Psalm 119:1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Psalm 119 is one of those books that some people tend to shy away from because it’s so long (they shy away from the books in Numbers where it’s all about geneology, too). There are 176 verses! For some reason last night I started reading it in my NLT Bible, and it was so beautiful that I decided to read it and see how the Hebrew says it. So, I got as far as verse one! The first thing that caught my attention was the phrase “the law.” I’ve been listening to a lot of people discuss what that means and whether or not it’s even relevant today. I don’t want to get into a long discussion of this because I don’t know all the best arguments or anything like that. It just makes sense to me that the law is relevant today as a guide for living, not as a means of salvation. Anyway, I looked to see what word was used for “the law” and found that it was towrah (torah). There are two sets of laws: the Torah (the written law given by God to Moses that He says will NEVER pass away) and the Talmud (which, as I understand it, is the “oral law” as given by the various rabbis through the ages). If you want a really interesting discussion of Torah vs. Talmud, you should read some of the information on this site. It’s really interesting, and while there is obviously a huge amount of controversy here, it makes a lot of sense (especially in light of some of the questions I’ve asked over the years). Anyway, the word used here is Torah, the law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The next thing I did was look at the other words. Here are some interesting things that I thought about: 1. Blessed is a noun. So, it’s more like “a state of blessing.” 2. Way is a way of life or course of life, manner of living, etc. (definitely something that is done – a verb) 3. Blameless is complete or whole, innocent and unimpaired. 4. The second half of the verse seems to clarify what it means to be completed or whole. It’s to walk (definitely another verb – something that is done) in the Torah of YHWH. So altogether the verse is saying that a state of blessing for those whose way of living is complete and innocent which is to walk or live according to the Torah. Living according to Torah won’t save you or redeem you from judgment. It will, however, make life more blessed and complete. The final thing that caught me was that this verse is all about doing. It’s not about just knowing about YHWH or about Torah. It’s about walking – the things we do every day. Do my actions reflect my love for God? Do I give lip service and not walk out the things I believe? If I don’t act on them, do I really believe them?
I don’t know how I get to places online sometimes. I start one place and somehow end up somewhere else… Such was the case this morning. Several days ago I listened to an mp3 by a Karaite Jew named Nehemia Gordon about a verse in Matthew. What struck me as interesting is that Karaite Jews don’t accept the Talmud (the oral teaching and traditions of the rabbis created hundreds of years after the Torah was given), because many of the Talmud teachings don’t seem to be based on any scriptural truths. It’s an interesting (and to me, logical) take on reading Torah. Anyway, I was curious to see what others thought and Googled the man’s name. As with most things he is somewhat controversial, depending on the viewpoint of the blogger. Some totally agree, while others think he’s going straight to hell in a handbasket. Anyhow, I ran across this article and thought it was a good reflection on the requirements of the law on Jews and Gentiles. It doesn’t really offer any answers, but it does a good job of expounding on some of the viewpoint of today. If you’re interested in reading more about Karaite Jews you can go to this site that has lots of information.