simplicity – The Core of the Bible

The consistent attitude and actions of those who fear God

Believers must be vigilant in both restraining evil actions and promoting the good.

Psalm 34:11-14 – Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. Who is someone who desires life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

The message of the Bible is not as difficult as many people believe it to be. Every now and then, a passage speaks in a simple and direct way about what God expects of his people. Here are some examples:

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Micah 6:8 – Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is Yahweh requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Matthew 22:36-40 – “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest? ” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. “This is the greatest and most important command. “The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. “All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

The passage we are looking at today in the thirty-fourth psalm is another example of this simplicity containing the same type of summarizing qualities. The psalmist, presumably David, speaks of what it means to fear Yahweh. The fear of Yahweh, he says, is pursued by someone who desires life, and many days (long life) of goodness. The life that is provided by the fear of Yahweh is more than just existence, but longevity of happiness, spiritual blessedness and the ability to enjoy it.

This fear of Yahweh is demonstrated in specific ways. On the one hand, it is achieved by diligently guarding one’s speech from deceit and also turning aside from doing evil. This requires the vigilance of a guard in a watchtower, ensuring that no deceptive or misleading comments are put forth with the intent of misguiding others. It also requires an intentional turning away from anything that is bad, vicious, unkind, harmful, or displeasing to God.

On the other hand, it is achieved by also doing or making that which is good, pleasing to God, valuable in estimation, fruitful, advantageous, excellent. All of these qualities are rolled up into the concept of doing good.

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 – But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good.
1 Peter 2:15 – For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

Finally, the fear of Yahweh is demonstrated by seeking and pursuing peace. To seek it is to seek with the intent to find, chasing after every opportunity to implement peaceful interactions with others.

Romans 8:6 – Now the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 12:18 – If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 14:19 – So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.

These, then, are the attitudes and actions required of those who would seek to demonstrate a true fear of Yahweh as children of God. They will be diligent in honoring him in all of their ways through the ongoing rejection of evil and the never-ending pursuit of goodness and peace.

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Set apart through simplicity

When we make the Word of God our singular focus, we become holy.

Matthew 6:2-23 – “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness!”

Yeshua’s teachings are filled with simplicity and transparency.

Love Yahweh your God with all your heart, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Don’t criticize others unfairly.
Don’t be hypocritical.
Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

The life that seeks to honor God is not a complicated one. It is a life that is lived in equity with others and in abiding by the simple direction of God.

In the Hebraic worldview, having a good or evil eye represents what one focuses on. In the Bible version represented above, Yeshua encourages his followers to have a healthy or good eye. But as is typically the case, the underlying Greek phrasing brings out some color into this basic black and white English rendering. According to the Helps Word Studies, this word means: “unfolded, single – literally, “without folds” … referring to a single (undivided) focus, i.e. without a (secret) “double agenda” which prevents an over-complicated life (becoming needlessly distracted).”

It is commonly understood that having too many objectives in life can be overwhelming, and source of great stress and anxiety. On top of the typical stresses of earning a living, managing family concerns and taking care of ourselves, in our modern culture we have added the constant distraction of juggling an online presence, being consumed by messages and notifications, pulling us away from our real life into another level of digital schizophrenia. This exemplifies the darkness of the eye that is bad, the effects of wicked, malicious, or slothful attention that result in obscurity of meaning and purpose.

By contrast, Yeshua encourages simplicity and singleness of focus and direction. This is what brings peace and purpose into our lives and makes us holy. When we have the correct sense of purpose, it’s as if our whole body becomes full of light. We have the ability to plan effectively and to accomplish so much more for God and for the kingdom when our priorities are right and we have a clear sense of direction.

We must discipline ourselves to remain focused on what’s important: the teachings of Yeshua and the Word of God. As we apply that type of clear direction in our lives, we simplify our approach to living life, and become the set apart people God desires us to be.

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The integrity of knowing and doing God’s will

If we are to maintain our integrity in any given situation, then we should have the clarity of purpose and direction that God’s will provides.

The Hebrew word for integrity (tom, pronounced tome) has been discussed before as meaning simplicity or completeness. But one of the other variations for this word comes from the stones that were used by the high priest to determine God’s will in any situation.

Tom is a basis for the word thummim (pronounced too-meem) as in the “Urim and Thummim.” Thummim means perfections, and Urim (pronounced oo-reem) means lights. Therefore, in some versions of the Bible, instead of simply transliterating Urim and Thummim in the descriptions of the high priest’s breastplate, they will use the phrase “lights and perfections.”

Exodus 28:30 “Place the Urim and Thummim [lights and perfections] in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.
Leviticus 8:8 Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim [lights and perfections] into the breastpiece.
Numbers 27:21 “He will stand before the priest Eleazar who will consult the LORD for him with the decision of the Urim [lights]. He and all the Israelites with him, even the entire community, will go out and come back in at his command.”
Nehemiah 7:65 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim [lights and perfections].

There has been much speculation as to how these stones worked, or what mechanism was involved in order to determine what God’s will was in any given situation. Some think the stones would be used kind of like holy dice. Others think that the stones lit up when a certain question was asked. However, regardless of the method, the result was that God’s will would be determined through the use of these stones. It was a simple method and it was complete in that the determination would be final.

What is interesting to me about the Hebrew language is that all the word meanings within a root group tend to blend together and overlap. The simplicity and completeness of integrity is also a means for determining God’s will, just as the stones were for the high priest. The continuity of Hebrew thought comes through the completeness of the root word tom culminating in the perfections of the word thummim. To be complete is to be perfected.

If we view integrity as being the simple choice in any given situation, we may find that we are operating within the ethics that God prefers. Understandably, the simple choice is not always the easy choice, but it is typically the clearest path to doing what’s right. If we are to maintain our integrity in any given situation, then we should have the clarity of purpose and direction that God’s will provides.

The Greek word telios (pronounced tell-ee-os) carries this concept into the New Testament writings. For something to be telios is to reach its fullness, maturity, or completion. This is why Yeshua could instruct his disciples to exhibit this most essential characteristic of their heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The apostle Paul said that believers could determine God’s perfect will through being transformed by the renewing of their mind.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Whether in Hebrew or Greek, this clarity of purpose and understanding of God’s will is provided by the simplicity and completeness of integrity, just as the perfections of the stones did for the high priest.

For believers today, we don’t need physical stones to understand God’s will and act with integrity. God’s will is best determined by having a thorough understanding of his word and by allowing our minds to be renewed by God’s Spirit as to how to apply it in day to day actions. Therefore, it can be said that those who live lives of integrity are truly living their lives according to God’s word.

If you enjoy these daily blog posts, be sure to visit the growing archive of the Core of the Bible podcast. Each week we take a more in-depth look at one of the various topics presented in the daily blog. You can view the podcast archive here. Questions or comments? Feel free to email me directly at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

Guarded by integrity

Doing the right thing is usually doing the simplest thing.

Psalm 25:21: “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.”
Proverbs 13:6: “Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”

Individual integrity is a theme that runs throughout scripture, and is a primary focus of the Wisdom literature of the Bible. A contemporary English definition of integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” But it also conveys the wholeness of something, as in solidarity or unified strength, or soundness of construction.

The biblical definition has similar overtones of wholeness, but comes from a root word meaning “complete or finished.” In this sense, integrity is a characteristic that demonstrates maturity and simplicity, as something that is complete is not complex; it is a fully integrated wholeness, and therefore unified and simple.

As this term is explored in scripture, those who exhibit this characteristic of integrity are shielded from wrong paths. The integrity they have actually influences their ability to withstand the ebb and flow of ethical morality that swirls around them every day. In Psalm 25:21, the David wrote that integrity and uprightness preserves him. In Proverbs 13:6, Solomon writes that “righteousness guards the way of integrity.” Like father, like son. This principle can be seen being passed generationally in these great documents of the faith.

The same root word is used in these passages which has the meaning “to preserve, watch, guard, or keep.” Those who act with integrity are kept from wrong action; it’s as if their integrity actually shields them from wrong paths.

Proverbs 2:6-8: “For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity; that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.”

The simplicity of this principle is often overlooked due to the many complex issues we face in our current era, and the multitude of ethical choices available to us at any given point in time. However, Yahweh himself maintains and watches over the way of those who demonstrate integrity. As we follow his knowledge and understanding, we mature. And as we grow in the completeness of our integrity, we find that the right thing to do is typically a very simple thing, and we will be guarded in the doing of it by the One who is glorified in it.

If you enjoy these daily blog posts, be sure to visit the growing archive of the Core of the Bible podcast. Each week we take a more in-depth look at one of the various topics presented in the daily blog. You can view the podcast archive here. Questions or comments? Feel free to email me directly at coreofthebible@gmail.com.

Walking in simple integrity

Being a faithful believer in the God of the Bible is a blessing, but also a large responsibility.

Everyone talks about how loyal and faithful he is, but just try to find someone who really is! A righteous man walks in simple integrity; happily guided are his children after him.
Proverbs 20:6-7

The wisdom of God is filled with admonitions of righteousness: doing what’s right according to his Word. In Hebrew culture, a tzaddik, a righteous one, is a person to be admired as an example to follow.

In these few verses from the Proverbs, we learn a bit about human nature, and the benefits of being faithful to God. We can see how most people are typically busy extolling their own virtues, while those who live in uncomplicated sincerity provide positive examples for their own children after them.

Integrity is considered a form of simplicity in that it is also considered completeness. Something that is complete has no additional parts added to it; it is whole and unified, hence, simple. In Hebraic thought, Yahweh is considered simple in the uncomplicated sense since he is one: “Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This oneness or unity of God is a result of his completeness; there is nothing that could be added to his character or being that would somehow make him more God.

To walk in completeness is to live in such a way that mimics (in a positive way) the simplicity and righteousness of the character and being of God. Yeshua encourages believers to live in this very way when he famously says, “Be perfect (i.e., complete or whole}, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Matthew 5:48).

The walk of the believer is their halachah, their manner of living. It is their customary course of action in any given situation. When those actions are based in simple integrity, they are creating positive examples for their children who can then be guided in the straight way behind them. This would be analogous to parents being likened to a snow plow clearing a road, and their children are in cars behind them following in the clear path through the snow that the parents have made. In doing so, the children are happy or blessed as the way has been made clear for them.

Being a faithful believer in the God of the Bible is a blessing, but also a large responsibility. As bearers of God’s image in this world, we should always be aware of how our actions influence others. Our goal should be to always live in such a way that God will be honored and further glory be brought to his Name by our righteous actions as we strive to continually live in simple integrity according to his Word.

If you enjoy these daily blog posts, be sure to visit the growing archive of the Core of the Bible podcast. Each week we take a more in-depth look at one of the various topics presented in the daily blog. You can view the podcast archive here. Questions or comments? Feel free to email me directly at coreofthebible@gmail.com.