Bits of Torah Truths – #Torah Concept in the NT: Prove What is Acceptable to God – Episode 664
Ephesians 5:10
בַּחֲנוּ וְהִוָּכְחוּ מָה רָצוּי בְּעֵינֵי הָאָדוֹן.
#torah #torahwisdom #torahtruth #torahforlife #torah4you #torahtruth
Ephesians 5:10
5:10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. (NASB)
https://www.matsati.com/index.php/category/bits-of-torah-truths/
The Torah repeatedly emphasizes discerning and testing what is “acceptable” to God, paralleling Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 5:10. In the Torah, this takes the form of commands to examine, choose, and prove obedience through covenant faithfulness, sacrifice, and ethical conduct.
– Key Torah Parallels to Ephesians 5:10 –
- Deuteronomy 12:28 “Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee… when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.” This is a direct parallel: Israel must test and prove their actions by whether they align with what God calls “good and right.”
- Deuteronomy 30:19–20 “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life… to love the LORD thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him.” The act of choosing life is essentially proving what pleases God, discerning between acceptable and unacceptable paths.
- Leviticus 22:19–20 illustrates the principle of testing quality before presenting it to the Lord, echoing the NT idea of proving what is well-pleasing.
- Exodus 19:5–6 Israel is called to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” if they obey God’s voice. The covenant itself is conditional on proving obedience, showing that acceptability is tested through faithful response.
Note the Thematic Connections:
- Testing & Discernment, just as Paul urges believers to “prove” what pleases Christ, Torah passages stress examining actions against divine instruction.
- Holiness & Separation, Both Torah and Ephesians link acceptability to God with separation from impurity and idolatry. Covenant Obedience, Torah frames acceptability in covenant terms, obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings curse. Paul reframes this in Christ, but the principle is the same.
- Sacrificial Imagery, Torah sacrifices must be acceptable; Paul applies this metaphor to ethical living as a “living sacrifice” (cf. Romans 12:2, closely related to Eph. 5:10).
Ephesians 5:10 “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” is not a new concept but a continuation of Torah’s call to discern, test, and choose obedience. The Torah provides the framework (laws, sacrifices, covenant conditions), while Paul applies it to the believer’s daily walk in the Spirit. This is how Paul taught Torah, the Torah has not passed away!
