Vaetchanan - (He supplicated)

Torah Portion:  Vaetchanan (He supplicated)

Torah Reading:  Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

Prophetic Reading:  Isaiah 40:1-26

“G-d Will Remain Faithful to His Covenant With Israel”

In the Torah reading, one encounters a verse that seems to be inconsistent with the promises of G-d. It is clear from the Scriptures that HaShem has made an eternal covenant with Israel. Therefore, how is it possible that He would say that if Israel follows after other gods, He will destroy them from the face of the earth? There is no difficulty in reconciling these two seemingly contradictive passages when one reads them exactly as they were written.

The actual text states,

“You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you. For a jealous G-d is HaShem your G-d in your midst, lest the anger of HaShem your G-d will flare up against you and He will destroy you from the face of the earth.”

Deuteronomy 6:14-15

In the first verse of this passage, verse 14, HaShem is commanding the people in a general manner. The “you” is plural, and therefore this prohibition is inclusive to all of Israel. However, in the second verse, verse 15, the “you” is singular, meaning that this verse must be applied to each individual, and not to Israel in a general sense. The implications of this are most significant. G-d’s covenantal promises to Israel that Israel will endure and be in the Kingdom will be, but only in a general manner. That is, not every Jewish individual will realize these promises, but there will be a remnant that will most certainly experience His faithfulness. In a similar manner, when HaShem states that He will destroy the idol worshipper, He is not speaking to Israel collectively, but individually. This means that each individual Jewish person who chooses to embrace a false deity will suffer the consequence of this action, i.e. eternal destruction. However, there will be a portion of Israel that will not act in this manner, and it is these Jewish individuals who will be the recipients of His promises.

A good example that illustrates this principle is the Exodus from Egypt. HaShem promised to bring Israel into the Promise Land. Yet, all but two individuals died out in the wilderness. Yet, G-d did bring Israel (the new generation) into the Land. It is very important that one pays attention to the language of the text and notices the changes in the Scripture. When there is a change in the passage, even something as so seemingly insignificant as a change from the plural to the singular, it can have great implications.

Torah Portion: Acharei Mot (After the death of)

Torah Reading: Leviticus 16:1-18:30

Prophetic Reading: Malachi 3:4-24

“Believers Are Called to be a Holy People and Behave in a Pure Way”

There are many aspects to Passover, one is purity. I was reminded of this aspect, because it is written at the end of this week’s Torah portion, “And you shall keep My charge, not doing any of the abominable statues which were done before you, and do not contaminate yourselves with them; I am HaShem your God.” Leviticus 18:30

This verse commands Israel to behave very differently than those who dwelt around them. What HaShem called “abominable statues”, were actually the laws of those people who dwelt in the Land of Israel prior to the Children of Israel entering. It is very significant that the word which is used in this verse which many English translations render as “customs” or “traditions” is actually the Hebrew word which refers to a law. In other words, these were not simply things that people were doing, but the very things which were the approved norms of society. This should inform us that although many things might be legal and even sanctioned by the government, this does not mean that followers of Messiah Yeshua should embrace them. Please notice that these things are called abominable by God.

3,500 years have passed since Moses wrote down these words, but not much has changed in the world. Many things which our government promotes are in fact an abomination to Yeshua. Little by little, perhaps not so gradually today, governments around the world are moving in a direction which will lead in the near future to a conflict between the governments and believers. I am certainly not advocating violence in this last sentence, rather that eventually, standing faithful to Scriptural truth will lead the government to take legal action against believers. In many countries, standing up and being counted as a follower of Yeshua is already a crime against the State. 

In Muslim countries, such faith brings about a death sentence. Scriptural views in regard to marriage, appropriate sexual behavior, and other moral stances are seen as bigoted and offensive by a growing number of people and politicians. For the most part, believers are quiet and way too accepting of these changes. This passive response simply encourages more actions to be leveled against our faith.
It is important to realize that these changes are leading to a specific governmental action. What is this action? It is the intense persecution of believers. Many may hear this and see this as unwarranted alarmism. But consider how much change has occurred, for example, in the United States over the last ten years. Debt has skyrocketed and despite claims of budgetary cuts and deficit reduction, the national debt continues to grow at a most alarming rate. Things which would have been unimaginable a few shorts years ago such as same-sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana are being embraced by more States or at least being considered. 

The purpose of this article is not to provide a full evaluation of the spiritual condition of humanity, but simply to challenge each of us to consider how we are living and ask ourselves if the word “purity” could be accurately used to describe our thoughts and lifestyle choices.

When Moses told the Children of Israel to take a lamb and sacrifice it, this was against the law in Egypt. Yet only those who followed God were redeemed, the rest experienced a taste of judgment during the plague of the slaying of the firstborn. As you prepare to
observe Passover, remembering the Cross of Messiah Yeshua, why not also remember the call which was placed upon those who came out of Egypt, namely, to be a holy people, sanctified for the things of God and not to embrace the ways of this world.