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 33:18-21 (NASB)1
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth; and, Issachar, in your tents. 19 They shall call peoples to the mountain; there they will offer righteous sacrifices: for they will draw out the abundance of the seas, and the hidden treasures of the sand. 20 Of Gad he said, Blessed is the one that enlarges Gad: he lies down as a lion, and tears the arm, also the crown of the head. 21 Then he provided the first part for himself, for there the ruler’s portion was reserved; And he came with the leaders of the people; He executed the justice of the Lord, And his ordinances with Israel.
It seems like it's been so long since we had rain, and it came in a heavy downpour or two overnight. It's a day in-house, and I'm going to take it much easier than I did this time last week. Yesterday, it was a simpler menu for cooking than last week, and yet I was knackered by three o'clock. I went in with my knees very liberally medicated and made it through the shift. Despite serving for twenty-four plates, I left the building right at three o'clock! That was unusual. When I got home, I had to lie down for a while. That was also unusual. There was such widespread muscle discomfort that I took a therapeutic hot shower, and was in my jim-jams AKA pajamas well before six o'clock. The last coop run was done before 7:30, and I was in bed before eight o'clock. Perhaps it was the advent of that rain that was affecting my entire body! It is much better today in recovery. I can still make progress in the clearing of minor clutter and perhaps creatively, at my sewing machine. God is good!
On the Messianic calendar, we’ve just begun the eight days of The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot, where the days of Israel living in temporary shelters in the desert are remembered. It’s also a time of ingathering, celebrating the time of harvest, which we’re also celebrating here in the western hemisphere. In our neck of the woods, I've heard many acknowledge that their gardens did rather poorly this season. No wonder, with the weather being quite “out of sorts” since spring. There were no 'regular' times of sun with alternate rains. I'm not complaining. It's an observation, supported by what I've heard from others. Everything is “out of sorts”, everywhere on this planet! It is the anniversary of the 7 October massacre that has been declared the worst since the Holocaust. Israel is still experiencing grief while at the same time, celebrating the Biblical feast of Yah as best they can, still heavy with the memory of their losses two years ago.
I leave two links in the usual place for those of our readers who are new to living Biblically. These links are a good way to ‘get your feet wet’ regarding the Biblical feasts, and for those who are more aware, it might be a good review—at least I know it is for this writer, since there is no Messianic synagogue here locally in which to be involved in observing this feast corporately. The nearest one is just under four hours southeast of here. Perhaps in the future, who knows, this homestead may be the nearest location where folks of like mind can gather. But until that happens, we rely on The Word itself to ferret out all we can regarding these ‘set times’ of God. While we wait for the era where we will be actively involved in these, it’s probably a good idea to know the theology!
We’re going to back up a bit now and step into our time machine and scoot back to Israel in the desert for a short time. Moses is speaking about blessings for the twelve tribes, and he’s up to Zebulun, Issachar, and Gad.
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. 19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. 20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. 21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel. Deuteronomy 33:18-21.
Regarding the blessings of Zebulun, John Gill reminds us that these two came from the same mother. Their mentions in the blessings of both Jacob and Moses are both with the younger mentioned first. John Gill further states:
“rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; in their going out to sea, to merchandise, to traffic in foreign parts, it being a maritime tribe, see Gen_49:13; and so are called upon to rejoice and be thankful for their safe preservation on the seas, and success in trade; and to this sense are the paraphrases of Jonathan and Jerusalem: though Onkelos interprets it of their going out to war against their enemies, and certain it is that they were also a warlike as well as a seafaring tribe; see Jdg_5:18, and Issachar, in thy tents; being a tribe that stayed at home, and attended to husbandry, and dwelt in tents, to take care of and feed their cattle; in doing which they should be prosperous, and have occasion to rejoice, and be thankful to the Lord: though the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem carry it to a different sense, to their schools, in which they dwelt: this tribe being, as supposed, a learned tribe, studious, in the law; which is gathered from 1Ch_12:32.”
I particularly liked the slant that Keil and Delitzsch took in their commentary, making sure to note the poetic aspect of the Scripture, careful to note this “parallelism” that exists in Hebrew literature as well:
“The tribes of the last two sons of Leah Moses unites together, and, like Jacob in Gen_49:13, places Zebulun the younger first. He first of all confirms the blessing which Jacob pronounced through simply interpreting their names as omnia, by calling upon them to rejoice in their undertakings abroad and at home. “At thy tents” corresponds to “at thy going out” (tents being used poetically for dwellings, as in Deu_16:7); like “sitting” to “going out and coming in” in 2Ki_19:27; Isa_37:28; Psa_139:2; and describes in its two aspects of work and production, rest and recreation. Although “going out” (enterprise and labour) is attributed to Zebulun, and “remaining in tents” (the comfortable enjoyment of life) to Issachar, in accordance with the delineation of their respective characters in the blessing of Jacob, this is to be attributed to the poetical parallelism of the clauses, and the whole is to be understood as applying to both in the sense suggested by Graf, “Rejoice, Zebulun and Issachar, in your labour and your rest.”
It appears that Keil and Delitzsch went down a deeper layer in the parsing of the same Scripture that John Gill did. They ferreted out how the actual phrasing and symmetry of the wording ‘as literature’ added meaning. It also goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. All the Scripture mentions that these commentators include is a wealth of teaching, as they all enlarge upon the clarity and understanding of The Word that is highlighted.
Thomas Coke is always interesting. He was a Methodist theologian who originated from Brecknockshire in Wales, and that is possibly why his name isn’t pronounced as it is spelled. This is a small detail, but one that has always been somewhat important to me. Coke sounds like ‘cook’ and not a fizzy soft drink. My angst over this is because during my youth, nobody could pronounce my name correctly either. My surname was ‘Roque’, pronounced like ‘rock’. I got everything from Rogue when some processed the ‘q’ as a ‘g’, or Roke, with the long sound of the ‘o’. Even as a small child, it was annoying. But let’s beaver on from this little rabbit trail that is of no consequence. I later married a French man whose surname is 'Nault', and I have basically the same problem with that one, just not as often. Thomas Coke was a contemporary and great friend of John Wesley and was called by Wesley his ‘right hand’. Coke stated the connection between Zebulun and Issachar in a unique manner:
“Zebulun and Issachar are here joined together. They were uterine brothers; but the disposition of their respective posterity was to be very different.”
These ‘uterine brothers’ were to share a border of their allotments in Canaan. Zebulun was closer to the Mediterranean and was known to be rich from the produce of said waters. Issachar was more inland and closer to the Sea of Tiberius also known to us as the Sea of Galilee. They are speculated to have become rich from their farming and agricultural pursuits.
Thomas Coke (1747-1814) includes a reference to a chap named Charles F. Houbigant (1636-1783), who was one of the commentators that we can safely assume was one of his sources when he was doing his study. Houbigant was a French Oratorian Biblical Scholar under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church. Apparently, he wrote works on Hebrew Philology that are now lost. I had to look up the word philology. It is the study of language and historical literary texts. So, this man delved into the Hebrew language texts, but whatever he wrote never survived, as his other writings did. But what Thomas Coke wrote, quoting Houbigant, is fascinating.
“II. Houbigant, upon this prophesy, remarks, that Moses preserves the same order with Jacob; naming the youngest first; and for the same reason. The youngest was to rejoice in his going out, or departure; but the elder in his tents; i.e. the Jews, who were the elder, were not to leave their tents when becoming Christians, because Christ came to fulfil the law, not to dissolve it; but the church of the Gentiles, the younger, could not rejoice, unless she forsook her tents, rejecting the worship of false gods, and turning herself to the true religion; in which religion both of them call to the mountain, and offer the sacrifices of righteousness. That the legal sacrifices are not meant, appears hence, that it was not the office of the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar to call men to the mountain of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices; much less עמים ammim, the people, which word is never applied to the Jewish nation alone; so that it is plain this mountain can mean no other than the Christian Church.”
I read this part repeatedly: The youngest was to rejoice in his going out, or departure; but the elder in his tents; i.e. the Jews, who were the elder, were not to leave their tents when becoming Christians, because Christ came to fulfil the law, not to dissolve it; but the church of the Gentiles, the younger, could not rejoice, unless she forsook her tents, rejecting the worship of false gods, and turning herself to the true religion; in which religion both of them call to the mountain, and offer the sacrifices of righteousness.”
“Christ came to fulfil the law, not to dissolve it”! Charlie Houbigant, you've got it! Because this fellow was a Catholic and an Oratorian, can we assume that by the “Christian Church”, he meant the Church of Rome under the headship of a Pope as the “true religion?” SIDEBAR: The Oratorian distinction came when he joined a movement known as the Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri, commonly known as the Oratorians. This is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men who live together in a community bound together by no formal vows. It was founded in Rome in 1575 by Philip Neri, and has spread around the world, with over 70 Oratories and some 500 priests. END OF SIDEBAR.
What is the equivalent of ‘the light being switched on’ is what Houbigant said about the younger and the elder brother! Always in the Old Testament, we see that theme of being ‘called to the mountain’ and that always means the city of Jerusalem. Because of his personal frame of reference and background of his Catholicism, it appears that he spiritualized that ‘mountain’ to mean his own “true religion”. Having grown up in my first fifteen years learning Catechism (which is a basic study of Catholic doctrine), I can attest to their absolute belief that Catholicism is the only ‘true’ religion. But what this man said about the elder and younger brothers is something that just about blows my wheels off! Think about it in relation to the parable of the young son who took his inheritance early and blew it away on sensuous living and then returned to his father humbly and willing to be taken on as a servant and not a son. His older brother wasn’t as happy as the father was upon his sibling’s return. Let Yah, as your authority, take you where He wants with this today.
Gad was endowed with strength—military strength that is. Again, the poetic language is noted:
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. Deuteronomy 33:20.
Apparently, on the battlefield, Gadites were known for severing the head and one of the arms off an enemy with one blow. Can you imagine the enviable upper body strength to be able to do such a thing? It also might have had something to do with the type of weaponry they used. The Scythians, who are rumored to be descendants of the tribe of Gad, had these impressive fighting skills. Chuck Missler came to mind. So I searched 'Chuck Missler and Scythians', and this video came up in the search.
https://youtu.be/HvaBt1kYLAQ?si=WOJuqRTfColJp7iS
It's under four minutes and gives another 'wealth' of knowledge about the nature of the Scythian tribes.
We never hear much of Gad, do we? Gad sounds pretty ferocious in this blessing of Moses. While the commentators in our past, looking at their resources, dwelt on the prophetical aspects of these verses about Gad, we are to see another aspect of Gad from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern.
20 “Blessed is he who makes Gad so large;
he lies there like a lion,
tearing arm and scalp.
21 He chose the best for himself
when the princely portion was assigned.
When the leaders of the people came,
he carried out Adonai’s justice
and his rulings concerning Isra’el.” Deuteronomy 33:20-21. (CJB)
In his blessing of Gad, did Moses already count the tribe of Gad as fulfilling their promise of acting with the tribe of Reuben and half of Manasseh, to deal with the inhabitants of Canaan on the west of the Jordan River? Indeed, it was Gad and not Yah that chose his allotment on the land east of the Jordan River. And he did indeed, ‘carry out the justice of Adonai’ with his fellow tribes. I think we've “poked some holes in the darkness” today. While the rest of the world continues in its “out of sorts” mania, we shall occupy and give Yah glory!
On the Messianic calendar, we’ve just begun the eight days of The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot, where the days of Israel living in temporary shelters in the desert are remembered. It’s also a time of ingathering, celebrating the time of harvest, which we’re also celebrating here in the western hemisphere. In our neck of the woods, I've heard many acknowledge that their gardens did rather poorly this season. No wonder, with the weather being quite “out of sorts” since spring. There were no 'regular' times of sun with alternate rains. I'm not complaining. It's an observation, supported by what I've heard from others. Everything is “out of sorts”, everywhere on this planet! It is the anniversary of the 7 October massacre that has been declared the worst since the Holocaust. Israel is still experiencing grief while at the same time, celebrating the Biblical feast of Yah as best they can, still heavy with the memory of their losses two years ago.
I leave two links in the usual place for those of our readers who are new to living Biblically. These links are a good way to ‘get your feet wet’ regarding the Biblical feasts, and for those who are more aware, it might be a good review—at least I know it is for this writer, since there is no Messianic synagogue here locally in which to be involved in observing this feast corporately. The nearest one is just under four hours southeast of here. Perhaps in the future, who knows, this homestead may be the nearest location where folks of like mind can gather. But until that happens, we rely on The Word itself to ferret out all we can regarding these ‘set times’ of God. While we wait for the era where we will be actively involved in these, it’s probably a good idea to know the theology!
We’re going to back up a bit now and step into our time machine and scoot back to Israel in the desert for a short time. Moses is speaking about blessings for the twelve tribes, and he’s up to Zebulun, Issachar, and Gad.
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. 19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. 20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. 21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel. Deuteronomy 33:18-21.
Regarding the blessings of Zebulun, John Gill reminds us that these two came from the same mother. Their mentions in the blessings of both Jacob and Moses are both with the younger mentioned first. John Gill further states:
“rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; in their going out to sea, to merchandise, to traffic in foreign parts, it being a maritime tribe, see Gen_49:13; and so are called upon to rejoice and be thankful for their safe preservation on the seas, and success in trade; and to this sense are the paraphrases of Jonathan and Jerusalem: though Onkelos interprets it of their going out to war against their enemies, and certain it is that they were also a warlike as well as a seafaring tribe; see Jdg_5:18, and Issachar, in thy tents; being a tribe that stayed at home, and attended to husbandry, and dwelt in tents, to take care of and feed their cattle; in doing which they should be prosperous, and have occasion to rejoice, and be thankful to the Lord: though the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem carry it to a different sense, to their schools, in which they dwelt: this tribe being, as supposed, a learned tribe, studious, in the law; which is gathered from 1Ch_12:32.”
I particularly liked the slant that Keil and Delitzsch took in their commentary, making sure to note the poetic aspect of the Scripture, careful to note this “parallelism” that exists in Hebrew literature as well:
“The tribes of the last two sons of Leah Moses unites together, and, like Jacob in Gen_49:13, places Zebulun the younger first. He first of all confirms the blessing which Jacob pronounced through simply interpreting their names as omnia, by calling upon them to rejoice in their undertakings abroad and at home. “At thy tents” corresponds to “at thy going out” (tents being used poetically for dwellings, as in Deu_16:7); like “sitting” to “going out and coming in” in 2Ki_19:27; Isa_37:28; Psa_139:2; and describes in its two aspects of work and production, rest and recreation. Although “going out” (enterprise and labour) is attributed to Zebulun, and “remaining in tents” (the comfortable enjoyment of life) to Issachar, in accordance with the delineation of their respective characters in the blessing of Jacob, this is to be attributed to the poetical parallelism of the clauses, and the whole is to be understood as applying to both in the sense suggested by Graf, “Rejoice, Zebulun and Issachar, in your labour and your rest.”
It appears that Keil and Delitzsch went down a deeper layer in the parsing of the same Scripture that John Gill did. They ferreted out how the actual phrasing and symmetry of the wording ‘as literature’ added meaning. It also goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. All the Scripture mentions that these commentators include is a wealth of teaching, as they all enlarge upon the clarity and understanding of The Word that is highlighted.
Thomas Coke is always interesting. He was a Methodist theologian who originated from Brecknockshire in Wales, and that is possibly why his name isn’t pronounced as it is spelled. This is a small detail, but one that has always been somewhat important to me. Coke sounds like ‘cook’ and not a fizzy soft drink. My angst over this is because during my youth, nobody could pronounce my name correctly either. My surname was ‘Roque’, pronounced like ‘rock’. I got everything from Rogue when some processed the ‘q’ as a ‘g’, or Roke, with the long sound of the ‘o’. Even as a small child, it was annoying. But let’s beaver on from this little rabbit trail that is of no consequence. I later married a French man whose surname is 'Nault', and I have basically the same problem with that one, just not as often. Thomas Coke was a contemporary and great friend of John Wesley and was called by Wesley his ‘right hand’. Coke stated the connection between Zebulun and Issachar in a unique manner:
“Zebulun and Issachar are here joined together. They were uterine brothers; but the disposition of their respective posterity was to be very different.”
These ‘uterine brothers’ were to share a border of their allotments in Canaan. Zebulun was closer to the Mediterranean and was known to be rich from the produce of said waters. Issachar was more inland and closer to the Sea of Tiberius also known to us as the Sea of Galilee. They are speculated to have become rich from their farming and agricultural pursuits.
Thomas Coke (1747-1814) includes a reference to a chap named Charles F. Houbigant (1636-1783), who was one of the commentators that we can safely assume was one of his sources when he was doing his study. Houbigant was a French Oratorian Biblical Scholar under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church. Apparently, he wrote works on Hebrew Philology that are now lost. I had to look up the word philology. It is the study of language and historical literary texts. So, this man delved into the Hebrew language texts, but whatever he wrote never survived, as his other writings did. But what Thomas Coke wrote, quoting Houbigant, is fascinating.
“II. Houbigant, upon this prophesy, remarks, that Moses preserves the same order with Jacob; naming the youngest first; and for the same reason. The youngest was to rejoice in his going out, or departure; but the elder in his tents; i.e. the Jews, who were the elder, were not to leave their tents when becoming Christians, because Christ came to fulfil the law, not to dissolve it; but the church of the Gentiles, the younger, could not rejoice, unless she forsook her tents, rejecting the worship of false gods, and turning herself to the true religion; in which religion both of them call to the mountain, and offer the sacrifices of righteousness. That the legal sacrifices are not meant, appears hence, that it was not the office of the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar to call men to the mountain of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices; much less עמים ammim, the people, which word is never applied to the Jewish nation alone; so that it is plain this mountain can mean no other than the Christian Church.”
I read this part repeatedly: The youngest was to rejoice in his going out, or departure; but the elder in his tents; i.e. the Jews, who were the elder, were not to leave their tents when becoming Christians, because Christ came to fulfil the law, not to dissolve it; but the church of the Gentiles, the younger, could not rejoice, unless she forsook her tents, rejecting the worship of false gods, and turning herself to the true religion; in which religion both of them call to the mountain, and offer the sacrifices of righteousness.”
“Christ came to fulfil the law, not to dissolve it”! Charlie Houbigant, you've got it! Because this fellow was a Catholic and an Oratorian, can we assume that by the “Christian Church”, he meant the Church of Rome under the headship of a Pope as the “true religion?” SIDEBAR: The Oratorian distinction came when he joined a movement known as the Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri, commonly known as the Oratorians. This is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men who live together in a community bound together by no formal vows. It was founded in Rome in 1575 by Philip Neri, and has spread around the world, with over 70 Oratories and some 500 priests. END OF SIDEBAR.
What is the equivalent of ‘the light being switched on’ is what Houbigant said about the younger and the elder brother! Always in the Old Testament, we see that theme of being ‘called to the mountain’ and that always means the city of Jerusalem. Because of his personal frame of reference and background of his Catholicism, it appears that he spiritualized that ‘mountain’ to mean his own “true religion”. Having grown up in my first fifteen years learning Catechism (which is a basic study of Catholic doctrine), I can attest to their absolute belief that Catholicism is the only ‘true’ religion. But what this man said about the elder and younger brothers is something that just about blows my wheels off! Think about it in relation to the parable of the young son who took his inheritance early and blew it away on sensuous living and then returned to his father humbly and willing to be taken on as a servant and not a son. His older brother wasn’t as happy as the father was upon his sibling’s return. Let Yah, as your authority, take you where He wants with this today.
Gad was endowed with strength—military strength that is. Again, the poetic language is noted:
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. Deuteronomy 33:20.
Apparently, on the battlefield, Gadites were known for severing the head and one of the arms off an enemy with one blow. Can you imagine the enviable upper body strength to be able to do such a thing? It also might have had something to do with the type of weaponry they used. The Scythians, who are rumored to be descendants of the tribe of Gad, had these impressive fighting skills. Chuck Missler came to mind. So I searched 'Chuck Missler and Scythians', and this video came up in the search.
https://youtu.be/HvaBt1kYLAQ?si=WOJuqRTfColJp7iS
It's under four minutes and gives another 'wealth' of knowledge about the nature of the Scythian tribes.
We never hear much of Gad, do we? Gad sounds pretty ferocious in this blessing of Moses. While the commentators in our past, looking at their resources, dwelt on the prophetical aspects of these verses about Gad, we are to see another aspect of Gad from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern.
20 “Blessed is he who makes Gad so large;
he lies there like a lion,
tearing arm and scalp.
21 He chose the best for himself
when the princely portion was assigned.
When the leaders of the people came,
he carried out Adonai’s justice
and his rulings concerning Isra’el.” Deuteronomy 33:20-21. (CJB)
In his blessing of Gad, did Moses already count the tribe of Gad as fulfilling their promise of acting with the tribe of Reuben and half of Manasseh, to deal with the inhabitants of Canaan on the west of the Jordan River? Indeed, it was Gad and not Yah that chose his allotment on the land east of the Jordan River. And he did indeed, ‘carry out the justice of Adonai’ with his fellow tribes. I think we've “poked some holes in the darkness” today. While the rest of the world continues in its “out of sorts” mania, we shall occupy and give Yah glory!
20 … Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20.
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise specified
Here is a touristy-type link where you can get a good picture of what it’s like in Israel at the time of Sukkot: https://www.touristisrael.com/things-to-do-for-sukkot-on-israel/2615/
I offer another link which dwells a little more on the spiritual aspect of Sukkot: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Sukkot/sukkot.html
Here is a touristy-type link where you can get a good picture of what it’s like in Israel at the time of Sukkot: https://www.touristisrael.com/things-to-do-for-sukkot-on-israel/2615/
I offer another link which dwells a little more on the spiritual aspect of Sukkot: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Sukkot/sukkot.html
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anne@anchorchurchsufside.com