Jan 19, 2021

Prov 3:5-6, has been an “assurance of life by faith” blessing for me as far back as the early 1970’s; however, for the last 17 years, since I have been studying the “Hebrew Roots”of my Christian Faith, looking deeper into the Torah’s living power, whereby the real substance of this verse has exerted greater influence on my “perspective” of this powerful truth...

Let me explain: When one thinks of “their own understanding,” that would consist of considerable input and rational cogitation providing “motivation” of pursuits birthed out from a vast database of underlying influential stimuli... including, but not limited to: the total of one’s life experiences, education, collected opinions and philosophies of men, cultural exposure, religious and traditional practices, emotional and protective likes and fears, distasteful and honorable inclinations, etc. ... much of which contain some good (and some bad)... some true (and some false) practical and “accepted” information as “fact” as human nature thinks it to be... tragically, much of what is deposited in our “data base,” is not really what it seems, and is often an illusion that deceives us because of our selfish and indulgent appetites and pursuits. We forge on doing that which is at odds with God’s Word giving consent to blindness, which we all suffer from to some extent. We typically default to “selective” choices, many of which we must circumvent better judgment in order to feel “justified” in enjoining them.

Just being “bombarded” by life all around us is enough to draw us into choices that “our own understanding” manipulates to our comfort zones... we uses procrastination of the issues to eliminate having to deal with the difficult things we do not want to “deal with” at the time... this is where the Torah can “sanitize” our thinking... the Torah is God’s eternal Word, and it is the only filter through which the real issues of life can be properly evaluated (to God’s perspective, that is). The Torah is God’s protective shield when used in faithful obedience.

When we “trust in the LORD, with all our heart (giving honest mental considerations for what Torah defines as truth, righteousness, and justice), and “acknowledge Him” (YHWH/GOD) and pursue His expectations of us... life becomes a blessed experience... and our “paths” are clearly marked for our journey.

Now here is the companion scripture that confirms all of this:

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Prov 14:12 (KJV)

The “way which seemeth right unto a man,” is the same as the“Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil,” that was in the Garden... for you see, our corrupted “data base” of our “own understanding” is nothing less than fruit from the “Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil”... and is the sure pathway unto death. Whereas, Torah, has been known as the “Tree of Life,” from the beginning. It is the “Word that became flesh,” we understand that to be Yeshua (Jesus), who said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches…” We grafted on branches draw our eternal life source from The Word/Yeshua, living in us, and calling us to trust in Him with all our heart, and not let our own “understanding” confuse us. His way is the pathway through the “valley of the shadow of death,” where the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil tries to shade out the light of life… Yeshua is that lamp unto our feet and light unto our path.

Shalom… John

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.;  Ps 119:105