Devarim (Deuteronomy)
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Meaning
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Day Four
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Haftara
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B'rit Hadashah
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1 Our Father, we receive Your Words and hide Your commandments with us; 2 we incline our ear unto wisdom, and apply our hearts to understanding; 3 We cry after knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding; 4 we seek it as silver; and search for it as for hidden treasures; 5 We declare that we shall understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Declaration of Proverbs 2:1-5
Deuteronomy 33:22-26 (NASB)1
22 Of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's whelp, That leaps forth from Bashan." 23 Of Naphtali he said, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the LORD, Take possession of the sea and the south." 24 Of Asher he said, "More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in oil. 25 "Your locks will be iron and bronze, And according to your days, so will your leisurely walk be. 26 "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majesty.
The language that evokes vivid descriptions of strength and plenty, abundance, favor, blessing, increase, and security for the tribes of Israel continues. Is it hard to believe at times that these are adjectives that could describe the lives of believers? My mind reels at all the mixed messages that we learned in our earlier lives! I remember hearing that “The path of righteousness is the path to glory!” But what they didn’t tell you was that the path of righteousness is the rockiest, stoniest, thistle-infested, and bramble-populated path one could ever hope to travel. And that is over and above the personal inner stony and thistle-infested path that we trod in our inner being! Our Father God is a God of paradoxes! Yes, the path to glory is the same one strewn about like a minefield with sudden disaster. Living a life of ultimate riches in Messiah means surrendering many earthly attachments that we’ve known. Finding ultimate peace means abandoning every single coping mechanism, convenience, and comfort measure that we’ve ever had to use and maintain over a lifetime. In order to obtain something, we must be prepared to give something away. For years now, I've been reaching for the goal of minimalism. If something new comes into the house, something old and unused must leave it. And once it gets here, it must always be returned to their 'home' spot storage. Part of my issues as a clutter-bug is that I am always moving so fast from one thing to another, and articles are left here and there for days or longer before I wake up and get them to their home space!
The one thing we can obtain without giving up anything else is God’s love that comes freely. We’re here because God made us and loves us. Here is a paradox this morning: That is the one where we are broken and yet we are whole. Tvi Freedman had something to say about the state of being broken and whole at the same time. It sounds impossible because one can't be both something and nothing all at once. (Sounds like the riddle of Shrodinger's cat.)This separates man from the angels. This can only occur within the human heart. Only The Creator God can make 'nothing' and 'being' at the very same time. He makes the impossible a reality.
It is the same type of notion that we are finite. We have a beginning and we have an end. God is infinite because He has no beginning and no end that we could ever understand in our finite state. I have no idea why our world consists of such paradoxes, except that it has to do with our finite understanding. Our understanding is minuscule as compared to the understanding of THE Creator God. It is no different than the paradox of the red heifer. The priest who gathers the ashes up is considered unclean, and yet the ashes of this red heifer render everything that they touch clean! I suppose what makes man so frustrated is that we are unable to explain such profound things as this. So in his wisdom, because he cannot explain it, man dismisses it and will not believe, turning instead to humanism. Yes. It is much easier for the greater part of mankind to turn to exaltation of man’s intelligence and ability rather than to the Intelligence that crafted him in the first place. What they miss by a mile is that God makes the impossible real!
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Leviticus 16:14.
Why not on the westward side of the mercy seat? That was reserved for the blood of the Lamb according to the Rabbis. There is speculation that the cross of Yeshua was over where many believe the Ark of the Covenant is hidden, which may or may not be where they say it was. While the Lord was hanging on the cross, through a fissure or crack in the rock, His blood trickled down, and guess where they believe it landed? Fiction, you say? Someday, we shall know.
In the tomb where he had been laid, there appeared two angels; one at the foot and one at the head. That tomb was in essence the mercy seat with living cherubim on each end. What the blood of the goats used at Yom Kippur could not provide, Yeshua the Lamb of God did. To Orthodox Jewish brethren, the notion of a God Incarnate Savior is as important as the non-Jewish world coming to know that ‘Jesus’ is really a Jewish Savior who embodies the “law” they have long deemed passé. Another paradox is that we're in the season of rejoicing in the Feast of Sukkot, and yet there is grief over the loss of our founder, and dear friend, Gaylen Jones. We’ve brought our hearts to the master surgeon and can start to reconcile the fact that the road of righteousness is indeed strewn with inconvenience, rejection, and discomfort. And well does our Father know that if we have any of these firmly entrenched in our hearts, if we have even the smallest hold on comfort and ease or convenience, this will displace our Father God from HIS place in our lives. Indeed! There is none like our God, who rides through the skies to help us! There are better days ahead when we are past this rough patch. It's been seven days since he's been gone from us, and now, in my mind, my wallow is over, and it's time to rejoice that certainly, this world was a better place because he was here!
We move on in our text today and see the prophecies concerning three more tribes of Israel. Dan is likened to a lion’s cub. A lion cub has got to be one of the cutest animals on the face of the earth. (Now you should know that this is the persona of a “crazy cat lady” who states this today.) They’re all strangely born with a small body and four huge paws. They’re playful and so intent on learning the lessons that their mother’s paws will teach. That is all so nice, but a cub grows up and can be one of the most dangerous animals on the face of the planet! One leap and it’s all over for the hunted. And it is to be noted that a whelp is a derogatory term. It is the description of an unmannerly and unruly child, but also denotes the child of one who is hated. And this fits. Dan was the “whelp” of a lion. Israel was and still is hated. The strength of a lion was a foreshadowing of one of Dan’s descendants, whose name was Samson. He decimated a lot of Philistine warriors with a piece of bone from a donkey’s head. Sounds like an unlikely weapon, doesn’t it? But it’s surprising what works as a weapon. Scratching fingernails on a blackboard can bring down the biggest bully in the classroom.
Naphtali settled on some of the best farmland in all Israel. Indeed, he was favored. He would have the fruits of the land AND the “sea”!
Asher was blessed with happiness. Perhaps his mother was inspired when she named him “happy”. On his land were the best of the olive groves that provided food and oil. And then there is the oil that is to be found UNDER the soil of Asher’s feet, which has a more modern context. Apparently, there in northern Israel are the most recent explorations for oil. Perhaps there are powers in the world that know things of which the general populace is not aware. This is yet another reason why the enemies of Israel want to push them into the sea and take their land. Not only to rid themselves of a troublesome cup of trembling, but also to gain the wealth of the oil supply in the ground. Pay little mind to these marauders. The God of all creation will settle this, and it’s only a matter of time! Let us occupy and stand our ground until He does. Our broken and whole hearts are safe in His hands! Hallelu-YAH!
The one thing we can obtain without giving up anything else is God’s love that comes freely. We’re here because God made us and loves us. Here is a paradox this morning: That is the one where we are broken and yet we are whole. Tvi Freedman had something to say about the state of being broken and whole at the same time. It sounds impossible because one can't be both something and nothing all at once. (Sounds like the riddle of Shrodinger's cat.)This separates man from the angels. This can only occur within the human heart. Only The Creator God can make 'nothing' and 'being' at the very same time. He makes the impossible a reality.
It is the same type of notion that we are finite. We have a beginning and we have an end. God is infinite because He has no beginning and no end that we could ever understand in our finite state. I have no idea why our world consists of such paradoxes, except that it has to do with our finite understanding. Our understanding is minuscule as compared to the understanding of THE Creator God. It is no different than the paradox of the red heifer. The priest who gathers the ashes up is considered unclean, and yet the ashes of this red heifer render everything that they touch clean! I suppose what makes man so frustrated is that we are unable to explain such profound things as this. So in his wisdom, because he cannot explain it, man dismisses it and will not believe, turning instead to humanism. Yes. It is much easier for the greater part of mankind to turn to exaltation of man’s intelligence and ability rather than to the Intelligence that crafted him in the first place. What they miss by a mile is that God makes the impossible real!
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Leviticus 16:14.
Why not on the westward side of the mercy seat? That was reserved for the blood of the Lamb according to the Rabbis. There is speculation that the cross of Yeshua was over where many believe the Ark of the Covenant is hidden, which may or may not be where they say it was. While the Lord was hanging on the cross, through a fissure or crack in the rock, His blood trickled down, and guess where they believe it landed? Fiction, you say? Someday, we shall know.
In the tomb where he had been laid, there appeared two angels; one at the foot and one at the head. That tomb was in essence the mercy seat with living cherubim on each end. What the blood of the goats used at Yom Kippur could not provide, Yeshua the Lamb of God did. To Orthodox Jewish brethren, the notion of a God Incarnate Savior is as important as the non-Jewish world coming to know that ‘Jesus’ is really a Jewish Savior who embodies the “law” they have long deemed passé. Another paradox is that we're in the season of rejoicing in the Feast of Sukkot, and yet there is grief over the loss of our founder, and dear friend, Gaylen Jones. We’ve brought our hearts to the master surgeon and can start to reconcile the fact that the road of righteousness is indeed strewn with inconvenience, rejection, and discomfort. And well does our Father know that if we have any of these firmly entrenched in our hearts, if we have even the smallest hold on comfort and ease or convenience, this will displace our Father God from HIS place in our lives. Indeed! There is none like our God, who rides through the skies to help us! There are better days ahead when we are past this rough patch. It's been seven days since he's been gone from us, and now, in my mind, my wallow is over, and it's time to rejoice that certainly, this world was a better place because he was here!
We move on in our text today and see the prophecies concerning three more tribes of Israel. Dan is likened to a lion’s cub. A lion cub has got to be one of the cutest animals on the face of the earth. (Now you should know that this is the persona of a “crazy cat lady” who states this today.) They’re all strangely born with a small body and four huge paws. They’re playful and so intent on learning the lessons that their mother’s paws will teach. That is all so nice, but a cub grows up and can be one of the most dangerous animals on the face of the planet! One leap and it’s all over for the hunted. And it is to be noted that a whelp is a derogatory term. It is the description of an unmannerly and unruly child, but also denotes the child of one who is hated. And this fits. Dan was the “whelp” of a lion. Israel was and still is hated. The strength of a lion was a foreshadowing of one of Dan’s descendants, whose name was Samson. He decimated a lot of Philistine warriors with a piece of bone from a donkey’s head. Sounds like an unlikely weapon, doesn’t it? But it’s surprising what works as a weapon. Scratching fingernails on a blackboard can bring down the biggest bully in the classroom.
Naphtali settled on some of the best farmland in all Israel. Indeed, he was favored. He would have the fruits of the land AND the “sea”!
Asher was blessed with happiness. Perhaps his mother was inspired when she named him “happy”. On his land were the best of the olive groves that provided food and oil. And then there is the oil that is to be found UNDER the soil of Asher’s feet, which has a more modern context. Apparently, there in northern Israel are the most recent explorations for oil. Perhaps there are powers in the world that know things of which the general populace is not aware. This is yet another reason why the enemies of Israel want to push them into the sea and take their land. Not only to rid themselves of a troublesome cup of trembling, but also to gain the wealth of the oil supply in the ground. Pay little mind to these marauders. The God of all creation will settle this, and it’s only a matter of time! Let us occupy and stand our ground until He does. Our broken and whole hearts are safe in His hands! Hallelu-YAH!
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Isaiah 40:28-29.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise specified
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