Last week’s Torah portion incorporated a wide variety of commandments from completely different areas of life, full of domestic and civil laws that can at first glance appear tedious unless we understand that they are as relevant now as they were at the time they were given. When we examine them with the Holy Spirit’s help we see included timeless applications frequently disregarded today by those claiming to be believers. (e.g., Use of the spade when using the latrine; adultery (22:22) or exploiting employees (24:14) and honouring ones’ parents (21:18-22);
The consequences for a child rebelling against their parents (22:18-21) was death by stoning. Forming godly character in our children is biblically our sacred duty and it takes no stretch of the imagination to understand why. And yet sometimes our children don’t end up as we would have liked or expected, and it’s a mystery and a heartache for those who experience it.
Yeshua takes this one step further in His Parable of the Prodigal Son in Lk.15. An astounding thing in that story is how both the prodigal (the younger son) and his older brother were rebellious but they just expressed it in different ways. Here, Yeshua was hinting what Paul makes explicit in Rom.3:“20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” All have sinned (rebellious) and have fallen short of the glory of God.”
Rebellion may only begin with one person yet has a ripple affect that can destroy a community or nation. And in these end times Yeshua said that everything would be turned upside down: “…brother shall betray brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.” Mk 13:12
All the laws in the Torah contain spiritual applications even down to small details such as human cleanliness as Dany shared last week concerning the use of a latrine – 23:13-15. And there are many other examples we could cite (e.g not disturbing a birds nest). This was something well understood by the sages who literally drew God’s truth from every single letter in Scripture – every jot and tittle holds significance.“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Tim.3:17-18)
Today is the 15th of ELUL – the month of “teshuva” – when many Jewish people earnestly seek God in preparation for Yom Kippur. The Western Wall in Jerusalem is crowded out each day during this month as people gather together for special prayers of repentance known as “slichot.” Each day the shofar is blown by rabbis to remind them of ‘tikkun olam’ (repairing the world) – as they seek to put right anything amiss in their lives with God and others.
This is how God desires we be like at all times but now in the month of Elul we see this emphases in the lead up to Yom Kippur. No wonder God desires to reshape and rebuild us stone by stone, and all He needs is our permission which is a choice that only we can make.
Ki Tavo (When You Enter) Deut. 26:1–29:9; Is. 60:1–22; Lk. 23:26–56
By Raphael ben Levi
This links in nicely with our Torah portion where God instructed Israel to bring their first-fruits (‘bikurim’) to the Tabernacle when they entered Canaan (ch.26:2): “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, (Tabernacle)…” (ESV)
First fruits (“Bikurim”) beautifully illustrates our responsibility to give God nothing less than our best as opposed to the scraps. The measure we love Him is revealed by the manner in which we submit our lives to Him – the first fruits of our lives, regardless of our earthly status, material possessions, education, background or any other outward criteria. Many are called but few are chosen because few choose this path – the road less travelled – reserved for those who seek Him above all things.
Would you be surprised to know that God is not so interested in our gifts or talents compared to our first fruits? Better to overcome much with very little than much with an abundance – to contend for the faith wholeheartedly no matter how meagre our provisions are. Our best is always good enough to God and this is the standard and level playing field in God’s KIngdom.
Our faithfulness as custodians of God’s riches will reflect in eternity. Yeshua stated in Matt.10:42: “… (that) if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” Nothing is wasted in God’s economy – no thought, word or action.
God makes clear His conditions and terms to the Israelites in Deut.28:1-14, prefixing everything with the conditional clause “if.” If the Israelite’s faithfully followed His commandments, He promised them abundant blessings. “…if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” (V.1)
We may well ask ourselves in what sense this has proved true, since for the most part the Jewish nation has lived in apostasy and rebellion, yet despite this they constitute only 0.2 of the world’s population and have contributed far beyond any other country in the world in almost every area in life. So in this regard, God has set up the Jewish people high above the nations. Why? Doesn’t it contradict the terms of agreement He Himself set out to them? Why? Because it’s in their DNA! But this is only part of the story. On the flip side, they have been the most consistently persecuted people in history with continual attempts of annihilation by their enemies who have used every means available at their disposal. How can we make sense of this all?
What it does reveal is an incredible picture of a loving God who desires to pour out His blessings with infinite care and love upon a people who don’t deserve it! And when we reflect further we begin to understand how that is true also for us. Yet …“God demonstrated His love for us that while we were sinners…” (Rom.5:8)
One thing about the Jewish people is that although their history is permeated with those who have constantly sought their destruction they have never lost the capacity to rejoice because this present season we are in does not end at Yom Kippur, but at Sukkot, a feast of great rejoicing! As we approach the Feast of Sukkot, we call it “zeman simchatenu” our season of joy – an outflow of God’s infinite blessings provided for us through Messiah Yeshua!
The word JOY occurs in the Bible 10 times more frequently than the word HAPPINESS because happiness is circumstantial but the joy of the Lord is our strength without which we eventually wither up and die. The joy of the Lord is contagious but although many believers have the Holy Spirit they lack in joy.
Interestingly, out of the 39 books of the OT, the one most focused on joy is Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) written by King Solomon (“the preacher”) a book usually associated with unhappiness even though it is always read during Sukkot. And yet it uses the word ‘simcha’ 17 times, which is more than the whole of the 5 books of Torah combined. After every thought and reflection regarding the pointlessness of life, Kohelet ends on a note to rejoice: (Kohelet 3:12; 3:22; 8:15; 11:8) This is puzzling since the whole book of Ecclesiastes is simultaneously filled with the word “hevel” (“futility”?) Our clue is contained in this Hebrew word which properly translated means “a shallow breath.” Our mortal lives are just a fleeting breath and Kohelet eventually finds it not primarily in the happiness contained in the things of this world but in the joy of the Lord!
The Haftarah portion from Isa.60 defines the joy that’s available for every believer: “Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, And the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you!” Even though …”darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but…
The end of the story has yet to unfold: “the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes round about you and see! They all gather themselves together, they come to you. Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried and nursed in the arms. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill and tremble with joy [at the glorious deliverance] and be enlarged; because the abundant wealth of the [Dead] Sea shall be turned to you, unto you shall the nations come with their treasures.” These things provide for every believer what in Titus 3:11-13 is described as our “blessed hope.”
All this Haftarah portion from Isa.60 points us directly to Yeshua – the same passage He read when He was Nazareth on a Shabbat at the commence of His public ministry. On visiting the synagogue in Nazareth He was asked to do the public reading from the Haftarah for that week`:“Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, And the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you!”
This is one of the reasons why even during the solemn month of ELUL, one of deep introspection, we can rejoice greatly for God’s glory that resides within us.
The word JOY occurs in the Bible 10 times more frequently than the word HAPPINESS emphasising its importance. It’s not affected by circumstances or adversity no matter what trials we may face (cf. Neh. 8). The joy of the Lord is contagious and not something we need protect ourselves from. Too many believers are asymptomatic – neither hot nor cold
The Hebrew word for happiness, (‘ashrei’) is the first word of the Book of Psalms, translated sometimes as ‘blessed’ as in the sermon on the Mount. Observant Jews recite the prayer known as the ‘Ashrei’ 3 times each day from Ps.145:
“I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. 2 I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. 3 God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. 4 Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. 5 Your beauty and splendour have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders. 6 Your marvellous doings are headline news; I could write a book full of the details of your greatness. 7 The fame of your goodness spreads across the country; your righteousness is on everyone’s lips. 8 God is all mercy and grace— not quick to anger, is rich in love. 9 God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace. 10-11 Creation and creatures applaud you, God; your holy people bless you. They talk about the glories of your rule, they exclaim over your splendour, 12 Letting the world know of your power for good, the lavish splendour of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal; you never get voted out of office. God always does what he says, and is gracious in everything he does. 14 God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit. 15 All eyes are on you, expectant; you give them their meals on time. 16 Generous to a fault, you lavish your favour on all creatures. 17 Everything God does is right— the trademark on all his works is love. 18 God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it. 19 He does what’s best for those who fear him— hears them call out, and saves them. 20 God sticks by all who love him, but it’s all over for those who don’t. 21 My mouth is filled with God’s praise. Let everything living bless him, bless his holy name from now to eternity!
These words reflect the heart of someone passionate about their love for God and reminds me of an example I shared with everyone in my weekly devotion entitled, “Are you thirsty?” A young student went to his rabbi and asked him, “Teacher how can I truly find God?” The rabbi asked the student to accompany him to the river which ran by the village and invited him to go into the water. When they got to the middle of the stream, the rabbi said, ‘Please immerse yourself in the water.’ The student did as he was instructed, whereupon the rabbi put his hands on the student’s head and held him under the water. Presently the student began to struggle. The rabbi held him under still. A moment passed and the student was thrashing and beating the water and air with his arms. Still, the rabbi held him under the water. Finally, the student was released and shot up from the water, lungs aching and gasping for air. The rabbi waited for a few moments and then said, “When you desire God’s presence as truly as you desired the air you just breathed, then your heart’s desire will surely be fulfilled!”
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