/citing Exodus 16:17-19 in regards to gathering when he spoke on being a generous giver in 2 Corinthians 8:14-16. Add to that 2 Corinthians 4:12-14 when he referenced Psalm 116:10. Dozens of other examples besides this, as well as plenty of scholary books/references on the issue of how those within the first 3 centuries of the Church actually referenced the examples of the saints for Church Practice/Encouragement.
Shalom, friend