Bread from the Basket: Your Daily Slice

Elul 28

To Be Taught

“TEACH ME Your way, O יהוה; Let me WALK in Your truth.” (Ps 86:11 ISR, emphasis mine)

Yârâh (Strong’s H3384) is the Hebrew word that has been translated in our opening verse as ‘teach’, and as with much in our Scriptures, this word is a multi-faceted word. Strong’s and Gesenius both agree with one of the definitions being ‘to teach’; however, there is an underlying definition meaning to cast, or to throw. With all of that being said, I like the definition Jeff Benner provides for us the best: “to teach in the sense of throwing or pointing a finger in a straight line as the direction one is to

walk.”[1]

‘Walk’ is translated from the Hebrew word hâlak (Strong’s 1980), from which we get the word halachah, which loosely means the way in which we walk, specifically walking the Torah walk.[2] Our Scriptures themselves define for us the word ‘truth’, in that the Torah is the truth (Ps 119:142), and Messiah Yeshua is the truth (John 14:6). Our ‘walk’ then – how we choose to live our lives – is to be directed, guided, and led by the directions we find written for us in the Torah, with Messiah Yeshua as our example.

However, we must first be taught. It is dangerous to think that we can just open our Scriptures, read at random, and then believe we know all we need to know on the how of halachah. Without first understanding the language, customs and context in which our Bibles were written, we stand a good chance of thoroughly perverting what was written through our own ignorance. No, I am not saying that we all need to run out and learn Hebrew, and take classes on the history and culture of the Jewish people. I am saying that there is need throughout the body of Messiah, those that believe they are of Abraham’s seed (Gen 13:16), for sound and correct teaching. Yes, I sit under a teacher, for I have learned in this Torah walk, that the more I learn, the more I realize how little I really know.

One verse that has been casually thrown about is the one from Hos 4:6: “My people have perished for lack of knowledge.” The ‘my people’ that is being addressed in this verse is the nation of Israel, along with those of us who believe we are grafted in to the true vine (Rom 11). The ‘lack of knowledge’ refers to the knowledge of Elohim, including the fear of Him (see Pro 1:7). Further in this same verse we find that our Creator will reject us, not only because of our lack of knowledge concerning Him, and who He is, but also because of the way we have carelessly handled and forgotten His Torah.

Are we truly a committed people, committed to learning all that we can of our Creator, our Father, and our Elohim? Are we committed to seeking the knowledge of His Torah, to understand all of the nuances that are found therein? Or are we just randomly turning the pages, digesting the verses that make us ‘feel good’?

“Because THEY HATED KNOWLEDGE And did not choose THE FEAR OF יהוה, They did not accept my counsel, They despised all my reproof, Therefore let them eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own counsels.” (Pro 1:29-31 ISR, emphasis mine)