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Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25: 5 (NIV)
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INTRODUCTION
Learning is a lifelong journey according to ancient Hebrew wisdom. Many teachers and mentors we have encountered over the years. They all leave their mark upon us, but as David said in Psalm 25, there is no better teacher than God. The Hebrew word for teaching is lamad. The Holy Spirit that now resides on the inside of every believer teaches us of God’s ways and equips us to keep God’s commands. He is always there with instructions on what to do next.
BABY STEPS
Into this world, we come as small and vulnerable beings. While the first months are usually spent mostly sleeping soon our journey of learning begins. And who are our first teachers? Our parents of course. By mimicking their actions, and exploring our surroundings, we soon start to gain our first victories and knowledge that ultimately begins to shape us into who we are to be one day.
Besides our parents, other members of our close family circle, the parents of our first playmates and friends, and our kindergarten teachers end up being our first teachers, our first influencers. We are heavily dependent on their guidance, usually yet still clueless as to how this world operates.
The older we get the more teachers, mentors, and influencers we get exposed to. While the majority mean us well, we do have to be careful who we listen to.
LAMAD - TO TEACH, TO LEARN
There is still one voice, one teacher that we should all be introduced to as early as possible. David in Psalm 25 reminds us who that is - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In his plea he asks God to teach him, to guide him. The Hebrew word used here is lamad. It appears in the Bible and Torah 86 times and means to teach, to learn, to instruct. (2)(https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3925.htm)
It refers to the teaching and learning of God’s laws and ways, commandments, and wisdom. In ancient Israel, learning was a holistic process involving the heart, soul, and strength. Teaching and teachers were in high regard and learning was seen as a lifelong process. Per them, you can teach an old dog new tricks. (2)(https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3925.htm)
HE WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS
When Yeshua came to fulfill that which was prophesied long ago, before leaving He promised a helper would be sent. A Helper that will teach us all things about the Kingdom of Yahweh.
A helper that will bring to remembrance all that Messiah taught us during His earthly ministry. None other than the Holy Spirit that now resides in every believer.
The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to hear from Yahweh, see visions, and dream dreams as confirmed in Acts 2: 17 (NIV), “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
He teaches us God’s ways and decrees. And not only teaches us about them but through His strength that He lends to us also helps us in keeping them. As the Word says in Ephesians 2: 8-9 (NIV), “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast.”
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CONCLUSION
Learning is a lifelong process per the ancient Israelite wisdom. Many teachers we have had over the years. All of them have in some way shaped us into who we are today. But as David himself stated in Psalm 25, there is no greater teacher than God Almighty. The Hebrew word he used was lamad. It means to teach, to learn, to instruct. And it is through the Holy Spirit that now resides inside every believer that Yahweh instructs His beloved ones today.
Application
Take some time throughout the week and ask God to reveal to you any new instructions He may have for you. Write them down.
SOURCES
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Bible Hub: Lamad. Accessed on 16.11.2024. Available at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3925.htm
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