CHESHVAN
11
Guard
the Commands
“And
now, Yisra’ĕl, what is יהוה your Elohim asking of you but to … guard
the commands of יהוה and His laws which I command you today …” (Deu 10:12-13 ISR)
Several of
the definitions listed in Noah Webster’s Dictionary for the word “guard” are as
follows: “To secure against injury, loss or attack; to protect; to defend; to
keep in safety; A state of caution or vigilance; or the act of observing what
passes in order to prevent surprise or attack; care; attention; watch; heed.”[1] If we would apply these words to 'the
commands of our Elohim', we would do well to watch over them, stand in
observation while walking in obedience to them, lest we stray from His “way”.
The Hebrew
word translated here is the word shâmar
(Strong’s H8104) and is used more than 450 times throughout the Tanakh (the Old Testament). The meaning of this word is similar to what
our Daniel Webster has, yet there is much more.
Quoting directly from the Ancient Hebrew Dictionary, we find a more detailed picture:
“The image
painted by the Hebrew word shamar is a sheepfold. When a shepherd was out in the wilderness
with his flock, he would gather thorn bushes to erect a corral to place his
flock in at night. The thorns would deter predators and thereby protect and
guard the sheep from harm. The word shamiyr, derived from this root
means a thorn. The word shamar means to guard and protect and can be
seen in the Aaronic blessing, “May Yahweh respect you and guard you”. One keeps the commands of Elohiym by guarding
and protecting them.”[2]
Our Creator has given
us promises of blessings, should we be diligent to guard and obey His
commands. We are promised rain in its
season (Lev 26:3; Deu 11:13-14), and prosperity on the work that we do (Deu
28:1-8). Long life is promised to us
(Deu 6:2), and a life that will be “well” (Deu 4:40; 5:29). We are promised righteousness (Deu 6:25) when
we choose to be obedient, guarding the commands, and Elohim considers us
“blessed” (Ps 112:1). Guarding and
adhering to Yahweh’s command leads to life
(Deu 8:1; Pro 7:1-2); turning away from the commands is a sure death (Pro
19:16).
Why
are we so stubborn
and stiff-necked about keeping the commands of our Elohim? I would venture to say that we have not
learned to sufficiently fear Him …
“Walk after יהוה
your Elohim and fear Him, and guard His commands and obey His voice, and serve
Him and cling to Him.” (Deu 13:4 ISR)
“He who
guards the command knows no evil matter. And the heart of the wise discerns
both time and right-ruling …” (Ecc
8:5 ISR)
“He who
despises the Word shall be destroyed, but he who fears the Commandment shall be
rewarded.” (Pro 13:13 HRB)
©2018
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