Paul’s Shema (1) Rewind

So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 NASB

Hearing – If you were Paul, the Jewish rabbi named Sha’ul, what Hebrew word would you have in mind when you wrote the Greek verb akoe (to hear)? There can only be one obvious answer – shema. But as soon as we realize that Sha’ul has shema in mind, we must revise our Westernized interpretation of this verse. Sha’ul is not saying that all we need to do is listen to words spoken in order to experience faith. He is saying precisely what the Torah says. Hearing and obeying are the same action. The Greek verb akoe might describe merely the reception of audio signals, but the Hebrew verb shama never is satisfied with this vapid explanation. In Hebrew, to hear is to act upon what is heard. Until I do what I have heard, I haven’t heard anything at all! Greek emphasizes the causality of hearing (how it happens). Hebrew emphasizes the purpose of hearing (what it means for my subsequent behavior).

And now that we’re looking at this verse from a Jewish, rabbinic perspective, what do you suppose “faith” would be in Hebrew? How about emunah? Once again we must recognize the Hebraic nuance. Emunah is not about words. It’s not about true statements of doctrinal creeds or the Sinner’s Prayer. Emunah means reliability, trustworthiness, steadfastness. Faith in Hebrew is about standing on the rock-solid instructions of God. Faith is the result of obedience, not the precondition of obedience. First I do it, then I discover that I am able to stand on His word. I choose to obey, then I experience His working in me. That’s why Sha’ul can say, emunah (is) of shema (by the way, the verb “to come” is not found in the Greek text. Neither is the verb “to be”). Literally, Sha’ul employs a Hebrew grammatical form written in Greek. Literally, he says ha-emunah shama (“the faith of hearing/obeying”). In Hebrew, the verb “is” must be supplied. It is assumed but not written. This construction is quite common, but its implication is profound. In Hebrew this construction expresses an equivalence of function. Emunah is shama. I can’t have one without the other. To have faith is to hear/obey. To hear/obey is to have faith. No Jewish reader of this letter would have had any objections to this statement. But for us, this is a big shock. We think of faith as something distinct from its attributes or its causal preconditions. We think of faith as some kind of spiritual entity that is brought into being by hearing God’s word, as though hearing God’s word is a separate activity from having faith. Consequently, we do not draw an equivalence between hear/obey and faith. We think it is possible to have faith and yet not obey. Sha’ul would throw up his hands and say, “Oy vey! Where did you come from?”

The shocking element to Sha’ul’s statement is not the equivalence of emunah and shama. The shocking statement is that shama is tied directly to the rhema of Ha-Mashiach. But that will have to wait for tomorrow. We probably have enough to absorb for today.

Topical Index: faith, hearing, akoe, shama, emunah, Romans 10:17

Subscribe
Notify of
14 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Tami

Thank you Skip! I’ve been praying to YHVH to help me stop being so Greek, where I have been simply reading, audibly hearing the Word but not putting it in action. He is taking me through some experiences in the past few weeks, where I have to do it, to truly stand on His word. It’s been quite a challenge for me, because I am truly seeing in myself if I really believe/do His word and right now the answer is sadly no.

laurita hayes

Thank you, too, Skip. Once again, I find evil is the fracturing (putting asunder) what God has put together.

This concept of hear/do does not have to be profound. Every parent has the challenge of raising children for whom to hear is to do. The natural inclination of a child is to please his or her parents. I think the relative anxiety of a child is more closely tied to knowing every minute whether or not they are SAFE than most people appreciate, and feeling safe in a child’s world is directly tied to feeling that their parents are paying attention to them, and communicating what is needed to keep the child safe. Obedience, for a child, is that child’s way of trusting that the parent ultimately knows what is needed for the child’s safety and happiness. In that order. If the child immediately knows and understands the will of the parent, but just stands there, it is clearly rebellion (distrust of the parent to keep the child safe and happy). Every parent knows this. Every child knows this. There should be no interval in between to stop and find a ‘way’ around that will.

Sadly, by puberty, most of us learned ‘ways’ to APPEAR to be in compliance (pretending to listen, and lip service, for example), but still look to ourselves to determine what we think is best for our safety and happiness. Not a little of this problem, I think, comes from parents who were not trustworthy enough to preserve that seamless understanding and obedience. Seems to me we sure have a way of forgetting a lot between early childhood and adulthood.

Mark parry

Is not the true foundational issue one of integrity of heart mind and soul? But no the nature of how we belive we can know perhaps? We always philosophical find ourselves back in the garden choseing between two trees!

Suzanne

I think Skip’s broader point here is that Hebrew verbs require behavioral participation rather than the familiar mental assent of the Greek view. It doesn’t matter whether the word is shema, emunah, emet, teshuva or yada, etc. The Hebraic idea requires purposeful reciprocal behavior. Sometimes I think the Greek perspective epitomizes the idea that “talk is cheap,” but in Hebrew, we are our actions.

Mel Sorensen

“Hebrew verbs require behavioral participation rather than the familiar mental assent of the Greek view.” Suzanne, what a great description of the difference in a short phrase. Hopefully I can remember that, not only when I am talking to someone else, but also when I am reading the Scriptures. Thanks!

Leslee

enough to absorb… i will be absorbing all day

carl roberts

Words of Wisdom

Shema the Savior

As the mother of our Savior said, “Whatever He says unto you — do it!” Or as James, (the half-brother of the Messiah) implored: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only!!”

Or, as the Master-Teacher Himself said, “And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:26-27)

If it is foolish for us to hear His words and not do them, then as opposed to what is presented here as foolish behavior, would it then be wise for us to listen (heed) and to do (hearken) to His commandments? Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

It is so important (read critical) to both hear and do (shema) the words of God. That is why when Jesus replied to the woman in the crowd He said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

The key to receiving the blessings of the LORD are to first hear the words of the LORD and then to keep those words. It is in the application of His words to our lives that we are blessed. (Obedience = blessing). And it is when we apply Jesus’ words in our life that the work of transformation (sanctification) takes place as we (moment by moment) walk with (and worship) Him.

Would we agree with Simon Peter’s statement?

Simon Peter answered, “LORD, who will we go to? You [alone] have the words of eternal life!”

Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

dennis

WOW!

Seeker

Why do people doubt the power of Moses’ laws because they do not do them… Why do people doubt the teachings in the NT because they do not do them.. Is this not the meaning of Yeshau’ teaching everyone carries his own bsket to the market, so shall every one be saved through their own true faith. I added true as Laurita said we pretend to be followers and it is this pretence that I read Paul is trying to change and why we cannot put new wine in old sacks, new cloth on old rags etc. It is not teaching this old dog new tricks it is accepting that what changed me yesterday will not change me today as it is not the same me that must be changed but the new me… As Paul said for this reason I too will die a thousand times a day…

laurita hayes

Seeker, Skip says that the word “doubt” did not exist in earlier Hebrew. Are you inadvertently suggesting, when you ask why people doubt the teachings because they do not do them, to imply that the doubt is a result of, or a consequence of, the fact that people already are not DOING? Then doubt would not be the ‘opposite’ of faith, but a mere side effect of disobedience. Doubt, then, would be what we used to justify the disobedience to ourselves.

“Ladies and gentlemen: on one one side of the ring we have faith-obey-do. On the other, we have disobedience-nonaction-doubt. But hang on: this cannot be a true fight between equals, for it is only in the absence of the first contender that the second can exist. Either we have one, or the other. There is no such thing as both at the same time in space.” Wait; wouldn’t that be something that a Greek mind could understand?

Hmm. I think I am liking the absence of filler words like “and” (that could imply that two or more ‘things’ can be separated or are somehow existing apart from each other, but still both be existing in their own right) in the Hebrew more and more.

Thank you, Seeker. I had fun.

Ester

“Faith is the result of obedience, not the precondition of obedience.”, as with keeping dietary commandments as a good example.
Having eyes to see, and ears to hear, is to ACT upon what is seen/ read/ learned, and heard, IN obedience first, and then comes faith with confidence through experiencing first hand the blessings of obeying.
NO obedience, NO faith. Period!
And… obedience leads to conscience awakened, to transformation of character, leading to humility, and the fear / reverence due to YHWH, when / IF we truly ‘worship’/ submit/ walk/ obey Him in spirit and IN truth.
Shalom!

Seeker

Laurita this doubt is my deduction as I discuss today not 5600 years ago. We cannot deffirentiate between Torah and Love or Peace gospel. Resulting from this we do not trust one or the other and this mistrust is what keeps us from doing. Parenting obedience STOP… Even if disobedient still my children. No less benefit because of dispbedience. I love them so will still care for them and even let them inherit. If I discrimminate my love is not pure but conditional… Is God pure or conditional in His love. If conditional our response can be conditional as He is righteous… If unconditional then the crucifixion makes sense and Torah is replaced by unconditional love..
Ps love is not without punishment and punishment is not condemnation but restoration…

Lets move on as guidelines are needed to establish a specific relationship. As bloodline is needed to determine family…

Teth

“”We think it is possible to have faith and yet not obey. Sha’ul would throw up his hands and say, “Oy vey! Where did you come from?”””

not to draw out a point in a format where such a discussion cannot be reliably examined, but what would they say to such a query? They would say: the countervailing juxtapositions of the same chapter in which these ideas were elaborated. There is Hebraic thought which when excised certainly sounds reliable, and then there is the context which edifies ideas and in this case clearly enough confounds the former, as was the case then, as it the case even today

what is the justification if we justify someone by taking their ideas apart from the comments in which they are made. Paul’s ideas are not consistent with the outline presented here, to anyone who has to read his letters in their complete form they are speaking of something very different indeed, if you don’t think the ‘chapter’ alone is sufficiently awkward then include also the surrounding verses from Romans 9:30 – 33 and Romans 11:6

this is why James at least in the measure which we have available of these comments today had to write a counterpoint to the ‘Apostle of the Gentiles’, because anyone reading the material itself and not a reassuringly informative interpolated revision would be uncertain whether to live by the teachings or to follow Paul’s admixture of ideas (which contain conflicted directions)

Mark parry

In returning to this foundational consideration I am reminded agin of Art Katz who summed so much of the reality of walking with “The Spirit of TRUTH “=Yeshua =Jesus when he wrote “The truth is in us and we in it only to the degree we actually walk in it “.