Is the Torah too Hard to Keep?
By
James Scott Trimm
Another popular teaching in the church is a teaching that Elohim only gave the Torah to Israel to prove that they could not keep it. For example one book states:
…Israel, in blindness and pride and self- righteousness, presumed to ask for the law and God granted their request, to show them that they could not keep his law…
(God’s Plan of the Ages; Louis T. Tallbot; 1970; p. 66)
Now lets think this through for a moment. God gives Israel the Torah. He says he will place curses upon Israel if they fail to keep the Torah (Lev. 26 & Deut 28-29). He sends prophets to warn Israel of pending destruction because of their continual failure to keep Torah. Eventually God allows Babylon to invade Jerusalem and the Jews to be taken into captivity, because of their failure to keep Torah. Then he comes along and says “Nah, I was only fooling. I just gave you the Torah to prove you could not do it.” What kind of God would that be? Of course as noble Bereans we can simply look in the Tanak to see if this poular teaching is true. Let us see what the Tanak says on this issue:
10 If you shall hearken to the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to keep His commandments and His statutes, which are written in this Book of the Torah; if you turn unto YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul.
11 For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us and make us to hear it, that we may do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?
14 But the word is very near unto you: in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
(Deut. 30:10-14 HRV)
The Hebrew word for “too hard” in Deut. 30:11 is נפלת which means “difficult, hard, extraordinary”. The New American Standard and New International Version have “not too difficult for you.” The Revised Standard Version has “not too difficult for you.”
The fact that the Torah can be kept is confirmed as well in the New Testament which tells us that Yeshua was tempted in all things just as we are and he did keep the Torah (Heb. 4:15).
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My eyes have recently been open to Romans 8 verses 1 and 2. For now there is no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua, what the law of the spirit of life has Set Me Free from the law of sin and death. Incredible when we continue reading there’s a new law in our bodies it is the new commandment.
Brett Weiner,
See my blog Is the Torah Weak and “Of the Flesh”? (Rom. 8:1-3)
http://nazarenespace.com/blog/2021/08/13/is-the-torah-weak-and-of-the-flesh-rom-81-3/
The key to understanding these verses is the context. We must first look up to Romans 7:14:
For we know that the Torah is of the Spirit:
but I am of the flesh, and I am sold to sin.
(Rom. 7:14 HRV)