Ode To The Torah.

Scripture In Four Parts.

In the Torah, when the Lord delivers Israel out of Egypt, he gives commandments and statutes which they are required to keep; this Law is understood to be the expression of his will, instructions on how to live if the Lord is indeed your God. (and since it is he who delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh and is bringing them into a land of promise to serve him; how could it be otherwise?). In the Latter Prophets, in which Israel is again in captivity, the message sounds like this: the Lord will come and deliver you, but it was in fact the same Lord who sent your enemy to carry you away in the first place…as punishment because you sinned against the Lord. The hearers are hit with this message of hope, coupled with a reminder that the cause of their condition was their own sin. And because they were not completely destroyed, the Babylonian captivity is understood as a punishment unto instruction. And since this time the Lord decided to be merciful, they had better take the instruction seriously and change their ways. The next time, he may not come back to deliver them. This is, in nutshell, the teaching at the heart of scripture. And the commandments and statutes of the Lord, his Torah, by which his people fail repeatedly to abide, is the reference point in all three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  Even in the New Testament, in which the Mosaic Law is fulfilled in the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), the sole reference remains the will of God.

Notes:
περιπατοῦσιν - walking
φρονοῦσιν - mind (verb)
ὑπακοὴν - obedience
Isaiah 49:10;24
Malachi 4:4
Psalms 119:1; 12; 105
Matthew 22:40
Luke 10:25-37; 24:27; 44-45
Romans 1:1-5; 8:2; 4-5
Galatians 6:2

The Slow Bible Study Episode 11: Friends of Enmity https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slow-bible-study/id1743711322?i=1000671273103

Rhumeta performed by 3rd Eye Girl.

Photo by cottonbro studio.