In his reference to oxen the Apostle Paul gave new meaning to an old Mitzvah. Have we reached this same maturity of interpretation after two thousand years of Church history?

When we have understood the role and nature of Torah, meditations upon its principles will lead to the right kinds of questions. In prayerfully considering these questions and waiting upon the Lord for enlightenment we can see, like the Apostle Paul, general principles at the heart of various commandments, and we can learn to apply these general principles in new and relevant ways.

The Bible records two occasions when Paul referred to the commandment of Deuteronomy 25:4 which stated that an ox should not be muzzled as it treads the grain (1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18). On both occasions he used the commandment to show how ministers of the Gospel should receive appropriate payment. Jews might say he was applying midrashic method here, to extract a truth from a particular part of Scripture to apply it to a different circumstance. Christians might say that Paul, having seen the law as now having no continuing meaning since the coming of Yeshua (Jesus), was treating the ideas rather loosely and liberally. I would suggest that Paul had found the keys to the principle of the law (Torah) being written on the heart. Indeed, there is a kind of midrashic interpretation of Torah, but led by the Spirit of God rather than through a scientific method of biblical interpretation.

It is interesting that there are very few references in the New Testament to the individual Mitzvot such as the one above. Again, after two thousand years of Christendom, the general impression is that this is because they are not important now that Messiah has come. It is rather strange, however, that Paul uses this one rather remote example twice. I would suggest that this should give us a clue as to the way we should read both the "New" and "Old" Testaments. Far from Paul’s dismissing the "Old," he is applying the teaching in a way that he expects us to apply it. This is simply one example that he uses in passing and which has found its way into the New Testament writings. Indeed, because there is so little interpretation of the Mitzvot, in terms of the New Covenant, we should realise that we are expected to find interpretations for ourselves. If this were not so, we might be inclined to treat the New Testament as a new and complete rule book, assuming that it has a literal completeness, replacing what went before. Indeed, I would suggest that this is just what many Christians have (unwittingly) done. Instead, we have the final steps of revelation which can now be applied alongside the earlier revelations of Scripture, bringing all to fullness by the power of the Holy Spirit and in the Light of Messiah. We should not expect all the answers to be in the pages of the New Testament, but we should find ourselves on a walk of faith with the Holy Spirit filling out the truth of the whole of Scripture.

I would also suggest that this is of extreme importance to those of us in the early stages of the restoration of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Going back to the Old Testament, for some, can be a return to literal application of what is found there, missing the spirit of the teaching and the wider application. This is what leads to dry ritual observance of the feasts, to wearing of Tzit-Tzit and, possibly, to putting self-righteously inspired parapets around one’s roof.

The heart of all Mitzvot is to love the Lord with all our heart and our neighbour as ourself. This spiritual principle can only be applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit Himself, but once there, all the Mitzvot can rise to a higher and more general plane, as well as being perfect examples in themselves of how to apply the principles in certain circumstances. Thus Paul was able to see that in practising, year by year, the principle of not muzzling an ox when treading the grain, letting it feed freely and generously as it worked, is a principle that can be manifest on the heart and which can be applied in a variety of circumstances, including payment of ministers of the Gospel. Paul had learned to read the heart intent of these Mitzvot and expects us to do the same.

Another seemingly remote example (this time, however, not quoted in the New Testament) is Deuteronomy 22:8. When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof. Is this principle now to be taken literally, be of no effect, or speak of a general principle? This is an excellent example of loving our neighbour and a perfect example for Middle-Eastern houses with flat roofs, so that there are circumstances even today where it is what we should do quite literally. However, through meditating on the principle it speaks of care for safety in every area of our interaction with our neighbours and challenges our heart as to whether we care for our neighbour and hence challenges our maturity in our spiritual rebirth. Parapets speak of fire extinguishers, first aid boxes, guards on our machinery, and careful safety precautions in all that we do. The Torah principle is a profound and perfect prompt to a general principle that can be applied in millions of circumstances, prompted from the heart, but impossible to contain, in the entirety of its applications, in the covers of our Bible.

I would add one more point in light of our search for the Jewish roots of our faith, so that we do not despise too readily what was achieved through the Church. I can take my example from Britain, my own nation, but it applies to other countries where the Gospel message took root in the fabric of the nation, including the United States of America. For over a thousand years, from the time of Alfred the Great, the laws of Britain have reflected the heart of Torah. Alfred the Great caused the Ten Commandments and other parts of the law of Moses to be written into our law books. This is why, for example, we developed a consciousness for health and safety in our industries. The heart of the teaching about parapets has been applied in our nations albeit that we have forgotten when and how. Now, as we seek to recover and make more explicit what Torah is in our Churches, we must not forget our heritage. We can recognise that there has been a Torah impact to our nations and hence a hope for recovery in these days of growing Torahless-ness. Furthermore, we must be among those who add depth to the lives of believers and not those who lead them to a new form of superficiality.

Ministering Angels in our Homes

There is not enough in our Bibles to give us full understanding of the ministry of angels. There is enough to give some ideas, however, and lead us to expect that angels are sent to us in certain circumstances to give messages from the Lord or bring protection and encouragement, among, perhaps, other things. We know that the Lord Jesus received ministry from angels (Matthew 4:11). We know that we might receive unexpected visitations (Hebrews 13:2). In particular, there is a profound promise of protection in Psalm 91:11. Paul seems to be aware of the ministry of angels as part of our community life (1 Corinthians 11:10), referring quite naturally to their presence. Jewish tradition, outside of what we see in the Bible, is not clear on the ministry of angels. Probably Christian tradition has more to say. It seems that we should take the ministry of angels seriously but be careful not to assume too much, particularly in what is not written and validated. This causes us to enter the sensitive area of experience. Hence, what I would suggest here, must be taken as an idea to be confirmed rather than a statement of certainty.

First, I have wondered for some time whether the peace that we often experience, say in our homes or fellowship meetings, is because of the protection of angels. Often it is said, in such circumstances, that the presence of the Holy Spirit was strong. Perhaps we forget the part that the angels played.

Secondly, I wonder how much the protection of angels is important in the lives of our children. This may have an important bearing on how we bring them up in a believing family and explain some of the falling away in teenage years. Suppose the Jews had it right when they saw the age of twelve as being a transition point in taking personal responsibility. Could this be linked to the problems that we get with our teenagers? Should we refine our view of children’s ministry because of this? Many children, in their early years seem to make some form of commitment to Jesus. They seem to be better examples of Christians than their parents in those early years. Then, comes the challenge of the teenage years and back they slide into the temptations of the world. Did they really make a commitment, or did we simply misunderstand a part of their growing up?

With God’s protection disappearing from our nations, as many turn from Him, perhaps it is time for us to consider the ministry of angels in our homes and among our children. These things cause me to ask whether there is a protection of angels during the formative years of a child’s life. If this is so, then we can pray confidently for this protection and also take account of it as we plan our education in the home. Our home can be a place of peace and edification in the Lord in the midst of ministering angels. In understanding this, however, we must recognise that a time may come when our children will need to come to maturity outside of our influence and in their own right before God, that in their teenage years the protection of angels may not be so evident, as God is leading them Himself in a different way, that temptations may come in on account of this. If this is so, we can prepare for all this in our education process at home. If we make our early preparations wisely this transition into adult life might be smoother than it otherwise might have been, as we are more aware what is going on in different stages of the lives of our children.