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Love thy Neighbor

the Search for the Perfect Man of God!

 

by Pastor Dan Catlin

Messaiah's Branch

 

 

Chapter one

I look out my small office door at all the people that are so happy just to have a safe place for a little while. You see we have a small storefront place where I teach the Word of God twice a week in Wichita, Ks. On the same days we bring in the poor and homeless to feed, cloth them, give them medical treatment, prayers, bibles and tend to their basic needs as best we can provide by our Lord Yeshua.

 

 As I sit there I wonder just how the Church and this county got so separated from the poor. The Church is more than willing to send money and missionaries to other countries but ignore their own poor. It just does not make sense. I know we are to follow the great commission but we are also obligated to start at home and those around us or those we might meet. Do not get me wrong there is nothing wrong with helping those overseas, but should we not first preach to the sinners in our own country first? Feed those in our own country first? Make sure that our closest neighbors have roofs over their heads first?

 

 I wish to make a note right here that when I say Church I am speaking about the majority and not the minority of the United States of America Churches. So if you are reading this and it does not apply to you or your Church then praise the Lord. If it does well I think you should pray about some repentance and change.

 

It will be my attempt from the word of God to show you just what I am talking about. In doing so I will use only the King James Version of the Bible and a Strongs concordance.

If I happen to use something else that will be pointed out.

 

Chapter Two: The Scriptures

 So first we must establish a few things.

 

 The Word scripture is used 32 times in the KJV of the Bible. 1 time in the Old Testament or Tanakh  ( OT from now on ) and 31 times in the New Testament or Renewed Covenant ( NT from now on) . The plural, scriptures is used 21 times in the NT and not used in the OT.

 So let us look up the meaning of the singular scripture and we will do this with both a NT verse and a OT verse starting with the OT first.

 

I use this scripture as the Angel would not have referred to just a writing of man….

Daniel 10:21

²¹But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

 

3791 kathab { kaw-thawb’} from 3789; TWOT - 1053a; n m

AV - writing 14, register 2, scripture 1; 17, GK - 4181 { bt;K]}*

1)a writing, document, edict

1a)   register, enrolment, roll

1b)  mode of writing, character, letter

1c)   letter, document, a writing

1d)  a written edict

1d1)  of royal enactment

1d2)     of divine authority

Clearly this had to point back to the Torah, which is the First five books of the Holy Bible. This would have been what Daniel had access to with some of the other books up until him of course.

 

 Okay lets go to a NT scripture

2 Timothy 3:10 ¹⁰But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,  ¹¹Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹²Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. ¹³But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. ¹⁴But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; ¹⁵And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good work.

 

Again this points back to the books before the NT was ever written as Paul could not be referring to the NT because it was not written yet. Paul says all scripture is first given by inspiration from God. We can clearly tell this of the OT as The Father talked directly with Moses and Moses wrote the first five books of the OT commonly called the Torah. 

 

 So next it says that the scripture is  and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good work. So the Torah points us to righteousness and in fact he says “THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE PERFECT”.

 

Hmm, well you might say wait a minute my Pastor told me that the OT was did away with? But it seems right here you have Paul pointing directly at it for instruction does he not? So lets see if we can find the meaning of the word Torah. Timothy was a Jew so he was raised reading the Torah. NOTE: Jews read the Torah on weekly cycle that takes them a year to complete, then they start over again. This is done from early youth throughout their whole lives as

 

TORAH [toe RAH] — guidance or direction from God to His people. In earlier times, the term Torah referred directly to the five books of Moses, or the Pentateuch. Moses told the people, “Command your children to observe to do all the words of this law.” While the English word “law” does not suggest this, both the hearing and the doing of the law made the Torah. It was a manner of life, a way to live based upon the Covenant that God made with His people.[1] Later the Hebrew Old Testament included both the books of wisdom and the prophets, but this entire collection was spoken of as the Torah. Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6, calling it a part of the law (John 10:34). Following the return from Babylon, the development of the synagogue gave rise to interpretations of the law by leading rabbis, which after a time were collected into 613 precepts. Considered part of the Torah, they were as binding as the law itself. Jesus referred to these additions to the original law of Moses as “the traditions of men.

 

 

The Torah, both then and now for Jewish people, should be seen as a total way of life. It requires complete dedication because it is seen as God’s direction for living the covenant relationship. [1]Youngblood, Ronald F., General Editor; F.F. Bruce and R.K. Harrison, Consulting Editors, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995.

 

565 Õimrah { im-raw’}  or Õemrah { em-raw’}

 

from 561; TWOT - 118b; n f  , AV - word 29, speech 7, commandment 1; 37

GK - 614 { hr;m]ai

 } & 615 { hr;m]a,

1)      utterance, speech, word

1a)       word of God, the Torah

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon

 

 

Okay lets look at another source or meaning of the Word Torah. The Word Law as used in the KJV of the Holy Bible. We look to the scripture Deuteronomy 33:10 which contains the word law.

 

 In Strongs it says

8451 towrah { to-raw’}  or torah { to-raw’}

 

from 3384; TWOT - 910d; n f, AV - law 219; 219

GK - 9368 { hr;wTo1) law, direction, instruction

1a)   instruction, direction (human or divine)

1a1)  body of prophetic teaching

1a2)  instruction in Messianic age

1a3)  body of priestly direction or instruction

1a4)  body of legal directives

1b)  law

1b1)  law of the burnt offering

1b2)  of special law, codes of law

1c)   custom, manner

1d)       the Deuteronomic or Mosaic Law

 

Let us also look up the root of the word so we know where it came from. This way shedding even more light on the word Torah.

AV - teach 42, shoot 18, archers 5, cast 5, teacher 4, rain 2, laid 1, direct 1, inform 1, instructed 1, shewed 1, shooters 1, through 1, watered 1; 84

 

GK - 3452 { hr,wyœ

 }* & 3709 { arey:

 }* & 3721 { hr;y:

 } & 3722 { hr;y:

 } & 3723 { hr;y:

1)   to throw, shoot, cast, pour

1a)   (Qal)

1a1)  to throw, cast

1a2)  to cast, lay, set

1a3)  to shoot arrows

1a4)  to throw water, rain

1b)  (Niphal) to be shot

1c)   (Hiphil)

1c1)  to throw, cast

1c2)  to shoot

1c3)  to point out, show

1c4)  to direct, teach, instruct

1c5)     to throw water, rain[2]

 

Okay now lets sum it all up. The word Torah as Paul uses it is to point to righteousness

and or to make the man of  God Perfect. The Torah is God’s Instructions to us even now as Paul clearly points out. Again the Torah is God the Father’s Instructions to righteousness to point us to being a perfect man of God. I think the word law is not very good translation as while the Torah contains law it is clearly not all law, of course you should know that if you have read all of your Holy Bible right? So I think the better meaning should be God’s Instructions and that is what the Holy Scriptures are God’s Instructions. And if we look at it in this light we would not to be so quick as to say it was did away with. Again I say the word law is not a good translation. Just my our nature alone it sounds link bondage and clearly the Father’s Instructions to make the man of God Perfect should not sound like bondage.

 

And I will not argue the point here or maybe even in this book that we are to keep or not keep all of the Torah. That is another book. What I am establishing here is that everywhere in the NT it says Law, Commandments, scripture, etc they are point back to the OT as that was the ONLY scriptures they had as the NT was not yet written CLEARLY!

 

 On another not if you read the Torah as it being the Father’s instructions for life you will find the basis for how to treat one another. The Laws of the United States are based on the Holy Scriptures. When you read it realize that no sacrifice is still in use and the sacrifices did two things. They made you realize that sin has consequences and that Messiah would come and take the penalty of sin away through belief in him and the sacrifice he made for you. They were rehearsals or shadows of what He Yeshua would come and do. Basically giving you a pardon for your sins. And as governor pardons someone for a crime and lets him or her out of jail, he does not hand him or her a license to go back out and do other crimes. So we must turn away from sin period. We may talk more on this in another chapter.

 

What we are here to deal with is something very simple. The scriptures that point to Love. As Messiah said in answer to a question.

 

Matthew 22:36  ³⁶Master, which is the great commandment in the law? ³⁷ Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.[3]

 

You see the Church tries to lay claim that they do all that Messiah said so let’s have a look. In Matthew 19:16 it is recorded He Said “⁶And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? ¹⁷And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. ¹⁸He saith unto him, Which?  Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ¹⁹Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ²⁰The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? ²¹Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”

 

Now these are from the 10 commandment or 10 words as called by Hebrews. Messiah did not have to point out all 10 as the man whom he was talking to had them from youth again point to Torah as lifetime instruction from the Father.

 

 But the direction of this book is to speak about Love. So let us look at the phrase

Love Thy Neighbor as thyself. We will look up the word neighbor in the strongs and see what it is supposed to mean in Messiah’s time.  Strong’s says…..

4139 plesion { play-see’-on}

 

neuter of a derivative of pelas (near); TDNT - 6:311, 872; adv

 

AV - neighbour 16, near 1; 17

 

GK - 4446 { plhsivon }

 

1)   a neighbour

1a)   a friend

1b)  any other person, and where two are concerned, the other (thy fellow man, thy neighbour), according to the Jews, any member of the Hebrew race and commonwealth

1c)            according to Christ, any other man irrespective of race or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet.

 

Okay us look to the last meaning. ‘any other man irrespective of race or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet.’ Okay so that would mean would it not the poor that we see on the street? The people that live next door or even would you not think it would also mean the people in our own country? The meaning right above takes care of saying we should take care of our fellow Americans or at least others believer’s in Messiah.

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[2]Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

[3]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.