Perfection Perfected
The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7
Restoring the Soul – How is my soul restored? The answer is obvious as soon as I recognize the consonant root of this word, meshivat. It is shuv, used more than 1000 times in Scripture. To return, to go back, to turn, to do again, to bring back, to reestablish, to answer, to restore, to recompense and even more nuances. How do I restore my soul? I turn back to the Lord. I return to His instruction. I go back to the beginning, to the garden where I delight in Him.
Notice the implication here. The use of shuv indicates that the writer is not already in a restored condition. Change is needed. When I am dried up, when I am exhausted, when my spirit flags, I need restoration. The psalmist tells me where to find this vital nourishment – in the law of the Lord, in Torah YHWH. Two facts are crucial here. The first is that “soul” is the Hebrew word nephesh, the whole person, not simply my “spiritual” existence. When I need full-person restoration, I must turn to Torah YHWH. Torah is not just for my heavenly direction or my spirituality. It is for restoration between my brother and me, between my world and me. It provides emotional stability, physical direction, mental agility and moral guidance. It is what Peter would call “the words of life.” Perhaps our contemporary existence lacks resilience and foundation because we don’t know Torah as the source of living.
The second crucial fact is the Torah is not simply the rules, rituals and regulations of the believing community. Torah is everything from Genesis 1:1 to Deuteronomy 34:12. Torah is the narrative, the poetry, the prophecies, the commandments, the genealogies. It’s all part of God’s instruction and it’s all capable of meshivat nephesh (restoring me). If we read Torah with an eye toward identification and restoration, we will find the hand of YHWH touching us as He touched the men and women of Torah. We are not so different from them. The real needs of men have not changed since we were expelled from the Garden.
Perhaps it’s important to reflect on our attitude toward Torah. Perhaps we run too quickly to the gospels, the letters of Paul or the comforting words of Peter. The authors of our Messianic Scriptures knew where to find restoration – in Torah. If those Newer Testament authors found solace, comfort, nourishment and renewal in Torah, don’t you think they would have expected us to look there too? Perhaps poring over the Scriptures, absorbing God’s point of view on our world and responding to His ultimate concern for us requires far more than knowing a handful of Sunday school stories. The Torah YHWH is perfect (tamiym), then it is perfection perfected in application, and the application of Torah YHWH is to bring us back to life.
Topical Index: Torah, restoring, meshivat, shuv, return, Psalm 19:7
A small aside: those of you who have “Lessons From Israel” might look at the last lesson on the eight disc and enjoy Moshe’s description of Torah as an orthodox Jew.
Perhaps we run too quickly to the gospels??? Not by any means disputing the stated attributes of Torah, I think it is correct to say that in the gospels we meet (I meet) Yeshua, who, does he not fulfill Torah. Is He not The Word that became flesh. Don’t the gospels stand on, rely on Torah? No, I do not run too quickly to the gospels. I do not run fast enough. Peace and Love.
Yes, Yeshua is the full picture of what Torah means – love for God and love for neighbor. He came to fill up our understanding. Yes, we need to run to the gospels in order to see the full implications of the Torah. But we can’t run to the gospels and leave Torah behind. Everything is based on what God revealed in His words to Israel. So, to run to the gospels and forget that they are merely the IMAX version of Sinai is a seriously oversight.
Shalom all!
God our beautiful Father has given us Torah twice. First, high place. Proclaimed from a mountain. Have you heard the gospel of peace from the mountain? Second, revealed from a low and hidden place. The womb of a very young woman, and the resulting life and ministry of her son. God’s ways are definitely not ours. May we fully (embrace) the revelation of both.
Brian-my brother!- kindred spirit! Amein!- Yes, YHWH gave us the Living Word- Yeshua Hamashiach- Elohim incarnated into human flesh. G-d became a man. Why? To show us the “how to” of how to live, to love and to laugh. Of course He is the Master-Teacher- He is G-d Incarnate! Yeshua the G-d/Man. Son of G-d AND son of man. Fully G-d as if He were not man at all and fully man as if He were not G-d at all. Yeshua- the ONE and only and blessed be the name of our LORD ADONAI. G-d became a man, yes, but wait!- there’s more! Who ascended into heaven? and who sits on the throne of G-d today interceding for His own?
I know this is such a thorny issue when the triune (HOLY,HOLY,HOLY) Elohim is mentioned. G-d the Father, G-d the Son and G-d the Holy Breath. It is no small mystery indeed. This I know- (my thimble runneth over..) G-d was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself and according to the prophecy of Abraham the friend of G-d,-“G-d will provide Himself a lamb.” (which of course He did- dying on the tslav for the sins of the world (including my own.)
Brother Skip- I would like to expand your definition of Torah (instruction) to include Genesis 1.1 through maps. “Every word of G-d is pure.” What an awesome book is the Lamb’s Book of Life. Our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” For some unknown reason, I was thinking this morning of a “red-letter” edition of the Bible. Somewhat misleading actually as Christ (G-d Incarnate) was present and active during the writing of all of it. All scripture should be “red-letter” as every jot and tittle are G-d breathed. Some may say- hey!- it was man who wrote the Bible and to this I respond- well.. He tried using monkeys but there fingers were not as agile and kept getting stuck in the typewriter keys..
More good news.. (it just keeps getter better!- Hallelujah!) Not only do we have the written Torah, but also we have the living Torah within us. G-d has written His law upon our hearts and sealed us with the Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Breath. According to John 14.26 He is our heavenly re-minder of all G-d has said and oh, do we ever need to be “re-minded.” Amen ladies? lol!
Yes, Brian G-d’s ways are NOT our ways. If only I could do a bold font, color it red and triple underline “NOT.” It is an emphatic jump up and down and shout it out- “NOT!!!”
This alone could cure so many ills- just this one word – “NOT.” Amen. Not only do we have the law of the LORD, but we have the Lawgiver Himself living within us. This is no small potatoes people. “Christ in you- the hope of glory.” Wow! Are we blessed?- Yes, -beyond our knowing.. How we need to pray- Open our eyes ABBA- we are blind to our blessings- Amein.
Hi Carl,
I love your enthusiasm, but I am not sure I can include “maps” in Torah. 🙂
we must be careful in our wording- amen! No, of course “maps” are not included in G-d’s road map for abundant, fruitful living. They merely show these were (and are) real places with real people living and working in them. Corinth, Rome, Ephesus, etc. were (or still are) “on the map and are part of this world’s geography and history. YHWH started it all and He (always) completes what He starts. Meanwhile, -back to the pictograms, pictures, people, places, prophecies, parallels and the “jots and tittles..” -“It’s all good!..”
Every idle (non-productive) word that men shall speak they shall give account in the day of judgment.. (Matthew 12.36) “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19.14)
“No, of course “maps” are not included in G-d’s road map for abundant, fruitful living.”
Hi Carl,
I agree and think “road map” is a good metaphor.
But not sure where the “end point” would be.
BTW The Road is a great novel (2006) by the American writer Cormac McCarthy.
I read it when I first lost my job at Foundry and it had a huge impact on me.
My friend Michele (and David) gave it to me.
It is about a man and his son on a road (this world) to nowhere.
At Aruba I am beginning to feel restored and I thank God.
“IMAX is a motion picture film format and projection standard created by the Canadian IMAX Corporation.”
Skip, will you please explain this: “So, to run to the gospels and forget that they are merely the IMAX version of Sinai is a seriously oversight”……….in light of the definition of IMAX?
Thanks!
Helen
Helen – a figure of speech. IMAX is a very large, high definition projection format that used screens many times larger than a normal cinema screen, the idea being to bring the view even closer to the action and be able to show much greater detail than previously possible. Skip’s point is that Yeshua amplified the Torah and showed us its application in much greater detail than the rabbi’s had been able to do. He came not to destroy the Torah, but to fulfill – pleroo – it – to correctly interpret, to correctly do, to fill it full of meaning.
The stated goal of every Christian is to be “more like Jesus”. How do we become more like him? WWJD? Exactly what He did. He heard and obeyed the teachings and instructions of God (given in Torah), spent time in prayer, gave alms (ministered to the poor, the widow and the orphan in the community), observed the Feasts of YHVH (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles), kept the Sabbath Holy and laid down His life willingly for us. Therefore, what should we do if we want to be like Him?
Thanks Rodney. I could not have said it better.
If I come to grip with the fact that Yeshua(Who is God ) was present in the giving of Torah, the better I understand the fact that Torah teaches about the Messiah.
And if I believe that Yeshua is the Word( Torah) that became flesh and that the gospels stand on,rely on Torah, how well do I know Yeshua or the gospels if I dont know Torah?
Later I will realize that ” Love is the summary of the commandments(as in gospels) and the Torah is summed up in love; not by rendering all other requirements inconsequential, but in that love is fundamental to all of the Torah’s other requirements and ultimately leads to the observance of all the others”- Restoration, D.Thomas Lancaster. (1John 2:4-5 )
I wrote an long exegesis of 1 Cor 13:4-8 demonstrating that Paul’s perspective is the same as the Decalogue but where the Decalogue is filled with prohibitions Paul is filled with exhortations. Paul’s thought is the 10 commandments in positive form. Thus, the Torah summarized in the 10 words is really the same as Love summarized in 4 verses.
You can read it here https://skipmoen.com/2008/03/05/the-grammar-of-love/