Haftarah Conclusion Yeshayahu (‘(the) LORD He saves, delivers, victory ‘, ‘Isaiah’) 49:14-51:3
Renewed Covenant Scriptures Connections – As with last week’s reading there are quite a number of citations from Eikev in the Renewed Covenant Scriptures; almost 2 dozen!
Most notably in particular – Dev. Dt. 10:17 one of the most cited vss. in the RCS – 8 times.
Overview and ‘Keys’ of the Torah Reading
Moshe continues to encourage the Israelites to keep their steadfast trustworthiness in the LORD. Though the Israelites will have to make what would be called in Hebrew an ‘effort’ in eliminating the ungodly and morally and ethically bankrupt Canaanites from the Land, it is not through their own might that they will succeed. It will be through their steadfast trustworthiness in the LORD!
That steadfast trustworthiness will also ensure that abounding blessing will be given to them by the LORD; in every area of their lives.
Moshe also reiterates one very key thing that he has been reiterating all along – the Israelites – absolutely – must drive out and destroy anything and everything to do with idolatry!
A soap commercial once touted that their product was ‘99.44%’ pure. That’s fine for soap; that is not acceptable when it comes to being People of the LORD. A little leaven(yeast) raises the whole loaf. Sin, and in this instance specifically idolatry, cannot have even ‘.56%’ left.
A prima fascie example for us is the Corinthians who tried mixing in belief in the One True God and Yeshua with pagan religion, Greek philosophy, and decadent Corinthian society. That all too obviously does not work!
One of the rabbinic commentators insightfully points out that the word eikev also means ‘heal’. He says this alludes to ‘the fulfilling of which leads to fullness of life’, part of the deeper meaning of the Hebrew word translated ‘commandment’, of those that seemed to be relatively unimportant. Thus, he comments, people may, figuratively speaking, ‘tread over them with their heel’.
He goes on to say that if the Israelites observe even what seemed to be neglected commandments, the LORD would reward the Israelites. I humbly would add that if my ancestors (meaning the Jewish People) had continued to do so, they never would have been conquered and dispersed from Israel.
That the Israelites would have continued to be very very blessed is directly stated in the opening verses of this week’s Torah reading.
The rabbis point out that the LORD would not have the Israelites drive out all of the pagans at once. Why? The reading says because then the Land would be empty and wild beasts would fill it, posing another challenge and difficulty for the Israelites
Torah – Haftarah Connection
Israel is assured that even when they fall from their spiritual heights and wind up dispersed among the Nations, that the LORD has absolutely not forgotten them, and that their dispersion in no way abrogates the covenantal relationship the LORD has with Israel.
Tzion (‘ Excellence’ ‘Zion’) and Yerushalyim will be restored!
The Haftarah opens with one of the most poignant verses in all of Scripture. The Israelites will feel that they have been forsaken; the LORD responds ‘… can a woman forget her nursing’…
This is yet another instance in which we learn that the Hebrew Bible does not just show a ‘God of wrath’. God’s love, compassion, forgiveness – and graciousness – is first found in the Torah and the Hebrew Bible!
RCS connections with the Torah reading
Devarim 9 has five verses cited in the RCS –
V.3 Heb. 12:29
V.4 Rom. 10:6-8
V.10 Acts 7:38.
Vss.10-11 2 Cor. 3:3
V.19 Heb. 12:21
Dev. 8:3 is cited 3 times – Mt. 4:4. Lk. 4:4,1 Cor. 10:3
The Mattityahu (‘gift of God’) and Luke references should especially be noted. Dev. 8:3 is one of the three verses from the Book which Yeshua responds to the Enemy with during Yeshua’s Temptations. Dev. 8:3 says that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God.
Yeshua answers back perfectly in context when told by the Enemy to turn the stone into bread.
We should most especially note; Man lives by the Word of God. In the traditional Hebrew text this is ‘… by (the) totality in an encompassing way (that) goes forth (from the) mouth of (the) LORD’.
This then most especially means the Torah – since it is directly from the mouth of the LORD (Devarim being spoken to Moshe!
It is incongruous on the one hand for Christians to come together to praise and worship God and ask for His blessing, while on the other hand denigrating the Word that goes forth as Torah, as ‘the Law, inferior and now outmoded by the coming of ‘JC’ ‘.
If the Torah is good enough for Yeshua to respond to the Enemy with 3 times, is it not ‘good enough’ for his followers to learn?! Also – Torah is to have as a big part of the sword when it comes to the Word as a weapon in spiritual warfare Eph. 6:10-18.
It should be noted – when Paul writes Ephesians in the early 60s, much of the Renewed Covenant Scriptures have not yet been inspired! There was at that time no ‘New Testament’ for followers to draw from!
Be sure especially to see 2 Tim. 3:14-17, esp. v.16, in the context of 2nd Timothy being Paul’s last Letter.
As a quick note for here regarding Paul and the Torah – what unfortunately is overlooked in the discussion about Paul and the Torah – and what settles the question – is this. Between Acts 21-28, which are cover the latter part and end of Paul’s 16-17-year ministry, there are approximately 20 verses in which Paul says he has done nothing against the Torah or the customs of the Fathers. Cf. esp. Acts 21:20-26, 23:6; 28:17.
Again – Dev. 10:17 is cited 8 times – Acts 10:34, Rom. 2:11, Gal. 2:6, Eph. 6:9, Col. 3:25, 1 Tim. 6:15, Rev. 17:14,19:16.
Devarim 10:17 is in a section of vss.12-22 which speaks of the LORD’S love and reconciliation with Israel. Dev.10:17 says more deeply in Hebrew ‘For, like a divine model (the) LORD your collective (i.e. ‘you’ plural) God He (is) God of the gods and in connectedness Lord (of) the Lords; the positive bearer of existence actuality God (of) Power, the great the mighty and in connectedness the awesome/wondrous, that positively going forward and summing everything up in fact does not lift up faces (i.e., Hebraic way of saying does not show favoritism), and in connectedness in fact does not take (a) bribe’.
Obviously, a book on this would be woefully insufficient!
In Hebrew there are 4 different Names of God used here. The Personal Name LORD meaning in part ‘Be, Exist, Cause to Exist’. God, Lord, from the Hebrew verb ‘sustain’, also meaning ‘Master’, ‘base of a pillar’, and a Name we render God of Power since it is from a Hebrew word for ‘power’.
The end of the verse says that the LORD literally ‘does not in fact lift up faces’ i.e., show favoritism. One lifts up their face when seeing someone they know. Bribe comes from the verb ‘bribe’, ‘corrupt ethical stance’. After all isn’t that what a bribe does?
Showing favoritism in judgement distorts the godly process of justice. A bribe corrupts ethical conduct. In too much of the world nothing gets dome without a bribe. I can tell you from first-hand experience that if you say to someone from the Middle Eastern Arabic world, “Nothing gets done without ‘baksheesh‘, ‘bribe’, they will smile and say ‘true’ “.
Not so with the God of the gods! The Torah stresses that godly, moral, ethical conduct is expected of the Israelites – because that is what the LORD ‘Be’ (Hebrew has no word ‘is’), and how He acts towards Man.
Gen. 1:26, which speaks of Man being made in the image and likeness of God, in Hebrew says nothing whatsoever about physical appearance. Thus, we believe, based on the Hebrew text, that the rabbis are correct in pointing out that in the image and likeness of God refers to ethical and moral likeness.
Since the Israelites are in Covenant relationship with the LORD, they are very much expected and encouraged to acquire and act with the ethical and moral conduct and integrity that the LORD does. God forbid, this did not – at all – go by the wayside with the coming of Yeshua.
In the Teaching on the Hill, a much more accurate name than The Sermon on the Mount, Mt. 5:17-7:28, Yeshua illuminates the true essence of the Torah. In doing so, Yeshua calls for a higher spiritual level and one with a higher level of godly ethical and moral conduct and integrity!