Clifford Denton concludes his series on Hebraic living by reminding us about the bigger picture.
Restoration of the Hebraic foundations of our faith will result in significant differences in the daily life of the Christian Church. Yet, it is all too easy to interpret our walk with God solely in terms of this life, becoming so involved in today’s steps on our walk that we take our eyes off the ultimate goal.
There is some merit in this, of course, when we consider that our ultimate goal is in God’s hands - we are able to leave the big picture to Him whilst doing our best with what is before us today. Jesus taught us to pray, “give us today our daily bread”. But being Hebraic also means that we live in the expectation for our eternal future, learning from our father Abraham who “waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10).
Being Hebraic is to live as if Yeshua’s return is both distant and imminent. This is one of the paradoxes of Hebraic faith.
Heaven and Earth
The Apostle Paul encouraged us to “seek those things which are above…set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:1-2). If we busy ourselves overmuch with the down-to-earth perspectives of Torah we can easily get out of balance with those “things above”. Paul is not telling us to ‘be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly use’ (as a popular saying goes), but to have a heavenly perspective on our earthly life.
The writer to the Hebrews also exhorts us to “look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Heb 12:3). Yeshua (Jesus) is the goal of Torah (Gal 3:24) and his eternal covenant promises are the goal of our halakhah (Phil 3:14).
It is all too easy to interpret our walk with God solely in terms of this life, taking our eyes off the ultimate goal.
True Torah observance would have led Israel to recognise the coming of Messiah. That many Jews did not recognise him at his first coming is evidence for the fact that we too could focus on Torah observance in a similar way, straining for daily observance of our faith whilst missing its chief focus.
The teaching of God (Torah) is to be directed to our love for one another in the context of our love of God, knowing that God’s love for us covers our daily walk to our eternal destination.
It is fitting, therefore, to complete this short series of articles by emphasising this balance.
Maintaining Balance
Throughout this series of articles, we have sought to emphasise the need for believers to strengthen themselves through the entire teaching of God. We must prepare our believing communities to be strong for the last days so that we will move towards unity of Jew and Gentile in the Messianic faith.
Let us also ensure that we ‘look upwards and onwards’ in our interpretation of God’s teaching, not only downwards to our daily needs.
This is a fallen world and will remain groaning (Rom 8:22) until Yeshua returns. Our walk with God will be within this troubled world and our discipleship will be through peaks and troughs of human experience.
It would be nice to think that we could so achieve both the spirit and word of Torah principles so we could restore this world ourselves (as restoration is often incorrectly defined among Christians). However, in reality, it will be an ongoing battle (Eph 6:10-18) to stand in faith through the troubled times preceding the return of Messiah. If we take our eyes off the ultimate goal, we will be disappointed at some stage - possibly frustrated.
This is the biggest of all subjects. We are between the Fall and the coming Kingdom. God’s teaching is meant to take us on our walk to that final goal, more than anything else. All the Bible’s teaching is to be taken in this context.
Jesus in All the Scriptures
Yeshua (Jesus) is the ultimate focus of all aspects of God’s teaching. This is a well-known Christian principle which we must not forget in our quest to be more strongly Hebraic. As we open out the depths of Torah let us remember that this well-known Christian teaching still remains true. The whole of Creation was through him and for him (John 1:3).
Let us look upwards and onwards as we interpret God’s teaching, not only downwards to our daily needs.
A study of his Name in Scripture illustrates the point.
His Name is woven through all the scriptures to give the highest purpose to all God’s teaching. When the angel announced the name of God’s son as Yeshua (Luke 1:31) it was a carefully-chosen name (see this Tishrei study). The name Yeshua means ‘salvation’. When we read the word ‘salvation’ in our English translations of the Hebrew Bible, we will find that it is yeshua.
This surely was God’s intention - that the highest focus of the teaching or meditation would always be the coming Saviour. He is central to all the history of God’s people and all God’s purpose in teaching his people. Scripture is woven together by his Name.
We can look up the many occasions when the word ‘salvation’ occurs in the Old Testament, and meditate upon how this should lift our thoughts and expectations to the fulfilment of Torah in Yeshua (Jesus). For example:
Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. (Ex 14:13)
Salvation belongs to the Lord (Ps 3:8)
The Lord is my light and my salvation (Ps 27:1)
The Hebrew word yeshua is the key-word of Torah, pointing to fulfilment in the Man Yeshua, at the time chosen by the Father.
This is one among many illustrations of how the Messianic expectation is woven into Torah. Another is in the construction of the Tabernacle, and another in the Feasts. Again, Yeshua is the central focus of all Torah. Torah observance has Him at the centre.
Yeshua is the Goal of Torah
If we understand Torah as the teaching of God, we can read all of the Old Testament as a teaching programme with an ultimate objective. Mankind was to wait for God’s permanent help in the sacrifice of Yeshua.
The Christian Church was right to emphasise this goal above all else in Torah, albeit that now we need to rebalance to other aspects of Torah, restoring the continuity of all Scripture and of God’s covenant purposes.
Surely God’s intention was that the highest focus of the teaching or meditation would always be the coming Saviour.
In completing this series of studies, therefore, it is important to highlight this as the main purpose of Torah and halakhah, as we seek to be Hebraic in the fullest sense in these last days. We will all be building testimony as we proceed on our walk of faith on this earth - until Messiah comes. This walk will be through many challenging circumstances (how else would a testimony of faith grow?). We are being perfected and will continue to be so until Messiah comes to make all things new. He alone is perfect. He was and is the ultimate focus of Torah.
God through Yeshua is faithful to His covenant with Abraham. All else is within that over-arching covenant, still waiting for its final consummation at Yeshua’s return.