A Hebraic worldview must lead to a Hebraic lifestyle

Walking by human philosophy vs walking with God

Teenager’s 26-mile trek over mountains inspires worldwide production of Bibles.

At this time of Shavuot (also known as Pentecost), when we celebrate the giving of the Law through Moses¹ 50 days after the exodus from Egypt, and its ultimate fulfilment in Yeshua (Jesus), consider how a young Welsh girl inspired a global explosion of God’s word.

In the year 1800, 15-year-old Mary Jones completed a marathon walk over the mountains to purchase a Bible, which was to become her most treasured possession.

A weaver’s daughter from a poor community, Mary lost her father to asthma when she was very young and was living with her mother in the tiny hamlet of Llanfihangel-y-pennant (near Dolgellau) in the shadow of the Idris mountain on the edge of Snowdonia.

Bibles were hard to come by in those days, especially copies in the Welsh language. Mary became a Christian, aged eight, through attending her village chapel and subsequently saved up for six long years – carrying out various errands like sewing garments and selling eggs – before she finally had enough to buy her own copy of the Scriptures.

Mary Jones completed a marathon walk to purchase a Bible, which was to become her most treasured possession.

So she set off barefoot on a 26-mile trek over mountain tracks to the town of Bala, where she knocked on the door of Rev Thomas Charles, who was so profoundly moved and inspired by her efforts that he and others were determined to make the Bible available to everyone at an affordable price – not only in Welsh,² but in every tongue.

Epic Journey

This led to the founding within just four years of the British and Foreign Bible Society (now known simply as Bible Society), which has since published millions of Bibles in hundreds of languages, and has branches all over the world including Israel (on Jaffa Road, Jerusalem), from whence God’s word had first been proclaimed.

Mary’s epic journey has thus helped to bring God’s light – and salvation – to every corner of the globe, and has given new meaning to the ancient Scripture: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path” (Ps 119:105).

Who knows but that the eternal fruit of Mary’s marathon may have partly contributed to what the Book of Revelation describes as “a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev 7:9).

Historical records indicate that the village where Mary grew up was strongly influenced by the 18^th Century Methodist revival. Bala had certainly been experiencing fresh heavenly fire in the years immediately preceding her extraordinary shopping expedition.

Running to Win

With the immense popularity of marathon running today, many will be familiar with the distance Mary walked, equal to that covered in ancient Greece by the herald who ran all the way to Athens to announce victory at the Battle of Marathon.

But Mary’s feat would be hard to beat, because it was to bring good news of the victory of Jesus over death and sin, and revolutionise the lives of millions down the ages.

Mary’s epic journey has helped to bring God’s light – and salvation – to every corner of the globe.

In a generation when parents drive their children to school, perhaps less than a mile away, perhaps it’s time to re-educate our kids about what really matters in life? Teaching the precepts of God is not only good for the soul, but health for the body (Prov 3:7f).

St Beuno’s Church, Llanycil, home of the Mary Jones World and burial place of Rev Thomas Charles.The Bible says “physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” And it adds that we should “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” In addressing the need for self-discipline, St Paul challenges: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Perhaps Mary was urged on by Paul’s motto: “…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 4.8; Heb 12:1f; 1 Cor 9:24; Phil 3:13f).

Power from On High

Bible Society is now helping to raise the profile of Mary’s story, and made an excellent start in 2014 with the opening of Mary Jones World at Llanycil, just a mile to the west of Bala, alongside the beautiful lake of the same name. A disused church has been renovated (even with underfloor heating) and now houses a superb state-of-the-art exhibition, enabling visitors to spend several hours discovering more about the Bible as well as engaging with an inspiring story that shook the world.³

At Shavuot we remember how Jesus came to fulfil the Law (Matt 5:17) and how it came to be written, not just on tablets of stone, but on the hearts of those who believed as they were endued with power from on high (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49; Acts 2:4; 2 Cor 3:3; Ezek 36:26).⁴

Perhaps it’s time to re-educate our kids about what really matters in life - the precepts of God!

My personal Pentecost took place on 3 April 1980. I spoke in tongues with some difficulty, but I have no doubt that I was endued with power from on high as I received an emboldening to share my faith as never before.

Chapels can be seen almost everywhere you look in Wales – sadly many have been turned to other uses such as homes and shops, but they remain signs of several significant revivals over recent centuries which have shaken the world, and for which Christians on all continents can be truly thankful.

Do it again, Lord! Send your fire on our newly-restored altars of sacrifice as we honour, worship and proclaim your name among the nations (see 1 Kings 18:16-40).

Notes

1 Summed up in the Ten Commandments.

2 Bishop William Morgan translated the Bible into Welsh in 1588, and this significantly helped to save the Welsh language, which was in danger of dying out as it began breaking away into a number of different dialects.

3 For more information on the work of Bible Society, see bydmaryjonesworld.org.uk or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

4 Shavuot also celebrates the wheat harvest and ripening of the first fruits, so the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1) was the perfectly appropriate time to witness the ‘firstfruits’ of the new-born Church.

Who has the authority to interpret God's teachings into everyday living?

We have discussed how Torah and halakhah are dependent on one another. In plain language the former is the instruction of God and the latter is the way to apply this instruction in all aspects of life – what the Jews would call a Torah lifestyle and what we could also meaningfully call a biblical lifestyle.

As Yeshua (Jesus) reminded those who questioned him, the Torah hangs on two commandments: to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We infer that all else that God teaches us in our Bibles leads us to understand how these two commandments are fulfilled.

There is much to consider: things that apply to our personal walk with God and witness to the world; things that apply to our families; things that we share together as a community. But who has the authority to interpret God’s teachings into everyday living?

Israel Under Moses: Torah, Mishnah and Talmud

Moses received the Ten Commandments and began to teach these and other instructions from God in order to lead Israel to be a Torah-observant community. These were later written down and have been passed on to us in our Bibles as what is called the written Torah.

There is also the oral Torah, which became codified by the Jews into the Mishnah, which is traditionally thought to contain other aspects of Torah passed on from generation to generation beginning with Moses – teachings of Moses that were not written down, but passed on orally.

Jesus reminded us that the Torah hangs on two commandments: to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Commentaries were later written on how to interpret the Mishnah. These commentaries, which include the Mishnah itself, make up the Talmud, of which there are two versions - one written in Babylon and the other in Jerusalem. This led to various branches of Judaism considering Torah, both written and oral, to be a complete set of teachings passed on from generation to generation as ongoing instruction from God. It also resulted in a legal form of halakhah.

However, all this lacks the flexibility that we discussed in the last article in this series. Indeed, my view is that some Christians in search of their Jewish roots have ended up taking this rather legalistic route in their re-discovery of Torah. To me, to a high degree, the Talmud is the alternative to the New Testament for Jews who have not yet accepted Yeshua as Messiah.

Torah Before Moses: The Walk of Abraham

Let us, therefore, retrace our steps to the time that Torah was given by God through Moses and see if there is continuity in God’s purposes and teachings for his people throughout Scripture, leading up to the New Covenant and even today.

Let us also recall that Enoch, some centuries before, had walked with God achieving a lifestyle that pleased God without, as far as we know, having being told what was later revealed through Moses regarding Torah. We might also recall that Abraham walked with God in faith before the giving of the Torah of Moses. Nevertheless, regarding Abraham we are told that God said of him (Gen 26:5) “Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my Torah.”

So how did Abraham, and possibly Enoch as well, obey God’s Torah prior to the time it was given to Moses? If we interpret Genesis 26:5 through the spectacles of the legal codification of written and oral Torah of the Talmud and Jewish halakhah, we might think that Abraham was told in advance what Moses later wrote down - or at least the relevant parts of the written Torah. But I find this hard to accept, particularly in the light of my view of halakhah as walking with God by the inspiration of his Spirit, as I outlined in a previous article.

The account of Abraham shows him to be a man who learned to walk in personal relationship with God so that he obeyed all that God instructed him according to the circumstances through which he was taken. Among the clearest of instructions were the command to leave Ur, to trust God for the birth of Isaac, and to take Isaac onto Mount Moriah as a sacrifice.

How did Abraham, and possibly Enoch as well, obey God’s Torah prior to the time it was given to Moses?

These were not instructions of the nature of the Torah of Moses, but specific to Abraham’s own personal walk. Indeed, we would be unwise to take the sacrifice of Isaac into our own written or oral Torah for literal application! I would, nevertheless, believe that all Abraham was commanded and taught by God came from the two great commandments and would have been compatible with any of God’s later teaching through Moses. Indeed, we perceive shadows of the birth of Yeshua and of the New Covenant in Abraham’s walk of faith.

We also know that Abraham was familiar with the principle of tithing (Gen 14:18-20), but this seemed more spontaneous and from the heart than legalistic, similar to Jacob’s response at Bethel (Gen 28:18-22). Is this not an indicator of Torah being written on the heart, where God prompts a person to walk faithfully and obediently to him through all the circumstances of life that we encounter on our personal walk with him?

Is this not an indication of what God intended for Torah, rather than the legalistic framework that we can fall into so easily?

Authority to Interpret Torah

So on to Moses. With all the detail that was given through Moses encoded into the written Torah, there was still the need for interpretation into every aspect of life. Questions arose for individuals, families and in the more general aspects of community life. This multitude of questions was beginning to wear Moses out until his father-in-law told him to appoint elders to teach and interpret the easier aspects of Torah, as deputies (Ex 18:1-27). They were given a share of authority to interpret Torah.

That same authority was passed on to successive generations through the priesthood, down to the Sanhedrin and to the Rabbinic schools of Yeshua’s day. The point is that however many individual commands one can count in the written and oral Torah, there is always a new personal application that is a current manifestation of Torah principles, and the authority to interpret this application is given to those who are appointed as teachers. This cannot be fully codified and is part of our personal walks with God – just as for Abraham.

That Authority Transferred

Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount was an extensive teaching from the heart of God which seemed something fresh and different to those listening, whilst also being fully founded on the Torah of Moses. Yeshua’s entire ministry was founded on Torah, whether through word or deed.

Yet so ingrained were some of the religious leaders in their traditions by this time that to some he seemed a heretic. Much of the interaction between Yeshua and the teachers of Torah involved him challenging them (e.g. Matt 23). By contrast to the Rabbinic schools, however, the authority of Yeshua was clear (Matt 7:29).

Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount seemed fresh and different to those listening, but was also fully founded on the Torah of Moses.

When Yeshua cursed the fig tree (Matt 21:18), I suggest that this was not a sign of cursing Israel as a whole, but a sign to the teachers of the Torah. He was telling them, in a symbolic way that they would have understood, that authority would be taken from them and given to others (Matt 21:43).

The authority to teach and interpret Torah was going into other hands. The New Covenant in Yeshua’s blood was soon to be made manifest, whereby the Gospel would go to the entire world. Torah, the teaching of God, was still to be interpreted into the lives of all who would have faith in him, but a new authority would be released among the disciples of Yeshua, both Jews and Gentiles.

The Authority of the Holy Spirit

The new authority is given to all believers according to the promise of Jeremiah 31:33, that the Torah will be written on our hearts, free of the curse for disobedience (Gal 3:13), giving freedom to learn and to walk (halakh) with God (Rom 8).

This takes us back to the model of Abraham. Our Bibles give us the root and foundation through which our lives are to be built, but through a living relationship rather than through ritual observance. Instead of the elders at Moses’ time, we now have God’s Holy Spirit to give us meaningful interpretations of Torah principles and truths in every area of our lives - personally. Each of us can walk with God as a disciple of Yeshua. Obeying the call and teaching of God along this walk is to be Torah-observant, or biblically observant.

Authority is also given to Bible teachers to help disciples on this walk of faith. I wonder if more Bible teachers should think in these terms, because they have both a great privilege and responsibility. In New Covenant terms they inherit the ministry passed on through Moses to successive generations of God’s covenant family.

The Budding of the Fig Tree

I suggest that the budding of the fig tree in Luke 21:29-31 is not only related to the re-gathering of Israel in the end times but also to a re-awakening of the authority to interpret Torah amongst Yeshua’s disciples. If the cursing of the fig tree denoted a change at the time of Yeshua, the re-budding is a sign of restoration in our day.

Our Bibles give us the foundation for our lives, but through a living relationship rather than through ritual observance.

As there is a call to renewal in the Gentile Church, so a new authority to interpret Torah will coincide with the re-gathering of Israel in the days preceding the return of Yeshua. There can be a new co-operation between Christians and Messianic Jews. Surely this will also result in the provocation of Israel to jealousy as described by Paul in Romans 11:14.

In the excitement of these days, let us not revert to ritual and over-fascination for Jewish traditions so much that we miss this fresh move of God’s Spirit. Will this be revival, rooted as never before in biblical truth? Surely that is God’s plan.

Next time: Community

Clifford Denton addresses common misunderstandings about Torah.

In the last article we considered the subject of halakhah. Now let us consider Torah, on which halakhah is founded. These are Hebrew words, which will need some fresh investigation by many Christians, especially since some confusion has entered our Christian experience because of translation of these key words into other languages.

Our English Bible translations use the word ‘law’ where the Hebrew reads ‘Torah’ in the Old Testament. The New Testament manuscripts came to us in Greek rather than the Hebrew language. The word nomos is used rather than Torah or halakhah, again resulting in the word ‘law’ in English translations. This adds to our difficulty in re-thinking the relationship between Torah and halakhah because of the connotations of the word law in our lives and culture today.

This problem is increased because of the way Judaism has put the concept of halakhah into legalistic terms, further leading to many Christians rejecting serious studies of both Torah and halakhah, seeing law and grace as mutually exclusive.

We must look into the heart of God’s intent, and beyond legalism of either a Jewish or a Christian kind, to discover God’s purpose for all the family of faith. That is why we first of all, in our previous article, established that the Hebraic lifestyle was always intended to be a walk with God – the true interpretation of halakhah.

So now let’s put Torah into right relationship with this walk with God.

We must look beyond both Jewish and Christian legalism, to the heart of God’s intent for Torah and halakhah.

Compiling the Torah

It is instructive to consider the historical development of the Bible. The first five books of the Bible are called the Books of Moses. Before Moses’ time, oral tradition was the means of transmitting what was later to become the written word, recorded by Moses.

Enoch, Noah, Abraham and others learned to listen to God and walk with him. Then, when Israel was to become a nation within their own land, God caused Moses to record what is now the first five books of the Bible. This contains relevant earlier history, an account of the wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (itself a walk with God) and also the instruction that God gave by which Israel was to live. This included the Ten Commandments and a wide variety of requirements by which God’s chosen people should live as a nation, incorporating also the yearly cycle of Feasts of the Lord and the Sabbath Day.

The record of Moses came to be known as Torah. This word does not mean ‘law’. It means ‘teaching’ or ‘instruction’, drawing on the entire content of the first five Books of the Bible. God’s purpose was not to cause law to replace the foundational principle of walking with him in personal and corporate relationship.

Considered as God’s teaching programme, Torah was to be in balance with halakhah. This was the approach to be made in families, where children were to be taught by example and through parental guidance (Deut 6) and for the entire nation, for whom elders were appointed to interpret Torah on the walk of faith (Ex 18).

The Writings and the Prophets

Torah became Israel’s Bible, as it were. Other written records were compiled later, including the history of the nation, the Psalms and the Proverbs, which together were grouped as Ketuvim, the Writings. The Writings came out of a nation that was seeking to live in relation to God and to interpret his teaching as the foundation of that relationship.

When Israel fell away from God, their fall could be assessed by how far they had departed from Torah. The Prophets came along to point Israel back to God through reference to Torah. The third set of written material thus emerged which was called Neveeim, the Hebrew for ‘Prophets’.

The record of Moses came to be known as ‘Torah’, but this does not mean ‘law’.

Thus emerged the priority for the Hebrew Bible. With Torah (the five Books of Moses) at the foundation, Neveeim and Ketuvim were compiled with it, to make what comes to us as TaNaK, or the Tanakh (Old Testament).

Torah: Lost in Translation?

The true meaning and significance of Torah must be untangled from the concepts of English ‘law’ and Greek nomos if we are to re-connect with our Hebraic heritage. The key is in the Hebraic background of teaching, expressed as well as translators could in Greek, English and other languages.

The Greek nomos has shades of meaning that fit this original Hebraic background, but the English ‘law’ can easily be misinterpreted in our day, when it is connected with crime and punishment so readily. Yet, ‘law’ does also imply rules to bring safety and structure to the life of a community, and if we re-connect the concept with education we are not completely divorced from the original intent of the scriptures.

With Torah, interpretation was always necessary. Generation after generation of Israel’s elders and teachers, including rabbis in the Jewish tradition, helped the community of Israel to interpret Torah into a way of life. The call was not to make individual believers dependent on them, but to help them to be dependent on God. It is this link between Torah and halakhah that is so important.

This applies to the Christian world as much as it does to the Jewish world. Indeed, if we re-connect more firmly to the continuity from Old to New Covenant days, both Jews and Christians have the same objective – a walk with God as disciples, learning all that God wants to teach us.

Torah must be untangled from the concepts of English ‘law’ and Greek nomos and re-connected to our Hebraic heritage.

Yeshua Upholds Torah

During his Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua (Jesus) said that he had come to rightly interpret Torah (Matt 5:17). He confronted the religious teachers of the day for their controlling traditions and wrong interpretations (Matt 23). Moses’ seat, referenced in Matthew 23:2, was the seat in the synagogue set aside for a teacher to bring interpretations of the Torah.

Seen through these eyes, we see that much of the ministry of Yeshua was concerned with establishing the true foundations of halakhah through correctly interpreting Torah. He attacked dry ritual and challenged the attitude towards the Feasts and Sabbath (e.g. Mark 2:27-28). He showed that Torah was given by God to strengthen relationships between mankind and God and between men, women and children within Israel’s community (Matt 22:37-40) – the priority being for how we walk out our life in this world whilst also walking with God – halakhah.

Ritual Halakhah

By contrast to the true purpose of Torah, Jewish halakhah has become a form of legal interpretation of 613 dos and don’ts that have been identified in the written Torah.

Many of these commands, taken in a literal sense, are strengthened to give a margin of error so that the actual law will not be broken. This is called a fence around the Torah. However righteous the fence around Torah might seem, it carries with it the potential of robbing a person of their walk with God. Torah is deeper than this and more spiritual in application.

Further, if Torah is separated from the life and sacrificial death of Yeshua it will also lose its true purpose, because only through faith in Yeshua can one achieve the relationship with God that was always the goal of Torah.

Jesus’ ministry was concerned with establishing the true foundations of halakhah through correctly interpreting Torah.

Christians can also be found guilty of falling short of the purpose of what the Bible teaches, as Paul’s letter to the Galatians pointed out. On the one hand there is the possibility of misunderstanding Torah as law in the legal sense and so missing the true purpose of God’s teaching. Many Christians have thereby detached themselves from serious study of the heart intent of Torah foundations, misinterpreting Galatians 3:13. Yeshua (Jesus) took away the curse of Torah (the ‘law’) in that he took the punishment for sin away on the Cross for those who believe. He did not take away Torah itself.

On the other hand, in seeking to restore Torah observance, some Christians have taken a legalistic route, similar to that found in Jewish halakhah.

In Light of the New Covenant

Our challenge, therefore, in re-connecting with the Hebraic background to the Christian faith, is to be serious students of the entire Bible, re-establishing Torah foundations in New Covenant terms, helping one another secure a walk of faith in relationship with one another and with God and not being so legalistic as to spoil that walk, whilst learning together how to let our freedom in Messiah be submitted to the will of the Holy Spirit.

It must be said that the evidence is that it is far easier to slip into legalistic interpretations of Torah, leading to bondage to ritual more than freedom to walk with the Lord – something that takes a lifetime to learn in reality.

Take Psalm 119 as an illustration of where to start. Picture the author carefully constructing his psalm to express his delight in Torah. The psalm has 22 sections, each linked to one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of a section commences with a word beginning with that letter, aleph, beit, gimmel and so on.

The number eight in Scripture represents new beginnings, possibly new life, so this symbolism is wound into the construction of the psalm. Perhaps there are other symbols too, along with the emphasis on the alphabet.

Our challenge is to re-establish Torah foundations in New Covenant terms, helping one another secure a walk of faith in relationship with God, while not slipping into legalism.

Considering all this, we realise that the psalmist took great care in expressing his love of Torah. Every letter of every word was to express his love of God and recognition of the power of Torah to transform, protect and guide a person.

This same inspiration can be carried over to New Covenant love of God’s teaching. Do we love God’s teaching through his Holy Spirit in such a way that we respond to it with the same heart as the psalmist? How many Christians have seen it that way? Torah was always spiritual and with the gift of the Holy Spirit to write it on our hearts, we are in a privileged position to live a Torah lifestyle - free of bondage, free to learn, discovering how heart manifestations of Torah principles are intended to guide and strengthen our individual and corporate walks with God.

Next time: Some illustrations from Torah

Clifford Denton continues his series on Hebraic living.

Walking with Friends

If we each look back over our lives, we will find that many of our friendships have been strengthened because we went on long walks together. The times when we were walking together, talking, enjoying the same fresh air, the same food and the same experiences are the times we remember as best. These shared experiences were foundations on which friendship was built.

Walking together can be metaphorical as well as a physical reality. Life shared in all its ways with one’s family and friends is also a ‘walk’. It seems that God has made us to enjoy walking life out! If we share an experience, whatever it is, we enjoy it more.

The times when we walk and talk together are often the times we remember as best.

The Hebrew Language Encourages Mobility

The Hebrew language is not complicated. The verb structures train the Hebraic mindset more for action than for academic discourse. They are simple and not designed for philosophical thought (such as is the Greek language, or even the English language).

Simply put, Hebrew verbs describe action - whether completed action, present action or ongoing action. The Hebrew language trains a person to be a doer, strengthening the idea of mobility in life.

Walking with God

Is it any wonder, then, that walking out one’s faith is such a central issue for God’s covenant people? God asks us to trust him and to walk with him on a journey of relationship, during which our faith is built. This is the Hebraic lifestyle, and it is evidenced throughout Scripture.

Enoch “walked with God” for 365 years and one day just disappeared from this world (Gen 5:22-23). We are left to imagine what such a walk might have been like, even before the days of Noah, before Abraham and before Moses. Enoch’s walk was not one of ritual from the Law, which was not yet given.

The lives of all the ‘heroes of faith’ in Hebrews 11 are described in our Bibles in such a way that we can deduce that it was through relationship, not ritual, that their faith grew. Just as with our friends on earth, friendship with God is cultivated through a lifelong walk.

Just as with our friends on earth, friendship with God is cultivated through a lifelong walk.

Abraham trusted God and began his walk in a physical sense when he left Ur. This physical walk took on spiritual dimensions through the experiences of life through which God led him. Down through the ages, others have taken confidence from his example to seek God for their own personal walk.

Torah and Halakhah

The subjects of Torah and halakhah are related. Torah, the teaching of God, is usually seen as the foundation of halakhah, which means walking out. With a Hebraic mindset one should not turn Torah into philosophy, as a Greek mindset is prone to doing through establishing a range of intellectual theologies on what the Bible says. A Hebraic mindset of doing (see Ezra 7:10) seeks to find what pleases God and put it into action.

This was what was in the mind of the author of Psalm 119 when he wrote:

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the Torah of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways. (Psa 119:1-3)

Walking was established as the way Torah should be made manifest:

You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you… (Deut 5:33)

Micah understood this as the purpose of God for all mankind:

He has shown you, O Man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic 6:8)

Jewish rabbis adopted the practice of walking with their disciples as they taught them, outworking a principle whereby parents should teach children:

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deut 6:7)

What a walk with God it was when Yeshua (Jesus) walked along the way with his disciples!

God asks us to trust him and to walk with him on a journey of relationship, during which our faith is built.

Every genuine, healthy walk with God is founded on Torah. Torah and halakhah are inseparable on this walk of growing faith through life. Nevertheless, I suggest that, with Enoch as my example, we should prioritise halakhah before Torah in our purposes. First, we seek to walk with God to attain the friendship that Abraham gained, and along the way we discover what pleases God.

Halakhah in Judaism

Since the time when Moses first appointed elders to interpret the principles of Torah into every aspect of life (Ex 18:17-27), the teachers of Israel have sought to continue this tradition.

However, halakhah has now become a code of binding rules. This was the origin of Yeshua’s criticism concerning many of the rules which were more man-made than God-intended (Matt 23). Rabbis were making their disciples dependent on them and not on a personal relationship with God. By contrast, Yeshua’s interpretation of Torah (such as in the Sermon on the Mount) was full of life and carried authority.

Halakhah in Christianity

The true Hebraic lifestyle is spoiled when halakhah is reduced to a set of rules. This is not only found in Judaism. It can also be found in sections of the Christian Church, though not necessarily under that heading. This must not be allowed. It will disconnect us from our true Hebraic heritage. True halakhah is in continuity from Enoch, through Abraham, Moses and right through to Yeshua and the freedom to learn that the New Covenant gives us.

God has always called his people to walk with him – personally. The role of any Bible teacher is to encourage that walk.

The true Hebraic lifestyle is spoiled when halakhah is reduced to a set of rules.

Our New Covenant freedom comes from having our sins forgiven through the shed blood of Yeshua, so that fellowship with our Father in Heaven in and through his Son can be made real. The Holy Spirit is given to us to strengthen that walk – a walk that takes us through all the seasons of life and maturing faith. Paul summed this up when he said:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit…

That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit…

As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God…you received adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. (Rom 8)

In restoring the continuity of a biblically Hebraic lifestyle, Christians can re-balance the principle of halakhah – walking with God. It is our privilege and our duty as God’s witnesses in this world.

Do Not Be Robbed

None of us must allow ourselves to be robbed of this walk of faith. It is the most wonderful thing to be invited by Yeshua to enter into this relationship, but many settle for far less. It is not only ritual Judaism that falls short of the true halakhah. Even in Christianity, if one follows a human being, however wonderful their biblical interpretation, more than responding directly to God, then one falls short.

If one turns the teaching of the Bible into theology which, though perhaps water-tight, is academic rather than Spirit-inspired, one falls short. If one values the social aspect of Christian interaction (even through regular and dutiful attendance at Church) above relationship with the Father, one can still fall short. And if one is locked into doctrinal and denominational teaching, defending it zealously, one may still miss out on the relationship to which our Father calls us.

It is the most wonderful thing to be invited by Yeshua to enter into this relationship, but many settle for far less.

Our walk with God will not be entirely alone. It will be a personal response to God, but also in step with family and fellowship around us. We walk in personal relationship with God, but also together.

All this is a priority of restoring our Hebraic foundations and something we must all check out afresh, daily.

Next time: Torah - the teaching of God.

Clifford Denton unpacks God's vision for knowledge, understanding and wisdom.

"Education, education, education", said Tony Blair as he entered 10 Downing Street for the first time. It sounded good at first. Now, our new Prime Minister Theresa May has raised education to a high priority once more, with a fresh focus on grammar schools. With standards under scrutiny as each year passes, whether it be through Ofsted reports, or exam results, our attention is never far from how our children are being taught in school.

But how close are we to a biblical pattern for education? It is not so much the efficiency and funding of our national programmes that should be our priority, but the foundations on which we are raising the next generation.

The Jesuits have been credited with the maxim, "Give me a child for his first seven years and I'll give you the man", reflecting what everyone who wants to order society according to a certain world-view knows. If an education system is designed to conform to a certain philosophy or religion, then society can be changed in a generation – for good or bad.

If an education system can be conformed to a certain philosophy or religion, then society can be changed in a generation – for good or bad.

Back to our Roots

So what does the Bible say? That must be the prime focus for Christians.

First, the word education is not to be found. The biblical word is Torah. Yet even before the establishing of Torah through Moses, God's prime purpose for his people was shown – right back in the Garden of Eden. God created mankind to be in fellowship with him. Adam and Eve were given simple instructions to maintain that fellowship. The principles of Torah were given to them in basic form - they were told what not to do in order to maintain a close relationship with the Lord.

The Bible, in other places, describes this relationship as a walk with God. Through human weakness and a little input from the enemy, Adam and Eve could not maintain this walk and so the Fall occurred, followed by God's programme of recovery through covenant that is still going on today. Principles of biblical education, Torah, were made known through Moses so that the chosen people of God could live an ordered and blessed life in fellowship with him.

Torah: Principles and Purpose

The Hebrew word Torah refers to the teaching of God's people. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, summarised the way God's people should be taught: "stand before God for the people...teach them the statutes and the laws and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do" (Ex 18:19-20).

The walk with God, highlighted here, was recalled time and again throughout Israel's history. It was a walk that could (and did) falter through disobedience, and so its principles were reiterated at key moments. For example, Ezra affirmed the principles after his return to Jerusalem from Babylon:

Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Torah of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances to Israel. (Ezra 7:10)

Micah also was inspired to champion the balance and purpose of Torah:

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic 6:8)

In considering what Christian education might look like, in contrast to what the world around us is establishing, we are wise to first look back to the Old Testament and consider how God intended his covenant people to walk safely with him.

Beware of dry legalism, however, in which Torah is reduced to a set of dos and don'ts, as if God desires only ritual observance. What he desires above all is relationship with us, as a father with a child, or a husband with a wife. The principles of Torah are for securing this walk, not replacing it.

Principles of biblical education, Torah, were made known through Moses so that the people of God could live a blessed life in fellowship with him.

Keeping on Track with God

The struggles of the Children of Israel to maintain a close walk with God demonstrate our need of principles to protect us along our way in life. As much as Adam and Eve were subject to the temptations of the evil one, so there are always ways in which evil is at work in the nations of the world to seduce God's people off track.

This principle is reflected in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) and so is as valid for Christians as it was for Adam and Eve and for the Nation of Israel. The four injunctions of the letter written from the Council to new believers (Acts 15:28-29) were essential things to abstain from so that "if you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well."

So even though we live in days of the New Covenant where, according to the fulfilment of Jeremiah 31:33, Torah (God's educational programme) is put into the minds and written on the hearts of God's people, still there are warnings about being seduced away from a close walk with God.

Jesus Messiah the Goal

The ultimate goal of Torah (God's educational package) was to bring us to Messiah (Rom 10:4), like an escort taking a person to the place of his education (Gal 3:24). Jesus made it clear that he did not come to abolish Torah but to fulfil it (Matt 5:17-20), meaning that the goal of teaching within the Christian community is the interpretation of Torah by the Spirit of God, in the light of Jesus the Messiah, fulfilling the New Covenant announced first by Jeremiah (Jer 31).

This goal remains the same as in the days of the Old Covenant, though now it is enabled by the Spirit of God in the heart of every believer. Our teaching should encourage and establish this walk for all of Jesus' disciples. Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission, is Jesus' command that we do this - making disciples.

This walk is enabled through the Spirit of God and it is as much a spiritual battle today to gain and maintain it as it was for Adam and Eve and for the Children of Israel through the days of the Old Covenant. Our education programmes must have the objective of discipleship and growth to maturity in the Holy Spirit as their prime focus, to help others mature in their personal walk with God.

Summary So Far

In summary, from the time of Adam and Eve, God's plan has been to live in relationship with his own people. Since the time of Jesus, the invitation has gone out to the entire world for people to walk in this relationship. God desires this but also requires our complete commitment.

Torah is not to be reduced to a set of ritual dos and don'ts. Above all God desires relationship with us – the principles of Torah are for securing this, not replacing it.

Education God's Way: The Method

Whilst each disciple of Jesus has a personal walk and a promise of the Holy Spirit as our personal teacher, God has also appointed some to be teachers (Eph 4:11). We learn from Deuteronomy 6 that responsibility for Bible teaching is first through the example of parents. Biblical education is primarily to take place in the home – more so than in church!

Other Bible teaching is ordered around this, with the aim of raising up disciples of Jesus to personal responsibility and independence in their walk with God. The exhortation of God to the families of Israel (Deut 6:4-9) is still foundational to the teaching of our children today:

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The importance of diligence is emphasised here; the minute care that is to be taken to remember, and always be alert to opportunities to teach God's ways. This shows that it is easy to slip into the ways of the world around. We must always remember what God has done in the past, in order to have a straight path into the future.

The goal of Torah, God's educational package, was to bring us to Jesus Messiah.

Education God's Way: The Content

If discipleship is the goal, what then of the content of biblical education? The Book of Proverbs emphasises the three key elements of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. These are three distinct elements usually considered key in any education system.

However, James warned us about demonic counterfeits (James 3:15). There is a wisdom that does not come from God. This is the danger inherent in education systems that are not founded on the Bible and are motivated in other ways (which James would call earthly, sensual and demonic).

Knowledge: Only the Start

Much education in our schools today is knowledge-based and much of it ends there, leaving the application of this knowledge open and vulnerable to the spirit of the age. Our children can be trapped within a system perpetuated by unbiblical objectives that are self-serving and at times dangerous. Thus, knowledge of nuclear power can be put to good use providing heat and light to enhance or lives – or it can be used to make weapons to destroy the world. This is just one illustration.

Knowledge from a biblical perspective, however, is far deeper than factual knowledge. The Hebrew word for 'knowledge' is the same word that describes the relationship between a man and his wife. As we study this we discover that all three of the key elements of biblical education are spiritual in nature. A prayerful reading of the Book of Proverbs will confirm this. So, whether we are speaking of factual knowledge or relational knowledge of God, we are designed and intended to exercise our spiritual nature in its acquisition.

Understanding: Releasing the Potential of Knowledge

But what of understanding? I have been a teacher and educationalist for many years, but it has taken me until recently to get a better grasp of what this is. Many of us use the words knowledge and understanding interchangeably, thinking we have grasped their meaning, but I would suggest there are hidden depths here that we did not realise existed.

Hebrew, the foundational language of the Bible, is verb-orientated: application is always paramount. Knowledge leads to action. One becomes intimate with information and with facts and the natural tendency is to do something as a consequence, to apply knowledge into some form of action or end result.

This is understanding in action, putting together diverse pieces of information to bring about a creative consequence. There is potential in knowledge - understanding releases that potential. How important, therefore, that understanding be properly directed, since the potential of knowledge can be released in so many different ways!

All three key elements of biblical education – knowledge, understanding and wisdom - are spiritual in nature.

Wisdom

Biblical education must develop a Godly mindset, so that our understanding (and therefore our doing) has the right motives. This can only be accomplished through a prayerful walk with God, who alone can lead us to apply what we learn rightly. That is why James says that we should ask God for wisdom in faith, in confidence that God will give it liberally.

The wisdom of God is not only concerned with abstract and spiritual matters. It is also concerned with practical outworking for the ordering of our society. In all ways, practical and spiritual, the goal of education is to fulfil the two Great Commandments: to love God with all our being and our neighbour as ourselves. It is no small thing to teach one another to walk with God in this way and it is clear that education in our nation's schools is likely, in the world as it is, to fall far short of this.

In Conclusion

Returning to the introduction to this article: "Education, education, education" rightly directed is an excellent maxim, but wrongly directed is worldly, blind and potentially dangerous. Surely we are at a period in history when we should consider carefully what God's plan for the education of his people should be, especially our children.

"Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body...here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecc 12:12-13)

Edmund Heddle unpacks God's requirements for mankind, re-iterated again and again through the prophets and summarised by the prophet Micah: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with the Lord.

An important part of the prophet's responsibility, whether in the Old or New Testament, is telling God's people what the Lord requires of them and spelling out the divine requirements. People are forgetful and need constant reminders of their responsibilities. They are sinful and prone to go astray from the right way. They are also exposed to the seduction and attraction of evil forces. All these things apply to groups of people as well as individuals.

There is, however, one area in which the Lord's people seem particularly prone to adopt the wrong ideas - and that is worship.

How to Approach God

The classic passage on this subject is to be found in the prophecy of Micah (6:6-8):

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my first-born, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

George Adam Smith in The Book of the Twelve Prophets writes, "This is the greatest saying of the Old Testament...these few verses in which Micah sets forth the true essence of religion...afford us an insight into the innermost nature of the religion of Israel, as delivered by the prophets."¹

One area in which the Lord's people are particularly prone to adopting the wrong ideas is that of worship.

Micah the Countryman

Micah was one of the prophets who functioned during the 8^th Century BC and was contemporary with Amos and Hosea in the northern kingdom of Israel. While Isaiah was prophesying in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah, Micah was a countryman, living in Moresheth, twenty miles south-west of Jerusalem. While Isaiah was a statesman involved with the court circle of his day, Micah denounced the moral and social evils he saw among ordinary people, together with their priests, prophets and merchants.

He foretold the fall of Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom, and told of a glorious future when Jerusalem would become the religious centre of the world, over which the King - to be born in Bethlehem - would reign (Micah 1:6; 3:11; 5:1-4; 4:1-5).

Whilst Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem amongst men of rank and importance, Micah prophesied in the country to ordinary people.

The Mountains' Witness

Micah presents his teaching on what God requires of his worshippers in the form of a trial in which the Lord's case against Israel is to be heard (Micah 6:1-5). He asks the mountains, that had seen all that God had done for his people, to act as witnesses. What should the people have done to respond to God's faithfulness to his covenant? He appeals to the mountains, those silent, unchanging spectators of human conduct throughout Israel's history, to confirm that he had been faithful to his people, while they in their turn had indulged in witchcraft, idolatry and immorality (5:12-14).

The verdict revealed Israel as guilty and Yahweh as totally innocent. How amazing therefore that Micah should go on to reveal Yahweh to be one who delights in mercy: "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his people? You do not stay angry for ever but delight to show mercy" (7:18).

How to Worship - Man's Idea

"Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?...with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn...for the sin of my soul?" (6: 6-7). The popular view of God sees him as a despot who needs to be propitiated by material offerings, provided they are sufficiently large and costly. The prophet even considers the possibility of offering human sacrifice, his nearest and dearest, as was practised at that time (2 Ki 3:27, 16:3; Isa 57:5), although this was strictly forbidden by the Law of Moses (Lev 18:21) and was something that had never even entered God's mind! (Jer 19:5).

The popular view of God sees him as a despot who needs appeasing through human effort – preferably through large, costly material offerings.

Note the increasing exaggeration of these suggestions. First, the prophet proposes burnt offerings with year-old calves. This is seen to be the offering appropriate to a meticulous observance of the Law. The second suggestion, embracing thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oil is an excessive fulfilment of the law's requirements. The third exceeds all normal bounds of humanity by putting forward the idea of human sacrifice.

The supreme mistake at the heart of all these suggestions was to suppose that Yahweh, like all other deities, required appeasement through human effort. Even the sacrificial system of Moses was meaningless without the heart devotion of the worshipper (Jer 7:22-24). This is external religion, totally ineffective in bringing forgiveness to the worshipper.

How to Worship - God's Way

He has showed you, O man, what is good...To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)

According to Micah, God has revealed his requirements and we are left neither in the darkness of ignorance nor to the vagaries of human suggestions, such as we have been considering in the two preceding verses. The simplicity of true religion is nowhere described more clearly than it is here. It is a heart response to God for all that he has done, expressed in the three basic elements of 'doing justly', 'loving mercy', and 'walking humbly with the Lord God'.

These requirements apply to all men of all ages, living in all places. Life is to be lived in a right relationship to one's fellow men in all circumstances - social, political, at the work-place and during leisure: avoiding whatever is unfair or wrong but delighting to be of service: and freely and willingly, showing kindness to others.

While false, external religion is totally ineffective, Micah simply expresses the three basic elements of true religion – doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God.

Notice that while we are to 'do' justly, we are to 'love' showing mercy. Mercy must never be grudging or stinted. If justice obliges us to go one mile, mercy will constrain us to do two! (Matt 5:41). A concern that all have their fair share and their just rights makes a sure foundation for society. Sadly, it was the very thing so lacking in Micah's time.

How to Walk with Your God

We have seen that, according to Micah's analysis of the situation, the way to worship God begins with a right and loving relationship with other people. Let us note that it does not stay there. We need to be in right relationship with God as well as with our neighbour. The exalted God who dwells in the highest heaven is also prepared to accompany each step of their earthly life all who will humble themselves to walk at God's pace in his chosen direction (Isa 57:15).

The essential feature is to walk 'humbly'. This is a rare word, occurring only twice in the Old Testament, the other occasion being in Proverbs 11:2. Some scholars stress that its root meaning is 'secretly'. Jesus made it clear that we need from time to time to withdraw from the business of life and to enter the quiet room. He assures us that our Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward us (Matt 6:6).

The God who dwells in highest heaven is prepared to accompany each step of their earthly life all who will humble themselves to walk at his pace and in his chosen direction.

It is however important to preserve the rendering 'humbly'. The spirit of humility is always to be in evidence when weak, sinful men attempt to walk with a perfect and holy God. But the rewards of such an experience are of incredible value, as Enoch found when he walked with God (Gen 5:21-24). If we walk with our God while here on earth, we shall not find it strange when the time comes to leave it. We shall have that lovely feeling, in heaven, of belonging!

Prophets' Chorus

When Micah was given the revelation that we have been studying he became part of a prophets' chorus. For Amos had cried out for justice – "let justice roll on like a river..." (Amos 5:24). And Hosea had exclaimed, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hos 6:6). And we must bring in the 'thrice holy' exclamations that Isaiah heard in the Temple when he was humbled before the majesty of Israel's God (Isa 6:3-5). Micah takes these sentiments from his fellow prophets and weaves them into the call that summarises God's requirement (Micah 6:8).

Approved by the Lord Jesus

On one occasion Jesus was asked. "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God...love your neighbour as yourself." The questioner replied, "You are right in saying that God is one and that there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him. "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:28-34)

In agreeing with the reply given by the teacher of the law, Jesus did not dismiss the Mosaic sacrificial system as being of no significance. It was important in training Israel to understand the ministry of the Messiah and his atoning death on the cross. But once it had been fulfilled, Jesus agreed that the love of God and of one's neighbour took priority. The conclusion reached by Jesus endorsed the statement many years before by the prophet Samuel: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice..." (1 Sam 15:22).

The essence of Micah's famous statement is that God has no interest in a multiplicity of empty acts. Offerings and rituals, however splendid and costly, count for nothing in his estimation. Even the Levitical ordinances are valueless unless they express a sincere, heartfelt response to God's grace and mercy. Jeremiah sums it up thus: "When I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them. I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: 'Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you'" (Jer 7:22-23).

God has no interest in a multiplicity of empty acts. His command is that we obey him, and walk with him, and be his people.

Announcing God's Requirements

The prophet's responsibility is to discover what the Lord requires and then to make it his requirement. Three errors may crop up as he does this. First, he may refuse to pass on God's requirement because it is too costly or too embarrassing. Secondly, he may pass on only a part of God's requirement, leaving some things unsaid.

Thirdly, he may add to what God requires, for example by suggesting rituals and procedures that end up by adulterating God's pure will. Today's prophets have a solemn responsibility to make sure that their people know what God is requiring of them. They must also be careful not to misuse their position of privilege by adding their own or other people's ideas to what God actually requires.

The Message of Micah's Name

The name 'Micah' means, 'Who is like Yahweh?', and towards the end of his prophecy he answers that question when he says, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin?...You do not stay angry for ever, but delight to show mercy" (Micah 7:18). Moses asked the same question after God had brought his people safely through the Red Sea: "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Ex 15:11). Let our worship clearly manifest both the mercy and the awesomeness of such a great and glorious God.

Prophets have a solemn responsibility to make sure that people know what God is requiring of them – they must not misuse their privilege by adding their own ideas in.

What is your God like, the God who is worshipped in your fellowship? Remember, it is part of the prophet's task to give a clear picture of what the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is like, and what is required of those who profess to worship him.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 6, No 1, January/February 1990. Part of our series on the Ministry of the Prophet.

References

1 Smith, G A, 1900. The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Commonly Called the Minor. Vol. 1. Reprint. London: Forgotten Books, 2013. pp418-9.

Clifford Denton's latest study on the Hebraic roots of Christianity turns to the tricky subject of the balance between 'law' and 'grace'.

The rift between Jews and Christians

The broken relationship between Jews and Christians has had immense consequences. Misunderstanding has often fuelled the flames of hate and aggravated the harm that has been done to God's people. There have also been consequences for the way we read the Bible, particularly since Hebraic thinking has been replaced by a Greek mindset. This has detracted from the continuity between the two Testaments and has unbalanced perspectives through the centuries.

Among the Bible themes disjointed by the ascension of Greek thinking is the relationship between law and grace, now often separated in the thinking of many Christians. The common error nowadays (despite the way some Scriptures seem to read otherwise) is to consider 'law' as completely done away with in favour of 'grace', because of the sacrifice of Jesus."

However, if we read the New Testament with a thorough grasp of its continuity with the whole of Scripture, and put it in proper historical context, the subtle relationship between law and grace takes on a clearer perspective. It was through God's grace that all His teaching (the Torah) was given to us. All the law that was revealed through Moses came through the grace of God. There is much to consider on this topic, but that is a good starting point.

Is this Judaising?

This call to flee Greek thinking and return to the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith must not be construed as 'Judaising'. 'Judaising' is the word often used to accuse those who seem to be too caught up with all things Jewish (in contemporary usage, it often carries with it a hint of anti-Semitism). Those accused seem to be overly fascinated with external forms of Jewishness that come more from tradition than from conventional Christian interpretations of the Scriptures. They are also often thought of as having a faulty understanding of law and grace.

There is a difference between Judaising - becoming overly fascinated with external forms of Jewishness - and developing a right respect of God's laws."

Paul gave plentiful warning against Judaising activity to the Galatians (eg chapter 2). However, there is a difference between Judaising and developing a right respect of God's laws. Let us now consider the situation in the First Century when the Gospel message began to move out into the Gentile world.

From Moses to Jesus

The teaching of God (Torah), considered to be founded on the first five books of the Bible, has needed practical interpretation ever since the time of Moses. Torah remains a set of written principles until interpreted into action.

An important principle was established when Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, helped Moses understand how to teach the people the way to obey the principles of Torah:

You shall teach them the statutes and the laws and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God......let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. (Ex 18:20-22)

From that time onwards, the burden of teaching was shared by the elders of Israel, comparably to the way Scripture is taught today through the ministry of teaching in the Church.

The purpose of the teaching was so that every member of the Children of Israel - every family, clan and tribe, and the entire Nation - would know how to walk out the principles of Torah. The Hebrew for 'walking out' is halakha - a practical application of Torah according to the wisdom of God (walking is also the metaphor applied to the life of faith for the Christian - see Romans 8, where Paul explores the walk in the Spirit).

By the time of Jesus, the elders whom Moses had appointed in his day had been transformed into the members of the religious authority called the Sanhedrin. In addition, schools of Rabbis had formed with different shades of interpretation of Torah. However, whilst these different Rabbinic schools were zealous to interpret Torah accurately, their walking out of God's law had become more religious duty than personal relationship with him.

Every human being is prone to legalism, feeling more comfortable with rules than relationship."

This is the main point in understanding what the term 'law' meant in Paul's day and, indeed, what it means in Judaism today. The flesh of all human beings is prone to legalism, feeling more comfortable with rules than relationship. This can be so for Christians as well as Jews, and was the reason for Paul's warnings in the New Testament. At the time when Paul taught about law and grace, law was not so much Torah (the Old Testament teaching of God in its written form) as it was the interpretation of Torah into principles of living (indeed, 'halakha' in our own day is still the term used in Judaism for legal interpretations of Torah).

It is therefore reasonable for us to suppose that when Paul talked about law, he was referring to the teaching of the Rabbis, whose method of interpreting Torah imposed binding rules on their disciples rather than encouraging a personal walk with the God of Israel. This close relationship had been understood by their own Prophet Micah, when he wrote:

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Mic 6:8)

Torah and Halakhah correctly interpreted

Torah, the teaching of God brought through Moses, is subject to interpretation and application. It becomes the legalism against which we are warned when wrongly interpreted as obligations of the flesh, and sometimes even into rules made by men (Col 2:22).

God's law becomes legalism when it is wrongly interpreted as obligations of the flesh, rather than a living walk with him."

By contrast, the New Covenant was the means by which Almighty God sent his Spirit to us to write the Torah on our hearts (Jer 31:33) and mobilise our walk with him (halakha) in a new and living way. Understanding the subtlety of this helps us to rebalance our view of Paul's teaching and to reconsider the balance of law and grace in the whole of Scripture.

Law as a Protector

If the Law of God is considered to be replaced by the grace of God, this not only impacts individual understandings but so the stability of entire societies.

God's law works to protect and guide human beings who are not able to live by the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. Nations such as Britain, which have been impacted by the Gospel message over many centuries, have long been stabilized through biblical laws on their statute books. In Britain we can go back at least as far as King Alfred to trace the influence of biblical principles of law.

Consider this quotation from Sir Francis Palgrave's 'History of the Anglo Saxons'¹ (emphases added):

The third and chief principle which actuated Alfred, was his endeavour to impart the spirit of the law of God to the temporal legislation of his kingdom. Alfred's statutes are prefaced by the Decalogue, to which is added a selection from the Mosaic precepts, and the canons of the first Apostolic council. "Do these", he continues, "and if these commands be obeyed, no other doom-book will be required." We commonly say that Christianity is a part of the law of the land. Alfred had a clearer perception of the station which religion should possess in a Christian commonwealth. He would have wished to render Christianity the law itself. The necessity for any human law exists solely in proportion to our neglect of the Divine law; and if we were enabled to write the law on our hearts, nothing whatever would be left for human legislation to perform.

Do you see what the author had detected in a balanced understanding of law to be applied to a nation? It is instructive to note that Palgrave (1788 -1861) was born into a Jewish family and converted to Christianity, which adds special emphasis to this insight into the history of the British Nation, especially in the context of our study of law and grace.

For Study and Prayer

Consider the biblical principles of Torah and halakha in relation to what a Christian should understand by the word law.

Next time: We will continue to consider the balance of law and grace.

These studies are developed from the course Christianity's Relationship with Israel and the Jews, first prepared for Tishrei Bible School.

References

1 p114, The Collected Historical Works of Sir Francis Palgrave, Vol 5: The History of the Anglo-Saxons, 1921 [2013]. R. H. I Palgrave (Ed), Cambridge, CUP.