Linking the Infinite and the Finite—A New Paradigm in Which to View the Bible

The Bible’s Torah Connection

Pretend you were the infinite, all-powerful, omniscient and loving Creator of the universe who had made man to have a relationship with him, how would communicate with finite humans? How could you pour all that you know and are into man, so that he could experience the love, joy, peace, goodness, holiness, wisdom, understanding and truth that you have? Would it not be like trying to pour the world’s oceans into a thimble. At best you would need to distill down the essence of who you are and what you know into its simplest and most basic form so as not to overwhelm your human creation. But how would you do this, and what would be the vehicle you would use to convey this vast revelation to puny man? And does a physical human being ultimately traverse the vast gulf between him and his Creator to become like his Father in heaven? 

There is a path between here and there! It has been laid out. It is called the Torah—a biblical Hebrew word meaning “instructions, teachings, precepts and law.” The Torah is a tiny kernel of the essence of the very mind, will, character and heart of the Creator, and it is his gift to man, for man to live an abundant physical life here and now with the possibility of graduating to a position of immortality in Elohim’s eternal kingdom and spiritual family. The Torah is the thimble into which YHVH poured his heart into bite sized pieces that would not choke man’s understanding of the vastness of who he is. 

How do we know these things? The Bible likens the Torah that emanates from the Eternal Creator to divine light that pierces the spiritual darkness of the man’s physical existence. Moreover, the Torah is like a path that leads man to YHVH Elohim, the Creator. It is the epitome of all wisdom, knowledge and understanding that when embraced and obeyed leads man to the fulfillment of his highest desires. This very Torah is revealed in the pages of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Yes, not just in the books of the law of Moses, but in the New Testament or Testimony of Yeshua as well! To those who will remove the religious blinders from their eyes, they will see that this truth-path has been hiding in plain sight from the beginning of man’s creation. It is merely requires one to freely choose this upward path.

The Living and the Written Torah Is the Central Theme of the Bible

In the pages of the Bible we revealed the Creator’s path laid out that enables man to transcend from the physical, mortal and temporal plain to the spiritual, immortal and heavenly plain. YHVH’s Torah is way upward and it is a highway that contains two lanes both going in the same direction. They are at the same time indivisible yet separate like two sides of the same coin; they co-labor together and together make a complete picture. That two lane highway to heaven is the  Living Torah (i.e., Yeshua the Messiah who is the Word of Elohim in human form) and Written Torah (specifically the biblical books of Genesis to Deuteronomy, and in the larger sense, the entire Old Testament or Tankah, and eventually the Bible, the Written Word of Elohim). The Torah in both forms are the dominant them of the entire Bible from beginning to end as we are about to discover.  

Yeshua and the Torah-word of Elohim is one and the same thing—totally unified and absolutely indivisible, which is why I used the singular verb is above and not are in order to illustrate a point. Another way to say this is that the whole Bible is about Yeshua the Torah-Word of Elohim who came in human form (John 1:1, 14). 

To further illustrate the unity of the Written and Living Torah Word of Elohim, we will discover later that the Bible’s dominant Torah theme is prominently highlighted at the beginning, middle and end of the Scriptures. This brief lesson is, by no means, a comprehensive study of the subject of the Torah as presented in the Bible. It is merely a quick overview to help you to begin viewing the Bible through a different set of spiritual glasses. To ensure that the locomotive driving your faith onward and upward is set on the right two rails—the Living Torah and the Written Torah. Thus, your spiritual train will not be derailed by wrong doctrine and false teachings.

In this study, we will focus more heavily on the Written Torah, as opposed to Yeshua the Living Torah, although I squarely rest my faith in the fact that without Yeshua the Messiah, it is impossible to fully understand, much less obey, the Written Torah. Furthermore, it is only Yeshua, the Living Torah and not the Written Torah who is capable of saving us from our sins (which the Bible defines as the violation of the Written Torah), and granting to us, by his merciful grace, the righteousness required to receive eternal life and entrance into Elohim’s everlasting kingdom and spiritual family.

The Written Torah Defined

Let us first define our terms. What does the word Torah mean as defined in the Bible? The primary meaning of the Hebrew word Torah/תּורה is “teaching, precept, instruction” and not the word law (as translated in most of our English Bibles), although it is translated as such some 219 times in the Tanakh (Old Testament). What is the fuller meaning of the word Torah?

According to Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Torah, as already noted, signifies primarily “direction, teaching and instruction” (Prov 13:14). It is derived from the verb yarah/VRh meaning “to project, point out” and hence “to point out or teach.” The law of Elohim is that which points out or indicates his will to man…Seen against its background of the verb yarah, it becomes clear that Torah is much more than law or a set of rules. Torah is not restriction or hindrance, but instead the means whereby one can reach a goal or an ideal place.

Similarly, The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament states that the word Torah means “teaching” whether it is the wise man instructing his son or Elohim instructing Israel. The wisdom of the Torah gives insight into all aspects of life so that a young person may know how to conduct themselves and to live a long blessed life (Prov 3:1f). Likewise through the Torah, Elohim, motivated by love, reveals to man basic insights on how men are to live with each other and how man is to approach Elohim. Through the Torah, Elohim shows his interest in all aspects of man’s life which is to be lived under his direction and care. The Torah of Elohim is his word to mankind—his instructions in right living or in righteousness. 

As already noted, the word Torah originates from the root word yarah, which also means “to flow as water, to lay or throw as in shooting an arrow; to point out as if aiming the finger to make a point, to teach.” Another cognate (related word) of the word Torah is the Hebrew word moreh, which means “teacher or archer (as in one who shoots at a target).” Moreh derives from the same Hebrew root word, yarah, as does the word Torah, and signifies that law is the revelation of Elohim’s will (e.g., Isa 1:10). Therefore, when one is walking according to the Torah of YHVH Elohim, one is walking in the light of YHVH’s truth, which is hitting the mark of righteousness. Likewise, YHVH’s teachings or instructions are a river of life flowing from his throne aimed at hitting the mark of truth and righteousness. Conversely, the Hebrew word for sin is chata, which means “to miss the mark,” or to transgress the Torah as 1 John 3:4 states, “Sin is the transgression of the Torah-law.”

The Origin of Torah and Its Introduction into the World

To the biblically naive, it is believed that the Torah-law originated with Moses. In reality, the Torah predates Moses. He was merely the human vessel through which Elohim gave the Torah-law in its codified form to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. There are many examples in both the books of Genesis and Exodus before Mount Sinai that YHVH’s servants both knew of and followed the Torah or as much of it as had been revealed to them up to that time. This, however, is a different study and beyond the scope of this present discussion. Moreover, the Bible reveals that the Torah not only predated Moses and his ancestors, but the creation of man as well as the following points will hopefully make abundantly clear. Scripture makes numerous allusions to the Torah at the very beginning of the Bible in poetic and metaphorical terms. For example,

  • In the creation account, Elohim said, “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). The light of Elohim came into the darkness of this world. The creation of light was Elohim’s first creative act. As we shall see below, light is a Hebraic metaphor for the Torah, which is the divine knowledge and wisdom of Elohim representing his perfect and undefiled character and nature. 
  • By Yeshua who is Elohim and is the Word of Elohim (John 1:1), everything was created (Heb 11:3). Elohim’s Word is light and truth. Yeshua is the Word of Elohim and is also the Light of the world (John 1:1, 8, 14; 8:12; 14:6). He is the Living Torah-Word of Elohim incarnate (John 1:1, 14)
  • The Word of YHVH is Torah; it is his instructions in righteousness (Ps 119:176).
  • The Torah is truth as we read in Psalms 119:142, “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy Torah is the truth.”
  • The Torah is spiritual light as we read in Proverbs 6:23, “For the commandment is a lamp; and the Torah is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”

As we can see, the Torah or light of Elohim, which is the truth or Word of Elohim, which is Yeshua the Word of Elohim predated the giving of the Torah-law to Moses and the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. To say that the Torah originated with Moses is to hold to a very narrow and, quite frankly, an unbiblical and a naive understanding of the concept of Torah.

The Torah in the Beginning, Middle and End of the Bible

As stated at the beginning of this brief study, the Living and Written Torah is the dominant theme of the Bible. Let’s quickly see how this is the case by reviewing the three parts of the Bible—the beginning, the middle and the end to see how Torah is revealed here. 

  • In Genesis one, at the beginning of the Bible we find the following:
  • Genesis 1:1, The Hebrew grammatical marker word consisting of an aleph and tav/<t (the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet) are found twice in verse one, just before and after the word heaven. They are the fourth and seventh Hebrew words in this sentence. The astute Bible student will see this as a prophetic reference to Yeshua, who is the Beginning and the End (the Alpha and Omega /AW, Rev 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13). It also points us to the fact that Yeshua would come from heaven in the fourth millennia and would come back to earth from heaven in the seventh millennia. 
  • Genesis 1:3, The introduction of light into the world was the first creative act of Elohim. Light is a biblical metaphor for Torah or the Word of Elohim (Prov 6:23; Ps 119:105). Light pierced and still pierces the darkness of evil. Darkness is a biblical metaphor for Torahlessness or all that which is of the world, the flesh and the devil and which is contrary to or is in rebellion to and against the will and Word of Elohim (John 1:5; 3:16–21). 
  • Genesis 1:3–5, Light is mentioned five times here. Some Bible teachers refer to this as the five points of light—a reference to the five books of the Torah (Gen through Deut), and to Yeshua, who was the light of the world before the sun was created on the fourth day in Genesis 1:14. Yeshua, that same spiritual Torah-light, will eventually replace the sun in the heaven on earth of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:23; 22:5).
  • In Genesis 1:3, we find the complete spelling of the Hebrew word for light (or/אור spelled aleph, vav, resh), as opposed to a defective spelling minus the vav that the physical sun gives (see Gen 1:14, the first reference to light in that verse is spelled defectively). This points to the supreme and supernal Torah-light from heaven, which is Yeshua, the Torah-Word of Elohim that was made flesh and dwelt among men (John 1:1, 14), and who was the spiritual Light of the world (John 1:4–5; 8:12). 

Next we come to the exact middle of the Bible, which is Psalm 119. This is the Bible’s longest chapter and the highest praise of Torah to be found in all of the Scripture. This psalm examines all aspects of the Torah much like a jeweler examining and admiring every facet and angle of a large, priceless and one-of-a-kind gem stone. In this psalm, we learn what should be our view of and response toward the Torah of Elohim.

Finally, we come to the end of the Bible, which is the Book of Revelation. In the last two chapters of the Bible we find a number of references to the Written Torah, and to Yeshua, the Living Torah.

  • Revelation 22:14 states, “Blessed are they who keep his [Torah] commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”
  • Revelation 21:23; 22:5 (also 2 Cor 4:6) reveals that Yeshua will be the light of the New Jerusalem. Yeshua is the Light of the World (John 1:4–5; 8:12) and the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2) whose face shines like the sun (Rev 1:16). As the pre-incarnate Yeshua, Living Torah-Word of Elohim was the light that illuminated the earth until day four of creation when the physical sun was created, even so Yeshua will once again be the Light of the world as he was during the first four days of creation.
  • Revelation 22:3, In the New Jerusalem, there will be no more curse because there will be no more sin or Torahlessness (1 John 3:4 states that sin is the transgression of the Torah), which brings on the curses of the law (Deut 28:15–68), which is death (Ezek 18:4; Rom 6:23)—the ultimate curse for violating the Torah, which are Elohim’s instructions in righteousness. 
  • Revelation 22:12, Yeshua is bringing spiritual rewards to his servants based on how faithful they were to obeying and teaching the Torah (cp. Matt 5:19).
  • Revelation 22:13, The alpha and omega or (in Hebrew) the aleph and tav—the beginning and end of the Torah-Word of Elohim—is another reference to the written Torah and to Yeshua, the Living Torah. This is a repetition of the same concept found in the first verse of the Bible.
  • Revelation 22:15 (also 21:8), Outside of the New Jerusalem are found sinners or those who are Torahless or violators of the Torah, for sin is the violation of the Torah (1 John 3:4).
  • Revelation 22:17, The Spirit and bride say come. Who gets to come into the kingdom of Yeshua as his bride? Those who have prepared themselves for the marriage supper of the Lamb by putting on the robes of the righteous acts of Torah (see Rev 19:7–9, NIV and NAS). Again, the Scriptures define righteousness as obedience to the Torah (Ps 119:172).
  • Revelation 22:18–19 tells us to neither add to nor subtract from the Book of Revelation, and by implication, the entire Bible. This echoes the warning Moses wrote at the end of the Torah (Deut 4:2; 12:32). The Torah of Elohim is the word or instructions of Elohim and not only encompasses the first five books of Scripture, colloquially called the Torah or Pentateuch, but ultimately includes the whole Bible.
  • Revelation 22:20–21, The Hebrew word amein is found twice in the last two verse of the Bible is the very last word of the Scriptures. Amein means “verily, truly” and is a Hebrew word that originates from the Hebrew word emet/<nt meaning “truth.” The word emet is spelled aleph, mem and tav, which are the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Therefore, emet is a word that signifies all that is revealed on a subject from aleph to tav, thus comprising all that can be written on it and no more can be added to it. Thus, the very last word in the Bible clearly points to both the written Torah of YHVH Elohim, and to Yeshua, the Living Torah, which is the Word of Elohim in human form and is the Truth in its final and highest form. Spiritually speaking as revealed in the Bible, Yeshua, truth and Torah are one in the same and are indivisible.

The 32 Blessings and Benefits of Obeying YHVH’s Torah-Law

The Scriptures reveal that the Torah is much more than a list of dos and don’ts as many people have falsely been led to believe, and is therefore, in their mind, a negative thing. Deuteronomy 4:6 says that the Torah is our wisdom and understanding before the nations of the world. In Deuteronomy 11:8, we learn that the Torah makes us strong. The word strong in Hebrew is chazaq meaning “to be strong, grow strong, to prevail, to be firm, be caught fast, be secure, to grow stout, grow rigid, to restore to strength, give strength, sustain, encourage, make bold, encourage, to repair or to withstand.” This sounds like a good thing! 

Sadly, most Christians have been told again and again ad infinitum and ad nauseam that the law of Moses or God’s Torah-law is “against them,” that they are “not under it,” that “it was nailed to the cross” or “done away with.” Nothing could be further from the truth as we shall see below.

Contrary to what most people have been told, YHVH’s Torah is not against man; rather, it might be said that God’s (Elohim’s) Torah-law itself is neutral; neither positive nor negative. In reality, it is like a mirror that simply reflects the image portrayed in it. Torah reacts according to human action. Those who obey it are blessed and those who disobey it are cursed. For example, just as the law of gravity is also neutral. Even as it benefits humans by keeping them from floating off to a certain death in outer space, so the same law is against us should we choose to jump off a bridge, a high building or a cliff; the results are death. Again, Elohim’s Torah-law, like his law of gravity is neutral. It can be for or against us depending on whether we acknowledge, respect and then obey it or not. To ignore it is called sin and results in death, for the wages of sin (i.e., the violation of Torah; 1 John 3:4) is death (Ezek 18:4; Rom 6:23). 

The following lists delineate the few aspects of the YHVH Elohim’s Torah-law that are “against” us (that is, against sinners), and them the many aspects of YHVH’s Torah-law that are for man’s blessing and benefit.

On the negative side, when we disobey the Torah…

Continue reading
 

The Knowledge and Wisdom of the Word of YHVH Elohim Unveiled

The secret [intimate, confidential counsel, advice or speech] of YHVH is with them that fear him. (Ps 25:14)

Introduction to the Bible

The Number of the Books of the Bible

The first point in determining the symmetry of the Scriptures is to realize that originally the Tanakh (Old Testament) was subdivided into 22 books, not the 39 in our present Bible. There was no difference in the content between then and now but only in how the books were categorized. The Book of Jubilees, a Jewish pseudepigraphic work dating to the second century b.c., attests to the fact (Jubilees 2:23) of there originally being 22 books in the Tanakh, as does Josephus in his Contra Apion (Book 1.8), and as do many early Church fathers and other early Christian scholars (In Restoring the Original Bible, Ernest L. Martin references 22 such early Christian writers, including Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, 4.26.14, Martin, pp. 58–60). 

It is believed that Ezra the scribe originally arranged the books of the Old Testament in this manner. Thus, books such as Samuel, Kings and Chronicles were combined into one book each and the 12 Minor Prophets were combined into one book as well. We will discuss the significance of the number 22 in the Scriptures below, but for now, how did the Tanakh get expanded from 22 to 39 books? According to Martin, the Jewish translators of the Greek version of the Tanakh (the Septuagint or LXX) in the second and third century b.c. subdivided the books of the Tanakh into the pattern we have today. There were, however, no Hebrew manuscripts that followed the Greek version (Martin, p. 65). Sometime in the last part of the first century or beginning of the second century a.d., Jewish authorities decided to re-divide the Tanakh into 24 books rather than to maintain the 22 (Martin, pp. 67–68). Eventually the Jews adopted the Christian numbering system of the books of the Tanakh found in the modern Protestant Christian Bible.

“There may well have been political and religious reasons why the Jewish authorities made the change when they did. When the New Testament books were being accepted as divine literature by great numbers of people within the Roman world, the non-believing Jews could see that the 27 New Testament books added to the original 22 of the Old Testament reached the significant number 49 [7 x 7]. This was a powerful indication that the world now had the complete revelation from God with the inclusion of those New Testament (or the Testimony of Yeshua) books. Since Jewish officials were powerless to do anything with the New Testament, the only recourse they saw possible was to alter the traditional numbering” (Martin, p. 68).

The Significance of the Number 22 in Hebrew Thought

Next Martin draws our attention to the ancient Jewish Book of Jubilees which mentions the significance of the number 22 in Hebraic thought. Annotated to the restored text of Jubilees 2:23 is the remark that Elohim made 22 things on the six days of creation with man being the twenty-second created thing—the crowning achievement of YHVH’s creative activities. These 22 events paralleled the 22 generations from Adam to Jacob (i.e., the Israelite nation being the crowning achievement of YHVH’s work among the nations of the world with Israel being the vehicle through which redemption would occur), the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the 22 books of the Holy Scriptures (Martin, p. 57).

The 22 numbering is most interesting and fits in well with the literary and symbolic meaning of “completion” as understood by early Jews. The Book of Jubilees put forth that this number represented the “final” and “complete” creation of Elohim. Adam was the last creation of Elohim (being the 22nd). Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, was the 22nd generation from Adam; and Jacob was acknowledged as the father of the spiritual nation of Elohim. In addition to this, it is important to note that the Hebrew language became the means by which Elohim communicated his divine will to mankind. It had an alphabet of 22 letters. And, finally, when Elohim wished to give his complete Old Testament revelation to humanity, that divine canon was presented in 22 authorized books. The medieval Jewish scholar Sixtus Senensis explained the significance of this matter (Martin, pp. 57–58).

As with the Hebrew there are twenty-two letters, in which all that can be said and written is comprehended, so there are twenty-two books in which are contained all that can be known and uttered of divine things.

Yeshua the Messiah In Every Book of the Bible

The Bible has a dominant theme, and every Christian has a sense of this. The Old Testament or Tanakh points forward to Yeshua the Messiah, and the New Testament or the Testimony of Yeshua is about Yeshua. The following list of biblical books gives us a caricaturized sense of the Bible’s central and preeminent message.

  • In Genesis, Yeshua is the eternal Torah-light of the world, the breath of life and the seed of the woman.
  • In Exodus, he is the Passover lamb, the Torah-Word of Elohim, and the way to the Father in the tabernacle.
  • In Leviticus, he is our atoning sacrifice and our high priest.
  • In Numbers, he is the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
  • In Deuteronomy, he is the prophet like unto Moses.
  • In Joshua, he is the captain of our salvation who leads us into the kingdom of Elohim.
  • In Judges, he is our judge and lawgiver.
  • In Ruth, he is our kinsman redeemer.
  • In 1 and 2 Samuel, he is our trusted prophet.
  • In Kings and Chronicles, he is our reigning king.
  • In Ezra, he is the builder of our temple, which houses the Spirit of Elohim.
  • In Nehemiah, he is the rebuilder of the broken down walls of human life.
  • In Esther, he is our Mordechai who saves us from those who would kill, steal and destroy us.
  • In Job, he is our ever-living Redeemer.
  • In Psalms, he is our shepherd to lead us in the ways of Torah-life.
  • In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, he is our wisdom.
  • In Song of Solomon, he is our Loving Bridegroom.
  • In Isaiah, he is the Suffering Servant who bears our sins, the Repairer of the Breach between the two houses of Israel, and the Prince of Peace.
  • In Jeremiah, he is our Righteous Branch.
  • In Lamentations, he is the weeping prophet.
  • In Ezekiel, he is the one who rejoins the two sticks of Israel bringing them to worship Elohim together his temple.
  • In Daniel, he is the fourth man in life’s fiery furnace and our Ancient of Day.
  • In Hosea, he is the faithful husband forever married to the backslider.
  • In Joel, he is the baptize of the Holy Spirit.
  • In Amos, he is our burden bearer.
  • In Obadiah, he is mighty to save.
  • In Jonah, he is our great foreign missionary.
  • In Micah, he is the messenger of beautiful feet.
  • In Nahum, he is our strength and shield, and the avenger of Elohim’s elect.
  • In Habakkuk, he is Elohim’s evangelist crying, “Revive thy works in the midsts of the years.”
  • In Zephaniah, he is our Savior.
  • In Haggai, he is the restorer of Elohim’s lost heritage.
  • In Zechariah, he is a fountain opened up in the house of David for sin and uncleanliness.
  • In Malachi, he is the Sun of Righteousness arising with healing in his wings.
  • In Matthew, Yeshua the Messiah is the King of the Jews.
  • In Mark, he is the servant.
  • In Luke, he is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.
  • In John, he is the Son of Elohim.
  • In Acts, he is the Savior of the world.
  • In Romans, he is the righteousness of Elohim.
  • In 1 Corinthians, he is the Rock, the Father of Israel.
  • In 2 Corinthians, he is the triumphant one giving victory.
  • In Galatians, he is your liberty. He set you free.
  • In Ephesians, he is the head of his spiritual body.
  • In Philippians, he is your joy.
  • In Colossians, he is your completeness.
  • In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he is your hope.
  • In 1 Timothy, he is your faith.
  • In 2 Timothy, he is your stability.
  • In Titus, he is truth.
  • In Philemon, he is your benefactor.
  • In Hebrews, he is your perfection.
  • In James, he is the power behind your faith.
  • In 1 Peter, he is your example.
  • In 2 Peter, he is your purity.
  • In 1 John, he is your life.
  • In 2 John, he is your pattern.
  • In 3 John, he is your motivation.
  • In Jude, he is the foundation of your faith.
  • In Revelation, he is the Righteous Judge of the world, the Avenger of the saints, your coming King, your First and Last, the Beginning and the End, the Keeper of creation, the Creator of all, the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times. He always was, he always is and always will be. He’s unmoved, unchanged, undefeated, and never undone. He was bruised and brought healing. He was pierced to heal our pain. He was persecuted and brought freedom. He was dead and brought life. He is risen and brings power. He reigns and brings peace. The world can’t understand him, the armies can’t defeat him, the public schools can’t kick him out and the leaders can’t ignore him. Herod couldn’t kill him, the Pharisees couldn’t confuse him, the people couldn’t hold him, Nero couldn’t crush him, Hitler couldn’t silence him, the communists can’t destroy him, the atheists can’t explain him away, and the New Age can’t replace him. He is life, love, longevity and Lord. He is goodness, kindness, gentleness and Elohim. He is holy, righteous, mighty, powerful and pure. His ways are right, his word is eternal, his will is unchanging, and his eyes are on me. He is my Redeemer, he is my Savior, he is my Guide, he is my peace, he is my joy, he is my comfort, he is my Lord, and HE RULES MY LIFE!

Author Unknown, edited by Nathan Lawrence 

Which Bible Translation Do I Use?

Continually, people ask me what Bible translation I personally use when preaching and when writing. I wish there were a definitive and conclusive answer to this question, but there is not. The short answer is this: all of the Bible translations and, at the same time, none of them. Let me explain what I mean.

The Word of Elohim is something that we must take very seriously. A godly and righteous man trembles before YHVH’s Word with a contrite heart (Isa 66:2). Admittedly, there are numerous Bibles being peddled by money-grubbing charlatans or self-proclaimed experts who have just enough knowledge of the original languages to be dangerous, but not enough to competently translate the Bible. This includes countless designer translations claiming to be true to the Hebraic roots of our faith by people who have little or no expertise in the Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek languages. These Bibles should come with a giant warning sign printed on the front cover, and should only be to read with great caution if at all! Many of these individuals are duping those who know less than they do when it comes to linguistics, and too many are preying on unsuspecting and naive people who are hungry for truth. They are proving the old adage that says “an ‘expert’ is simply someone who knows more than the next guy.” Most of these “translators” have little or no academic training or linguistic expertise in ancient biblical languages, yet this doesn’t stop them producing a constant stream of “new and improved” Bible translations. I actually have some academic background in foreign and biblical languages and have done translating work in both French and Koine Greek at the academic level, so I speak with some understanding on the subject. Yet, I am not an expert, and am not qualified to translate anything.

This disclaimer aside, there is not a single Bible translation on the market today that I can unreservedly recommend. Some of the more popular Hebraic roots or Messianic Bibles, for example, have likely been translated by individuals who have little or no linguistic training. How do we know this? This is because yet they (dishonestly) refuse to disclose publicly what their qualifications are for translating the Bible. I find this to be a huge red flag. If you have academic training in a foreign language, then state your bona fides , thus informing your readers of your qualifications. If you do not or cannot, then it is probably because you have none. Most likely, many self-proclaimed Bible translators of Hebraic version Bibles simply sat down with a copyright free English version (e.g., the KJV) and along with the help of a concordance and a few other lexical aids, made a translation, which they now peddle for big bucks. There is much more to understanding a language then simply viewing it through a concordance, lexicon or a few other lexical aids. There is complications of grammar, the nuances of syntax, and countless word plays and colloquial expressions that must be mastered, plus cultural and other contextual understanding and so much more that must be navigated in order to make a correct translations. To not take these issues into consideration is engaging in a dishonest and unrighteous endeavor and is toying with the Word of Elohim.  

Now to the question at hand: which Bible version do I personally use? I still use the KJV and NKJV, since at least they were translated by competent linguists. Because after 55 year of studying the Bible and thus attaining a basic familiarity with many Greek and Hebrew words, I know where all the translation biases are, and I know the Hebrew and Greek words behind many of the English words in our Bibles. Thus, when reading the Bible (or when preaching and preaching) or quoting Scripture (when writing), I start with the base of the NKJV because minus the countless thees, thous, wouldests and shouldests my tongue is less likely to get tied. Then while reading or writing, I “clean” up the English. That is to say, I return the English names for deity back to their original Hebrew.  For example, I insert Hebrew words for the names of deity (i.e., God becomes Elohim, LORD become Yehovah, Jesus becomes Yeshua, Christ becomes Messiah or Mashiach, Holy Spirit become Ruach HaKodesh, and so on). In cases where there are Hebrew or Greek words that have been translated into English using misleading words or biased translations, based on the lexical meanings of the words I make changes. For example, in Romans 10:4, I change “end” to “final aim, goal,”which is in accordance with the meaning of the Greek word telos as well Scriptural context. Another example would be Matthew 5:17 where fulfill (Gr. pleroo) means “to fill up, to make full, to complete, to fill to the top.” Additionally, in any place in both the Tanakh (Old Testament) or the Testimony of Yeshua (New Testament) where the word law occurs in referring to “the law of Moses”, I replace it with the Hebrew word Torah meaning “instructions, teachings and precepts [in righteousness of YHVH Elohim],”  which is the primary meaning of torah.I could give many other examples, but hopefully the reader gets the point. The point is that I do not carelessly or haphazardly substitute words, but do so with a full understanding of the meanings of the words in the original languages, and how the biblical authors use them in the full context of the whole Bible. Again, we must tremble before YHVH (Isa 66:2) and his Word. I cringe at the thought of being labeled a false teacher, or bringing curses upon myself for adding or subtracting from the Word of Elohim (Rev 22:18–19; Deut 4:2; 12:32; Prov 30:6).

Understanding the Social World of the Bible

The Biblical Narrative—Story and Law Versus History. The Bible is more than history; it is a story. It doesn’t merely contain dry facts, which to the ancient Hebrews were meaningless. Rather, the biblical records facts-based stories that are interpreted that help the future generations to understand who they were. Therefore, the most common literature genres to be found in the Bible are story and law, not just historical facts. As Matthews and Benjamin point out, history is the genre of “what happened?” Story is the genre of “what does it mean?” As such, the biblical authors paint picture-stories using colorful and artistic language. The story teller is an artist, while the modern historian is a scientists (Social World of Ancient Israel, p. xix, by Matthews and Benjamin).

Religion Integrated Into Day-to-Day Life. In the world of the Bible, religion was a way of life pervading everything the ancients did. The Hebrews didn’t limit their religious experience to certain times, days or specific experiences as is often the case in the Western religious mindset. Religion was a thread that ran through the entire gamut of life every hour and day. Every season and year from regular household chores to sacred feast days were celebrated with religious ritual. Thus, religion inspired the culture as well as science and art. These were not only handed down from one generation to another, but were the ancient people’s profession of faith (ibid., pp. xix–xx).

Covenant Defined Relationships. Although family or blood relationships were important in the ancient world and were vital to survival, covenantal ties defined relationships even more than blood ties. Both blood and covenantal relationships were the glue that held households, clans, villages and tribes together in early Israel, but covenant more than kinship defined these relationships. Hebrew households were not only united by biology but by sociological experience, and these households shared legal commitments. The interaction between kinship can create confusion when the Bible uses familial terms like father, mother, son, nephew, uncle, brother and the like. In the Bible, these terms can be more legal than biological. In the ancient Near East, the practice of applying family titles to others outside of the biological family was common. For example, an apprentice often referred to his master craftsman mentor as father (ibid., pp. 8–9). Another unifying factor among the Hebrews was their common ancestry and the fact that they had passed from slavery to freedom. They also had in common the fact that they had left the world around them and had crossed through water whether the Red Sea or the Jordan River as a sort of rite of passage from one world to another.

The Role of the Mother in Ancient Israel. The mother was the sole manager of the household. Because ancient Israel was a subsistence economy, a household’s resources had to be managed carefully, and this was the woman’s responsibility. She directed the preservation and storage of food and allotted food rations to each family member to assure that everyone in the household was fed and the food lasted until the next harvest cycle. “In the world of ancient Israel, a man’s home was his wife’s castle, and she had the domestic authority which he did not (ibid., p. 25). The mother’s dominant role over the household including the children perhaps explains why Moses expected Zipporah to circumcise his two sons (Exod 4:25–26). 

For the mother, childbearing and teaching children were synonymous roles. The Book of Proverbs shows the dual role of the mother (Prov 1:8; 6:20; 23:22–25; 31:1–9).

A mother’s intimate bond to her children not only lasted through pregnancy and infancy, but through the weaning process, which often didn’t occur until the child was four years of age. After teaching them how to walk, talk, dress themselves, she taught the child the domestic skills of gardening, cooking herding, weaving and making pottery (ibid., p. 28).

The Climate in the Land of Israel. Throughout the land of Israel (and neighboring lands), there are only two seasons: wet or winter (October through March) and dry or summer (April through September). Moist westerly winds blowing off the Mediterranean Sea produce the rain, while east winds blowing from the area of Arabia produce the warm and dry conditions. 

Farming in the Land of Israel. The standard harvests of the hill country of Israel produced ten to fifteen times the grain that was needed for planting. This was the break even point for a farmer’s survival. A farmer could increase his yield and the success of his agricultural venture through capturing water through terracing hillsides, pooling resources with other farmers, having numerous children to help with farming activities, and by staggering sowing by planting a single crop in several stages over a period of time. In this way, farmers wouldn’t have to care for one large crop at the same time, and the same number of farmers could handle the same size crop one section at a time. Planting crops in stages provided insurance if the climate cycles happened to shift, so that crops would come ripe at different times (ibid., p. 39).

In the hill country of Israel, which is most of the land, it rained during only two seasons of the year. Rain occurred just before the planting season at the end of the summer in the fall. This rain was critical, since it loosened up the hardened, sun-baked soil, so that it could be plowed and planted. It also had to rain toward the end of the growing season to bring the crops to maturation (ibid., p. 43). These were the former (fall) and latter (spring) rains to which the Scripture make reference to in several places (Jer 5:24; Hos 6:3; Joel 2:23).

The standard clothing for a Hebrew peasant farmer was a tunic and loincloth. A cloak was added for colder weather and doubled as a sleeping blanket. These articles of clothing may have been the only ones a peasant possessed, since the Torah mandated that a cloak taken from a man in pledge by a creditor had to be returned to him by day’s end, so he would have a blanket to cover him at night (Exod 22:26; Deut 24:12–13, 17).

Some farmers not only raised crops, but had livestock as well not only to provide meat, milk, hides and wool, but as a insurance against a bad harvest. Often the youngest children were the herders, so as not to deprive the village of the heavy manual labor that older children could provide (see 1 Sam 16:11).

The Host and the Traveller. Since travelling in the ancient Near East was dangerous, the survival of the traveller depended on the hospitality of villagers. This reality gave rise to protocols pertaining to hospitality. Moreover, reciprocity demanded such protocols, so that when the roles of host and traveler were reversed the host now traveler would himself have accommodations. Therefore, the laws of reciprocity demanded that the head of a household treat travelers properly. This, in effect, was a village’s strategic foreign policy. However, a village couldn’t support a stranger for very long since feeding an extra mouth was expensive and strangers were a potential threat to a village’s status quo. Villages used hospitality to determine whether a stranger was friend or foe and whether they would be an asset or liability to the village economy. Therefore, by showing hospitality to a stranger for a short stay of several days at the most, this threat was neutralized, while at the same time the social convention demanding hospitality was upheld (ibid., p. 82). When a strangers accepted the invitation of a host, he was promoted to the status of a guest when the host washed his feet. Bathing signified a change in social status. Hosts would wash the stranger’s feet to signify they were now under the complete protection and care of the household (ibid., p. 85).

For the Hebrews there was an added impetus to show hospitality to traveling strangers. First, they had been strangers in a foreign land themselves, and YHVH didn’t want them to forget that. Second, the Israelites themselves were guests in the Promised Land (Deut 26:5–11; Ps 39:12). YHVH owned the land (Lev 25:23). As the divine landowner, it was YHVH who protected and fed his Israelite guests. The Israelites acknowledged this when they tithed the first fruits of their harvest to YHVH, and when the land was returned to its original owners every fifty years in  the Jubilee Year. They were simply the land’s caretakers and were therefore to be conscientious stewards of it (ibid., p. 83).

 

What Does “Forever” Mean Concerning God’s Law?

When the Bible talks about something being forever, what does it mean, and who does it apply to and for how long? Does it literally mean “forever,” or only for a period of time, or for a specific people group? This is an important to know since it affects our relationship with Yeshua our Lord and Savior, and our eternal rewards.

This and other videos by Nathan are available as podcasts on Spotify and Apple podcast under “Hoshana Rabbah.”

If this message has been a blessing to you, please consider showing your appreciation by making a donation to Hoshana Rabbah at https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=Y…. Thank you!

 

Do Not Add or Subtract From the Bible (Unless You Want to Be Cursed)

The Bible clearly states not to add or subtract from the Bible, the Word of God/Elohim, yet cults and others are constantly wanting to add or subtract books from the Bible. What does the Bible say about this, and what curses will befall those who do?

This and other videos by Nathan are available as podcasts on Spotify and Apple podcast under “Hoshana Rabbah.”

If this message has been a blessing to you, please consider showing your appreciation by making a donation to Hoshana Rabbah at https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=Y…. Thank you!

 

The Importance of Having a Daily Devotional

Twenty-One Reasons to Have a Dedicated, Daily Devotional (or Time Alone With YHVH)

The reasons are too numerous to mention! Here are only a few reasons.

  • Draw near to Elohim and he will draw near to you. That is to say, incline your heart to Elohim and  he will incline himself to you. The converse is also true. Disincline your heart to him and he will respond accordingly. (Pss 71:2; 78:1; 88:2; 102:2; 119:36; 141:4) 
  • You are what you eat. What you feed on is what you will become; what a person puts into his mind and heart is he who he is (Prov 23:7). If you do not feed on the Word of Elohim, you will not grow spiritually, and the converse is also true. 
  • We need to be continually renewing our mind by spiritually brainwashing our mind and heart with the Word of Elohim to combat the distracting and hell-bent influences of the world, the flesh and the devil. We wash or cleanse our minds by washing in or feeding continually on the water of the Word of Elohim (Rom 12:2; Eph 5:26).
  • Yeshua instructs us to ask, seek and you shall find, and knock (Matt 7:7). YHVH Elohim like is a vast ocean wisdom, knowledge, understanding and truth, and we are little children on the edge of that ocean. How can we learn and grow spiritually if we do not ask and seek?
  • If we don’t ask through prayer, we will not receive from our Father in heaven (Jas 4:3).
  • The Bible commands us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), and even to pray for our enemies (Matt 5:44). 
  • With regard to prayer, Yeshua instructed us to pray (Matt 6:9–13). The implication was not if you pray, but when you pray. Yeshua lived a life of prayer and set us the example of being prayerful. If we are followers of Messiah, then are we not to imitate him in all areas of our life, to walk in his footsteps (1 Cor 11:1; 1 John 2:6) and to do all that he commanded us to do (Matt 28:20)?
  • The Bible commands us to be thankful in all things (Col 3:17). We express our gratitude to our Father in heaven through prayer.
  • David, a man after YHVH’s heard prayed and thanked Elohim seven times a day (Ps 110:164).
  • The morning and evening sacrifices are our example to follow for the sacrifice of our lips (Pss 27:6; 50:8–15; 69:30–31; Hos 6:6; 14:2 [KJV]; Heb 13:15; 1 Pet 2:5).
  • The Bible instructs us to a living sacrifice, that is, live a life of prayer, fasting, worship, praise, self-negation and service (Rom 12:1; Phil 2:17; Heb 13:15–16; 1 Pet 2:5).
  • Study to show yourself approved by rightly dividing the Word of Elohim (2 Tim 2:15).
  • Be like a noble Berean by searching the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:10–11).
  • Be like a tree planted by (Yeshua) the river of life by meditating day and night on YHVH’s Torah-Word, so that you will bear much spiritual fruit and you will not whither spiritually in the day of adversity (Ps 1:1–6).
  • Abide in and be strongly attached to Yeshua (and his word) who is the true vine and we are the branches (John 15:1–8).
  • Walk  in the Spirit by not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, which war against the Spirit (Gal 5:16–17). Establish good disciplines in your life. Self control or self-discipline is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23). Learn to reign in the lusts of the flesh by not always doing the things our flesh wants to do (Gal 5:19–21), but following the prompting of the Spirit by spending time with Elohim, which is an act of self-discipline.
  • Feed your inner spirit man by feeding regularly on the Word of Elohim as opposed to continually feeding your soul man (i.e., your mind, will and emotions) (Gal 5:5:16–18; Col 3:1–2; 2 Cor 10:4–5).
  • If you don’t know the Word of Elohim, how are you going to do spiritual warfare by resisting the temptations of the devil with the Word of Elohim as Yeshua did when combatting the devil (Matt 4:1–11), and by taking every thought captive to the mind of Yeshua (2 Cor 10:4–5)?
  • How are we to fulfill Romans 12:2 by being transformed into the image of the Messiah (Rom 8:29) by renewing our minds and not being conformed to this world if we are regularly reading and studying the Word of Elohim?
  • The wise virgins in Yeshua’s parable were ready for Yeshua their Bridegroom, since they had oil (i.e., the Spirit and the Torah-Word of Elohim) in their lamps (Matt 25:1–4).
  • Seek first the kingdom of Elohim and his righteousness by starting every day with our daily devotionals (Matt 6:33). YHVH deserves the first and best part of each of our days.

Things That Keep Us From Having a Daily Devotional

We have become spiritually lukewarm.

Continue reading
 

Was the NT Originally Written in Hebrew?

For more information on evidence that much of the NT was originally written in Hebrew, do an internet search of Dr. Miles R. Jones. I have watched many of his videos, and am intensely intrigued by his scholarship and discoveries.