August 2024
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 47
Ki Tavo (When you have come)
Moses emphasised again the importance of the “tithe” when the people take up residence in the land of God’s promise to them. This gives us a clear and unambiguous view of the importance of this act of “tithing” in God’s economy. But we need to understand exactly what that means. We know from Malachi 3:8 that failure to “tithe” appropriately is considered by God to be ‘robbery’. Does anyone seriously contemplate robbing God? Of course not. But that indicates the substantial difference between a “God view” and a “man view” of the same situation. From a human perspective, we might categorise the failure to ‘tithe’ as forgetfulness, or if we are honest enough, as neglect. But not robbery. However, there is a bit more to this than meets the eye.
What is God’s view? He made a covenant with His people to care for them. Rich and poor alike. No respecter of persons. The covenant which the people readily agreed to keep was, “All that the LORD has said, we will do, and be obedient.” (Exodus 24:7) God then, had the right to expect that the people would perform that to which they had agreed. It was by this means that God would be able to fully keep His covenant promise to the people. Offering the “tithe” involved presenting one tenth of the produce of the land every third year to the LORD, so that those who were impoverished could be fed without begging. God gave them that provision as a right to them. It is, after all, the LORD’s portion to give isn’t it? But if there was a deficiency, because the producers did not properly “tithe” the increase which God had given them, then God WAS robbed, and the poor had insufficient as a consequence. What does that mean for us today? What is the lesson we might take from this situation? Malachi 3:10 is so wantonly and deceitfully misapplied in many places today. It really is robbing God. And it is not the ones providing the “tithe” who are at fault. God’s intention was that the “tithe” be used to feed the poor and the disadvantaged. It surely was not to allow some of us to grow wealthy and build big churches, as the impoverished go hungry. This passage of Scripture might cause some to reconsider how ones personal “tithe” should be applied and distributed.
Moses continued his talk to the people “Keep all the commandments which I command you today”. First thing, when they get possession of the land they were to go to Shechem (modern day Nablus) in Samaria. They were to write the commandments of Torah on large whitewashed stones and set them up on nearby Mount Ebal. An altar was to be built and offerings made to the LORD. Close by is Mount Gerazim. The priests were to move among the people declaring what Moses commanded. “Take heed and listen, O Israel; This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. Therefore you shall obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today”. After that the people were to be divided by tribal groups. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar. Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerazim. These were to speak blessing on all the people present. Then on Mount Ebal, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali were to stand. This group were to warn of the curses which the people would encounter if they engaged in any of the sins which were spoken by them. To each of these sins, declared in a loud voice to the whole congregation, the people were required to acknowledge by saying “Amen” (so be it). Read the list in Deuteronomy 27:14-27.
The good news is contained in chapter 28 of our text. “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you this day, that the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God”. The recital of these blessings (verses 1-14) is a promise of God which indicated His wish for the people to live in peace and prosperity as the world’s leading nation. An example for other nations to see and aspire to be like. A nation which I imagine will be just like that which will be reigned over by Messiah Yeshua when He returns to this earth. “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them”.
The exact opposite would follow if they did not do as the LORD commanded Moses to tell them. There are many and varied curses mentioned, which you should read for yourself. I note that in all this long list, the Hebrew word used is “a’rar” (bitterly curse). It is certainly not a light thing. And because we know the events which subsequently occurred, we are able to make judgement and observation of these curses from the well known historical happenings to these people and their descendants throughout many generations. Not only from the Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and the Kings, but also from more recent events within our own memory and even up to the present day, as the LORD has begun to regather His people back to their land.
As this ‘reflection’ draws to its close, it has to be on a note of caution. These writings of Moses were documented so that generations which follow should have understanding of the nature and character of our God. That includes any who, like us, claim faith in and allegiance to their God. Moses has been almost monotonous in his declaration of the need for them to observe and do what God has commanded. In Deuteronomy 28:64 they were told the unthinkable. Read it. And it is only now that that event is being reversed before our eyes. God says what He means, and He means what He says.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 46
Ki Tetze (When you go out)
The passage for study today finds us, initially, in quite unfamiliar territory. It deals with matters which, whilst evidently common more than 3,000 years ago, are in contravention of civil law in Western democracies today. What we can learn from this is that within the boundaries of common practice, fairness and courtesy to all, and especially to those disadvantaged for reasons not of their own making, was the required standard of behaviour within the nation God has called by His name. It is a good lesson for us to learn. Then immediately following that, we have some rather harsh instructions about dealing with rebellious children, or rebellious sons at least. Again outside the norms of today, but emphasising the need for parents to ensure that correct and effective disciplines are practised at home in early years of upbringing.
Looking after a neighbours property in the event of misplacement or loss, and then restoring it to him is commanded. Included in that is proffering helpful assistance when a neighbours animal has encountered accident. It also seems that “gender fluidity”, referred to in our passage as “an abomination to the LORD your God”, which is masquerading under the misleadingly named programme called “safe schools” in our society, has escaped the eye of those preparing education curricular today. All these things appear in our scriptures that we might learn and be informed of God’s mind on such matters. What does God think, I wonder, when those who claim to be faithful servants of His, blatantly ignore His commands and precepts? And when those who try to point out the error are branded “bigots”?
The more one reads into this week’s Torah portion, the more one sees how far our society today has strayed from that which God requires. Under the ‘law’ of God, which is described by inference in Deuteronomy 22, carnal knowledge constitutes marriage. We should all be alarmed at how far the society in which we all live has moved from that situation. The general acceptance of that in our society, speaks volumes for the great gulf which separates us from the ways of our God. Both nationally, and personally. It seems unfair that a person born from an illegal union, should be denied fellowship. I certainly do not understand it. But such is the “purity” requirement of our God, that such persons are treated like the Ammonites and Moabites. They were the people who denied help and sustenance to the Israelites on their journey. They acted unkindly to the Israelites and were denied fellowship for ten generations as a result. The lesson I get from this is the realisation that “God’s ways are not our ways”, and they never will be. So we have to choose. Is it to be God’s way, or our way? There is no middle road, much as we might wish there were. It is relatively easy to accept that it was a choice for the Israelites to make, but somewhat harder to face the fact that the same choice is ours to make too. It is interesting to me that the fellowship prohibitions which applied to the Ammonites and Moabites are more stringent than those which applied to both the Edomites, who refused, point blank, to allow the Israelites to pass through their land, and the Egyptians, who enslaved the Israelites. Their prohibition was for just three generations.
The social justice practises continue throughout this Torah portion. Many of the instances mentioned are foreign to our culture, but the principles remain. Matters of personal hygiene, ablutions, camp cleanliness and special areas are specified. Keeping the people free from infections and diseases was a priority. A slave who escapes to another family, presumably because of some unfair treatment or abuse, is to be offered protection. Harlotry, although present in their midst, is soundly condemned, and anyone seeking to benefit financially from such is expressly forbidden to offer such wages in offerings before the LORD. The principle we might learn from this is that any financial gain we may ourselves acquire by illegal means, by cheating, lying, deceit or other malpractice, is not to be presented to the LORD as an offering. (bluntly put, if you cheat on your tax, business expenses, social security, or anything else, the LORD doesn’t want any of it in the collection plate)
Don’t make vows to the LORD unless you are prepared to honour those vows fully and on time! There is no sin in NOT making vows, but there is if you do, and then not honour them. Pay your bills on time. This is both honourable and right. It is what God commands. In our text, families who used hired help were required to pay wages daily. God requires that we deal compassionately with other people. The Israelites, who are the subject of these instructions for righteous living, carried the name of the LORD on them. They were intended by God to be examples to the nations around them. We are no less if we claim to belong to God. How we behave in our society is on display every day. Sadly, most of us will have heard the unjust charge “if that’s an example of christianity, I want no part of it”. Yes it is often a lame excuse offered today by a person defending some kind of non christian activity. But as believers, we put ourselves, by our actions, on display every day. God, in His infinite wisdom and love, set out for the Israelites a ‘code of practice’, in minute detail and form, how He expected them to live. It was good social practice for them. It was caring, fair and just. It was not arduous or difficult. It was good for every member of their society. And although the precise detail may be a bit different because of changes in society, the principles remain exactly the same and have not changed one iota.
Reading this passage without seeing the lessons for today can be a quite long boring chore, because relevance to life today can be hard to identify. But seen as God’s instruction for living righteously together, with appropriate parallels, there are many good lessons for us to learn.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 45
Shoftim (Judges)
“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgement”. Then “You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
Can there ever be a more clear statement of intent? The LORD has laid out the rules and regulations to be followed. Wise men appointed to see to it that justice and fairness prevail within that society. One set of clearly defined commandments applicable to everyone. What could possibly go wrong? The heart of man, that’s what could, and did, and still does, go wrong. The rules have not changed. God has not changed. And man has not changed. That is why it is so important that we look, that we take note, and that we attempt, by diligent attention, to live our lives as God intended.
The judgment for violation of the laws regarding worship are severe. Moses said that sun, moon and star worship was an abomination punishable by death. It is idolatrous. Safeguards in the number of witnesses and higher courts of appeal were instituted in order to eliminate frivolous or mischievous accusations. The appointment of a king, with absolute power, was foreseen. But Moses declared that at that time, the LORD himself would choose the king. No-one who was a foreigner would become king over Israel. And there were specific qualities noted for such a king. He should not accumulate great wealth in the manner of other kings of nations around them. Many horses, which signify large armies, were mentioned. Many wives, which signify self indulgence, was mentioned. But most significant was the requirement that the king write for himself his own copy of Torah. That he become familiar with God’s ‘instructions for righteous living’. That he identify, and accept the conditions God has laid down for everyone. A man who is not ‘above the law’. At all levels, God was seeking to make this people, this nation, “His special treasure”, very different to the nations around them. And another part of that difference was in the role and status of the Levites, the priestly class among them.
For the people themselves, no worship involving ‘passing children through the fire’, no witchcraft, no fortune telling, no interpretation of omens or sorcery, no ‘spells’, no mediums or spiritists, no person who ‘calls up the dead’. (Benny Hinn supporters should be alarmed by his claims to have been inspired by many conversations he had with the dead Kathryn Kuhlman) Moses knew that the people had for many years relied on him to be the channel of communication between them and God. They needed to know that such communication would continue. So Moses made them that huge promise “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, Him you shall hear.” Of course it was many years later that such Prophet appeared in the person of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. One who spoke to God, face to face. But there was a solemn warning by God attached to such appearance. He said “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.” Take careful note. The LORD also declared at that time that some, who call themselves prophets, would claim to speak in His name. So He have a simple test which would allow people to identify such. If what such person speaks in His name, does not occur, then he has spoken presumptuously. He is to be ignored …. And put to death! Selah.
The LORD also commanded that safe cities of refuge be built for people who have inadvertently caused the death of another person. Accidents do happen. And eventually, as the nation expanded, three more such cities were to be added. But anyone seeking refuge in such a city, having deliberately caused the death of another was to face the full extent of the law, and not be allowed such refuge. Do you get the impression, as I do, that this land was being designed by God to be a place of great safety, comfort, and righteousness. A very good place to live. It seems that nothing was being left to chance or even debate. The law was the law. It was, and is for those who fully comply, very protective of the rights of people to live in peace. We know that it didn’t work out that way, for reasons we have canvassed earlier. The covenant with God and agreed by the people was broken by them. The consequences are evident all-around us. But there is good news. God has promised a new covenant. One which will be unbreakable, cannot be taught, will be known by everyone from the least to the greatest, will be part of the DNA of people. It will be put in the mind of man, and written on the heart of man by God Himself. And it is coming when Yeshua returns to reign on this earth. I think it will be very much like God intended the Israelites to live in the land He promised them. But they missed that chance.
The remainder of our ‘reflection’ this week continues with very practical matters of living cooperatively with each other. Respect for each others land boundaries, caution placed on judges to diligently enquire about matters of complaint, false witnesses to bear the punishment of the one against whom he has falsely witnessed. Much practical counsel for dealing with civil matters. But also an acknowledgement that there would be battles for possession of the land. How to deal with those in present possession was spelled out. Taking of ‘booty’. Captives. Livestock. Clearing of land. Moses must have been a most remarkable man. Which is why God chose him to be leader.
Again, be blessed as you study this word.
Shabbat shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 44
Re’eh (Behold)
“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse’. Moses begins with a slight change in the message in this week’s portion of Scripture. There has been significant emphasis about the way in which God expected the Israelites to conduct themselves when they eventually entered the land. That does not change. Now we are told about the alternative in the event of disobedience to the commands of God. I take some licence here. My interpretation of this situation is that there are blessings which will accrue for obedience. They are undoubtedly favourable outcomes in the ways in which God has decided to provide blessing. In our text they are practical. Blessings of rain, fertility, crop production, livestock increase and resulting general ease of living. But a disobedient people, Moses said, would encounter a curse. The licence is in the difficulty I have in perceiving God in “punishment” mode here. I am aware of course that there were occasions when God did punish people for wanton and extreme disobedience, even to the extent of “swallowing them up into the earth”. In this instance however, I rather consider the “curse” here to be an absence of “blessing”. In this view, it may be seen as a natural outcome of ‘going it alone’. Without God. In the ‘christian’ view then, the ultimate curse, of eternity in ‘hell’ is the natural outcome of doing nothing to get right with God. But the blessing of eternal life requires active obedience to Almighty God. A positive response to live as He directs. Obedience to serve Him in the way He has directed.
(By way of illustration of this, we know that God told the people that they would be expelled from the land if they continued in disobedience. The two most remembered occasions were in 576 BCE, the “Babylonian exile” and 135 CE “Roman Expulsion”. Both were enforced by foreigners. Both the result of breaking covenant. Both events foretold and forewarned by God through the prophets. Both may be considered a ‘curse’ on the people. Both events avoidable through obedience. Both events followed by their return, orchestrated by a merciful God who has promised to never forsake His people)
The first task Moses assigned to the people was to destroy the high places of idol worship together with the idols themselves. Instead God would Himself provide the place where He would be worshipped. It would start with a location for the erection of the tabernacle which they carried with them, and later a more permanent Temple. “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today - every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes - for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you.” It seems to my mind that we might well consider that for today. There is much evidence that we seem to be quite good at “doing what is right in our own eyes”. But there is much more to consider too. The detail is there to read. The place for making offerings to the LORD. Who should participate and where. A caution about eating meat ‘with its blood’. Another caution about “prophets”. Evidently, there were people presenting themselves as spokespersons for the LORD. As there are today. Moses even considered the cases where a “prophet” spoke of things which actually happened. Surely a mark of a “true” prophet. But then the warning. Even in that circumstance, if the “prophet” used such occasion which caused the people to “go after other gods” then that “prophet” is to be put to death “so you shall put away the evil from your midst”. Great care should be taken when wealth and prosperity are used as ‘magnets’ to attract people to ‘faith’. The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy warned “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Then in chapter 14 of our text, (with insensitivity to the modern reader!) Moses is at pains to provide a long list of the foods which they should eat, and others which are to be avoided. (With tongue firmly in cheek, I note that, unlike us today, Moses knew nothing about refrigeration!!) My choice is to trust God. Others have the right to disagree … not with me for I am of no consequence, but with Almighty God, who is. Then there is another vexed question for today. The tithe. Most of us are familiar with that greatly misapplied “tithing” text, Malachi 3:10. Here in our passage today, Moses gave the people the instructions about their “tithe”. Please read Deuteronomy 14: 22-29. Prepare for a shock, because you will never have heard this from a christian pulpit. I quote in part only. Each year “If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you, then you shall exchange it (your tithe) for money, take the money in your hand and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses. And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires and “have a party” (my paraphrase).” Then every THIRD year, store up your tithe within your gates, so that “the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied , that the LORD your God may bless you all the work of your hand which you do.” The tithe is for rejoicing before the LORD and to provide for those in need.
And finally for this ‘reflection’, we find Moses reminding the people to keep the ‘mo’edim’ (appointed times) of the LORD. The detail is similar to that given earlier in Leviticus 23. Here in Deuteronomy there is the command that for three of these appointed times, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks and Feast of Tabernacles, all the males of the community were required to present themselves before the LORD in the place of His appointment. Now note the condition. “and they shall not appear empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you”. This is nothing to do with ‘tithing’. Three ‘gift days’ each year for the work of the LORD. Give as the LORD has blessed you. And as the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians “not grudgingly or of necessity”.
The LORD bless you as you study to understand His word.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 43
Ekev (Because)
We did not comment on an important statement which appeared in the reading last week. Speaking of the children of Israel. “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers ..” Many people, even some who identify as christians today, have been unable to come to terms with that unambiguous statement of Scripture. As a result, a root of bitterness has developed and grown. And that, my dear friends, for those people, has become a stumbling block to spiritual growth. That constant attempt to justify personal prejudice against the clear will of God is debilitating. He requires that we accept that He alone is God. All the world is His, not just Israel. There is promise of blessing to those who bless whom God has blessed. Israel is special to Him. Get over it.
And for those who are ‘special’ to Him, that is followed up in the reading this week with “Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.” The list of the blessings and care which God intended to shower upon this people is quite staggering. Fertility, fruitfulness of the land, food provision, health, wellbeing and multiplication of livestock are all included in the national blessing of this new nation of people. But over and again, Moses repeated the persistent message that obedience to the LORD’s commandments is a necessary pre-requisite for such blessing. This nation of Israel, living in their own land, was to be an example of the blessing which God provides for those who are His. A living testimony to the nations which surrounded them.
But as these words were being uttered, the people were still on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses was using the recall of God’s provision on their journey thus far to emphasise His ability to do what He said He would do. The land was still occupied by the Canaanites. Heathen idol worshippers. Those high places of worship had no role to play in the life of the Israelites. Their job was to occupy the land and remove all evidence of the culture of the people they were to replace. Can we see the parallels and the lessons for ourselves as we read this recital of God’s conditions to the Israelites? The imagery is of the journey we ourselves are embarked upon as we travel to our promised land. It is not too difficult to see the parallels, both in God’s requirement of us, or the blessings which are promised. Remember that He said. “I am the LORD, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
There is the oft quoted promise of God, in the circumstance of their hunger and longing for variety of foods during their journey. “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” For them it was a practical matter of satisfying hunger. God had promised to bring them to a good land, which they could not see. To live their lives in freedom, where previously, for generations, they had lived in slavery. That was their hope. It was all that kept them going. There was light at the end of that proverbial tunnel. So too for us in type. We live in the blessed expectation of eternal life with our God. That is the “word which proceeds out of the mouth of God”. That is His promise to us. But there is a road of obedience to Him to be followed to get to that place.
As Moses continued, he described the land the LORD had prepared for the Israelites. It was a good land. “A land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year”. This was in comparison to the only other land they knew, Egypt, which had to be irrigated by hand from the river. But again Moses was careful to emphasise the need for them to be obedient to the commands of God. “To love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Over and over again the same reminder. It must have been such a lovely productive land in those days. But because we know the way events unfolded, we see that after they were expelled from the land, due to their failure to keep covenant with God, the land became quite barren. So much so that in 1869, Mark Twain, in his book “Innocents Abroad” described it as ‘uninhabitable’ ! It had been drought ridden for 1800 years. Meaningful rain did not appear again until 20 years later as God prepared the land for the fulfilment of His prophecy of the return of the Jews from every corner of the globe.
We may do no better to conclude our ‘reflection’ this week than to sum up the whole of God’s requirement of these people, and in which I find no conflict with His requirement of us today if we are to receive His blessing. “And now, Israel, what does the LORD require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes, which I command you for your good?” Why? “For the LORD your God is God of gods and LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”
Do we need any other reason to offer Him our praise and our worship?
Shabbat Shalom
RS