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
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