1.24.26 – Do You Hear What I Hear?

Recently, I was told that my teaching style is uniquely different than anyone they had heard. I took it as a compliment, I think :-). The purpose behind each study is to be a catalyst for a deeper passion for Messiah Yeshua, a lifestyle that models His Spirit-led Torah walk (Deut. 28:1–14), to create a deeper community, and to reach out to individuals who do not know Him or have strayed away. Ultimately, for us, it is the first step in impacting our resident city and beyond.

One of the most important concepts to keep in mind as we continue our daily studies is to put ourselves within the context (language, setting, and culture) of the audience receiving the Word. Let us take John 8:26, for example, and relate it to our daily lives and Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh (Ex. 10–12):

"I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard (shema) from Him, these I speak (dabar) to the world."
(John 8:26)

Please take the time to read the verse again. Then ask yourself, "How would I understand this verse if I were hearing it in Yeshua's native tongue, Hebrew or Aramaic?" Some things immediately change. First, in Hebrew, to hear is to obey. Remember shema. So, when Yeshua says, "the things which I heard," He also means "the things which I obeyed." To hear without obeying is to have ears that are deaf. Hence, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says." Yeshua is not talking about theological propositions or the mysteries of cosmic beginnings. He is talking about hearing and doing the will of the Father (John 5:30). By the way, you and I can hear and do too (Matt. 7:21). We also participate in shema—hear and obey—if we choose to do so (Deut. 6:4–6).

This implies that it is perfectly possible to hear and do the will of the Father. It is not always necessary to wring our hands, cry out loud, fall to the floor, and beg God to please tell me what He wants me to do. He already told us. Doing what we already know is a precursor to discovering what we do not know. It would hardly have been possible for Yeshua to claim that He heard the Father if He were not obedient to all that the Father already revealed. That would be like trying to survey a piece of property without bothering to take any mathematics courses. First things first. And first comes the practical definition of shema in Deuteronomy 6 :-).

Now notice something else Hebraic in this statement. Shema is connected to dabar ("to speak"). Hearing (obeying) and speaking go together in Yahweh's world (Matt. 7:24–25). Yeshua makes the connection for us. What is heard and obeyed becomes reality. Following the pattern of Genesis 1, when God spoke and the world did what He said, His word manifested in us is the same as obedience to Him—and that is the proclamation of His message to the world.

Do you want to be like Yeshua? In this aspect of discipleship, you know just what to do. You start by listening and doing. You do what you are told to do. Yes, I know that sounds so authoritarian, especially to citizens of a Greek-based individual rights, "free to do what I want" kind of world. But submission comes from bending my desires to the service of another Master, which leads to His and our delight (Jer. 9:23–24). So, you do what you are told. By the way, Yahweh only tells you to do things that you can do and that are in your best interests (Deut. 10:13). If you ask my personal opinion—which happens to be right :-)—it is a pretty good bargain.

By doing what we are told to do from our loving heavenly Father, we are able to speak to the world. What we speak is life—the whole manifestation of who we are as obedient children of our loving Father. What we manifest is His will in living reality. We speak volumes, sometimes without a single word. It was not necessary for Yeshua to proclaim His authority and His divinity. His actions demonstrated both. If we want to be what Yahweh has in mind for us (Rom. 8:29), we will have to start where He started (Matt. 5:13–16), with hearing from Him (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3–6). Only after shema becomes our way of life will we be qualified to deliver God's message to others. I have always heard, you cannot give what you do not have (2 Tim. 2:2–5).

Could you imagine what life in Egypt would have been like if Pharaoh had heard (shema) the Lord through Moses? Can you imagine how our lives would change if we practiced Yeshua's words?

Zoom call at 8:00 a.m. EST, 699 858 9149: "What Could Have Been with the Firstborn, If Only Pharaoh Would Have Heard the 'Come and Join Me' Words of the Lord."

Shalom,
Alan

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