In trying to convey a better understanding of the potent will-heart dynamic, I am well aware of the fact that I will only be dipping my toe into a vast ocean that conceals so much of the depth and mysteries regarding this particular subject matter. And although it's very hard for me to break a very complex and multi-layered topic down into smaller pieces, I will try my best, and I will have to take a bit of a swing here, too, in order to find ways to capture the essence of what I feel urged to draw attention to concerning will-heart interplay.
As I have repeatedly addressed in severals of my blogs, there is a reason why the Son of God and Son of Man chose to carry out his assignment within the Hebraic/ Aramaic context. And luckily, within the last couple of years, increased attention has been paid to this essential 'ingredient', as a growing number of believers are stepping into greater revelation of understanding more of the mysteries of Christ, as they long to engage in a deeper awareness of their indentity as part of that mystery.
Alyosha Ryabinov, a Russian-Jewish composer and author who attempts to connect the Tenach (the Old Testament) with the writings of the New Testament, provides a fragmental overview on this topic by drawing attention to hidden treasures apparent in Hebraic roots, which contrasts much of "todays cultural understanding and [church] teachings."*1
In one of his books, he provides an outline of how the Hebrew mindset stands in great contrast to the Greek, and how a large amount of our "biblical interpretations are shaped by Greek thinking of intellect and philosophy."*2
"In Hebrew, the word for Greece is javan (Zechariah 9,13) and derives from the same root as the word jajin, which means wine, which is a symbol for beauty, riches and abundance. The word Zion, however, is tzion, meaning desert, as in dry and dour land" (Ryabinov, p. 19). So, while the Greek thinking emphasizes the riches of our own abilities and self-reliance, from a Hebrew understanding we can't rely on ourselves, as we are completely dependent on God" (p. 20).
As Ryabinov highlights, it's no coincidence that God created two hemispheres when he designed the human brain. "The left side of the brain processes information, logic and intellectual thinking, while the right side of the brain processes emotions, images and imagination" (p. 20).
So while for many of us, the word "right-hand", which repeatedly pops up in the Bible, hasn't carried any particular meaning to us so far, those scriptures resonate very differently when we look at them from the Greek/ Hebrew angle.
Ecclesiastes 10, 2 greatly reflects this as we read in the Orthodox Jewish Bible,
"A chacham’s lev is at his yamin (right hand); but a kesil’s lev is at his semol (left hand)."
So while chacha' s lev implies someone, whose heart is "wise" or "learned", kesil points to someone, whose heart reflects foolishness, lacks wisdom or/ and moral deficiency.
Generally speaking, the Old Testament, which is usually perceived as harsh and brutal, interestingly enough though, is equally characterised by highlighting a connection between the mind and the heart much more frequently than the New Testament.
Got a clue why? -Yes!.... the obvious reason: the New Testament was originally written in (koine) Greek, while the Old Testament language is Hebrew and Aramaic.
Since we are just about to discover some signficant pointers here, bear with me, as I will provide a follow-up on the will-heart interchange dynamic in my next blog.
*1 Song of Israel. Our Story. Available at: https://songofisrael.com/pages/our-story
*2 Ryabinov, A. & Lane, L. (2018) Thinking Hebraically: Uncovering 'Nuggets' in the Bible through Hebraic
mindset. Song of Israel.
*3 Bible Gateway. Ecclesiastes 10:2. Available at: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=Ecclesiastes%2010%3A2&version=OJB
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