Daily Devotionals

Voice of the Lord

Devotional: 23rd of Tishrei

Pay attention to the public reading of the Scriptures (1 Timothy 4:13).

A fitting close to the fall Holy Days is the joyful celebration called Simchat Torah (the Joy of the Law). Although it is not part of the Leviticus 23 list of feasts, Simchat Torah was designated as a time to celebrate the completion of the annual cycle of Scripture readings chanted each week in our synagogues. While some believers may find it curious to rejoice in the Law, our people have always found joy in knowing that we have been entrusted with the words of HaShem (God; literally, "the Name"). In fact, the word Torah is properly translated as "teaching" or "instruction" (from the Hebrew root horah), which tells us the precise purpose of the Scroll.

When properly understood, the Torah should be viewed not as some negative legal system, but as God's instructions for living a life blessed by him. For this reason, the Lord commanded Moshe (Moses), at the end of his ministry, to teach a portion of the Torah to Israel in its chanted form (Deuteronomy 31:19), a tradition which continues to this day.

From the above passage, we are also reminded that public reading of Scripture was a part of worship in the Messianic synagogues of the first century. Timothy, a young congregational leader, is exhorted to give attention to the public reading of the Scriptures.

The Word of God must always be before us if we are to know God's will and how to accomplish it. Certainly, we can rejoice that we have the instruction of God in his Word!

...apply the Word of God to my life, that I may experience the blessings of the Father.

BK