Meritorious Behavior
It will be therefore to our merit before YHWH Eloheinu to observe faithfully this whole instruction, as He has commanded us. Deuteronomy 6:24 (JPS translation with name corrections)
Merit – After the Reformation, verses like this one are difficult to integrate. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that Christianity created the chasm between the “old” Israel and the “new” Israel. It was so much easier to simply say that the idea of meritorious behavior belonged to the old covenant of Jewish “works” while the new (and improved) theology of Christianity rested securely on grace alone. As we recover the Hebraic foundation of our faith in YHWH Eloheinu (YHWH our God), we sometimes feel quite uncomfortable with the sola gratia emphasis of orthodox Protestant Christianity. All of this results from a basic misunderstanding of the Hebrew idea of righteousness (tsedaqah).
The paradigm verse of Jewish Hebraic tsedaqah is Genesis 15:6 (cited by Paul in Romans 4). Abraham believed in YHWH and it was credited to him as tsedaqah. In addition to “righteousness – merit” (tsedaqah), this verse has two critical verbs. The first is “believed” (he-emin). The verbal root is ‘aman. Often translated “trust” or “believe,” the primary meaning is to be reliable, firm, established. In other words, Abraham took God’s words as completely reliable. He build his actions on them. He established them as the bedrock of his life. For this reason, tsedaqah was “credited” or “reckoned” to him. This second verbal root is hashav. It has a wide umbrella (to think, to devise, to invent, to consider, to regard, to be accounted, to reckon oneself). Some of these meanings are limited when God is the subject. That is the case here. So, we normally translate this verb as “reckoned” or “accounted.”
Put aside any pre-commitments to Reformation interpretation and ask yourself, “What is the face-value meaning of this verse?” Isn’t it obvious? Abraham trusts what God says and God counts that trust as tsedaqah, as if Abraham had earned merit before God. Of course, in one sense Abraham didn’t earn anything. He didn’t earn “saving faith” because God granted it to him. Righteousness was credited to Abraham. It was a gift. Abraham could never have demanded it for it was not his to earn. God has to count this act of faith as if it were tsedaqah.
On the other hand, Abraham did do something, didn’t he? He chose to believe! He decided to accept what God said as the reliable foundation for his actions. This wasn’t cognitive assent. This was the basis for Abraham’s life. He staked everything on God’s promise, so it isn’t as if Abraham is completely passive here. Unless he makes this choice, there is nothing that can be counted as righteousness. Abraham decides to count on God. God decides to accept Abraham’s choice as if it is tsedaqah. From the Hebrew perspective, both are needed. No human action is completely righteous by itself, but human actions that express faithful reliance on God’s word can become righteousness because God will count them as such.
Now we can understand why Jewish interpreters of this verse in Deuteronomy say “one accumulates credit for meritorious deeds.” “The concept is like that of acquiring ‘principal’ in the Talmudic idea that ‘a good deed yields a principal and bears interest,’ as in the list of ‘deeds whose interest one uses in this world while the principal remains for the hereafter.’”[1]
Is it possible to do good deeds that God counts as tsedaqah? Of course it is. Does this mean that we can earn our way into His presence. Fortunately, no. This is fortunate because no one is able to do all that is necessary to be completely righteous, so we must all depend on God’s compassionate grace to extend righteousness to us – and quite fortunately, He is willing to do that. But His grace does not remove the possibility that our faithful obedience doesn’t count at all. It does. Every act of obedience redeems the earth and glorifies Him. It matters. Oh, yes it does!
Topical Index: Genesis 15:6, Deuteronomy 6:24, Psalm 106:31, tsedaqah, righteousness, ‘aman, hashav, merit
[1] Jeffrey Tigay, The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, p. 83.
I like what brother Jeffrey says, “The concept is like that of acquiring ‘principal’ in the Talmudic idea that ‘a good deed yields a principal and bears interest,’ as in the list of ‘deeds whose interest one uses in this world while the principal remains for the hereafter.’”
My relationship with YHWH, who is outside time, who can see the end from the beginning, to my reference to time is both in the here-‘n-now and the hereafter. Hence, when I ‘believe’ that His word is reliable, which results in my obedience to His mitzvoth based upon that belief, it will be for my own good both now and forever.
For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is God’s gift, and is not on the ground of merit–(Ephesians 2.8) “But wait.. there’s more!” -lol!!
and not the result of works, to put a stop to all boasting. (Ephesians 2.9) Is this the “end of the story?”-No. Let’s keep reading… A little bit deeper please- and now- for the rest of the story! –(drum roll??)
“For we are God’s masterpiece, created in the Messiah Jesus to do good works that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2.10) “saved” (in order) to do good works. 1,2,3.
(1)By grace. (2)Through faith. (3)Unto good works. (Is G-d a god of order?)
Number one- grace. The “goodness” of G-d. The physically demonstrated beneficent love of G-d. G-d so loved He gave. All of life is a gift. Every stitch of it. Our next breath is “the gift of G-d.” Our “salvation/deliverance” is a gift of G-d. We could fill pages with the “grace gifts” of G-d. Just look around and “remember.”
Number two-faith. Our (right) response to the word(s) of G-d. G-d said “do.” Abraham’s (right) response? He (obeyed) and did. Yeshua’s word to us? “Please do what I ask.” -If you love me-keep my commandments.
Number three- (greatly feared by “evangelicals”?- lol!!) -good works. It was said of Yeshua- (who teaches by example)-“do as I do”/not ‘just’ do as I say… How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good (Acts 2.38). If we are to “mimic the Master” (and we are!) -we also, (His students) are to “go about doing good”. Why?- Because we (all), (now),(today), have the mind of Christ-(who went about doing good). We (now) live to do His will. What is the will of YHWH? -that which is “pleasing in His sight”. What is pleasing to Him? (the will of G-d is plainly revealed in the word of G-d)- “love the LORD (your G-d) with all your heart-soul-mind-strength (the sum-total “all” of us) and to love one another with a pure heart fervently. Love G-d/love your neighbor. Right now/right here. -“How may I serve you?”-
Shalom,
“Every act of obedience redeems the earth and glorifies Him. It matters. Oh, yes it does!”
I agree brother Skip. It matters for a variety of reasons which we don’t need to ponder herein! Yet …. I would like to point out that it is irrelevant that we understand this declaration! Yes irrelevant!
Our belief becomes a faith when it triggers t’shuvah and transformation. Our faith holds that our redemption and salvation (our righteousness) comes in the glorious might and actions of Yeshua, Who has commanded us to obey Torah.
Getting folks to accept that works are meritorious … well it sounds like the health based arguments I hear for observing “kashrut” (food regulations). Yes we humans have learned that the Biblical food regulations are “healthy for us” … yet at the same time “should we care”? My level of comprehension should not be a prerequisite for my obedience.
It seems that we need to craft self serving intellectual/logical propositions to convince ourselves that our other self serving intellectual/logical propositions may be wrong. At some point people need to simply walk in faith and submit their lives to Yeshua in the correct manner … and this manner does not discount the haTorah!
I see your point, but it does not diminish the conclusion. Acts of righteousness may not be done simply because they matter. That is true. They are done because they exhibit trust and faithfulness. But they nevertheless matter. My motivation may be obedience and therefore I don’t really do them because I have justified their results, but the results are still there. Both sides of the coin.
Shalom,
I like the use of “righteousness/tzadekah” in the Gen 15 & Deu 6 passages. In English we just see “righteousness”, yet in Hebrew this can be either ‘tzadek'(masculine), or ‘tzadekah'(feminine).
This subtlety in Hebrew gains us insights into a fuller understanding. Just as the genders exhibit characteristics- males ‘initiate’ (they implant the seed) and females ‘respond’ (they nurture the seed and bring forth the newborn)- so is the tendency of Hebrew nouns to exhibit those same characteristics- males nouns tend to ‘initiate’ and female nouns tend to ‘respond’.
In our passages the use of the feminine “tzadekah” indicates that in Gen 15 Abraham’s trust was a ‘righteous response’ (and not a righteous deed he initiated on his own), and in Deu 6 “our righteousness” in keeping His commandments is a response to His love for us (and not something that we earned by coming up with it ourselves).
Great insight, Tom. Thanks.
“to observe all these laws and to fear Yahweh”
Hi Skip,
Just thought I’d share some of Deuteronomy from The Jerusalem Bible (1966); I can’t speak to the quality of the translation, but the point is rather clearly stated.
Deuteronomy 6:24 And he brought us out from there (Egypt) to lead us into the land he swore to our fathers he would give to us.
Deuteronomy 6:24 And Yahweh commanded us to observe all these laws and to fear Yahweh our God, so as to be happy for ever and to live as he has granted us until now.
Deuteronomy 6:25 For us right living will mean this: to keep and observe all these commandments before Yahweh our God as he has directed us.