Shabbat Shalom everyone! My name is Peter. Today is the 24th day of the 9th month, year 5785, December 27th, 2024, and welcome, to the Our Heavenly Father podcast.
Today, we’ll tackle the question:
Does the Bible contain a rigid set of laws,
or loving instructions for life?
In our previous episodes, we explored God’s commandments and their profound purpose in our lives. We examined the Ten Commandments and saw how they teach us to both honor God and our fellow human beings.
A creator invests time, effort, and care into what they create. This investment itself demonstrates love for the creation – why else spend the effort to create it? We see this principle in everything from an artist laboring over a masterpiece to parents caring for their children. The very act of creating something implies a desire to see it succeed.
What creator, having invested in their creation, would then want to see it fail? What artist deliberately damages their masterpiece? What parent intentionally stunts their child’s growth?
The very notion is contradictory to the purpose of creation itself.
Therefore, when we look at our Heavenly Father as Creator, it would be illogical to conclude He wants His creation to fail. If He took the time and care to create humanity, to give us consciousness and free will, to make us in His own image – why would He then want to restrict or limit our development? Such actions would work against His own creative purpose.
A creator who creates something, logically wants it to thrive and grow.
For any species to survive, learning is essential. We even see animal parents teaching their young vital survival skills. Human beings, with our complex societies and relationships, require far more extensive learning. Not just for basic survival, but to reach our full potential as beings created in God’s image.
Anthropologists have extensively studied this connection between learning and survival.
As Margaret Mead observed after decades of research into different cultures,
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
Her research showed that societies that successfully teach principles rather than just rules create more resilient and adaptable generations. Those that fail to effectively transmit their wisdom eventually disappear.
Human civilization itself is built on accumulated knowledge passed down through generations. Without preserved instruction, each generation would have to start over, learning everything through trial and error. This would make meaningful progress impossible.
The survival and advancement of humanity depends on received wisdom.
If this is true for basic human knowledge, how much more crucial is divine instruction for understanding how to live in harmony with creation, with each other, and with our Creator? Just as any complex system requires a manual to operate correctly, humanity needs instruction to fulfill its divine purpose and potential.
We find evidence that God provided these essential instructions from the very beginning. Noah understood principles about clean and unclean animals. Abraham followed God’s statutes and commandments. But as human lifespans shortened after the flood, oral transmission became increasingly unreliable. Instructions became corrupted or lost entirely. This is why God had to restore His instructions directly at Sinai, preserving them in written form.
This brings us to a crucial question, one that shapes our entire relationship with God: When we look at the Bible, are we seeing a rigid set of laws meant to restrict us, or are we seeing loving instructions meant to guide us as we learn and grow?
The answer to this question transforms how we understand every word of Scripture.
We can see this principle of loving guidance reflected in how we naturally teach those we care about. Think about how children learn to walk. They fall countless times, but each fall teaches them something valuable – how to balance better, how to shift their weight, how to get back up. Loving parents don’t punish their children for falling; instead, they encourage them, guide them, and celebrate their efforts.
This is exactly how our Heavenly Father approaches teaching us through His Torah.
Think about the difference between a referee and a coach. A referee simply makes calls about rules – whether they were broken or not – often leaving players frustrated and confused about decisions they don’t understand. But a coach? A coach teaches, guides, and helps players learn from their mistakes. When a player makes an error, the coach doesn’t penalize them – they show them how to improve, celebrate their progress, and help them develop their skills.
This difference perfectly illustrates how we should understand Torah – not as a system of rigid rules and penalties, but as divine coaching for life.
The Hebrew language itself reveals this truth about God’s instructions. The word we often translate as ‘Law’ – Torah – comes from the Hebrew root word ‘yarah,’ which means ‘to teach’ or ‘to guide.’ This understanding transforms everything about how we approach God’s Word. When we see Torah as law, we focus on punishment and failure. But when we see it as instruction, we recognize it as our loving Father’s guidance – teaching us how to walk in His ways, helping us up when we fall, and celebrating our growth.
Studies in human motivation show that people who understand the ‘why’ behind guidelines are more likely to internalize and maintain positive behaviors. As psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset demonstrates, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning rather than as tests of compliance leads to better outcomes and healthier development.
The effects extend beyond just learning. Research in positive psychology, led by Martin Seligman, shows that approaching life through understanding and growth rather than rigid rule-following correlates with better mental health, stronger relationships, and greater life satisfaction. This modern research confirms what Torah has taught for millennia – that true transformation comes through understanding and growth, not merely through compliance.
The Hebrew language was perfectly designed for this teaching purpose.
Biblical scholar William Foxwell Albright, after decades studying ancient Near Eastern languages, observed that Hebrew’s concrete, action-oriented nature made it uniquely suited for conveying divine instruction. Unlike Greek, which excelled at philosophical abstraction, Hebrew’s focus on concrete actions made it ideal for teaching practical wisdom for daily living.
How did we lose this profound understanding of the word Torah?
In the Jewish diaspora in Egypt during the third century BCE, as more Jews began speaking Greek instead of Hebrew, they needed a translation of their sacred texts. This led to the creation of the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.
The translators, however, faced a crucial decision: how to translate the word “torah.”
The Greek translators didn’t have a single word that captured the full meaning of Torah, and chose the word “nomos”, which primarily meant “law” or “custom.” This wasn’t entirely incorrect – torah does include legal elements. But “nomos” lacked the warmth, the sense of teaching and guidance that “torah” conveyed. It would be like translating “parent” as “rule-enforcer” – technically accurate in one aspect, but missing the heart of the relationship.
This shift from “torah” to “nomos” had far-reaching consequences. When the first Latin translations were made, they naturally translated “nomos” as “lex”. And when English translations followed, they continued this pattern, rendering it as “law.” With each translation, the original sense of instruction became more… distant.
This translation shift had profound consequences. It didn’t just change a word – it changed how entire civilizations would view God’s instructions. To understand just how different the Torah’s approach is, let’s look at how other ancient societies approached the guidance of their people.
Every society needs a system to guide behavior and maintain order – this is a basic requirement for civilization to function. But how a society structures these guidelines reveals what they truly value and what they’re trying to achieve.
Consider the Code of Hammurabi, written about 300 years before the Torah was given at Mount Sinai. Like most ancient legal codes, it was fundamentally about maintaining social order through force and fear. It begins with Hammurabi glorifying himself and establishing his authority to make laws. The punishments it prescribes are often harsh and vary based on social status – injuring a nobleman’s eye would cost you your own eye, but injuring a commoner’s eye… only required paying a fine.
The underlying message was clear: know your place and stay in line.
Archaeological findings from Mesopotamia reveal that legal codes like Hammurabi’s were typically displayed in temples, accessible only to priests and scribes. In contrast, Deuteronomy 6:6-9 commands that God’s instructions be taught to children, discussed at home, and written on doorposts – making them accessible to everyone.
Torah begins with
Before giving any instructions, God reminds the people of their relationship with Him and His act of redemption. He establishes Himself not as a distant lawgiver, but as a deliverer who acts on behalf of His people.“I am YEHOVAH your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
The Mari letters, ancient diplomatic correspondence from Mesopotamia, show us that most ancient societies accepted social hierarchy as natural and God-given. But Torah repeatedly emphasizes that all humans are created in God’s image. When it says
It’s teaching a radical equality that was unheard of in the ancient world.“You shall have one law for the stranger and the native-born” (Leviticus 24:22)
This fundamental difference – between control and development – becomes even clearer when we look at specific instructions in the Torah. While other ancient codes focused on maintaining order through detailed rules, Torah provides enduring principles that can be applied across all times and all cultures.
In his landmark study, “Making Democracy Work,” sociologist Robert Putnam analyzed 20 years of data across multiple societies, demonstrating that communities built on shared principles and values consistently outperform those held together by mere rules and enforcement. His research showed that principle-based communities had 60% higher rates of civic participation, 40% lower crime rates, and significantly better economic outcomes. His research demonstrates that when people understand and embrace common principles, they create what he calls “social capital” – networks of trust and cooperation that strengthen entire societies.
This explains why Torah-based communities historically showed remarkable resilience and cohesion, even under extreme pressure.
The Code of Hammurabi provided specific punishments for specific crimes – if you did X, you received Y as punishment. But Torah teaches principles that help prevent harm in the first place. Take Deuteronomy 22:8:
“When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof.”
Read as law, this might seem irrelevant to many modern homes where people no longer entertain guests on their roofs; but the principle being taught – taking active responsibility for others’ safety – remains profoundly relevant today.
This pattern of eternal principles appears throughout Torah. Consider the agricultural laws. Leviticus 19:9-10 instructs farmers not to harvest the corners of their fields but to leave them for the poor and the stranger. The Hebrew word for “corner” here, “pe’ah,” shares a root with words relating to meeting or encountering others. This isn’t just about farming – it’s teaching us to build consideration for others into the very structure of our economic activities.
The cities of refuge provide another powerful example. Numbers 35 establishes these cities where someone who accidentally causes a death can flee for protection. If this were merely law, it would focus on punishment. Instead, it teaches us about balancing justice with mercy.
Archaeological excavations at Kedesh in the Galilee, led by Professor Sharon Zuckerman of the Hebrew University, revealed remarkable evidence of these cities’ accessibility. The roads leading to these cities were consistently twice the width of normal ancient highways, with distinctive stone markers at regular intervals. Similar findings at other refuge cities like Shechem demonstrate this wasn’t isolated but part of a systematic approach to making justice accessible.
These physical remains teach us something profound – Torah principles weren’t just theoretical ideas but were built into the very infrastructure of ancient Israelite society. Just as those wide roads and clear markers made justice physically accessible, Torah’s principles guide us in making modern systems – whether legal, economic, or social – equally accessible to all.
This demonstrates how understanding Torah as principles rather than just rules transforms our approach to modern challenges. When we grasp the principle behind an instruction, we can apply that wisdom to situations the ancient world never imagined.
Take the instruction about honest weights and measures in Leviticus 19:36. In ancient times, this meant using accurate scales in the marketplace – not cheating customers by using rigged weights. Today, this same principle guides us in new ways: being honest in our business dealings, truthful about products we sell, and authentic in how we present ourselves online.
The principle of honesty in our dealings remains constant, even as the ways we interact and do business evolve.
Studies in behavioral psychology demonstrate the lasting impact of principle-based guidance. Research by Albert Bandura shows that when people internalize principles rather than just following rules, they maintain positive behaviors even without external monitoring or enforcement.
A comprehensive 20-year study by University of Pennsylvania researchers, tracking over 1,500 individuals from childhood to adulthood, found that those guided by understood principles rather than just rules showed significantly better long-term decision-making and adaptability to new situations. The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Development, demonstrated that principle-based guidance led to better outcomes across education, career, and relationships.
This modern research echoes an ancient wisdom. As James wrote,
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was” (James 1:23-24).
True transformation requires not just hearing, but understanding and internalizing the principles being taught, while mere rule-following often results in temporary compliance that is immediately forgotten.
Consider the name “Israel” – it means “one who struggles with God.” This name comes from Jacob’s encounter where he wrestled with God through the night, refusing to let go until he received a blessing. Remarkably, God honored this struggle, transforming it into a name of distinction for His people.
This tells us something crucial about Torah. God doesn’t want passive followers who blindly obey rules. He wants children who engage deeply with His teachings, who wrestle with their meaning, who aren’t afraid to ask questions and seek understanding. Just as Jacob was transformed through his wrestling, we grow through engaging deeply with God’s instructions.
Think about God’s first instruction to humanity: “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” This wasn’t a command to stay in one place and follow a rigid set of rules. The Hebrew word for “fill,” “male’u,” implies more than just occupying space – it suggests filling the earth with meaning and purpose through human creativity and initiative.
It was an instruction to explore, to venture out, and to engage with the incredible world He created.
As Samson Raphael Hirsch noted, Torah contains no instructions that restrict human intellectual or cultural development. Instead, it provides wisdom that helps us explore and grow safely. It’s like guardrails on a mountain road – they don’t restrict your journey; they make it possible to travel safely to heights you couldn’t have reached otherwise.
A creator who loves what they have created wants it to thrive and grow.
Now we can see how perfectly Torah fulfills this purpose. It’s not a rigid set of rules that confine us – it’s a dynamic system of instruction that enables us to develop, to explore, to reach our full potential as beings created in God’s image.
When we see Torah as loving instruction, everything transforms – fear becomes joy, burden becomes freedom, and rules become relationship.
As Psalm 119:165 tells us,
This isn’t describing the peace of rigid conformity, but the peace that comes from knowing we have a Father who guides us as we explore and grow.“Great peace have those who love Your Torah; nothing can make them stumble.”
Like Israel himself, who wrestled with God and was transformed, we’re invited into a dynamic relationship where questions and growth are not just allowed but encouraged. Each instruction becomes an opportunity to understand more deeply, to grow more fully, to become more of who we were created to be.
So… take another look at God’s Word. What if it’s not about perfection or punishment? What if it’s about having the courage to explore the world He created, about wrestling with deep questions and growing through the process? What if every instruction is an invitation to develop wisdom, to build character… to learn how to truly thrive?
This has been the Our Heavenly Father podcast.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe! And if you want to help spread the good news, please invite your friends to subscribe too.
If you have any questions, comments, or a suggestion for a future podcast, please feel free to e-mail me at peter@our-heavenly-father.com.
Thanks again for listening and I hope you’ll be back for our next podcast!
Peace to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!
Amen
