Monday, May 25, 2015

The Fitbit Craze (Part 4)


HALAKHAH:  INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO WALK

The other primary form of teaching in first century Israel is called Halakhah.  Halakhah comes from the Hebrew word, “halakh” which means “to go” or “to walk.”  In the Bible, the righteous life is frequently spoken of as a way in which men are “to go,” e.g., “teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do,” (Ex 18:20).[1]  The original term “halakhah” was associated with the particular laws or decisions given by Moses, but “halakhah” later came to be understood as a generic term for the whole legal system of Judaism.  The concept of a person’s “walk” has a much more legalistic connotation than simply acknowledging a “faith” in Jesus.  It is safe to say that scripture is concerned with how a person lives, not simply with what a person believes.

In simple terms, Halakhah attempts to teach an individual the specific steps required to “walk after the LORD your God,” (Deut 13:4, KJV).  At a very foundational level, walking after the LORD means keeping the commandments of the LORD, as it is written,
 
You shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him,” (Deut 8:6), and “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD you God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statues which I am commanding you today for your good,” (Deut 10:12-13).

The close connection between the commandments as the way a believer is called “to walk” is reflected in the Greek text by the apostle John,

“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.” (2 John 6)

The passage, "We love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19), can be interpreted as a call to obedience just as the obedience of Jesus enabled Him to become the perfect offering for sin.
 
Added to the written commandments were the oral traditions that came to define how the commandments were fulfilled.  The oral traditions defined what was specifically required to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” (Ex 20:8).  The traditions, in addition to the commandments came to defined how a person was to walk.  This understanding is expressed in the encounter between the disciples of Jesus and the Pharisees.

“The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?’” (Mark 7:5)

In this example, the traditions of the elders defined the washing of the hands before eating as part of the way to walk.  However, traditions should never take priority over the commandments of God, (Mark 7:8).

From Paul’s perspective, how to “walk” was also defined by the instructions and the examples of the apostles.  To the Thessolonians, Paul wrote,

“Brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” (1 Thess 4:1)

Paul told the Philippians, “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us,” (Phil 3:17).  The goal of learning to walk is to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling.”

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph 4:1-3)

Lake Travis has gained 15' since Saturday night and it is raining hard as I type - Scott
 



[1] Ibid, Volume 8, page 251

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