Parashah 46 Ekev Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25 By Dr. K. Blad © Second edition 2013-14 Lucrative copying not permitted. Torah Readings: 1. 7:12 – 8:11 2. 8:12 – 9:3 3. 9:4-29 4. 10:1-11 5. 10:12-22 6. 11:1-9 7. 11:10-25 8. Maftir: 11:22-25 Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14 – 51:3 Ekev Means, among other things, “consequence” Comments The Firsth Aliyah, 7:12 – 8:11 7:12-16a “It shall happen, because you listen to these ordinances (mishpatim), and keep and do them, that HaShem your God will keep with you the covenant and the loving kindness which he swore to your fathers: and he will love you, and bless you, and multiply you; he will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock, in the land which he swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. HaShem will take away from you all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, will he put on you, but will lay them on all those who hate you. You shall consume all the peoples who HaShem your God shall deliver to you”(HNV revised) – These verses teach us that there are stipulations that the children of Israel must do in order for HaShem to keep the covenant which he swore with an oath to their fathers. This also speaks of the results that come with faithfulness to the covenant. There are stipulations and there are results. These are the stipulations: - To listen to and obey (shamah) the mishpat commandments (the social laws). - To keep (shamar) the mishpat commandments. - To fulfill (asah) the mishpat commandments. The results will be: - HaShem keeps his covenant with Israel. - HaShem sustains his grace toward Israel. - HaShem loves Israel. - HaShem blesses Israel. - HaShem increases Israel. - HaShem blesses the children of the Israelites. - HaShem blesses the Israelites’ agricultural produce. - HaShem blesses the Israelites’ cattle production. - The Israelites have more wellbeing than other nations. - Israel’s men, women, and cattle are not infertile. - No sicknesses are found among the Israelites. - The sicknesses will come over Israel’s enemies. - The Israelites will have power to destroy the seven nations. The conditions that must be met in order to partake of the privileges of the covenant have to do primarily with being faithful to laws concerning love for one’s neighbor. Obedience to the mishpat commandments, which are the social laws, is the stipulation for being able to partake of HaShem’s love. This teaches us that the love that HaShem shows us is dependent on the love that we show our neighbor. The same principle is found in the Messianic Writings, where we see that the love we show our neighbor reflects the love we have for the Father, as it is written in 1 John 3:14, 23; 4:8, 12, 20, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death… This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another, even as he commanded… He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love… No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us… If a man says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”(HNV revised) The relationship that we have with our neighbor is crucial in our relationship with the Father. It is impossible to partake of the privileges of the covenant if we have not made things right with others. “HaShem will take away from you all sickness; and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, will he put on you, but will lay them on all those who hate you.” – Divine healing is a result of obedience to the social laws, in Hebrew mishpatim. If we live in harmony with our brothers and sisters of the covenant, we will partake of all the privileges of the covenant, which include financial success, supernatural healing, and power over enemies, including demons. If there is enmity in our relationships, we will not be able to resist the demons. If we do not treat each other well, we will have sicknesses that cannot be healed, financial lack, and spiritual drought. The Hebrew word that is translated as “love” is ahav,[1] which means “love”, “desire”, “yearning”, “wishing”, “wanting to have”, “being in love”, “feelings of tenderness, kindness, and affection”, “feeling passion”, “liking”, “being loyal”, “being dependent”. There are two main kinds of love: Conditional love – which loves depending on attitude, way of being, and behavior of the other person. There is an example of this in our Rabbi’s words in John 14:23, where it is written
“Yeshua answered him, ‘If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.’”(HNV) Unconditional love – which loves regardless of attitude, way of being, and behavior of the other person. One example of this love is in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, where it is written,
“HaShem didn’t set his love on you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples: but because HaShem loves you, and because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, has HaShem brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Par`oh king of Egypt.”(HNV revised) Another example of this is in Romans 5:6-10, where it is written, “For while we were yet weak, at the right time Messiah died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.”(HNV revised) In the text in Devarim that we are looking at now, we see that the covenant is conditional. The people must fulfill the commandments in order to remain within the covenant. Idolatry breaks the covenant between the Eternal and Israel in the same way that adultery breaks the marriage covenant of two spouses. One who commits adultery, therefore, breaks a marriage covenant If a Jew practices idolatry he will be outside of the covenant and will not be able to partake of its privileges. In a covenant there are stipulations for both parties. The covenant that HaShem made with Avraham in Genesis 15 is unconditional. This covenant was swore on HaShems existence. If he does not fulfill the promises of that covenant, he will cease to exist, which is impossible. This is the reason that he himself takes the initiative to change the hearts of the people of Israel so that they will keep the commandments and thus He will be able to fulfill the covenant promises, as it is written in Ezekiel 36:22-27, “Therefore tell the house of Yisra'el, Thus says the Lord HaShem: I don’t do this for your sake, house of Yisra'el, but for my sacred name, which you have profaned among the nations, where you went. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am HaShem, says the Lord HaShem, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes (chukim), and you shall keep my ordinances (mishpatim), and do them.”(HNV revised) In Deuteronomy 7:9, it is written, “Know therefore that HaShem your God, he is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations”(HNV revised) This teaches us that the Sinai covenant is conditional. However, there is a prophecy which says that as long as the laws of nature exist, Israel will continue to be a people, as it is written in Jeremiah 31:35-36, “Thus says HaShem, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that the waves of it roar; HaShem of hosts is his name: If these ordinances depart from before me, says HaShem, then the seed of Yisra'el also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.”(HNV revised) Will Israel stop being faithful to the covenant? If the existence of Israel is dependent upon faithfulness to the covenant, how can HaShem promise that Israel will never cease to exist? The answer is: because of the remnant. The thing that makes these promises firm is the existence of a faithful remnant, a limited group within Israel. A remnant faithful to the covenant has always existed, and will always exist. This remnant has been, and continues to be, the salvation of the rest of the people. Without this remnant, the people of Israel would have been annihilated, according to Isaiah 1:9, where it is written, “Unless HaShem of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sedom; we would have been like `Amorah.”(HNV revised) In Romans 11:1-6, it is written, “I ask then, Did God reject his people? Certainly not! For I also am an Yisra'elite, a descendant of Avraham, of the tribe of Binyamin. God didn’t reject his people, which he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says about Eliyah? How he pleads with God against Yisra'el: ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.’ But how does God answer him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Ba`al.’ Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. ”(HNV revised) The remnant that existed, and still exists within Israel today, has been the reason that the covenant has been upheld and that HaShem is able to fulfill his promises about Israel’s restoration in the end times. 7:18 “you shall not be afraid of them: you shall well remember what HaShem your God did to Par`oh, and to all Egypt”(HNV revised) – This Parashah speaks of five things that we must remember: 1. The salvation miracles you experienced, 7:18. 2. The whole way that you have walked, 8:2. 3. Where you have come from, 8:14. 4. HaShem, 8:18. 5. What you were, 9:7. Remembering these things will help us not to fall into sin, to be thankful to the Eternal, and to praise him as long as we live. “you shall not be afraid of them: you shall well remember what HaShem your God did…“ – What is the best medicine against fear? It is to remember what the Eternal has shown of his power and to trust his protective presence, as it is written in Psalm 23:4a, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”(HNV) One who is aware that HaShem is with him will never be afraid. 7:20 “Moreover HaShem your God will send tzirah among them, until those who are left, and hide themselves, perish from before you.”(HNV revised) – The Hebrew word that is normally translated as “hornets”, and sometimes as “panic”, is tzirah, which, according to Rashi, is a type of flying insect that sprays poison on its enemies paralyzing and blinding them, no matter where they are hiding. 7:22 “HaShem your God will cast out those nations before you by little and little: you may not consume them at once, lest the animals of the field increase on you.”(HNV revised) – The children of Israel had to experience many adjustments when they entered into the land. When you make major changes, it is better to do it bit by bit, in order not to be choked by evil emotions and other things that can be harmful. On the other hand, the expression “with time”, “a little at a time”, or something similar, cannot be used as an excuse for disobedience. A newcomer to Israel’s faith cannot take in everything at once. He needs to have a learning period, see Acts 15:19-21. However, if a person has been with us for a long time without having made the changes needed in order to leave the customs of other religions and live according to the Torah, as it was exposed by Rabbi Shaul (the Apostle Paul) for the righteous, then we must ask ourselves if there is rebellion in his heart. In that case, the expression “little by little”, an excuse that some make by habit, cannot be used as an excuse for disobedience. To go “bit by bit” does not mean that you are not radical. You must uphold the same zeal even though the conquest takes a long time, and you must not become accustomed to the existence of idol worship and pagan customs, but must battle them until they are eliminated from our territory. 7:25 “The engraved images of their gods shall you burn with fire: you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it to you, lest you be snared therein; for it is an abomination to HaShem your God.”(HNV revised) – We must destroy all idolatrous images within our territory. However, we do not have the right to do so in other people’s territory. 7:26 “You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and become a cursed thing like it: you shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.”(HNV revised) – Be careful with what you have in your home! Go through all your children’s toys, all your clothes, all your magazines, pictures, and cards, all decorative objects, all jewelry, and every thing else you have. Any objects that have been used for idolatry, for example things that have to do with Midsummer, Halloween, or Christmas celebrations, or that are made for the sake of idols, such as Buddha statues, Catholic candles, Muslim prayer rugs, or a Thor’s hammer, are detestable to the Only One. If you take in objects like this into your home, you will partake of the judgment that will come over them, see Joshua 7. In Acts 15:20a, it is written, “but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols…”(HNV) We must get rid of all objects that have been made impure by paganism. 8:1 “All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which HaShem swore to your fathers.”(HNV revised) – The result of obedience is life, expansion, and the right to live in the land of Israel. Do you want to win many souls for the coming Kingdom? Keep the commandments, which apply for you, and then you, will increase. 8:2 “You shall remember all the way which HaShem your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.”(HNV revised) – The manna, in Hebrew man, was given in order to test the children of Israel to see if they would leave any for the following day or go out to gather on the Shabbat, see Exodus 16. “remember all the way” – It is important to think about the way one has gone, in order not to forget the following things: - The goodness that the Eternal has shown in the midst of problems. - The punishment that comes on account of disobedience. - The words that HaShem spoke in those places. - The hardships one has gone through. Whoever remembers his earlier hardships will remain humble. Whenever success comes, it is very important to remember past hardships in order to remain humble. The best way not to fall into pride is by remembering where help has come from and to be thankful for it. According to this text, the Eternal has four purposes for hardships: To humble you – because man’s soul is prideful. The first thing he must learn is humility. To test you – in order to bring you further. All tests serve the purpose of bringing you higher. To know what is in your heart – when you are under pressure, what is in your heart will be revealed. To teach you to understand, by experience, that man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that comes out of HaShem’s mouth.
8:3 “He humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of HaShem does man live.”(HNV revised) – Psalm 38 was written down in order to be remembered, see the introduction. This psalm speaks about all the suffering that a sinner must go through because of his sin. Why should such a negative psalm be remembered? It is so that one may be able to handle success. It is much easier to remain spiritually healthy during hardship than it is during success, for through hardship we cling to the Eternal. When things are going well, it is easy to become prideful and forget that everything we have is because of the Eternal, as it is written in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”(HNV) In order for HaShem to be able give us success and lift us up higher, we must be very aware of the time of suffering that we have gone through and not forget that it was the Eternal who took us out of our troubles. It is dangerous to come up into the heights without having gone through much suffering. In Psalm 119:67, 71, it is written, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I observe your word… It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.”(HNV) Even Yeshua the Messiah had to learn to obey through suffering, as it is written in Hebrews 5:8-9, “though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation.”(HNV) The road to the heights goes through suffering. It is therefore very important that we remember the sufferings we have gone through so that we do not become prideful and fall into the sin that satan fell into, see Ezekiel 28:15-17; 1 Timothy 3:6. 8:4 “Your clothing didn’t grow old on you, neither did your foot swell, these forty years.”(HNV) – A Midrash[2] says that HaShem gave supernatural clothing to the people when the Torah was given. These clothes grew along with the children so that they did not have to change clothing as they grew older. 8:5 “You shall consider in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so HaShem your God chastens you.”(HNV revised) – Our heavenly Father is a great example for us to follow in proper family discipline. We ought to treat our children the way that HaShem treats us, with much love and much discipline. Discipline is never given with the purpose of destroying or harming, but in order to produce a change and good fruit in a child. This is the purpose of our heavenly Father’s discipline, as it is written in Hebrews 12:5-11, “and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, ‘My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? But if you are without discipline, whereof all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his consecration. All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.”(HNV revised) 8:6 “You shall keep the commandments of HaShem your God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.”(HNV revised) – To walk in HaShem’s ways means to imitate his way of being and behaving. 8:7-9 “For HaShem your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of springs and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey; a land in which you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper.”(HNV revised) – The Torah mentions seven types of produce from the Land of Israel: 1. Wheat 2. Barley 3. Grapes 4. Figs 5. Pomegranates 6. Olive oil 7. Honey from dates or other sweet fruit These seven types of plants are the basis for the tithe given of the agricultural produce that is made in the land of Israel. During the second temple period, the Pharisees argued among themselves whether or not they needed to pay tithe on other produce that comes from the ground but are not mentioned in the Torah. Our Rabbi Yeshua comes into this discussion and says that tithe is to be paid on herbs that are not mentioned in the Torah, as it is written in Matthew 23:23, “Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.”(HNV revised) There is a feast in Israel, which occurs in the winter, where the birth of trees is celebrated. It is called Tu bi-Shvat, the 15th of the month of Shvat, and it occurs around the time of February. In modern times it is common to celebrate this feast with a special program, a seder, made to thank the Eternal for the produce that the land of Israel gives. Then a blessing is spoken over each of these seven types of plants. 8:10 “You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless HaShem your God for the good land which he has given you.”(HNV revised) – This is the foundation for the birkat ha-mazon, the blessing after the food. There is just one single verse in the Torah that urges us to thank the Eternal after we have eaten. Why does the Torah not tell us to give thanks before we eat the food? It is because it is easier to forget the Eternal when the stomach is full. When we forget to give thanks after having eaten, it is like forgetting the Eternal, as the following verse says, “Beware lest you forget HaShem your God…” CAUTION! When you have success, it is tempting to forget the Eternal. The blessing called birkat ha-mazon in the prayer book, sidur, is prayed after one has eaten at least a kezayit of bread. One kezayit represents an amount about the size of an olive. The rabbis established[3] that this blessing ought to contain four parts: Birkat Hazan – The blessing to Him, who gives food to every created thing. According to tradition, Moshe instituted this blessing. Birkat Haaretz – The blessing over the land. According to tradition, Yehoshua instituted this blessing after they had entered the Promised Land. In this blessing, we also give thanks for the covenant of the circumcision and for the Torah. Birkat Yerushalayim – The blessing of peace over the consecrated city and the temple. The kings David and Shlomo instituted this blessing. After the destruction of the temple, it was modified to pray for the restoration of the city and the temple. Hatov Vehametiv – The blessing to Him, who is good and does good. This blessing was added after the second temple was destroyed, the Bar Kochbah revolt against the Romans was crushed, and the city of Betar was destroyed, which marked the end of the destruction of the Jewish nation. The blessing was written by the Beit Din in Yavneh, which was led by Rabbi Gamliel, in memory of what happened in Betar and with the hope that the Messiah would soon come and God would heal all the hurts of the Jewish people.
The Second Aliyah, 8:12 – 9:3 8:18 “But you shall remember HaShem your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as at this day.”(HNV revised) – Riches are a result of the covenant between the Eternal and Israel. The righteous among the nations also receive the benefits from the renewed covenant with Israel in the blood of Yeshua. If you are in a covenant, you have the right to partake of the rights of the covenant. According to the covenant, we have the right to enjoy material blessing, as it is written in 1 Timothy 6:17b, “God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”(HNV revised) If we have lack, we must ask ourselves this question: If material possessions are a part of the covenant we have with the Eternal, then why do we not have more riches? Here are eight possible answers to this question: Curses
Generational curses – We suffer the consequences of the disobedience of our forefathers. If we confess the sins of our forefathers and ask for forgiveness on their behalf and change our lifestyle so that we do not do what they (our forefathers) did and we obey the commandments, then we can break those curses. Regional and national curses – When you live in a poor nation, it is easy to become a victim of the environment steeped in poverty. The curses that have brought about poverty are not broken until the people repent of the sins that have brought the curses. There are three sins that primarily cause this type of curse to come over the people: idolatry and occultism, shedding of innocent blood, and free sex. It is possible to break this curse over a limited area in a land, as we can see in Yitzchak’s life in Genesis 26. Spoken curses – Through your tongue, you can bring poverty or prosperity over your life. Do not say, “I do not have”, or “I am poor”. Say, “The Eternal will give me what I need”. Confess what is written, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or his children begging for bread”, Psalm 37:25. “HaShem is my shepherd, I shall not be in want”, Psalm 23:1. In Romans 10:10, it is written, “with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation”. Salvation means that we are saved out of a situation where we are limited so that we cannot fulfill the Eternal’s purposes. Salvation also means being saved from poverty. In order to partake of salvation, one must confess the Torah with the mouth. When you confess the Eternal’s Words, you will be saved from poverty.
Disobedience to the commandments, see Deuteronomy 28, Leviticus 26. Holding back tithe and offerings, see Malachi 3:9. Stolen goods that have not been returned, see Zechariah 5:1-3. Incorrect priorities, Haggai 1. HaShem’s priorities must be my priorities. What he considers important must be important to me. If I can spend more money on a meal in a restaurant than what I give in an offering going to those who teach the Torah, then I have proven that my stomach is more important to me than my love for HaShem. Then I am more interested in satisfying my own natural needs than in seeking the Kingdom of the Eternal. Wrong motives, see James 4:2-4; Proverbs 22:4. Lack of prayer, see James 4:2. Bad management – When we have learned to manage what we have properly, HaShem will give us much more. If we do not administer our material possessions properly, the Eternal will hold back his hand, since he cannot trust us. If we are not faithful in the little, how will he be able to entrust us with much?
9:1-2 “Hear, Yisra'el: you are to pass over the Yarden this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to the sky, a people great and tall, the sons of the `Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard say, Who can stand before the sons of `Anak?”(HNV) – If the population of Israel was greater than 2 million, and each one of the seven nations were greater than Israel, there must have been at least 15 million inhabitants in the land of Kana’an. 9:3 “Know therefore this day, that HaShem your God is he who goes over before you as a devouring fire; he will destroy them, and he will bring them down before you: so shall you drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as HaShem has spoken to you.”(HNV revised) – A Midrash says that the population of the seven nations decreased to a tenth of what it had been before the children of Israel conquered them, on account of plagues and diseases. The Third Aliyah, 9:4-29 9:4-6 “Don’t speak in your heart, after that HaShem your God has thrust them out from before you, saying, For my righteousness HaShem has brought me in to possess this land; whereas for the wickedness of these nations HaShem does drive them out from before you. Not for your righteousness, or for the uprightness of your heart, do you go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations HaShem your God does drive them out from before you, and that he may establish the word which HaShem swore to your fathers, to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya`akov. Know therefore, that HaShem your God doesn’t give you this good land to possess it for your righteousness; for you are a stiff-necked people.”(HNV revised) – In Genesis 15:16b, it is written “for the iniquity of the Amori is not yet full.”(HNV) “Don’t speak in your heart… ‘For my righteousness HaShem has’… whereas for the wickedness of these nations… Not for your righteousness… but for the wickedness of these nations… God doesn’t give you this good land to possess it for your righteousness…” – Three times the Torah emphasizes that the righteousness of Israel was not the reason they were given the land. These three times are also references to the three times that Israel would return to the land. The first return under Yehoshua – on account of the wickedness of the other nations, verse 4. The second return from Babylon under Ezra and Nechemyah – on account of the wickedness of these nations, and in order to confirm the unconditional covenant that was made with Avraham, verse 5. The third return from all lands in the end times – not for the sake of the righteousness of Israel, the wickedness of the nations is not mentioned here, verse 6.
9:7-8 “Remember, don’t forget, how you provoked HaShem your God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that you went forth out of the land of Egypt, until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against HaShem. Also in Chorev you provoked HaShem to wrath, and HaShem was angry with you to destroy you.”(HNV revised) – This text teaches us the importance of seeing Israel as a corporate body. Those who were present at this time had not made the golden calf. In spite of this, they were said to have caused HaShem’s wrath in the desert and they had to bear the consequences of their parents’ burden of guilt. This teaches us that children have the responsibility of carrying the consequences from the wrong steps that their parents took. The main purpose, however, for Moshe to mention these occasions when the people were rebellious, was so that the children would not do the same thing. 9:9 “When I was gone up onto the mountain to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which HaShem made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water.”(HNV revised) – The number 40 symbolizes a time of testing and preparation in order to go from one level to another. An elder in Israel ought to be at least 40 years old. It is not good for youth to hold significant positions of leadership. 9:15 “So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.”(HNV) – Here it says that the mountain was burning with fire. The mountain Jebel el-Luz in Saudi Arabia is burned at the top. There are archeological remains which show that this was the place where the Torah was given[4], see Galatians 4:25. 9:18 “I fell down before HaShem, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water; because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in the sight of HaShem, to provoke him to anger.”(HNV revised) – According to Rashi, this was the second time that Moshe was 40 days on the mountain before HaShem, from the 19th day of the fourth month until the 29th day of the fifth month. 9:19 “For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, with which HaShem was angry against you to destroy you. But HaShem listened to me that time also.”(HNV revised) – After these 40 days, HaShem said that he would make two new stone tablets. Therefore Moshe remained on the mountain another 40 days. 9:25 “So I fell down before HaShem the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because HaShem had said he would destroy you.”(HNV revised) – This is referring to the second period of time that Moshe spent on the mountain. The Fourth Aliyah, 10:1-11 10:1 “At that time HaShem said to me, Hew you two tables of stone like the first, and come up to me onto the mountain, and make a ark of wood.”(HNV revised) – Here we see how the Eternal renews the covenant because of Moshe’s intercession when he wanted to give his life in order to save the people. In the same way, the covenant was renewed with Israel through the blood of Yeshua who said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” 10:2 “I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.”(HNV revised) – According to Rashi, this was not the same ark as the one Betzalel made, see Exodus 37:1, but another one, which Moshe had made only in order to hold the stone tablets until the new ark was made. It was in this ark that the broken tablets later were kept. When the children of Israel went out to war, they did not bring the ark of the tabernacle with them. They brought the one that Moshe had made, except for when they fought the Philisteens and the ark was taken, see 1 Samuel 4-5. 10:8 “At that time HaShem set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of HaShem, to stand before HaShem to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.”(HNV revised) – The tribe of Levi was appointed to do four things: 1. Carry the ark. 2. Stand before the Eternal. 3. Serve the Eternal. 4. Bless in the name of the Eternal. Only the Levites could carry the ark, and only the priests were chosen to bless in HaShem’s Name. These things are dependent upon one another. Those who serve in the practical can have an important position before the Eternal. A proper relationship with HaShem creates the right kind of ministry. A correct ministry equips us to convey what is coming from HaShem to the people. A priest cannot bless the people without first having served the Eternal. “to this day” – Today the kohanim, priests, continue their ministry of blessing the people in Israel by speaking the Aharonitic blessing over the people in the synagogues during the repetition of the amidah prayer. 10:10 “I stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights: and HaShem listened to me that time also; HaShem would not destroy you.”(HNV revised) – According to tradition, these 40 days ended on Yom Kippur, the 10th day of the seventh month. That day was therefore instituted as a day of forgiveness. The Fifth Aliyah, 10:12-22 10:12a “Now, Yisra'el, what does HaShem your God require of you…”(HNV revised) – What does the Eternal require of Israel? Verses 12, 20, and 21 give us the answer: To fear HaShem. To walk in his ways. To love him. To serve him. To keep his commandments. To cling to him. To swear in his Name. To praise him.
The most important thing is to fear him. That is why this comes first. Without fear of HaShem, the other things will not be fulfilled properly. 10:16 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.”(HNV) – Every covenant has one or more covenantal signs. Each of the covenants that HaShem has made throughout the course of history has a special sign: The covenant with Noach – the rainbow, Genesis 9:12-13. The covenant with Avraham – circumcision of the flesh, Genesis 17:11. The covenant with Israel at Sinai – the Shabbat and the Torah, Exodus 31:16-17; 34:28. The renewed covenant with Israel – the giving of the Spirit, the circumcision of the heart, Romans 8:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; Colossians 2:11.
When the Spirit comes into a person, as a result of Yeshua’s resurrection from the dead, there is a surgery performed within him. This is the circumcision of the heart, as it is written in Colossians 2:11, “in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, but in the circumcision of Messiah”(HNV revised) Those who have experienced this have felt a great change on the inside. This is the new birth that our Rabbi speaks about in John 3. The circumcision of the flesh is a picture of the circumcision of the heart. One who is circumcised in the flesh needs the circumcision of the heart also. The circumcision of the heart has to do with being rid of anything that hinders the heart from being sensitive. It is related to love for the Eternal and obedience to the commandments, according to Deuteronomy 30:6, where it is written, “HaShem your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love HaShem your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.”(HNV revised) In Romans 2:25-26, it is written, “For circumcision indeed profits, if you are a doer of the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. If therefore the uncircumcised keep the ordinances of the law, won’t his uncircumcision be accounted as circumcision?”(HNV) “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart” – This is in contrast to what is written in Deuteronomy 30:6, where it is written, “HaShem your God shall circumcise”. On the one hand it says that man must perform this operation and on the other hand we see that the Eternal does it. This teaches us that there is a part man must fulfill, and another, which HaShem will do when it comes to the circumcision of the heart. With this expression, Moshe told the children of Israel that they had to put away anything that hindered the sensitivity of their hearts. This is done through Teshuvah, Torah, and Tefilah, which is repentance, studying the Torah, and prayer. On the other hand, man cannot completely put away the yetzer ha-rah, his evil urge, sin, that is within him. He can only confess of it and repent from the sins that come from the sinful nature. But the Eternal can remove sin completely from us and he will finally do this through the Messiah Yeshua. That is why the circumcision that the Eternal does is called, “the Messiah’s circumcision”, see Colossians 2:11. This circumcision was foretold by the prophets, as it is written in Ezekiel 36:26-27, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.”(HNV) “I will take away the stony heart.” – This is talking about a surgery within man. “I will put my Spirit within you” – This is a real experience that is given through faith in Yeshua the Messiah, see Acts 19:1ff; Galatians 3:14. A heart of stone is an insensitive heart. This is speaking allegorically of the spirit within man that has not yet been remade, born again. The promise that was given through the prophet shows how the Eternal has decided to change the very innermost of the children of Israel in the last days, so that they will carefully obey the commandments. Another prophetic text that speaks of this reality is Jeremiah 31:33-34, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Yisra'el after those days, says HaShem: I will put my Torah in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know HaShem; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says HaShem: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.”(HNV revised) This teaches us that the experience one has through the renewed covenant, through the blood of the Messiah, affects the whole inner being of man causing the Torah to be written on the heart. In Deuteronomy 5:29, it is written, “Who will give them such a heart, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever?”(HNV revised) There is an answer to this cry. Yeshua HaMashiach is the one who will finally cause the children of Israel to be circumcised in their hearts so that they can fear the Eternal and keep his commandments all their days. In Colossians 2:11, it is written, “in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, but in the circumcision of Messiah”(HNV revised) “the body of the sins of the flesh” – is referring to the yetzer ha-rah, the evil urge, which in Ezekiel 36 is called “stony heart”, and which is in each one of us. When this body of the sins of the flesh is taken away from man, he will be more sensitive and able to receive impressions and be led by the Spirit of the Eternal and the Torah. Therefore the result of the Messiah’s circumcision is that we obey the commandments. This agrees with what is written in Acts 5:32b, “the Ruach HaKodesh, whom God has given to those who obey him.”(HNV revised) Anyone who receives Yeshua as his personal Savior, will experience a new birth within. With this shechinah, this heavenly presence, the believer can have victory over the evil urge that is still within him and has not yet been completely removed. Only the power of it has been taken away from within him. However, when the Messiah comes back, the yetzer ha-rah will finally be destroyed so that we can be completely faithful to the commandments of the Torah for eternity. Summary: 1. The circumcision of the flesh – a picture of the circumcision of the heart. 2. The circumcision of the heart is made on two levels – man does his part, and HaShem does his. 3. HaShem’s part has two steps – a. The first is that he brings his Spirit into us to remove the power of sin that is within us. b. The second step is when the Eternal will completely destroy the yetzer ha-rah within us in connection with the second coming of the Messiah. 10:18 “He does execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing.”(HNV) – Love for a stranger is revealed by giving him food and clothing, which are man’s most basic needs. 10:19 “Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.”(HNV) – The Hebrew word that is translated as “foreigner” is ger. As we have said earlier, there are different kinds of ger. Those who have converted to Judaism are also called ger. This is the meaning that the rabbis give the word in this passage, to teach that the convert must be treated with much love and respect since he has made such a great sacrifice in order to convert to Judaism. In this text, however, the word ger does not primarily mean a proselyte, since the text also speaks of the children of Israel being gerim (plural of ger) in Egypt and the Israelites were not converts in Egypt. If the word ger means “stranger” in the second part of the verse, it ought to have the same meaning in the first part of the same verse. This teaches us that we ought not to limit our love to those who are within the covenant of Avraham. We must love everyone, Jews and non-Jews. In the parable about the Good Samaritan, Yeshua is saying that we must love all foreigners, see Luke 10. 10:21 “He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things, which your eyes have seen.”(HNV revised) – Here we find the Hebrew word tehilah,[5] which means “praise”, “song”, “reputation”, “admiration”. Everyone has praise in his life. The praise that we have shows who our God is. Who do you sing about in your songs? If HaShem is the theme of our praise songs, it is proof that he is our God. If we exchange HaShem with the Messiah, we are not being Scriptural. There is only one single verse in the Psalms that urges us to extol the Son. One hundred fifty Psalms speak about exalting the Father. Therefore, if we worship Yeshua instead of the Father, we have replacement theology instead of Scriptural theology. We can, however, praise Yeshua the way he is praised in heaven, see Revelation, but must never put him in his Father’s place in our praises. The Sixth Aliyah, 11:1-9 11:1 “Therefore you shall love HaShem your God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his ordinances, and his commandments, always.”(HNV revised) – We must obey always, in Hebrew, kol ha-yamim – “all the days”. There is not one single day of the year during which the commandments do not apply. 11:2 “Know you this day: for I don’t speak with your children who have not known, and who have not seen the chastisement of HaShem your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm”(HNV revised) – The Hebrew word that is translated “chastisement” is musar,[6] which means “instruction”, “discipline”, “punishment”, “correction”. This is the only time that this word is used in the Chumash (the Pentateuch). The term occurs 50 times in the entire Tanach, mainly in the book of Proverbs, where it occurs 31 times. The word is used in modern Hebrew with the meaning “ethics”, “morality”. 11:7 “but your eyes have seen all the great work of HaShem which he did.”(HNV revised) – Love for the Eternal is not founded on abstract ideas, but on experienced realities. The religion of the Bible is not something that was made up. Our faith is not based on human wisdom, but on the power of God, see 1 Corinthians 2:5. If your faith is only on an intellectual level, you will stumble when you go through a crisis. Make sure that you have real experiences with God and his Mashiach. In Acts 4:20, it is written, “for we can’t help telling the things which we saw and heard.”(HNV) In 1 John 1:1-3, it is written, “That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Yeshua the Messiah.”(HNV) In John 1:14, it is written, “The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”(HNV) In John 1:46, it is written, “Natan'el said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Natzeret?’ Pilipos said to him, ‘Come and see.’”(HNV) We are not proclaiming ideas but reality, experiences that we have had, touched, seen and heard. If you have not experienced the truth of what you are proclaiming, your message will be without power and empty. The Torah is history that has been experienced. 11:8 “Therefore shall you keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land, where you go over to possess it”(HNV revised) – Obedience to the commandments gives us power to resist the enemy and take the land that belongs to us. Disobedience, on the other hand, creates weakness within us. Do you want to be strong? Obey the commandments when no one can see you. The Seventh Aliyah, 11:10-25 11:10-11 “For the land, where you go in to possess it, isn’t as the land of Egypt, from whence you came out, where you sowed your seed, and watered it with your foot, as a garden of herbs; but the land, where you go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinks water of the rain of the sky”(HNV) – There are great differences between the land of Egypt and the land of Israel. In Egypt they had to water the fields manually. In Israel, however, this was not needed. Egypt was built around the river. The entire social system was built around the river. In Israel, the people have to depend on HaShem for rain. Thus it is necessary to have a good relationship with Him who sends the rain, in order to avoid famine in the land of Israel. Another important difference between the two countries is that there are no natural stones in Egypt. Therefore they had to make bricks there in order to build houses. 11:12b, 14b, “from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year… your grain, and your new wine, and your oil.”(HNV) – The grain is harvested in the spring, in Nissan (March/April), the grapes are harvested at the end of the summer and at the beginning of the autumn (August/September) just before Sukkot, and the olives are harvested in the winter (December/January). 11:13-21 This is the second Shema passage. To be able to serve the Eternal one must put on two yokes, the yoke of the Kingdom and the yoke of the Torah. These two yokes are expressed in the two Shema passages. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, it is written, “Hear, Yisra'el: HaShem is our God; HaShem is one: and you shall love HaShem your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your ability. These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for symbols between your eyes. You shall write them on the door-posts of your house, and on your gates.”(HNV revised) This passage is talking about the yoke of the Kingdom, which entails willingly accepting the Eternal as one’s only God on a personal level. That is why the text is written in singular form, “you (singular) shall love… your (singular) heart… your (singular) etc.” The second yoke, the yoke of the Torah, is found in Deuteronomy 11:13-21, “It shall happen, if you (plural) shall listen diligently to my commandments which I command you (plural) this day, to love HaShem your (plural) God, and to serve him with all your (plural) heart and with all your (plural) soul, that I will give the rain of your (plural) land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that you (singular) may gather in your (singular) grain, and your (singular) new wine, and your (singular) oil. I will give grass in your (singular) fields for your (singular) cattle, and you (singular) shall eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, lest your (plural) hearts be deceived, and you (plural) turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and the anger of HaShem be kindled against you (plural), and he shut up the sky, so that there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield its fruit; and you (plural) perish quickly from off the good land which HaShem gives you (plural). Therefore shall you (plural) lay up these my words in your (plural) heart and in your (plural) soul; and you shall bind them for a sign on your (plural) hand, and they shall be for symbols between your (plural) eyes. You shall teach them to your (plural) children, talking of them, when you (singular) sit in your (singular) house, and when you (singular) walk by the way, and when you (singular) lie down, and when you (singular) rise up. You (singular) shall write them on the door-posts of your (singular) house, and on your (singular) gates; that your (plural) days may be multiplied, and the days of your (plural) children, in the land which HaShem swore to your (plural) fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.”(HNV revised) In this passage, which speaks about the yoke of the Torah, we can see how the pronoun changes from plural to singular. In the first yoke, the yoke of the Kingdom, there is only the personal singular form. However, when the Torah speaks about the yoke of the Torah, we see that first the plural form is used, “you” (plural), then in verse 14 it changes to the singular “you”, (in old English “thou”). Later it goes back to the plural form in verses 16-19a, then to the singular again in verses 19b-20, and then ends with the plural form in verse 21. This teaches us that we take on the yoke of the Torah in order to live our private life in obedience in relation to the people of God who are in the place where we live. It is therefore not enough to live alone before the Eternal. We need to be part of a community as a direct result of the Torah at work in our lives. One cannot love the Eternal and hate one’s brother. It is impossible, because the Eternal’s love leads you to unconditionally love your neighbor, primarily those closest to us and then also those who are outside of our circle of friendship. In Ephesians 4:1-6, it is written, “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of shalom. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one tevilah (to be able to belong to Mashiach), one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.”(HNV revised) In Philippians 2:1-4, it is written, “If there is therefore any exhortation in Messiah, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.”(HNV) In Colossians 1:3-4; 3:12-15, it is written, “We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, praying always for you, having heard of your faith in Messiah Yeshua, and of the love which you have toward all the consecrated ones… Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, consecrated and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Messiah forgave you, so you also do. Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the shalom of Messiah rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”(HNV revised) In 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10, it is written, “But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more”(HNV revised) In 1 Peter 4:8, it is written, “And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.”(HNV) In John 15:12-13, it is written, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”(HNV revised) In 1 John 3:10-18, 22-23; 4:7-12, 4:19 – 5:2, it is written, “In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of satan. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother. For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; unlike Kayin, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth… and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another, even as he commanded… Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. By this was God’s love revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us… We love Him, because he first loved us. If a man says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother. Whoever believes that Yeshua is the Messiah is born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.”(HNV revised) The salvation experience that we have when we take on the two yokes, the yoke of the Kingdom and the yoke of the Torah, is wonderful and it changes our personal lives. But there is more. The more we grow in the knowledge of the Eternal through His Torah, the more we will come into a new dimension in our spiritual lives, the corporate dimension. It is true that we have a personal responsibility for our lives before the Eternal. Each one of us will be judged according to his own works, in thoughts, words, and deeds. However, our lives were not created to be separated islands in an ocean, but to be members of a body, a community, a great family, the great family of the children of Avraham, both among the circumcised and among the uncircumcised. 11:13 “It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to my commandment which I command you this day, to love HaShem your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul”(HNV revised) – Rashi mentions that the service before the Eternal that this is referring to is prayer, as it is written in Daniel 6:10, 20, “When Daniyel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Yerushalayim) and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before… When he came near to the den to Daniyel, he cried with a lamentable voice; the king spoke and said to Daniyel, Daniyel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?”(HNV revised) 11:14 “that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, and your new wine, and your oil.”(HNV) – This text is talking about rain in its season as a result of obedience. There are five sins that hold back rain in Israel: idolatry, immorality, violence, public collections of money for charity that never reach their destination, and lack in the giving of tithe. If we interpret this verse on the remez level of interpretation, the allegorical level, we can also say that obedience to the Torah brings the rain of the Spirit over the people, see Joel 2:23, 28; James 5:7. 11:15 “I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you shall eat and be full.”(HNV) – This teaches us, and it is also taught in the Talmud,[7] that the animals ought to be fed before the people are fed. 11:21 “that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which HaShem swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.”(HNV revised) – HaShem swore that he would give the land of Kana’an to the patriarchs. So, this is a verse in the Chumash that shows that a resurrection must take place, otherwise this promise can never be fulfilled. This also teaches us that Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov will not fly up to heaven after the resurrection, but that they will inherit the land of Israel. 11:22 “For if you shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love HaShem your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave to him”(HNV revised) – Rashi says that it is impossible to cleave to Him because he is a consuming fire, see 10:20. The way to cleave to HaShem is therefore by cleaving to those who are knowledgeable in the Torah. It is then considered as cleaving to Him. However, through the new birth of the spirit, in the renewed covenant, there is a way to come before HaShem’s throne in the spirit and to cleave to him day and night, see Hebr. 4:14-16. Dear reader, do not miss that opportunity! 11:24 “Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Levanon, from the river, the river Perat, even to the hinder sea shall be your border.”(HNV) – This is the area that will finally belong to Israel at the second coming of the Messiah. This Parashah contains commandments number 428 – 435 of the 613 commandments. The command to bless God for the food, Deuteronomy 8:10. The command to love one who has converted, Deuteronomy 10:19. The command to fear God, Deuteronomy 10:20. The command to pray to God, Deuteronomy 10:20. The command to unite to and cleave to those who are knowledgeable in the Torah, Deuteronomy 10:20. The command for those who need to swear an oath to swear in the Name of God, Deuteronomy 10:20. The prohibition of taking advantage of the adornment of idols, Deuteronomy 7:25. The prohibition of adding to one’s possessions any object that has been used for idol worship, in order to gain from it, Deuteronomy 7:26.
[5] Strong H8416 tehillâh, teh-hil-law', From H1984; laudation; specifically (concretely) a hymn: - praise. [6] Strong H4148 mûsâr, moo-sawr', From H3256; properly chastisement; figuratively reproof, warning or instruction; also restraint: - bond, chastening ([-eth]), chastisement, check, correction, discipline, doctrine, instruction, rebuke. |
