Weightier Matters

What are these “Weightier Matters” that Yeshua admonished the Pharisees for ignoring? Are we falling into the same trap?

Mat 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe the mint and the anise and the cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: the right-ruling and the compassion and the belief. These need to have been done, without neglecting the others.

Luk 11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees, because you tithe the mint and the rue and every plant, and pass by the right-ruling and the love of Elohim. These you should have done, without leaving the others undone.

Let’s be sure we understand the definitions of these words first.

Right-ruling: H6666 tsedâqâh BDB Definition:1) justice, righteousness1a) righteousness (in government)1a1) of judge, ruler, king1a2) of law1a3) of Davidic king Messiah1b) righteousness (of God’s attribute)1c) righteousness (in a case or cause)1d) righteousness, truthfulness1e) righteousness (as ethically right)1f) righteousness (as vindicated), justification, salvation1f1) of God1f2) prosperity (of people)1g) righteous acts (The Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels defines it as: a righteous act; kindness to others; charity) Compassion: H2550 châmal BDB Definition:1) (Qal) to spare, pity, have compassion on

Belief/Faith: H530 ‘?mûnâh BDB Definition:1) firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness

Love: G26 – agap? Strongs Definition:1) affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love 2) love feasts

I’ll be honest, I don’t see a whole lot of charity, compassion, and benevolence being shown lately. We all seem to have our own version of the “truth” and if others don’t believe exactly as we do, we dismiss them as being lost. We are all very busy correcting people about their pagan holidays, Sabbath, and Greek thinking… but I have to ask, are we sharing this wisdom with love, meekness and humility?

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first clean, then peaceable, gentle, ready to obey, filled with compassion and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Pro 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up displeasure.

Have we forgotten when Ya’acov (James) made his ruling in Acts 15 regarding the faith of the new believers in Yeshua, the elders did not hand them a list of 613 commandments with the instructions to “keep all these”? No, he said:

Act 15:19 “Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the gentiles who are turning to Elohim, Act 15:20 but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood. Act 15:21 “For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.”

So, it was a walk, a growing into knowledge, wisdom and understanding of Torah. Why then do we feel the need to burden new believers (or even old believers who have a new understanding of the importance of Torah) with our constant berating about how they are not doing some aspect correctly? We cannot open their eyes or ears, only YHWH can and it is on His time table.

Deu 29:4 “But Abba has not given you a heart to know and eyes to see and ears to hear, till this day.

Where is the humbleness that Mosheh and Yeshua displayed?

Num 12:3 And the man Mosheh was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.

Psa 138:6 Though Abba is exalted, He looks on the humble; But the proud He perceives from a distance.

Pro 11:2 Pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.

Mat 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your beings.

Jas 4:6 But He gives greater favour. Because of this He says, “Elohim resists the proud, but gives favour to the humble.”

Why are we so busy inspecting the walk of others but ignoring our own fruit?

Mat 7:19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no Torah.

Have we forgotten that Yeshua did not debate and correct the masses? He didn’t even explain the parables to them.

Mat 13:10 And the taught ones came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Mat 13:11 And He answering, said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the reign of the heavens, but to them it has not been given. Mat 13:12 “For whoever possesses, to him more shall be given, and he shall have overflowingly; but whoever does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away from him. Mat 13:13 “Because of this I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Therefore, I would like to challenge us all to think this through, are we ignoring the weightier matters of Torah just like the Pharisees did?

Shalom until next time….