Torah Insights Genesis 1 &2

 Compulsion or Love?

Torah insights

Genesis 1:1 – 2:25

During our study last week, Susan said something that resonated deeply with me. She said that she keeps Yehovah’s commandments because she loves Him so much and He has done so many wonderful things for her that she didn’t want to ever hurt Him by disobeying Him.

 Many people grow up without a good father in the home. As a result, they sometimes can’t fathom the goodness, mercy, and beauty of Elohim. But He is not a man that He should lie, or change, or abuse His children. He is good, and He loves us so much He sent His only begotten Son.

 As we read the Torah, we learn about Elohim, and as we learn about Him, we have the opportunity to draw closer to Him. After all, the way we become friends is by spending time with each other and sharing our lives, hopes, fears, joy, and pain with each other.

 In the first two chapters of Genesis, we learn that He made all of the creation in such a way it is a balanced system and put humans in charge of the whole creation. We are not to abuse creation, but guard it, and work it, and care for it. We also learn that humans are different, more special to Elohim than any of the rest of creation.

 In Genesis, Elohim provides food for us, in parallel, Yeshua told us to feed the hungry. When Adam and Chava discovered they were naked, Elohim clothed them, so Yeshua told us to clothe the poor. Many of Yeshua’s teachings can be traced back to the book of Genesis.

 We learn that Elohim instituted the Sabbath at the creation, blessed it, and made it holy. Later in the Torah, Elohim expands on the requirements of the Sabbath commandment,

 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yehovah your Elohim: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: For in six days Yehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exo 20:8-11)

 We don’t use the word hallowed much today, according to the 1828 Webster dictionary, it means, “To make holy; to consecrate; to set apart for holy or religious use.” So Elohim tells us that He made the Sabbath holy, and tells us that we are to keep it holy. If you recall, holy means set apart. What do we set the Sabbath apart from? The other six days that we are commanded to labor and do all our work.

 The Sabbath commandment in Exodus mirrors what we were told in Genesis, where we are provided the very definition of shabbat, rest.

 “And on the seventh (sheve’e) day Elohim ended his work which he had made; and he rested (shabbat) on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed (baruch) the seventh (sheve’e) day, and sanctified (kodesh) it: because that in it he had rested (shabbat) from all his work which God created and made."
(Gen 2:2-3)

 Elohim wants us to obey Him, not out of rote, or compulsion, but because we love Him and love our neighbors. Susan has it right in acknowledging that she obeys His instructions because she doesn’t want to ever hurt Him by disobeying Him

 It is my prayer that this finds you safe, healthy, blessed by Elohim, and with shalom beyond measure.