8.25.26 – Shema, Part 2

Let us explore this idea of shema a little more, since it is such an important topic. When we think of "listen," we usually mean, "I heard you." But the biblical perspective is far richer.

To shema means to listen and pay full attention as if your life depended on it. Once you have heard what is said, you immediately begin to incorporate it into your life—adapting every aspect of your thoughts, speech, and conduct to what you have heard. You memorize it, teach it to your children, and demonstrate it to the world around you, until you and your surroundings are transformed into the image of the words you have received.

The shema lifestyle means following His leading and His ways because we know He is good. We instinctively know that His will is the best possible path, because He knows more about us—and what is good for us—than we do. It means allowing our Bridegroom to clothe us in His wedding garments (Rev. 19:7–8), which are the mitzvoth (commandments), one by one, and acting out His biblical festivals (Moedim), which reveal His redemptive plan to the world.

What is beautiful about this truth from Ki Tavo is that it does not negate passages like Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19–23, Romans 10:9–10, or even our beloved Ephesians 2:8–10.

God cannot lie, and He does not change His mind. His words stand forever. He operates by what we might call the principle of consistency—that everything He says must always be interpreted in a way that aligns with everything else He has previously said or inspired.

At Sukkot, we can think of it in agricultural terms: a seed in its original form, then sprout form, mature form, harvest form, and then seed again. It is the same plant, manifesting in more mature stages, ultimately bringing us back to the beginning as we sow that seed into the lives of others.

His Word—the Torah—is the seed. It takes on sprout form in the Prophets. The Gospels show it in mature form. The apostolic writings are harvest form.

Do you remember the discussion between Yeshua and the expert in the law in Luke 10? The man came to Yeshua and asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (v. 25).

What a question! I think we all long to know the answer. On that day, all ears were listening to Yeshua's response. What is the answer that makes the difference between eternal life and—well, whatever the alternative may be?

Ingrained Christian theology would make us expect Yeshua to answer by establishing what we have called the New Covenant and launching a new religious system. But He did not do that at all. His response was striking. In Luke 10:26, He points right back to the Torah: "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" Yeshua directs us straight back to the seed itself.

How could Yeshua—of all people—suggest that eternal life is somehow Torah-based? Because the Torah-path is the path of eternal life. When the discussion ended, Yeshua told the expert that his answer was correct: "Do this and live" (Luke 10:28).

Yeshua did not say—as our theologies might expect—"Forget the Torah, you of little faith! That old covenant stuff—do not even go there." He did not say, "Just believe I am the Son of God, and I will come into your heart and be your personal Savior." On the contrary, my friend! He told the man plainly: if you want to inherit the world to come, the key is in living the Torah.

Yeshua, the Word made manifest in mature form, does not lie. He does not cater to our theologies or soteriology. He does not abandon the covenants His Father made in order to make His kingdom more seeker-friendly. He speaks truth plainly. So if the Torah says it, and Yeshua affirmed it—then for me and my house, we choose to become His people in the way specified in Deuteronomy 27:10. Maybe that explains why the dragon gets so enraged at His offspring (Rev. 12:17).

In Hebrew, the word most people translate as "commandment" is mitzvah. But linguistically, it really refers to something more like a "connecting protocol." The verb root of mitzvah is tzavah (tzade, vav, hey), which forms a Hebrew pictograph of a humble worshipper—a son/heir (nun) bowing down (tzade) before a divine hand (yod), connected (vav) to revelation and inspiration (hey).

So Yahweh joins us and binds us together with His words. Like any two things that join, they must align, move toward each other, make contact, and connect at whatever pace is appropriate. The mitzvot of the Torah are that joining protocol.

Messiah lived a Torah-submissive life, which helps us align ourselves with the Father. We cannot just go in a general direction—we have to line ourselves up with Him in order to dock and join with the Father.

May this day be known as the day you are made known and joined together as the people of God.

Shalom!

Alan