We have mentioned in our section on Yeshua and prayer that Yeshua uses the Hebrew approach of beginning with the Universal and working toward concrete specifics, with the Lord’s Prayer of Mt. 6:8-10, as perhaps the prime example. Another way to put this, that is regarding the Universal, is “the Big Picture”. Yeshua’s emphasis on the “Kingdom of the Heavens” of which there are 32 uses in Matthew’s KG rendering of Yeshua’s Hebraic original and 111 references to the Kingdom in the Gospel – literally double the uses of the KG “sozo” “save”, is another very “key” example of Yeshua’s “Hebrew heart”. That is, the sense of the Universal, “the Big Picture” and how the individual fits in and is “part of the whole”.
In our Introduction To The Psalms we somewhat extensively, we hope, learned together of Yeshua’s absolutely brilliant use of the Torah in responding to the Enemy’s temptings in the beginning of Lk. 4. By brilliant, again, we do not mean in the Western intellectual sense but rather how Yeshua “responded without responding” to the Enemy, by 3 times citing the Torah perfectly from and in context!
We also pointed out how Yeshua responded but never engaged the Enemy. Further, in his direct response Yeshua responded “above” what he was asked. Yeshua does so by citing the Torah in context. Yeshua was completely alone and isolated at the time, and coming to the end of 40 days spent in the rugged hilly area just west of Jericho, scholars think. Jericho is about a mile or so northwest of the northwest corner of in Hebrew, the “Salt Sea” far better known as the Dead Sea. Jericho lies in the plain of the Jordan River valley before the river enters the “Salt Sea”. The area immediately to the west again, is rugged, very hilly and very beautiful country. In Israel even the color of the dirt is somehow a richer brown than dirt normally is!
What is “key” is this: that Yeshua is isolated. There are no crowds with him. Nor are any of his “Taught Ones” with him, as they will be later on the Mount of Transfiguration. Nor is there any angel accompanying Yeshua in Luke’s account. Except for the Enemy, Yeshua is alone.
We mentioned Yeshua did not use words of his own nor engage in a Western style debate/argument using “reason and logic” leading to an “inevitable conclusion”. That type of approach and thinking that was and is used by Western Tradition is totally foreign and of “foreignness” to, Yeshua. We have mentioned more than once – that when Paul arrived in Athens Luke’s KG indicates Paul was distressed “of himself” because “wholly full of idols, the city”, Acts 17:16.
There are only 4 mentions of Athens in the entire Bible; all in Acts 17 beginning in v. 16. Though Paul tried to reach out by engaging and ministering in major cities for the most part and though Athens was number two in importance to Rome in the Roman Empire and first in many ways culturally, Paul never went back. As we just said above Luke’s KG makes it clear that “wholly full of idols, the city”. We read several verses later from Acts 17:16 that though the Athenians may have tried to find God in their own way, the best the Athenians with all their great intellect could come up with was, a “statue to an unknown God”, Acts 17:23. It cannot be stated strongly enough; none, not one of those Yeshua personally chose, ever went to Athens or Rome – or anywhere else – to learn of the LORD or about the Mashiach. The Ruach Hakodesh was poured out upon them, in Jerusalem, during the Torah based Festival of Weeks, which seems to also have been the time of year of the unprecedented Sinai experience. Where then, should we look to learn of God – Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, Western Europe, Great Britain, or America? The choice is obvious!
We learned together that in the beginning of Gen. 35 the LORD had said to Jacob to rise, go up to Bet-El and “settle”. What did Jacob do first? He had all those with him remove the gold earrings and rings from themselves and he buried them. We pointed out that there seems to be some thought that there may have been small images of idols on these rings. In any case as we went over in some depth, the Hebrew uses an idea of paganism, heathenism, “foreignness”; something that is “foreignness” to God that had to be removed! We saw the very positive benefit Jacob received though he did not remove the “foreignness to God” with the idea of receiving a direct benefit.
Is there anything anywhere in the Gospel where Yeshua draws on the type of post-Biblical approach and thinking that centuries later was used “about” him? Would Yeshua see those approaches as things to draw from – or as “foreignness”? Why doesn’t he use the “Greek” approach and its “words” not only with the Enemy but throughout the Gospel? Of the hundreds and hundreds of sources of quotations and citations in the RCS only 4 are of non-Jewish origin. Two of those are by Paul to the Athenians and probably done on the basis of Paul ministering to people “where they’re at” but without compromising the truth or his principles, as he states to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 9:19-23. Paul in fact uses an earlier well-known Pharisee 1st century Jewish means of reaching pagans with the Torah.
What is “key” is that none of those 4 non-Jewish references are on the lips of Yeshua; but there are 167 citations from the Torah! We mentioned in the Introduction To The Psalms the “joke” that is supposedly in fact a true story. An elderly sister, when asked why she used the KJV (King James Version) replied, “if it was good enough for the Apostle Paul it’s good enough for me”. What this says about people’s thinking regarding the KJV is another discussion. However, it raises the question; if the Torah is “good enough” for Yeshua to respond to the Enemy from, and it is used 164 more times in the Gospel, “why isn’t it “good enough” for you” to learn from”?
All this is by way of further introduction to the Psalms and being able to keep in mind the universal of them while we are looking at and utilizing them for our need and our desire for “loosening – healing” and other things. In other words, we need to be sure that we do not miss or overlook the universal “Big Picture” while we are selectively utilizing certain “concrete specific” Psalms to enhance and strengthen us and our prayer to the LORD, in Yeshua’s name.
We also, and this is extremely “key”, need to be sure that even inadvertently, we do not bring anything derived from a “foreignness” thinking and approach to our use of the Word of God in, what in Hebrew are known as “Shine Forth” (“Psalms”) “Songs of Praise”! A number of the Psalms begin with what in English is translated “song”; but are not merely a “song” which is a different Hebrew word. The Hebrew for “Song of Solomon” indicates “song”. The Hebrew for a number of the compositions of “shine forth” is a different Hebrew word, though the 2 words have an organic relationship at another level.
Thus, we utilize the Psalms as prayer based on what we have opened up in depth on the sections on prayer and healing; that is, as “Shine Forth” “Songs of Praise”. This idea is found in a sense at another level in the opening Psalm.
The rabbis astutely point out that in a sense the Psalms are a “continuation of the Torah”. Is this merely their own idea read into the Psalms? An ever-increasing number of scholars and writers are pointing out in the last few decades, the anachronistic revisionist “reading back in” of Western Tradition’s “Intellect” about the Word.
The reason the rabbis point this out about the Psalms is because of what the first Psalm and being the first Psalm, says. That is, the “fortunate that he’s blessed” man and the Torah – and his, in Hebrew, “plan-council” beyond mere ”desire”.
The “key” is to see the Torah, the Psalms, and the Hebrew Scriptures from this – and the perspective of Yeshua. Does Yeshua, regardless, see the Torah and the Hebrew Scriptures as “Western legal code legal laws” and “OT”? If so, why is “OT” never found on the lips of Yeshua? Is Yeshua the Divine Wisdom – Protection – Will – Word – Teaching (“Word” of Yochanon 1:1) having, in Yochanon’s Hebraic KG, “…flesh became and tented in among us” Yochanon 1:14, a first century Jew from Galilee or a 4th century Roman or 16th century Western European, or a 19th century American from the Midwest?
The answer is or should be obvious! The “key” question then is “what do we learn from Yeshua’s citing and use of the Torah and Hebrew Scriptures? In Yeshua’s prayers to the Father, did Yeshua do so from a “Hebrew based and immersed heart” or a Greek, Latin, or English “mind”? We have pointed out in our forthcoming teaching on “Yeshua’s Hebrew Heart” that the simple reason we said Hebrew Heart rather than Hebrew Mind, is because the number of uses of the KG “kardia” “heart” outnumber “nous” “mind” by 156 to 29. In the Gospel it is 53 to 1! Even the one reference in Luke (24:45) is not on the lips of Yeshua!
The first Hebrew word of the first Psalm has particular significance at a few levels in Hebrew. The word in fact begins with the very first Hebrew letter which English has nothing even remotely like. It is the first letter in most of the Hebrew names of God (though not that of the Hebrew for LORD) and has tremendous significance at a number of levels.
It is appropriate and indeed fitting that the Psalms begin with the first Hebrew letter, which is the first letter in a number of Names of God, as the last word in Hebrew, at the end of Ps. 150 is a name of the LORD. The last Psalm, which concludes a series of the last several Psalms recited in traditional Jewish morning prayer, repeats the acclaim to praise the LORD and repeatedly uses “Halleluyah!!” “Praise”. The first part of the word, which is Hebrew by the way, not only means “praise” but also “to radiate out” like the sun’s rays radiate out. Thus, it is not limited to “praise” or “halleluyah” without knowing it’s meaning, but to “radiate out praise to God”!
This introduction and a bit of commentary and explanation from the Hebrew of Ps. 1 and the extended Introduction to the Psalms is, with the LORD’s help and strength first and foremost for the, in Hebrew, “weightiness of His Glory”. It is to enhance as much as possible, done by the power of the Ruach Hakodesh that moves, guides, and energizes us, as followers of Yeshua, the “radiating out” of prayer as we have explained Biblically based prayer and “songs of praise”, for “loosening – healing”.
In order to enhance and strengthen and in Hebrew, as we have explained elsewhere, not “offer” but in our desire “to draw near to the LORD” (cf. the Hebrew of Lev. 1:1-5, etc.), we demonstrate this: that rather than the paganism, heathenism, and “foreignness” to God that sought to “move” the “no gods” to give to the deities’ adherents and “believers in the deity’s “son” what they wanted-needed by “moving” the deity, we demonstrate “our desire is that Your will be ours”; cf. Mt. 7:21-23 especially; cf. Mk. 14:36.
We tangibly demonstrate this, not by espousing a Man-made “creed” but by using Man’s unique gift and ability of “articulated speech” as explained in the other related sections. We use our uniqueness to give voice to “articulated coherent speech” (cf. Mt. 6:7, 1 Cor. 14 again). It is accomplished through our heart and minds’ coherent articulation through the Ruach Hakodesh within us, the Words the Ruach Hakodesh inspired of Holy Scripture!
We have pointed out elsewhere the importance of the meaning of the word “say” in Hebrew. The Torah tells us that the means of Creation by God was “And God said…” in Gen. 1. Though “say” in Hebrew begins with “thinking thoughts gathered together” the Torah does not use the word “think” regarding Creation. Creation did not come into being as a “thought” so to speak, of God. Rather, from “thinking thoughts gathered together” then by means of saying, that is “an outer manifestation of an inward expression”. When it is the LORD “says” – or Yeshua “says” – it includes “light, revelation, fullness of explanation”. To “say” in Hebrew also means and indicates that it is personal and that what is “said” is expected to be “heard”. To “say” in Hebrew which is different than to “speak” is not only as we just, no pun intended, said, personal, but is also directed to someone. Thus, we expect it will be heard. We have explained elsewhere that “hear” in Hebrew has the deeper meaning, “to take in (in part), to pay attention to, to give weight to, to agree with the idea of acting upon what is heard”.
When Yeshua is asked, in the deeper meaning of the original, “what is the head movement in time fulfilling of which leads to fullness of life”, translated simply by “what is the first commandment”, Yeshua answers “Hear O Israel… Dt. 6:4 in Mk. 12:28-30 (please see our separate extensive teaching on this on Mk. 12:28-34 and “Yeshua and the Head Movement In Time Commandment”). Yeshua emphasized “ears to hear” not “eyes to see” nor a “mind to intellectually comprehend” (Rev. 2-3). “Hear” in the RCS in KG is used double – 400+ to about 200 – of the uses of “see”, including, the word also “to observe, scrutinize closely”. “Hear” in the Torah, the Hebrew Bible and Hebrew, is “key”; this is why Yeshua emphasizes “hear”! When Yeshua “says”, it is with the deeper Hebrew meaning we just explained as well as what he expected and wanted to be done by hearing what he says! It is far far deeper than “say” and “hear” in English.
The Torah and the Hebrew Scriptures are clear about lying as is the RCS and the KG word “pseudo” “false”. In Hebrew the “Ten Commandments” are known as “Ten of the Words”. We have elsewhere pointed out that at another level there is the Cross in the “Ten of the Words”, in this sense. The first five Words are God to Man, the “vertical” of the Cross and the second five Words are Man to Man – the “horizontal” of the Cross. They are however, being in Hebrew “Ten of the Words” not “separated and compartmentalized”. This is a feature of the Greek based thinking sadly plaguing the followers (Western especially) of Yeshua who should be “whole”. The vertical piece of wood and the horizontal piece of wood of the Cross could not have functioned as “separate”; the Cross had to be “whole”.
It was intended by the Romans in their mind to “separate” another Jew who was possibly a political threat to them, so they thought they could “separate” him out and put him to death, thus “killing” any threat to them. God, through Yeshua, provides a means to be “whole” with Him and with one another!
The Ten of the Words includes – and this is repeated in the RCS – “in fact do not bear witness (that is) lie in the form of deceit”, in Hebrew, translated “do not bear false witness” – which is against your neighbor. What is translated “false” is one of the Hebrew words for “lie” and means “(a) lie in the form of deceit/deception”. “Bearing false witness against (a) neighbor” is done, God forbid, by the words one says.
We have pointed out elsewhere also that Yeshua and his half-brother Jacob – not “James” – warn about frivolous words. If we understand what “say” truly means we understand why Yeshua spoke of this (Mt. 12:36; Jacob – not James – 4:11, 5:13 especially. Cf. what he says about the power of the tongue Jacob 3:1-12!).
The outpouring of the Ruach Hakodesh is first accomplished with the Jewish brothers in Jerusalem. It initially was manifested through their speaking not “uncontrolled ecstatic utterances lacking thought” which Yeshua clearly prohibits Mt. 6:7, before articulating the Lord’s Prayer, but through “articulated speech”. This “articulated speech” was in “dialects” (KG “dialekto” Acts 2:6) that was understandable to the “devout Jews from other lands” in Jerusalem at that time. Acts 2:4 says “lalein eteris glossais”… “speak (in) other tongues” – but in Acts 2:6 this was not “tongues” as “uncontrolled ecstatic utterances lacking thought” nor was it “uninterpreted”, something which was prohibited (!) by Paul’s later direction in 1 Cor. 14. It was “hearable” by the other Jews there – meaning, though some did not “catch” what was occurring, the Ruach Hakodesh had apportioned, literally “had given over”, was the ability to articulate a “tongue” that was not native to them. In short: it was, perfectly understandable human language, as commentators correctly point out!
If we understood what “say” and “words” are about and mean – and that we have to give an account for the frivolous ones – we all would be far more careful about what we articulate – especially concerning each other.
Do we enhance our prayers and words expressed to the LORD in the name of Mashiach if on the other hand we use the gift of being able to “say”, to say negatives about people – especially fellow subjects of the Kingdom and brothers and “members of one another” (1 Cor. 12:12-26, etc.) and the Body of Mashiach (Eph. 2:19-22, etc.)?
As we have “repeatedly repeated” Yeshua’s prayer in the form of “extend the hands and ask”, Yochanon 17, cf. Ps. 122:6, very much is for the “absolute compound oneness absolute one” of the Taught Ones – and those who will come to, “the place reached” in Yeshua – as Yeshua and the Father are one (Yochanon 10:30, 17:20-23).
What is this about? Too little, far far too little in fact is taught or emphasized to followers of Yeshua about our speech and our words. There is an overarching ethos from Western Tradition that “saved” includes a “license” to do or especially say anything about anyone – with no consequences – because “if you’re “saved” everything is forgiven”. This unfortunately and incorrectly has “morphed” into “it doesn’t matter what I say, especially about others, because I “believe”, I’m “saved” and so all is forgiven, there are no consequences for me, I’m not answerable for my words, because “all is forgiven”. Is this really looked at “wholistically”, that is, at Yeshua’s teaching as a whole, what Yeshua truly teaches? Is Yeshua extending us a “license” to say whatever we want, especially about others? If so, how is this different than what the pagan religions offered? If there is little to no emphasis on moral and ethical and godly conduct and use of speech, what is the “Teaching on The Hill” Mt. 5-7 about? Why are there verses in Scripture that speak of “blessing and cursing” regarding what we speak?
Jacob 3:9 tells us, in the context of his teaching and instruction in 3:1-12 about the tongue, as follows. In KG, “by means of” it, that is the tongue, we bless i.e. acknowledge God as the source, the wellspring of the totality of blessing, with specific emphasis referring to the LORD and Father – “and” – and is used to connect things. So “connected”, unfortunately is “by means” of it, the tongue, we intensely curse with specific reference to those receiving it – “anthropous” – men. Jacob continues with another specific reference, that being, and this he also derives from the Torah and Jewish thought, “according to (the) likeness of God having been made”. Jacob puts a form of “be” at the end for emphasis, referring to men having been made in the likeness of God.
The Jewish view, based on the Hebrew of Gen. 1:26 is that there is nothing about “made in our image and our likeness” that has to do with physical appearance. Rather, it has to do with godly moral ethical conduct.
Judaism, especially Orthodox Judaism, puts a high value, a very high value on guarding one’s tongue and absolutely avoiding what is known in Hebrew as “the evil tongue”. This is derived from Proverbs and its emphasis on a good name being more valuable than silver and gold. To slander someone is seen as essentially murdering them since their good name has been “killed” if they are defamed to others.
This is a teaching that followers of Yeshua would be wise to adopt from Jewish practice, unlike some, such as blowing the shofar, something that is entirely inappropriate for Christians and has no Scriptural example whatsoever for them; nor makes them better followers of Yeshua by being more like him! What is hurtful especially slanderous and false and incorrect speech about others, harms 3 people. The person who is spoken about, the one saying it, and the one who hears it.
To say things, which unfortunately occurs far too often, things like “so and so got cancer because of their sin” or calling brethren “heretics” over the slightest disagreement over “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin”, helps no one and hurts not only those spoken about but also the one articulating it! Yeshua clearly warns about our judging others, Mt. 7:1-2, Lk. 6:37 (cf. the context of the preceding verses).
If we are to “judge one another” more than “love”, meaning in part “a desire for the best for the other” and “complete devotion to the other”, then why are there far more uses in the RCS of, brother, love, etc., when it comes to one another! Our KG concordance lists 17 uses of love and “commandment”. This in fact equals the 16 uses in KG of “speaking tongues”, yet, which is emphasized and sought after by followers?
We will delve deeply LORD willing, on “loosening – healing” in the opening of Yochanon 9, in which when Yeshua is asked by his Taught Ones about a blind man, “who sinned he or his parents”. Yeshua replies “neither, he was born blind so that God’s work could be revealed in him”.
In Yochanon’s KG rendering of Yeshua’s Hebrew-Aramaic original, Yochanon puts an emphasis on “positively going forward and summing everything up, a (divine) revelation…in him” Yochanon 9:3. (KG “…all ina phanerwthe ta erga (work; cf. “ergonomics”) tou Theou en autw”).
Immediately following Yeshua emphasizes that “we (referring in context to the Taught Ones but a great lesson for all followers) must as a part of God’s Plan” (Yochanon’s KG rendering “dei”; cf., Yochanon 3:30-31 v. 31) work the works of Him Who sent me”… Yochanon 9:4. “Work the works” is absolutely Hebraic repetition for emphasis.
There is no small-minded fault finding by Yeshua here; but rather, his focus on the universal “Big Picture” work of the Father that needs to be done. We should notice Yeshua’s emphasis here on, “we”, at the beginning of Yochanon 9:4.
More to follow!