Shalom, people! If you’re here for the first time, you may be among those wondering what’s up with this “Torah” business we’re talking about.
The Torah is the first five books of the Bible. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy make up these books.
These ancient writings contain the story of the creation of the universe, the earth, and all life dwelling within. It also tells the amazing true story of the dawn of mankind, the many ways that man has fallen short of the Creator’s original plan, the rise and fall of kingdoms, and the Father’s strategy to restore all things back to the way they were in the beginning. A large portion of this strategy was given to us in the form of commandments and instructions. These direct us on how to love and worship the Father, how to treat each other, and how to live our daily lives in a way that is pleasing to Him. It was all written down long ago, but we are still living in the midst of that story today.
Now, Let’s learn a little more about the word “Torah” itself.
Originally, the ancient Hebrew language used a word called “yarah”, which meant to show, direct, and instruct. This is a very good definition. The word Torah as we know it today translates as “instruction/doctrine/law”. This is why many modern translations of our Bible refer to the Torah only as “the law”. Because of this, society has become accustomed to saying “the Law of God” or even “the Law of Moses”. This makes a huge impact on how it is perceived. While Moses is the one who wrote down all of YHWH’s (God’s) commandments, every word was spoken to him directly by the Father.
The commandments in the Torah were given to us for a great reason. Much like a parent will tell their children, “Look both ways before crossing the road”, “Don’t run with scissors”, “Never put a sock in a toaster”… OK, maybe not the last one, but you get my point. Parents look out for the well being and safety of their children. Our Heavenly Father is the same way, yet infinitely more knowledgeable.
How much more, then, does He look out for the greater good of His children? Since the beginning when He told Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, YHWH knew what was best for them. That has not changed for us today. Our Wonderful Creator still cares about every hair on our heads, and He still wants what is best for us. In order to be blessed and protected, we must DO what is best for us. Those instructions are laid out in the Father’s instruction manual for living: the Torah.
Yeshua (Jesus) came to be our living example of exactly how to walk out the Father’s instructions. (John 1:1-3, 1:12-15) It is only through Him that we have salvation. No one can be saved by their own actions, no matter how good they are at keeping YHWH’s commandments. Only by repentance and confession that Yeshua is the only Son of the Living God, can we be saved. Following His instructions is simply the way by which He sees that we love him. (John 14:15)
This is why we can say, “Torah was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah.” (John 1:17 TLV)
I hope and pray that this message has blessed you richly. Until next time, Shalom!