One Sunday morning whilst preparing my Torah study, the Lord gave me an unexpected gift—a revelation that would forever change how I see His commandments.
He asked me to imagine a multi-faceted jewel, turning it in the light to see how it sparkles from every angle. Then He said something remarkable: “This jewel represents one of My commandments. It’s priceless. The more you look at it, the more it reveals. Look at it straight on, then from a Jewish perspective, then non-Jewish. Look through the lens of Torah, the prophets, and finally through Jesus and the New Testament.” As I held this image in my mind, He showedme a treasure chest filled with hundreds of these sparkling jewels—traditionally 613 commandments—each one gleaming with infinite beauty and value. Then came the revelation that moved me deeply: “Greg, these jewels—my priceless commandments—each one represents one of My heart strings. When you look at My commandmentsfrom different angles, you begin to know My nature, one heart-string at a time.”
I thought about how we learn about people by visiting their homes. If they have boundaries for their children, we know something about them. If their garden is beautifully kept, we learn something more. It’s the same with God. When He says “Honour your father and mother,” I know something about His heart. When He commands us not to take eggs from a mother bird whilst she’s present, I discover His tenderness. Each commandment reveals another facet of who He is. Together, all His commandments represent His complete heart and nature. To know and understand His commandments is to begin knowing Him. To keep His commandments is to begin reflecting Him and becoming like Him.
But here’s where it gets truly amazing. The Lord then asked me: “What if I took all these jewels—My heart strings representing My heart and nature—and formed them into a human being who could walk amongst you?” The penny dropped. He had done exactly that in Yeshua of Nazareth. God joined all His commandments together, and they became flesh and dwelt amongst us. When we look at Jesus, we’re actually looking at God’s heart strings in the flesh. The Word became flesh.¹ This is why John could write, “The Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us.”² This is why Jesus could say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”³
From the beginning, God created us in His image⁴ and breathed His nature into us because He desires to dwell with us. He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He came down on Mount Sinai and gave Israel His Torah—His heart strings—so He could dwell amongst them. He commanded them to build a sanctuary, saying “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell amongst them.”⁵ And ultimately, He sent Jesus—Emmanuel, God with us—His Word and heart strings clothed in human flesh, to save us and make it possible for Him to dwell within us by His Holy Spirit.
This is the New Covenant that Jeremiah prophesied: “I will put My Torah in their minds and write it on their hearts.”⁶ God’s plan has always been to share His heart with us—to write His nature onto our nature. Through faith in Messiah, we receive salvation by grace. Then through obedience empowered by the Holy Spirit, we’re transformed throughout our lifetime.⁷ Each time we yield another part of our lives in submission to Him, one of our heart strings becomes one of His. We’re being transformed into His image, from glory to glory, becoming like our Father—our God—our Creator. You were created to be great, reflecting the very heart of God Himself.
Footnotes:
- John 1:1
- John 1:14
- John 14:9
- Genesis 1:26-27
- Exodus 25:8
- Jeremiah 31:33
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
Discover more in The Milk Course. The Milk Course explores the six foundational principles of Messiah. You can join The Milk Course at milkcourse.org. As well you can join Ps Greg Cumming every Saturday morning from 9.30-11am AEST for The Torah Portion. thetorahportion.org
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