In concluding this series, let’s first review some of the main points that have been made so far.

There is a subtle yet significant difference between a Greek worldview and a Hebraic worldview. The Greek worldview (which, following the rise of Rome, could also be termed ‘Greco-Roman’¹) has enjoyed lasting, worldwide influence.

In particular, the beguiling power of Greco-Roman thinking has undergirded the development of Western civilisation, influencing its education and culture for many centuries. Its foundational beliefs lie at the root of humanism, which glorifies man and his achievements, without reference to the God of the Bible.

This falls short of heavenly wisdom and inspiration, as the Apostle James highlighted in his epistle, calling such earthly wisdom ‘demonic’. Indeed, the spiritual power behind humanism engages disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) in a spiritual battle. Ground has been lost where churches have become lifeless and theoretical, with Christian theology becoming tainted by humanistic thinking.

Continuing to build on previous articles, we recall Karl Coke’s exhortation for church congregations to go From the Theatre to the Home and live the life of faith according to the testimony of Abraham and those mentioned in Hebrews 11. There is a simple but challenging lesson here for us all: a Hebraic worldview must lead to a Hebraic lifestyle. But what does this mean, practically?

Hebrew Language

As a focal point for this discussion, we will look – perhaps surprisingly – at the Hebrew language.

The Hebrew language is the foundation of all Scripture, being the language of the Old Testament (the Tanach) and, by extension, the basis of the worldview of the New Testament. Though the New Testament largely came to us in the Greek language, we must learn to read through the Greek expressions back to the foundations set in the Hebrew of the Old Testament. Being Hebraic, of course, is far more than a study of language: it must impact all of life.

Linguists know that the language we speak is at the foundation of our culture – who we are and how we live together. Many languages sprang up from the scattering at Babel. Language became the means of God separating people-groups. Some linguists would go as far as to say that culture is language and language is culture. Jewish writers such as Abba Eban, when analysing the characteristics of their people, know this and consider Jewish history through the lens of how God formed his people using the Hebrew language.

The Hebrew language is formed around action (doing) – in linguistic terms, it is verb-orientated. Verbs generally precede nouns in sentences, emphasising that action is the priority. This reminds us that we ought to be doers of the word rather than just hearers, active not passive, as James exhorted in his epistle.

Hebrew verb structures, as in all Semitic languages, are not as complicated as in other languages (the complexity of languages including Greek and English lend themselves to static, academic analysis more than to action). Hebrew has just three tenses, often likened to our past, present and future. In reality, this is not accurate; Hebrew verb tenses refer to completed action, present action and incomplete action – as simple as that.

The Hebrew language is formed around action – in linguistic terms, it is verb-orientated - reminding us that we ought to be doers of the word rather than just hearers, as the Apostle James exhorted.

Focusing on the Present, Trusting for the Future

If our lives were framed by these three tenses, we would be concentrating more on the present than on the past, while trusting God to bring completion in the future – both in the ‘big picture’ of his covenant promises and in the substance our individual lives. Is time really an illusion, because we live in the ever-present with our God? Is this why Yeshua taught us to be concerned only for today and leave tomorrow’s troubles until tomorrow comes? Is the life of faith about resting in the ever-present reality of our God?

Asking questions is a result of living Hebraically. The Greek worldview looks for definitive statements of logic – universal rules, equations and laws. Living the life of faith in the ever-present raises questions that reach out for understanding that may never be complete in a logical sense. Answering a question with a question typifies the Hebraic way of life!

The Hebraic mindset also means living so that our clocks do not control us, prioritising non-time-dependent activities such as sharing meals. When Yeshua ministered to the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well, he simply spent time with her and by this means brought the whole village to listen to him. Should we not spend more time with one another in the ever-present shalom of the Lord?

Study and prayer are two activities where we spend time with God, in the present. They are not dependent on time but on relationship with God and his living word. Will we not enjoy his shalom more as we are less time-dependent and more relationship-dependent? Indeed, has the clock, our measure of time, become more dominant in our world than ever before, driving us to pressured lives that war against God's shalom?

Active Faith, Living Relationship

The Hebrew language has an enormous range of figures of speech, metaphors, parallelism, hyperbola (exaggeration), ellipsis (leaving the reader to infer and complete an idea, searching the scriptures for links) and so on (Bullinger’s book on figures of speech in the Bible is very thick!). Hebrew is the language of parable and metaphor, through which we learn about God from our walk with him, not seeking a systematic theology so much as a relationship with our Saviour.

It is not necessary for us all to be experts in the Hebrew language, but it is necessary for us to allow the Holy Spirit to develop a Hebraic worldview and lifestyle in us as we move through each day. God speaks in pictures, and through stories, which is much different from the Greek scientific and philosophical approach. We can learn to let the Holy Spirit cause us to grow through the experience of these ways that God speaks to us. Philosophy, by contrast, is static, whilst the life of faith is active. James speaks of true faith being proved by its fruit: action.

The writer to the Hebrews describes faith as “the substance of things hoped for” (Heb 11:1). The Hebrew for ‘faith’ and ‘faithfulness’ are the same, so we can also translate this as faithfulness is the substance of things hoped for – living our lives in the context of our trust in God, not just ‘thinking about it’. Greek philosophy requires axioms; Hebraic faith requires trust in God.

Hebrew is the language of parable and metaphor, through which we learn about God from our walk with him, not seeking a systematic theology so much as a relationship with our Saviour.

Our Safeguard

Discernment is key to ensuring that we are following the impulsion of the true Spirit of God, since we could be vulnerable to deception when we seek to be free to walk with God. This is why discernment, according to the writer to the Hebrews, is a mark of maturity.

God is preparing us for a walk into the future, prior to the return of Yeshua when all prophecies will be completed. We need to learn how to walk together, trusting God for the outworking of his purposes and understanding how to live today – Hebraically. Counterfeit spiritualities are mounting up in this world, adding spiritual deception to humanism. Days of deception are opening up when a close walk with God will be our only safeguard.

This article is the final instalment of a series. Click here to read previous articles.

Notes

1 The Roman Empire was a conquering empire, which retained the influence of the Greek philosophers, politicians, scientists, mathematicians, artists, writers, sculptors, sporting heroes and gods who came before.