Greetings all in Yeshua’s name!
A Little Learning Together – Heart
As we’ve pointed out before, the Bible shows us, beginning with the opening revelation of Creation Gen. 1, that everything is part of the whole. All things are connected; cf. Yochanon (“God is gracious”, “John’s” original Hebrew name) 17:20-23, cf. 1 Thess. 5:23 and 1 Cor. 12:12-27. Cf. also Eph. 2:15, vss. 21-22, 4:12, vss. 16-17, etc.
You might be surprised to learn, based on what is traditionally emphasized, that there are actually far more uses of heart then mind in the Bible! A Greek concordance shows that there is actually only one use of “nous” “mind” in the entire Gospel (Lk. 24:45). “Mind” or “intellect” is never found on the lips of Yeshua!
Yeshua is concerned for the heart! That concordance shows over 55 uses of “kardia” ” heart”, in the Good News. Compared to as we just learned together, one use of “nous” “mind”.
Though Paul is treated by post Biblical Western Tradition as a “theologian”, and tremendous tremendous emphasis is placed by Western Tradition on “theology”, the Greek concordance also shows us that Paul speaks of the heart far more than the mind – 56 to 21. Even in Romans, Paul uses heart to mind 10 to 7.
In Paul’s Hebrew and Jewish based universal big picture that then moves to concrete specifics, in Romans 9 to 11, we learn this.
Paul – in no way – speaks about the Jewish People from the viewpoint of the “mind”. For Paul, “Israel” is no theological construct or conception. That would be Greek-based. Paul the Jew and Pharisee (cf. Acts 22:1-3, esp. Acts 23:6; cf. 2 Cor. 11:22, Phpns. 3:5) feels not in his “mind”, but in his heart and soul for his fellow Jews Rom. 9:1-5.
A quick note: to refer to the Jewish People as Israel was then, and still is, the most reverential way for a Jew to refer to the Jewish People. This is why he switches from Jew to Israel before Romans chapters 9 to 11 to Israel in chpts. 9-11 and back to Jew from chapter 12 on.
Unfortunately, those in Western Tradition. especially those into Replacement Theology, apparently don’t understand this. They then – with no basis whatsoever – take Israel in Romans 9 to 11 to be an “allegory” for the Gentile Institution. Rom. 11:28-29 – alone – renders that idea ludicrous!
Paul, in Rom.9:2 in KG (Koine “Common” Greek), speaks of sorrow and “unceasing pain” that is more intense than as translated. Paul’s Greek specifically identifies that he receives this sorrow and unceasing pain about the Jewish People. It is “… specifically the heart of me”. In English …” my heart”.
Paul’s Greek “of me” is put last in the sentence for emphasis and is in a form which indicates he’s using it either in the sense of possession, i.e. “of me”, or to indicate something “absolute”, i.e, “it is absolutely of me”.
Remarkably in the opening of Romans 9 Paul says he will be willing to be “anathema” “accursed/cut off” from Yeshua, for the sake of his fellow Jews. Paul’s idea here incidentally is something he draws from the Torah.
Given how Paul knocked himself out for the Gentiles, this is a remarkable statement and shows his heart for his own People. Paul does not say that about those of the Nations!
The Hebrew Bible speaks of the heart. There is no Hebrew word “mind” as we would think of it in the West. The Hebrew word used for “mind” is literally the kidneys! (Translated “reins” in older translations).
The heart is spoken of in the Torah going back to Gen. 6. There, it is not Man’s mind that corrupted his way – in this instance it’s his conduct towards others. The Hebrew is literally the twisting or weaving of the thoughts of the heart.
We must quickly point out: one should not think in terms of Augustine who saw Man as a total moral degenerate on his way to Hell. The Torah in Gen. 6 does not say Man had an evil heart as though that was automatically his nature. The Torah does not say in Hebrew that Man was evil of heart; rather, it was the twisting or weaving of the thoughts of his heart.
In the same way after Adam and Eve ate the fruit they were commanded not to, the Torah does not say Adam was cursed. The Hebrew indicates “state of lifelessness, isolation”, but again this pertains to the ground; not to Adam. (Cf. Gen. 12:3; it’s the second Hebrew word used for cursed there. The first means to “run past quickly”, “take lightly”, “be a material reduction to” the descendants of Abraham).
No curse was put upon a man until Kayin (“Acquire” “Cain”) slew his brother. Even then the state of lifelessness and isolation was put on Kayin for what he did; it was not put on Man.
Man has what in Hebrew comes from the word “especially choose”, i.e., freewill. In short, the problem was not that there was peace, love and brotherhood between people, but idolatry in place of following the LORD in Gen. 6:5. Rather, Man wished the worst for the other.
In Gen. 6:6, we see more deeply in the Hebrew that connected with man wishing the worst, weaving the worst thoughts in his heart for the other, is the following. In Hebrew, God’s response; to change His decision in having made Man. This is followed in the Hebrew of the traditional text by that which is connected next. God acted upon Himself, i.e., He became deeply grieved in His heart.
This is much more poignant and certainly no pun intended, almost heartbreaking in Hebrew. The attitude of man was so bad that God was deeply grieved in his heart.
Man’s heart desiring the worst for the other lead to action accordingly. As one of the great Torah teachers points out, it wasn’t just “violence” in the physical sense. Rather, there was desire for the worst for the other.
Man hurt God; how? By idol worship? By being atheistic or agnostic? No. Man deeply grieved the heart of the LORD by how His children treated one another….
If we take the Hebrew word heart and give it what’s called its symmetrical inverse, meaning we reverse the letters, we get the word “without”. Someone without a “heart” for others – especially their brethren – needs that reversed!
Hebrew doesn’t have its own separate numerals as English and Latin does. The Hebrew letters also have number value. The number value of the Hebrew word heart is 32.
The Greek concordance of the RCS lists almost 50 uses of “peripateo” “walk” that do not pertain to physical walking. Most of those uses are by by Paul. No surprise since based on the Torah and Hebrew Bible the Pharisees emphasized “walk”.
How many times does the concordance list Paul using walk in the non-physical sense? 32. I do not believe this is happenstance. Unfortunately, when Paul writes “walk” encouraging those he writes to as to how to follow Mashiach, it is translated “life”, which seems to be something in general. This loses Paul’s very Hebrew and Jewish idea “walk”.
It is not about how we live our lives as followers of the Jewish Mashiach in some general sense but rather how we walk – and are we together or not?
Our walk with God must be based not on our mind; but on our heart. e must not walk with God in isolation from others.
To walk away from others – especially at the drop of a hat – must deeply grieve the heart of our Father Beyond what we can possibly comprehend!
There’s a scene in a movie in which a Marine drill sergeant says to his young recruits “it is a hard heart that kills”… He is preparing his charges for combat.
It was the “hard heart” of Man that caused most of the living things on the Earth to be wiped out. Pharaoh hardened, in Hebrew at times literally Pharaoh’s heart was heavy, towards the Israelites. We see where it got him….
When Man heart was for the worst for the other, it means his Self got in the way of having a godly heart. If we have a hard heart towards others, it means our Self has gotten in the way of having the heart of Yeshua! God’s reaction is to be deeply grieved beyond what we can possibly imagine….
If we have a heart that is hardened towards others, let us be encouraged to examine ourselves and see; why? Is it a focus on Self; rather than having the heart of Yeshua – who had no Self – cf. esp. Phpns. 2:5-11- and was only concerned for his Father and others?
We may not be able to help all people with all things but we at least can have a heart for them and their need.
Is there anyone who may have something against us, right or wrong? Are there others that we have something against, right or wrong? Have we turned our heart away from them, God forbid? If so let us walk in Yeshua’s teaching Mt..5:21-24 that our first importance be to put aside our desire to draw closer to God until we first draw closer to the other and restore a broken relationship.
If our heart is like that of God and of His Son Yeshua, then we do not walk with a heart hardened towards others. Cf. esp. 1 Yochanon 3. We walk together – together – in love. Will that not honor the work of Yeshua on the Cross, and bring great joy to our Father!
Jacob
Ps. 133 Phpns. 2:2-3