December 5, 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsletter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                Understanding Torah Society continuing series
                December 5, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What does it mean to "serve" YHWH? This is a common question with a wide variety of answers put forth. In this study we look into Scripture to see what YHWH says it means to serve Him.

Last week we launched our redesigned website. It has taken months upon months to get it this far. We are very excited about the new look and hopefully the express format will make it easier to get around our website.

We are far from being done, though. We have a long way to go. It will be a continuing project, which we expect will be a long time in completing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Understanding Torah Society - part 22,
Serving YHWH: a peek at the "religious system ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yirmeyah (Jeremiah) 7:22-23

22 "For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices;

23 but this thing I commanded them, saying, 'Shema My Voice, and I will be your Elohim, and you shall be My people; and you shall walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'"

There are many religions in the world, past and present. This list includes Judaism and Christianity. While what one finds recorded in Scripture is spiritual in nature, it is not really a religion, even though many mistakenly think it is. Surely, many religions and cults have used what is recorded in Scripture to further their own personal agendas, but such misuse does not establish Israel as a religion. While there are religious aspects to the Torah society, Torah society is much more than simply a religion. The Torah calls for many things which are viewed by man as being religious in nature. One aspect of Torah viewed in this manner is the sacrificial system. However, as YHWH points out in the above passage, the sacrifices are not the point or the goal of those particular commandments. The point is hearing and obeying His Voice, that is, to shema. The Hebrew word שמע - "shema" means both to hear and to obey. One cannot shema without both aspects of this meaning being present.

What were written down are simply His instructions given through the agency of His Voice. While this may sound rather simple-minded, this truth rarely seems to be grasped or understood. In essence then, these written words have been passed down to us and preserved[1] through the ages as a tool to teach us to be able to recognize His Voice. Then, upon recognizing His Voice, one may choose to hear and obey. This is the foundational essence of living in a Torah society. Without shema, there can be, and will be, no such society based upon His Torah.

[1] The Scriptures today are exactly what our heavenly Father needs them to be. They are not perfect, in that, man has surely altered them to suit his own selfish design. However, YHWH has allowed this to happen in order to further test those who claim to be His followers, to see if they will shema, that is, to see if they will hear and obey His Voice.