"Words"
Deut. 29:9 - 31:30; Is. 61:10 - 63:9; Is. 55:6 - 56:8; Rom. 10:1-3
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With this week we begin reading the last book of Torah. The Book is named Deuteronomy or in Hebrew Devarim which means "words". Devarim begins with the words, "These are the words Moshe spoke to all Isra'el on the farside of the Yarden River. As we read here we find Moshe beginning to tell all the people of Israel once again about their history of deliverance by the hand of the Most High. There is very little new information given in the Book of Deuteronomy. It is a retelling of events to remind Israel where they had come from and where they were going to. But more then that it is a retelling of how they got to where they are and that it is all by the sovereignty of G-D; because they were chosen by Him and delivered by Him. They are now on the shore of the last river separating them from the fullness of the blessings G-D has promised to them. Here we find Moshe reminding them of their lives since leaving Egypt and how G-D has brought them this far.
This is relevant to us today because like the Children of Israel we are also living on the border of our blessings. We have seen the Hand of G-D in His delivering us from Egypt. We have seen His might as He has protected us from the attacks of the enemy, and we are able to see the fullness of His blessings for us. But before we step into the blessings, G-D stops us to remind us once again how we got to where we are. Too many times we rush into the blessings of G-D and forget how we got to the place where we could receive from Him. We start to focus more on the blessings and less and less on G-D until we somehow not only forget how we received the blessings but we also forget that we were once in bondage to sin. We were slaves controlled by the one who also forgot that G-D was the creator and ruler of the Universe and all that it contains. In Judaism it is traditional to say a short blessing before a meal and then a blessing after the meal. These blessings are symbolic of our preparation to receive from G-D and also our constant remembering what G-D has given to us. This should be a formula for our lives. We should, as Israel did, take time to stop before receiving a blessing so we can think about where we came from. This is so that, once we have received our blessings, we will not forget where the blessings came from and where we came from.
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This week's Parsha begins a new book, the book of Deuteronomy, called Devarim in Hebrew. I wanted to focus for this drash on one verse from this week�s portion. The verse is Deut 1:26. "But you did not wish to ascend, and you rebelled against the word of HaShem, your G-D�. In my quiet time for the past few weeks G-D has been talking to me about choices. We have many choices in this life. The Children of Israel had a choice to make. They had to decide if they were going to believe what G-D told them or lean on their own understandings. They chose not to enter the Land. In the Hebrew the word used in this verse is "aloat" from the same root word as "aliyah", to go up. Something we need to remember is that G-D is above us. When we go to G-D�s Promised Land Israel, we make �aliyah�, we go up. When we come to the front of the synagogue to read Torah we make �aliyah�, we go up. Every time we choose to draw closer to G-D we rise up. The Israelites didn�t just choose not to enter the Promised Land. They chose not to draw near to G-D by ascending. The same rule applies to us. When we choose to obey G-D's word we ascend, when we don�t we choose rebellion and not to ascend. Psa 24:3 "Who shall ascend into the mountain of the LORD? And who shall stand in His holy place?" Psa 24:4 "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not taken My name in vain, and hath not sworn deceitfully." Psa 24:5 "He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
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The book of Deuteronomy is different from the other four books of the Torah because within the scroll is a retelling of events already spoke of in the Torah. This book is a last sermon given by Moshe to the children of Israel. It reminds them of the greatness of G-D and the expectation of greatness G-D has for Israel. It also reminds the Children of Israel of their failures both as a nation and personally. With each failure it speaks of G-D’s redemption and restoration. Moshe speaks of his love for G-D and for the people over whom G-D had placed him in leadership, just as Moshe was a shepherd over the sheep his father-in-law placed him over while in Midyan. He also was a shepherd over the flock G-D placed him over. Each of us as believers has been placed in a position to shepherd others, to lead people to the Messiah and then mentor them as they grow in their personal relationship with Him. I know many times in our life we find ourselves in positions where we are doing things that we fail to see the plan of G-d for our lives in. “Why are we on the back side of the desert watching sheep?” However, I have found in my personal walk that as I look back at these times of wondering “why” I can always see the training or preparation I was going through that made me more able to fulfill my role in affecting the sheep in G-D’s pasture. The more we read the writings of Moshe in Deuteronomy the more we will be able to see the mirroring of the work G-D wants to do through us as a community and as sheep in His sheepfold.