The
concept of Mitzvah to the Jewish people is that God has given us a set
of commands that we are to follow. Unfortunately Christians many times
think that because of grace, God has somehow excused us from following
these commands; or we will say “God has only given us the 10
commandments to follow and they sum up the other 603.” As a follower of
Jesus (Yeshua) it is hard for me to understand why we don’t do what God
has asked us. Jesus, himself Jewish, did not disobey the commandments,
nor did he teach anyone else to break them either. So why do we as
Christians feel that it’s okay to forget God’s Law? For Christians the
answer is grace. But Jesus himself says “If you love me, you will obey
my commands.” (John 14:15) Many times we forget that when someone asks
us to do something; the best way that we can show we love them is to
obey them.
As
we read through the Bible and we see the various Mitzvah that God has
given us, why do we put it off? Maybe it’s because our lives get busy
and we think “I’ll do this or that later.” Then later never comes—let’s
look at it this way “Dough
put on the back burner will ultimately ferment or sour; because of the
slow rate, it will become unfit for use. And the same is true of our
obligations. We say: “I’ll get to this really soon, but I have to
back-burner it for now.” And “soon,” the opportunity sours. Our sweet
dreams turn into bitter reality. Just as the matzah dough eventually
rises, whether we want it to or not, and is spoiled, so too
opportunities slip by, like it or not, and are lost.”[1] If we have a chance to do a mitzvah, we should grab it, for that opportunity may not present itself again.
Never put off a Mitzvah when it comes your way; the blessing of doing the Mitzvah will also pass you by.
[1] Michael Katz and Gershon Schwartz, Searching for Meaning in Midrash: Lessons for Everyday Living (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 2002), 99.
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