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REVISED EDITION
POSTED
07 AUGUST, 2005
Torah As Constitution
by
J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net
In our generation, we have witnessed a profound growth and
expansion of the Messianic movement.
Not only have many Jewish people come to a
saving knowledge of Yeshua the Messiah, but many
non-Jewish Believers have embraced the richness
of their Hebraic Roots and heritage in Israel.
Many Believers are undeniably awakening to the
deep truths of the Torah. Each of us must be
disciplined in our Bible study as we apply the
Torah’s mitzvot (twcm) or commandments to our lives. We must
seek to have a healthy reading of the whole
Bible, Genesis to Revelation, in its ancient
context and setting. As we do this, issues often
pop up that require a little bit of targeted
attention.
One area that receives some discussion, in various parts of the
Messianic movement, is whether or not the five
books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy)—which we usually refer to
as the Torah—should ever be called
the
Law. A statement that can be heard from time
to time in our Messianic faith community, is:
The Torah is teaching. The Torah is not the law.
It is said that Torah just means Teaching or
Instruction, and should never be referred to by
the term law.
We should all agree with the fact that torah (hrAT) must, as far as our
individual selves are concerned, be viewed
as personal teaching or instruction. Was
it God’s intention to codify a listing of rules
and regulations that His people would follow
legalistically out of some kind of forced
obligation? No. The essence of the New Covenant
is that “I will put My Teaching into their
inmost being and inscribe it on their hearts.
Then I will be their God, and they shall be My
people” (Jeremiah 31:33, NJPS; cf. Hebrews 8:10;
10:16).
However, even when we believe that the Torah is Teaching or
Instruction, there is still one issue that
remains: Why is the Torah frequently referred to
as the Law? Concerning the definition of
torah (hrAT), the BDB lexicon, one of the most
widely used for meanings of Hebrew words, says
that torah means “direction, instruction,
law,”[1]
leaving some things open for discussion
concerning the application of
torah in
theology. It references that the Hebrew word
torah is derived from the root
yarah
(hry), meaning “throw, shoot,” “lead, guide,”
and “teach.”[2]
J.K. McKee
(B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury
Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN
Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic
apologist.
He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical
Languages Award for Greek.
He
is author of
numerous books, dealing with a wide range of
topics that are important for today’s
Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on
theological issues,
and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries
of various books of the Bible.
NOTES
[1]
BDB,
435; cf. HALOT, 2:1710-1712;
CHALOT, 388.
[2]
Ibid., 434.
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