{"id":4506,"date":"2021-06-17T05:38:22","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T10:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/?p=4506"},"modified":"2021-06-19T07:33:07","modified_gmt":"2021-06-19T12:33:07","slug":"believing-to-understand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/believing-to-understand\/","title":{"rendered":"Believing to Understand&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4507 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/sinai01.jpg?resize=130%2C130&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"130\" height=\"130\" \/>The commandments of God are usually divided between the rational laws (i.e., <em>mishpatim<\/em>) and the divine decrees (i.e., <em>chukkim<\/em>), though this distinction is somewhat artificial, since all of the commandments of Torah (and that includes the Torah of the New Covenant) are grounded in the mystery of God\u2019s will, which is to say that we are to obey them simply because they derive from the Divine Authority itself&#8230; When the people gathered before Moses to receive the covenant at Mount Sinai, they said all the LORD has spoken \u201cwe will do and we will hear\u201d (<em>na\u2019aseh<\/em> <em>ve\u2019nishmah<\/em>: \u05e0\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05c2\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05e2). Note the order: first comes faith in God expressed in the decision to act (<em>na\u2019aseh<\/em>), and then comes understanding (<em>ve\u2019nishmah<\/em>). As Yeshua said, \u201cIf anyone&#8217;s will is <em>to do<\/em> God&#8217;s will, he will understand\u201d (John 7:17). The heart of faith is willing to do what God asks before hearing (or understanding) what is required. Many people operate the other way round, sitting in judgment of God\u2019s word, demanding to understand why they should obey. You cannot understand apart from faith, however, and that is categorically true of all forms of knowledge, which is usually defined as \u201cjustified true belief.\u201d We are to be \u201cdoers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves\u201d (James 1:22). The Greek verb used in this verse is emphatic: \u201cBe doers!\u201d (\u03b3\u1f77\u03bd\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b5) means \u201cbe born!\u201d \u201cCome alive!\u201d \u201cDo, live, and exist before God!\u201d This is a call to creative action, to newness of life&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Hebrew Lesson:<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4508\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/exod24-7b-analysis.gif?resize=565%2C489&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"565\" height=\"489\" \/><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4506-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/exod24-7b-jjp.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/exod24-7b-jjp.mp3\">https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/exod24-7b-jjp.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/Blessings\/Blessing_Cards\/exod24-7b-lesson.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Exod. 24:7b lesson page (pdf)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Scriptures state that &#8220;if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like&#8221; (James 1:23-24). If we just hear the truth but do not act upon it, we are comically likened to someone who carefully looks at his face in a mirror but then promptly forgets what he looks like after he steps away&#8230; Likewise those who only hear the word but do not \u201cbring it to life\u201d in their deeds forget who they are and why they were created (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14; Col. 1:10). When we look into the mirror of truth we see our need for teshuvah and turn to God for the healing miracle he provides (Heb. 4:12). It\u2019s not about doing but being, though being is revealed in doing&#8230; If your actions do not align with your values, then back up and recover who you really are in Messiah, understand what your new nature truly is. That is what it means to \u201ctake up the yoke\u201d of Messiah, for his yoke is easy (kal) and burden is light, and the task is to repeatedly practice allowing Him to carry your pain, shame, and sin far, far away from your heart.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">There is a deeper law, however, a \u201cmirror\u201d that reveals something beyond our passing image. When we look intently into the \u201cperfect law of liberty\u201d (\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b7\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05d6\u05b4\u05d9\u05e7) &#8211; the law of faith, hope, and love for our Savior &#8211; we find blessing in our deeds (James 1:25). Note that the verb translated \u201clook into\u201d the law of liberty is the same used when John stooped down to \u201clook inside\u201d the empty tomb of Yeshua (John 20:5). The deeper law reveals the resurrection power of God\u2019s invincible love. The Torah of the New Covenant also has many <em>mitzvot<\/em>, though these are based on the love God gives to us in Yeshua: \u201cThis is my Torah: that you love one another as I have loved you\u201d (John 13:34).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The commandments of God are usually divided between the rational laws (i.e., mishpatim) and the divine decrees (i.e., chukkim), though this distinction is somewhat artificial, since all of the commandments of Torah (and that includes the Torah of the New Covenant) are grounded in the mystery of God\u2019s will, which is to say that we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,15,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-dvar","category-hebrew-reading-practice","category-torah"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4506"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4552,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4506\/revisions\/4552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}