Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) said several times during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, “You’ve heard it said …, but I tell you ….” Many of the corrections He provided to what God originally intended were similar to the lengthy explanation of the Ten Commandments by Moshe (Moses) in Deuteronomy. This week’s Torah reading, וָאֶתְחַנַּן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deut. 3:23-7:11), includes the beginning of Moshe’s elucidation.
The roller-coaster ride of ancient Israel through trust in the LORD, apathy and rebellion mirrors our the turmoil that swirls around our daily lives. The Torah reading דְּבָרִים Devarim (“words,” Deut. 1:1-3:22) starts a “second telling,” or deuteronomy in Greek, to the post-Exodus generation of why Israel exists and what its mission is.
Devarim contains Moses’ recount of the Exodus and 40 years of wandering, Israel’s unbelief and the LORD’s provision. Discover through these Bible studies why Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) quoted from Devarim so often and what these lessons can teach believers today.
The Torah reading דְּבָרִים Devarim (“words,” Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22) contains a recounting of the roller-coaster ride of Israel from deliverance to defiance between the House of Bondage (Egypt), the Mountain of the Testimony (Sinai) and the Land of Freedom-Rest (Promised Land). There was no way for Moses to soft-pedal the fact that the first generation chose to believe the 10 spies bad report about the impossibility to occupy the Promised Land, rather than the good report of the two spies, which was affirmed by Moses and God Himself.
Just as the first generation of the Exodus believed the “bad report” of the spies, rather than believing the faithful witness of Caleb and Joshua, the majority of the generation that Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) came to in the flesh believed in the lies of their faithless shepherds rather than the simple faithful witness of the Torah.
The roller-coaster ride of ancient Israel fluctuated between of periods of trust in the LORD, apathy and rebellion mirrors the turmoil that swirls around our daily lives today.
There’s a lot of misinformation in the Body of the Messiah about the role of God’s Law in “the gospel” — and whether it can or should have any role at all. But in the Torah reading ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11), we see that a heart connection between Heaven and Earth is as much a central message of the 10 Commandments given to Israel by Moshe (Moses) as in the Sermon on the Mount given to Israel by Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus).
Our legacy — what will outlive us — is our impact on the culture by Heaven’s changing our “heart of stone” that weighs us down to the dead-end deeds of this world into a heart that beats in time with the footsteps of Yeshua.
We live with gravity. Though considered a weak force, between the massive Earth and us on its surface, gravity keeps us grounded, but it can also crush us. In the International Space Station in orbit, astronauts don’t feel gravity, and they need something to grab onto and push off of something. But if you were to go to Jupiter, gravity is so strong, that it would crush humans and kill them instantly.
How much more will “spiritual gravity” (aka “the flesh”) drag us down, age us and crush us unless we morally stand against it?
In the Torah reading דברים Devarim (“words,” Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22), we learn that God wants us to moving forward — rather than going in circles like a stunt driver burning doughnuts on the pavement — repeating the same mistakes. God treasures us and wants us to reach our destination and enter His rest. One day His rest will encompass the entire world and what we learn and practice now is a preparation for that time. God is willing to help us standing against the gravity of our old way of life and help us stand for what is right.
In the Torah reading דברים Devarim (“words,” Deut. 1:1–3:22), Moses started giving a more complete record of what happened during the entire 38 years in the wilderness.
The Israelites didn’t have the same degree of bravery as their cousins (Edom, Ammon and Moab). They didn’t follow God’s direct instructions and suffered as a consequence. Their leaders became rotten; they ignored Torah, and the people suffered as a consequence.
This is why God hits the reset button from time to time (e.g., the Flood, first-born of Egypt, Day of the LORD), and sets aside a remnant to carry His truth into the world. A remnant is more teachable than a mob.
Why does God judge the leadership and “shepherds” of Israel more strictly than the followers, the “sheep.”
Torah reading ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11), we discover why community leaders — at any level, from the nation to the assembly of believers — bear a huge responsibility when they get it wrong. The errors of leadership can cause great harm to the community and split it apart, even more so if their pride precludes them from gathering back into the fold those sheep they have scattered.