EIKEV – BECAUSE (Deut.7:12-11:25; Isai.49:14-51:3; Rom. 8:31-39)
By Raphael ben Levi
Scripture teaches us the importance for every believer to abide under the Lord’s covering. Satan, understands this better than most and, knowing that his time is short, seeks to undermine and short circuit God’s plan for our lives through any and every means available. Never underestimate his cunning lest he pull the carpet from underneath and catch us unawares. Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty is what keeps us from falling casualty in these perilous times and enables us to rest in Him rather than succumb to fear. (“I will fear no evil for you are with me, Your rod and staff they comfort me.” Ps.23) His peace and love and the confident expectation we have for what God has stored up for those who trust in Him causes us to rejoice greatly for as the prophet Jeremiah has stated: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” (Jer.17:7; Ps.1)
And in Isa.26:3 [AMP]: “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].
And so we become grounded in the Lord and are “steadfast immoveable” (1Cor.15:58) because of the sure hope we have in Yeshua as we actively engage in serving Him. Paul continues to advise the Corinthians to, “always excel in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labour [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].”
This is basically what Moses in his final speech to the Israelites urged and warned them to Deut.8:11-14: “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by failing to keep His commandments and His judgments (precepts) and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have increases, 14 then your heart will become lifted up [by self-conceit and arrogance] and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
Yeshua spoke clearly how in the Last Days, the love of many would grow cold accompanied by a great falling away and so our protection is simply at all times to abide under the Lord’s covering! (Ps.91)
Although Satan has a blood lust to steal, kill and destroy, Yeshua effectively countered it by voluntarily offering His life through His blood as a covering which comes into play when we choose to yield our lives to Him. Lev.17:11 states, “life is in the blood,” a statement that prefigures Messiah Yeshua for what His blood would accomplish for us. Scripture provides 7 aspects related to the Blood of Yeshua:
- The Blood on the Doorposts – Redeeming Blood (Ex.12:5-7;13)
- The Blood on the Altar – Atoning Blood (Lev.17:11; Heb.9:11-12)
- The Blood on the Leprous – Cleansing Blood (Lev.14:5-7;14)
- The Blood on the Covenant – Cov. blood (Ex.14:6-8;Jer.31:31-34;Heb.9:13-15)
- The Blood on the Priests – Consecrating Blood (Took 7 days) [Ex.29:1-21]
- The Blood on the Mercy Seat – Pleading Blood (Lev.16:13-14; Heb.9;11-12)
- The Blood on the Cross – Quickening Blood (Lev.17:11;Jn.6:53-54)
Let’s just consider this for a moment. Blood Is fundamental to the function of every cell of every component in our bodies. Cells need food to survive, grow, repair themselves and to fulfil their specific functions giving life to the whole body. Exactly the same is true for us spiritually in relation to the blood of Yeshua through which we have obtained eternal life.
Concerning Yeshua’s redemption and the means He chose to accomplish it, I have always found it curious how Satan could have entirely missed everything and actually facilitated in advancing God’s eternal plan of salvation for mankind, that simultaneously sealed his own irrevocable destruction? I believe that it points to his insatiable blood lust blinded by pride and arrogance. God’s greatest victory proved to be Satan’s greatest downfall and demonstrates how He has outmanoeuvred Satan at every step since the beginning of time!
Cleansing, through the blood of Yeshua embraces us body, soul and spirit – our thinking, our consciences, our actions and our physical well-being. Yeshua considered it worthwhile to pay the price for our salvation and spurs us on to lead a sanctified life. 1John 1:8-10
Satan can only touch us if we allow him because he cannot invade our lives without cause or permission. And we are described as being “more than conquerors in Messiah” “4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Chris,” (2Cor. 10:4-5)
The weapons that God has provided us are for our covering and protection but also for our equipping. (Eph. 6) We are to stand in the TRUTH of the Gospel through every expression of our lives by which we reclaim spiritual territory and reestablish God’s Kingdom. I say this because it’s an easy thing to ‘wash our hands’ and tolerate the elephant in our midst. The apostle Paul wrote: “12 Fight the good fight of faith! Take hold of the eternal life—you were called to it, and you made the good confession for it in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you before God who gives life to all things and Messiah Yeshua who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.” [1Tim. 6]
What was Paul referring to regarding the ‘good confession before Pontius Pilate’? It reflects Pilate’s dilemma when standing before the One who is the way, the truth, and the life. The words, “What is truth?” exposed his utter despair and spiritual bankruptcy that no pleasure or enticement of this world can ever compensate.
Scripture provides every believer with a promise for those, “…who dwell in the secret place of the Most High…” (Ps.91:1) And we find here in this week’s parasha where God reiterates a promise to the Israelites: “Because [eikev] you listen to these rules and keep them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and steadfast love that He swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you.” Deut. 7:12-13:25
The word “eikev” is derived from from the verb “akav”, which means, “to take or grasp (by implication) by the heel” [as in the name Ya’akov meaning ‘supplanter’] and is first used in Gen.3:15 – proto-evangelium (first proclamation of the [Christian] gospel. “And I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.”
Despite Satan’s attempt to destroy God’s eternal plan of salvation by “striking the heel” of the Messiah, Yeshua instead crushed the Devil’s head and broke the curse of sin and death providing us with the means of salvation.
In Jewish tradition, the last generation is described as ‘the heels of Mashiach, with feet of bronze” (representing judgement) since that generation will hear His footsteps and all those who fail to hear will be judged. In the world today our ears are subjected to so many ‘voices’ that seek to crowd out our ability to ‘hear’ as we await Yeshua’s imminent return, but God undertakes to keep every believer who remains vigilant in these terrible times and hidden in Him.
Our hearts well up in thankfulness to God (‘hakarat ha-tov’) for His immeasurable love through Yeshua. Paul writes: “In everything give thanks…” He didn’t say “for everything.” Some things are evil, hurtful, harmful, or tragic. But, God has given us the capacity to triumph in every circumstance through His death and resurrection because in Him we are “more than conquerors.” And so we “…rejoice in the Lord always: and are careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make our requests known to God. (Phil. 4) This was not a strong point of the Israelites during their 40 years sojourn in the desert but maybe we are not so much better? Could this be one of the reasons why Yeshua sometimes places some boulders along our pathway to teach us how to be overcomers?
Moses itemised the blessings of God for those who trust Him and remain steadfast in their faith irrespective of what life throws at them. We discover that nothing is impossible and no wall is unscalable, for God promises go before us. Moses told the Israelites: “17 You might say to yourselves, “Those nations are so much more powerful than we are! How can we ever displace them in the land?” 18 But don’t be afraid of them! Remember what the Eternal, your God did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt…He is your God and will do the same thing to all the nations you’re so afraid of right now.”
God is bigger than all our problems, bigger than all our anxieties, bigger than any obstacle, bigger than all our questions, dilemmas, crises, – whatever we may be facing, God is bigger…
God’s armoury itemised in Eph 6 is saturated in godly worship which is like the oil of gladness keeping us strong and shining for Him. This becomes very apparent when we understand that Paul is describing the clothing of the High Priest and not a Roman soldier. The primary duty of the High Priest was to offer sacrifices of worship unto God. Worship was a key function of the priesthood expressed in a life fully consecrated unto Him that we too should unto God as we present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is our rational (logical) act of worship. (Rom.12:1) This is an expression of our love for the Lord, a lifestyle directly corresponding to how we respond to evil whenever encountered with all its variety of manifestations.
So, where was the victory when people like Corrie Ten Boom was arrested by the Nazis, sent to concentration camp and lost all her family during the Holocaust? Her victory was through worship of the Lord even within the pit of hell in Ravensbruk concentration camp that brought light in impenetrable darkness. By forgiving her enemies and blessing those who persecuted her against every instinct, brought transformation that evil had no answer for. What Satan had intended for evil, God used for good! It is this type of courage and strength displayed in the face of evil, whether in big or the smallest of things that crushes the enemy underfoot! Pure worship is when every part of our being is fully submitted to God. “6 He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. James 4
Sometimes, God chooses not to intervene directly in our affairs whilst evil appears to prosper and the righteous suffer. But as in the case at Purim, He is always working behind the scenes. In Ps.73, the psalmist struggled with this issue: “16 When I considered how to understand this, It was too great an effort for me and too painful” “17 Then I understood [for I considered] their end.”
There are some things in life we may never understand but we do know there will be a day of reckoning before the Divine Judge where everyone will receive their just recompense. The greater the challenge the sweeter is our victory knowing that in everything He is our defender and strong tower, our refuge and strength, our God who is ‘more than enough’ and supplies all our needs liberally. And so, we can confidently say, “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.” (Rom.8:38-39)
Our God inhabits the praises of His people and covers us in the pinions of His wings. He is our strength! He causes us to be as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights, (Hab.3:19) far beyond what we can fathom and exceedingly abundantly above all we can hope or imagine! Because God always exceeds our limitations!
