This has been a particular topic of interest for me for many years, and it came to the front of my mind reading the comments sparked by the Biblical Understanding of Tithing study. So many of the comments were around the questions of whether we are we still subject to the Law, or what the Law on tithing is today.
Whilst I always very much appreciate comments, I ended up feeling like I had missed out on my point, which will hopefully come out more clearly in this study.
The root of the word ‘Torah’
My sense is we have to start with understanding what Torah actually means. For too long Torah has been generally understood to be ‘The Law’ or ‘God’s Law’. It has been translated that way through history, but if you look into the word ‘Torah’, you start to see that maybe we have had the wrong emphasis.
When you look closely you can see that an accurate meaning of the word ‘Torah’ is actually twofold.
First it is rooted in the word ‘hora’ah’, which means teaching. A very precise meaning is ‘teaching with direction’, therefore providing the type of teaching which enables and empowers you to find a direction to proceed in. The teachings in the Torah relate to both the spiritual and secular realms. The word is also related to the idea of shooting straight: Torah can be said to help us hit the mark.
The second aspect of the word Torah is found in the word ‘orah’, which means light. A good example of this is reflected in Proverbs 6:23, which states, “A mitzvah [command] is a candle, and Torah is the light”, which immediately suggests multiple levels of meaning.
A moral compass
One immediate thought is that Torah is the source of spiritual illumination in our world, and much that is practical and ethical. Besides it being the source of Judaism, Torah serves as a light to the nations through its teachings. In that respect we can say that Torah also serves as the foundation of much of Christianity and Islam.
In every aspect of our lives God’s teaching can provide an ethical and moral compass.
The Torah also, more importantly, serves as a source of illumination for our own personal lives (alongside the rest of the Bible, and God himself). Like the clouds of Glory which guided the Children of Israel for forty years in the desert, providing illumination and direction at night, so Torah can light our path, can provide us with direction, even in the darkest of times. That direction can be in business, family life, social life, study; in every aspect of our lives God’s teaching can provide an ethical and moral compass.
A harsh unrelenting law?
So how, given the foregoing, did we end of with this perception of a strict, unrelenting law. Well, I would suggest two reasons. First, the translation ‘law’ has been fixed in our minds and fits with the perception of a strict ‘Old Testament God’. Secondly, Paul’s writings, specifically Romans 3 and Galatians 2 nail it for us:
Romans 3:20
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Galatians 2:16
…yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Or do they….?
Badges of ritual purity
The reality is we don’t understand ‘works of the law’, or ‘ergo nomu’ in Greek. No-one has taught us about it. But since 1947, and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls there has been a great insight available to us, which few have delved into.
Within the treasure trove of Dead Sea Scrolls there was a collection of pieces called MMT4. MMT stands for ‘Misqat Ma’aseh haTorah’ which translates as ‘Works of the Law’. This is the only piece of literature other than Paul that references this particular term, which strongly suggests that there is a consistency of ideas here.
The document is a letter from the Essene community to Pharisees and deals with ritual purity. In essence, and you can delve into the detail for yourselves1, it focuses on issues such as ‘kashrut’ [kosher laws}, ‘shabbat’ and circumcision and their importance in staying faithful. These are specific, outward signs of keeping the law, or ‘badges.
Our relationship with Jesus is paramount
My reading of Paul’s points in both Romans and Galatians is this: Never allow the badges of covenant faithfulness to become as important or more important than our relationship with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in our life and our walk.
Never allow the badges of covenant faithfulness to become as important or more important than our relationship with Jesus.
And it was this relationship that I was trying to speak into with the tithing study, and on two fronts.
First, if any practice enhances your relationship with Jesus then go ahead with it. I believe this was why Paul was relaxed about some of his companions becoming circumcised. It was never the act that worried him, it was the idea of a legal requirement, the idea that without it your faith does not amount to anything.
Secondly, Jesus is the most important; he is the focus of our faith, which is grounded on grace. So, if anything even starts to feel like it could become a requirement then there is something wrong with it – at least for that person.
In short, the badges of covenant faithfulness are nothing like the covenant relationship itself. They can enhance that relationship, and can be very beneficial, even very important, but without a deep, direct relationship those badges are worthless. And before anyone thinks that we don’t have badges like shabbat, kashrut and circumcision today, then let’s think about some of the ones we do have, like speaking in tongues, liturgy, hat-wearing, even daily Bible study – you don’t have to think too long to come up with a whole host. Maybe that is a good subject for the comments page…
Notes
To look at this topic further, Wikipedia is a good starting point.