The Torah Network

49 w

From an in-depth answer to 1 Timothy 4:1-5 and about interpretation.

Well, here we go.

Everything is capable of being interpreted.

Literally everything.

But not everything should be or need be.
And IF it should be there are only two possible ways of interpreting it:

What did this mean to the author?

Or

What does this mean to me?

There are of course subcategories but above all these are it. And it is possible also to have both of these but if so the first must supersede the second always and many more questions asked.

If I said to you “that’s cool.” Sans any other info you could rightly interpret that literally as addressing temperature or colloquially as addressing excellence. With no more information than is presented in the few words themselves one would be completely justified in interpreting this random phrase.

Art is often this way, and for some odd reason folk treat Scripture similarly but for no justifiable reason.

If we approach Scripture first with the question “what does this mean to me?” We will artificially invent a million different meanings because we each will be filtering the text through our private viewpoint and experience.

Again we would not do this with anything else. And not because the Bible is so sacred that we treat it differently but because that means of thinking is insane and self-fulfilling.

Since the Bible is not some secret code that applies differently to whoever happens to be reading it in whatever age or region of the world they happen to reside in, we can not rightly justify starting with “what does this mean to me?”

For the purposes of intellectual integrity, our thoughts don’t matter at the moment, because the words on the page are the product of someone else’s mind.

So while they are capable of interpretation the first question is “should they be interpreted?”

If yes, then “how and why?” Do I interpret them to mean what the author intended or do I interpret them as meaning whatever possible combination of meanings those words he wrote could be rendered as meaning? And again, why?

Why would we interpret a passage to mean what the author likely intended? Because it’s the only reasonable explanation. The author doesn’t know any of us and wasn’t writing specifically to us about us and our ideas.

We are hearing the one half of a conversation already in progress, being had with someone else.

Since that is the case, interpretation is required to get the rest of the context of the conversation.

But if we interpret it as we would have it mean or as it could have possibly been rendered to mean outside of the context of those involved and the scenario the conversation is taking place in, we will inevitably make a major mess of it.

Interpretation has to be based on author’s intent. Rather than reader’s reception. Otherwise we will make messy implications and miss the message.

So who is the author of 1 Timothy then? This question is everything to interpretation. Who is speaking makes all the difference in what we see as his intended meaning.

We are tempted to simply say

Saint Paul the Apostle.

And while that might work as a colloquialism, nevertheless that is our interpretation of who he was. And it is a modern English interpretation of a Greco-Roman interpretation of the Hebrew man himself.

The author was infact the Sheliach Sha’ul of the Kedoshim. If we bypass the Greco-Roman middleman in the interpretation we would say Sha’ul the Emissary of the Set-Apart ones.

A man trained more than almost anyone of his generation in the Torah and better. Had he not followed Yeshua, he would be revered by all rabbinic Judaism as the greatest sage in history.

When we look at his life and ministry throughout the book of Acts we see him living as a Torah teacher and at the end of his life (ie after he had written all his epistles including 1Timothy) he volunteers to tell the crowd that he still is a Jew and a Pharisee of Pharisees. And he tells them all that he has never believed nor taught anything contrary to the Torah to that very day.

Therefore by the life and testimony of the author himself (not to mention we have no reason to believe otherwise) 1 Timothy can not be interpreted contrary to the Torah.

So when Sha’ul says to Timothy that some will depart from the faith following doctrines of demons should we interpret that those people are following the Torah ( the teaching, principles and instructions of the Heavenly Father and His Messiah)?

Why would we think that?

These people are said to depart the faith as opposed to those who practice it.

Sha’ul tells Timothy these people will speak lies in hypocrisy. Are we really to think the words the Creator spoke about the nature of His own creatures is lies when we repeat them?

Why would we think that?

Sha’ul tells Timothy these people will be, “Forbidding to marry, to abstain from meats, which Elohim has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”

Torah observant people do not forbid marriage so why would we think this passage is talking about Torah observant people?

And if this verse was written without the opener about marriage and written in a vacuum maybe one could possible interpret that it is wrong to forbid certain meats.

But Sha’ul didn’t write this passage in a vacuum. He added the clarifier after. Not just meats. Meats “which Elohim created to be received…”

The author said that he never taught against the Torah. And the Torah tells us which meats Elohim created to be received…and which were to be regarded by His people as abomination.

“For every creature of Elohim good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.”

Nothing is to be refused if received with thanksgiving? Really? Nothing at all?

What if we were offered a plate of ? ?

Nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving.

How about if we are handed hemlock?

Should we receive it with thanksgiving because Sha’ul said nothing is to be refused?

Someone would be quick to say, “Obviously Sha’ul wasn’t saying poop and poison when he said nothing is to be refused. We have to interpret in his context.”

Exactly. No one would think he means that we should eat poison on purpose or feces or human flesh or any other obvious thing.

Yet we are taught to automatically assume Sha’ul is including all the things the Torah considers abomination so heinous we aren’t even supposed to touch their carcasses let alone eat.

Why should we not consider the context when it is as obvious what Sha’ul would be saying?

“For it is sanctified by the Word of Elohim and prayer.”

Again we have to ask what did the Word of Elohim say is sanctified meat?

In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 He lists what is sanctified meat.

And can we honestly expect that the Almighty is going to hear a prayer of thanks for meat He told us is not considered food, is considered abomination and told us not to eat it?

How can we ask Him to bless and sanctify what He said not to do?

Interpretation is important when necessary but we have to take extreme care to interpret according to the author’s intent.

And what’s more we have to take even greater caution when others ignorant of the Torah have already interpreted the text for us with total disregard for the foundational bases for all doctrine and discipline.

As a wise person once said, “Before we read what ‘Paul’ wrote, we have to read what ‘Paul’ read.

Comment

49 w

Can any system or person be truly #neutral?

I received an email a week ago stating that a well known platform is encouraging their users to use their own "neutral" AI network. This made me think, can any system or person be truly neutral on a subject especially when you stand for something?

Like any computer, every person responds to the information they have received over their lifetime. Some is stored in long term #memory and forms the basis of our thought patterns.

So, when we look at Scripture, can we truly read it without any bias and read it for what it says?

I personally find it very difficult. How do you treat your reading of the Bible to ensure that you don't empose your own beliefs on what you are reading?

Comment

49 w

"Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and sorrow ye, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness. Cast down yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

Ja 4

Comment

49 w

Thought for Today: Tuesday August 06

The ideal gift is... Yourself! Give an hour of your time. Give a note of encouragement. Give a hug of affirmation. Give a visit of mercy. Give a meal you have prepared. Give a word of compassion. Give a deed of kindness.

Comment

49 w

48 Shoph’tym – Day 3
D’varym 18:1-5
“The priests, the Lewites, all the tribe of Lewi, have no part nor inheritance with Yisra’el. They are to eat the offerings of YHWH made by fire, and His inheritance.
“But among his brothers Lewi has no inheritance. YHWH is his inheritance, as He has spoken to him.
“And this is the priest’s right from the people, from those who slaughter a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the stomach; the first-fruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you give to him.
“For YHWH your Elohim has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to serve in the Name of YHWH, him and his sons forever.

Comment

49 w

TEHILLAH 82 – DAY 3 (YOM SHLISHY)
Elohim stands in the congregation of Ěl; He judges in the midst of the elohim.
How long would you judge perversely, And show partiality to the wrong? Selah.
Give judgment to the poor and fatherless, Do right to the afflicted and needy.
Rescue the poor and needy; Deliver them from the hand of the wrong.
They do not know, nor do they understand, They walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I, I said, “You are elohim, And all of you are sons of the Most High.
“But as men you die, And fall as one of the heads.”
Arise, O Elohim, judge the earth, For You shall possess all the nations.

Comment

49 w ·Youtube

Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael

Shalom, friends,

We invite you to join us live on Zoom and YouTube at 4pm Central Standard Time on this Sabbath afternoon, 08/10/2024, for scripture study and prayers.

The lesson for the day is titled:

"YOU ARE BELOVED"

---
Join us on YouTube at:

[

Join us on Zoom at:

[

---
The original article this lesson is based upon, as well as many others, can be found in the Library page of our website at:

[

Comment

49 w ·Youtube

Comment

49 w

Sabbath Keepers Fellowship & Prison Ministry
Ovadyah Ben Yisrael

Shalom, Chaverym;

This week’s parasha is Shoph’tym – שפטים – “Judges”

Torah readings: D’varym (Deuteronomy) 16:18-21:9

Prophets’ readings: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:12-52:12

Ketuvym Hatalmidym reading: Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:38-48

Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem YHWH Avinu, Malkeynu

~ Peace to you, my brothers, in the name of YHWH our Father, our King.

Tamiym tihyeh im YHWH Eloheyka

~ “Perfect you shall be with YHWH Eloheyka.”

The word tamiym in our pesuk is often translated in various ways according to the whims of translators.

However, its meaning is truly quite singular – it means perfect, as in completed and whole.

The command to be perfect was given by YHWH in context with the conditions for receiving either the blessings or the curses which were delivered from mounts Gerizym and Eyval.

The meaning of this command is that, in order to obtain YHWH’s blessing, one must be undiluted in their religion and their devotion to YHWH and to His Torah.

One must be, in fact, a completed human-being.

No mixing of religions can be tolerated, and no half-hearted devotion can be enough. The true children of YHWH must be completely His, and His alone.

It is commonly thought by many believers that YHWH’s standards and requirements have loosened and eased since the coming of Messiah for those who will be his at his return.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite is true – they have not been loosened, erased, or otherwise diminished in any way. They have been elevated.

As was pointed out in the previous sedra, Yehoshua also promised blessings and curses from atop a mountain, but the blessings He promised would come only by adhering to a standard of righteousness even higher than that of basic physical Torah obedience.

This elevated standard is Torah observance in both its physical and spiritual forms – it is completed, or tamiym form.

And that is the standard required of the small and exclusive group called the Qedoshym, who are the bride of Messiah – those who will be His at His coming.

Immediately after commanding that the children of YHWH be perfectwith Him, Moshe prophesied, in YHWH’s name:

“I will raise up a prophet from among them, like you; and I will give my words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”

This prophecy foretold Yehoshua’s coming, and he did all that the Torah and the Prophets said he would do.

The words of YHWH were in his mouth, and he only spoke that which YHWH commanded he should.

Furthermore, he confirmed that he was indeed the expected prophet and reaffirmed the validity of the commandments when he reiterated YHWH’s command to be perfect at the end of his teaching on the mount.

He said, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in the heavens is perfect.”

If you belong to Him, and will go with Messiah at his return, this is your calling, brethren.

Love Him with all of your heart and walk in all of His ways.

Do it with all of your mind and strength. Nothing less will do, for those who will reign with Messiah, judging angels and men.

Keep your eyes on him and, with the power of the Spirit, become complete – perfect. May you all hear Him when He calls.

B’Shalom, Ovadyah Ben Yisrael