We are walking in today: Weekend Meditation--Hebrew Mind versus Greek Thought, The Conclusion
Witness image throughout the Bible: H6754 tselem--image, likeness (of resemblance)
Gen 1:26 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, H6754 after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
The Torah testifies...............
Gen 5:3 - And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; H6754 and called his name Seth:
The prophets proclaim..................
Eze 7:20 - As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images H6754 of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.
The writings bear witness...........................
2 Ch 23:17 - Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images H6754 in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
Psa 73:20 - As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. H6754
IMPRESSION VERSUS APPEARANCE
“When we observe and study a thing, we involuntarily make for ourselves an image of it somewhat analogous to a photograph. When we mean to speak about the thing and describe it, we try to develop by means of words the same image in our hearers. The Greeks did the same thing. The Israelites, on the other hand, had no interest in the ‘photographic’ appearance of things or persons. In the entire Old Testament we do not find a single description of an objective ‘photographic’ appearance. The Israelites give us their impressions of the thing that is perceived. We shall further elucidate this first of all by some examples. “Noah’s ark is discussed in detail in Gen. 6:14 it is striking in this description that it is not the appearance of the ark that is described but its construction.“What interests the Israelites, therefore, is how the ark was built and made. He talks of this the whole time, and the appearance is not directly alluded to by a single word; it is impossible for us to form an intelligible image of the ark. Yet as building specifications, the description is natural and consistent” (Boman, pp. 74-75). “Boman goes on to shows how the same things applies to the Tabernacle in the wilderness. We know that the Most High showed Moses a model of the Tabernacle, yet its appearance is nowhere described, only its construction in the most minute of details and in a most systematic manner” (ibid.) Additionally, Scripture accurately describes how Solomon had the Temple and the palace in Jerusalem built (1 Ki. 6:7), but Scripture is silent about the actual appearance of the famous temple and its furnishings. Boman continues, “The silence of the sources with regard to the appearance of famous edifices and furniture can be explained in the following way: when an Israelite sees an edifice, his consciousness is at once concerned with the idea of how it was erected, somewhat like the housewife who cannot be satisfied with the taste of a cake but is particularly interested in what its ingredients are and how it was made. The edifice is thus not a restful harmonious unity in the beauty of whose lines the eyes find joy, but it is something dynamic and living, a human accomplishment” (Boman, p. 76). When considering man, the Israelite first seeks his qualities, Boman goes on to say. He recounts to us his impression of him and it is never reported how a person looked. There may be a brief description that a person is handsome, but the beauty is not expatiated so that we are unable to guess the Israelite ideal of beauty. Similarily, the question can be asked: How did the Israelites view their God the Most High? All the theophanies (i.e., a visible manifestation of deity) in the Old Testament are anthropomorphic (i.e., ascribing human characteristics to describing something, in this case deity). For example, the Most High is called a man of war (Ex. 15:3), or Lord, king, Abba etc. There are theriomorphic (i.e., having the form of an animal) descriptions of the Most High in the Old Testament, as well (Boman, p. 101). In one place the Most High is described as having wings and feathers (Ps. 91:4). Obviously, this anthrpo- and theriomorphic descriptions of the Most High are not to be construed as actual descriptions of the Most High but as figurative expressions which describe his qualities with poetic licence (Boman, p. 103).
THE POWER OF POETRY TO THE HEBREW MIND
One third of the Bible is poetry, notes Wilson (Wilson, p. 141). Did you realize this? Now that you know this perhaps you are asking yourself the question, why did the Most High use poetry to convey so much of His word? Couldn’t He have simply used the plain and direct language of prose instead? There are probably many reasons why the Most High chose poetry as a means to convey His instructions to humanity. Poetry is the language of the heart, and of love. It engages the mind and heart of the reader in a way that prose cannot. Poetry requires the reader to ponder and meditate on the meaning of what it is that the author is trying to convey and thereby the reader enters into a linguistic and artistic relationship with the author. This being the case, poetry is a means for the Most High Elohim to engage and connect intellectually, emotionally and spiritually with His chosen people, his children, and with his bride Israel. Let us now examine the nature of the love language of Holy Scripture. “Poetry was a welcome aid to memory, for it employed parallel lines that had a certain rhythm of thought, though no set meter. Furthermore, an abundant use of various figures of speech enhanced its liveliness, creativity, and depth of meaning” (Wilson, p. 141).
“The poetry of the prophets reveals a wide range of effective wordplays: for example: — mishpat (justice) and mispah (bloodshed) — tzedaqah (righteousness) and tze’aqah (a cry) in Isa. 5:7 — shaqed (almond tree) and shoqed (watching) in Jer. 1:11-12 — qayitz (ripe fruit) and qetz (time is ripe, end) in Amos 8:1-2 — heletikhah (I have burdened you) and he’eletikhah (I brought you up) in Micah 6:3-4” (ibid.). “Other figures of speech lend further variety and creative power to biblical poetry. For instance, Ps. 21:3 uses a simile to describe a righteous man: ‘He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither.’ Joy is expressed through metaphor ‘All the trees of the field will clap their hands’ (Isa. 55:12), and “the mountains sing’ (Ps. 98:8). The Most High’s protective care is shown through zoomorphism (the attributing of animallike features to the Most High): ‘Hide me in the shadow of your wings’ (Ps. 17:8). Nature is personified, but not deified. Stars fight (Jud. 5:20), mountains skip (Ps. 114:6), and the heavens declare the Most High’s glory (Ps. 19:1). “Sometimes the emotional excitement and rapid heartbeat of the poetry is conveyed by the quickness of the meter and the shortness of the vowels. At other times, the lengthening of lines and the use of long vowels my have the opposite effect. In addition, Hebrew poets sometimes repeated key words in order to achieve a climactic effect. Unfortunately, however, when read in translation, the full impact and immediacy of poetry is usually lost” (ibid. pp. 141-142). Wilson goes on to describe that the writers and poets of Israel skillfullly used opportunities for assonance and onomatopoeia. “Assonance is the resemblance or imitation of sound between two words or syllables, or the repetition of vowels without of consonants in two words for example, peloni almoni, ‘a certain one’ (Ruth 4:1) and tohu va-bohu, ‘formless and void’ (Gen. 1:2). Onomatopoeia is the formation of words that resemble those associated with the object or action to be named: for example, tzeltzel, ‘cymbal’ (Ps. 150:5)., and zebub, ‘fly’ (Isa. 7:18)”.
HEBREW IS A COLORFUL LANGUAGE REFLECTING A COLORFUL PEOPLE
“Hebrew is a very colorful language, and the biblical writers knew how to use it to great advantage. But Hebrew is not a precise analytical language prone to conveying subtle nuances of meaning [like Greek or English]. For example, Hebrew has but two verbal tenses. It normally uses the imperfect tense for incomplete action and the perfect tense for completed action. In general, the syntax and grammar of Hebrew are far less complex then the inflectional languages of Latin and Greek. “The nature of Hebrew is to paint verbal pictures with broad strokes of the brush. The Hebrew authors of Scripture were not so much interested in the fine details and harmonious patter of what is painted was they were in the picture as a whole. Theirs was primarily a description of what the eye sees rather than what the mind speculates. In brief, the whole world is a mystery which the Hebrew neither comprehends nor thoroughly investigates. ‘He takes things as they are, as he himself sees them. He accepts them, and marvels.’ “To gain additional perspective on the nature of Hebrew thought, the analogy of an orchestra might be helpful. When viewed collectively, the Hebrew authors of Scripture are not primarily concerned to function like an orchestra which has each instrument finely tuned, each fully audible, and each playing in precise harmony and coordination with each other instrument. Rather, the inspired Hebrew sages are like the full impact and rich blended sounded of an orchestra as a whole, though—and it is nothing to cause any great concern—some instruments sometimes may appear to be playing out of tune” (Wilson, p. 145). “The verbal pictures painted by the Hebrew writers in the Bible are at times earthy, pungent and direct…Indeed the earth (Hebrew aretz) is used in the Old Testament five times more frequently than heaven (Hebrew shamayim). For the Hebrews, the daily events in the lives of people are second only to God in significance. In the Hebrew Bible one encounters a down-to-earth humanness and openness—at time even bluntness and sensuousness—in some of the verbal pictures. Western taste may be offended at this earthiness. Nevertheless, much of the theology in the Bible comes from terminology rooted in the experiences of everyday life. This was the world of the Hebrew, and underscores again how much the Most High cared to bring the divine word of Scriptures fully down to our human level, where we can grasp it” (ibid. p. 146). “Such vivid biblical imagery reminds us that the Hebrew people lived close to nature; they were not afraid to face head-on those areas of life that people in the Western world normally either mention euphemistically or avoid discussion altogether. It should not seem strange, therefore, that circumcision is still performed in the Hebrew community today in the presence of a group of people, sometimes before the entire synagogue. In this vein, we may well ask how Western Christians today would respond if a circumcision were held before the church body— not even to suggest mentioning from the pulpit the…themes of menstruation, animals in heat, or simply reading selection from the Song of Songs. Likely, many Christians would be somewhat ill at ease. Such a response may again underline the fact that the cultural perspective of the modern Church in the Western world is different from the Eastern, Semitic world of the Hebrews that gave the Church birth. But more importantly, it is also fitting reminder of the ongoing need for Christian study of Hebrew thought” (Wilson, p. 147). “One of the methods by which verbal pictures are painted in biblical literature is through the art of storytelling. The Hebrew narrator made his story come alive by usually letting the characters speak for themselves. In addition, he could enhance the vividness of his story by using the Hebrew participle, which normally conveyed the idea of an action in progress…Thus a whole series of actions could be dramatically portrayed, like the moving of the frames of a film, as they passed before the eyes of the storyteller. “[Yahusha] provides a striking example of one skilled in the art of stroytelling. Like most of his Hebrew forebears and contemporaries, when [Yahusha] was asked questions he did not respond by reasoning from a starting point to a conclusion. Rather, he usually replied by telling a story, often in the form of a parable. By this method he engaged his audience, that is, he got them involved in arriving at the answer in a vivid and person way. At the same time, this was how he made his point. The point, however, was usually made subtly, imaginatively, and indirectly. [Yahusha] does not always spell out the truth he is communicating. He allows the one listening to the story to draw his own conclusions. The truth thus comes across in an allusive rather than a direct way; it is implicit rather than explicit. By means of this creative approach, the listener usually ends up convicting himself. This common rabbinical teaching technique was effective, for it veiled the truth from frontal view” (Wilson, pp.149- 150).
FOR THE HEBREW MIND EVERYTHING IS THEOLOGICAL
“Hebrew is a very colorful language, and the biblical writers knew how to use it to great advantage. But Hebrew is not a precise analytical language prone to conveying subtle nuances of meaning [like Greek or English]. For example, Hebrew has but two verbal tenses. It normally uses the imperfect tense for incomplete action and the perfect tense for completed action. In general, the syntax and grammar of Hebrew are far less complex then the inflectional languages of Latin and Greek. “The nature of Hebrew is to paint verbal pictures with broad strokes of the brush. The Hebrew authors of Scripture were not so much interested in the fine details and harmonious patter of what is painted was they were in the picture as a whole. Theirs was primarily a description of what the eye sees rather than what the mind speculates. In brief, the whole world is a mystery which the Hebrew neither comprehends nor thoroughly investigates. ‘He takes things as they are, as he himself sees them. He accepts them, and marvels.’ “To gain additional perspective on the nature of Hebrew thought, the analogy of an orchestra might be helpful. When viewed collectively, the Hebrew authors of Scripture are not primarily concerned to function like an orchestra which has each instrument finely tuned, each fully audible, and each playing in precise harmony and coordination with each other instrument. Rather, the inspired Hebrew sages are like the full impact and rich blended sounded of an orchestra as a whole, though—and it is nothing to cause any great concern—some instruments sometimes may appear to be playing out of tune” (Wilson, p. 145). “The verbal pictures painted by the Hebrew writers in the Bible are at times earthy, pungent and direct…Indeed the earth (Hebrew aretz) is used in the Old Testament five times more frequently than heaven (Hebrew shamayim). For the Hebrews, the daily events in the lives of people are second only to God in significance. In the Hebrew Bible one encounters a down-to-earth humanness and openness—at time even bluntness and sensuousness—in some of the verbal pictures. Western taste may be offended at this earthiness. Nevertheless, much of the theology in the Bible comes from terminology rooted in the experiences of everyday life. This was the world of the Hebrew, and underscores again how much the Most High cared to bring the divine word of Scriptures fully down to our human level, where we can grasp it” (ibid. p. 146). “Such vivid biblical imagery reminds us that the Hebrew people lived close to nature; they were not afraid to face head-on those areas of life that people in the Western world normally either mention euphemistically or avoid discussion altogether. It should not seem strange, therefore, that circumcision is still performed in the Hebrew community today in the presence of a group of people, sometimes before the entire synagogue. In this vein, we may well ask how Western Christians today would respond if a circumcision were held before the church body— not even to suggest mentioning from the pulpit the…themes of menstruation, animals in heat, or simply reading selection from the Song of Songs. Likely, many Christians would be somewhat ill at ease. Such a response may again underline the fact that the cultural perspective of the modern Church in the Western world is different from the Eastern, Semitic world of the Hebrews that gave the Church birth. But more importantly, it is also fitting reminder of the ongoing need for Christian study of Hebrew thought” (Wilson, p. 147). “One of the methods by which verbal pictures are painted in biblical literature is through the art of storytelling. The Hebrew narrator made his story come alive by usually letting the characters speak for themselves. In addition, he could enhance the vividness of his story by using the Hebrew participle, which normally conveyed the idea of an action in progress…Thus a whole series of actions could be dramatically portrayed, like the moving of the frames of a film, as they passed before the eyes of the storyteller. “[Yahusha] provides a striking example of one skilled in the art of stroytelling. Like most of his Hebrew forebears and contemporaries, when [Yahusha] was asked questions he did not respond by reasoning from a starting point to a conclusion. Rather, he usually replied by telling a story, often in the form of a parable. By this method he engaged his audience, that is, he got them involved in arriving at the answer in a vivid and person way. At the same time, this was how he made his point. The point, however, was usually made subtly, imaginatively, and indirectly. [Yahusha] does not always spell out the truth he is communicating. He allows the one listening to the story to draw his own conclusions. The truth thus comes across in an allusive rather than a direct way; it is implicit rather than explicit. By means of this creative approach, the listener usually ends up convicting himself. This common rabbinical teaching technique was effective, for it veiled the truth from frontal view” (Wilson, pp.149- 150).
FOR THE HEBREW MIND EVERYTHING IS THEOLOGICAL
“To the Hebrew mind, everything is theological. That is, the Hebrews make no distinction between the sacred and the secular areas of life. They see all of life as a unity. It is all God’s domain. He has a stake in all that comes to pass—whether trials or joys. And human beings have an awareness of God in all that they do. The psalmist states clearly this aspect of Hebrew thought: ‘I have set the Most High always before me’ (Ps. 16:8). It is also taught in the proverb, ‘In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make our paths straight’ (Prov. 3:6)…Thus to the Hebrew mind, all circumstances of life—the good times and the hard times—come not by chance but under sovereign control of Almighty the Most High” (ibid., p. 156). “Prayer is the means by which Hebrews—both ancient and modern—have stayed attuned to the concept that all of life is sacred. Hebrew prayers tend to be short because the entire working day of an observant Hebrew is punctuated with sentence prayers. More than one hundred of these berakhot, “blessings,’ are recited throughout the day…the Most High’s presence is acknowledged at all times in every sphere of activity within his world.” According to the Talmud “it is forbidden to a man to enjoy anything of this world without a benediction, and if anyone enjoys anything of this world without a benediction, he commits sacrilege.” This is the way one stays in touch with the Almighty and keeps a divine perspective on life. It means constantly praising the Most High for all things, with sentence prayers, throughout the day. “Saintliness was not thought to consist in specific acts, such as excessive prayer…but was an attitude bound up with all actions, concomitant with all doings, accompanying and shaping all life’s activities. Indeed, today’s Christians will fail to grasp Paul’s admonition to ‘Pray without ceasing,’ that is, ‘pray continually’ (1 Thess. 5:17), unless they understand that a main feature of Hebrew prayer is its pervasiveness”
RELIGION IS A WAY OF LIFE FOR THE HEBREWS
“Some would define religion as a system of ethics, a code of conduct, an ideology, or a creed. To a Hebrew it is none of these; such definitions are misleading, deficient, or inaccurate. Rather, a Hebrew understood his daily life of faith in terms of a journey or pilgrimage. His religion was tantamount to the way in which he chose to walk. Even before the Flood, people such as Enoch and Noah ‘walked with the Most High’ (Gen. 5:24-5; 6:9). If a person knows the Most High, he is daily at the Most High’s disposal and walks in close relationship with him, along the road of life. Ceremonialism and ritualism alone do not meet the Most High’s requirement for the good life (Isa. 1:11-14; Amos 5:21-23). But those who act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with the Most High do please him (Mic. 6:8). Thus, we return to the fact that the essence of religion is relationship; it is walking with the Most High in his path of wisdom and righteousness and in his way of service to others. (Wilson, p. 159). “During the period of Rabbinic Judaism, the Hebrew term halakhah (literally “walking, proceeding, going”) took on special significance. It designated the religious laws and regulations to follow so one might keep straight on the road of life. It provided a map from the start to the end of one’s journey. When one errs from the Most High’s path [called in Hebrew literature the Way of Life as opposed to the Way of Death] into crooked and perverse ways, one violates the Most High’s Torah and must ‘return.’ The Hebrew word for repentance is teshubah, suggesting the idea ‘turn around,’ ‘go back.’ The way back is the way of Torah; it gives the direction and guidance needed to remain on the way”.
RELIGION IS A WAY OF LIFE FOR THE HEBREWS
“Some would define religion as a system of ethics, a code of conduct, an ideology, or a creed. To a Hebrew it is none of these; such definitions are misleading, deficient, or inaccurate. Rather, a Hebrew understood his daily life of faith in terms of a journey or pilgrimage. His religion was tantamount to the way in which he chose to walk. Even before the Flood, people such as Enoch and Noah ‘walked with the Most High’ (Gen. 5:24-5; 6:9). If a person knows the Most High, he is daily at the Most High’s disposal and walks in close relationship with him, along the road of life. Ceremonialism and ritualism alone do not meet the Most High’s requirement for the good life (Isa. 1:11-14; Amos 5:21-23). But those who act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with the Most High do please him (Mic. 6:8). Thus, we return to the fact that the essence of religion is relationship; it is walking with the Most High in his path of wisdom and righteousness and in his way of service to others. (Wilson, p. 159). “During the period of Rabbinic Judaism, the Hebrew term halakhah (literally “walking, proceeding, going”) took on special significance. It designated the religious laws and regulations to follow so one might keep straight on the road of life. It provided a map from the start to the end of one’s journey. When one errs from the Most High’s path [called in Hebrew literature the Way of Life as opposed to the Way of Death] into crooked and perverse ways, one violates the Most High’s Torah and must ‘return.’ The Hebrew word for repentance is teshubah, suggesting the idea ‘turn around,’ ‘go back.’ The way back is the way of Torah; it gives the direction and guidance needed to remain on the way”.
Shema Selah we must return from the pattern of the look of a thing and return to the characteristics that we are to align our lives in His likeness!! https://youtu.be/z_VgrLAznpA
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