The Man of Faith
“and you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man do, he shall live by them. I am YHWH.” Leviticus 18:5
Live By Them – Is there a more important Hebrew phrase? Hardly! God provides an answer to the question, “What does it mean to live by faith?” “Wait,” you say. “This verse in Leviticus says nothing about faith. It’s about keeping the commandments, not about faith.” Ah, you’re suffering from a bad case of corrupted intertextuality. “What is that?” Well, intertextuality is the connection between one verse and another; connections that are not related to historical, cultural or authorial context. In other words, these are connections where the phrasing of the words or the use of vocabulary is the same. So, the connection here is the verb hayah, “to live.” The Hebrew vachai bahem (literally, “shall live in them”) is related to the proclamation of the prophet Habakkuk: “The just shall live by faith.” What does it mean to live by faith, something we commonly associate with the declaration of grace? It means (by intertextual connection) to live in God’s statutes and judgments. Unless you make the mistake of thinking that God somehow changed His mind about living, then you will have to account for your behavior according to these standards. That is living by faith. But Hebrew faith displays itself in action. So, here are some of the actions that show up when faith is present:
To love all human beings who are of the covenant (Lev. 19:18).
Not to stand by idly when a human life is in danger (Lev. 19:16).
Not to wrong any one in speech (Lev. 25:17).
Not to carry tales (Lev. 19:16).
Not to cherish hatred in one’s heart (Lev. 19:17).
Not to take revenge (Lev. 19:18).
Not to bear a grudge (Lev. 19:18).
Not to put any one of the covenant community to shame (Lev. 19:17).
Not to curse any other Israelite (Lev. 19:14) (by implication: if you may not curse those who cannot hear, you certainly may not curse those who can).
Not to give occasion to the simple-minded to stumble on the road (Lev. 19:14) (this includes doing anything that will cause another to sin).
To rebuke the sinner (Lev. 19:17).
To relieve a neighbor of his burden and help to unload his beast (Ex. 23:5).
To assist in replacing the load upon a neighbor’s beast (Deut. 22:4).
Not to leave a beast, that has fallen down beneath its burden, unaided (Deut. 22:4).
What have we learned? The 613 are expressions of living by faith. This small sample of actions you would readily approve is part of what it means to demonstrate righteousness, and it comes about because you trust the character of the One who asks you to live this way. You live differently because the expression of faith guides your life.
Now, if these fourteen are so clearly part of faithful living, why do we balk at the rest?
Topical Index: 613, faith, live, Leviticus 18:5, Habakkuk 2:4
Well said. I am reminded of the Gemara in b.Makkot 24a which states that Habbakuk 2:4 is a summary of the entire Torah.
“It takes two to tango.” In all relationships, two parties are involved. As the song says.. “it takes two”. In our case- the “two” are sinful man and Holy G-d. Love has been defined as “benevolence toward another at cost to myself.” (thank you Skip!). G-d saw our need and in love, reached out to restore,redeem and renew His creation through His covenant children.
In this “covenant relationship”, G-d is the initiator and we are the responder. First the Initiator speaks. G-d is a G-d who speaks. He has given to all His words. The ten words were given and etched in stone. All of His words are pure. They are “forever” words. He created the world by speaking. He created life by speaking. Remember?- ..”and G-d said let there be”.. “and it came to pass”.. “and it was so.”
This was no small event, when Moses went to the mountaintop to receive these words. These words were not given in silence, but with loud announcement and fanfare, so that great fear came upon the people.
Fast forward to Bethlehem, and witness the birth of the divine Logos incarnated into the new Adam. How silently, the Gift was given. The Creator became the created and was birthed in a barn. The Messiah manifest in a manger. What is our response to this?
Faith comes by hearing. (Romans 10.17) “Faith” is our response to what G-d says. And what is our response to the ONE who loved us and gave Himself for us? -“His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”- Our “right” response is obedience.
Fast forward one more time. YHWH is not looking for servants. He is looking for sons. Willing obedience and loving submission is our goal. This is the way of Yeshua, the ONE who was willing to sacrifice Himself for us. Because of the finished work of Calvary, and because the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead now resides in those who believe, we know longer cower and cringe from the condemnation of the law but embrace the Ten Words with a new love given unto us by our Redeemer and (now) Friend. The very same words that once condemned us, now creates in us who are followers of the Way, an inner desire to please our Abba (a very foreign concept to an O.T. Jew), in all that we think, say and do.
Are we able to say, today- “I delight to do your will”, O my G-d? This new inner ‘holy desire’ (teshukah) comes from one place and one place only. (teshuvah) -Kneel at the cross.-Go to the place of blessing. “Bow the knee”. Ask, and you will receive. (Luke 11:9) These are His words.
“Now, if these fourteen are so clearly part of faithful living, why do we balk at the rest?”
Especially so given that of the 613, only a subset apply to any one person at any given time. I’m not a woman, so I don’t have to worry about those. I’m not a Levite (as far as I know, anyway), nor the High Priest, nor an employer (either of Hebrew or foreign help), so I don’t have to worry to much about any of them, either.
We don’t live in the land, and there is no operating sanctified altar in Jerusalem (yet), so the only instruction re burnt offerings that I need to follow is, “don’t build an altar in your backyard (or anywhere else YOU choose) and do offerings there.”
Most of Christendom keeps more of Torah than they realise, yet still teach that “that’s Old Covenant stuff” (bemused look). If only they read it with understanding…
You know, the first letter in Torah is Beyt and the last is Lamed. When you finish the yearly Torah study cycle you being reading at the start again so you read Lamed-Beyt = Lev = Heart; Torah is the heart of God for His people.
Thank you Skip for speaking the truth. Thank you Father for giving understanding to Skip. Thank you for relieving the burden!
And let’s not forget the Cowboy’s Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas:
1. Just one God
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa
3. No telling tales or gossipin’
4. Git yourself to Sunday meeting
5. Put nothin’ before God
6 No foolin’ around with another fellow’s gal
7. No killin’
8. Watch yer mouth
9. Don’t take what ain’t yers
10.Don’t be hankerin’ for yer buddy’s stuff