Teachers, Torah, and the Worthy Worker

Why The Almighty Uses Human Teachers, and Why Their Labor Should Be Honored

Two passages are often raised when the subject of supporting teachers comes up:

"Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding."
Proverbs 23:23

"Freely you received, freely give."
Matthew 10:8

Sometimes these are combined with Yeishua's words in Matthew 23:8, "Do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers," and then used to argue that no one should be recognized as a teacher, that no teacher should be recompensed, or that we should depend "only on the Holy Spirit" for understanding.

That sounds spiritual at first, but it does not fit the pattern of Scripture. The Torah itself commands teaching. It gives Israel parents, priests, Levites, elders, judges, and prophets. It commands the people to learn, to ask, to listen, to remember, and to teach their children. The TaNaKh never presents faithful learning as each person privately receiving all knowledge without the help of human instruction.

The better conclusion is this: truth belongs to The Almighty and must never be merchandised as though a teacher owns it, but the labor of teaching is still real labor. Those who study, prepare, travel, write, answer questions, correct error, and equip the community should be honored and, where appropriate, recompensed in some tangible fashion.

The Torah Assumes Human Teachers

The primary foundation must be the Torah.

When Moses addressed Israel, he did not say, "Each of you will receive all knowledge directly, so no one needs to teach." He said:

"See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as Adonai my God commanded me..."
Deuteronomy 4:5

Moses was not the source of the commandments. The Almighty was. Yet Moses still taught them. Divine truth did not eliminate human instruction; divine truth required human instruction.

This pattern appears throughout Torah:

Deuteronomy 4:10 says Israel was to hear the words of The Almighty so they might learn to fear Him and teach their children.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands that the words be on the heart and that they be diligently taught to the children.

Deuteronomy 11:19 repeats the command to teach the words to the children, speaking of them at home, on the way, when lying down, and when rising up.

Deuteronomy 31:12-13 commands a public reading of Torah so that men, women, children, and the sojourner may hear, learn, fear The Almighty, and observe the words of Torah.

Leviticus 10:10-11 gives the priests the responsibility to distinguish between holy and profane, clean and unclean, and to teach Israel the statutes spoken through Moses.

Deuteronomy 17:8-11 instructs Israel to go to the priests, Levites, and judges in difficult cases and to follow the instruction they give from the place The Almighty chooses.

Deuteronomy 33:10 says of Levi, "They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, and Your law to Israel."

This is a factual Torah pattern. The Almighty gives His instruction, but He appoints human beings to transmit, explain, preserve, and apply it. A claim that says, "I need no teacher because I have the Spirit," may sound pious, but it does not sound like Torah.

If that claim were followed consistently, parents would not teach children, elders would not instruct the congregation, Hebrew teachers would not teach students, and no one would correct anyone else's error. Yet the person who says, "I need no human teacher," often turns around and teaches others what he believes Torah means. His own practice proves that human teaching is not the problem.

The problem is not teaching. The problem is pride, false authority, careless interpretation, and turning Torah into personal control.

"Call No One Rabbi" Does Not Abolish Teachers

Yeishua's warning in Matthew 23 must be read in its own context. He is rebuking religious leaders who loved honor, titles, public recognition, and seats of status. His words are not aimed at the existence of teachers, but at the misuse of religious title and authority.

He says:

"But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers."
Matthew 23:8

The contrast is important: "One is your Teacher" and "you are all brothers." Yeishua is not forbidding instruction. He forbids disciples from exalting themselves above their brothers, as though they were the final authority.

The rest of the Ketuvim HaNotsrim confirms this. Teachers continue to exist among the followers of Yeishua. Ephesians 4:11-13 says that Messiah gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers for the equipping and building up of the body. Acts 13:1 mentions prophets and teachers in Antioch. Second Timothy 2:2 tells Timothy to entrust what he has learned to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.

So Matthew 23 cannot mean, "No one may teach." If it did, the later writings would immediately contradict it. Rather, it means that no teacher may take the place of The Almighty, no teacher may become the master of another person's conscience, and no teacher may turn the community into a stage for his own honor.

James 3:1 adds the needed warning: not many should become teachers, because teachers will incur a stricter judgment. That does not abolish teaching. It makes teaching more serious.

"How Will They Hear?" Requires Human Messengers

Paul makes the same basic point in Romans 10:14-15. He asks how people will call on the One in whom they have not believed, how they will believe in the One they have not heard, and how they will hear without someone proclaiming. He then asks how they will proclaim unless they are sent.

Romans 10:14–15 (NASB95)

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

This passage is often applied to evangelism, and rightly so. But it also rests on a broader biblical fact: The Almighty normally brings knowledge to people through real messengers. Someone is sent. Someone speaks. Someone explains. Someone hears. Someone responds.

Paul is not describing a teacherless faith. He is describing a chain of faithful transmission. The message does not originate in the messenger, but the messenger still matters. The authority belongs to The Almighty, but the work is carried out through servants who speak, teach, correct, and equip.

Romans 10 also echoes Isaiah 52:7, where the feet of the one bringing good news are called beautiful. In other words, Scripture does not despise the human messenger. It honors the messenger when he faithfully carries the message of The Almighty.

That does not make the messenger infallible. It does not make the teacher a master over the conscience. But it does mean that "I only need the Spirit" is not how Scripture normally describes the spread of truth. The Spirit of The Almighty may open the heart, but He often uses a sent person, a spoken word, a written text, and a faithful teacher.

The Torah Also Teaches That Labor Should Be Recompensed

The Torah is not vague about labor. It repeatedly teaches that workers must not be exploited.

Leviticus 19:13 says the wages of a hired man are not to remain overnight. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 commands Israel not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, but to pay his wages on the day they are due. These commandments are not limited to one kind of labor. They reveal the character of Torah: work is not to be consumed while the worker is dishonored.

Deuteronomy 25:4 gives another principle:

"You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing."
Deuteronomy 25:4

On the surface, this command concerns an animal working in the grain. But the principle is larger: the one who labors in producing benefit should not be denied a share in that benefit.

Paul applies this very principle to those who labor in teaching and proclamation. In 1 Corinthians 9:7-14, he argues that soldiers, vineyard workers, shepherds, oxen, plowmen, threshers, priests, and those who proclaim the good news all illustrate the same principle: laborers may rightly receive material support from their labor. In 1 Timothy 5:17-18, he applies "double honor" especially to elders who labor in word and teaching, then cites both Deuteronomy 25:4 and the saying, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

Paul is not inventing a new doctrine. He is applying Torah.

The Priests and Levites Were Supported While Serving

The Torah also provides a concrete model of communal support for those appointed to serve.

Numbers 18 gives the Levites the tithe in connection with their service. Deuteronomy 18:1-8 speaks of the priests and Levites receiving portions because they have no inheritance like the other tribes. Their inheritance is tied to the service of The Almighty.

Their work was broader than teaching alone, but teaching was part of the priestly and Levitical calling. Leviticus 10:10-11 and Deuteronomy 33:10 make that clear. Later, Malachi 2:7 says the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek Torah from his mouth.

This matters. Torah does not picture a community that receives spiritual service while pretending the servants have no material needs. Israel was commanded to support the work that served the covenant life of the nation.

That does not mean every teacher should become wealthy. It does not mean Torah should be turned into a business empire. It does mean that the community should not consume teaching while treating teachers as though their time, study, books, travel, preparation, and labor cost nothing.

"Buy the Truth" Does Not Mean "Never Pay a Teacher"

Proverbs 23:23 says:

"Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding."

This is wisdom language. It tells us to value truth enough to obtain it and never trade it away. It does not mean, "Never give material support to someone who teaches truth." In fact, the verse itself uses the language of buying to show that truth is worth sacrifice.

We "buy" truth when we give time, humility, attention, repentance, study, money for books, travel to learn, and support to those who help us understand. We "sell" truth when we compromise it for popularity, comfort, pride, money, or fear.

The verse is not a weapon against teachers. It is a warning to students and teachers alike: truth is precious, and it must not be betrayed.

"Freely You Received, Freely Give" Must Stay in Context

Matthew 10:8 is often quoted as though it settled the whole question:

"Freely you received, freely give."

But the immediate context is Yeishua sending the twelve to proclaim the kingdom, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. The point is that the power and mercy of The Almighty must not be sold as a magical commodity. They received freely; they were to give freely.

Yet in the same mission context, Yeishua also says the worker is worthy of his support. Matthew 10:10 says the worker is worthy of his food. Luke 10:7 says, "the laborer is worthy of his wages."

So "freely give" and "the worker is worthy" are not enemies. They belong together.

The teacher must not sell access to The Almighty. He must not make people pay for mercy, healing, prayer, or forgiveness. He must not manipulate the vulnerable. But the community may still feed, house, pay, honor, or otherwise support those who labor for its instruction and strengthening.

Jewish Writings Hold the Same Tension

Jewish sources also preserve this tension: Torah must not be exploited, yet teachers and students must be supported in real life.

Pirkei Avot 1:6 says, "Make for yourself a rav, acquire for yourself a friend." That saying assumes that a person should not be his own final authority. He needs a teacher and a companion in learning.

Pirkei Avot 4:5 warns not to make Torah "a crown" for self-exaltation or "a spade" with which to dig. This is a serious warning. Torah must not be used as a tool for vanity or greed.

The Talmud in Nedarim 37a discusses the issue of payment for teaching Scripture. One opinion says the payment is for supervising the children; another says it is for teaching the proper punctuation or cantillation. However one works through the details, the discussion itself shows that Jewish tradition recognized both sides: Torah instruction should not be reduced to a commodity, but the labor surrounding teaching may rightly be compensated.

Later halakhic discussions continue to wrestle with this. Rambam strongly warns against using Torah as a means of self-enrichment, yet he also records allowances for paying teachers of children where that is the custom. Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 246:5, likewise reflects the practical recognition that teachers may be paid in certain circumstances, especially where communal custom and necessity require it.

The Jewish concern is not, "Never support a teacher." The concern is, "Do not turn Torah into self-exaltation or exploitation."

That is a wise distinction.

Depending on the Spirit Does Not Mean Rejecting Teachers

Some point to John 14:26 or 1 John 2:27 and say, "The Spirit teaches me, so I do not need human teachers."

But that reading proves too much. If 1 John 2:27 meant no human teacher is ever needed, then John would not be writing a letter to instruct the community. The passage is dealing with deception and false teaching. John is reassuring the believers that the anointing they received helps them remain in the truth and reject those who are trying to lead them astray.

The Spirit of The Almighty is the ultimate source of true understanding. But throughout Scripture, The Almighty teaches through means: Torah, parents, elders, prophets, priests, Levites, judges, apostles, shepherds, teachers, written letters, public reading, correction, and the gathered community.

Even in Nehemiah 8:8, when the Torah was read publicly, the Levites helped the people understand the reading. They read from the book, explained, and gave the sense. The people needed both the text and instruction.

To say "I depend on the Spirit" should mean, "I submit all teaching to The Almighty and His word." It should not mean, "I refuse correction, reject teachers, and make myself the final interpreter."

The person who rejects all teachers usually does not end up with no teacher. He becomes his own teacher.

A Balanced Biblical Position

A faithful community should hold several truths together.

Truth belongs to The Almighty. No teacher owns it.

Torah must not be merchandised, manipulated, or used as a tool for pride.

Teachers must be tested by Scripture and must remain servants, not masters.

The Spirit of The Almighty is the ultimate source of understanding, but He often teaches through human instruments.

The Torah commands teaching and assumes teachers.

Those who labor for the good of the community should not be treated as though their labor has no value.

Recompense does not have to look the same in every setting. It may be wages, an honorarium, travel expenses, books, meals, help with technology, tuition, a love offering, reduced expenses, or some other practical support. The point is not to enrich teachers. The point is to honor the work and prevent the community from benefiting from labor while pretending no labor was given.

Conclusion

The biblical answer is not "charge for everything" or "pay teachers nothing." The answer is covenant faithfulness.

Teachers should give humbly, freely, and without manipulation. They should never pretend to own the truth or stand above the brothers. They should welcome examination, correction, and accountability.

Students and congregations should receive teaching with discernment, search the Scriptures, and test everything. But they should also recognize that teaching requires study, time, preparation, prayer, skill, and sacrifice. A community that values truth should also value those who labor faithfully to help others understand it.

The Almighty did not give Israel a teacherless faith. He gave Torah, and He commanded it to be taught.

Source Notes for Further Study

Primary Torah passages: Deuteronomy 4:5; Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Deuteronomy 11:19; Deuteronomy 17:8-11; Deuteronomy 31:12-13; Leviticus 10:10-11; Leviticus 19:13; Numbers 18:21-24; Deuteronomy 18:1-8; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Deuteronomy 25:4; Deuteronomy 33:10.

Other TaNaKh support: Proverbs 23:23; Malachi 2:7; Nehemiah 8:8.

Ketuvim HaNotsrim support: Matthew 10:8-10; Matthew 23:8-12; Luke 10:7; Romans 10:14-15; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 9:7-14; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:2; James 3:1; 1 John 2:27.

Jewish writings: Pirkei Avot 1:6; Pirkei Avot 4:5; Nedarim 37a; Mishneh Torah, Torah Study 1:7-8; Mishneh Torah, Torah Study 3:10; Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 246:5.

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