One of the most complicated things for me to grasp is that most Hebrew words that we think of as nouns are actually verbs. For example, logos. We think of it as The Word. A thing. But in the ancient Hebrew mindset it’s actually a verb. It’s an action, not a thing. In the speaking of the word things become and things are. God uses the word as He creates. See, it’s hard to use something like this differently! Skip Moen says it best: In Hebrew, logos is the translation for dabar. But logos is a noun – a thing – while dabar is an action. Dabar is not an eternal principle of rationality. Dabar is not a concept. It is purposeful acting. It is the speaking act that names. Naming is the act of identifying the essence of something and causing it to be as a purpose in the life-world. [1] You should really read the rest of the post (here). I am so trained in and by this Greek mindset that sometimes wrapping my mind around this concept is difficult! And it happens all the time in the Bible. There are so many words that we use as nouns that are actually verbs. Take faith, for example. In our vocabulary, faith is a noun, a thing we get or have more or less of. In Hebrew, faith is an action. It’s acting on what we believe in a manner that demonstrates. Abraham believed God when God told him that he’d be the father of many nations. That believing and acting on that belief is faith. Faith is being obedient. Read more here. Sigh. Out of time again! [1] Moen, Skip, PhD. “Law And Order.” Hebrew Word Study | Skip Moen . N.p., 10 June 2010. Web. 10 June 2010. <http://skipmoen.com/2010/06/10/law-and-order/>.
Psalm 22:23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! Halal is the word used for praise. It’s used 76 times in Psalms, as well as being used in other places throughout the Bible. It’s where we get the word Hallelujah. But I think that when we hear the word Hallelujah we think about singing, maybe even lifting our hands if we’re feeling especially ornery. But halal means more than that. The Hebrew dictionary on the Blue Letter Bible website gives all these definitions. 1) to shine a) (Qal) to shine (fig. of God’s favour) b) (Hiphil) to flash forth light 2) to praise, boast, be boastful a) (Qal) 1) to be boastful 2) boastful ones, boasters (participle) b) (Piel) 1) to praise 2) to boast, make a boast c) (Pual) 1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise d) (Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one’s boast e) (Poel) to make a fool of, make into a fool f) (Hithpoel) to act madly, act like a madman [1] See those last few? To make a fool of, to act like a madman, to boast… Those are part of halal, too. Hallelujah, at least in part, is a boastful glorying in Yaweh, even to the point where people think we’re being foolish or acting crazy (it doesn’t mean to actually be crazy and do stupid stuff). When David danced in the streets as he returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel, that was halal. We’re much more conservative, or maybe we’re just worried about what people will think of us… This next website (a Messianic Jewish site) makes a very clear distinction between praise and worship, pointing out that in Torah, worship is about service: We can see praise and thanksgiving as an expression for exaltation through word, song, and different types of instruments, including the human body. Worship, on the other hand, has to do with an inner attitude of respect and reverence, which is expressed through a specific outward action. While praise and thanksgiving are expressed vocally, and often loudly, worship is something that finds outlet in a physical expression, which comes from an inner attitude of fear and respect. [2] So, perhaps it would be better to clearly distinguish between the act of praising God, like we do in a church service, and the act of worshiping God through acts of service. These acts could be expressed as bowing before God, remembering the sacrifice of Yeshua that allows us to be right before God so we can come into His presence, giving offerings, and serving at the Temple (I’m thinking that maybe serving within the church might count since we don’t have a Temple today?). I’d imagine that helping those in need would also be considered worship, as it is in keeping with the Torah, which is also worship (obedience is an act of worship as it acknowledges Him as being the ruler of my life – I think this is said more specifically somewhere – your spiritual act of worship…). So the subject is deeper than suspected, but perhaps more meaningful that I make it. [1] “Blue Letter Bible – Lexicon: Halal.” Blue Letter Bible – Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2010. <http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1984&t=NKJV>. [2] Blad, Ketriel, PhD. “Chapter 6: The Hebrew Concept of Worship.” Messianic Torah. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2010. <www.messianictorah.org/en/pdf/Chapter6.pdf>. [3] Picture credit: http://www.journeyfellowshipchurch.com/Websites/journeyfellowshipchurch/Images/worship%282%29.jpg
After reading a post by Skip Moen yesterday about worship, I’m hunting for the way that God asked the Israelites to worship Him. It seems like a trivial point, but often God punishes/chastises Israel for worshiping Him in the same manner that other nations worshiped idols. In fact many of His commands, including some of the dietary ones, seem to purposefully remove Israel from these practices (for example, don’t eat meat with blood in it – blood was considered the life of an animal, so many pagan rituals involved consuming the “life force” of the animal). Here’s some of what I’ve found out: The word shehhah is a common Hebrew word meaning to prostrate oneself before another in respect. There is no Hebrew word meaning worship in the sense that we are used to using it in our culture today. From an Hebraic perspective worship, or shehhah is the act of getting down on ones knees and placing the face down on the ground before another worthy of respect. [1] Here’s a video by the same guy as wrote the above: And more about words: Paul uses the related Greek word leitourgia (i.e. translated service)… Thus, the term latreia and its cognates are directly associated with both service & sacrifice when directed toward God. It might have been better if the translators had chosen the words ‘serve’, ‘service’ and ‘minister’ instead of worship. Other terms are translated as worship including the Greek word proskyneo13 and its Hebrew equivalent shachac.14 Both of these terms refer to a posture of submission and thus an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty. Obeisance requires an attitude of reverential fear. The terms that communicate attitudes of service, submission & reverence (i.e. which are translated ‘worship’) do not indicate how such attitudes ought to be shown. We must rely on context to specify ways that God expects us to worship Him. When we examine the behavior of worshippers what do we see? Worship may be personal or corporate. It took place at and apart from the temple, however, God doesn’t intend that worship be connected with place but with the heart attitude (Jn.4:20ff spirit & truth). It requires unity between believers (Mt.5:23f; Luke 10:25ff). Another term often associated with worship is thusia meaning sacrifice. Interestingly, in the cases where this term is used in the epistles it is usually in reference to self-sacrifice in the service of others. [2] I’m out of time… so more later. [1] Benner, Jeff A.. “Ancient Hebrew Word Meanings: Worship-Shehhah.” Ancient Hebrew Research Center – Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2010. <http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/27_worship.html>. [2] Campbell, Lee, PhD.. “What is Worship in the Bible?.” Xenos Christian Fellowship, Columbus OH. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 June 2010. <http://www.xenos.org/essays/worship.htm>.
Skip Moen’s post this morning was about time. It’s one of those Hebrew concepts that is especially difficult to capture, especially since we’re so used to living in a Greek system where time is measurable and linear. The Hebrew concept of time is more like a cycle or a wheel that’s continually rolling down a hill (at least, that’s how Skip describes it). That means certain events repeat themselves, or could repeat themselves, becoming patterns. It also means that our idea of eternity is different from theirs. Their holidays were based on God’s timing – like when the barley first sprouted from the ground (that would vary depending on the rains that year) – instead of a clock broken into measurable minutes and seconds. Somehow, I think that when God comes back our thinking will be reordered and everything will be much clearer because we won’t be thinking with fuzzy logic. It’s fuzzy because it’s different from the original thought patterns. It’s like looking through a dirty windshield. Sure, I can drive, but it’s much nicer when it’s clean. I don’t really know what my point was with this. Probably just rambling. I’ve been learning about Hermeneutics, which is a lot of philosophy right now, and I think my brain might be leaking out my ears. But it’s good stuff. And it’s fascinating.
Conversion Monday, May 17th, 2010 | Author: Skip Moen The young lions have lacked and been hungry, but those who seek YHWH shall not lack any good thing. Psalm 34:11 Those Who Seek – The Hebrew word vedorshei might be translated “but those who seek” but such a translation converts the Hebrew grammar into English grammar. You see, vedorshei is the combination of a conjunctive (ve) “but” with a verb, not a noun. This verb, darash, is a plural participle in the active tense. That means it is an on-going action of many. We might think of it like this: “but seeking (ones).” In other words, the Hebrew construction doesn’t describe people who happen to be seeking God. In Hebrew, the action of seeking is the essence of who these people are. Without seeking, they just don’t exist. The our language base we see the world as component parts strung together by actions. John hit the ball. John is one component; the ball is another. These two components are connected by the action of hitting. One component hits the other. But Hebrew is a world comprised of actions. John hitting is the action, not the subject and the action. Without the hitting, there is no purpose for John to be connected to the ball. Since all action have a purpose, John exists in the active purpose of hitting. Similarly, seeking is the action purpose of followers of YHWH. Without the active purpose of seeking, there is no follower. Stop for a moment and consider what this means for our Greek-based understanding of Christian terms. What is the purposeful action of faith, justification, trust, salvation, the community, confession, forgiveness, etc.? How does our understanding of these terms change when we do not apply them as descriptions of “believers” but rather see them as constituting what a believer is. Without actions, there is no faith. Without works, faith is dead. Followers are seeking ones, trusting ones, praising ones, praying ones, studying ones, hoping ones, waiting ones, walking ones, obeying ones. Without the actions, there are no followers. They do not exist except in the actions themselves. Darash is their verb of being. They seek, inquire, examine and require. Oh, yes, by the way, God is the speaking One, creating One, sustaining One, delivering One, forgiving One, redeeming One. Are you beginning to see that being human is not a biological state but rather an active purpose to model the Creative One? What actions bring about your purpose for being today? This was a post today by Dr. Skip Moen. It’s a radically different way of thinking – that your life is your action. It makes sense though if I think about the fact that if I don’t actively breathe, I’m dead. The Hebrews believe that for something to be alive it has to change – an action. (That includes God, by the way. But that’s in a different post by Skip.) So the premise of it all is, if seeking God isn’t something I do in an ongoing and consistant way, am I really a follower of Him? You can’t follow something you don’t seek. To the Hebrews seeking has to be part of what makes me alive, if I claim to be a follower. That puts a pretty different spin on having quiet time with God in the morning. So am I saying that if a person doesn’t seek God, then he or she isn’t in relationship with God. I don’t think that’s the proper interpetation. After all, Jesus died to restore that relationship – He did the work and continues to intercede for me before the throne of God (restoration and intersession is part of the essense of who He is, perhaps?). I can be part of that relationship, even if I don’t seek and follow. It’s like having a friend. I can be friends with someone, or rather I can have a relationship with someone, but if I’m not actively seeking time with him or her it won’t be a very deep friendship. It’s not an easy statement. And trying to step out of my very Greek way of thinking to image how the Hebrew mind worked/works, it quite difficult. It’s worth it though, if it helps me to grow in my understanding of who God is.
Okay, this is a really cool post! It contains a link to the 613 laws the Jewish community is supposed to follow. Stop hyperventilating! A large portion of them deal with the temple (which was destroyed a long time ago), the Levites (which don’t exist in that capacity anymore), land in Israel (as gentiles we don’t own any), and the theocratic nation of Israel (which also doesn’t exist). And most of them are pretty common sense (like the rules on not committing incest, etc.). Check it out and let me know what you think. I’m only in the 100′s, but it’s pretty awesome.
Leviticus 13:24 Or if the body receives a burn on its skin by fire, and the raw [flesh] of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white, This is kind of weird, but I wanted to write it down before I lost it. The Hebrew word for burn (technically burn spot/scar) is mikvah, from the root word kavah meaning to burn/scorch/brand. Interestingly the Hebrew term used for the baptism ritual is also mikvah and is defined: a) (lit. “collection or gathering [of water]“); ritual bathing pool in which a person immerses himself as part of the transition to ritual purity b) (lit. “collections or gatherings [of water]“); ritual bathing pools in which a person immerses himself as part of the transition to ritual purity. [1] The water must always be moving (even thought it’s a bathing pool – there’s a specific way this is done) and there is a long history of its use: Before the revelation at Sinai, all Jews were commanded to immerse themselves in preparation for coming face to face with G-d. Immersion in the mikvah has offered a gateway to purity ever since the creation of man In the desert, the famed “well of Miriam” served as a mikvah. And Aaron and his sons’ induction into the priesthood was marked by immersion in the mikvah. In Temple times, the priests as well as each Jew who wished entry into the House of G-d had first to immerse in a mikvah. On Yom Kippur, the holiest of all days, the High Priest was allowed entrance into the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple, into which no other mortal could enter. This was the zenith of a day that involved an ascending order of services, each of which was preceded by immersion in the mikvah. [1] The mikvah is used by men prior to Yom Kippur, as a place of ritual purification for various reasons (including prior to a wedding), and as a place of purification for women after menstruation. There are a series of rules that had to be followed prior to mikvah (such as washing oneself prior to entering it). Why does this matter? I think it’s interesting that the word for to burn/scar is the same as the term for baptism. Burning purifies an object by removing from it anything that is of little worth and separating out “the good stuff.” It is something that moves and consumes. Similarly water is used ritualistically to purify. The Hebrew view of this baptism (mikvah) requires moving water that must completely cover every bit of the person (who, by the way, submerges themselves – no pastor/priest/rabbi needed). Burning and baptizing are different in that burning is done to a person (it’s not usually something we voluntarily choose). G-d uses this metaphorical concept to purify people, to remove the junk from our lives by using the “fire” (difficult situations) to burn and purify. Baptism is a choice. In Hebrew culture, baptism isn’t a one time event. It happens ceremonially and whenever there’s a major event that a person needs to commemorate and be purified as symbolism that there has been change or a turning, etc. It’s voluntary in that no one is going to shove you into the water. A person chooses to enter the pool and chooses to be submerged. It’s an outward symbol voluntarily used to show purification. Mikvah in both forms, if they are indeed from the same word, show an interesting relationship, almost like two sides of a coin. One is used by G-d to purify man to bring him into relationship with Him, the other is used by man to enter into the presence of G-d with ritual purity. If they’re not from the same word, this exercise was a bit moot… except for the fact that in our translation attempts they are the same… which I find rather interesting. [1] Slonim, Rivkah. “The Mikvah – Mikvah.” Chabad Lubavitch. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2010. <http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1541/jewish/The-Mikvah.htm>.