The Hebrew Slave
15: 12-18

The Hebrew slave DIG: What is a bond-slave? What rights did Jewish slaves have? What responsibility did the owners have? In what way do these instructions help Isra’el prevent slavery? Why do you think God reminds the Israelites that they had once been slaves? What is the new relationship in verses 16-17? How is this different from the previous relationship?

REFLECT: In what way have believers been freed from slavery? How is this to influence our care for others? What implications do these verses have for employees? Employers? What do these verses tell you about God’s priorities in relationships and property? As ADONAI has cared for the woman maidservant, how has He cared for you?

Jewish debtors unable to repay their loans could become indentured servants in the household of the man to whom they were indebted, and in that way, worked off their debt.

The second mitzvah designed to protect the poor is concerned with a Hebrew man who would sell himself as a slave (Greek: doulos, meaning a bond-slave) to his creditor to pay a debt. At the end of six years, he was to be released and sent away with generous gifts which would help him to start a new life. In the faithful observance of this mitzvah, Isra’el would recall her own time of slavery in Egypt and the abundant provision she enjoyed when her release came. The memory of this would act as a powerful motivating force.³⁵⁶

The mitzvah stated (15:12): If your fellow Hebrew – a man or woman – is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you are to set him free (15:12). It is very probable that the word Hebrew here has a socioeconomic meaning rather than a merely ethnic one. This is basically a restatement of the mitzvah that occurs in Exodus 21:2-11, but adds some typically Deuteronomic extras. This commandment serves to limit the time of servitude. However, it also gives us a great principle that prepares us for the coming mitzvot dealing with our fellow mankind. The commandment that permeates the Torah, lifts up men and women as being created in the image of God. Through this mitzvah and the ones that follow, ADONAI claims His own and warns of any abuses that one person would exercise over another. The point is, no one can own another person. Every man and woman belong to YHVH who created them.³⁵⁷

The mitzvah explained (15:13-18): When you set him free, you are not to send him away empty-handed. You are to surely provide for him as much as he can carry from your flock and threshing floor and winepress. As ADONAI your God has blessed you, you are to give to him (15:13-14). This would give the man a fresh start in life. Once again, the humanitarian spirit of Deuteronomy is clear.

While the master was himself an Israelite, he would not have experienced the Exodus. But, because of the corporate nature of Isra’el, any person, in any age, could be regarded as one with those who had personally experienced the deliverance of the Exodus, and could in memory, and by an act of identification, enter into that ancient experience by faith. You will remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and ADONAI your God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you this thing today (15:15). Hence, any master of a slave, in any age, by freeing his own slave would be expressing gratitude to God for having liberated His own people. It would also remind him that his own personal welfare depended on that grace.

If, for some reason, the man or woman in Isra’el desired of his or her own free will to remain in the service of the master, it was possible to do so for the rest of life. But even apart from that possibility, the release of a Hebrew slave was not to be counted as a loss, since six years of his or her service was equivalent to the cost of hiring a servant. Obedience to this mitzvah would guarantee the divine blessing and no loss would result to the master.³⁵⁸

Now if the Hebrew slave tells you, “I will not go away from you” – because he loves you and your household since he is well off with you (15:16). The example given in Exodus 21:5 was a slave who had married and had children during that seven-year period and did not want to leave them behind. The master would formalize that decision by taking an awl and putting it through his ear (the symbol of obedience as in Psalm 40:6-8; Isaiah 50:4-5) to the door as a symbol that he had joined the master’s household, and then he would become a servant forever (15:16-17a). Notice that the name changes from slave to servant. The name implies someone of value and importance, and does not have any negative implications.³⁵⁹ Therefore, the servant had an important place in the family. We see the case where Eliezer the servant was sent by Abraham to find a wife for his son Isaac (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fx – Go to My Country and My Own Relatives and Get a Wife for My Son Isaac).³⁶⁰

And to your female slave you are to do the same (15:17b). So, the man was free to go after the sixth year, but for a woman, it was different. If a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant, she is not to go free as the male servants to (Exodus 21:7). To our human way of thinking, this hardly seems fair. But in the eyes of God, this was a very loving thing to do. ADONAI was more concerned about her safety than anything else. If she does not please her master who has selected her for himself, then he is to allow her to be redeemed. He will have no power to sell her to a foreign people, seeing as he has dealt deceitfully toward her (Exodus 21:8). In those days it was virtually impossible for a woman to make it in the world without some protection. As a result, the LORD required someone from her family to redeem her (see the commentary on Ruth Ax – Ruth and Bo’az on the Threshing Floor). And as ADONAI cares for the women maidservant, He cares for each one of us.³⁶¹

But because it is hard for an owner to let go of his free labor, ADONAI reminded him of his great deal: Do not consider it a hardship when you set him free from you, for he has served you six years – equivalent to the value of a hired worker. So, ADONAI your God will bless you in all that you do (15:18). Throughout the TaNaKh, Isra’el’s treatment of the poor, fatherless, and widows served as a barometer of the nation’s obedience to YHVH’s mitzvot. Treating these needy people with compassion, justice, and equity was a fundamental part of being able to lift up God’s name before the surrounding nations. The health of Isra’el was often measured by the quality of their care for these people, not by her accumulation of wealth.³⁶²

Dear Loving Heavenly Father, How wonderful You are! Praise You that Yeshua bore the pain and shame of being the sacrifice for our sins, He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Praise You for saving all who love and follow Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation (Romans 10:9-10). What a joy to know that Yeshua is preparing a home for them in heaven. In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:2-3). There is eternal joy in pleasing you by being merciful as You are. It is more important to be kind and merciful than to be selfish and greedy. We love You. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Certainly, there is a spiritual message here for God’s people today. We should love our Lord so much that we should want to serve Him willingly and gladly all our lives. We must never look upon our service as slavery, but as being a servant (see the commentary on Romans Bv – The New Master in Messiah). I love my Master . . . and do not want to go free is a wonderful confession of faith and love (Exodus 21:5 NIV). Granted, the servant’s love for his wife and children entered into the picture, but even those blessings came because of his master’s kindness, and the master was caring for them as well as his servant. What we all need is an open ear to hear the will of ADONAI, and a pierced ear that announces we love Him and are ready to obey His every mitzvah.³⁶³

The Year of Release
15: 1-11

The year of release DIG: By this principle of releasing all debts, what attitude, behavior, and theology is Moses trying to teach Isra’el? How is each of these three related? Why should Isra’el be so generous? How did the Year of Release and the Year of Jubilee balance the economic scales of the nation? What Promises are given for a generous heart?

REFLECT: What attitudes and behaviors can (and will) you adopt from these verses? What promises in Scripture and role models in your community do you have for becoming more generous? What can you adopt from their example? What causes a “tight fist?” In what ways would you like to become more “open handed?” How will you begin this week?

At the end of every seven years, ADONAI required His covenantal people to grant a release, and cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite.

It is one of the features of the Torah in Deuteronomy, although it may be seen elsewhere in the TaNaKh, that there is a deep concern for the welfare of the individual member of society, whether rich or poor. Elsewhere, in the ancient Near East, men were treated in terms of their status in the community rather than individuals. Members of the aristocracy, priests, landowners, rulers, and military leaders always had the advantage. A study of the so-called Code of Hammurabi will reveal that the slave and the underprivileged counted for less before the law. In Isra’el, however, the poor and the needy were the special concern of ADONAI and the covenant community was expected to ensure the welfare of every member of the family. Since Isra’el herself had once been enslaved in Egypt and had known the sorrow of oppression and the joy of redemption, she was bound to guarantee the freedom and welfare of individuals.³⁴⁶

Dear Wise and Wonderful Father, Praise You for being such a merciful and loving father. Praise You for paying for our sin’s sacrifice by Yeshua dying for us as our punishment.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Your love is so fantastic! Not only did You pay the costly price of pain and shame for us; but for all who have a reverent fear of You so that they choose to love and follow You, You also forgave their sins so completely that you release them and put them far away! For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalms 103:11-12). You are a wonderful example of what you want your children to do in order to release the debt that others owe us. As you have forgiven us, so we will release the sin by being forgiving when others wrong us and repent. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3b-4). We love You and delight in pleasing You. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection.

The mitzvah stated (15:1): The reference is to the sabbatical year which ended each seven-year period within the jubilee cycle (Leviticus 25:8-17). In the Book of the Covenant, the year is referred to as one in which the land was to lie fallow so that the poor among your people may eat (Exodus 23:11b). The root of the verb lie fallow (Hebrew: smt) is also the root of the noun release (Hebrew: shmita). The mitzvah is expounded in more detail in Leviticus 25:1-7, where it is called a Shabbat rest for the land. In Deuteronomy alone is the sabbatical year designated as a time when debts are to be canceled. Clearly the peasant could not pay debts from the produce of his land if it was fallow. Therefore: at the end of every seven years, you are to grant a release (15:1).³⁴⁷ The Deuteronomy mitzvah thus expands the scope of the fallow year from release of the land from the burden of plowing, to the release of human beings from the burden of debt.

The Year of Release and the Year of Jubilee were part of God’s wise plan to balance the economic scales in the nation so that the rich could not exploit the poor or the poor take advantage of the rich. However, ADONAI knew that there would always be poor people in the Land (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Kb – Jesus Anointed at Bethany) because Isra’el would not consistently obey these mitzvot. The nation of Isra’el would have been the most prosperous nation on earth if she had followed the mitzvot given to her, but she rejected His will and adopted the ways of the goyim around her.

The mitzvah explained (15:2): This is how you are to cancel debts: every creditor is to release what he has loaned to his neighbor. He must not force his neighbor or his brother to repay, for ADONAI’s debt cancellation has been proclaimed (15:2). The repeated description of the needy person as his neighbor and brother draws on the covenant solidarity that made all Israelites neighbors and on the kinship solidarity that made them all like brothers.³⁴⁸ They were to release the loan totally at that point, regardless of the personal loss to themselves (Exodus 23:10-11; Leviticus 25:2-4). No Israelite owed anything to another Israelite.³⁴⁹

The personal implications of the mitzvot (15:3-11): Isra’el is called upon to always deal with the poor with generosity. A foreigner you may force, but your hand is to release whatever your brother owes you (15:3). It was legal to require payment of debts from foreigners during the Year of Release, for they were not included in the family circle of Isra’el. The mitzvah was designed to relieve poverty in Isra’el and regulate relations between members of the covenant community. There can be no doubt that the early Messianic community found in Deuteronomy a blueprint for their attempt to eliminate poverty in their midst, and Luke links the growth of the covenant community as firmly to that social and economic effort as to the evangelistic preaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35).³⁵⁰

However, there should be no poor among you, for ADONAI will surely bless you in the Land and ADONAI your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess. If only you would carefully listen to the voice of ADONAI your God, being careful to do all these mitzvot that I am commanding you today! For ADONAI your God will bless you as He promised you. So, you will lend to many nations, but not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you (15:4-6). Complete obedience to YHVH and His mitzvot would result in divine blessing. That would mean, among other things, that there would be no poor in the Land, but also that Isra’el, as a nation, would never be in debt to other nations, but would rather lend to them. Nor would she ever be subdued by the goyim, but would rule over them.³⁵¹

While the mitzvah required that debtors should be released from their obligations every seventh year, love demanded nothing less than a continual attitude of generosity and mercy towards the poor. If there is a poor man among you – any of your brothers within any of your gates in your land that ADONAI your God is giving you – you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother (15:7). We see a metaphorical use of body language in the chapter as a whole, but especially in this section. Three terms are used.

The hand: Cancel (Hebrew: shemittah, meaning release the hand, in other words, to renounce one’s claim to, or power over the pledge, and thus, the debtor). Similarly, in verses 7, 8 and 11, opening or shutting the hand speaks of the power that the creditor wields over the debtor. So, the text addresses those who have economic power. The social response to poverty is put squarely in the hands of those who have hands, in other words, the power to do something effective about it. It is not left up to the self-effort of the poor alone.

The heart: As the seat of the mind and will, the heart governs the intentions and direction of economic action. The warning is against a cruel will. The heart can be hard as in verse 7, filled with a wicked thought as in verse 9, or grudging, literally evil in verse 10. Deuteronomy is well aware of the self-interest of those who wield economic power and dictate economic policy, and realizes that justice for the poor requires a whole different mindset translated into personal and political will power. It is a perception that has lost nothing of its sharpness and truth with the passing centuries.

The eye: How one looks at another reveals the attitude inside. Wrong attitudes are bound up with wrong action, just as a wrong mind and will are. Thus, to show that your eye is evil as in verse 9, or to consider it a hardship in 15:18 are both translations of Hebrew “eye” metaphors.³⁵² The usage here, and later rabbinic use of the “eye,” make it clear that Yeshua was referring to the good or bad eye when He said: The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, that is, if you are generous, your whole body will be full of light. In Judaism, “having a good eye,” or ‘ayin tovah, means being generous, and “having a bad eye,” or ‘ayin ra’ah, means being stingy. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness (Matthew 6:22-23). The eye that is bad flows out of the heart that is selfishly indulgent. The person who is materialistic and greedy is spiritually blind. The principle is simple and sobering: the way we look at and use our money is a sure barometer of our spiritual condition.

Rather, you must surely open your hand to him and you must surely lend him enough for his need – whatever he is lacking (15:8). One who is kind to the poor lends to ADONAI, and ADONAI will reward him for his good deed (Proverbs 19:17). There is a Jewish saying, “The rich often give less than they can afford, and the poor more than they should, for the same reason – to conceal who they are. The rich don’t want to let people know how rich he is, and the poor don’t want to let people know how poor he is! As the seventh year approached men of wealth would hesitate to make loans which would net be reimbursed. To lend a poor man something in the sixth year was practically making it a gift. But it was precisely a gift of this kind that was being asked of Isra’el.

The letter of the mitzvot kills, but the spirit of the mitzvot gives life. The absence of compassion would lead people to a hardened heart, and a mitzvah that was designed to protect the poor would become a reason for oppressing them.³⁵³ Therefore, the Word of God says: Watch yourself, so there is no wicked thought in your heart saying, “The seventh year, the year of cancelling debts, is near,” and your eye is evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing. Then he may call out to ADONAI against you, and it will be a sin upon you. You must surely give to him without a grudging heart – because of this [sacrifice], ADONAI your God will bless you in all your work and in every undertaking of your hand (15:9-10).

These verses anticipate the Sermon on the Mount because they penetrate behind the outward act to the motives and intents of the heart (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dm – You Have Heard That Is Was Said: Love Your Neighbor). Obedience towards God inevitably results in generosity towards others. But if someone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him (First John 3:17)? A mean and unwilling spirit that produces a cry of anguish from a poor person sinful in the sight of Ha’Shem and earns divine condemnation.

The failure of Isra’el to follow these mitzvot has cost her dearly. She did not observe the Year of Release every seventh year, or the Year of Jubilee every fiftieth year, and for this failure she paid a great price (Leviticus 26:32-45). Her seventy years of captivity in Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule) gave their land the Sabbath rest that it missed during those years of disobedience. The Chronicler tells us: In fulfillment of the word of ADONAI by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the Land had paid back her Shabbat rests – for as long as it lay desolate – the Shabbat rest was kept till 70 years were complete (Second Chronicles 36:21).³⁵⁴

Therefore, I am commanding you, saying: You must surely open your hand to your brother – to your needy and poor in your Land (15:11). The Year of Release was a test of faith, but it was also a test of love. Suppose a poor Jew needed a loan and the Year of Release was a year away. If the loaner looked at the load strictly as a business proposition, he would turn it down, but that’s the very attitude the LORD wanted to correct. It wasn’t a business proposition; it was a ministry to a brother. If the rich Israelite closed his heart and his hand to a needy brother, he would not only hurt his brother, but also grieve YHVH, who had given him all his wealth to begin with. Therefore, he was to open his heart and his hand to help his brother, and ADONAI would see to it that he was compensated for his generosity (Proverbs 14:21 and 31, 19:17, 21:13, 28:27; Ephesians 4:28; First Timothy 6:17-19; First John 3:14-18).³⁵⁵

Do Not Neglect the Levite
14: 22-29

Do not neglect the Levite DIG: What were the three main tithes? What was the purpose of each one? Where is the basis for the title found in the Torah? What did the rabbis conclude? What is the difference between a Levite and a priest? What other religious duties did the Israelites have beside tithing. What would that total amount to today?

REFLECT: To what degree is your tithing an act of worshipful obedience (giving as unto ADONAI), that promotes brotherly love (giving up what you have to help others), and grateful giving (growing in responsible, God-honoring stewardship remembering that everything belongs to God)? What can you do to grow in this area?

The Israelites were called to give a tenth of their produce or income to support, first the Tabernacle, then the Temple, the priesthood and other noble causes.

Chapters 14, 15 and 16 speak of giving to God and to the poor. These tithes were to be given at certain times during the year. They were spread out in such a way that they would always be a certain anticipation in hearts of the Israelites until a time of release. A time of rejoicing, of rest, and of gladness. It was a break from everyday life where the individual was called into communion with ADONAI. These chapters are practical, as they call on the reader to tithe as a special time of rest, with, and for, the LORD. Something we all need today. However, borrowing and debts are also mentioned, things that deprive us of rest.³⁴²

Dear Great Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your rich mercy in generously giving Yourself as our sin offering. It cost You so much pain and shame yet You were willing to become our sacrifice. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). You are a wonderful example of giving what costs You much. It is a joy to give back to You our gifts of love – even in times of trial!  For I testify that according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, they gave of their own free will –  begging us with much urging for the favor of sharing in the relief of the kedoshim (Second Corinthians 8:3-4). Praise You that when we give to You even when we have little, You supply our needs. We will still have wants, but You graciously take care of our needs. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (Second Corinthians 9:8 NIV). Giving is a wonderful privilege and we desire to excel in this privilege. But as you excel in everything – in faith and speech and knowledge and all diligence, and in your love for us – also excel in this grace (Second Corinthians 8:8). Praise You for giving what cost You so much! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

You will surely set aside a tenth of all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year (14:22). During the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Da – The Dispensation of the Torah), the Israelites were called to give a tenth of one’s produce or income to support, first the Tabernacle, then the Temple, the priesthood and other noble causes. The purpose was to remind the people of Isra’el that everything they had, came from ADONAI and ultimately belonged to Him.

In the Torah there are three main tithes, which equaled about twenty-five percent. Leviticus 27:30-33 sets forth the principle of giving a tithe of the land, whether from the seed of the land, or the fruit of the trees to YHVH. But tithing was only a part of the religious dues of the Isrealites. In addition, there was the sin offering (see the commentary on Exodus Fc – The Sin Offering), the thanksgiving offering (see the commentary on Exodus Fg – The Peace Offering), the first fruit offering of their crops (Leviticus 23:10), the firstborn animals, the redemption of the firstborn (see the commentary on Exodus Cd – Consecrate to Me Every Firstborn), the half-shekel Temple tax (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gf – Jesus and the Temple Tax), annual wood gathering, and the freewill offerings. The sum total of the religious obligations levied upon the Israelites in the TaNaKh was, to say the least, nothing short of enormous.³⁴³

The first tithe went to the priestly tribe of Levites, those who were responsible for making copies of the Scriptures, teaching God’s Word to the people, and maintaining the Tabernacle, and later, the Temple. Numbers 18:21-24 required the Israelites to give a tithe to the Levites, who had no land inheritance. But you are not to neglect the Levite within your gates, for he has no portion or inheritance with you (14:27). The Levites were then to give a tenth of their tithe to the priests (for the difference between Levites and priests see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah An – Priests, Levites and Temple Servants Who Returned with Zerubbabel).

The second tithe was 10 percent of the remaining 90 percent. This was to maintain the Festivals (see Db – The Three Pilgrimage Festivals) and sacrifices to YHVH. This was a special tithe, opposed to the first one. The tithe was to be eaten by the offeror with his family at one of the three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem. The people of Isra’el were to be generous with tithes and offerings because ADONAI had been generous with them. Each time they brought their tithes and offerings to the Tabernacle or the Temple and enjoyed a thanksgiving feast, it would teach them to fear the LORD, because if the LORD hadn’t blessed them, they would have nothing to eat and nothing to give. You are to eat the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, before ADONAI your God in the place He chooses (Jerusalem) to make His Name dwell, so that you may learn to fear ADONAI your God always (14:23). When we cease to fear ADONAI and fail to appreciate His bountiful provision, we become proud and start to take His blessings for granted. Then Ha’Shem has to discipline us to remind us that He is the Giver of every gift (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children).³⁴⁴ We aren’t blessed because we are good; we are blessed because He is good.

Now suppose the way is too long for you, for you cannot carry the tithe because the place ADONAI your God chooses to set His Name (Jerusalem) is too far from you. When ADONAI your God blesses you, then you are to exchange the tithe for silver, bind up the silver in your hand, and go to the place that ADONAI your God chooses (14:24-25). Now we can understand the existence of the money-changers in the Temple.
In Yeshua’s day, this helpful system that God had put in place had become corrupted by the bazaar of the sons of Annas, charging an exorbitant amount of interest to exchange the pilgrim’s Roman money into Temple currency (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bs – Jesus’ First Cleansing of the Temple at the Passover). The whole idea of rejoicing and communion was turned into a mafia style business.

You may spend the money for whatever your soul desires – cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or whatever your soul asks of you. Then you will eat there before ADONAI your God and rejoice – you and your household (14:26). It would, in effect, be a giant family celebration in the presence of Ha’Shem. And all believers look forward to the time when we will have a giant family reunion with the Lord on earth after the Second Coming (see the commentary on Revelation Fg – Blessed Are Those Invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb), celebrating the start of His Messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fh – The Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom).

And a third tithe was another ten percent to be given every third year to provide for the outsider, the orphan and the widow (see Ey – The Year of the Tithe). At the end of every three years, you are to bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year and store it within your gates so that there would always be provisions for them. This is the core of the Judeo-Christian belief system. Then the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, along with the outsider, the orphan and the widow within your gates, will come and eat and be satisfied, so that ADONAI your God may bless you in all the work of your hand that you do (14:28-29).³⁴⁵

While we are still commanded to tithe today, most of us are not thinking of the tithe during the Dispensation of the Torah which would amount to about twenty-five percent! Giving in the Dispensation of Grace (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace) is proportionate. Today, giving is to be personally determined. Second Corinthians 9:7 tells us that each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Do – When You Give to the Needy, Do Not Do It to be Honored by Others: The Seven Principles of Scriptural Giving). It is not so much the amount that is given, but the condition of the heart of the giver (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Je – The Widow’s Offering).

A Holy People
14: 1-21

A holy people DIG: Why would the mourning customs of verse 1 be prohibited? What is the overall purpose of these dietary mitzvot? What do the phrases “holy to ADONAI” and “unclean” imply? How would these mitzvot help Isra’el to become a distinctive and holy people?

REFLECT: In what ways are believers in Yeshua called to be separate and holy? In what area of your life would you like to grow in holiness? How? Are there any ungodly customs you have adopted which interfere with your holiness? What will you do about them? When?

As a holy people, the Israelites were set apart from all the other nations because the holy presence of ADONAI was with them, and they received God’s holy Torah.

Chapters 14 and 15 are specifically designed to keep Isra’el sanctified. The mitzvot covered in these chapters cover every aspect of the life of the Israelite. Stressing that the individual Israelite belongs to God, His property, and under the teaching and loving protection of a divine Creator.

A holy people (14:1a and 2): You are the children of ADONAI your God (14:1a). For the first time in the Scriptures, a people are called children of God. This new title spoke of a new relationship that began when YHVH chose Isra’el (Exodus 4:22; Isaiah 43:15). We should never take for granted that we are the children of ADONAI [our] God, and a holy people to ADONAI [our] God. Those are privileges that we don’t deserve and that we could never earn, and we enjoy them only because of God’s love and grace. God announced to Pharaoh: Isra’el is My son, My firstborn (Exodus 4:22), and because Pharaoh wouldn’t listen and obey, Egypt lost all their firstborn.

Because of their unique relationship to YHVH as His chosen people and special treasure, the Israelites were responsible to obey Him and truly be a holy people. For you are a holy people to ADONAI your God – from all the peoples on the face of the earth, ADONAI has chosen you (to see link click Bf – God’s Chosen People) to be His treasured people (14:2). Forty years previously, after Bnei-Yisra’el had gone out from the land of Egypt, they came to the wilderness of Sinai, and camped there right in front of the same mountain as they were now. Ha’Shem announced to Isra’el, “Now then, although the whole earth is Mine, you will be My treasured possession, You will be to Me a kingdom of Kohanim and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6a).

Yeshua brought out the same point in His parable (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Fb – The Parable of the Hidden Treasure). Their relationship to God was the most important factor in their national life, for without Him, Isra’el would be like all the other nations. But as a holy people, they had to learn and distinguish what was allowable and what was not.³³⁵

Dear Wonderful and Holy Heavenly Father, Praise You that You are perfectly holy and there is not even a hint of anything unclean in You. As a father wants his children to be like him, so You want Your children to be holy. ADONAI spoke to Moses saying: Speak to all the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: You shall be kedoshim, for I, Adonai your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:1-2). Guide us to remember that though Your love is so great, so also is Your holiness and Your children need to be diligent in walking in loving ways. Thank You for giving us your Ruach ha-Kodesh to live in us and to help us. Praise You that you never leave us. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” so that with confidence we say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear (Hebrews 13:5-6a). In Yeshua’s holy name and by the power of His resurrection. Amen

Prohibition of certain mourning rituals (14:1b): You are not to cut yourselves or shave your forehead for the dead (14:1b). Both customs are well-known rites in connection with mourning and were Canaanite practices related to Ba’al (First Kings 18:28) and the cult of the dead. We have learned from the mythological texts relating to Ba’al, there is a description of the mourning of El following the death of Ba’al. Among the variety of mourning rites, El is described as cutting himself. In the “Legend of Aqht,” there is a reference to professional mourning women who also cut themselves to let blood flow. It is clear from these texts that the laceration of the body with the consequent flow of blood was a part of the mourning customs employed in religions outside Isra’el. The Israelites were thus forbidden to participate in such actions; though the actions themselves could appear to be innocent enough, they were associated with practices and beliefs that were reprehensible to the covenant of faith and therefore to be avoided.³³⁶

The kosher (fit or proper) section of the Scriptures. A Jewish orthodox home is characterized by the kind of food eaten and the manner of its preparation. The Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law) added many additional requirements for the observant Jew. For example, the Oral Law states that you eat meat, you need to wait six hours before you can eat a dairy product. The meat and the dairy cannot mix, even in the stomach. It is important to point out that both Messianic Jews and Messianic Gentiles can choose to observe these kosher commandments, not out of any effort to take on the yoke of the Torah, but because of our freedom in Messiah to do so (see the commentary on Galatians Bb – The Antioch Incident: How Can You Force Jews to Live Like Gentiles).

In this chapter, the animals are divided into three classes; animals that live on the ground, fish that live in the water, and birds that fly in the air. The list of creatures is divided into the same categories as in Leviticus 11:1-23, according to habitat – land (11:4-8), water (11:9-10), or air (14:11-20), probably thereby reflecting the order of the creation narrative. There was nothing specifically wrong with these animals, or fish or birds. It was merely the means by which God separated Isra’el from her sinful neighbors and their pagan religions.³³⁷ Therefore, the object of these commandments was to sanctify Isra’el. For I am ADONAI your God. Therefore, sanctify yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy. You are not to defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth (Numbers 11:44). Yeshua echoed the same sentiment when He said: It’s not what goes into the mouth that makes the person unclean; but what comes out of the mouth, this makes one unholy (Matthew 15:11).

Clean and unclean animals on land (14:3-8): This list should be understood as representative, rather than comprehensive. Only the land animals that chewed both the cud and had hoofs completely split in two were acceptable for the Israelites to eat. An animal possessing only one of these features was to be regarded as unclean.³³⁸ You are not to eat any detestable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. Among the animals, you may eat any animal that splits the hoof – the hoof completely split in two – and chews the cud. Yet of those that chew the cud or have a split hoof, you are not to eat the camel, the hare, and the rabbit – because they chew the cud but do not split the hoof, they are unclean to you. The pig, because it splits the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you – you are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses. The association with the Canaanite religious cults, and hygiene, made the pig unclean (14:3-8).

Clean and unclean fish that live in the water (14:9-10): Fish had to possess both fins and scales to be fit for consumption by an Israelite. This requirement left a limited variety of fish fit for consumption. Of all that are in the waters, these you may eat: whatever has fins and scales you may eat, but whatever does not have fins and scales you are not to eat, such as the catfish in the Sea of Galilee, and eels, rays, and lampreys in the Mediterranean coastal waters, were therefore unclean and not to be eaten (14:9-10).³³⁹

Clean and unclean birds that fly in the air (14:11-20): It should be noted that the identification of many of the birds in this section is uncertain. You may eat all clean birds. The category of birds presents the most complicated section of unclean creatures. But these are the ones you are not to eat: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, the red kite, the black kite, and any bird of prey of that kind, every raven of any kind, the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, a hawk of any kind, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl (see the commentary on Jeremiah Ad – The Owl as a Symbol of Judgment), the pelican, the Egyptian vulture, the cormorant, the stork, a heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. These verses list twenty-one species or subspecies, some of which are difficult to identify. This long list seems to consist mainly of birds of prey that consume other dead animals. All winged insects that swarm are unclean to you – they are not to be eaten. Without giving any details, this passage confirms that Israelites could eat any clean insect or bird (14:11-20). Leviticus 11:20-23 provides more information by dividing the entomological world into those unclean insects that walk on all fours, and those clean insects that have jointed legs for hopping.

Peter’s vision of various unclean animals and ADONAI’s encouragement of him to eat any of those animals indicates that maintaining the clean/unclean distinction was not required of believers in the Dispensation of Grace (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace). The animals Peter saw were no longer unclean (see the commentary on Acts Bf – Peter’s Vision). The Lord had made them clean what had been unclean. This significant shift is related to the transition from a focus on the nation of Isra’el to the Church, where there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave or free, there is neither male or female – because the middle wall of separation has been broken down and the two have become one (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14).³⁴⁰

Regardless of a creatures’ status as clean or unclean, the Israelites could not eat the meat of any animal, fish or bird they found already dead. You are not to eat anything that dies of itself because it was likely that there was still blood in the carcass (see the commentary on Hebrews Cu – Do Not Eat the Blood). But they were allowed to give it to a non-Israelite who lived in their midst or sell it to a foreigner. You may give it to the outsider within your gates so that he may eat it or you may sell it to a foreigner (14:21a).

The Israelites were further prohibited from boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk (see the commentary on Exodus Ci – A Holy People). This prohibition no doubt reflects a practice common in Canaanite religion, which was not to be permitted in the religion of the Israelites (14:21c). It is possible that one of the Ugaritic texts, which appears to contain a reference to “cooking a kid in milk,” may provide a background to the specific rite prohibited in Deuteronomy. In that case the prohibited rite would be one that had close associations with the fertility cult.³⁴¹ As a result, observant Jews today have two completely different sets of dishes, one for milk products and another for meat products.

In conclusion, all these food mitzvot would have reminded Isra’el of her unique status before YHVH. No Israelite could eat without realizing that in every area of their lives, they were to set apart for the glory of God. Likewise, an Israelites diet served as a testimony of their relationship to the LORD in the presence of the goyim. As this section of Scripture began, so does it conclude: For you are a holy people to ADONAI your God (14:21b).

Beware of Idolatry
12:29 to 13:19

Beware if idolatry DIG: What child sacrifice continues on to this day? What three sources of danger were the Israelites to be wary? How was Isra’el to know if a prophet was from YHVH? What were the consequences for being a false prophet? How could idolatry be a test for the Israelites? How could family and friends be a source of temptation? How was a person to respond, and why? What threat does a city turning to idolatry pose? What were the consequences for the city and for Isra’el? What are the limits of Ha’Shem’s tolerance?

REFLECT: How does the idolatry among religious teachers, family members, or whole cities apply today? Is one a source of danger to you right now? How so? What can you do about it? How can you know if a person (or teaching) is from God? How do you go about seeking discernment? What do you think should be the “limits of tolerance” for committed believers today? Should these limits be expanded or relaxed, in relation to unbelievers? Why do you think so? How are you going to protect your children in an increasingly secular society?

Beware of idolatry and avoid the path of curses.

 After reminding the nation of YHVH’s part in conquering the Land of promise, Moshe again looks to a future day when the Israelites will have driven out the Canaanites, and settled down. At that time, they must be careful not to become enticed by the Canaanite ways and worship their gods.³²² When ADONAI your God cuts off before you the nations that you are going into, when you have dispossessed them and settled in their land, be careful not to be trapped into imitating them after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.” You are not to act like this toward ADONAI your God (12:29-31a)!

The example given is that of child sacrifice. For every abomination of ADONAI, which He hates, they have done to their gods – they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods (12:31b). The Torah described child sacrifice as a capital offense (Leviticus 18:21 and 20:2-5), for it was the same as murder in spite of the supposedly religious reason behind it. In spite of the horrible nature of the offense, there are cases of child sacrifice during the later apostate periods of Israelite history. Both Ahaz (Second Chronicles 28:3) and Manasseh (Second Kings 21:6) were guilty of child sacrifice. Just as here in Deuteronomy, the crime is described as one that could lead to expulsion from the Land, as in fact it happened with the northern Kingdom (Second Kings 17:17-18). To assume the right to sacrifice a child was to assume a prerogative that was God’s alone, the prerogative over human life. In the fullness of time, ADONAI exercised that prerogative in the offering of His one and only Son (John 3:16), as a complete sacrifice for the sins of mankind.³²³

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for showing us how precious human life is, for you willingly took the punishment for our sins – that all who choose to love and to follow You would have the joy of eternal life. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation (Romans 10:9-10). Praise You that You give Your children (John 1:12) life for all eternity with You in complete peace and joy in heaven.

Praise You that You are the “King of kings, and Lord of lords,” much more powerful than all the armies on earth. When You come back from heaven, riding on a white horse with the armies of heaven following You, You will destroy the beast and the false prophet with the sharp sword coming out of Your mouth (Revelation 19:11-20). After your thousand-year Millennial reign is over, Satan will be released from his prison to deceive the people and to gather them for battle. Yeshua will be victorious and Satan will be thrown into the burning lake. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they shall be tortured day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). Praise Your Mighty power! We choose to wisely live our lives here on earth, by loving and following You in the short time we have on earth. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The emphasis of Chapter 12 is on protection from outside of Isra’el. They were to utterly destroy all the idolatrous nations around them (12:2). They were to have only one place to worship (12:5). But Chapter 13 addresses various scenarios that could lure Yisra’el into idolatry and shifts to warnings about different three groups of people.

First, Beware of False Prophets (13:1-6): Whatever I command you, you must take care to do – you are not to add to it or take away from it (Deuteronomy 13:1; also see Revelation 22:18-19). The line between clarifying Scripture and adding to it is indeed a thin line. But Scripture need not be clarified by listening to someone who thinks they have the gift of prophecy. Scripture is clarified as it is carefully and diligently studied (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Bb – An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah 53). There are no shortcuts to interpreting God’s Word accurately (Acts 17:11; Second Timothy 2:15).

Believers must not play fast and loose with the issues of inspiration and revelation. An accurate understanding of those doctrines is essential for distinguishing between the voice of God and the human voice. Suppose a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises up among you and gives you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder he spoke to you comes true, while saying, “Let’s follow other gods” that you have not known, and – “Let’s serve them!” (Deuteronomy 13:2-3; also see Second Peter 2:1-2). That is the way you would know it’s a false prophet, because a true prophet would never try to turn you against ADONAI. And a true prophet would know the Word of God and live by the Word of God (Matthew 7:18). Anyone who claims to be a prophet should have their life scrutinized, just like the qualifications for an elder (First Timothy 3). They are public persons. Their houses are open for you to come in and see how they live.

A prophet speaks for the gods. And what a false prophet is doing, is playing God! This was the underlying complaint of Yeshua to the Pharisees (see the commentary The Life of Christ Hj – Then Came Hanukkah at Jerusalem and It Was Winter). Those religious leaders took the place of God.

Those false prophets have plagued Isra’el throughout her history as Jeremiah (see the commentary on Jeremiah Et – The False Prophet Hananiah) and Ezeki’el have testified. They lead the people into believing things that contradict what the true prophets of God were saying. Ezeki’el said, “Precisely because they have led My people astray saying, ‘Shalom’ when there is no shalom, they build a weak wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash” (Ezekiel 13:10). This will also happen in the future. Paul tells us, “When they are saying, ‘Shalom and safety,’ sudden destruction will come upon them like a woman having birth pains in the womb – there is no way they will escape” (First Thessalonians 5:3). All of this could be put under the heading of the third commandment, “You must not take the Name of ADONAI your God in vain, for ADONAI will not leave unpunished anyone who takes His Name in vain” (5:11). “For rebellion is like the sin of divination and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry” (First Samuel 15:23).³²⁴

You must not listen to the words of that false prophet or that dreamer of dreams – for ADONAI your God is testing you, to find out whether you love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul. The temptation would test the true character of the hearts of the Israelites, and while the temptation was genuinely dangerous, the overcoming of that temptation would strengthen the people in their love of YHVH and obedience to His mitzvot. This did not mean that the false prophet had any real power, but only that the true God would permit certain things to happen in order to test, and thereby strengthen His people. You will follow and fear ADONAI your God. His mitzvot you will keep, to His voice you will listen, you will serve and cling to Him (13:4-5).³²⁵

But what was Isra’el to do if one who possessed those gifts invited the people to rebel against YHVH? The answer was simple: That prophet or dreamer of dreams must be put to death! For he has spoken falsehood against ADONAI your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to entice you from the way ADONAI your God commanded you to walk. So, you will purge the evil from your midst (13:6). There is a phrase that we hear many times in the study of the Torah. One that is repeated seven times from Chapters 13 to 24, “You will purge the evil from your midst” (13:6, 17:7, 19:19, 21:21, 22:21, 22:24, 24:7). Paul quoted it in First Corinthians 5:13 with reference to discipline in the local congregation. We don’t stone guilty people in our churches, but we should expel from the congregation any who openly live in sin and refuse to repent and obey the Word of God. Why? For the same reason the idolater was removed (by death) from the nation of Isra’el. Sin takes us further than we want to go and costs us more than we want to pay. It is like hametz, and when it’s not purged, it will spread and infect the whole body (First Corinthians 5:6-8; Galatians 5:9). Just as a surgeon removes cancerous tissue from a patient’s body to keep it from spreading, so the local congregation of believers must exercise surgery, no matter how painful, to maintain the spiritual health of the body.

It’s remarkable how many otherwise intelligent people study their horoscopes and consult professional “psychics” who claim to have the power to see into the future. If people really had that ability, they would make a great deal of money on the stock market or at the racetrack and wouldn’t have to earn a living reading palms, gazing at the stars, or consulting crystal balls. Later in his speech, Moshe will name specific occult practices that were forbidden to God’s people, and one of them is consulting Satan in order to know the future (see Dj – God Hates Sorcery). Yeshua warned about false prophets, and Paul and Timothy warned about false teachers (Matthew 7:15-20; Second Corinthians 11:3-4, 11-13; First Timothy 1:6-7; Second Peter 2).³²⁶

Believers in the Dispensation of Grace (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), are also urged to test the spirits and judge all supposed prophecies, shunning false prophets and heretics (Acts 17:11; First John 4:1; First Corinthians 14:29). Once the last book in the Bible was written at the end of the first century, the canon of Scripture was closed and there was no need for any further revelation. The Ruach ha-Kodesh had equipped believers with everything they would need to live a victorious life, and the spiritual gift of prophecy passed away. There is no continuous revelation.

Second, family members who tempt us to worship idols (13: 7-12): Moses turns from false prophets to family members as a potential source for treachery. Now, in ancient Israelite society, ties of kinship were the strongest of all human loyalties. As we see in the fifth commandment (see Bp – Honor Your Parents), the family stood at the center of the triangular pattern of the relationships between God, Isra’el and the Land. Therefore, moral and legal responsibility to the family was greater than individual freedoms or rights. But, although the family had priority over the individual, covenant loyalty to ADONAI had priority over both. Ties to family and friendship must not override covenant justice, and the protection of the whole nation.³²⁷

That being said . . . suppose your brother – your mother’s son – or your son or daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your best friend of your own soul misleads you secretly, saying, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods’ – that you and your fathers have not known, from among the gods of the peoples around you, near you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other. You are not to give in or listen to him, your eye is not to pity him, and you are not to spare or conceal him. Instead, you will surely put him to death. Surely the family seeking to be loyal to the living God would agonize over one rebellious member living in idolatry. Nevertheless, the person reporting the crime took responsibility for the execution. Your hand should be the first against him to put him to death. Since the accuser was to throw the first stone, it would encourage him to give serious consideration to the facts and not hastily accuse an innocent person (First Kings 21). The method of execution was stoning so that all the people could participate and cast their votes against the worship of idols. Either one person’s sin affects the whole nation (Joshua 7), or the whole nation must deal with that one person’s sin.³²⁸ You are to stone him with stones to death because he tried to entice you away from ADONAI your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. This would serve in a preventive role. Then all Isra’el will hear and be afraid, and never again will they do such an evil thing as this in your midst (13:7-12).

Yeshua endured this tension and temptation. He faced pressure from His own family (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ey – Jesus’ Mother and Brothers), and from a close friend (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Fy – Jesus Predicts His Death), who tried to derail Him from His obedience to the Father. And He warned His apostles that they also would face such opposition (Matthew 10:34-36). But it is important to stress that neither Yeshua, nor Moses were, by any stretch of the imagination, antifamily. They were both passionately anti-idolatry and recognized that the family posed one of the toughest and most subtle sources of hidden idolatry, on which many a profession of loyalty to the Kingdom has come to grief.³²⁹

Crimes Allowing the Death Penalty:

1. Premeditated Murder (Exodus 21:12-14, 22-23)
2. Kidnapping (Exodus 21:16; Deuteronomy 24:7)
3. Striking or Cursing Parents (Exodus 21:15; Leviticus 20:9; Proverbs 20:20; Matthew 15:4; Mark 7:10)
4. Sorcery and Divination (Exodus 22:18)
5. Bestiality (Exodus 22:19; Leviticus 20:15-16)
6. Sacrificing to False Gods (Exodus 22:20)
7. Profaning the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2; Numbers 15:32-36
8. Offering a Human Sacrifice (Leviticus 20:2)
9. Adultery (Leviticus 20:2)
10. Incest (Leviticus 20:11-12 and 14)
11. Homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13)
12. Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:11-14, 16 and 23)
13. False Prophecy (Deuteronomy 13:1-6)
14. Enticing others to serve false gods (Deuteronomy 13:7-10)
15. Incorrigible Rebelliousness (Deuteronomy 17:12, 21:18-21)
16. Sex Outside of Marriage (Deuteronomy 22:20-21)
17. Rape of a Virgin Who is Engaged (Deuteronomy 22:23-27)

With eternity at stake, it is no wonder the Bible reserves its harshest words of condemnation for those who put lies in the mouth of YHVH, usurping His Word with dangerous experience that is insignificant in comparison. In the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of Torah), false prophecy was a capital offense, a point vividly illustrated by Elijah’s slaughter of the 450 prophets of Ba’al following the showdown on Mount Carmel (First Kings 18:19 and 40). But the Israelites often failed to expel false prophets, and by welcoming error into their midst, they also invited the judgment of Ha’Shem (Jeremiah 5:29-31). Consider the LORD’s attitude toward those who would exchange His true Word for a counterfeit (Isaiah 30:9-13; Jeremiah 5:29-31, 14:14-16; Ezeki’el 13:3-9).

The point of this passage is obvious: YHVH hates those who misrepresent His Word or speak lies in His name. The B’rit Chadashah responds to false prophets with equal severity (First Timothy 6:3-5; Second Timothy 3:1-9; First John 4:1-3; Second John 7-11). Ha’Shem does not tolerate those who falsify or fake divine revelation. It is an offense He takes personally, and His vengeance is swift and deadly. To sabotage biblical truth in any way – by adding to it, subtracting from it, or mixing it with error – is to invite divine wrath (Galatians 1:9; Second John 9-11). Any distortion of the Word is an affront against the Trinity, and especially against the Ruach ha-Kodesh because of His intimate relationship with the Word.³³⁰

Thirdly, apostate cities (13:13-19): The third potential case for religious seduction concerns a nearby city that is considering engaging in idolatry. Suppose you hear it said in one of your cities, which ADONAI your God is giving you to dwell in, that worthless fellows (Hebrew b’nei-b’luiya’al, meaning without value or honor) have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods’ – that you have not known (13:13-14).

Once a report is received that a city has turned to idolatry, a thorough investigation must be conducted to learn the accuracy of the report. Then you are to investigate, search out and inquire thoroughly. If indeed it is true and the matter certain that this abomination has been done in your midst, as they were told to do with the Canaanites, you will surely strike down the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying (Hebrew: cherem, meaning to be devoted to destruction or annihilate) it and all that is in it and its livestock with the sword (13:15-16). The sacrifice was to be like a whole burnt offering (see the commentary on Exodus Fe – The Burnt Offering). It was to be total, since the whole population of the city was jointly responsible. Theirs was a corporate guilt and, as so often in the TaNaKh, they were judged corporately.³³¹

The fact that the city, though Israelite, was to be dealt with through the cherem judgment also shows that its idolatry effectively abolished the covenant agreement with ADONAI and rendered the city virtually Canaanite. Being an Israelite settlement on the Land of promise did not guarantee immunity from God’s wrath. If the Israelites chose to go the way of Canaanite gods, then Ha’Shem would do to the Israelites, individuals and communities, exactly what had been done to the Canaanites.³³² The city was then to be abandoned and left as a ruin (Judges 20:42-48). You are to gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and you are to burn with fire the city and all its plunder – all of it to ADONAI your God. It will be a ruin forever – it shall never be built again. Nothing from the ban should cling to your hand, so that no individual Israelite could profit personally from the booty as did Achan after the fall of Jericho in Joshua 7:20-21 (13:17-18a).

Obedience to this command would bring about a moral cleansing of the Land and a spiritual renewal. As a result, ADONAI would turn from the fierceness of His anger against the nation and show her mercy, and have compassion on Isra’el and multiply her population. This is just as He swore to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – when you listen to the voice of ADONAI your God, keeping all His mitzvot that I am commanding you today, doing what is right in the eyes of ADONAI your God (13:18b-19).

Only through the purity of the nation would she be preserved. Unfortunately, for the most part Isra’el failed to apply the commands of this warning. This failure resulted in the northern kingdom of Isra’el being conquered by Assyria. As a result, many Israelites were exiled from their own land to Assyria. And the ones who remained were absorbed into the Assyrian pagan culture when the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria, instead of the men of Isra’el. So, they possessed Samaria and settled in her cities (Second Kings 17:23b-24). And not only that, but later Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC), and the southern kingdom of Judah was sent into exile (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule).³³³

Do Not Eat the Blood
12: 13-28

Do not eat the blood DIG: What would be the difference in the offerings of the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings and once they had settled in the Promised Land? How would people deal with slaughtering animals for meat if they lived far away from the sanctuary? Why should congregations support their Messianic rabbis or pastors? Why did God forbid eating the blood of animals? How is shedding of blood the heart of the gospel?

REFLECT: Has ADONAI given mankind the authority to kill animals for food (see Genesis 9:3)? Are animals made in the image of God? Explain. Are you required to offer burnt offerings today? Why? Why not? Are we obligated to give a ten percent tithe today in the Dispensation of Grace (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Do – When You Give to the Needy, Do Not Do It to be Honored by Others)?

Because of Yeshua’s shed blood, the entire Levitical system pointed to Messiah.

The following verses make some distinctions that would be necessary when the Israelites were settled in the Land, but which were unnecessary during the years in the wilderness. During the wanderings of the Israelites, when they stopped to camp (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ep – The Camp of the Twelve Tribes of Isra’el), the sanctuary would be in their midst. When they populated their new Land, however, although there would be many different settlements, the sanctuary would be in a specific place.³¹³

At this point Moshe’s speech turns to the question of killing animals for food. These verses focus on the Israelites’ treatment of the blood of animals that were either sacrificed at the altar, or eaten at home, a theme Moses discussed in Leviticus 17:1-16. YHVH introduced this theme after Noah and his family came out of the ark, for it was then that He permitted mankind to eat meat (see the commentary on Genesis Cz – Whoever Sheds Human Blood, by Humans Shall Their Blood Be Shed). In Genesis, God prohibited the shedding of human blood. He also established what we today call “capital punishment.” Since humans are made in the image of God and derive their life from God, to murder someone is to attack God Himself, and to rob that person of God’s gift of life. Ha’Shem decreed that the murderers should be punished by losing their own lives, and the right to enforce this law belonged to the officials of the state (Romans 13:1-4).³¹⁴

Either the unclean or clean (12:13-16): How would people deal with slaughtering animals for meat if they lived far away from the sanctuary? According to Leviticus 17:1-6, oxen, lambs, and goats killed from consumption could only be eaten after certain sacrificial rituals (with those animals) took place at the Tabernacle. The intention of this requirement was to prevent the people from making idolatrous sacrifices away from the Israelite encampment (Leviticus 17:7). But this mitzvah declared that wild animals caught by hunters could be killed and consumed without this limitation (as long as their blood was properly drained), since they were not sacrificial animals. Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any place you see. Rather do so only in the place ADONAI chooses in one of your tribes – there you are to offer your burnt offerings, and there you are to do all I am commanding you. However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates – whatever your soul’s desire, according to the blessing ADONAI your God has given you. Either the unclean or clean may eat of it, as they would wild animals like a gazelle or a deer. But remember, you are not to eat the blood – you are to pour it out on the ground like water (12:13-16).³¹⁵

Long before science discovered the significance of blood, YHVH declared that life was in the blood and that the blood should be respected and not treated like common food. For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives – for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life (Leviticus 17:11). The Talmud says the same thing, “Does not atonement come through the blood” (Mas. Yoma 5a)? “Surely atonement can be made only with the blood, as it says, ‘For it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of life’ (Mas. Zevachim 6a)!” The entire Levitical system pointed to Messiah. The Torah has a shadow of the good things to come – not the form itself of the realities. For this reason, it can never, by means of the same sacrifices they offer constantly year after year, make perfect those who draw near. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:1 and 4). Therefore, the Israelites brought home the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. Every time they ate, they were reminded of these truths.

Tithes and offerings (12:17-19): You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the offering of your hand. Rather you are to eat them before ADONAI your God in the place ADONAI your God chooses – you, your son and daughter, your slave and maid, and the Levite within your gates – and you will rejoice before ADONAI your God in every undertaking of your hand. Be careful that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live on the earth (12:17-18). If an Israelite brought an animal to be sacrificed at the sanctuary, he could offer it as a peace offering (see the commentary on Exodus Fg – The Peace Offering), and then enjoy eating the meat as part of a special feast (Leviticus 3:1-17, 7:11-38). Then the priest would drain the blood beside the altar. If the ritual called for it, the priest would catch enough blood in a basin and sprinkle it on or at the base of the bronze altar. By following this procedure, the Jews not only showed respect for God’s gift of life, but they also showed respect for the animal that gave its life for the worshipper.³¹⁶

Be careful that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live on the earth (12:19). The priests and the Levites had no inheritance in the land of Isra’el, for ADONAI was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:8-9; Joshua 13:14 and 33, 14:13, 18:7). So, they trusted God for His provision through the people. YHVH assigned to the priests’ portions from various sacrifices (Leviticus 6:14-7:38) as well as the firstfruits of the harvests and the first-born animals (Numbers 18:8-19). The Levites received the people’s tithes and in turn gave a tithe of that to the priests (Numbers 18:20-32). The people also brought an extra tithe every three years, which was shared with the poor. People who lived too far from the sanctuary were permitted to sell the produce, and with the money buy a substitute sacrifice when they arrived (14:24-26).

The basic principle in the Bible is that those who serve the Lord and His people should have the support of God’s people. The worker is deserving of his wage (Luke 10:7), and those who proclaim the Good News to get their living from the Good News (First Corinthians 9:14). Believers who receive spiritual blessings from Messianic rabbis, teachers, and preachers should share material blessings with them (First Timothy 5:17-18). If all of God’s people practiced the kind of giving described in Second Corinthians 8 and 9, God’s servants would be provided for, and the work of the Lord would prosper around the world.³¹⁷

You are not to eat the blood (12:20-28): The permission of the previous verses is expanded somewhat here and repeated, the repetition emphasizing the importance of distinguishing what could be eaten only at the sanctuary and what could be eaten anywhere.³¹⁸ In the wilderness, when all the people were near the sanctuary, no animal might be slaughtered for food without first dedicating it as a peace offering. With their entry into the Promised Land, with the majority of people living further and further away from the sanctuary, they were permitted to slaughter animals for food wherever they lived.

Yet the permission was given in such a way that the original intent of the mitzvah was preserved (Leviticus 17:1-12). There the prohibition was aimed at preventing the pollution of worship by Canaanite ritual, and at preventing the Israelites from eating the blood of the animals. Here, Moses warned against eating the blood whether the animals were killed at home or at the sanctuary.³¹⁹ When ADONAI your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, “I want to eat meat,” because your soul craves meat, then you may eat meat – all your soul’s desire. If the place ADONAI your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of your herd and flock that ADONAI has given you – as I have commanded you – and you may eat within your gates, all your soul’s desire. Just as the gazelle or hart is eaten, so you may eat it – the unclean and clean alike may eat it (12:20-22).

The lone restriction on the eating of meat was the people were forbidden to eat the blood. Only be sure that you do not eat the blood – for the blood is the life, and you are not to eat the life with the meat. Pouring blood on the ground would be a safeguard against pouring it on a pagan altar. You are not to eat it; you are to pour it out on the ground like water. By refraining from eating blood, the Israelites demonstrated a respect for life and ultimately for the Creator of life. As Leviticus 17:11 indicates, the blood is a ransom price for sins, so blood is sacred and should not be consumed.³²⁰ You are not to eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, when you do what is right in ADONAI’s eyes (12:23-25).

Any food, vegetable or animal, that was specifically offered to YHVH, whether a tithe, or a firstborn, or any other reason, had to be brought to the sanctuary. Although in the Promised Land animals or ordinary consumption might be slaughtered in any place, consecrated animals had to be offered on the bronze altar in the sanctuary. Only the holy things and vow offerings that are yours are you to take and go to the place that ADONAI chooses. You are to offer your burnt offerings – the flesh and the blood – on the altar of ADONAI your God. The blood of your sacrifices is to be poured out on the altar of ADONAI your God, but the meat you are to eat. Obedience to God’s mitzvot in these matters would be necessary for His blessing. Take care and listen to all these words that I am commanding you, so that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of ADONAI your God (12:26-28).

This emphasis on the shedding of blood is at the heart of the gospel. We aren’t saved from our sins by the life of Messiah, or the fine example of Messiah, but by the sacrificial death of Messiah, in whom we have redemption (Ephesians 1:7). The blood of Yeshua is precious to us (First Peter 1:19) because of who shed it – the spotless Lamb of God – but also because of what it accomplishes for those who trust in Him: justification (Romans 5:9); cleansing (Revelation 1:5; First John 1:7); eternal salvation (Hebrews 9;11-28); access to YHVH (Hebrews 10:19-20); and reconciliation (Ephesians 2:13), to name but a few of the blessings we have through Messiah’s blood (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith).³²¹

Dear holy Heavenly Father, Praise You that Yeshua was willing to take our place on the altar and be our sacrifice for our sins. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Praise you that Yeshua’s life was perfectly holy so He could be the Lamb of God. The next day, John sees Yeshua coming to him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)! We worship You! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Place to Worship ADONAI
12: 1-12

The Place to worship ADONAI DIG: What was the purpose in having Moses repeat a warning about following the mitzvot once the occupied the Promised Land? Why was it important for ADONAI to specify the place of worship? How complete was the destruction of the Canaanites supposed to be? What attitudes does God desire to be a part of worship? How is that different from the pagans?

REFLECT: What “pagan shrines and gods” are in our culture today? In what ways should you be “in the world, but not of the world?” How holy are holidays today? What kinds of offerings do you bring to God? What were they to learn from this? In what other ways was Isra’el to be “in Canaan” but not “of Canaan?” What, then, is the right way to worship God?

Worship at the place and in the way that ADONAI chooses.

Moshe was a wise teacher. He devoted the first part of his speech (Chapters 1-5) to reviewing the past and helping this new generation appreciate all that ADONAI had done for them. Then he told the people how they should respond to the goodness of YHVH and why they should obey Him (Chapters 6-11). In other words, Moses was helping his people develop a love for ADONAI, because if they loved Him, they would obey Him. Moshe repeated God’s covenant promises to the nation, but he also balanced those promises with the warnings of what would happen if they disobeyed. More than anything else, Moses wanted the Israelites to mature in their faith and love so they could enter the Promised Land, conquer the enemy, and enjoy their inheritance to the glory of the LORD.³⁰⁵

Obeying His Mitzvot (12:1): These are statutes (Hebrew: hachukkim, meaning to write into law permanently) and ordinances (Hebrew: hammishpatim, meaning a judgment of the court) that you are to make sure to do in the Land that ADONAI, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess – all the days that you live on the earth (12:1). Today these words represent a gold mine of counsel and guidance. These are the words of ADONAI to the people He loves. These words are ageless and still have application to our lives today, they are our blueprint for living. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for restoration, and for training in righteousness (Second Timothy 3:16a).³⁰⁶

Purging the Land (12:2-3): The statement in 12:1 was both an assurance and a commandment. The assurance was that Isra’el would enter the Land and conquer the enemy; the commandment was that, having entered the Land, they must purge it of all idolatry! Isra’el’s victory of the nation’s east of the Jordan (to see link click At – Isra’el’s Conquest of the Transjordan) was a prototype of their cleansing of the land of Canaan. This wasn’t a new mitzvah, for Moshe had mentioned it before (Deuteronomy 7:1-6, 23-26; Numbers 33:50-56), and he would mention it again.

The religions of the Canaanites were both false and filthy. They worshipped a multitude of gods and goddesses, chiefly Ba’al, the storm god, and Asherah, his wife (to see a video about Asherah click here). The wooden Asherah poles were sex symbols, and the people made use of temple prostitutes as they sought to worship their gods. Since the major goal of the Canaanite religion was fertility for themselves and for their crops, they established places of worship on the mountains and hills, the high places, so as to get closer to their gods, just like those who built the tower of Babel thought. They also worshiped under large trees, which were also symbols of fertility. Their immoral religious practices were a form of sorcery with which they hoped to please their gods and influence the powers of nature to give them bountiful crops.³⁰⁷

Earlier, the Israelites were told to utterly destroy the Canaanites (see Cd – Show No Pity). Now, Ha’Shem tells the Jews that they must utterly destroy all the places where the nations that they will dispossess served their gods – on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. They were to utterly destroy anything that would lure them into idolatry (see Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). The Israelites were to tear down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their Asherah poles in the fire and cut down the carved images of their gods, and they were to obliterate their name from that place (12:2-3).

As part of their training as a nation of priests, they were not to be influenced by any evil. Like all believers today, we need to put away all known sin so that God can freely work in our lives. However, even in the best of times, Isra’el had not followed Ha’Shem’s instructions. In one fashion or another, idols had always been in their midst. In the history of the godly kings of the southern kingdom of Judah, the phrase, “but they did not take away the high places,” is repeated eight times (First Kings 15:14, 22:44; Second Kings 12:4, 14:4, 15:4, 15:35; Second Chronicles 15:17, 20:33). Those kings would have glorified God in a much greater way if they had just obeyed His commandments. The same goes for us today.

Worshipping ADONAI (12:4-14): As the people of God, we must worship the Lord the way He commands and not imitate the religious practices of others. Our faith came by revelation, not by the invention of mankind, nor the Adversary’s instruction (Second Timothy 3:5-7). Our most important activity is the worship of YHVH because everything truly spiritual flows from that worship. How tragic it is when congregations imitate the world and turn worship into entertainment, and the sanctuary of God into a theater.

Isra’el worshipped the true and living God, while the pagans in Canaan worshiped dead idols that represented false gods. The Canaanites had many shrines, but Isra’el would have only one sanctuary. The place where ADOANI chose to be worshiped. The Canaanites built many alters, but Isra’el was to have only one altar. The Canaanites sacrificed whatever they pleased to their gods and goddesses, including their own children, but the LORD would instruct the Israelites what sacrifices to bring.³⁰⁸

One place where God chooses to dwell (12:4-5, 8-11a): You are not to act like this toward your God. Rather you are to seek only the place ADONAI your God chooses from all your tribes to put His Name to dwell, there you will come (12:4-5). The place itself is not named. The lack of a place, thus, serves only to underline the importance of the name installed there – Yeshua’s name. The text is concerned not so much with the location of the place, but on the kind of place, namely, one that YHVH chooses. What matters is not “where?” but “Who?” Likewise, the Canaanite places of worship were to be destroyed, not because of where they were, but whose they were? And wherever the place may have been, it would be less important than the Name that God had put there. Just as God had chosen Isra’el, and her priests, He alone would choose the place in which He would be worshiped.

From the time of David onward, however, with the transfer of the ark and the building of the Temple by Solomon (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon Ax – Solomon’s Temple), the place could be thought of only as Jerusalem. This identification is quite explicit in the TaNaKh (First Kings 8:44 and 48, 11:13, 32, 36; Second Kings 21:7, 23:27) and is reflected in the Psalms (Psalms 87, 122, 132).³⁰⁹

You will not do all the things as we are doing here today, wandering in the desert, everyone doing what is right in his own eyes (12:8). From the time of their departure from Sinai until the LORD settled them in the Promised Land there would be a certain informal quality to their worship. Although some compare the phrase everyone doing what is right in his own eyes to fit a similar statement in Judges 17:6 and 21:25, during a time of moral anarchy, it is unlikely that this clause points to total anarchy in Isra’el’s worship practices.

In light of their unsettled existence, however, this period in Isra’el’s history was characterized by more freedom in the details of worship. This passage envisions a future time when the nation would experience a relative degree of peace, and would be able to bring more order and consistency to the worship of YHVH. For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that ADONAI your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and settle in the land that ADONAI your God enables you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you, you will dwell in safety. Once that happened, Ha’Shem would require His people to bring their offerings and sacrifices to the place where He chose for His Name to dwell.³¹⁰ Then, repeating himself for special emphasis, Moses said once again: the place ADONAI your God chooses to make His Name dwell, there you are to bring all that I command you (12:9-11a)

When Yeshua came to the earth He tabernacled among us (John 1:14), but sinful men nailed Messiah to the tree (Acts 13:29; First Peter 2:24). He arose from the dead and returned to heaven to receive back the glory He had laid aside during His ministry here on earth (John 17:5). Now each person who believes in the Lord becomes a temple of God and has the Ruach dwelling within (First Corinthians 6:19-20). But each local congregation of believers is also a temple of God, and Messiah is building His Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14). Someday, all of ADONAI’s children will dwell in the heavenly city that will be lighted by the Sh’khinah glory of God Himself (see the commentary on Revelation Fv – Nothing Impure Will Enter the New Jerusalem).³¹¹

One altar God chooses for His sacrifices (12:6-7, 11b-14): Canaanite worship permitted the people to offer whatever sacrifices they pleased at whatever place they chose, but for Isra’el, there would be but one altar. The only place where sacrifices were accepted was at the bronze altar in the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus Fa – Build an Altar of Acacia Wood Overlaid with Bronze), and later the Temple, and the only people who could offer them were the priests. Ha’Shem didn’t want His people inventing their own religious system by imitating the practices of the pagan nations around them. During the decadent days of the judges, that’s exactly what some of the people did (Judges Chapters 17 and 18).

There you are to bring your burnt offerings (see the commentary on Exodus Fe – The Burnt Offering) and your sacrifices, your tithes, the offering of your hand, your vow and fellowship offerings (see the commentary on Exodus Fg – The Peace Offering), and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. The point was, whatever their worship required them to bring, it must be brought to the place chosen by YHVH. There you, the priests, the Levites, and your households will eat before ADONAI your God and rejoice in every undertaking of your hand. The theme of rejoicing before ADONAI is characteristic of Deuteronomy (14:26, 16:11 and 14, 26:11, 27:7). This scene envisions a people enjoying the bounty of the Land to such a degree that they would be in danger of forgetting the LORD in their safety and pride. Here was a way to prevent that danger. To regularly do some of their eating and rejoicing in the presence of YHVH, so that there could be no mistaking where the bounty came: for ADONAI your God, not some fertility god or goddess, has blessed you (12:6-7).³¹²

The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, was not only a place where the Israelites brought their sacrifices, but it was also where they brought their tithes and offerings. The tithe was ten percent of what their land had produced, and this was shared with the priests and the Levites. The priest received a certain amount of meat from some of the sacrifices, and this was how they and their families were supported. Moses frequently reminded the people to support the Levites by faithfully bringing their tithes and offerings to the sanctuary (12:12, 18-29, 14:27 and 29, 16:11 and 14). Then they had a joyful meal as they celebrated the goodness of YHVH. You will rejoice before ADONAI your God – you and your sons and daughters, your slaves and maids, and the Levite in your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance among you (12:11b-12). There is only one true God, there is only one true worship, there is only one place to worship God, and one way to approach God.

Dear Mighty Heavenly Father, Praise you for being the one and one God – a living, powerful, pure and loving Father to all who love You. Praise You that the way to please You is by loving You. And He [Yeshua] said to him, “You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).

The path to heaven is a narrow path. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14). But it is a sure path that is 100% reliable. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation (Romans 10:9-10). It is a path that goes beyond mere knowing about You – to loving You and making You the Lord of our lives whom we lovingly obey. You are a wonderful Father and I rejoice in following You and Your path to heaven. Though the path is sometimes hard and full of trials, eternity will be so long and cause me to forget earth’s pain. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In Yeshua’s holy name and power of HIS resurrection. Amen

What God Chooses
12:1 to 16:17

After laying out that blessings would flow from obedience and cursings would flow from disobedience, ADONAI called His people to a covenant relationship of exclusivity. This required the Israelites to follow Him, not according to the ways of other people, nor according to the ways of their own feelings, but exclusively according to the way He chose for them. Moshe, under the influence of the Ruach ha-Kodesh, continued to flesh out His choices in terms of appropriate sacrifices to offer, food to eat, and possessions to give.

Over and over again, YHVH called His chosen people to follow Him exclusively according to His revealed Word. He gave guidelines for true and false prophets. He wanted His children to follow Him even more than the negative influences of their own flesh and blood. Walking in holiness with Him would impact every aspect of their lives. By choosing to regulate their diet, God would discourage eating with the surrounding pagans who would lead them astray, as well as lay a foundation for teaching them the difference between clean and unclean.

The LORD instructed His people to set aside ten percent of all He had blessed them with. He chose a seven-year cycle which culminated in the Sabbatical year. Throughout that year the Israelites were to consume some of their tithe at the Temple in His presence during the pilgrimage feast of Pesach, Shavu’ot, and Sukkot. Every three years the tithe was to be collected and stored in each town to support the Levites and serve the poor. The Sabbatical year granted release from debts, and being released from selling themselves into slavery.

Ha’Shem chose only the firstborn male animals to be sacrificed. Like the mitzvot of canceling debts and releasing slaves, it involved giving up their possessions. The LORD chose to have Isra’el celebrate Pesach, which was immediately followed by the seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread. They were also to celebrate Shavu’ot and Sukkot. One reason ADONAI called for the three pilgrimage festivals was to get the whole community together, to encounter Him and keep Him at the center of their lives, no matter where they lived.

The Second Address:
The Specific Stipulations of the Covenant
12:1 to 26:19

This chapter is a turning point in the book of Deuteronomy. After eleven chapters of introduction and guidance, now Moses begins to give further details on the statutes and ordinances (4:1) of the Torah. It is interesting to note that frequently in the Scriptures, chapters 12 often marks an important turning point in the history of Isra’el. In Genesis 12 we have the Abrahamic Covenant, the beginning of the history of the nation. Exodus 12 marks the birth of the nation, where God gives Isra’el a new calendar with a new year. This was marked by the Passover, and the blood of the lamb, which saved the Israelites from judgment. In Joshua, the first 12 chapters recount the conquering of the Land. The remaining chapter details the distribution of the Land. The first 12 chapters of Isaiah deal with the sin of Isra’el. But starting with Isaiah 13, the prophet describes the sins of the Babylonians and all the surrounding nations. Matthew 12 marks the final rejection of Yeshua by the religious authorities. Matthew 13 begins the parables of the Kingdom of God. The first 12 chapters of Acts focus on Peter, but from Acts 13 the rest of the book focuses on Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. Finally, Revelation 12 is a condensed history of Isra’el in the midst of the Great Tribulation. And here in Deuteronomy 12, and the next twenty-four chapters, statutes (Hebrew: hachukkim, meaning to write into law permanently) and ordinances (Hebrew: hammishpatim, meaning a judgment of the court) are given for the training of the Israelites for their new mission in the Promised Land.³⁰⁴

A Blessing and a Curse
11: 26-32

A blessing and a curse DIG: Why is this passage important? How did Moses use Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal to illustrate the choice set before Beni Yisra’el? What took place on those two mountains? Which path did the northern Kingdom of Isra’el take? What was the result of her choice? What was the significance of Shechem? Bottom line, what did the people need to do?

REFLECT: When have you experienced the blessings of following God’s Word? What helped you obey? Was your obedience willing or reluctant? How so? What “curse” have you or the country you live in experienced as the result of disobedience? What is the lesson in that for you? How would you explain to a new believer the goodness that comes from obeying God?

Parashah 47: Re’eh (see) 11:26-16:17
(to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key Person is Moshe, speaking to all Isra’el, making a dramatic appeal to choose to obey the commandments of God. A ceremony would later be held between the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal upon entering the Promised Land, during which the consequences of the blessings and curses would be pronounced (to see link click Fd – Blessings and the Curses).

The Scene is in Mo’av, east of the Promised Land, ready to cross over the Jordan.

The Main Events include Moses telling us to see the choice between a blessing and a curse; encouragement to worship God alone, in His designated place; permission to eat meat, but not blood; caution against idolatry and false prophets, the imperative to destroy all the high places; kosher mitzvot, tithes, the seventh year, the sabbatical year (Hebrew: sh’mittah) to cancel debts, providing for the poor, freeing slaves, offering first born animals, and observing three pilgrimage feasts of Pesach, Shavu’ot, and Sukkot.²⁹⁸

A blessing and a curse will result from Isra’el’s obedience or disobedience to the Torah.

The context of this passage is important. It serves as a conclusion to the preceding part of Moshe’s speech (see Bj – The First Address: The General Stipulations of the Covenant) in that it places his audience in a position of decision which will soon have to be made. See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the Israelites will have to choose. The blessing and the curse, however, are contingent upon their obedience to the mitzvot of the LORD, which are about to be presented to the people (see Cr – The Second Address: The Specific Stipulations of the Covenant).

The doctrine that mankind has free will is considered a fundamental principle in Jewish thought, at least according to some of the Jewish sages. For example, Rabbi Akiva is reported to have said, “Though everything is foreseen by God, yet free will is granted to mankind” (Avot 3:19). Notice the key word in this parashah, re’eh (meaning you see) is singular, whereas the pronoun lifneikhem (meaning before you) is plural. Each Jew is to personally see that the blessings and curses will affect the entire community of Isra’el. This is summed up in the famous dictum: All Isra’el is responsible for one another.

Thus, the passage not only serves as a conclusion to the first address, but also as a chiastic framework to what follows, which sets the subsequent chapters with their immediate and proper perspective. The framework for which the blessing and curse can be seen in the Torah is as follows:

A. The blessing and curse in the present renewal of the covenant (11:26-28).

B. The blessing and curse in the future renewal of the covenant (11:29-32).

C. The Specific Stipulations of the Covenant (12:1 to 26:19).

B. The blessing and curse in the future renewal of the covenant (27:1-26).

A. The blessing and curse in the present renewal of the covenant (28:1-69).

Dear Holy and Loving Heavenly Father, Your love is wonderful and living in a land that has been blessed by You in so many ways, often people want the blessings – without obedience. But You promised both blessing and curses. May the world awaken to see that blessing is not always guaranteed. Salvation cannot be grabbed and held onto while holding on to sin. God in mercy offers salvation as a free gift.  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves – it is the gift of God.  It is not based on deeds, so that no one may boast  (Ephesians 2:8-9).

You are 100% pure, a God who never does anything wrong and who cannot tolerate even the slightest sin. Though You, God, would love to bestow salvation on all, You can only present the gift to those who in faith choose to love and follow Yeshua as Savior. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation (Romans 10:9-10). Confessing You as Lord means more than saying your name with Lord as the first word. Choosing to lovingly obey all You ask of me, makes You my Lord. Too often people want to be Lord of themselves and do whatever pleases them, but You make the best Lord – for Your love is perfect. I love You and want to obey You as my Lord. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

For the first time in Deuteronomy, Moses uses the technical terms of the covenant, blessing and curse. Ancient Near Eastern treaties generally included a section promising blessings and threatening curses depending upon the faithfulness of the vassals (see Ah – The Treaty of the Great King) to their covenantal commitments. He declared: See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing, if you listen to the mitzvot of ADONAI your God that I am commanding you today, but the curse, if you do not listen to the mitzvot of ADONAI your God, but turn from the way I am commanding you today, to go after other gods you have not known (11:26-28). Moses knew he was not going into the Promised Land with the people (see Ax – Moshe Pleads), but here he uses the example of these two mountains to show them the importance of obeying ADONAI. Two paths lie ahead. But only one path would lead to long life in the Land.

After arriving in the Promised Land, the Israelites were to rededicate themselves to the covenantal agreement by proclaiming these blessings and cursings while standing on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Now when ADONAI your God brings you into the Land you are going in to possess, you are to set the blessing on Mount Gerizim (meaning cutting off from the things of this world), to the south, covered with fertile vegetation, and the curse on Mount Ebal (meaning bear or empty there was nothing there), to the north, which was barren (11:29).²⁹⁹ When they reached these two mountains, the scene was very moving (Joshua 8:30-35). Half of the tribes would stand on one mountain, and half the tribes stood on the other, with the Levites in the middle. The shouting of the blessings and the cursings of the Levites could be heard from each side of the valley. A mile separated Mount Gerizim from Mount Ebal. But it is interesting to know that the spot chosen by God for this reading is a vast natural amphitheater, in which the human voice can be heard at a surprising distance. About half-way between Shechem and the mouth of the valley in which it stands there is a deep, semicircular recess in the face of Mount Ebal, and a corresponding one precisely opposite to it in Mount Gerizim.³⁰⁰ Therefore, the people were shown the importance of obeying ADONAI, and the curse that would come about if they did not obey.

Shechem was the place that marked the downfall of the northern kingdom of Isra’el. Rehoboam, son and successor of King Solomon, went to Shechem to be crowned king of all Isra’el. But he actually ended up dividing the Kingdom into the northern kingdom of Isra’el and the southern kingdom of Judah. Shechem would later become the first capital of the Northern Kingdom. It was unfortunate that Isra’el would choose the curse of Mount Ebal (First Kings 12:25-33).³⁰¹

Are they not across the Jordan toward the west, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah – the mountains extended over a wide range, and so the part chosen for the blessing and cursing is specified as opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh (Genesis 12:6, 35:4; Joshua 24:26; Judges 9:6)? For you are about to cross over the Jordan to go in to possess the Land ADONAI your God is giving you – you will possess it and dwell in it, and you will take care to do all the statutes (Hebrew: hachukkim, meaning to write into law permanently) and ordinances (Hebrew: hammishpatim, meaning a judgment of the court) that I am setting before you today (11:30-32). The lengthy section which began at 5:1 now comes to a close. Isra’el is about to cross the Jordan and take possession of the Land of Promise. Since, in the final analysis, success in the undertaking will depend on obedience, Moshe’s closing message to Isra’el was to be careful to carry out all the statutes and ordinances that he had set before the people.³⁰²

Spiritually speaking, believers today live between two mountains: Mount Calvary, where Yeshua died for us, and the Mount of Olives, to which Messiah will return one day (Zechariah 14:4; Acts 1:11-12). But, ADONAI hasn’t written the Ten Words on stones and warned us about curses; rather, He has written His B’rit Chadashah on our hearts (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el) and blessed us in the Lord (Second Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 8; Ephesians 1:3). Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua (Romans 8:1). God’s dispensations change, but His principles never change, and one of those principles is that He blesses us when we obey, and disciplines us when we disobey (see the commentary Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children). As we walk in the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, we overcome the appetites of the flesh, and God’s righteousness is fulfilled in us (Romans 8:4), and we will never hear the voices from Mount Ebal.³⁰³

Possess the Land
11: 8-25

Possess the Land DIG: Why is “the Land” the key word in this section. What was the requirement for Isra’el to take possession of the Land? What was the difference between the land of Egypt and the Land of Promise? How did this increase the people’s responsibility to obey God’s mitzvot? What does God’s abundance depend on? Does this book teach a prosperity gospel? Are God’s promises bound to disobedient people? How do we claim God’s blessings? What were phylacteries (T’fillin) and why were they used?

REFLECT: In the haftarah, what is God calling you to trust Him for? What acts of obedience is He calling you to do as a “stepping out in faith?” In what way does the promise of Isaiah 51:1-3 apply to you? In the B’rit Chadashah reading, to what degree are you motivated by your feelings and life circumstances? To what degree are you motivated by your faith in your covenant relationship with God through Messiah?

Isra’el’s possession of the Land depended on her obedience to the mitzvot of ADONAI.

They key word in this section is land, used at least a dozen times, referring to the land of Canaan, which YHVH promised to Abraham and his descendants when He entered into a covenant relationship with him (Genesis 13:14-17, 15:7-21, 17:8, 28:13; Exodus 3:8). Canaan was not only the Promised Land because God promised it to Isra’el, but it was also “the land of promises” because in that land, Ha’Shem would fulfill many of the promises relating to His great gift of salvation for the whole world. The land of Isra’el would be the stage on which the great drama of redemption would be enacted. There, the Savior would be born and live, and there He would die for the sins of the world. He would be raised from the dead and ascend to heaven, and to the believers in that land, He would send the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. From that land, His people would spread out across the world to share the gospel.²⁸⁷

Requirement: the people are urged once again to keep the mitzvot of YHVH (11:8). You shall therefore keep the whole mitzvah that I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land that you are crossing over to possess (11:8). The word therefore underlines the fact that ADONAI’s claim to Isra’el’s obedience rests on what He had already done for her. But the fulfilment of the divine promise was not automatic.²⁸⁸ Moses repeats his exhortation from 6:1 for the Israelites to accept YHVH’s requirement of their total loyalty. But now the focus shifts from the lessons of history to the anticipation of the future. The people were to obey the mitzvot soon to be declared to them, not only because of their knowledge of God drawn from past experiences, not only because it was for their own good (10:13), but also because without such obedience, they would not find the strength necessary to take possession of the Land of Promise.²⁸⁹

Illustration: the good Land compared to Egypt (11:9-12). And so that you may prolong your days on the land that ADONAI swore to give to your fathers and to their descendants – a land flowing with milk and honey (11:9). The Promised Land was a land flowing with milk and honey, but if the rain didn’t come as its appointed seasons, nothing would grow and the people would starve, and only God could send the rain. Ba’al was the Canaanite storm god, and often in their history, the Jews turned to this false god for help, and then, Ha’Shem had to discipline them. Elijah’s dramatic encounter on Mount Carmel with the priests of Ba’al proved that the LORD was the true and living God (First Kings 18:16-39).

Unlike the land of Egypt, which depended on irrigation from the Nile River, the land of Isra’el received the life-giving rains from heaven, sent by ADONAI. For the Land you are going in to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you came. There you planted your seed and watered it by foot channels, through which the water could flow, like a vegetable garden. But, in contrast, the land you are crossing over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, drinking from the rain of the heavens it drinks in water. In the Promised Land, therefore, they would be dependent not on human techniques, but on the provision of God. This direct provision, however, increased the responsibility of the people of God to obey His mitzvot. If the nation of Isra’el feared Ha’Shem, loved Him, and obeyed Him, He would send the crops in their seasons and feed the people and the flocks and herds. YHVH wasn’t “buying” their obedience; He was rewarding their faith and teaching them the joys of knowing and serving Him.²⁹⁰ It is a land that ADONAI your God cares for – the eyes of ADONAI your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year up to the end of the year (11:10-12).

Requirement: obedience, love, and service (11:13). The agricultural point having been made; the moral lesson is obvious. If you need rain to survive, and if YHVH sends the rain, He declared: If you listen obediently to My mitzvot that I am commanding you today – to love ADONAI your God and to serve Him with all your heart and soul, then, My abundance would be poured out of the heavens (11:13).

Dear Amazing Heavenly Father, I love you! How awesome to think of spending eternity with You in the eternal home in heaven that Yeshua is preparing for those who love Him.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be  (John 14:2-3). Any early joy lasts but a moment, however worshiping You will go on for all eternity!

Life is full of many things that keep us busy, but it is so worth it to make time to meditate on how awesome you are! At night, just before I fall asleep I love to meditate on Your power over any world kingdom. I retell in my thinking all about the 10 plagues of Egypt and your victory in safely bringing Isra’el thru the Sea of Reeds. It is Your power that is most important. Isra’el was victorious and won because of Your Almighty power (Exodus 6:6-9, 14: 29-30 and Joshua 11:1-11).

Knowing and loving You is worth any trial that I go through. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).  I love You! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Illustration: the fertility of the good Land (11:14-17). Whereas the previous illustration had contrasted the past with the future (11:9-12), the focus is now entirely on the future and the good land promised to Isra’el by YHVH. Moshe declared: Then He will give rain for your land in its season – the early rain and the late rain – two terms indicating the beginning and the end of the rainy season in Palestine, extending approximately from October to April. So that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will give grass in your field for your livestock, and you will eat and be satisfied (11:14-15). The LORD promised to provide rain, in its season, which was necessary for the sustenance of men and beasts, provided that His people obeyed His mitzvot. However, their obedience would not earn the blessing of fertility, nor would it somehow magically induce fertility. That blessing was already there in the very nature of the Land and its relationship to YHVH, but it could be appropriated and enjoyed only by a people prepared to live a life of faith and obedience.²⁹¹ Yeshua said it this way: Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).

Watch yourselves, so your heart is not deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. The reference to the danger of turning to foreign gods is common throughout Deuteronomy. But it is introduced here for a specific reason. The Canaanites believed that the gift of the rains lay in the power of the god Ba’al. The Israelites needed to be careful to recognize that the LORD is the Giver of the rain and if they worshipped other gods, they would learn that lesson the hard way.²⁹² Then the anger of ADONAI will be kindled against you, so He will shut up the sky so that there will be no rain and the soil will not yield its produce. Then you will perish quickly from the good land ADONAI is giving you (11:16-17).

Does Deuteronomy teach a prosperity gospel? The question arises as to how far one can generalize, or dogmatize, from the relationship in these verses between moral obedience and material blessing (to see link click Cc – Because You are Listening). Deuteronomy repeatedly correlates the two, and in the rest of the TaNaKh this equation remains an underlying principle witnessing to the truth about God in relation both to the earth and to God’s people. It should not, however, be universalized in a rigid way. Indeed, the thought of a prosperity gospel is challenged head-on in books like Job and Ecclesiastes, and fuels the baffled lament of Psalms like 37 and 73. But the connections between obedience and prosperity are neither guaranteed nor reversable. This is, we cannot deduce that prosperity proves prior obedience or that suffering necessarily proves personal guilt, as the rabbis taught. The overriding principle is that YHVH does respond justly to our response to Him, and that He remains in ultimate control of everything that affects human life, including variable factors like climate and fertility. ADONAI’s historical justice and His sovereign providence are, however, the non-negotiable factors.²⁹³

Summary: spoken on every Shabbat around the world (11:18-25): Therefore, you are to set these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul. You are to bind them as a sign on your hand, and as frontlets between your eyes. One of the most ancient commands of the Scriptures is that the Hebrew people bind certain reminders of their relationship to God on their hands and foreheads. Like the mezuzah on their doors and the tzitzit on their garments (see the commentary on Numbers Cs – The Tassels and the Blue Thread), they were reminders of God’s commands even on a Hebrew man’s body. From ancient times, traditional Jews have fulfilled this commandment in the custom called t’fillin. The Hebrew word is related to the word for prayer (t’fillah) and provides the focus for this tradition. T’fillin were designed to provide practical help for the prayer life of the Jew.

Over the generations, the t’fillin took the shape of leather boxes that contained portions of the Torah that were strapped to the forehead and to the hands. This type of t’fillin existed before the first century, as there are references to them in Jewish literature. Josephus, the Jewish historian, mentioned the use of the t’fillin, as did an early Talmudic sage, who spoke of receiving the t’fllin handed down from his grandfather. More recent discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls have also confirmed that the Qumran community used many of their parchments in the t’fillin.

Although there have been variations to this custom throughout the ages, the practice of the t’fillin has remained remarkably unchanged for over two millennia. Some pious Jews of earlier days wore t’fillin constantly. However, the common practice today among observant Jews is for the males over the age of thirteen to wear these leather boxes at daily morning prayer services. By doing so, they are reminded that the commandments of God should be on their mind (forehead) and applied in their life (hand).

Jewish tradition developed two distinct parts to a set of t’fillin: “for the head” (shel rosh) and “for the hand” (shel yad). Shel rosh consists of four individual compartments, each containing a parchment with handwritten passages from the Torah (Exodus 13:1-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21). In contrast, shel yad is a single compartment that holds all the same passages written on a single parchment – passages that have the common commandment to bind the Word of God on one’s forehead and hand. Some have compared t’fillin to putting on the armor of God for spiritual battle.

As we have seen, the Jews took this mitzvah literally and made phylacteries for their arms and heads, and mezuzahs for their houses, but unfortunately today, most have failed to receive His Word into their hearts. Gentiles today face the same danger. It’s much easier to wear a cross on your chest than to bear Messiah’s cross in daily life, and to hang Scriptures on the walls of their homes than to hide God’s Word in their hearts. If we love the Lord and cling desperately to Him, we will know His Word and obey it in every area of our lives.²⁹⁴

Only by letting God’s Word invade every are of their lives and homes could the nation hope to escape the seduction of false worship and find permanent prosperity on the Land. You are to teach them diligently to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. You are to write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied on the land ADONAI swore to give to your fathers, as long as the heavens are above the earth (11:18-21). The same principle applies today. Commitment to know and obey the Scriptures keeps believers from contemporary forms of false worship (Second Timothy 3:14-17). Therefore, Paul encouraged all believers to let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16a).²⁹⁵

Moses returns to a theme developed in the beginning of this section (11:8-9): Isra’el’s genuine obedience to YHVH’s demands would insure a successful conquest of the Promised Land. For if you will diligently keep all this mitzvah that I am commanding you to do – to love ADONAI your God, to walk in all His ways and to cling to Him – then ADONAI will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves (11:22-23). God intends to fulfil His promise ultimately, but He is not bound to fulfill His promise immediately in the case of a disobedient people. Hence Isra’el must take great care to do what Ha’Shem had commanded through Moshe. It is not merely formal, external, legalistic obedience that He desires, but obedience based on the love and close attachment to the LORD.²⁹⁶

Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours – from the wilderness to the Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea will be your border. No one will be able to stand against you – ADONAI your God will put the fear and dread of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has promised you (11:24-25). How do we claim God’s blessings? But stepping out in faith. This is what God commanded Abraham to do (Genesis 3:17), as well as Joshua (Joshua 1:3). It was this promise that Caleb claimed when he asked for his inheritance in the Promised Land (Joshua 14:6-9), and it’s the promise all believers must claim if they expect to enjoy the blessings the Lord has for them. You don’t “claim the land,” by studying a map and dreaming of conquest. You claim the land by stepping out by faith, believing God’s Word, and depending on His faithfulness. J. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, said, “Not by striving after faith, but by resting in the Faithful One.”²⁹⁷

Haftarah ‘Ekev: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 49:14-51:3
(see Af – Parashah)

Isaiah is speaking to a people dealing with the negative consequences of their covenant faithlessness (49:14). ADONAI, however, remains faithful to His promises because He is the Promise Keeper (49:15-16). The second half of 49:26 reveals God’s agenda in choosing Isra’el – revealing Himself to, and through, her to reach every nation in the world (see the commentary on Isaiah Iq – The Gentiles and the Return of Isra’el).

B’rit Chadashah ‘Ekev: Hebrews 11:8-13

Abraham is the model of a man to whom ADONAI made promises (Genesis 12:2-3 and 15:4-7). He was also given obligations (Genesis 12:1 and 17:1, 9-14) that Abraham fulfilled because he trusted God. Walking by faith (Hebrews 11:1) means not always immediately receiving everything that God has promised, but doing with He says and enjoying your relationship with Him as you go – regardless of your circumstances.

Also see: suggested readings for Parashah ‘Ekev: Mattityahu (Matthew) 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Ya’akov (James) 5:7-11

You are to Love ADONAI
11: 1-7

You are to love ADONAI DIG: How are the Israelites asked to love ADONAI? What is the link between remembering, loving, and obeying? What would the names of Dathan and Abiram bring to mind for the Israelites? How can this memory help them as they enter Canaan?

REFLECT: When in your life have you seen YHVH act miraculously? What did you learn? Does this memory affect your present obedience? How? Put your name in verse 7. What is ADONAI’s personal message to you? What risks are involved? Do they draw you to God?

God’s deliverance of Isra’el from Egypt, His provision in the wilderness, and His discipline of the rebellious, should motivate the Israelites to love ADONAI.

With Chapter 11 the discussion of the broad principles that were to govern the life of Isra’el is drawn to a close. The chapter is to be understood as a re-emphasis of these principles before the detailed mitzvot (to see link click Cr – The Second Address: The Specific Stipulations of the Covenant) are presented. The first address (see Bj – The First Address: The General Stipulations of the Covenant) may be addressed as follows: a general introduction centering around the Ten Words (Chapter 5); statement and discussion of general principles (Chapters 6 and 7); important lessons from Israelite history (Chapters 8 to 10:11); a look to the future (Chapter 10:12-22). Broadly, Chapter 11 deals with the importance of the choice which lay before Isra’el – obedience or disobedience.²⁸³

The requirement: love ADONAI and keep His mitzvot (11:1): Therefore, you are to love ADONAI your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances and His mitzvot at all times.

The illustration: three lessons from Israelite history (11:2-7):

1. The Exodus: The audience addressed on the plains of Mo’ab was very different from that which had witnessed God’s mighty acts in the days of the Exodus. All the older generation had died in the wilderness and of those who had escaped from Egypt, only the younger generation under twenty years old at the time remained (Numbers 14:29). To these now were added all those who had been born during the wilderness wandering. The people then assembled at Mo’ab had known something of ADONAI’s wonderful activity, either directly, or by word of mouth. Moshe addressed them all and said: You should know this day that it was not your children who knew, or saw, the discipline of ADONAI your God – His greatness to bring you out of Egypt, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm. His signs and the deeds He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to all his land (see the commentary on Exodus Bj – The Ten Plagues of Egypt); and what He did to the army of Egypt, to its horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Sea of Reeds flow over them as they chased after you (see the commentary on Exodus Ci – The Waters Were Divided and the Israelites Went Through the Sea on Dry Land), and how ADONAI has destroyed them to this day (11:2-4).²⁸⁴ The great events associated with the great liberation of the Exodus are all attributed directly to YHVH and not to the military strength or expertise of the Israelites. A part of the LORD’s purpose in the Exodus was still of direct relevance to those gathered on the plains of Mo’ab; Ha’Shem not only brought His people out of the land of Egypt . . . but He also intended to bring them into the Promised Land.

2. God’s presence in the wilderness: What He did for you in the wilderness in sending manna (see the commentary on Exodus Cr – I Will Rain Down Manna from Heaven for You), quail (see the commentary on Exodus Cs – That Evening Quail Came and Covered the Camp), and water from the rock (see the commentary on Exodus Cu – Strike the Rock and Water Will Come Out of It), until you came to this place (11:5). The Exodus had been a totally positive part of Isra’el’s education in the ways of God. The wilderness experience, mentioned here in only general terms, had broadened that education. Isra’el had not only experienced the provision and help of the LORD, but also the chastisement and rebuke of Ha’Shem.²⁸⁵

3. The Dathan and Abiram incident: The third example completes the balance by presenting a lesson from history stressing the failure of some Israelites and the judgment of God. And what He did to Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab son of Reuben (Numbers 16:1-34) – how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households and tents and every living thing that followed them on their account, in the midst of all Isra’el (11:6). These men rebelled against the authority of Moshe, YHVH’s chosen leader, and were destroyed with their families and possessions when the earth swallowed them up. The contrast between the Exodus and the rebellion is striking and relevant to the speech of Moses. The Exodus had been the beginning of the new life for Isra’el; the rebellion had led to the death of many. In fact, had it not been for Moshe’s intercession, Ha’Shem would have put an end to the entire nation (Numbers 16:45).

The lesson was, of course, that refusal to acknowledge the man whom God appointed leader was equivalent to rejection of God Himself. It was a common experience of prophets such as Amos (Amos 7:12-16), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:18-19), and Ezeki’el (Ezeki’el 3:4-9). But this experience is not confined to the pages of the TaNaKh alone. The climax to such rebellion came with the rejection of Yeshua Ha-Meshiach Himself, as the gospels testify again and again.²⁸⁶

The lessons of the past, therefore, stressed both the grace of God and the judgment of God, and the people were to remember these acts. Rather, it is your own eyes that have seen every mighty deed that ADONAI has done (11:7).

Dear Great Heavenly Father, You are such a joy to meditate on, for you are both perfectly holy and perfect love- at the same time! How wonderful to meditate on your attributes from A- Z: A=Almighty, All knowing, All wise …, B=Best Friend, C=Comforter, Caring, D=Deliverer, Defender, E=Eternal, F=Faithful, Fantastic Father, G= Great, Guide, H= HOLY! Healer, I= Immanuel, Invincible, J= Joy, Just, K= King of Kings, Kind, L= Living God, Lamb of God, Lover, Light of the World, M=Merciful, Mighty warrior, N= Never fails, Near me always, O= Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, P= Prince of Peace, Passover Lamb, Perfect, Q= Quite Wonderful, R=Redeemer, Resurrection, S=Savior, Shield, T=Trustworthy, Truth, U= Unchanging, Universe Maker, V=Victory, Vine, W=Wise, Wonderful Counselor, X= Exactly What I Need, Exactly Perfect, Y= Yahweh Raah (God is My Shepherd) Z=Zealous for His People! In Yahweh’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Circumcise Your Hearts
10: 12-22

Circumcise your hearts DIG: How are verses 12-16 like the first part of the Ten Words? How are verses 17-22 like the second part of the Ten Words? What four responses does God want from His people? How would you define each? What kind of relationship with YHVH would these produce? What are the two groups who fear ADONAI? What does it mean to have a circumcised heart? In what way do these explain the quality of relationship God seeks with Isra’el?

REFLECT: Is your heart circumcised? If not, what is building up that callus? What can you do to soften your heart once again? What does God ask of you? Do you think the description in verses 12-16 still holds true for God? In verses 17-22 for His followers? Do you fear ADONAI? How is obeying the LORD for our own good? Who can you help this week with an uncircumcised heart? Are you ready for Him to return today? How so?

For Isra’el to circumcise their hearts, it meant giving ADONAI their undivided loyalty, which He not only deserved, but demanded.

So now, rather like when Paul uses, therefore, the word indicates a transition from Moshe’s first address to the practical implications that follow them. In the same identical way, 4:1 opens with the same words that link that chapter to the preceding historical recollection of Chapters 1-3. In other words, the Ruach ha-Kodesh, speaking through the prophet, was saying: Because all these blessings have been given to you (to see link click Bj – The First Address: The General Stipulations of the Covenant), O Isra’el, what are you going to do with them? These words mark a turning point from historical reminiscence to command.²⁷³

Our relationship with God (10:12-16), like the first part of the Ten Words: So now, O Isra’el, what does ADONAI your God require of you (10:12a)? Micah said it this way: He has told you, O man, what is good, and what ADONAI is seeking from you; only to practice justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). The intention is to get down to the basics and show that the claim of God upon the covenant people is not complicated or mysterious, but fundamentally simple. Not simple as in easy – because if obedience were easy there would be little need for these chapters full of encouragement, warning, and promise. No, the motivation for obedience would be their undivided loyalty to ADONAI.²⁷⁴ Therefore, in this passage, Moshe lays out what ADONAI requires of them:

They were to fear ADONAI your God (10:12b): This does not mean that the Isrealites were to be frightened, or afraid, of Him. It does mean that they were to possess an attitude of deep respect for Him – respect in response to His faithfulness to them over the years. This fear, or respect, begins inwardly but eventually will show itself outwardly. Isra’el’s constant disobedience was the outward evidence of an inward rebellion.

Practically speaking, we can divide those who fear ADONAI into two groups. The first group fears ADONAI when they meet Him as their Judge. The Father does not judge anyone, but has handed over all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). Paul declares that there is no fear of God before the eyes of those who reject God (Romans 3:18). When Yeshua returns at His Second Coming they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, hiding from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb (Isaiah 2:10 and Revelation 6:16). For the second group, the fear of the LORD is always associated with long life and wisdom. Proverbs 19:23 says: The fear of ADONAI leads to life, and the one who has it rests satisfied, untouched by harm. To fear ADONAI in this way is to allow Him to take control of the steering-wheel of your life.

Dear Great and Wise Heavenly Father, You are so wonderful! It is a joy to let You guide my life. You always want the best for Your children, and will never withhold anything good from Your child (Psalms 84:11). When You drive the steering wheel of our lives, you drive us to the best places where we will have joy for all eternity. Yes, you may allow trials in our lives, but you use them for our good.  These trials are so that the true metal of your faith (far more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua (First Peter 1:7). Though they seem long to us now, they are really only momentary in light of all eternity of joy with You. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Please take the steering wheel of my life and drive me to wherever You think is best for me- for Your love and wisdom are so great for each of Your children. I love to worship and obey You! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Those who reject God will eventually dread Him; while those who are His will willingly follow Him and be blessed. So, having this fear implies a proper knowledge of Ha’Shem, knowing the proper way to approach Him and worship Him. When those in the Scriptures saw ADONAI, they realized their own sinfulness. When Isaiah saw ADONAI-Tzva’ot, he said: Oy to me! For I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5). Then, he was able to go and preach the Word. And Job, when he finally had his wish granted, and he was finally able to meet God, said: Now my eye has seen You. Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5-6). They had a proper understanding of the fear of ADONAI. This is an important concept, not only for the Israelites, but for all of us today. It motivates us to study our God, to know Him, so that we might also walk with Him and love Him more. This love for Yeshua will be reflected in all areas of our lives. Solomon agreed with Moshe, and as he came to the end of his book he said: A final word, when all has been heard: Fear God and keep His mitzvot! For this applies to all mankind (Ecclesiastes 12:13).²⁷⁵

Isra’el was to walk in all His ways (10:12c): Our inward respect for God will reveal itself in our walk with Him. The Torah always emphasizes lifestyle. If we say we have fellowship with Him and keep walking in darkness, we are lying and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin (First Yochanan 1:6-7). Both Moshe and Yochanan understood that our talk and our walk must be consistent. The world can smell a phony a mile away.²⁷⁶

To love ADONAI (10:12d): The word love here means more than merely an emotional term. It serves as a synonym for election. As Paul teaches us in Romans 9:13, “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated. God’s love for Jacob was revealed in His choice of Jacob, and God’s hatred of Esau was seen in His rejecting Esau as the son of promise (from Malachi 1:2-3). YHVH’s choices reflect and express His love. But God’s love must find its response and counterpart in the commitment of the chosen one to love, or choose, the LORD in return. Throughout Deuteronomy, love is demonstrated in deeds, or loyalty, to the covenant (5:10, 6:5, 7:9 and 13, 11:1, 13 and 22, 13:3, 19:9, 30:6, 16 and 20; First Corinthians 8:3; Second Thessalonians 3:5; First John 2:5, 3:17, 4:9, and 20-21; Jude 21).²⁷⁷

And to serve ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul, meaning with undivided loyalty, which YHVH deserved and demanded (10:12e). This statement is found in the Talmud. Rabbi Hanina said: Everything is in the hands of heaven except the fear of heaven as it says, “And now, Isra’el, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear” (Masiah Megilah 25a). While this concept of free will was disputed by the Jews of that time, as it is among believers today, according to Josephus, the Pharisees believed in both the freedom of mankind and divine providence. The Sadducees, however, attributed everything to chance and denied providential guidance (Josephus, Wars 2, Antiquity 13 and 18). Those rabbis in the Talmud understood the importance of this verse and took special interest in the concept of the fear of ADONAI, which is the first requirement of the people of God. But what exactly does that mean?

Moses said that the fear of ADONAI would help the Israelites to keep His mitzvot and His statutes that he was commanding to them on that day, “for your own good” (10:13)? Only two words in Hebrew (letob tak, meaning for good for you), this phrase condenses all the blessings that Moshe elsewhere describes extensively. Through obedience, Isra’el would enter into secure possession of the Land, long life, and enjoyment of God’s gifts. It also condenses the important ethical point that the Torah itself was a gift of the grace of ADONAI for the benefit of mankind, not the imposition of an arbitrary set of rules to be a burden. Today, the Torah is our blueprint for living (see the commentary on Exodus Dh – Moses and the Torah). And so, for your own good may not sparkle as an advertising slogan, but it captures the human perspective of ethics in the TaNaKh.²⁷⁸

Why should Isra’el respond to YHVH her God with such complete undivided loyalty? It was not merely because of His saving acts, or because Isra’el’s God was bound up with such obedience. The real reason was more profound. It was because He loved her first. Here is the magnificent picture of the grandeur of God. Behold, to ADONAI your God belongs the heavens and the highest of heavens, the earth and all that is in it. The contrast with the insignificant Isra’el is striking. Yet, YHVH loved her.²⁷⁹ Only on your fathers did ADONAI set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them – you – from all the peoples, as is the case this day (10:14-15). So, the first reason Isra’el was to love the LORD is that He had initiated a relationship of love with His rebellious nation. This same principle is true of God’s relationship with believers’ today. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us (Romans 5:8).²⁸⁰

The proper response to their election by YHVH was to circumcise their hearts. God had commanded that on the eighth day the flesh of a male child is to be circumcised (Leviticus 12:3). But here, Moses lifts up the mere letter of the Torah, and brings it to greater heights, saying: Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked and imitate the stubbornness of your ancestors (10:16). God never intended circumcision, or any other commandments, to be merely ritual. There is intent and meaning behind all of these commandments. Here Moshe takes a commandment and expands it beyond its physical significance. Yeshua did the same thing (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Da – The Sermon on the Mount).

But, Isra’el had so magnified the physical ritual that they forgot the spiritual reality, that circumcision marked them as God’s people with spiritual privileges and responsibilities. Circumcision wasn’t a guarantee that every Jewish man was going to be with Abraham in sh’ol (Matthew 3:7-12). Unless there was a change in the heart, brought about by YHVH in response to faith, the person didn’t belong to the LORD in any real sense. That’s why Moses exhorted them to let God “operate” on their hearts and do a lasting spiritual work: ADONAI your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants – to love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live (30:6). This message was repeated by the prophets (Jeremiah 4:4; Ezeki’el 44:7 and 9) and the apostle Paul (Romans 4:9-12; and Acts 7:51).

Unfortunately, this same spiritual blindness is with us today, for many people believe that baptism, confirmation, church membership, or participation in communion automatically guarantees their salvation. As meaningful as those things are, the believer’s assurance and seal of salvation isn’t a physical ceremony, but a spiritual work of the Ruach ha-Kodesh in the heart (Philippians 3:1-10; Colossians 2:9-12). Salvation = faith + nothing. Jewish circumcision removed but a small part of the flesh, but the Spirit of God has stripped away the body of the flesh through the circumcision of Messiah. You were buried along with Him in immersion, through which you also were raised with Him by trusting (Greek: pistis, meaning faith, trust, or belief) in the work of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:11-12).²⁸¹

Our relationship with our neighbors (10:17-22), like the second part of the Ten Words: For ADONAI your God is God of gods and Lord of lords – the great, mighty and awesome God, who does not show partiality or take a bribe (10:17). The majesty of YHVH and His awful justice provided further motive for obedience. God does require love; but those, for example, who outwardly obeyed the mitzvot, but did not love God, were in effect, offering God a bribe. It was as if they were saying, “Look, I’m doing this and that correctly, so taking these good deeds into account, perhaps the rest can be overlooked?” Ha’Shem required the wholehearted commitment of love, from which all the other godly behavior flowed. ADONAI saw what was in the heart and could not be persuaded, or bribed, into reducing His requirements of His children.

The impartiality of YHVH and the impossibility of bribing Him are now illustrated with a specific example, to a mitzvah is added. The more detailed mitzvot concerning orphans, widows and aliens will be found in 24:17-22). Moses demands that the Israelites conduct themselves toward the weaker members of their society just as God Himself does, with justice and love. He enacts justice for the orphan and widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. Earlier, it was stated that God loved the patriarchs (10:15), whose descendents were gathered on the plains of Mo’ab; now the impartiality of God is shown in His love for the resident alien, a person in the Jewish community who did not share full civil and religious rights with the Israelites. ADONAI provided food and clothing for the alien, just as He had done for His own people. Therefore, love the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt (10:18-19). Having experienced God’s love and care during their own time as aliens, they were to express similar love and care to aliens in their midst.²⁸²

The passage reaches its climax with the repetition of its main points. ADONAI your God you will fear – Him will you serve. To Him will you cling, and by His Name will you swear. He is the object of your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your eyes have seen. Other gods have other ways, but Isra’el must keep the way of ADONAI by doing righteousness and justice, so that ADONAI may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him (Genesis 18:19b). One part of the covenant promise to the patriarchs had already been fulfilled by the growth of Isra’el’s numbers. Your fathers went down to Egypt with 70 persons (see the commentary on Genesis Km – Jacob’s Genealogy), and now ADONAI your God has made you like the stars of the heavens in number (10:20-22). This fact alone was a reason for Isra’el to give ADONAI their undivided loyalty.

Looking to the Future
10:12 to 11:32

Now we come to a closing appeal, a conclusion of what Moses has said so far before the teaching of the commandments of the Torah, which begins in Chapter 12.

Deuteronomy 10:12 to 11:32 is a unified speech not unlike 4:1-40 (to see link click Ba– Moshe Exhorts God’s People to Obey the Torah). It is, however, quite different in structure. While it has a particular function as a kind of summation of themes up to this point, it also expressly prepares the Israelites (and us) for life in the Land.

The whole speech is forward-looking, though it draws extensively on themes and motifs from 1:1 to 10:11. There is a mixture of the familiar and giving us a fresh look at Egypt and the Sea of Reeds. Surprisingly, Horeb is not directly mentioned, giving way to the anticipation of a new life in the Land of promise. There are however, echos of Horeb. First, in the restatements of the heart of the Torah (10:12 and 20; 11:16-17). Secondly, in the command to keep the whole mitzvah (11:8). Thirdly, in the implied contrast with Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (11:29). The absence of Horeb is intentional. The problem that arose there was in the past. YHVH had heard Moshe’s intercession; now the people are to go into the Promised Land, keeping the mitzvot of God and circumcising their hearts (10:16). Even so, Isra’el remains at a place of present decision (10:12, 11:1-2, 8, 13, 18, 22, 26-32).²⁷²

Moshe Remembered when He Cut Two Tablets of Stone
9:25 to 10:11

Moshe remembered when he cut two tablets of stone DIG: How does Moses demonstrate his understanding of the heart and plans of God? How do you think this speech would make the Israelites feel? Why is this story important for the people as they prepare to enter Canaan? Why does God instruct Moshe to prepare two new tablets of stone? What does this tell you about the nature of ADONAI? What is unique about the Levites (see 10:8-10)? In what way is YHVH their inheritance? In what ways will the Levites help all of Isra’el as the people enter Canaan?

REFLECT: What are the basics of the life of a believer? How are these similar to the tablets of stone as a blueprint for our lives? Who, in your life has been an intercessory prayer warrior? Who do you pray for? When you pray do you speak to the heart of God? If you pray for what you already know is the desire of His heart, how does that guarantee your prayer will be granted (timing, however, is another issue)? When ADONAI says to you, “Rise up, go, journey ahead,” where is He calling you to go to today? Will you be faithful to that call?

In the face of national extinction, Moshe interceded on behalf of Isra’el, and ADONAI responded with clemency and graciously provided a second revelation of the Ten Words.

A. The intercession of Moses (9:25-29): At last, we reach the words that stood between God’s anger and God’s mercy. Because of the golden calf incident (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gq – The Golden Calf Incident), Ha’Shem had threatened to renounce both the Sinai Covenant (by disowning the people) and the Abrahamic Covenant (by destroying them and starting again with Moses). But Moshe, with incredible boldness, raised his hand to YHVH on both accounts. He was not demanding something of God, but was pleading on Isra’el’s behalf.²⁶⁶ So, I threw myself down before ADONAI those 40 days and 40 nights, because ADONAI had said He would destroy you.

Moses’ intercession focused on three points, on which he knew he was speaking to the heart of his God. I prayed to ADONAI and said: O Lord, ADONAI, first, do not destroy Your people – Your inheritance that You have redeemed through Your greatness and brought out from Egypt with a mighty hand. Although the people deserved judgment, there had been a divine purpose in the Exodus, and Moshe’s request was that that purpose not be frustrated through the people’s unfaithfulness. The second request went back even further than the Exodus, “Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” It is interesting to compare Moses’ use of history and selective memory in his intercessory prayer here to God, and in his address to the people. To the people, Moses recalled that history which showed their unfaithfulness, and on that basis, he called them to obedience and faithfulness. In his prayer here to God, however, Moses recalls the long history of the LORD’s covenant faithfulness and seeks His forgiveness for the people on the basis of His nature, not the people’s worthiness. If merit were the criterion, the covenant would have already been voided. Therefore, Moshe could say: Pay no attention to the stubbornness of this people or to their wickedness or their sin. The third basis of Moses’ request was related to the honor of YHVH in the eyes of Egypt. Otherwise, the land from which You brought us out may say, “Because ADONAI was not able to bring them into the land that He spoke of to them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.” What kind of God would they take YHVH to be if He destroyed the very people He had so miraculously delivered? Yet they are Your people – Your inheritance that You brought out by Your great power and Your outstretched arm (9:25-29).

Thus, the recollection of the prayer in Moshe’s address served to bring a sobering influence on his audience; in the past, there had been moments when the whole future of Bnei Yisra’el hung in the balance. In the present, therefore, the people were to remember the past mercies of YHVH and to commit themselves wholeheartedly in allegiance to their LORD.²⁶⁷

B. The Ten Words and the Ark (10:1-5): These words indicate that YHVH accepted Moshe’s intercessory prayer. In the secular realm the renewal of a covenant after its breach involved the preparation of new treaty documents and the taking of a new oath of allegiance. And it was thus with Isra’el. At that time, indicating the time of Moses’ intercessory prayer, ADONAI said to me, “Carve for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones and come up to Me on the mountain. Make yourself an Ark of wood. I will write on the tablets the words (see Bk – The Ten Words) that were on the first tablets that you smashed, and you are to put them in the ark.” The shattering of the first tablets of stone (see my commentary on Exodus Hb – The LORD said to Moses: Chisel Out Two Stone Tablets), symbolized the breaking of the covenant relationship because of Isra’el’s sin in making the golden calf. So, I made an Ark of acacia wood and cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. Unlike the first Ark, Moshe evidently made the second one himself. Bezalel and Ohaliab (see the commentary on Exodus Ew – The Appointment of Bezalel and Ohaliab) were part of the first generation that had died in the wilderness. The second Ten Word were indicative of the graciousness of God and His response to the intercession of Moses. Like the first inscription, ADONAI wrote on the tablets the Ten Words He had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly, then gave them to me. Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the Ark that I had appointed Bezalel to make – and there they are, just as ADONAI commanded (10:1-5). Therefore, the foundation had been laid on which the covenant could be firmly established.²⁶⁸

B. Aaron and the Levites (10:6-7): This small fragment is reported in the third person as a parenthesis in the main argument. Bnei-Yisrael traveled from the wells of the sons of Jaakan to Moserah (Numbers 33:30-32) – there Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar served as cohen in his place. This indicates that God not only restored the covenant, but He also restored the priesthood to Aaron. This was grace and mercy indeed.²⁶⁹ From there they journeyed to Gudgod, and from Gudgod to Jotbah – a land of wadis flowing with water (10:6-7). The death of Aaron is now recorded. Not only did Ha’Shem discipline Moshe by not allowing him to enter the Land of promise because of his sin (see Gj – The Death of Moses), but because of the golden calf incident (see above), it seems that Aaron was likewise denied.

After the parenthesis above, we are referred back to Horeb. While the high-priestly duties in the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, were confined to Aaron’s family, the task of guarding the Torah and the Ark were committed to the Levites (see my commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah An – Priests, Levites and Temple Servants).²⁷⁰ At that time, when God ordered Moses to make the second set of tablets, ADONAI set the tribe of Levi apart to carry the Ark of the Covenant of ADONAI as they marched into battle in Canaan, to stand before ADONAI to serve Him and to pronounce blessings in His Name – as is the case to this day.  Therefore, Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers – ADONAI is his inheritance, just as ADONAI your God had promised about him (10:8-9).

A. Summary of Moses’ intercession (10:10-11): I stayed on the mountain like the first time – 40 days and 40 nights. The medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher Maimonides (Rambam) taught that the second 40-day period began on the first of Elul and culminated on the day of atonement (see the commentary on Leviticus – Yom Kippur), when a glowing Moshe returned with two new tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. ADONAI listened to me that time also and was not willing to destroy you. The intercession of Moses was effective because it went to the heart of God’s own priorities as Moshe already knew from his long, intimate, relationship with YHVH. Moses knew His people, His promises, and His Name. As a model of intercession, his prayer stands at the head of a list of prayers in the TaNaKh that follow a similar pattern and focus on the same priorities (Dani’el 9:1-19; Nehemiah 9; and Joel 2:17b). It is a powerful model for God’s people in any generation.

There is, of course, a mystery about prayer in general and intercession in particular, and this classic case study of intercessory prayer never fails to raise questions about the ways of God and the implications of how the conversation unfolded between YHVH and Moses. Was ADONAI really serious about His declared threat to destroy them and blot out their name from under the heavens. Then I will make you into a nation mightier and greater than they (9:14)? If Moshe had not interceded, would Ha’Shem have carried out the destruction of Isra’el? Had the LORD really forgotten the things about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that Moses challenged Him to remember? Did Moshe actually change God’s mind?

In answering such questions, it seems important, first of all, to say that there is not much point in wrestling with alternative hypothetical scenarios poised by such questions. The scriptures claim lay before us a genuine encounter between Moses and YHVH in which history meshed with prayer in a meaningful way. Asking, “what if” serves little theological purpose. Secondly, however, it seems equally important to preserve the integrity of the encounter. Both God and Moshe appear to be having an honest conversation. There is nothing in the text to suggest that the LORD’s anger was exaggerated for mere effect; no suggestion that Ha’Shem’s threat was a bluff intended to gain some hasty repentance. Psalm 106:23 indicates the serious nature of the event: So [God] commanded their extermination, had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him to turn His wrath from destroying them. The threat of destruction was real.

Likewise, Moshe took God’s words with the utmost seriousness. His reaction to the divine wrath was not a patronizing dismissal of authority, “You can’t be serious!” Rather, he recognized that this was a sincere threat that could be countered only with an appeal to the prior words and actions of YHVH Himself. The paradox is that in appealing to ADONAI to change, he was actually appealing to ADONAI to be consistent – which may be a significant clue to the dynamic of all genuine intercessory prayer. So, on both sides, it is vital to maintain the full seriousness of the words spoken and the intentions expressed through them. Otherwise, the whole encounter, and more significantly, the whole personal relationship between the LORD and Moses loses both credibility and personal integrity.

Then, ADONAI said to me, “Rise up, go, journey ahead of the people so that they may go in and possess the Land that I swore to their fathers to give to them” (10:10-11). The whole section (see Ch – Moses Warns Isra’el) ends, as it began in 9:1, with the onward movement of the people into the Land of Promise. In the light of all that had come between the beginning and the end of this section, this should be a humbled people about to move into the Land. A people with every confidence in their God, but with no illusions about themselves.²⁷¹

Dear Heavenly Father, We love to focus on Your love which is great, but You are also holy, holy, holy, holy (Isaiah 6:3). The threat of eternal destruction is very real for those who do not choose to love and follow Yeshua as their Messiah and Lord. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36). It is a joy to know that the promise of eternal life in heaven is also very real for all who love and follow Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation (Romans 10:9-10). We look forward to praising You forever in heaven. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Moshe Remembered how the Israelites
Provoked ADONAI to Wrath
9: 7-24

Moshe remembered how the Israelites provoked ADONAI to wrath DIG: How long was Moshe on the mountain with God? What kinds of stress might this situation cause with the Israelites? In what sense is the golden calf a response to this stress (see Exodus 32:1-4)? What should the Israelites have done instead? To whom does God speak to in verse 14? What does it mean when Moshe breaks the two tablets of stone? What was he feeling? How and why does Moses intercede for Isra’el? Consequently, Isra’el is spared; but are they any better off, or do they learn their lesson?

REFLECT: What situations are most stressful to you? How do you respond to stress? What effect does it have on your relationship with others? With God? Are any of your stress management techniques similar to the Israelites? Sinful Isra’el reflects sinful mankind. In your own life, what has been your “golden calf?” How did this affect your relationship with the LORD? How have you seen God’s forgiving nature in your life? How have you shown Him your thanks? In your life, past or present, how have you forgotten ADONAI’s loving provision, only to have your attention drawn away from Him, and to the world?

Moses labors to impress on Bnei-Isra’el their perpetual tendency toward rebellion. The main incident alluded to is the golden calf. Therefore, the love and mercy of God is stressed.

Mose remembered the golden calf incident (9:7-14): Moshe was addressing a new generation, but they needed to realize that they were sinners just like their parents. Remember, never forget, how [your parents] provoked ADONAI your God to wrath in the wilderness. If the people were ever foolish enough to claim that the gift of the Land was a result of their righteousness, then they were suffering from a severe case of religious amnesia. Therefore, they were called to remember the long and sordid history of their stubbornness and provocation of God. Moses declared: From the day you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against ADONAI (9:7). Moshe then recalled some of Isra’el’s earlier sins. He begins with the golden calf incident (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gq – The Golden Calf Incident).

Moses reminds the Israelites that their rebellion occurred at the same time that Moshe was receiving the Torah from YHVH Himself. If there was a time, above all others, when the people should have been faithful, it was during the formation of the covenant at Horeb (which is the name used for Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy). Instead, you provoked ADONAI to wrath, and ADONAI was angry with you – enough to destroy you (9:8). However, it wasn’t merely the golden calf incident. Look at everything else, in just three short months they witnessed the crossing of the Sea of Reeds, the deliverance of manna and quail to eat, water from the rock to drink, the Sh’khinah glory to guide and protect them day and night. How could they forget so soon, turn around and worship an idol?²⁵⁸ Clearly, there could be no grounds to argue that the gift of the Land would be a reward for righteous behavior!

Highlighting the significant theological points of the account of Moshe going up and down Mount Sinai the first time, he said: When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that ADONAI cut with you, I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights; being completely dependent on God, I did not eat bread or drink water (9:9, 9:18, 9:25 and 10:10). ADONAI gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God. Moreover, on them were all the words (see Bk – The Ten Words) that ADONAI had spoken with you on the mountain from the midst of the fire, on the day of the assembly (9:10).

These verses contain the report of the great apostasy, the making of an idol at the very time when the covenant was being concluded. Now, at the end of 40 days and 40 nights, ADONAI gave me the two tablets of stone -the tablets of the covenant ADONAI said to me, “Get up! Go quickly down from here, for your people whom you brought out from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made a molten image for themselves” (9:11-12).

So, God might have felt like destroying them, but He really didn’t want to destroy the People. He wanted for Moses to intercede for them. But Moses could not be the mediator (9:29). Even though Moshe and ADONAI both shared a deep love for the people of Isra’el, Moses could bear that load. And later in the book Moshe clearly makes a distinction between himself and the true Mediator that he was pointing to. Speaking of the future Messiah, Moshe declared, probably with great relief: ADONAI your God will rise up for you a prophet like me from your midst – from your brothers [Judah]. To Him you must listen (18:15). And the message is clear throughout the book of Deuteronomy, that we need Yeshua to be our Mediator.

Then the theme of stubbornness returns. Frustrated, ADONAI spoke to me saying, “I have seen this people, and it is indeed a stiff-necked people. Leave Me alone (also see Exodus 32:10), so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under the heavens. Then I will make you into a nation mightier and greater than they” (9:13-14). The divine, “leave Me alone,” was taken by Moses, not as a prohibition, but as an invitation to intercession.²⁵⁹ Just as God involved Abraham in the “consultation” prior to the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah (see the commentary on Genesis Ew – Abraham Intercedes), so here, YHVH pauses and makes the divine will “vulnerable” to human challenge.²⁶⁰

Moshe remembered how he interceded (9:15-21): So, I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire. Now the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. When I looked, you had indeed sinned against ADONAI your God – you had made yourselves a metal calf, which was a breach of the first and second mitzvot. So quickly you had turned aside from the way ADONAI had commanded you! So, I took hold of the two tablets, threw them out of my two hands, and smashed them before your eyes, graphically illustrating what they had done to their covenant (9:15-17). Moshe’s act was not simply a spontaneous reaction of anger. He interceded because he wanted to save Isra’el from the punishment of disobeying the covenant. Documents from the Near East attest, that in case of treaty breaches, tablets were broken. So, Moses hurried to break the tablets that God had just ratified with Isra’el. No covenant . . . no punishment (7:10-11). If the covenant were subsequently renewed, a new document would be needed. What we see here is the deep love of a shepherd for his flock (Exodus 32:32; Micah 1:8-9; Habakkuk 1:2; Lamentations 1:16; Romans 9:1-3). This is commitment, and God is looking for people just like this today.²⁶¹ For the eyes of ADONAI range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are wholly His (Second Chronicles 16:9).

After seeing their wicked conduct, Moshe broke the tablets, thus symbolized the nullification of the covenant, Moses immediately began to intercede. Then I fell down and prostrated myself before ADONAI like the first time (Exodus 32:30), for 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat bread or drink water – because of all your sin that you committed, doing evil in ADONAI’s sight, provoking Him to anger. Through her breach of the covenant, Isra’el made herself liable to the curses of the covenant. For I was afraid of the fierce wrath and fury which ADONAI bore toward you – to destroy you (9:18-19a). 

But ADONAI listened to me that time also (9:19b and also see Hebrews 12:21). This was not the first time Moses prayed successfully on behalf of Isra’el. He had previously prayed for them at the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14:15), and at Marah (Exodus 15:25). Moshe also interceded on behalf of his brother Aaron. ADONAI was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time, with the effect that only two of his sons perished and two survived (Leviticus 10). I took your sin – the calf you had made – and burned it in the fire. Most of the large idols worshiped by the ancients were first made of wood, and then covered with some kind of metal. I crushed it, grinding it up so well that it was as fine as dust, and I threw its dust into the wadi flowing down from the mountain (9:20-21). And he actually had the people drink the water (Exodus 32:20). The sin, as it were, was poured into their bodies along with the water to symbolize that they would have to bear the burden of it just as a woman who was suspected of adultery was obligated to drink of the bitter water that brought a curse (Numbers 5:11-31).²⁶² Not much of a god! Instead of being filled with the Spirit, they were filled with gold. This painted a clear picture of the worthlessness of idolatry. If the calf could not save itself, it certainly could not save its worshipers.²⁶³

Moshe remembered how the Israelites provoked ADONAI to wrath (9:23-24): The Horeb incident did not stand alone. To emphasize the point, Moshe lists a string of places where Isra’el had provoked ADONAI to wrath. Although they are slightly out of chronological order, for rhetorical effect, Moses may have listed the sites from the least serious breach of loyalty to the most severe.²⁶⁴ Again, at Taberah (meaning burning) the people were murmuring about their hardships and God sent a fire that consumed some of them on the outskirts of the camp (Numbers 11:1-3); at Massah (meaning testing) the Jews were thirsty, so Moshe struck the rock and YHVH provided water abundantly (see the commentary on Exodus Cu – Strike the Rock and Water Will Come Out of It); and at Kibroth-hattaavah (meaning graves of craving), the Israelites became weary of manna and craved meat to eat and provoked ADONAI to wrath, so He sent flocks of quail over the camp for them to eat. While the people were eating the meat, God’s judgment fell and He sent a severe plague upon them (Numbers 11:4 and 31-34).

Finally, Moses rehearsed Isra’el’s great failure at Kadesh-barnea (Deuteronomy 9:23; Numbers 13-14). When ADONAI sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, “Go up and possess the Land I have given you,” then you rebelled against the commandment of ADONAI your God and didn’t believe Him or listen to His voice. This is an allusion to the sin of the spies who walked by sight, not by faith, and saw only the problems in the Land. Though Moses had already recalled this incident in detail, a short reference to it is made here because of its serious nature. Stated bluntly, Moshe declared: You have been rebellious against ADONAI from the day that I knew you (9:24). But for God’s grace in the past, they would not even be standing on the plains of Mo’ab, renewing their covenant with YHVH. She was spared only to rebel again and again.

The review of Isra’el’s sins was quite an indictment, but YHVH never gave up on the apple of His eye and often forgave them when He would have judged them. He has not treated us according to our sins, or repaid us according to our iniquities (Psalm 103:10). God is always faithful to His promises; even when we don’t allow Him to take the steering-wheel of our lives, He will accomplish His purposes anyway. However, we will miss the blessings that He planned for us.

Every believer must trust ADONAI to meet their needs one day at a time (easy to say – hard to do for most of us, but that’s the goal). If we complain along the way, we’re only giving evidence that we don’t trust God and we think we know more than He does about what’s best for us. When we come to those Kadesh-barnea places in life, we must claim what YHVH has planned for us and move forward in faith. We must not rebel against Him and refuse to trust and obey. If we do, we may find ourselves wandering through life, failing to accomplish what the LORD has planned for us. Claiming our inheritance in Messiah is one of the major themes of the book of Hebrews, and the writer uses Isra’el as the main illustration (Hebrews 3-4).²⁶⁵

You are a Stiff-Necked People
9: 1-6

You are a stiff-necked people DIG: What are the enemies like who live in this Land? How are they to be conquered? What role is Isra’el to play? What role is ADONAI to play? Why does God select the Israelites? What does this reveal about Him? In what way were the Israelites a “stiff-necked people?” What was the formula that Isra’el thought would bring her victory? But what was the formula in reality?

REFLECT: In what ways do you feel like underdog Isra’el? How has God used you, despite the odds, to further His Kingdom? How does this make you feel? When are you most likely to forget that your victory is from God? Is it not also true of us, that all we are, and everything we are able to accomplish, is due to the mercy and grace of YHVH? What will happen to us if we fail to acknowledge this reality in our lives?

God’s provision of victory over the Canaanites is totally unrelated to Isra’el’s righteousness. Isra’el inherits the Land because ADONAI had promised it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Hear, O Isra’el! This cry is heard five times in Deuteronomy (4:1, 5:1, 6:4, here, and 20:3), and each time these words called the people to consider something very serious, something that would challenge the very survival of their nation. The Jews couldn’t see their God, but they could hear Him; while their pagan neighbors could see their gods, but couldn’t hear them. Here, Moshe reminded the people that their conduct since leaving Egypt had been anything but exemplary, in spite of the long-suffering grace of ADONAI.²⁵²

A. To drive them out (9:1-3): You are about to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself – cities great and fortified up to the heavens. The people are great and tall, sons of the Anakim. You know them, and you yourselves have heard, “Who can stand before the sons of Anak?” But you will know today that ADONAI your God is the One who is crossing over before you as a devouring fire. He will destroy them, and He will bring them down before you, so that you may drive them out and make them perish quickly, as ADONAI has promised you (9:1-3). The task ahead was formidable. The cities and nations that had induced such fear in the exodus generation were still there and the next generation knew all about them. Moses even recites the list of superior attributes of the sons of Anak that the spies had brought back. But his strategy was not to counter the fear of the enemy with false propaganda, but rather, to strengthen faith in Isra’el’s one great ally – YHVH their God. He would go before them. The devouring fire that they had feared so much at Sinai (4:24 and 5:25) would be turned against their enemies. Ha’Shem is the one who would destroy and bring them down.²⁵³

B. It is not because of your righteousness (9:4a): How would Isra’el interpret such a victory? After ADONAI your God has driven them out from before you, do not say in your heart, “It is because of my righteousness that ADONAI has brought me in to possess this Land” (9:4a). Moshe makes it clear to God’s chosen nation that all they are, and everything they are able to accomplish, is due to the mercy and grace of YHVH. None of these things is based on their own merit or worth. It appears that the Israelites thought: our victory = our righteousness + their wickedness. They correctly understood the moral condition of the Canaanites, but were utterly wrong in the estimation of themselves.²⁵⁴

A. To drive them out (9:4b-5): The wickedness of the Canaanites did not prove the righteousness of Isra’el. Far from the victory being because of their righteousness, it was actually in spite of their stubborn resistance to His mitzvot. It is because of the wickedness of these nations that ADONAI is driving them out from before you. It is not by your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess their land. Rather, because of the wickedness of these nations, ADONAI your God is driving them out from before you, and in order to keep the word ADONAI swore to your fathers – to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob (9:4b-5). Since Isra’el had been chosen to fulfill the purpose of YHVH, the fulfillment of that purpose would require a victory.²⁵⁵

B. It is not because of your righteousness (9:6): So, you should understand that it is not because of your righteousness that ADONAI your God is giving you this good Land to possess – for you are a stiff-necked people, stubborn and unresponsive (9:6). It was only by God’s grace (and the intercession of Moses in 9:18-29) that Isra’el was not destroyed along with the other pagan nations. Therefore, in reality, the correct calculation was: our victory = God’s promise to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob + the wickedness of the enemy. These verses in the TaNaKh are comparable to the arguments made by Paul in Romans Chapters 1-3. Isra’el had many advantages and blessings that were undeniable, but they were all based on God’s election. When it comes to a moral standing before Ha’Shem, to matters of guilt or innocence, there was, and is, fundamentally no difference between Isra’el and the goyim, between Jews and Gentiles: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).²⁵⁶

Is it not the same for us today? For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves – it is the gift of God. It is not based on deeds, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). The emphasis here is on the grace of God, not the goodness of God’s people, and this emphasis is needed today (Titus 2:11-3:7). When we forget the grace of God, we become proud and start thinking that we deserve all that YHVH has done for us. Then, ADONAI has to remind us that we are blessed, not because we are good, but because He is good! That reminder might be very painful. That’s the theme of the next part of Moshe’s message.²⁵⁷

Dear Great Heavenly Father, How Merciful You are! All praise and glory for any victory won goes to You, not to us. Though we may have used our mind or physical strength to get the victory – it is You who so skillfully crafted our minds and body by just Your spoken word. You are amazing (Genesis 1:26-27)! It is a joy that when a battle comes, we do not have to trust in our own strength or wisdom, but we can lean into you for Your help and guidance. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all without hesitation and without reproach; and it will be given to him. (James 1:5). You are always right there near us to help and to guide us. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” (Hebrews 13:5c). We love to worship You. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Moshe Remembered the Sin of the Golden Calf
9: 1-29

The deeper you get into Deuteronomy, the more Yeshua is revealed, ready for the one whose heart’s desire is to find Him. We have seen how YHVH began to tell the people of Isra’el that their election was purely by grace: It is not because you are more numerous than all the peoples that ADONAI set His love on you – for you are the least of all peoples. Rather, because of His love for you and His keeping the oath He swore to your fathers, ADONAI brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt (7:7-8). This point does not stop here, but continues on until the end of the chapter, and even until the end of the book. Moses reveals how, if not for the grace of God, they would have all been destroyed. Therefore, in order to put a greater emphasis on the aspect of grace, here, Moshe brings the Israelites back forty years to Mount Sinai, and reminds them that they were about to be destroyed because of their unbelief.²⁵¹

Moses Warns Isra’el
9:1 to 10:11

The warnings against false assumptions continue. Moses has already demolished any idea that Isra’el was superior because of her election (to see link click Cb – God Has Chosen Isra’el) and also any economic arrogance arising from her future prosperity (see Cg – Do Not Forget ADONAI). In this section Moshe targets what is perhaps the most destructive and constant distortion of all – moral self-righteousness. The thrust here, though directed at Isra’el, goes to the heart of the universal phenomenon in the behavior of all human beings, governments, and nations. In its prophetic power to challenge a complacent people, it matches the uncompromising rhetoric of Amos. Its unwelcomed accusations stand alongside the parables of Yeshua and the speech of Stephen (see the commentary on Acts Ax – The Stoning of Stephen). In its relevance to modern claims and counterclaims to “right” in international conflicts, it still speaks today.²⁵⁰