Staying Spiritually Alive

Prov 3:1-3  My son, forget not my law (Torah); but let your heart keep my commandments;  (2)  for they shall add length of days, and long life, and peace to you.  (3)  Let not mercy and truth forsake you;Continuing from the previous section where we discussed the "Requirements" for a long and prosperous life which were:

·         Torah

·         Commandments

·         Truth

We have looked at the Torah or Instructions and will now will look at the "Commandments" and the "Truth", what it really means to us.

Commandments is the word "mitsvah" that means; a command, ordinance, precept, collectively the Law. It comes from the root word "tsavah" that means; to constitute, enjoin, appoint, to give charge, to send a messenger, to put in order.

It is first used in Scripture in Gen 2:16 where YHVH commanded man to eat from every tree in the Garden except from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil for they shall surely die. So the word "mitsvah" or 'commandment' is connected to life and death; life because YHVH commanded them to eat and if they did not eat from every tree, they could not sustain their lives, and death; where YHVH gave the consequences for disobedience to His Commandment.

In this first Commandment in Gen 2 we see a positive and a negative side and this teaches us that the Torah consists of positive and negative Commandments. Negative Commandments are commandments where you avoid something. Positive Commandments on the other hand are active Commandments where you have to do something. Both positive and negative Commandments are connected to Life and Death. Life; when you do the positive and avoid the negative and Death, when you are passive and not doing the positive Commandments but break the negative Commandments.

In order to do the positive Commandments you need to be around people to express your faith. If you do not have fellowship with fellow believers or reach out to the community, then you will die spiritually, similar to not eating and dying from starvation. Do not starve yourself, eat from all the trees, do good to others and let other people reach out to you as well, then you will be spiritually healthy and experience spiritual Life. 

To bring this in context with the Torah, we can say that the Torah is a collection of YHVH's positive and negative Commandments that defines sin (missing the mark) which is disobeying the Commandment. Another point to note is that YHVH's first Commandment was given before sin came into the world, it was given when Man was still in the Garden of Eden, the perfect state of YHVH's Creation. This leads us to believe that there will still be Commandments after YHVH has judged the world and restored everything back to the "Garden of Eden" state. This implies that YHVH's Commandments are not only to restore things but to sustain things as well, as seen in the meaning of "tsavah" (to put in order).

Truth is the word "emeth" that means; stability, to be certain, truth, trustworthiness, assured, faithful, sure, true. It comes from the root word "aman" that means; to build up, to bring up, to establish, to support, to nurse (as parent), to father, to ne firm. faithful, trust, believe, to turn to the right.

"Emeth" or Truth is first found in Scripture in Gen_15:6 where it is connected to Righteousness; "Abraham believed (emeth) YHVH and it was counted to him as righteousness". What is interesting is that the word "emeth" (truth) is connected to death ("muth") and the Messiah.

Die or death is the word "muth" that means; death, state of death,  place of death, to die,  kill,  have one executed, male,  man.

Death also means separation. Since sin came into the world, all of humanity live in a "state of death", separated from YHVH, living in a lower state of life. YHVH's plan is to restore us back to the "Higher state of Life" that existed in the Garden of Eden. The way He accomplished His Restoration Plan, was to come to the earth in the flesh and "connect" Himself with Death, so that He could overcome and conquer death and restore man back to live. This is seen by the work of the Messiah, Y'shua, where He came to die for us so that we could have New Life through His Spirit.

If you add an "Aleph" (YHVH) to "muth", it gives the word "emeth" that means - firmness, faithfulness,  truth, true doctrine.

Y'shua is also known as the Truth and the result of His work dying on the Stake. We can receive His New Life through Faith in the Truth and be set free from the bondage of death, receiving His Spirit of Truth and Life.

As we have learned with YHVH's Commandments that it is connected to Life and Death, so is Truth connected to Life and Death. Y'shua is the "Messenger that was sent" (tsavah) to bring the Truth that leads to Life and Righteousness. This connects YHVH's Commandments directly to Truth and Faith which leads to Faithfulness and Obedience, Life and Righteousness. The One Who made all of this possible is YHVH sending His Son to bring Truth to this world and to rectify His broken and perverted Commandments so that it can bring Life and Righteousness again. YHVH's Truth will not only restore His (perverted) Commandments, but will ultimately restore His Creation including humanity.

Rom 8:19-23  For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of YHVH.  (20)  For the creation was not willingly subjected to vanity, but because of Him who subjected it on hope  (21)  that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of YHVH.  (22)  And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.  (23)  And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, awaiting adoption, the redemption of our body.

This is a crucial part of the Restoration process where YHVH had to restore His Torah and His Commandments first before He can restore man and His Creation because it is His Commandments (mitsvah) and Truth (emeth) that sustains, put things in order, establish and nurse His Creation and make it exist the way it was planned.