It should be an easy choice: life vs. death. Unfortunately many people willingly choose death rather than life because they don’t want to submit their hearts, souls and minds to God.
It’s important to understand that following Torah is our free choice. It is easy to fall into analysis paralysis of learning God’s instructions, and Deuteronomy 29-30 (Torah reading Netzavim) can bring us back to our center when we fall into that trap.
When I first looked through this week’s parashah, I didn’t see much depth in it. In my mind, the reading is very straightforward. The blessings and curses are very straightforward.
“You stand today, all of you, before the LORD your God: your chiefs, your tribes, your elders and your officers, even all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the alien who is within your camps, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, that you may enter into the covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath which the LORD your God is making with you today,” (Deuteronomy 29:10–12 NASB)
Notice that it isn’t just native born sons and daughters of Israel who appeared before Moses at his final discourse. There were also converts, immigrants and servants who also were called to hear the Torah from Moses’ mouth for the last time before his death.
There is a hierarchy of responsibility in the Torah community from the chiefs to the elders and down to the common man.
I read a commentary on this text that gave an explanation of the reason that Moses listed all these different levels of authorities.
They are listed to remind us that we’re supposed to take care of each other. Each level of leadership is supposed to encourage those under them not to fall short of keeping the Torah all the way from the leaders of the tribes to the elders all the way down to each head of household. Every man was to make sure that his household or his family doesn’t go astray from Torah.
The reason Moses lists all these different categories is to remind us that we are all responsible to help each other in their Torah walk.
“So that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.” (Deuteronomy 29:18 NASB)
People who disseminate idolatrous ideas are like hemlock and wormwood, which are mildly hallucinogenic in tiny doses but highly toxic in large doses.
“It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry.’ “The LORD shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. “Then the LORD will single him out for adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which are written in this book of the law.” (Deuteronomy 29:19–21 NASB)
The man who intentionally sins and presumes that he can use his righteous neighbors like human shields to protect himself from the wrath of God. He presumes on God’s mercy that his fellow Israelite’s righteousness will protect him from the consequence of his sin.
He says to himself, “God would surely not destroy all these righteous people to get to me, and I’ll be able to partake in their blessings and inner peace.”
His logic tells him that it if rains for all these people, it will rain for him, too. If there’s peace in Israel, that he will share in that peace.
If the wicked man thinks that he can trick God, or put God in a corner by presuming to benefit from a culture of righteousness even though all he contributes is selfishness and wickedness.
He is seeking to be blessed inwardly but is not willing to bless others outwardly. Abraham’s example was to give blessings to others, not to seek them for himself.
One problem with that is that God has a “smart bomb.” God can strike down the wicked man without striking down the righteous with him.
Corruption and wickedness spreads like wildfire wherever it is allowed to run unchecked. if you have a community where there’s a few individuals who are corrupt, their corruption spreads faster than righteousness does.
If He needs to, God can do what He did in Sodom and Gomorrah. He can pluck out the righteous people and destroy the wicked. While the wicked are too distracted in their sin and debauchery, God quietly whisks the righteous away from danger and can drop the “smart bomb” of brimstone on the wicked in His time.
‘And rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.” (Joel 2:13 NASB)
It should be an easy choice: life vs. death. Unfortunately many people willingly choose death rather than life because they don’t want to submit their hearts, souls and minds to God.
Deuteronomy 30 tells us everything we should do, and everything not to do. It’s very simple, even “predictable.” It has everything except the spot to sign on the dotted line at the end. It’s important to understand that following Torah is our free choice. It is easy to fall into analysis paralysis of learning God’s instructions, and Deuteronomy 30 can bring us back to our center when we fall into that trap.
When we have two good options to choose from, God is with us whichever way we choose.
Summary: Tammy