THIRD LESSON: on Love and Fear

In the book of Prince Macchiavelli, the reader is taught the principles of war and that among men, to be feared is better than to be loved. But within the Torah, disciples of Yeshua are taught that we are to fear no man, and are to both love and fear the Creator.

If you prescribe to the culture in the world of man, you most certainly will apply the understanding of Prince Macchiavelli’s war strategies. Essentially revealed by duality: hate versus love, strength over weakness, cunning over wisdom, power over humility, advantage over justice, it stresses military superiority over benign rule. This writing has been a playbook for people like the Caesar of Rome, Genghis Khan, Stalin, Hitler and other despots, too many to name.

But the Bible states to love the the Celestial Father G-d, and the Lord your Creator with all your might as well as to seek what is good. It states to love all men as you love yourself meaning a compassionate and conscientious regard for all persons as you would have regard for your own selves. Through the Apostles, the Bible also exemplifies an absolute and necessary devotion to Yeshua. For Yeshua came to complete the long standing covenant between man and the Heavenly Father G-d and His Holy Spirit,  who in His goodness, first loved us.

So if the Heavenly Parent and the Creator of the Universe are loving and good, what have we as man, collectively to fear?

The short answer if we are also like Him, who is good, is nothing. But what person on earth can be called good? In the scriptures, Yeshua  speaks saying ‘ Why do you call me good?’. But He was not saying that He was not good.  He was asking the disciples to realize that they intuited that He was on the same status as the Heavenly Father who is good.

Then he added ‘Call no man good. For only the Father, which is in Heaven, is good.’ He must have had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye when He said this... For he was implying to the Apostles who were his disciples that they had figured out subconsciously that He was the veritable Father and that is why they were calling Him good!

However, many words such as ‘fear’ in the Christian Bible are translations of the Hebrew scripture from Greek, Aramaic and other cultural mixes. Suffice to say when the Torah was being disseminated throughout the world, some Hebrew words were difficult to properly transcribe and place in the correct context. Yet some were deliberately transcribed inaccurately to mislead.

Learning from the spirit of truth in the Bible and not the error, the first thing you will be compelled to learn is that you absolutely MUST find the correct translations of certain sayings. This will apply if they are difficult to understand. It is important to do this by simply applying its correct Hebrew context. This is precisely why it is folly to espouse divisive Christian doctrines that reject the Torah! For the culture, ancient language and covenant of G-d with the Jewish people are the keys to the confirmation of truth of Christian scripture!

The second thing you will learn is that as you become more zealous for the Lord and knowing and revering His ways, your insight and discernment for your understanding of the Word of The Lord will become sharp and polished, like a two-edged sword.

So, does one need to learn Hebrew to know the Word of the Lord? Perhaps, if you want to discern the length and breadth of the origins of the Christian scriptures as they flow from the Torah.  Jewish scholars themselves spend years in ‘shul’ learning the interpretation of the Torah because the Torah itself has been orally passed down through the ages in somewhat of a difficult to understand context. For to minister to others a correct and sanctified interpretation requires a proper discernment of the sayings in the oral tradition. And, the reality is that, this oral tradition has passed down through centuries, enduring all manner of syncretic cultural influences including persian, greek, egyptian, indonesian and even european interpolations.

For the most part, the scriptures should be straightforward, that is......until you become an engaged and serious student of Yeshua.

For now let us refrain from jumping into a scholarly engagement of the Bible. Instead let us focus strictly on the words ‘fear of the Lord’.

This fear spoken about actually comes from a centuries old, ancient Judean maxim ‘ ‘No man can see the Lord and live.’ In fact there are many stories in the Old and New Testament that speak to the idea that unlike Abraham, Enoch, Elijah or Moses, most unrighteous men, not fully sanctified or prepared, when coming in direct contact with or in confrontation with the Presence of the Lord fell down, dead.  This is because it was observed that the Lord is Holy and does not withstand sin.

Coupled with the recognition of the supernatural power and might wielded by the Lord, descriptions placing the level of His Holy energetic Being are far above what an unrighteous man, a mere mortal with no fellowship with The Father, being under a curse, can endure. 

So with this understanding it is easy to see that the ancient Hebrews regarded the power and presence of the Lord as definitely fearsome.

However there is another interpretation in the Jewish understanding for the word ‘fear’. It actually is understood in the Hebraic context as a deep reverence mixed with awe for all things holy referring to the Heavenly Father. It means that in His Presence, we are to maintain a careful respect not just for the Lord but all things that are sanctified by Him. It means being careful not to step out of bounds with His sheer and utter Holiness nor offend in anyway the Presence of the All Pure, Infinite and Transcendent Creator Being. It conveys a deep respect for G-d and a deep humility in ourselves recognizing our own limitations, our imperfections and our unworthiness.

Some may ask ‘Well if we come from this Creator Being, aren’t we not also pure, infinite and transcendent?’

The immediate and short answer is that we were. But we lost that status when man was expelled…..from the Garden of Paradise.

We have a long road both behind us and ahead of us to return to our ‘bright’ natures, that which we lost that initially kept us in close intimacy and proximity to the Creator before the alleged curse. The story of man’s sojourn from the Creator has both tragedy and joy mixed in it however.

The story of the Torah, the Bible and other connected G-d breathed sacred teachings is the story of redemption, or the return to our bright natures and intimate fellowship with the Creator through covenant. The joyful part, the good news is that the Creator provided a way for man to return to this relationship unhampered by restrictions, trouble and freedom from trembling fear.

‘How?’, you might ask if the scripture says we were forever cut off from that splendid place and existence and Presence of the Lord?

Well, the answer is in the very presence, life and reception of Yeshua, the Divine Son!

HE, the perfect human manifestation of the Holy, Transcendent G-d came to US! And HE came,  through and with His Only Begotten Son that whosoever might receive Him might also receive life everlasting! And to love and fear the Lord is the beginning of an understanding that few have in this world.

Reflect for a moment on all you have read. 

What do you think?

Can you receive it?