3 Ways to Walk in Torah Weekly
Many who have not yet come the realization of the applicability of Torah to their lives today like to say how difficult it is. It is not uncommon for someone in Hebrew Roots to be told that following the Torah (God's instructions) is impossible! We’re often reminded that our righteousness is as filthy rags and that there none perfect, not one, except Jesus of course. Because of this, we wanted to take a moment, and look at 3 things that we can do every week to walk in His Torah.
Changing What We Eat
So, one way that we can be obedient to the Torah on a daily basis is by changing our definition of food for us to match the Creator’s.
In Leviticus 11, the Creator gave us His definitions for what is food and what is not food. Food for us is anything declared as clean for food or human consumption. There are several broad categories here:
- Plants - plant yielding seed on the ]surface of all the earth, every tree which has fruit yielding seed (Genesis 1:29)
- Beasts - Everything with a split, cloven hoof and that chews the cud. (Leviticus 11:3-8)
- Seafood - Everything with Fins and Scales whether in rivers or oceans. (Leviticus 11:9-12)
- Birds or winged creatures - this time we are told what is excluded for us, or is unclean. This list of birds we are not to eat is found in verses 13-19 and includes but is not limited to: Falcons of any kind, storks, vultures, and ostriches. (Leviticus 11:13-19)
- Insects - Among winged insects on 4 legs, those with jointed legs above their feet and hop on the ground. This would include locusts, crickets, or grasshoppers of any kind. (Leviticus 11:20-23)
What is the burden, or yoke that is too difficult to bear here? Is giving up what our flesh desires (a porkchop, or maybe shrimp and crab) too difficult to do? Is it even too difficult with the help of Messiah? If so, then perhaps we are following the desires of our flesh instead of the desires of our Creator. For more on the dietary instructions, please see our teachings titled: Are All Things Clean? (Mark 7), Can We Eat All Things: 1 Timothy 4, Noah: Could He Eat All Things?
Wearing Tzitzits (or Tassels)
A second thing we can do daily to be obedient to the Torah, is to wear tzitzits as He commanded us to.
Numbers 15:37-40 (ESV)
The Lord (YHWH) said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord (YHWH), to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
As we can see from this passage, there is a point and purpose in wearing tzitzits on our garments. They are to remind us of His Torah! They aren’t simply for decoration, to look stylish, or even to draw attention ourselves. They are there to be visible, tangible reminders for us to obey our Creator, and not to do what we choose to do. Once again this is something that is easy to do! The most difficult part is developing the habit of wearing them. In time, it becomes as normal and difficult as it is for us to remember to put our clothes on. In fact, some people will even tell you they feel naked without them!
When we wear our tzitzits, we are being obedient to our Creator with the added bonus of them being a reminder for us to continue to live in that obedience! For more on this, please see our Berean Bridges teachings titled Tzitzits.
Rest on the Sabbath
We’ve looked at two ways to obey Torah daily, now here’s one more way to be obedient, but we can do it every week. Every week we are commanded to keep (as in to guard and keep secure) the seventh day, the Sabbath day.
Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord (YHWH) your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord (YHWH) made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord (YHWH) blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Every seventh day is to be a day of rest for us; a day where we can recharge our bodies and dig deep into His Word. We are not to have our servants work for us, not even livestock! We all need to rest. No one can work continuously without a rest. The Creator knew this. In His great wisdom, He set apart a day for us to rest each week. Resting on the Sabbath is yet another simple, burden-free way to obey His instructions. For more on this very large topic, please see our teachings titled: The Sabbath Day, No Fire On the Sabbath?, and Hebrews 4: In His Rest Now or Later?.
In conclusion, we have now covered three ways in which we can all be obedient to His Torah throughout the week. This can be done by defining food fit for human consumption using His instructions, wearing tzitzits which are to remind us of His instructions that are for our own good, and enjoy the day of rest He has given us each Sabbath.
Hopefully we have shown that being obedient to our Creator isn’t too difficult to do. In truth, all it takes is a desire to please our Creator; it takes “the want to”. The hardest part is putting ourselves aside, our own customs, traditions, and habits and changing them to better fit the mold the Creator has for us. He has a plan for each of us; He is the potter, we are to be the clay and let ourselves be molded by Him into His image. Do you believe that His mold for us is whatever we want to do, or what He wants us to do? Is His image man-made? In the end, you are responsible to choose today whom you will serve.
A final note to help you when someone tells you that it's impossible to follow the Torah. Try asking them these 3 things in response:
- If we can do all things through him who gives us strength, then why is it impossible to obey the Creator? (Philippians 4:13)
- If it’s impossible to be righteous before God according to His law, then how is it that John the Baptist’s parents were? (Luke 1:6)
- Finally, if obedience is too difficult for us, then why were we told by Moses, Messiah, and John the apostle that it’s not too difficult, that it’s a light burden? (Deuteronomy 30:11, Matthew 11:30, 1 John 5:3)
For more on this topic, please see our teaching titled: Is the Law of Moses Difficult? As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email us at: .
Shalom