Breath Control
All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives. Proverbs 16:2 NASB
Motives – The NASB and other English translations gloss the Hebrew word in this verse. Why? Because the context of the verse requires some changes to make sense in English. But in Hebrew the word translated “motives” reveals much more than inner intentions. The word in Hebrew is ruhot, from ruah, a word you will immediately recognize as “spirit, wind, breath.” In Hebrew this word is much more than the inner frame of mind. It is the animating energy of life. That means this verse isn’t limited to just those inner thoughts you have before you make a choice. This verse speaks about everything that makes you who you are—all the habits, fantasies, calculations, decisions, emotions, body language and reactions that exhibit your personality. The Lord weighs your life, not just your cognitive evaluations. Thus we can amplify Heschel’s comment: “ . . . the power of darkness that draws its vital energy from good deeds performed with ulterior motives”[1] by adding that the power of darkness draws its energy from good deeds performed with life oriented in the wrong direction. What the Bible asks us to do is to practice breath control; to keep a close watch on how we live so that our actions are a pure representation of God’s purposes. Oh, and by the way, only you will be able to do this. Only you know why you are really doing what you are doing.
“Love and Truth are the two ways that lead the soul out of the inner jungle. Love offers an answer to the question of how to live. In Truth we find an answer to the question of how to think. This division, however, is dangerous and arbitrary. There is love at the heart of Truth. But is there Truth in our heart, in our love? Significantly, ‘love’ is both a noun and a verb. Yet ‘truth’ is never a verb . . . It is impossible to find Truth without being in love, and it is impossible to experience love without being truthful, without living Truth.”[2]
If God weighs our ruhot . . . Notice that the word is plural. You have more than one life operating in your embodied condition. You are made up of all those living relationships that constitute your personality . . . then He is examining the connection between love and truth in us. He is asking whether or not we are a living truth. It is typical to say that all we need is love, but this is terribly mistaken. Love is not enough. Love enveloped in truth is what we seek and what we need in order to exhibit ruhot that matter.
“The central issue is not Truth in terms of a doctrine, but veracity, honesty, or sincerity in terms of personal existence.”[3]
Topical Index: ruhot, motives, love, truth, Proverbs 16:2
[1] Abraham Heschel, A Passion for Truth, p. 43.
[2] Abraham Heschel, A Passion for Truth, p. 45.
[3] Abraham Heschel, A Passion for Truth, p. 45.
So, there must be love in our truth and truth in our love? And truth isn’t just about doctrine or correct biblical interpretation. Is that right? One without the other is a bit of a shame. Yes?
“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a faith without hypocrisy…” [1Ti 1:5]
“They (Gentiles without the Torah) show that the work of the Torah is written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts switching between accusing or defending them on the day when God judges the secrets of men according to my Good News through Messiah Yeshua.” [Rom 2:15-16]
“Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience before both God and men.” [Act 24:16]
“Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any offensive way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting. [Psa 139:23-24]
“Therefore let us celebrate the feast not with old hametz, the hametz of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread—the matzah of sincerity and truth.” [1Co 5:8]
Somewhere, I think, it is written that Shaul said, “My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t make me innocent.”
How are we to walk this out? Relying upon the Ruach HaKodesh, the scriptures, our conscience bearing witness, all being a witness to us (“in the presence of two or three witnesses a matter is confirmed”, right?) But doesn’t that also mean that we must consider the input of others, though they can’t know for sure the “motives” of our hearts? Isn’t that why a husband needs an ezer kenegdo but why his ezer kenedgo also needs the Ruach in bringing correction so as to not “lord it over” him? And why a wife needs a husband as her “head” (source) to “wash her with the water of the word”? And why each ought to “submit one to another”?
Hello folks Jerry I like the way you put your thoughts together most of it was scripture we know one thing I thought I would add pure heart and Clean Hands, carrying out the intentions of our heart not just motivational but faith with the action, for me that’s where the rubber meets the road. Yahweh’s instructions for living daily.
I have precious people in my life that, I am convinced, use their religion as a drug; an altered state of reality. They live a fabricated existence, and so their religion does not translate down into their everyday life EXCEPT as an external showpiece. No vital force. No one is impressed, either.
What is humility; this thing of humus; of the earth? Humility is the acceptance of what is; which is that truth. It takes humility to deal with the truth, for vanity goes to the core, and humility is the resetting of that vanity. We need the exercise of humility to counteract vanity, and the acceptance of what is (truth) will continue to humiliate us as long as we suffer from a disposition to vanity; to “imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of God” (2Cor. 10:5).
When there is nothing in my life that takes precedence over the experience of God in my life, which is the every minute that I resist taking the wheel, and instead let Him, through His Spirit, tell me, then I am “walking in the truth” (3 John 4). The wise man of Ecclesiastes found that everything else was some form of vain avoidance of reality. When I humble up and accept the truth, I find that reality is the place where God is already in control, so no one else has to be. That, y’all, is the truth. Humility is just the exercise of orienting myself to that.
It takes humility to admit that I am panicking ONLY when I am believing that God is not in control, for I am the one that took Him off the throne in that place. Stress, fear and panic exist to show me those vain places. I think my grandmama called it “eating humble pie”. I am made out of the dirt under my feet; it would make sense that my right place is to be found in that dirt; right in the middle of the rest of creation. All other places belong to my Creator, blessed be He.
I meant to add this earlier it takes humility to act on the truth. Someone once told me that truth is not a word or a Feeling it is a person of Yeshua. When we are caught in our trespasses and sins with the truth he is like a lion in a China store, because the fact I am fragile in my emotions but growing in the truth I am being set free confident in the fact that he knows what is true and best for me to mature in him, thinking of pruning.,.. I may have a truth from what I have been told, but ,,. Yahweh’s spirit Works Within Me to correct me and discipline me so that it is no longer I that lives but. Massage in me he does the works that I do. Yesterday’s post of today’s word made me think of Yahweh creating man and breathing his breath or ruach into him, this makes much more sense now feelings and emotions decision making all that was included a package deal similar to the Fruit of the Spirit if I have one I have them all but it’s how I react over my fleshly spirit using. (Yahweh’s Spirit of self-control )for me that is the key.
P.S. when I first looked at the title of today’s word I thought of nice breath or bad breath.,… It seems like it could be appropriate. Bad breath for good breath is in the spirit that we leave behind for people to see.
Yes, we are either a blasting wind that makes people feel bad and unsafe and sucked dry, too, or we are like a breath of life, where people can breathe easier (feel safe) when they are around us.
My vanity is not appeased as I can not ” blast” the more out of my comment above.. But then perhaps my humility is served.
A most more clear, concise and convicting summary of this conversation.
I read a great description of humility “don’t let other people make you bigger or smaller than you actually are.,Always remain your own size.” It was written by the Concierge for the Fairmont Hotel on Union Square in San Francisco-Holly Steel in her sweet little book “Thank you very much”. It lends credence to the spirtual description of puffing ones self up. Vanity and pride is relay nothing more than filling ourselves up with our own hot air to appear bigger than we actually are.. Or worse yet believing our own spin…
This underlines again the veracity of my favorite quote of Art Katz (with Paul Volk) from His profound little book “The Spirit of Truth” where it is written “The truth is in us and we in it only to the degree we actually walk in it”.
Love it Skip. Maybe you should go further and define love. My experience is that most people think “love” is just showing continuous affection towards others. Most people don’t want love that comes with boundaries and limits!
TALK ABOUT “BREATH CONTROL” RELATED TO LOVE AND TRUTH!!!
Check this out…..
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already operating; only there is one who holds back just now, until he is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Yeshua will SLAY HIM WITH THE BREATH OF HIS MOUTH and wipe him out with the appearance of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is connected to the activity of HaSatan, with all power and signs and false wonder and with EVERY KIND OF WICKED DECEPTION TOWARD THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING. THEY PERISH BECAUSE THEY DID NOT ACCEPT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH so as to be saved. For this reason GOD SENDS THEM A DELUSIONAL FORCE, to lead them to believe what is false, SO THAT THEY MAY BE JUDGED—all those WHO DID NOT BELIEVE THE TRUTH BUT DELIGHTED IN WICKEDNESS.” [2Th 2:7-12]
According to Skip’s blog, “Excavation Plans”, “the essence of evil (wickedness) is disobedience to God”. And now with this blog we know that disobedience can even be about our “ruhot” (motives). But here’s what makes the difference for us, I believe.
Which is it that we are DELIGHTING in? The TRUTH or WICKEDNESS? Have we accepted the “LOVE OF THE TRUTH” about even our “ruhot” and not just theology, doctrine, and hermaneutics, etc. And do we NOT NEGLECT THE WEIGHTIER THINGS OF THE LAW about mercy and justice while “straining out the gnat and swallowing the camel”, “tithing mint, dill, and cumun”? Or do we DELIGHT IN WICKEDNESS (even if only we know it in the secret place of our own hearts)? Do we love our cleverness of how we can seem to have power over others, making them think we are being so “loving” when really we have ungodly, selfish ambition tied up in much of what we do and are really only flattering people or using them through deception about ourselves and our “ruhot”? What do we love, to know the TRUTH about ourselves and righteousness or to deny or defend ourselves about the truth about ourselves? It’s much easier to say we have received a love of the truth if it is just being puffed up with knowledge but we don’t apply the truth to ourselves.
The question is, have we received a love of the truth about our love or have we received a “delusional force” from YHWH Himself?
Hopefully there’s still time to know the truth about that answer and to ask for and receive the former if the answer was the latter. Thing is, the answer could be the former if the Truth is the latter. Know what I mean? If you don’t, no matter. It’s too late.
Thank you Skip, the gavil falls once again. This is a harder walk than I ever imagined.