Highlights and Comments
Shalom Saints. This week’s Torah Reading is entitled, “Ekev,” or “Because.” The portion covers Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25.
I wish to share with you some of my thoughts and reflections on the many life truths that I drew from my study of this reading.
Our God Will Honor the Covenant
YHVH will honor the covenant and mercies He promised our Hebrew forefathers when we choose to listen, keep and obey His Torah. Thus, He promises to love, bless and increase our numbers in the Land of Promise. In fact, we would be blessed above all other peoples on the planet. Furthermore, no illnesses would be known among us. Instead, all destructive diseases wouild be experienced by our enemies.
When we consider the immense opportunity this nation of ours would have if she only turned to and obeyed the Creator’s Word. This so-called COVID pandemic would not affect us. We would be prosperous and protected. The world would look to us and seek to know what we were doing differently to stay the virus from our nation.
Unfortunately, our nation has chosen instead to put her trust in men. That choice can only lead to destruction.
Whom Do We Serve
Father requires that we not serve the so-called gods of our enemies. One would think this would be commonsense. Yet Father explains to us that by our inquiring about our enemies’ gods, we would be stepping into a trap that will inevitably lead to our not being able to free ourselves from. It’s best then to simply not even mention or inquire about them.
Remember When Difficult Times Come Our Way
Father counsels us to remember the mighty exploits YHVH did on our behalf when faced with difficult times. For we will recall that it was YHVH that delivered us from our captors and our enemies. Thus, we are not to fear our enemies.
Father told us that He would send His hornets out ahead of us and drive our enemies from the Land of Promise. You see, Father has methods of taking care of business that may not make any sense to us at the time. Nevertheless, Father knows best how to defeat our enemies on our behalf.
Here’s a fun fact: Palestinian hornets nest in rock caves and are exceptionally aggressive. So pervasive can these insects be to humans, in the Canaanites’ case, a plague of Palestinian hornets would reduce the Canaanites’ ability to wage war against us. Thus, since the whole earth belongs to Yah and He controls the earth’s creatures, we can safely conclude that Yah will be with us and fight for us. And Yah may fight for us in the most unconventional ways.
We Must Abandon the Carved Images
Father commands us not to possess any carved images. Such things have the potential of being worshiped and treated as idols. Father commanded us earlier that we were not to worship any created thing, either in heaven, on or under the earth or in the seas.
Father warns us that these carved images that we turn into idols are effectively cursed. And those who choose to possess them by extension receive the curse that is upon the carved image.
Torah teaches us to strive to be like YHVH our Elohim in all our ways. Thus, we are to see things the way He sees things; feel about things the way He feels about things; behave in a holy and righteous manner as He is Holy and Just in all His Ways. So, when it comes to carved images, our attitude toward them must be one of loathing.
We must remember that Father set the Canaanites’ carved images/idols apart from destruction. And by extension, the people attached to those idols were also marked for destruction.
Yah Humbles Us to Test Us
YHVH humbled us for 40-years in the wilderness to test what was in our hearts. The goal of Father’s testing was to reveal whether or not we would obey His mitzvot or not. Some may take exception to Father’s methods. But this is how Father vets His elect: He tests them and humbles them to determine whether or not they will obey Him. Case in point: Abraham.
How did Yah humble us? He humbled us through hunger and thirst. When we hungered, he provided us manna. Manna was food that we’d never known before. It served to teach us that we do not live by bread alone. We live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH.
During our 40-years sojourn in the wilderness, our clothes did not wear out. Our feet did not swell up. And throughout this trial, Father was disciplining us as a human father disciples his children.
From this we must recognize that our minds and hearts must be Kingdom focused. We would be foolish to focus on the things presently going on around us. In fact, our focus must be, as Yeshua taught, on the Kingdom of Yah and His righteousness. Thus, by our focusing on the Kingdom and Abba’s righteousness, Father will take care of the many cares we otherwise have in this life.
As Father did for our Hebrew forefathers in the wilderness well over 3,500-years ago, Father is doing for us today. Back then, Abba prepared our forefathers’ to receive the Land of Promise. Today, Father is preparing us to receive His coming Kingdom.
We Must Do Our Part in Preparing to Receive the Land
Father instructed us to circumcise the foreskins of our hearts and no longer be a stiffnecked people. He reminded us that He was above all entities on the earth and in heaven. We are to imitate Him in all our ways. He being holy and righteous, we must be holy, righteous and just in our ways.
Father commanded us to (1) fear Him; (2) serve Him; (3) cling to Him; (4) and swear by His Name only.
In other words, YHVH requires everything from us. We are to have nothing else remaining. We have been bought with a price. Thus, we no longer belong to any other entity, nor do we belong to ourselves. We are the sole property of YHVH. And our admittance into the Kingdom will be given based upon our loyalty and obedience to Him.
Father does not require something from us that we are not capable of giving Him. As He mentioned to our Hebrew forefathers, if they would simply do all that He has asked them to do, then He would fight for them. In fighting for them, Father would handily overcome our forefathers’ enemies and they would go in and take possession of their inheritance. Furthermore, Father would expand their territory.
So What?
Essentially, what these three-chapters must say to us is that in order for us to receive the Kingdom, we must seek YHVH’s Kingdom and keep His Torah and imitate His holiness and righteousness. In so doing, Father will take care of everything else. We simply must have personal skin in the game. Father will do all the rest.
This is all about getting into the Kingdom. And we must ask ourselves: do we have the wherewithal to give our all to the service of Yah and to conform every aspect of our lives to Him and His ways. It’s all or nothing. No one said that this life choice was to be an easy one. Indeed,. there’s nothing easy about it. But if we are willing to turn over the reins of our lives to Him, He will do all the hard work for us.
Fatihfully
Rod