Shalom chaverim. When was the last time you sacrificed a lamb for your Passover seder? Or went to a religious service to offer a bullock for the guilt of your sin? Have you been careful to make pilgrimage three times a year to the Holy Temple to appear before the Lord as the Torah demands? Questions like these are not meant to be taken lightly, though they do seem deeply incongruous in light of the revelation we have in Yeshua our Messiah concerning the essential meaning of Torah, and therefore it behooves us to take some time to sort through some of the tensions we might experience when we consider whether Christians are required to follow the law of Moses or whether there is another way in light of the ministry of Yeshua the Messiah.
Month: August 2020
Teshuvah of the Mind…
We are responsible to walk in truth and to reject what is false (1 John 4:6). This implies that we have a moral and spiritual duty to think clearly and not to abuse our minds (Phil. 4:8; Rom. 12:2). The LORD our God will help us to do this, as Yeshua said: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you a Helper (παράκλητος, someone “called to one’s side”), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth (רוּחַ הָאֱמֶת), whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him” (John 14:16-17). The Spirit of Truth helps us “discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect” (Rom. 12:2) and empowers us to take “every thought captive” to the reality of the Divine Presence (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Truth is connected to memory – both in our personal histories as well as the history of God’s redemptive actions performed on our behalf. Hence we are constantly commanded to remember what God has done for us and to “diligently repeat” the truth to our children (Deut. 6:4-9). Similarly, the Spirit of Truth brings to remembrance the words of Yeshua to our hearts (John 14:26).
Remember who you are…
One of the greatest mistakes is to forget who you really are and your beloved status before the LORD… “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isa. 43:1). Forgetting who you are leads to forgetting who the LORD is, just as forgetting who the LORD is leads to forgetting who you are…
Torah’s Weightier Matters…
From our Torah this week (parashat Re’eh) we read: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing (הַבְּרָכָה), if you obey (שָׁמַע) the commandments of the LORD your God… and the curse (הַקְּלָלָה), if you turn aside (סוּר, “withdraw,” “draw back”) from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known” (Deut. 11:26-28).
The Sacrifices of God…
Learn to read the Hebrew for Psalm 51:17.
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Torah of the Good Eye
Shalom chaverim. The way we choose to see is ultimately a spiritual decision. In this “Daily Dvar” audio broadcast, I discuss what I call the “Torah of the Good Eye” and the spiritual need to seek goodness in everyday reality. I hope you will find it helpful.
Education for Eternity…
From our Torah this week (Re’eh) we read: “Know within your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you” (Deut. 8:5). This verse expresses the idea of “musar” (מוסר), or moral education intended to develop godly character within us. “My son, despise not the chastening (i.e., musar) of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction (i.e., tokhechah). For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11; see also Heb. 12:5-6). In light of Torah we infer that God disciplines us because we are his children, for the sake of our growth and maturity, and not for vindictive reasons. God’s correction indicates that he feels responsible for our character development, as a good father feels responsible for the character development of his child. Correction from the Lord is ultimately “soul-building,” since it enables us to be partakers of His holiness — and is grounded in His love and concern for us as our Heavenly Father (see Heb. 12:5-11). Hang in there, friend. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). May God help us in our “education for eternity.”
Lead me in your truth…
Learn to read Psalm 25:5 in Hebrew:
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Deut. 8:5 Hebrew Reading and Grammar
Learn Deuteronomy 8:5 in Hebrew:
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I have called you by name…
Learn to read Isaiah 43:1 in Hebrew:
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