Parashat 'Eqev

These promises are conditional, but that YHWH's blessing will follow closely upon obedience. Guard... lovingkindness: Aramaic, "follow through for you on a generous covenant". He will "safeguard" the covenant, "give it prominence", and "hedge it about" (alternate translations) if we do. If we hear, guard, and do what He says, we will arrive Home in His Land. Lovingkindness: or mercy. The idea in cutting the animals in two (Gen. 15) was to say, "If I or my descendants do not keep our part of the agreement, may the same thing be done to us." So He had to divide the Kingdom. But when they become obedient again, He will do the opposite--restore His mercy to us and make us one people again. (Hos. 1)

Befriend: or love. Bless: literally "bend the knee"; when speaking of YHWH, it would mean He would stoop down to our level and pay attention to us as a father does to a small child. Grain, new wine, and oil: often metaphors also for people (those who can be components in "one bread" that is satisfying to Him), fresh joy, and spiritual anointing, which, even if already present, can always stand to be increased.

If we do what He says, we will be fruitful—in keeping with the first command He ever gave Adam.

Sickness: illness, weakness, or grieving, which Y'shua's cross made unnecessary. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 53:4). Dreadful diseases: literally, "evil". Some sickness is for YHWH's glory (Yochanan 9:3; 11:4), but others have no purpose. Also, many of the diseases of Egypt can be directly prevented by obeying the Torah's regulations in regard to cleanliness, diet, circumcision, not eating blood, and refraining from sexual relations at certain times.

In case we were beginning to be lulled to sleep by His promises, YHWH put the most difficult command right up front, rather than in the "fine print", so we would count the cost of what it will mean to be Israelites. Most of the time this command will need to be carried out more figuratively, but especially when we go back into the Land, there may be a need to take it very literally once again, judging by the number of enemies in the Land once again. Your eye: We must not walk by sight. These people have children that look loveable, yet He tells us to keep our natural tendency to compassion at bay, because mercy here would leave intact a problem that would have disastrous results for the whole world. A trap for you: He knows us well enough to point out what will be especially tempting to us. King Sha'ul disobeyed just here (1 Shmuel 15), resulting in the existence of Haman. (Esther 3:1) We have to prefer making war, hard as it may be, to becoming slaves again. (11:16.) We cannot respect any who stand in the way of YHWH’s Torah being the rule in His Land.

18. "Don't be afraid of them, but always keep in mind what YHWH your Elohim did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt!

Being afraid, as regards a commandment, is not so much an emotion as a failure to act which results from assuming that any threat is greater than YHWH. Always keep in mind: literally, "remember remembering". We, too, need to remember what once held us captive and how far He has brought us.

20. "In addition, YHWH will send the hornet among them until the ones remaining who [manage to] hide from your presence are done away with.

Hornet: related closely to the word for "leprosy", possibly because its sting leaves a similar mark on one's flesh. Leprosy is also symbolic of selfishness, which in itself will "divide and conquer" those who cling to it. Like this skin affliction, He will bring to the surface whatever evil is left in us that is hiding away to try to maintain its presence in us, but this only makes it more obvious what we still have to deal with.

Y'shua reiterated the principle of fearing only YHWH, who alone can do more than destroy the body, but can also snuff out one's soul-existence. (Mat. 10:28) Among you: when at least two members of the House of Israel are together. (Mat. 18:20) Until there is another to love, we cannot really know He is present with us. (Yochanan/John 13:35)

He thought of everything! They needed to stay until one city was well-fortified before moving on to the next, or there would be no way to safeguard the gains. This has a figurative application as well to the conquest of our own souls. YHWH leaves some of our less desirable traits intact long enough to make use of them and prevent us from having to fight too many battles at the same time. If we try to rid ourselves of our old ways too quickly, without thoroughly replacing them with the proper patterns, seven demons will come back to replace the one swept out. (Mat. 12:43-45) We need to reclaim and establish ourselves in one area, then move on to the next, not remaining in one place and becoming comfortable until it is all taken, or we will lose what we have gained.Wild animals: literally, living things of the field (which Y’shua says represents the world). The LXX adds, "lest the Land become desert". The wild beasts will devour what should be for our consumption.

24. "He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name disappear from under the heavens; not a man shall [be able to] stand before you until you have exterminated them.

25. "You shall burn the carved images of their elohim with fire, and you shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor salvage it for yourself, so you will not be ensnared by it, because it is repulsive to YHWH.

This is part of what Yaaqov (James) meant when he spoke of keeping oneself unstained by the world. (1:27) Even the things in other religions that seem harmless or salvageable still remind Him of their old associations, and in His mind this outweighs and value they might have. We have to reject any benefits of walking in the things we are here to destroy.

Utterly detestable: or "filthy"; this is more than just not wanting to have anything to do with pagan practices. The moment we begin to let ourselves Understand how they feel”, we b egin to become like them, making the same excuses for wrongdoing. He tells us how to feel. We have to actually hate them. He is offering us a special place in His presence, and that is far weightier than anything they offer, but we have to prepare ourselves to receive it in the way He wants to give it, and that leaves room for nothing else in our hearts.

CHAPTER 8

“The” commandment, again, was identified in 6:1-9—to worship YHWH alone and love Him with all our resolve, passion, and resources. Not just with one of them, but with our hearts, minds, and the works of our hands. We need to feel this, think this, and do this, approaching it from every angle that we can. All the details of the Torah are aspects of this command, for they all teach us how to love YHWH. He also tells us another way in which we are to put YHWH first: Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Remember: literally, mark this. We have to do better than our fathers did, and if we do not remember all that YHWH has done, we will not be able to. In our day, since we were not there physically, we must recount what YHWH did and practice Especially as we return to things Hebraic, we must not forget that it was Y’shua who brought us back to covenant with YHWH. He was the Messenger sent before us even in the wilderness. (Ex. 23:20-23) The wilderness means “place of the Word”, and that is where He tests us. He knows what is in our heart by what we do with His Words, not by what we say. The “you” in v. 1 is plural; in v. 2 it is singular. This can both means that YHWH expects every member of Israel to remember what He did, and that we can only properly recall (via His feasts, etc.) when we are together corporately as “one man “. Bring you to a place of neediness: like Avraham, not knowing where he was going--"humbled you" so we have no way out except to trust YHWH. To know what was in your heart: not that He did not know, but so we might realize what kind of people we really were. Tests reveal our true colors. (Compare 2 Cor. 2:9; 7:8-12) Or not: No other choices are given; no middle ground for lukewarmness. If we are not wholehearted, we are not truly guarding His commandments. He gave them before we came into the Land and was already testing us on our performance. There are only a few commands that we cannot carry out unless we are in the Land, and even for those we need to build a foundation before we go in, rather than using the excuse that we will wait until conditions are right before we are whole-hearted. This was a very long test—forty years--but those who are now hearing about it have proven to have passed the test.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

We would not have paid attention if we were not starving, yet still we so often looked to empty calories to fill our hunger rather than accepting the true nourishment He provided. What we walked in before was made by men for our comfort, but YHWH gives us what we truly need. We must not get tired of it and, like our ancestors, want what we had when we were slaves. The only time we are told to gather in advance for tomorrow is the day before the Sabbath, and that is still seeking His Kingdom first. (Mat. 6:33) Y’shua is the bread that comes from Heaven (Yochanan 6:32) as the “manna” did. But the Torah and community are also likened to bread in Scripture (Amos 8:11; 1 Cor. 10:17), and these are all aspects of everything that comes out of the mouth of YHWH: it is not just words, but His "breath" (same as "spirit" in Hebrew) as well. Exodus 16:14 literally told us to gather “a word a day”. If we do not know His words, we are not armed for the tests. But in the wilderness, Moshe was the “mouth” of YHWH, and the Torah is still the test for all else that seems to be from His mouth. You didn’t know: Again, He has been feeding us with things we did not know before—like the Sabbath, His appointed times, the kosher laws, etc. Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Did your foot become blistered: Aramaic, "did your sandals tear"; LXX, "become painfully hardened". When we sought His presence, He always took care of us.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Corrects: a strong term for disciplining with blows, chastening, chastising, but all for the purpose of instructing--i.e., turning him in the right direction. We need to expect to pay this price if we step out of line, because otherwise we will miss the treasure that YHWH has for us at the end of the right road. If He is not correcting us, we should be afraid because it means He does not find us worthy of His time. (Heb. 12:5-11)Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

7. "because YHWH your Elohim is bringing you into a pleasant Land--a land of rivers of water, of springs and subterranean waters that gush forth from valleys and hills,

Rivers of water: as opposed to dried-up arroyos (wadis), because that is what the term would mean if "water" was not attached to it.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

9. "a land in which you shall eat bread without scarcity--you will not be in need of anything in it! [It is] a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.

Bread: or food in general. The Land will have plenty of raw materials, so that you will not even need to acquire them from foreigners. Iron and copper: these were eventually mined in the Land (1 Chron. 22:3) Hirsch summarizes, "It is land that, by the nature of its soil, offers the most suitable opportunities for agriculture and industry." They would not need to buy these basic commodities (of which so much was needed for Temple service, etc.) from other nations.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Satisfied: enriched, filled to excess. Even now, when we eat our fill, we should consider it a down payment on the Land He has promised us, and thank Him for it just the same. Note that the tradition of saying “grace” before meals has the commandment backwards. It is traditional to bless YHWH (not “bless the food”!) before we eat to remind us of where it the food came from.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Don't forget Him; everything else is just a gift given so we can know Him better. Sticking close to Him will prevent us from being ensnared by the lures along the way. Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

13. "and your flocks and herds multiply and your gold and silver become abundant, and all that you have becomes great,

14. "and then your thinking becomes puffed up and you let YHWH your Elohim fade from your memory--[He] Who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the slave quarters--

Our enemy is only too glad to give us prosperity, knowing our propensity to do just this. So we should be a little bit nervous at such times, knowing we are in danger of falling into this tendency if we are not watchful.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Burning: or poisonous. Flinty: from a word meaning "hard" (and translated as such into Aramaic), but alternately, it is related to the word for dreams, which immediately calls to mind Yoseyf, the man of dreams, who is a prototype of the Messiah, who brought us "living water". Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Y'shua said he was the real "bread" from heaven (Yochanan 6:22ff), since to partake of him is to have eternal life. Part of what comes from the mouth of YHWH is His Word (Yoch. 1:1) and "in him was life". Their "fathers did not recognize" that this bread was actually what preserved them. Benefit you (make you glad) at last: literally, at your lattermost end, so it must refer chiefly to the end times. Despite the path our stubbornness led us to take, He still left us hope that we would finally learn from our mistakes. He has to be harsh with our flesh (selfishness) in order to put us in a position to be as kind to us as He wants to be.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

We are not self-made. But from YHWH's perspective, we must also be suspicious of those who teach that we can assume that His "right hand" (Y'shua) and "power" (His spirit) have given us our material prosperity; haSatan can make us rich too in that sense. The word here for "wealth" is literally "strength" or "capability". Even if we did work hard to get what we have, YHWH still made even that possible.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

19. "Now what will happen is, if you in any way forget YHWH your Elohim and go after other elohim, serve them, or prostrate yourselves to them--then I go on record [as a witness] against you today, that you will by all means be lost.

Forget: or "wither away from". Other elohim: not just carved statues, but bank accounts, other “securities”, possessions, traditions, prevailing attitudes, or other authorities that we allow to set our priorities for us.Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

Be lost: wander away, stray, perish, or be destroyed. But it can also mean we would lose ourselves. As Yaaqov (James) 1:23 says, if we do not carry out the Word when we hear it, we will forget who we are, like one who forgets the "natural face" he saw in the mirror--the one that tells him about his ancestry and lineage. 2,700 years ago this did take place for the Northern Kingdom. But when we did look back into "the perfect law of liberty" and return to the covenant, the converse came true--He let us know His true identity and got us back on the right path. He is calling us back, but the conditions are still the same. If we do not keep the entire commandment, the same thing could very easily transpire again.

CHAPTER 9

Today: not literally, for there still other things to discuss before they crossed over. But the term for “cross over” is where we get the word “Hebrew”, and even in our day, well over 3,000 years later, we need to see every day as a day to live as Hebrews. This cannot wait until tomorrow, or until Messiah comes, because if we do not take this perspective in the smaller decisions of today, we are less likely to be in the right position when the “big” occasions we have been holding out for finally come. Crossing the Yarden also takes us out of the wilderness, so we need to already stop acting like a people without a home, and think and act responsibly according to what Moshe has told us. We need to cross over in our minds from the place where self is a priority to where YHWH and Israel are our priorities. Yarden means “descender”, and we will not get closer to the Most High while we are descending. But we cannot stay on this side and simply maintain the status quo either. If we do not decide to cross over whatever causes us to descend, we will take no new ground. Remaining in our own ways of thinking is guaranteed to make us descend. This will give us an illusion of “being in the flow”, but the Yarden ends in the Salt Sea where nothing can live. It takes us farther from unity, because Israel all crosses over at one spot. Get into His flow instead. Walk in His way, do not stand in His way. We cannot afford to descend even one more day. After 2,700 years of descending, with only a short comeback when Y’shua came, we are too close to the pit to fail to ascend. We must not go where the descent is. If you know that doing something will bring you lower spiritually, do not go there. Disconnect and gain more ground.

Our goal is that one Man will rule not just Israel, but the entire world. How foolish that seems when others have all the treasures, the land itself, and control visas and passports! But the hallmark of Israel is that we do what we cannot do because YHWH is with us. What is not beyond our capacity is natural and will not take us home. So cross over today. Be more than “all you can be”. The Jews have a very noble concept of "beautifying the commandment"--doing more than is required. He wants us to obey because His commands deserve to be carried out, not because we "have to".

Crosses over: If we become Hebrews and take the first step, He will pass us before we get there and provide the part we cannot provide. Do not wait for Him to start first, for there is no growth in faith that way. He shall annihilate...you will destroy them: He will prepare the way and set the stage, underwrite us and be sure we succeed, but we must walk it out. He will not do it all for us. When He delivers our enemy into our hands, it is up to us to slay him. When He lays bare the inconsistencies in someone's belief system, cut it to pieces with the sword of His Word. By "killing" this type of enemies (by fighting the lies that hold them in bondage), we actually create new allies for ourselves.

We must not think even being righteous is always to our credit; YHWH opens the door to make it possible to those whom He chooses. (Romans 9) He did not grant repentance to Kanaan, but hardened their hearts like Pharaoh’s, so He could keep other promises:

They might have been doing what they were told, but could have only been because they saw their parents die for their sins or because they wanted to enter the Land badly enough, not because they truly loved YHWH. But He made a promise, and they were merely the tools He was using. (cf. Rom. 9:20-29) It was only that the other nations were worse than they. Today we should remind ourselves that it is not because we are any better than foregoing generations that YHWH is revealing to us that we are Israel, but because the timing is right and we live in the right day.

We, too, cannot imagine we deserve this, because indeed we have failed at every point, and our ancestors who did deserve it more than we do did not receive it. Stiff-necked: This may be an indirect allusion to the Anaqim (v. 2), the "long-necked" people; the Israelites are not quite as repulsive as the Kanaanites, whom the land can no longer tolerate, but all things considered, they are not far behind. In other words, "They may have long necks, but you have stiff necks! So don't get a big head about it!" This does not mean He does not love us. He does. But to enter His Land and remain on it, we must recognize this tendency that still resides in the children of Israel. This gives us a head start on how to prepare for battle. When we have a stiff neck, it is very difficult to look at those who are beside us. All we can see is what is straight ahead of us, and cannot tell how our own actions will affect anyone else. We cannot see the big picture, so we need leaders like Moshe who do. A stiff neck will not bend or bow. It only thinks of self. If we act this way when we enter the Land, guess who will be the next to be expelled? So we need to conquer this tendency now.

Aramaic, "Remember never to forget". How: recall the particulars of what went wrong so we will not repeat the same mistakes. We would rather let bygones be bygones and forget that YHWH ever had anything but pleasant feelings toward us. But then we will not be motivated to do better next time. The remembering is not meant to make us feel sorry for ourselves or think we have no hope of ever escaping our tendency to fail. Rather, it is meant to keep us in touch with reality so we can cross over and ascend rather than continuing to descend. What we should forget are our excuses. They could have argued that they had even been the ones to bring all the gold and silver for the Tabernacle. But if they did not learn the lessons it teaches, and live accordingly, our past sacrifices count for nothing. In Israel we have no right to change the rules that have been established by YHWH, Moshe, or even the head of our tribe or clan, for YHWH has set up this order for the overall best of us all. The term here for rebellious stems from a root meaning “bitter”. Even if our motives were not particularly blameworthy and our intentions may have been to meet someone’s felt need, if the end result causes bitterness in the fellow Israelites we affect, and especially our leaders, it is rebellion.

Chorev: another name for Mount Sinai.

Stone: the word comes from a root meaning "to build", so this was not just "rock", but something meant for "a nation and a congregation of nations" to be built upon. Forty days and forty nights: the parallel with the deluge of Noakh's day is obvious. Forty in Scripture refers to either a time of testing or of transition, and in this case it was both. Note the parallel with Y'shua's fasting. Neither eating nor drinking: He intends to put them on a “guilt trip” by “rubbing in” the faithlessness of their having complained when they had no water for a day or two, when he had to go so long without it twice (v. 18)—and that because of their sin --and he survived. After all he had done for them, this is how they responded.

Likeness of all the words: Aramaic, "the exact words".

Cut-off: the body starts devouring its own cells for food after forty days of fasting. And here they were feasting while he fasted.

13. "YHWH even told me, ‘I have observed this nation, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!

14. "‘Leave me alone, so I may allow them to be annihilated, and obliterate their name from under the heavens, and I will make you into a nation more numerous and greater than they!'

15. "So I turned [my] face and came down from the mountain, the mountain being ablaze with fire, with the two slabs of the covenant in both of my hands.

16. "And I looked, and sure enough, you had sinned against YHWH your Elohim, and made a cast-metal bull-calf for yourselves; so soon you had turned off the path [in] which YHWH had directed you.

This was even more disappointing than Y’shua’s finding His disciples asleep while He prayed in His most lonely and difficult hour. Sinned: literally, "missed the mark", the least offensive wrongdoing, because it usually implies no malicious intent and even an attempt to hit a target, which failed. These people were intending to create a focal point for their worship of YHWH, and had not yet received the instruction through Moshe. They did not get the point, but could still be corrected, although at a price:

They did receive a replacement set (10:1), but Moshe had to write them himself. They forfeited ever having those written by YHWH’s own hand. (5:22)

19. "because I was terrified in the face of the exasperation and fury by which YHWH was upset with you [and ready] to annihilate you, but YHWH listened to me this time also.

Listened to me: If it weren’t for his prayers, they would have been destroyed. Though YHWH does the miracles for us, we must not discount all that His servants do for us. Because of them, he could not enter the Land, though he deserved it more than they. He did not need any of them; they were slaves and he was not. They needed him, and he only came back from his idyllic life to help them because YHWH told him to, and this was the kind of thanks he received. He is reminding them that if they do not treat Y’hoshua differently, they are doomed.

Breathed so hard: or "was angry enough". That He was angry at Aharon was not mentioned in Exodus.

Was the rock that brought them water on the mountain at this time? Exodus says they had to drink this water. They had "made their bed", and now had to "lie in it". Our ancestors allowed bits of pagan idolatry to creep into the church, and we have had to drink from a mixed cup for many centuries. But the more living water (YHWH's word) that is put in to displace the mixed water, the purer it can become again.

There is no guarantee that just because we know we are Israel and have been freed from bondage to pagan ways, we will make it to the Land. At each of these places of complaining and rebellion, many Israelites died. How it behooves us to watch our step all the more carefully as the narrow way grows still narrower and the bar is raised higher and higher the closer we get to our goal. Though we have not only Moshe but Y’shua standing up on our behalf, we will fall if we do not learn both the words of Torah and the patterns behind them, and obey not only in intent but in actions as well.

24. "You have been rebellious with YHWH since the day I came to know you!

With YHWH: LXX, "in the things relating with YHWH".

26. "So I intervened toward YHWH, and said, ‘O Adonai YHWH! Do not destroy Your people and Your acquired possession, which You have brought out from Egypt with a firm hand!

Comparing this with verse 12, we see that, like the parents of a disobedient child, neither YHWH nor Moshe wants to claim Israel as his. He has required Moshe to lead them; will He now destroy them?

28. "‘or else the land from which you brought us out might say, ‘[It was] due to YHWH's lack of ability to bring them into the Land that He promised them, and because He hated them, that He brought them to their death in the uncivilized territory.

29. "‘Moreover, they are Your people, and Your acquired possession, whom You have brought out by Your intense force and Your outstretched arm.'

CHAPTER 10

Since Moshe was the one who wanted to intercede for Israel, he had to be the one to hew out the stone tablets. The first time YHWH had cut the slabs Himself. (5:22) Moshe could have them back again, but it required much more work. Likewise, as the eastern gate to the Temple was closed and pilgrims had to take a ritual bath, walk up through long tunnels and across a wide courtyard just to get to where it would have brought them, we can get back into the Garden of Eden, but only by going the long way around. Because of our sin, we have to go through Y'shua's blood, learn His heart by obeying His commandments, and experience physical death first. Carve: The only ways this term is used in Scripture is to describe these stones (multiple times), in regard to quarrying the foundation stones for the Temple (1 Kings 5:17), and (only once) of carving an idolatrous image. (Havaqquq 2:18) How we respond to what is carved into these stones will determine whether we will be carving out a place for idol worship (which profits nothing) or a dwelling place for YHWH (which teaches us with every stone).

The chest: not the Ark of the Covenant, for that was to be built when the Tabernacle was built, after he had brought the instructions back (Ex. 24:16-25:16, but it may have been placed inside the Ark of the Covenant.

Acacia wood: LXX, "incorruptible wood". If he could carry them both in one hand and they were made of stone, they must not have been very large.

Declarations: from the word for arrangements. They set things in order, and remind us that YHWH comes first. Spoken: before He wrote them (5:22; Ex. 24). Yet there was something Moshe had to write on them too. (Ex. 34:27-28) It was probably instructions about how to build the Tabernacle. Moshe wrote them, and Moshe is also symbolic of the Torah as a whole, so we see a picture of the Word engraving the Word on our hearts. Within these ten commands are contained all the others, which only present them in greater detail. Why are there two? There are two categories of commandments—the first three about loving YHWH with all our heart, soul, and strength, and the latter six about loving our neighbor as ourselves. The fourth applies to both, and acts as the hinge between the two tablets. But there are also two chambers of our heart, and these two categories of commands are what Israel’s heart beats for. Yet if only half of the heart is functioning properly, we cannot survive. Z’kharyah 7:9ff talks about how Israel had made our hearts like stone, refusing to hear. Even if one half is soft and flexible, but the other is not (if we are loving YHWH but not our neighbors—or vice versa) we will die. (1 Yochanan 4:20) YHWH wants to arrange our hearts in order, and He even says He will place a new heart within us that is not of stone (Y’hezq’el 36:26). But this does not take place magically. It is a gift, but we have to prepare ourselves to receive it. There has to be a context conducive to its preservation, or it will not endure within us. YHWH offers this to all Israel, but in the same context He says He will hurt those who follow after what they themselves have carved. (Y’hezq’el 11:19-21) So not everyone who is offered a new heart will receive one, just as a physical heart transplant has a screening of recipients according to whether by their lifestyle they have cared for the heart they have, even if it is defective. Only those who have put for the some effort to incline themselves to it through “carving out the stones” and “hiding His Word in our hearts” will find themselves with a renewed heart one day. If we have the motivation, He will enable us to follow through. The more we walk in His Torah, the more able He will make us to carry it out. More is given to those who use what they have. (Mat. 5:24-28; 13:12) With every word we cut into it, the stone that encompasses our hearts is weakened and eventually this second set of “slabs” will be broken as well, so that the raw sensitivity of our hearts is exposed and He can carve His commandments into it, ands it will scar so that we never forget them, for they will call to us constantly. He also says He will give us one heart—inclined toward unity with one another as well. Then together we can be placed into the Ark that is gold both inside and out—a picture of what we think being the same as what we do, and vice versa. If we put it off to wait for the “big opportunity”, if that ever comes we will fail then, because we have not gotten in practice through the little things. YHWH placed His presence in the smallest room in the Temple, so nothing is so small as to be inconsequential.

6. "Then the descendants of Israel traveled from the Wells of the Son of Yaaqan to Moserah, where Aharon died and was buried, and his son El'azar became a priest in his place.

Yaaqan: means "Let him oppress them" or “sharp-sighted”; Moserah: "place of bonds or fetters", from a root word meaning to chasten or discipline, instruct, or admonish. (See note on v. 7.).

Gudgodah: "place of slashing or cutting, penetration, attack, or invasion"; Yotvathah: "a pleasing place". There is a strong parallel here and in 8:3-5 with 1 Kefa [Peter] 5:6-11: "Be humbled...under the mighty hand of YHWH, so He may exalt you at the right time, throwing all your anxiety on Him, because it matters to Him concerning you. Be sensible, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, prowls around, seeking someone to devour. Resist him firmly in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being completed by your brothers in the world. Then the Elohim of all grace--the One [who is] calling you to His eternal glory in Messiah Y'shua--after you have suffered a little will Himself repair [complete] you, fix firmly, strengthen, and stabilize."

9. "For this reason Levi has no inherited territory or property along with his brothers; YHWH is his inheritance, just as YHWH your Elohim told him.

10. "So I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, as I had the first time, and this time YHWH listened [and yielded] to me and consented to not destroy you.

11. "Then YHWH told me, ‘Get up and proceed to break camp in front of the people so that they will go in and take possession of the Land that I promised their forefathers [with an oath] to give them.

12. "So now, Israel, what does YHWH ask from you, except to reverence YHWH your Elohim, and walk in all His ways, and serve YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and all your soul--

13. "to guard YHWH's commandments and prescribed limits which I am laying on you this day for your [own] benefit?

This is all He wants—but make no mistake; it will require our all. He does not leave us in the dark about what He wants from us as the pagan gods did. Y'shua and Hillel also simplified the commandments down to two (compare Micha 6:8), and in another sense He summarized them by saying that the works of YHWH were to believe on the one YHWH had sent. (Yochanan 6:29) After all, He is the living Torah.

15. "[but] only to your ancestors did He become attached [and long] to befriend them, and He selected their descendants to follow them—you of all peoples--just as [is the case] today.

16. "So circumcise [cut off] the excess fleshiness that hangs over your heart, and don't be stiff-necked any longer!

A stiff neck (caused by stubbornness or anxiety) does not allow us to look upward for direction or to the left or right at how our actions affect those around us. This was the real point that His custom of circumcision was to teach them. Circumcision, removing the fat from around our hearts, and bowing our necks are all pictures of the same concept. There is actually a bone in the neck which is called the "lux" which, if fused or missing, prevents one from bowing his head or turning his face around (repenting). This bone is usually found in ancient tombs even if the rest of the body has decomposed, so it is considered a symbol of resurrection. Stiff-necked people cannot look with certainty to the hope of being resurrected. As we circumcise our hearts, the stiff neck will loosen up as well. We then need to exercise it to keep it loose!

Plays favorites: literally, regards faces. A bribe: we cannot buy our way out of actually doing things His way. We cannot store up much wealth for ourselves and use the excuse that we will have more to contribute to the poor and the community that this would benefit our neighbors more than obeying the Torah would.

Carries out justice for: Aram., "takes up the case of". Outsider: our ancestor Avraham did well at this type of hospitality

Elsewhere this command is given as regarding the "guest within your gates": not just any stranger, but one who has come under your protection and thus authority. After he had stayed for three days, he was considered as responsible to the Torah and the upkeep of the household as one's child was.

Doesn't this conflict with Y'shua's warning that it is better to take no oaths at all? Not in the actual wording. "Oath" is derived from a word meaning "completeness" (it is identical to the number seven), so this could just as well read, "by whose Name you shall be made complete." The Hebrew version of Matithyahu 5:33-34 also reads, “You shall not swear falsely (or in vain) at all.” This reconciles the seeming discrepancy.

If we have trouble trusting Him, we need to simply open our eyes and look around at His record if never failing to keep His promises.

Number: or greatness. This promise to Avraham was already fulfilled in a sense, but they were not yet as numerous as the sand of the seashore. YHWH cannot rebuild the Temple if we do not provide the raw material of stone chipped off our hardened hearts. The pain involved in this is has such a worthwhile purpose that we will not say, “It hurts so badly”, but “it hurts so well”!

CHAPTER 11

Be committed to: befriend or love. The rest of the verse tells us how. When reading His “love letter” to us, we need to look for the things He tells us to look for, not what is in it for us, then carry them out in the way He asked us to, not the way we think would be more convenient, affordable, or sensible. We bring Him praise when we do it the way He says to. We need to build a hedge around the things He has established to guard us, so that we do not lose them. We cannot be part of the next exodus until we are succeeding at this. Prescribed customs: or limits—repetitive actions or rituals that are always described as pertaining to Israel “forever”. (Ex. 12:17, 43; 27:20-21; Lev. 3:17; 16:29; 23:14) Legal procedures: things that do not follow a set schedule like the prescribed customs, but are used when problems arise within society. (Ex. 21:1ff) Commandments: marching orders from the “General” who has set us in order. At all times: Even if Y'shua had not said so, this tells us from the start that any doctrine that says the Torah is to be nullified or replaced is in error. More often than anything else, He tells us to stay on our guard (“watch”).

The hearers are responsible, since the Torah is not for the dead, but for the living. (5:3) They are also for today, not tomorrow. We cannot leave it for when our children already live in the Land, thinking it will be easier for them to be righteous then, nor can we make the excuse that we still have too much of an Egyptian outlook and that YHWH therefore cannot expect much of us.

4. "And what He did to the army of Egypt and their horses and chariots--how He made the waters of the Reed Sea overwhelm their faces as they chased after you, and YHWH caused them intense loss [which still lasts] to this day--

Overwhelm them: "flow over them", or even "cause them to float” to the surface afterward. Their faces: Aram., "against them". To this day: forty years later, they had still not recovered.

6. "or what He did to Dathan and Aviram, the sons of Eliav, the son of Reuven--how the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up along with their households, their tents, and all the paraphernalia that was standing at their feet [right] in the midst of all of Israel.

Most of the hearers had not seen all of these things, being too young, but if they had seen any, they knew what YHWH could do, and were responsible to be witnesses to. We, too, were not literally there, but we have the whole history of Israel to witness to the fact that YHWH is trustworthy. In Israel, we do not need to have seen everything for ourselves. Each of us adds a piece to the corporate witness. The prophets point us to the Torah as a litmus test when the same old lies show up in a new form. (Yeshayahu 8:20) Y’shua says that seeking any further sign is rebellious. (Mat. 12:39; 16:4) Even molding the Torah to fit the renewed Covenant is a form of twisting it; it must be the other way around.

Your eyes: He is speaking to the people as a whole, not as individuals. What are these eyes of Israel? The experiences of YHWH’s people as a community. If one has experienced it, we all have. And if the Torah bears witness to it, we have seen it too. Much of it cannot be experienced in a personal context, but must be approached from a communal one. The Torah is unknowable if we have our eyes closed, so we need to ask YHWH to open them (Psalm 119:18) so we can look beyond ourselves to the people as a whole, and act as part of it. It may be difficult for individuals to walk out, but not if we approach it corporately. (30:11-14)

These laws are not only for ancient times, but are always incumbent on all of Israel. Strong: firm and secure; with a tight grip; able to prevail.

Extend: If you want to remain there long, you must continue to obey. Promised to your forefathers: They will be there in the resurrection, thus extending their days as well. The prophets say the Land will at first become overcrowded, and will need to be expanded. But the true "seed" of Avraham are only those who have faith as Avraham did (Gal. 3:7-9, 29), so not all of his physical seed will share in this promise.

By foot: i.e., a garden on flat land (like Egypt) that you had to irrigate, like the seminars so common in the church about how to make yourself prosper.

YHWH waters this Land; you have to seek Him directly for our provision trust Him to do so. (Compare v. 17) There is no river in the middle as in Egypt that is always there for us and we can decide to draw from when we choose. Once you have chosen His path, you must receive from Him or you will not receive, and you will only it when obedient. Now the Land is not as lush as it was when they entered (8:7), partly as a result of their disobedience in the past. But walk by faith: it will be even greater one day.

Seeks out: resorts to, frequents, or walks through. Especially in the context of verse 12, this passage hints, as does Genesis 2:13 (among many others), that this Land is precisely where the Garden of Eden was. From the beginning ...until the end of the year: all through the festival cycle He set up. Even before the nation of Israel lives there, He has been looking after it and guarding it because He promised it to Avraham and Yaaqov.

Pay close attention: literally, listen to hear. We are meant not just to know the literal words, but hear the deeper meaning behind them and learn from them. Then we will be reliable, as YHWH expects of us. Psalm 118:8 tells us to trust YHWH instead of men, but the verse immediately prior says He is with us through those who help us. Our faithfulness is what He counts on to carry out His.

"Early rain": the word is related to "teaching" and "instruction" [torah], and "the latter rain" is related to "ingathering", "despoiling", and the "aftermath"--a perfect description of the two comings of the Messiah! In Yoel 2:23, the phrase translated "early rain" actually says "teacher of [for] righteousness"--an idiom for the Messiah very common in His day (e.g., in the Dead Sea Scrolls). The ingathering correlates with Yom T'ruah (the feast of trumpet-blasts), the despoiling with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and the aftermath with Sukkoth, the season of our joy after the birthpangs of the Kingdom are complete. All of these festivals bespeak events related to his second coming.

Notice the preeminence of man over beast implied here. The cattle are fed so we can be fed.

Hearts: includes minds. Gullible: open-minded--the catchword of our generation, but it really means being naive, simple-minded, easily persuaded, deceived, seduced, or allured. This is the inevitable result of “following your heart”. This is not Disneyland. The solution is to set clear, definite boundaries (v. 18), so we will not be "swayed by every wind of doctrine". (Eph. 4:14) We are already inclined toward the wrong things. (Yirm. 17:9) If our motive is to avoid offending people when they are wrong, or fear of anything but YHWH, it is misplaced. We are weighted against what He says here, so we must remain all the more alert. In His mercy He forewarns us that what we are up against is our own selves. Leave unanswered anything within you that is not motivated by a longing to be in YHWH’s presence with His people and pleasing Him, or it will destroy you:

This is what to fear! Look anywhere but to Him for your provision (v. 11), and it will cease altogether.

Warning: or standard. The hand is that with which we act; between our eyes are where the thoughts begin that move us to act. If we do this literally (and doing so is in no way adding to or taking away from His instruction), it is to be for the purpose of reminding ourselves to brig every thought into captivity (2 Cor. 10:5), putting the meaning of His words in their proper place in our motives, determination, and inclination.

Teach: literally, prod, because you want them to move into serving YHWH. Sharpened children (6:7) on the move is what will bring Israel home!

Gates: literally, entrances: thus not only city gates, where legal procedures are carried out, but also the orifices of your body through which you are susceptible to be seduced as in v. 16: eyes, ears, mouth, nostrils, and reproductive organs. This is why the tribe of Yehudah has traditionally carried on the interpretation of literally letting the hair in front of their ears, nose, and mouth keep growing as a symbol of this "guarding", using literal phylacteries near their eyes with selections from YHWH's Torah written in them, and the fringes that were commanded to be placed on garments (Num. 15:38), which hang near the loins. Any time a door opens for us in whatever situation, we must ask if walking through it is still putting YHWH first.

Like the days: the days were to be filled with quality, whether long or short, but then prolonged through the Messianic Kingdom after the resurrection for those who obeyed. This parallels the promise in the fifth commandment (5:16), reminding us to walk worthy of being called children of Avraham and Sarah.

23. "--then YHWH will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than yourselves.

24. "Every place where the soles of your foot tread shall be yours: your border shall extend from the desert to Levanon, from the River--the Euphrates River--to the Western [Mediterranean] Sea.

The “if” of v. 22 has not changed; this time around we will not possess the Land if we neglect the conditions.

And so it was: The whole city of Yericho was in dread of them, having lost all courage. (Y'hosh. 2:11)