Rav Sha ’ ul says we should walk out our salvation with fear and trembling ( Philippians 2:12 ). While we have confidence in our salvation , we should be seeking the Lord as to how we might demonstrate that salvation in the ways we behave , and to do so more completely today , this week , this year than we did yesterday , last week or even last year . Shimon Kefa , too , exhorts us as the followers of Yeshua from among Israel and the nations to “ conduct ourselves with fear ” ( 1 Peter 1:17 ) and to be sure that “ our conduct is honorable that the Lord might be glorified ” ( 1 Peter 2:12 ). A soft heart that is seeking His correction , as one born of repentance , is a key to unlock our growth in conducting ourselves in ways of our Messiah Yeshua .
The pursuit of moral and ethical growth in Judaism is a field of study known as Mussar . A foundational text of Mussar is from Proverbs 3:11-12 :
Moses writes to Israel saying , “ When you are in distress because all these things have befallen you , in the end of days , return to the LORD your God and obey Him .” ( Deuteronomy 4:30 ) Training ourselves to have this kind of initial response is part of living a life of repentance .
In Rabbinic thought , seven phenomena were thought of by God before the world itself was created – the Torah , repentance , eternal paradise , eternal punishment , the Throne of Glory , the Temple , and the Name of the Messiah . ( Pesachim 54a ) In a discussion of why repentance was created before the world came to be , the Sages teach that this was because God consulted the Torah and its righteousness ahead of His creating mankind .
My son , do not despise the chastening of the Lord , Nor detest His correction ; For whom the Lord loves He corrects . Just as a father the son in whom he delights .
The first word of verse 11 in Hebrew is
“ mussar ” and often translates as מוּסַ ֣ר “ chastening ” as it is seen in the New King James version . As for those of us who are aware of an adversary that is working against us , sometimes our response is not always to ask the Lord what it is that He might be doing to help us grow through such adversity . Our first response should be , “ Is there something you are trying to teach me , Lord ?”
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