This is how David describes the Word of God in Psalm 19.
But, wait...
Most of the 66 books of the Bible available to us today had not yet been written.
So, what was sweeter to David than honey and more valuable than gold?
The Torah.
“Torah” is a Hebrew word meaning instruction or teaching and refers to the writings of Moses in the first 5 books of the Bible.
In synagogues across the globe, the practice is to read through the Torah over the course of a year. In October, right at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, another celebration takes place.
Simchat Torah. Rejoicing with the Torah.
The Torah scroll is brought out of its special place (Torah ark) and given to members to hold and march through the synagogue. Everyone kisses the Torah scroll and dances around it as it continues down and around the aisles.
In Jerusalem and other cities in Israel, this parade of the Torah scroll sometimes takes place in the street. It is a time of great celebration, marking the end of the Torah reading cycle and beginning it anew.
Perhaps Christians (myself included) have something to learn from the great reverence and joy seen in the Simchat Torah festivities. Do we treasure God's Word in the same way?
We have even greater reason to celebrate. In His grace, God has given us His Word, including and beyond the teachings of the Torah. And, He didn't stop there. He has given us His Son, the Living Word, and has written His laws upon our hearts.
Do we rejoice, celebrate and treasure Torah and the rest of God's Word?
In the video below, Hasidic Jews in Jerusalem certainly seem to. The sound quality is poor but let's watch and think about how precious the Word of God is to us...
No comments:
Post a Comment