“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:10-11
I have been reading books written by Lois Tverberg and Ann Spangler about understanding scripture with a Jewish mindset. The premise is that we cannot fully understand the idioms and word pictures used in the Bible without an understanding of the culture they were written in and to. Watching people from other countries grapple with American idioms solidifies the veracity this claim. My mother-in-law loves to recount the story of the Japanese husband of a young lady who was new to the USA and expecting a baby. He was horrified that the ladies of the church wanted to give his wife a shower, he explained they showered perfectly well at home.
Words have multiple meanings and nuances. Facial expressions add to meaning. Diction, pronunciation, and volume can change the meaning of a statement. Add to that the fact that language changes, words morph. Each year there are additions and subtractions to and from the dictionary. Have you recently used or heard the words rizz, snollygoster, sternforemost, or zhuzh? Which ones are newly added to our vocabulary and which ones have become obsolete?
English as a language has a huge number of words, but Hebrew has a relatively small vocabulary. Hebrew terms have multiple definitions causing Biblical scholars to interpret which definition best fits the translation. I’m not calling truth into question, merely pointing out that an understanding of Jewish culture adds understanding and clarity to the western mind.
The authors remind western readers like myself that the average Jewish person, the average Israelite, would have memorized the Scripture. At least the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) if not all of it. My jaw drops. For years I have tried (and failed!) to memorize the first chapter of the book of John. I have a friend who has memorized several books of the New Testament. I have children and grandchildren who participate in Bible quizzing, which means they have memorized large portions of scripture and can win awards. But I am dumbfounded by an entire group of people who have memorized so much scripture. It is literally hidden in their heart.
When Jesus spoke to large groups of people in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, they would have known exactly how his words fit in with the scriptures they had memorized and recited year after year. They would have heard how his words were critical of the religious leaders, they would have understood clearly when he equated himself with God, and they would have known that to have a clear eye related to generosity, not morality.
Ironically I have been able to memorize parts of Psalm 119, “thy word have I hid in my heart”, its the rest of the word I have to look up! And I do. And before you beat yourself up for not being a memorizer, my point here is not to make us feel inferior or lacking, just to point out the necessity of knowing scripture if we desire to follow God.
I’m afraid we westerners take a rather passive stance on faith, allowing others to preach and teach and tell us what to think and do. Never before has the Bible been so available to so many people. Bible apps are free on any smartphone. The internet provides easy access to the word. Churches hand out Bibles and send them all around the world. The question is, do we read them? Do we ingest large portions of scripture, so when the next great orator instructs us on some urgent matter we can quickly see the truth or dishonesty in his or her words?
In Jesus’ day people both accepted and rejected his claim, but most knew the scriptures. They had a basis to make their decision on. As you spend time listening to speakers of all ilks, what basis do you use to accept or reject claims and ideas? What makes something good or bad, right or wrong?
Everyone uses something by which to measure what they believe. We call it a standard. One of the most basic standards in Jewish thought is life. Does something hinder life or promote life? That one standard will answer a lot of today’s issues, using very few vocabulary words and not a lot of vitriol.
Psalm 119 tells me that my standards need to be found in the Bible. And that I need to know those words to walk in faith. Though I am not a memorizer, I am a reader. I have found that the more I read the Bible, the more the words truly are hidden in my heart. Words I did not set out to memorize come to my mind and help me in my everyday walk.
Whether you memorize or just commit to reading scripture daily, my prayer is that God will speak to your heart as you dive into his word and listen with the Jewish mindset of making the word the most important aspect of your life, the standard by which all else is measured.
Last week I shared a recipe from an old cookbook. In that same cookbook is a moist quick cake I remember loving as a child. We called it Jewish Nut Bread but I have no idea why! It is not a bread by any traditional means and as far as I know it has no Jewish roots. It is a delicious, easy to make treat and I hope will celebrate the concept of reading and hearing scripture with a Jewish heart.
Jewish Nut Bread
originally from Carolyn Hendrickson
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups Gold Medal Flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
Cream butter and sugar in stand mixer. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and prepare buttermilk (you can buy buttermilk or create buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice to almost one cup of regular milk). Add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture alternately, stirring to prevent lumps. When smooth add drained pineapple and chopped nuts.
Make topping by combining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
Pour half of batter in a greased 13×9″ pan. Sprinkle half of topping over this batter. Pour the rest of the batter over this and sprinkle with the rest of the topping.
Bake at 350* for 50 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. Enjoy with friends and family!
Still contemplating the changing words? Here is the reality:
rizz–newly added to the dictionary, definition–romantic charm or appeal
snolleygoster–obsolete and recently removed from the dictionary, definition: an unscrupulous politician
sternforemost–obsolete and recently removed from the dictionary, definition: a ship moving backward
zhuzh–newly added to the dictionary, definition: a small improvement, adjustment or addition that completes the overall look or flavor of something
Below is a link to one of Lois Tverberg’s books.
http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/reading-the-bible-with-rabbi-jesus/352322
Awesome again. ANd, I get hungry every time I read your column. Love you, Mom