Torah Study

[RachelBibleStudent]

this is a thread for torah study...

the torah is the first five books of the bible...genesis and exodus and leviticus and numbers and deuteronomy...these five books are also known as the pentateuch...

the hebrew word 'torah' has many nuances of meaning...most commonly it is taken to mean 'law'...especially referring to the mosaic covenant law...but it also means 'instruction' or 'teaching'...

throughout history people have studied the torah...often people received torah instruction from levites or rabbis...but you don't need a teacher to study torah...

deuteronomy 6:6-7..."These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

God wanted his people to be continually discussing his torah...at home...while traveling...and so on... he wanted the topic to come up constantly...wherever they were...

so...let's talk about the torah! we can start at the beginning and go to the end...

but before starting...i have a request...

this is -not- a thread for arguing over torah observance...
if you want to observe any of the laws or commands...feel free...
if you don't want to observe any of the laws or commands...feel free...
if you want to argue about it...feel free to argue -somewhere else-...either make your own thread or join in one of the hundreds of threads that have already been made for the purpose of arguing this topic...

the main thing i really want to focus on is the things we can learn about God's character from his torah...especially his unparalleled wisdom...the rigor of his justice combined with his desire to forgive and show mercy...and the attentive care he gives to his children...

the next thing i am going to post is the text of genesis 1:1-2:4...then we can talk about it... i will be using the text of the new american standard bible...but anyone is free to quote from any bible version they choose...

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

​

Genesis 1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [SUP]2 [/SUP]The earth was [SUP][a][/SUP]formless and void, and darkness was over the [SUP][/SUP]surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was [SUP][c][/SUP]moving over the [SUP][d][/SUP]surface of the waters. [SUP]3 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. [SUP]4 [/SUP]God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. [SUP]5 [/SUP]God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

[SUP]6 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let there be [SUP][e][/SUP]an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” [SUP]7 [/SUP]God made the [SUP][f][/SUP]expanse, and separated the waters which were below the [SUP][g][/SUP]expanse from the waters which were above the [SUP][h][/SUP]expanse; and it was so. [SUP]8 [/SUP]God called the [SUP][/SUP]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

[SUP]9 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. [SUP]10 [/SUP]God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. [SUP]11 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [SUP][j][/SUP]vegetation, [SUP][k][/SUP]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [SUP][l][/SUP]their kind [SUP][m][/SUP]with seed in them”; and it was so. [SUP]12 [/SUP]The earth brought forth [SUP][n][/SUP]vegetation, [SUP][o][/SUP]plants yielding seed after [SUP][p][/SUP]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [SUP][q][/SUP]with seed in them, after [SUP][r][/SUP]their kind; and God saw that it was good. [SUP]13 [/SUP]There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

[SUP]14 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let there be [SUP][/SUP]lights in the [SUP][t][/SUP]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; [SUP]15 [/SUP]and let them be for [SUP][/SUP]lights in the [SUP][v][/SUP]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. [SUP]16 [/SUP]God made the two [SUP][w][/SUP]great lights, the greater [SUP][x][/SUP]light [SUP][y][/SUP]to govern the day, and the lesser [SUP][z][/SUP]light [SUP][aa][/SUP]to govern the night; He made the stars also. [SUP]17 [/SUP]God placed them in the [SUP][ab][/SUP]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, [SUP]18 [/SUP]and [SUP][ac][/SUP]to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. [SUP]19 [/SUP]There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

[SUP]20 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let the waters [SUP][ad][/SUP]teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [SUP][ae][/SUP]in the open [SUP][af][/SUP]expanse of the heavens.” [SUP]21 [/SUP]God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. [SUP]22 [/SUP]God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” [SUP]23 [/SUP]There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

[SUP]24 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [SUP][ag][/SUP]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [SUP][ah][/SUP]their kind”; and it was so. [SUP]25 [/SUP]God made the beasts of the earth after [SUP][ai][/SUP]their kind, and the cattle after [SUP][aj][/SUP]their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

[SUP]26 [/SUP]Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [SUP][ak][/SUP]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [SUP]27 [/SUP]God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. [SUP]28 [/SUP]God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [SUP][al][/SUP]sky and over every living thing that [SUP][am][/SUP]moves on the earth.” [SUP]29 [/SUP]Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the [SUP][an][/SUP]surface of all the earth, and every tree [SUP][ao][/SUP]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; [SUP]30 [/SUP]and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the [SUP][ap][/SUP]sky and to every thing that [SUP][aq][/SUP]moves on the earth [SUP][ar][/SUP]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. [SUP]31 [/SUP]God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.


Footnotes:

1. Genesis 1:2 Or a waste and emptiness
2. Genesis 1:2 Lit face of
3. Genesis 1:2 Or hovering
4. Genesis 1:2 Lit face of
5. Genesis 1:6 Or a firmament
6. Genesis 1:7 Or firmament
7. Genesis 1:7 Or firmament
8. Genesis 1:7 Or firmament
9. Genesis 1:8 Or firmament
10. Genesis 1:11 Or grass
11. Genesis 1:11 Or herbs
12. Genesis 1:11 Lit its
13. Genesis 1:11 Lit in which is its seed
14. Genesis 1:12 Or grass
15. Genesis 1:12 Or herbs
16. Genesis 1:12 Lit its
17. Genesis 1:12 Lit in which is its seed
18. Genesis 1:12 Lit its
19. Genesis 1:14 Or luminaries, light-bearers
20. Genesis 1:14 Or firmament
21. Genesis 1:15 Or luminaries, light-bearers
22. Genesis 1:15 Or firmament
23. Genesis 1:16 Or luminaries, light-bearers
24. Genesis 1:16 Or luminary, light-bearer
25. Genesis 1:16 Lit for the dominion of
26. Genesis 1:16 Or luminary, light-bearer
27. Genesis 1:16 Lit for the dominion of
28. Genesis 1:17 Or firmament
29. Genesis 1:18 Lit for the dominion of
30. Genesis 1:20 Or swarm
31. Genesis 1:20 Lit on the face of
32. Genesis 1:20 Or firmament
33. Genesis 1:24 Lit its
34. Genesis 1:24 Lit its
35. Genesis 1:25 Lit its
36. Genesis 1:25 Lit its
37. Genesis 1:26 Lit heavens
38. Genesis 1:28 Lit heavens
39. Genesis 1:28 Or creeps
40. Genesis 1:29 Lit face of
41. Genesis 1:29 Lit in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed
42. Genesis 1:30 Lit heavens
43. Genesis 1:30 Or creeps
44. Genesis 1:30 Lit in which is a living soul

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

[h=1]Genesis 2[/h]Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. [SUP]2 [/SUP]By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. [SUP]3 [/SUP]Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created [SUP][a][/SUP]and made.

[SUP]4 [/SUP][SUP][/SUP]This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.


[h=4]Footnotes:[/h]

1. Genesis 2:3 Lit to make
2. Genesis 2:4 Lit These are the generations

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

i will wait until tomorrow to post my own comments on this text...

meanwhile the floor is always open for anyone who would like to make God glorifying observations on this text...

 

[wwjd_kilden]

I find it very interesting that God blessed all the creatures. Even if man has a special place, that means God cares very much for all of creation. That gives us a responsibility for taking care of it.

 

[Lifetrack]

I'm sure many people already know this, but for who does not:

Compare with science: verse 1

Beginning (time), heavens (space), earth (matter).

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

here are some posts i made a couple of years ago about genesis 1...


the hebrew name for God in this chapter is 'elohim'...the '-im' ending indicates that the word is plural... the plural name elohim accompanied by the singular verbs in this chapter...plus the way God refers to himself as 'us' in the creation of humankind...hint at God's three-in-one nature...which is revealed more clearly in the new testament...

in this chapter we also meet the 'spirit of God' or holy spirit... in the hebrew his action here is described using a word that describes the way a mother bird sits on and covers her eggs... this beautifully explains the spirit's lifegiving care for the creation from the very beginning...

this chapter also shows the means by which God created everything...he simply spoke and there is was... this shows the supernatural power of God's word... we should remember that the same God who called out 'let there be light' and made it appear also calls us descendants of abraham and children of God and justified in christ...and it has happened to us according to God's word just as it happened to the universe during the days of creation...

later in the bible we learn that jesus christ was that word of God that brought everything into being... if this word called the universe into existence...then we can also trust that the same word that is the 'resurrection and the life' has to power to call us back to life when he returns...

chapter one of genesis shows us God's omniscience in every field of knowledge...he is the creator of the light that quantum physicists still cannot claim to have explained completely...he is the designer of the living things that continue to amaze biologists...he created the stars and planets and galaxies that astronomers are still trying to understand...and he is the mathematician whose creations often follow the most precise mathematical regularity...

we can also see how God is a God of order...every step in his creation was done in an orderly fashion... on day one God made day and night...on day four he made the lights that rule over the day and night... on day two God made the sky to differentiate the ocean from the water above the sky...on day five he made the animals that live in the sky and sea... on day three God made the land and the plants...on day six God made the land animals and humans and gave them the plants to eat... God was following a definite step by step plan from the very beginning of his creation...on each day of creation he anticipated the work of the following days...

finally this chapter records God's blessing to his various creatures...commands to be fruitful and multiply... those blessings continue to this day...every time a living thing reproduces it is doing so according to the mandate of God's blessing during this week of creation... in theology the way God continues to sustain his creation by the power of these original blessings is known as providence...


the creation account shows us that there is one creator of all things...meaning that there is only one God who deserves our worship... everything else is just his creation...which we are not to worship... that is why idolatry and nature worship and pantheism are false...

we should also appreciate the beauty and complexity of God's creation and praise him for the amazing power and wisdom he showed in making it all...

the account of day four indicates the true purpose of the celestial bodies...they are there to be light sources and timekeepers...meaning that their movements are not to be interpreted mystically...which exposes the sinfulness of the study and practice of astrology...

in this chapter God gives a direct command to the human race to rule over his creation...this means that we have a mandate to make use of the earth in ways that are beneficial to us... however we also have to make sure we follow God's definition of an ideal ruler...specifically the ultimate ruler according to the bible is jesus christ...and when we rule over the creation we should follow jesus' method... jesus' example of reigning is one of service...always caring for and watching over his subjects... similarly our dominion over creation means using it wisely and taking good care of it...not wasting or abusing it... we should not consume the earth's resources recklessly...

finally we see in the chapter that God commanded a vegetarian diet for humans and animals... although later passages in the bible permit us to eat meat and even previously 'unclean' foods...fruits and vegetables were our original diet in God's perfect creation...and they remain the healthiest choice for eating even today... a fully vegetarian diet is not necessary...but we should remember that God intended for plants to be our primary source of nutrition... ideally meat should not be more than about 20% of our diet...which is much less than many people in the developed world are accustomed to eating... we should not be so quick to forgo the benefits of God's wonderful blessing of fruits and vegetables for eating...

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

one other thing i want to say is how really extravagant God was in his care for us when he was creating the world...

he did not just create a 'bare minimum' world with just enough to sustain us...he created natural laws and living creatures of great beauty and intellectual wonder...things not only to keep us alive but also to make us happy and mindful...

 

[crossnote]

Rachel, nice.
I hope you won't be stopping this thread if it goes over 10 pages?

 

[crossnote]

It boggles my mind how the eternal God speaks forth His eternal Word and what it creates is finite.
Or to put it in other terms, God is spirit, yet what is created has measureable clunkiness (mass, weight, distance etc.).

It's almost as if His creating is a type of the Incarnation.

 

[psychomom]

It boggles my mind how the eternal God speaks forth His eternal Word and what it creates is finite.
Or to put it in other terms, God is spirit, yet what is created has measureable clunkiness (mass, weight, distance etc.).

It's almost as if His creating is a type of the Incarnation.

'the boss' (hehe) and i were talking the other night in a similar vein.
he was reading something about Gen 1:3 and 2 Cor 4:6.
drawing a parallel between God's work of creating the heavens and the earth
and His work of making dead men live. (He talks a lot about light/Light!)

but i thought it might go beyond the intended scope of the thread.

 

[flob]

I like how Genesis 1 is also an allegorical account of God's eternal purpose with Christ as life for us. Colossians 3:4.
Meaning that God's very wonderful, outward, act of creating the earth, heavens, and life, simultaneously pictures His
new creation. As Paul wrote, Because the God who said, Out of darkness light shall shine, is the One who shined in our
hearts to illuminate the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
2 Cor 4:6

 

[GuessWho]

"Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;"

Genesis also offers the purpose for which God created us: to grow in His likeness. The progression of growth in God's likeness is an endless progression because God Himself is infinite.

Also, because man is created in God's image, it means that the human being has intrinsic value and is the crowning of the creation. God created a beautiful environment for man.

I also want to add that God created man and woman for dialogue and love and for the third (the fruit of their love- a new life), which follows the perfect model of the loving and harmonious communion inside the Holy Trinity. Of course that in case of human beings the third (the child) can be more than one. In case of the Holy Trinity this is not necessary because the Three Persons are absolutely perfect.

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

'the boss' (hehe) and i were talking the other night in a similar vein.
he was reading something about Gen 1:3 and 2 Cor 4:6.
drawing a parallel between God's work of creating the heavens and the earth
and His work of making dead men live. (He talks a lot about light/Light!)

but i thought it might go beyond the intended scope of the thread.

actually that is the kind of thing i am hoping people will share in this thread...

 

[thecreationtutor]

sounds boring

 

[Grandpa]

I never really looked at 2 Corinthians 4:6 as tying back into Creation. Interesting thought.

I looked at it as it being the work of God, like an allegory.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

But the Lord does describe our belief as literal light.

Matthew 5:14-16
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

I never really looked at 2 Corinthians 4:6 as tying back into Creation. Interesting thought.

I looked at it as it being the work of God, like an allegory.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

But the Lord does describe our belief as literal light.

Matthew 5:14-16
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

the 'earthen vessels' in 2 corinthians 4:7 can be literal if you remember chapter two of genesis

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

ok so i haven't commented on genesis 2:1-4 yet...but it is the conclusion to the genesis 1 creation story...

this section shows the first sabbath...there wasn't a command yet...but God himself rested and blessed and sanctified the day...

i think it is important to know what kind of 'rest' God took on the first sabbath...he rested from his work of creating...because he was finished making everything...but he did not cease from sustaining what he had created...

those original blessings God gave to the animals and people...'be fruitful and multiply'...are still in effect even today...life continues through God's power in those very first blessings...

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

ok so i think the whole idea of -God himself- resting is worth a lot more pondering...i would like to hear what other people have to say about the meaning of God resting on the first sabbath...and what God's rest means for his people...

 

[seed_time_harvest]

When we say GOD is our Sabbath REST I think for GOD's people it means that there is nothing to worry about
ie.
A person can be laying down and resting their body and yet be worried terribly about something but in GOD we know that GOD is in the highest and if GOD is for us no one can be against us.