Devarim
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Meaning
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Day Three
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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 30:1-6 (NASB)1
1 "So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, 2 and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, 3 then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. 4 "If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. 5 "The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 "Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
The new chickens have been installed in the little annex of the coop, divided by a lattice door. Two nights ago, we went for the last coop run of the evening. I checked them through the screen and called Richard over. “You gotta see this!” Last year, Richard had installed a temporary light at the end of a cord. There haven't been any hens in there since early spring, so we hadn't made any moves to improve that temporary situation. We never even thought about it. The kennel was in the southeast corner, and the hens always roosted on a board across the kennel. Nobody ventured any higher than the top of the kennel that housed our blind hen. When the blind hen died almost at winter's end, the kennel stayed until spring, when we cleaned out that annex. When I looked into the annex through the screen, two new hens were swinging on that electrical cord, rocking contentedly! I've seen pictures of this on social media, but this is a first for us. There's always something interesting at the homestead!
On a more somber note, far away from the homestead, the world got a whole lot crazier last week. We're now seeing the aftermath of it all in this 'after' week. I think it might be time for another season of abstinence from the news! Everybody has a take on how Charlie Kirk was killed. One post I saw began, “My husband is an EMT and he says that couldn't possibly be how he was shot...” Everyone is now a ballistic and forensic injury expert! “It couldn't have been a bolt-action rifle”. “No, it was a Mauser.” “The angle is wrong for a direct hit. The bullet veered off the top of his body armor vest he wore.” This morning, another person wrote that he was killed from behind and not from a distance on a rooftop. The information about the killer is just as convoluted. The term “patsy” is being used as it was in 1963. I'm amazed at the confusion surrounding most of the news we get these days. But then, that is just the way the enemy likes it.
Israeli forces are beginning their offensive move to clear out the last of the Hamas terrorist cells and nests in Gaza City. They systematically cleared out the leadership over the summer. Hamas wanted Israel to be cleared off the map. It appears that Hamas will be the one that is to be cleared. May God grant the Palestinian citizens discernment and freedom from the mind-cultist, oppressive influence that this organization has over them. For as many that are fooled, there are more that simply know better than to speak against them. Hamas not only steals their food and supplies, but also their peace of mind. May Yah grant an end to their presence and enable the world to see that this “two-state solution” is a fantasy.
I've been having strange dreams of late that haven't helped this overall sense of tension. But they have helped to get me up this morning on one of the few days I could have slept in for a bit. Shakespeare's “To sleep, perchance to dream” is enough to get me out of bed in case I have another of those other-worldly confrontations in dreamland that is as crazy as the reality in the waking world! I don't eat before bed. Nobody can call these 'pizza dreams'. I think that something somebody said to me yesterday is a clue to this unsettled sense. The message is: God is working. If this message is for somebody else, take it and run with it! I know that this meant a lot to the person who said it. It should be passed on to other believers who are a little frazzled from world events, as well as personal situations. Be encouraged, Saints, God is working!
There is more backup encouragement that is coming from The Word today. After all the curses, can come repentance and a 'return'.
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. Deuteronomy 30:1-3.
Isn't it interesting that verse one says “when” all these things are come upon thee, and not IF these things are come upon thee? That sounds prophetic to me. God knew from before Genesis 1:1 the path that Israel would take. He also knew the path that we'd take as individuals. He knew who would respond to His revelatory call on their lives. He knew that Israel would become like all the nations of the earth in many ways. Despite that, they are still the beacon to all things that lead to the Creator God. They still have the one and only original message!
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Deuteronomy 4:29-31.
That's comfort! That's reassurance! Solomon prayed the prayer when the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the structure that he built for God:
46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; 47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; 48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: 49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, 50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: 51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: 52 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. 53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD. I Kings 8:46-53.
Jeremiah repeated this promise of restoration after repentance:
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: 38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them... Jeremiah 32:37-39.
Ezekiel said the same thing!
19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Ezekiel 11:19-20.
C.H. Mackintosh says of this chapter thirty of the fifth book of the five:
“This chapter is one of very deep interest and importance. It is prophetic, and presents to us some of "the secret things" referred to at the close of the Preceding chapter. It unfolds some of those most precious resources of grace treasured up in the heart of God to be unfolded when Israel, having utterly failed to keep the law, should be scattered to the ends of the earth.”
They didn't exactly utterly fail to keep the law, as much as they turned away from Yahweh to serve other small 'g' gods of the nations. The moment they turned away, they fell. I've plucked some of the commentary of C.H. Mackintosh that reflects this truth that they didn't fail to keep the law as much as they turned from God FIRST.
“How touching, how perfectly beautiful is all this! It is no question of law-keeping, but something far deeper, far more precious; it is the turning of the heart — the whole heart, the whole soul to Jehovah, at a time when a literal obedience to the law is utterly impossible... It must be perfectly clear to the reader that what we have now before us is something as far removed from law-keeping and human righteousness as heaven is above earth... This is a singularly interesting passage. It furnishes a key to "the secret things" already referred to, and sets forth the great principles of divine righteousness, in vivid and beautiful contrast to legal righteousness in every possible aspect. According to the truth here unfolded, it matters not, in the least, where a soul may be, here, there or anywhere; "The word is nigh thee." It could not possibly be nigher. What could be nigher than "In thy mouth, and in thy heart?" We need not, as we say, move a muscle to get it. If it were above us or beyond us, reason would that we might complain of our utter inability to reach it. But no; there is no need of either hands or feet, in this most blessed and all-important matter. The heart and the mouth are here called into exercise.”
C.H. Mackintosh also made statements to the effect that it is impossible to keep the law. His phrasing was that “a literal obedience to the law is utterly impossible”. I would have to agree, (as much as this sounds like that old hackneyed pontification that I heard that “we're not under law, we're under grace”). It's that same phrase that to me came to mean, “That's only for the Jews”. You might say it became a trigger phrase for me. If I hear that phrase, even now, it is a signal to me that for whoever I'm speaking to, the discussion is over. However, when Israel did not have “the heart” to serve Yah ONLY, then to LITERALLY obey the law was not possible. That is what the Pharisees were teaching. They didn't have the “heart” for God, and so the law was downgraded to a set of “rules and regulations”. I think that the law is perfectly able to be kept when “the heart” is always turned (or TUNED) to God. When the heart was always turned to God FIRST, Israel was blessed. This is documented in Torah and the Prophets. Having had experience in both the Catholic and Protestant paths, I can say that both of them had a host of “rules and regs” that couldn't be LITERALLY kept either, if one did not have “the heart” for God FIRST. In that, the two major divisions of 'religion' devolved into the same type as the Pharisees, just like Israel! If one will not have “the heart” to keep those first four commandments that apply to God Himself, then the rest of the commands could certainly not be honored or kept between one's fellows.
On a more somber note, far away from the homestead, the world got a whole lot crazier last week. We're now seeing the aftermath of it all in this 'after' week. I think it might be time for another season of abstinence from the news! Everybody has a take on how Charlie Kirk was killed. One post I saw began, “My husband is an EMT and he says that couldn't possibly be how he was shot...” Everyone is now a ballistic and forensic injury expert! “It couldn't have been a bolt-action rifle”. “No, it was a Mauser.” “The angle is wrong for a direct hit. The bullet veered off the top of his body armor vest he wore.” This morning, another person wrote that he was killed from behind and not from a distance on a rooftop. The information about the killer is just as convoluted. The term “patsy” is being used as it was in 1963. I'm amazed at the confusion surrounding most of the news we get these days. But then, that is just the way the enemy likes it.
Israeli forces are beginning their offensive move to clear out the last of the Hamas terrorist cells and nests in Gaza City. They systematically cleared out the leadership over the summer. Hamas wanted Israel to be cleared off the map. It appears that Hamas will be the one that is to be cleared. May God grant the Palestinian citizens discernment and freedom from the mind-cultist, oppressive influence that this organization has over them. For as many that are fooled, there are more that simply know better than to speak against them. Hamas not only steals their food and supplies, but also their peace of mind. May Yah grant an end to their presence and enable the world to see that this “two-state solution” is a fantasy.
I've been having strange dreams of late that haven't helped this overall sense of tension. But they have helped to get me up this morning on one of the few days I could have slept in for a bit. Shakespeare's “To sleep, perchance to dream” is enough to get me out of bed in case I have another of those other-worldly confrontations in dreamland that is as crazy as the reality in the waking world! I don't eat before bed. Nobody can call these 'pizza dreams'. I think that something somebody said to me yesterday is a clue to this unsettled sense. The message is: God is working. If this message is for somebody else, take it and run with it! I know that this meant a lot to the person who said it. It should be passed on to other believers who are a little frazzled from world events, as well as personal situations. Be encouraged, Saints, God is working!
There is more backup encouragement that is coming from The Word today. After all the curses, can come repentance and a 'return'.
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. Deuteronomy 30:1-3.
Isn't it interesting that verse one says “when” all these things are come upon thee, and not IF these things are come upon thee? That sounds prophetic to me. God knew from before Genesis 1:1 the path that Israel would take. He also knew the path that we'd take as individuals. He knew who would respond to His revelatory call on their lives. He knew that Israel would become like all the nations of the earth in many ways. Despite that, they are still the beacon to all things that lead to the Creator God. They still have the one and only original message!
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Deuteronomy 4:29-31.
That's comfort! That's reassurance! Solomon prayed the prayer when the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the structure that he built for God:
46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; 47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; 48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: 49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, 50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: 51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: 52 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. 53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD. I Kings 8:46-53.
Jeremiah repeated this promise of restoration after repentance:
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: 38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them... Jeremiah 32:37-39.
Ezekiel said the same thing!
19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Ezekiel 11:19-20.
C.H. Mackintosh says of this chapter thirty of the fifth book of the five:
“This chapter is one of very deep interest and importance. It is prophetic, and presents to us some of "the secret things" referred to at the close of the Preceding chapter. It unfolds some of those most precious resources of grace treasured up in the heart of God to be unfolded when Israel, having utterly failed to keep the law, should be scattered to the ends of the earth.”
They didn't exactly utterly fail to keep the law, as much as they turned away from Yahweh to serve other small 'g' gods of the nations. The moment they turned away, they fell. I've plucked some of the commentary of C.H. Mackintosh that reflects this truth that they didn't fail to keep the law as much as they turned from God FIRST.
“How touching, how perfectly beautiful is all this! It is no question of law-keeping, but something far deeper, far more precious; it is the turning of the heart — the whole heart, the whole soul to Jehovah, at a time when a literal obedience to the law is utterly impossible... It must be perfectly clear to the reader that what we have now before us is something as far removed from law-keeping and human righteousness as heaven is above earth... This is a singularly interesting passage. It furnishes a key to "the secret things" already referred to, and sets forth the great principles of divine righteousness, in vivid and beautiful contrast to legal righteousness in every possible aspect. According to the truth here unfolded, it matters not, in the least, where a soul may be, here, there or anywhere; "The word is nigh thee." It could not possibly be nigher. What could be nigher than "In thy mouth, and in thy heart?" We need not, as we say, move a muscle to get it. If it were above us or beyond us, reason would that we might complain of our utter inability to reach it. But no; there is no need of either hands or feet, in this most blessed and all-important matter. The heart and the mouth are here called into exercise.”
C.H. Mackintosh also made statements to the effect that it is impossible to keep the law. His phrasing was that “a literal obedience to the law is utterly impossible”. I would have to agree, (as much as this sounds like that old hackneyed pontification that I heard that “we're not under law, we're under grace”). It's that same phrase that to me came to mean, “That's only for the Jews”. You might say it became a trigger phrase for me. If I hear that phrase, even now, it is a signal to me that for whoever I'm speaking to, the discussion is over. However, when Israel did not have “the heart” to serve Yah ONLY, then to LITERALLY obey the law was not possible. That is what the Pharisees were teaching. They didn't have the “heart” for God, and so the law was downgraded to a set of “rules and regulations”. I think that the law is perfectly able to be kept when “the heart” is always turned (or TUNED) to God. When the heart was always turned to God FIRST, Israel was blessed. This is documented in Torah and the Prophets. Having had experience in both the Catholic and Protestant paths, I can say that both of them had a host of “rules and regs” that couldn't be LITERALLY kept either, if one did not have “the heart” for God FIRST. In that, the two major divisions of 'religion' devolved into the same type as the Pharisees, just like Israel! If one will not have “the heart” to keep those first four commandments that apply to God Himself, then the rest of the commands could certainly not be honored or kept between one's fellows.
6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Deuteronomy 30:6.
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise specified
*The Torah and Haftara chapter/verse numbering taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numbering indicated within parenthesis)
*The Torah and Haftara chapter/verse numbering taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numbering indicated within parenthesis)
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