Faith Journey on Paul

Continuing in my reading of Beth Moore's To Live As Christ, my curiosity remains peaked of the lives these Pharisee's led. No doubt, the temptation to grow in knowledge outside of the authority of the Holy Spirit can lead to an arrogant, self-righteous attitude, behavior, and character.

Ch. 2 The Childhood of a Pharisee's Son
Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." This passage was passionately executed by the Hebrew father in particular. It embodied one of the sternest commands of God's Law.

Philippians 3:5 gives us a peak into the childhood of Paul, himself, when he says "5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee." Nothing but a Hebrew worldview would have influenced him. He was sheltered in the utmost respect. According to The Code of Jewish Law it was the fathers responsibility to train in the practice of all precepts (Biblical or Rabbinical) and to guard their children from any "forbidden act."

The temptation to attach a negative connotation to the name Pharisee should be moderated. As the Christian is often perceived negatively because of those who have distorted its true identity, the Pharisees have come to be known as religious, proud, and hypocritical. In a noble sense they were passionate in their religious life, austere in ideals, and sought to be holy in life.

Paul warns the passionate follower also to be cautious in Ephesians 6:4 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
Perhaps when the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these words, He used Paul specifically because of his own experience or observations of those around him. Though the Code of Jewish Law condemned overt harshness to children and the Jewish parents saw their children as the greatest of all blessings, the temptation must have been amongst those who sought to showcase their families and children as "godly" and upright.

Children were taught to properly speak prepared responses at the synagogue and to say the Schmone-Ezre (primary prayers of the Jews spoken in the morning, noon, and evening.) They were trained to ask traditional questions during orthodox Jewish Passover celebrations prompting the father to teach them the rich history of Israel's exodus from slavery. They read scripture by five years old, began education at the school of the rabbi by six years old, memorized Deuteronomy 6:4-9 by six, and then Psalm 113-118. By ten years old a Jewish son knew the intricacies of the oral law, steeped and stretched with constant memorization. Between 10-13, a transforming time for any boy, was a true metamorphosis in a Jewish boys life. For by 13, he was considered a son of the law.

The wearing of phylacteries, tefillin, was a practice amongst the most orthodox of Jews. Each morning he would wear these two black leather cubes with long leather straps. One would be worn on his left arm facing his heart and the other was placed in the center of his forehead. The straps on his arm were wound exactly seven times around his arm. The cubes had specific passages from the Torah written on strips of parchment. While these practices may seem strange, they do reflect a passionate attempt to literally interpret the scripture.

An annual observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is referred to in Exodus 13:9 "This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand." Here we see how the avid Hebrew was seeking to obediently follow such commands. And while "we don't practice the outward expression, we would be wise to share the inward principle."

It seems we, as humans, have an innate desire to passionately approach life with traditions and customs, and seeking ways of expressing our heritage and origin. We long to express ourselves to our "Creator." Though a contradiction can come when we compromise the demonstration of the love of that Creator. Throughout the history of the Hebrews we see God's continuous display of compassion, forgiveness, and love. And this drive of many Pharisees to know the Law of their God fell short when they neglected to know and display the Love of this same God.

Hebrew was not just a religion. Judaism was not just a way of life. It, all, defined who you were, how you thought, and what you felt.