Dump the List

(Proverbs 31:26 KJV)  She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

There are times in which I wish we would have more frequent transliteration in our Bibles.  For instance, I think it would be better communication to translate agape as agape, not love.  Here we have an entire phrase.  In our English it is “teaching” (8451) of “kindness” (2617a).  The Hebrew transliteration would be “Torah of chesed (lovingkindness).”  I mentioned this phrase before.

The thing that hit me today was that the Torah is not just a teaching, it is the law.  Out of the 219 times the word appears in the Old Testement, the KJV translates it “law” 219 times and the NASB 199 times.  Yes, it is taught.  No, it is not an option.

We are talking about the law of love.  This is the Christian standard.  It is the product of a heart transformed by the power of God.

So?  There is an unending list of attitudes and actions that we can’t keep track of.  Every time we turn around there is something else we are to not do.  It impossible to keep track.  It is all summed up in what the Hebrew calls chesed and the Greek calls agape.  Dump the list, live the law.