The New Torah #1

Matthew 5:17–18 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Before we begin to talk about these verses we need to define a word within them, and that word is “Law”. If you didn’t already notice, let me draw your attention to the fact that the word “Law” is used twice in these two verses and is capitalized both times. This clearly indicates the fact that it is more than just a reference to a singular command, but rather the whole of all the commandments, and it is the focus of these verses.

The “Law” that Jesus is referring to is the word Torah in Hebrew and in this context He’s referring to not only the commandments given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai (), but also to the Chumash, the first 5 books of the Bible, or better known to us by it’s Greek name, the Pentateuch.

Now what’s important is the difference a Jewish person had in their view of the “Law” or Torah. Our word “law” is a set of rules given to us from some form of an authority and violation of these rules leads to punishment. But that is not what the Torah is all about nor how it was viewed. A hebraic definition of Torah is “a set of instructions or teaching from a loving father to his children for the purpose of training and guiding them in right living.” (See )

I’m not sure what comes to your mind or what you feel when you hear the word “law”, if it has a negative connotation or a positive one, if it is restrictive to you or provides you with safety, or how you even view authority for that matter, but for the Jewish person they would immediately think of the Torah as something good, something that was given to them by the God who rescued them and loved them, in order to protect them and guide them.

Now what’s important is the difference a Jewish person had in their view of the “Law” or Torah. Our word “law” is a set of rules given to us from some form of an authority and violation of these rules leads to punishment. But that is not what the Torah is all about. A hebraic definition of Torah is “a set of instructions or teaching from a loving father to his children for the purpose of training and guiding them in right living.”

When you hear the word “law” what do you think and feel?

Proverbs 6:20–23 ESV

My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

Proverbs 6:20-

A hebraic definition of Torah is “a set of instructions, from a father to his children for the purpose of training in right living.”

When you hear the word “law” what do you think and feel?

When you hear the word “law” what do you think and feel?

Pray for the Lord to show you why that is?

I’m not sure what comes to your mind when you hear that word, but for the Jewish person

Later in the book of Matthew, when asked “which was the great commandment of the Law” (), Jesus replied in verses 37-40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Or, all the Law and Prophets are summed up by us as we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love others as ourself.