Dereḵ: Walking in the Way
“For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:19)
Abraham, his household, and his posterity had been set apart by Adonai.
His family would be a people of covenantal promise with the Most High throughout generations. The Creator would guide them and teach them in all things, establishing them in his Kingdom.
God’s heart was for his children, that they would “keep the way of the LORD.”
This “way” - dereḵ in Hebrew - consists of two core meanings, both of which are necessary in understanding God’s heart, and I believe hinge on (at least, in part) our view of time.
In the West, time is more commonly looked at from a linear vantage point. There is a beginning, middle, and end, with all things being focused directionally.
The way then, from a linear perspective, is more like a path towards a particular destination, one in which we have yet arrived, such as “heaven” or “the new creation” or our “perfectly redeemed state.”
We see hints of this at the end of the passage, when it says “that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
But the other layer is one we too often miss. It’s the more cyclical view of time, such as the never ending flow of days, seasons, and the liturgical feasts and festivals.
From this angle, the way of God reveals itself as less of a terminus, and more of a perennial mode of operation. It is how we walk and the manner in which we live.
The Lord’s way in us is our own embodiment of the character of God and the fruits of His Spirit (”doing righteousness and justice”); it’s an internal disposition towards the Divine that guides our engagement with the world in the here-and-now.
In Yeshua’s words, he prayerfully declared: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) And again: “Behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:21)
Our knowledge of Yeshua - our bond and connection with him - is eternal life, and we live this life in the context of his Kingdom as it continues to grow here on Earth - today. It isn’t something we solely await; it is what our life looks like now as we tend to and navigate this world alongside the counseling nearness of Yeshua.
He, like a second Abraham, is the the fulfillment of the first Abraham.
At essence, Yeshua came to establish a more complete family and community of faith (i.e. the Church) that would graft in people of all nations and tribes and tongues and races to become citizens of his Kingdom. This Kingdom would not be of this world, yet - through us - it would remain a beacon of light throughout the world.
Our Messiah’s mission wasn’t to start a new religion called “Christianity” - indeed, the word “Christian” only appears three times in the Scriptures and seems to be a term coined by those outside the faith. Rather, those of the early Church more commonly described themselves as “believers”, “disciples”, and “followers”.
Followers of what, you might ask?
Followers of “The Way”.
Just as Isaiah prophesied that all of Israel ought “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3) - words echoed by John the Baptizer at the arrival of Rabbi Yeshua - we now follow a Christ who we call “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).
May we each know the manner in which the Lord has called us to walk, that it might be an invitation to others into the way of life of the already-but-not-yet Kingdom of God.
BONUS:
The title says it all… check out John Mark Comer’s latest book: Practicing the Way.
