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May God Bless all who enter here, may you go out with joy and be led forth with peace
All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16
Why Should Christians Study the Torah?
T O B E T T E R U N D E R S T A N D T H E E N T I R E B I B L E
The word torah comes from the root word yarah, which in ancient Hebrew was an archery
term, meaning to shoot an arrow straight to the mark. It also meant to teach or bring instruction.
So in a truly biblical sense, torah refers to
instructions from a loving God on how to live a
life that “hits the mark.” The first five books of
the Bible—sometimes called by the Greek
name Pentateuch and referred to as “The
Books of Moses” by both Christians and
Jews—are also called the Torah, a more than
appropriate use of the term, since these books
contain God’s original instructions to His people
on how to live in harmony with His will.
However, torah is most frequently translated
“law” in English. In the New American
Standard Bible, the English word “law” is used
505 times: 283 times in the Older Testament
and 222 times in the Newer Testament. In
comparison, the word “love” is used 572 times: 281 in the Older Testament and 291 in the
Newer Testament. Since “law” and “love” get nearly equal billing in the Scriptures, perhaps it is as important that we truly understand God’s view of His law, as we do His view of His love.
Perhaps many of the verses that contain the English word“law,” such as Psalm 119:1, should be thought of differently than the way we have traditionally interpreted their meaning.For instance, look at these two verses: “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the LAW of the LORD” (Ps.119:1). “He who turns away his ear from listening to the LAW,even his prayer is an abomination” (Prov. 28:9). In each of these passages, as in many others throughout the Bible, the word we read in English as “law” is actually Torah in Hebrew and refers to the full body of teaching in the Books of Moses, rather than a select group of commands or commandments. Further, the Greek word for “law,” nomos, is used 158 times in the Newer Testament. Could it be that some of these references are to the fuller concept of Torah as well, actually meaning the whole Bible? For example, in Matthew 5:17, Yeshua is quoted as saying, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” At the time of Yeshua, and still today in Judaism, the Hebrew Scriptures are thought of as having three divisions:• the Law—the Books of Moses called Torah,• the Prophets—the prophetic books, such as Daniel, called Nevaim,• the Writings—the books of poetry, such as the Psalms, called Ketuvim.So, when Yeshua makes His statement in Matthew that He did not come to destroy theLaw or the Prophets, He is using Hebrew shorthand to say that He did not come to destroy nor contradict any of the Hebrew Scriptures. He came to interpret it correctly. Therefore, our first reason to study Torah is simply to better understand the entire Bible, both the Older and theNewer Testaments.
Yeshua and His Disciples
Another reason to study Torah is to better understand Yeshua and His disciples.
The Scripture which they studied and quoted was what we call today the Old Testament.
They referred to it as the Tanakh, an acrostic for Torah—the Law, Nevaim—the Prophets,
and Khetuvim—the Writings. In both ancient and modern Judaism, the Torah is seen as the
most important and widely studied section of the Tanakh. For example, each of Yeshua’s
answers to the devil when He was tempted in the wilderness (Luke 4) come from the Torah
in the book of Deuteronomy.
At the time of Yeshua, the Sadducees accepted only the Torah as Scripture, a doctrine that
set them apart from the Pharisees, who accepted the totality of the Tanakh. Jewish boys at the
time of Yeshua were first taught the Book of Leviticus and then the Book of Deuteronomy.
Typically, they memorized all, or at least large portions, of each of these books. What thoughts
or questions must the child Yeshua have had as He studied the sacrificial system and priestly
laws of Leviticus? Was He aware or thoughtful of how His role would fulfill the sacrificial
requirements, and how the author of Hebrews would later refer to Him as our “great High Priest”?
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our confession” (4:14).
When Yeshua studied Deuteronomy, did He foresee the day when He would use these very
verses to combat Satan in the wilderness?
• “And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “MAN SHALL NOT
LIVE ON BREAD ALONE”’” (Luke 4:4).
“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with
manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers
know, that He might make you understand that man does
not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that
proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD” (Deut. 8:3).
• “Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “YOU SHALL WORSHIP
THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY”’”
(Luke 4:8).
“You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall
worship Him and swear by His name” (Deut. 6:13).
• “And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘It is said, “YOU
SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST”’”
(Luke 4:12).
“You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you
tested Him at Massah” (Deut. 6:16).
Obviously, studying the Bible Yeshua studied, memorized, and quoted will help us to
know Him on a deeper and more meaningful level. However, this same concept of studying the
Older Testament to understand the Newer Testament is not only crucial for understanding the
life and words of Yeshua, but is also critical for understanding the rest of the Newer Testament
as well. The Holy Spirit used the Apostle Paul to write more pages of the Newer Testament than
any other person. Here’s how Paul described himself and his background: “I am a Jew, born in
Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city [Jerusalem], educated under Gamaliel, strictly according
to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today” (Acts 22:3).
To best understand Paul’s writings, we need to understand his training, and the many references
to the Older Testament and to Jewish learning that he makes throughout his writings.
Paul is often thought of as one who speaks against the law, but look at these quotes from the
book of Romans:
Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May
it never be! On the contrary, we establish the
Law” (3:31).
• “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May
it never be! On the contrary, I would not have
come to know sin except through the Law; for I
would not have known about coveting if the
Law had not said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COVET’”
(7:7).
• “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment
is holy and righteous and good” (7:12).
• “But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I
agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is
good” (7:16).
If we say that the Bible is the Word of God from
beginning to end, let’s take some time to study the beginning. Not only will you be blessed, but
you will begin to live the life of scriptural authority in a deeper way. You will enrich your
understanding
of Yeshua and His first followers, and you will drink deeply of the fountain of God’s
revealed truth.
Shalom
Recommended Resources
Learn Hebrew
Free Interlinear Hebrew - English Bible
First Fruits of Zion
Torah Class
Calvary Chapel in Cottage Grove offers an excellent Torah study. See their website for contact information.
Shalom
