Exploring the Bible: A 21st Century Option for Informed Believers

 

Exploring Our Biblical Heritages is a science-based educational approach for reading the Bible. The Biblical Heritage Center, Inc. is not a religious organization, therefore we do not require people to accept, adopt or believe an institutional theology. We do expect those who participate with others in our explorations to agree to follow this guideline:

 

My belief system will be large enough to include all facts,

open enough to be examined and questioned,

and flexible enough to change if errors or new facts are discovered.

 

This guideline creates the open and safe environment required for exploring the biblical text. It also gives all participants permission to examine and question each other’s beliefs and a plan for what happens if errors or new facts are discovered.

 

Beliefs About the Bible

 

All Explorers of Biblical Heritages have beliefs about Bibles, while most Explorers also have beliefs based on the words in their Bible. Unlike Bible studies that take place in religious institutions, our explorations have participants that range from religious people to atheists. Religious people and atheists both have beliefs about Bibles, but they are usually polar-opposite beliefs. Religious people have beliefs about God based on words of their Bibles, while atheists do not.

 

Belief about Bibles range from believing

“the Bible is the inerrant infallible Word of God”

to believing “all Bibles are total fiction.”

 

One fact that all Bible readers agree on is -- “Bibles are books with words.” Another fact is that there are rules that govern how those words are understood and communicated. Without those rules, the communication process would not work. We created linguistic models to guide Explorers as they work with the words in Bibles (or anywhere else).

 

1. Identify the Source (author or speaker).

 

2. Identify the Receptor (reader or hearer).

 

3. Identify the Symbols or Sounds (language).

 

4. Identify the Bundle of Associations attached to the symbols or sounds (Source’s culture, time period, geographical location, personal experiences).

 

5. Identify the Context (the environment in which a word or phrase appears).

 

Developing the Exploring Skills above will transform your understanding of the words of in your Bible. Using these skills, you will see things that you wouldn’t have been able to see before. Below are a couple of examples I discussed in previous Exploring Our Biblical Heritages Educational Emails.

 

1. In the context of Genesis 1:1-2:4a, ELOHIYM (Hebrew word) is the “creator of the heavens and the earth.” ELOHIYM is translated “God,” but ELOHIYM describes a type of entity. In this context the name of the ELOHIYM is not revealed. In other words, god’s name is not “God.”

 

2. In the context of Genesis 2:4b-3:24, YAHWEH ELOHIYM (Hebrew words) is the “planter of the Garden in Eden.” Yahweh is the name of this ELOHIYM. The Hebrew words were translated into English as LORD God (King James Version), Jehovah God (American Standard Version), Jehovah Elohim (Darby’s English Translation), Lord God (Douay Rheims Bible), and Yahweh God (World English Bible). We usually translate it “Yahweh the ELOHIYM” or “Yahweh the god.”

 

3. In the context of Genesis 1:1-2:4a, ADAM (Hebrew word) is “one human male and one human female.” This ADAM is able to function as “a producer of a new human life.” This ADAM is also used to describe the collective we call “mankind.”

 

4. In the context of Genesis 2:4b-3:24, ADAM (Hebrew word) is “one male human.” He is incapable of producing a new human life.

 

Genesis 1:1-10:32 is an ancient Hebrew wisdom text. The Source (author or speaker) used the Hebrew words ELOHIYM and ADAM in two different contexts that resulted in their meanings being changed. Readers must be aware of the Hebrew words to discover the wisdom principles the Source embedded in those contexts.

 

In my opinion, being aware of information like this is not only very important, it is an essential requirement for accurately understanding the words that 2.5 billion people base their beliefs on. What do you think?

 

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Did God Curse Adam, Eve, or Something Else?

I closed my previous email with Yahweh cursing the snake and then turning his attention to Eve. Before I continue with the story, I want to pause and point out some things you must keep in mind as the story continues.

 

The commandment Yahweh gave Adam stated that “in the day you eat of the forbidden fruit dying you will die.” The Hebrew phrase translated “dying you will die” does not mean “you will fall over dead,” it means “the process of dying will begin.” Adam ate the forbidden fruit, and that process began.

 

The first act of justice in the Bible happened when Yahweh asked Adam if he had eaten the forbidden fruit. He questioned Adam and listened to his answer. He questioned Eve and listened to her answer. He cursed the snake. Now Yahweh is going to reveal the consequences of their actions, beginning with Eve.

 

1. I will greatly multiply your hardship, pain and suffering in general. Her life is going to change dramatically from what it has been. Yahweh doesn’t reveal specifically what those changes will be, but He describes three things she has not experienced yet.

 

2. I will greatly multiply your pregnancies. Because Adam ate the forbidden fruit, not Eve, the process of dying has begun. New lives are required to replace the lives of Adam and Eve when they die, if mankind is to survive.

 

3. In hardship, pain and suffering you shall bring forth children. This is related to her functions as a mother and Adam’s functions as a father. It is not connected to childbirth, but to process of raising children. Keep this mind as you read the stories of their children – Cain, Abel and Seth.  

 

4. Your desire shall be to your man. Eve’s desire for the forbidden fruit exceeded her desire for Adam. Yahweh’s words are correcting that situation.

 

5. He shall rule with you. At the beginning of this story, we were told that Adam and Eve will be tested to see whether they will “act together.” Instead they acted as individuals and did things that harmed their own lives. Yahweh’s words are correcting that situation.

 

Be sure to note that Eve was not cursed. Numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 are directly related to God’s blessing of the humans in the first story. The man and woman are equal to and adequate for each other in every way, but they have specific functions related to their genders that are related to reproducing and raising children.

 

Now Yahweh turns His attention to Adam. The first thing Yahweh does is state the offense Adam committed – “You listened to the voice of your woman and ate fruit of the tree I commanded you, “you shall not eat.” Next Adam learns the consequences of his actions.

 

1. Cursed is the ground because of you. Be sure to note that the ground is cursed, not Adam.

 

2. By hardship, pain and suffering you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Adam’s life changed just like Eve’s.

 

3. The ground will grow thorns and thistles for you. In response to the curse, Adam will have to deal thorns and thistles among the plants he requires for food.

 

4. You shall eat the plants of the field and by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread. Adam and Eve’s new diet will include food that had previously been the food of animals.

 

5. You shall return to the ground from which you were taken, because you are dirt and to dirt you shall return. Adam now knows that his destiny is to return to the ground from which he was taken and that is somewhere outside of and west of the Garden.

 

Adam and Eve stood before Yahweh and heard His words together. At that point in time, they had no way of knowing what those words meant or how dramatically their lives would change. I will continue the story in my next email.

 

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Who or What Determines Your Worth?

(Originally published April 9, 2015.)

One of the fun things I do is work with couples in planning their weddings. Like many things, I use this as an opportunity to teach, observe, listen and learn about relationships. We are social creatures which means, we need others for our very survival, technology aside. Almost all of our needs -- physical, emotional, psychological -- are met through interaction with others. In Genesis, the first thing identified as not being TOV (Good) is for a human to be alone.

 

I tell each couple that, though marriages may be made in Heaven, the Maintenance needs to be done here on earth! Relationships must be maintained -- especially the one we have with ourselves. There was a recent post on FB with the following quote of Lucille Ball -- "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line." Being that this is an issue I've struggled with myself, I understand it's easier said than done.

 

When I use the term, "Love", I'm not referring to an emotion or a feeling. I'm speaking about "acceptance." Accepting of oneself requires a basic understanding that we, as human beings, have worth. Again, Genesis 1 tells us we are a reflection of the Creator. In truth, we are a bag of mud, mixed with some chemicals and minerals, but it's the "spirit reflection" that makes us unique and binds us all together.

 

Self-Love means we do concrete acts that are required to show that we care about ourselves -- not to the exclusion of others nor striving to improve and grow -- but that we accept ourselves as we are at the present time with all our flaws, warts and mistakes. It is only then that we will truly be able to "love our neighbors as ourselves."

 

We are constantly bombarded with messages that maintain one underlying theme -- self-worthlessness. These messages are the product of professional propaganda creators, aka "spin doctors", who work in the advertising industry. Central to their addictive persuasive message is a subtle appeal: We (reader, hearer or viewer) are seriously inadequate. We drive the wrong car, use the wrong deodorant, wear the wrong clothes, have less than perfect skin, drink the wrong beer and so on. We are bordering on worthless, but this can be cured by buying the "right" products. This is our "unnatural" reality. 

 

Let us stop for a moment and look at our yardstick of self-worth. My Standard of Self -Worth comes from inside me. It is the time-tested values I learned from my parents and from my Jewish tradition – it is the TOV Standard. Whatever I do is matched to thoughts, words and actions which Protect Life, Preserve Life, Make Life More Functional and Improve the Quality of Life. I do not drive the right car, wear the right clothes, have the perfect body, or perfect skin. I absolutely refuse to let someone else determine my worth by their standard.

 

One of the most important lessons I've learned is this -- my self-worth comes from my understanding of the "Spirit Reflection" I was given and how many lives I touch for TOV, for Good, for Life and for Peace. What are you Worth?

 

Choosing Life By Doing TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

 

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Guard Justice: Do Acts of MISHPAT

 

In my email Nations Will Guard the Way of Yahweh With Abraham’s Sons I discussed Genesis 18:19:

 

For I have noticed and observed him,

in order that he may instruct his children and his house after him,

that they guard the way of Yahweh,

to do TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT;

in order that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham

that which He has spoken concerning him.”

 

God chose Abraham because of, and because he will, do this.

 

Abraham will teach his children how to guard the way of Yahweh

by doing acts of TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT (justice).

 

That is the first time the word MISHPAT (justice) appears in the Bible. From this point on, TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT will appear together many times. The “Way of God” requires learning and doing both TZEDAQAH and MISHPAT, not just one. The prophet Jeremiah delivers a very similar message (9:23-24):

 

Thus says Yahweh:

“Do not let the wise man boast in his wisdom,
Do not let not the mighty man boast in his might,
Do not let the rich man boast in his riches;
But let him who boast boast in this,

That he understands and knows Me,
That I am Yahweh doing

CHESED, MISHPAT, TZEDAQAH in the earth.
For in these I take pleasure in,” says Yahweh.

 

MISHPAT is one of the three core values in the Jewish Scriptures. Doing acts of MISHPAT is one of the ways humans imitate God and reveal His image to the world.

 

MISHPAT is a very ancient word, and it is one of those Hebrew words that using one English word to translate it doesn’t accurately reveal its meaning. Two English words, however, lay the foundation for understanding it – judge and govern. MISHPAT is used to describe “a justly ordered society,” which is also one of the foundational values of Judaism. The prophets railed against the absence of MISHPAT in the days of kings who abused their power.[1]

 

The rabbis repeatedly extol the society whose courts insist on justice and whose officials enforce justice to protect human rights. Imperfect justice was preferred to no justice at all. Jews were exhorted to accept the overly harsh laws of the Romans rather than to live under a government without laws.

 

And you have made men as the fishes of the sea,

as the creeping things that have no ruler over them.

(Habakkuk 1:14)

 

Why were people compared to the fishes of the sea?

Because in the case of the fishes of the sea,

the larger one swallows the smaller one;

so, too, in the case of men:

were it not for the fear of government,

the stronger would swallow the weaker.

(Avodah Zarah 46)

 

When a judge renders a decision in accordance with the law of the Torah he is imitating one of God’s attributes -- God is just. Therefore, the judge should not waver in his execution of justice, especially when two litigants come before him.

 

An act of mercy to one party may be an act of injustice to the other.

 

Those who come before the judge are expected to imitate the other attribute of God — His mercy. People are required to go beyond the line of strict justice and to live in accordance with those greater ideals that the court cannot enforce – CHESED and TZEDAQAH.

 

In his relations with his fellow man,

a person should be guided by compassion and trust

rather than by the literalness of justice.

 

Exodus 21:1-24:8 is called “Mishpatim” and it lays down basic civil law, including rules of damages, torts and ethical obligations to help the needy, and includes agricultural laws and rules about festivals. It represents the transition from the Tribes of Israel into the Nation of Israel in the Jewish Scriptures.  

 

Today, mishpat is the modern Hebrew word for law. A mishpatan is a lawyer. The Israeli civil courts are called batei mishpat lshalom – “courts for making peace between people.” Mishpat Ivri is the name for those areas of traditional Jewish law that can be applied to the areas usually covered by secular legal systems. Mishpat Ivri has standing in Israeli courts today.[2]

 

CHESED, TZEDAQAH and MISPHAT are the pillars of the message and movement of the Jewish Jesus. They are primary belief models and core values of our Biblical Heritages. I will discuss CHESED in the next email.

 

Choosing Lives 1^st by Doing TOV,

Jim Myers

 

Helping People Examine Their Beliefs

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---

[1] https://www.thejc.com/judaism/jewish-words/mishpat-1.8055

[2] The Language of Judaism by Simon Glustrom © 1988; Jason Aronson, Inc. Northvale, NJ; p. 399.

 

The Greatest Commandment in the Bible

 

My previous email was about “Laying Up Treasures With God.” Jesus ended the parable with these words:

 

No one can serve two masters;

for either he will hate one and love the other,

or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon.

 

This is written in a form called a “parallelism,” which Jesus used to highlight specific points. The following words are highlighted -- “love // loyal” and “hate // despise.” They are sandwiched between “serve and serve.”

 

Those who serve God, love God and are loyal to God.

 

Those who serve mammon, hate and despise God.

 

The Hebrew word “AHAVAH” is translated “love.” In Hebrew, “to love is to give.” This brings us to one of the most important teachings of Jesus. It is found in Matthew 22:34-40.

_______________________________________

 

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.  One of them, an expert in the Torah, tested him with this question: 

 

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?”

 

Jesus replied: 

 

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

_______________________________________

 

The answer Jesus gave as the first and greatest commandment is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5:

 

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, and with all your strength.

 

Instead of stopping there, Jesus connected another commandment to it, which is found in Leviticus 19:17-18.

 

You shall not hate your brother in your heart.

You shall surely correct your neighbor,

and not bear sin because of him.

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge

against the children of your people,

but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:

I am the Lord.

 

His Jewish audience knew the full contexts in which both commandments are found. They were, and still are, two of the most important commandments in Judaism. The point Jesus made was this:

 

The only way you can love God is to give to your neighbor as yourself.

 

In order to understand the last point Jesus made, one must be familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures and language.

 

All the Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

 

The Torah and the Prophets are two sections of the Jewish Scriptures and Hebrew letters “hang from a line” (see graphic above). English letters sit on a line. The point is, if the line is taken away nothing will be supporting them. The line is the foundation that is required for the words to exist.

 

“Loving God and loving people

are the foundation that supports all Scriptures.”

 

God’s vision for all people is that they experience SHALOM -- “a social environment in which lives are complete, healthy, wholesome; relationships are harmonious and mutually beneficial; homes are safe; places are secure and restful; members are loyal and committed to each other and the community.”

 

God blessed and empowered people to make His vision a reality!

 

Bookmark our Bible Study Vocabulary Page.

 

Choose Lives 1^st by Doing TOV,

Jim Myers

 

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Another Salvation Parable by Jesus

 

This salvation parable is found in Matthew 6:19-24. Below is the first part of the parable.

 

Do not store up treasures for yourselves upon earth,

where moths and rust consume,

and where thieves break through and steal.

 

Store up treasures for yourselves in Heaven,

where neither moths nor rust consume,

and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

This parable is about storing up treasures for yourself. This is about your treasures. That makes it personal! There are only two options you have for storing your treasures. For those of us with Christian biblical heritages, we assume earth and heaven are two places – one is we where we live now and the other is where we will spend eternity. But, that was not what Jesus had in mind.

 

His Jewish audience knew exactly what “Heaven” meant. It is a euphemism for the “unspoken name of God,” “YHVH.” Jewish people used euphemisms to “avoid profaning the name of God.” Jesus was referring to God -- not a place. This is what his Jewish audience heard – “You can store your treasures on earth or with God!”

 

Very few people view this parable as a “salvation parable.” But it is important to remember Jesus was an expert teacher of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) and that almost everything he taught was a commentary on specific Jewish Scriptures. Once we identify that Scripture, we will understand this parable. It is Malachi 3:16b-4:1.

 

And a Book of Remembrance was written before Yahweh

for those who stand in awe of Yahweh and who value His name.

 

“They shall be Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts.

“On the day I make up My treasure, I will have compassion on them

as a man has compassion on his own son who serves him.”

And you shall return and see the difference

between the innocent and the guilty,

between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

 

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a fire-pot;

and all the arrogant and everyone doing wickedness will be stubble.

And on the day which is coming, I will set them ablaze,” says Yahweh of hosts,

“and will not leave them a root or branches.”

 

On that day, “the treasures you laid up with God” will be “the only thing protecting you from being set ablaze by God!” Now you know what the audience knew as they listened to Jesus teach. It is clear that by this time, he had the audience’s attention! So, what kind of treasures does God want? Now let’s continue with the parable in Matthew.

 

The lamp of the body is the eye.

If therefore you have a good eye,

your whole body will be full of light.

But if you have an evil eye,

your whole body will be full of darkness.

If therefore the light that is in you is darkness,

how great is that darkness!

 

“Good eye” and “evil eye” are idioms and their words cannot be taken literally.  This is an English idiom -- “You really put your foot in your mouth this time!” If its words were taken literally, someone would have actually put their own foot in their mouth. But most Americans know that it means – “you said or did something that you should not have said or done.”

 

The way we discover the meanings of idioms Jesus used is find verses in the Jewish Scriptures in which they appear. “Good eye” is found in Proverbs 22:9.

 

He that has a good eye shall be blessed;

for he gives his bread to the poor.

 

The person with a “good eye” is the one that “gave bread to the poor.” “Evil eye” is found in Deuteronomy 15:9:

 

"Beware that there be not a thought in your wicked heart, saying,

`The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and you have an

evil eye against your poor brother, and you give him nothing;

and he cries unto Yahweh against you, and it be sin unto you.’"

 

The person with a “evil eye” is the one “who gave his poor brother nothing.” I bet some of you recognized that this parable teaches the same lessons the Parable of the Great Day of Judgment Jesus taught in Matthew 25:31-46. If you have already started building a Jewish Jesus vocabulary (click here to see) you already know this:

 

The person with a “good eye” did “acts of TZEDAQAH.”

The person with an “evil eye” did “acts of RAH.”

 

Now let’s see how Jesus ends the parable in Matthew:

 

No one can serve two masters;

for either he will hate one and love the other,

or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon.

 

Now we know what Malachi meant by “one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” The only “treasures” people can layup with God are “acts of TZEDAQAH.” This is the core message Jesus repeated throughout his teachings:

 

Do acts of TZEDAQAH and be the Kingdom of God!

 

Choosing Lives 1^st by Doing TOV,

Jim Myers

 

Helping People Examine Their Beliefs

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● Donate ● Subscribe ● “Like” on Facebook ● Visit our Bookstore