Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
CHRISTIANS COMING UNDER THE LAW — PART 3
A softer view of the Torah
Brace yourself! This is more of a teaching blog than an entertaining one. It may not be an easy read because there is more here than a normal, well adjusted person would normally want to know but it will be worth it. It is the detail which makes me a boring person that brings the Bible alive for me. But if you happen to like what you read, there’s more to be found here
[NOTE: Important words analysed below are identified with Hebrew/Greek transliterations into English and Strong’s Numbers so that whoever wants to can check them out — it is strongly recommended that you do. I use the Blue Letter Bible (https://www.blueletterbible.org/ )]
Clarification
The intended target audience of this blog site (if that is the correct term) is believers. If a non-believer should stumble in it is not a coincidence (despite what you think) and engagement can happen outside the confines of the scope of the blog, if you wish. But the organising principle of this venture is help save the Saved who are floundering through the sea of clichés which is the modern Church.
Re-cap on the previous episodes
The intention of Parts 1 and 2 of this series was deliberately to show that is more to this law business than apparently meets the eye, and perhaps we don’t know as much as we think we do. After all, we are dealing with the Mind of God. (Strangely, this is forgotten by those who can’t even explain Quantum Physics.) The warning is given in 1 Corinthians 8:1–2, “… We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” But we do not have to fret because we don’t know everything. Apostle Paul follows on immediately in v3, “But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” This shows He doesn’t want perfection but He does want your best.
The clash of languages
This figure will become familiar to anyone who perseveres with this blog site. Obviously it shows the complexity of the noise as different shades of meaning in each language come together.
Obviously, the Hebrew, Torah, must traverse through Greek to arrive at the English, Law. Unfortunately, much is lost in translation. The English flavour is captured in “Crime and Punishment.” Before savouring the Hebrew meaning some Hebraism is necessary.
Love and Romance
It is a no-brainer that God is Agapē. He loves the person with whom you have disagreement at the moment — be (s)he theist, atheist or apathy-ist. The road less travelled with God is Romance. Dare I say passionate Romance? That is a story for another time but the Song of Songs may be viewed as the story of romance between husband and wife, Yehovah and His Wife, and Christ and His Bride.
It is reported on some Jewish websites that the venerated ancient Sages regarded the Ten Commandments as the marriage vows between Yehovah and Israel. Others regarded the Torah as the Rules Yehovah, Himself, would live by if He came to live on Earth. (They didn’t know how prophetic they were.) My Hebrew friends tell me that HaShem (The Name) is a term of endearment, not some grumpy old killjoy who takes delight in pulling the legs off cockroaches. The Torah is a set of instructions, given by a loving Father, that lead God’s People to Him.
Covenants
There are more than two Covenants in the Bible. Many of these are beyond the scope of this blog site and are classified by Reformed Theology as “Common Grace.” The ones of concern here are those which make up the Redemption Plan for God reclaiming His Creation, including His People.
Perusal of the OT shows there are five:-
Abrahamic — Now being challenged by the World ruled by Satan.
Land — generally mislabelled as the Palestinian. Now being challenged by the Nations — Antisemitism.
Davidic — Literally the Millennium Rule. Now being challenged by the Denominational Churches.
New — God provides the indwelling Holy Spirit. Now being challenge by Satan.
These four are unconditional. They were one-sided. The person they were given to were not awake or not there. They were given while Israel (or the person) was in rebellion. Humanity cannot change them.
The fifth Covenant is the Mosaic — A careful read of Deuteronomy 11 shows this Covenant is conditional. God promised to hold His People (to whom the NT Saints are now grafted in) to account. The most chilling text being Deuteronomy 11:26–28
“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
God is faithful (Psalm 91:4). He says what He means and means what He says. For instance, paraphrasing Leviticus 26:26–39 the Lord warns Israel, “If you don’t walk in My Statutes… ,” While in Ezekiel 4:16–6:9 He says, “Because you have not walked in My Statutes… .” The list is identical in both cases. The same applies to what happened to Solomon. He was the wisest man who ever lived (not including Jesus, of course). He was the best Humanity had to offer, he had God on his side but he stuffed it. Showing that Man, corrupted by Satan, could not save himself.
DON’T BELIEVE ME ON THIS! CHECK ME OUT. PROVE ME WRONG.
Now that you’re back, you’ve discovered the Torah is a guide to show the way to Righteousness in the eyes of God. The advantage that the NT Saints have over the OT Saints is the in-dwelling Holy Spirit. He “came upon” the OT Saints. He “dwells in” the NT Saints for us to take advantage — if we so choose. God Inspired Apostle Paul to tell us we are the Temple. The OT Saints had to go to the Temple.
More on the different OT/NT Saint perspectives.
Gentile perspective
Perhaps I’ve missed something but it seems that, in much of NT Christianity, the Tanakh (OT) is hardly taught, rarely preached on and little understood by the average congregant. Where the Torah (or Law) is mentioned, it is often portrayed as merely a burden placed by some old killjoy from which Christians are now free. “Jesus is cute but Jehovah’s a brute,” is not an unusual vibe. [Of course, there are always exceptions.]
The biblical picture of the Torah is quite different.
Jewish perspective
Anyone can go to a reference and get the bare bone of what the OT is. Chabad.org,(ref 1 below) is as good a s any. However, avoiding the dry, technical description of the Torah, an ordained Orthodox Rabbi, Dr. Baruch Korman (ref 2) of LoveIsrael.com,who has discovered Jesus as his Saviour, speaks much about “hearing the words unspoken.” He says:-
When someone says, “Torah,” Rabbis hear, “A gift from God, a guide to life, something to be cherished and enjoyed, as well as something to be obeyed under penalty of discipline for disobedience.” It is intimately bound up with the covenant wherein God graciously reiterated His relationship with His people. It is likened to a loving father instructing his child. The joys of heeding the instructions. The consequences of ignoring them. He disciplines His Children but punishes his enemies.
In Judaism, Yehovah ( יהוה Tetragrammaton, the spelling phonetically pronounced, yod-hay-vav-hay) is not a grumpy old man. The Name is a term of endearment, “The Covenant keeping God Who comes down.”
The ancient, venerated Sages thought of the Torah as the Rules that God would live by if he came to Earth.
This link takes you to a Jewish perspective of Torah. If you subscribe to the pervading Christian teaching, you will have to adjust. It lasts about 10 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VaK77_cGCk
Some Conclusions.
- Judaism has a much softer view of Yehovah than NT Saints. (Jesus is a different matter but that is another story for yet another time.)
- They also have a softer view of the Torah than NT Saints who are generally Torah-fied.
- It is about time the standard of the teaching in the (small ‘c’)church stepped up to the crease on this.
- The difference between blessings and curses is not God being grumpy. He makes it clear in Deuteronomy 11:26–28.
Blessings: Obedience to His Instructions means you will be in God’s Hand, Yod HaShem, the safest place to be. He will be present to lavish bountiful provision and protection.
Curses: God withdraws His Hand. You have chosen to try your luck with other gods in the hostile, fallen world ruled by Satan, for now. (Isiah tells us that dumb idols can’t stand up by themselves. They can’t hurt you but they can’t help you, either.)
So many nuggets — so little time. There is more good news than bad for the Child of God.
(ref 1) Judaism website https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm
(ref 2) Dr Baruch https://www.loveisrael.org/studyguide
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
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