Listen and Live

(Proverbs 19:16 KJV)  He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.

Once again my eye was caught by the word “commandment” (4687).  As I looked over the different translations available this was the most common word used.  Two used “law” (Bible in Basic English, Good News Bible), one used “teachings” (CEV) and the ones I consider paraphrases made it plural instead of singular.  I wonder if it is significant the word for “commandment” (4687) is “mitsvah” and not “torah” (8451)?

Because I believe the Bible is inspired by God I believe the choice of words is significant.  Here we have a command, not a law.  What is the difference?  As I looked at the definitions of the Hebrew words one difference I saw was the personal touch.  The Law, or Torah, was written down.  It is very precise and was used to regulate temple worship.  The commands of God seem to be personally delivered.

So?  God has given us the manual but He also speaks to us.  Many of the situations we face in life are not spelled out exactly because the Bible was written before modern electronics were around to divert us from the path.  So God still speaks to us individually.  We need to learn to listen is we want to keep our soul.  What He speaks will never violate what is written but it will give us direction when the events we face don’t fit into a niche.