Parashat Ki-Thavo

When: literally "because". The fact that YHWH fulfills His promise to bring us into His Land is enough reason to give back to Him the best of what it brings forth. (v. 2, 3) This is the heart of the chapter: YHWH gives. The first modern settlers who came back to pioneer the restoration were overwhelmed at the importance of the places that surrounded them. Its flow of milk and honey was much slower this time, but they have been priming the pump again, and it is coming. We, too, should be awed by YHWH's gift. But He gives much more than just the Land. Even repentance is a gift from Him. Because He continues to give, we have a responsibility to go, possess, and dwell in what He gives us. Avraham's journey also began with a "go", and as in his case, we should really see YHWH's gift as an offer. He has made the Land available to us, and holds it in reserve, but we must seize it and occupy it. He did not defeat our enemies before we raised our swords and did our part. He stakes it out and made a way, but it is only done when we do it. And once we are settled in, we nee dto be ready to go again, as seen in the the next verses. We have to keep moving, even when we get into the Land, in order to stay in His will, because He keeps raising the bar. There's a settling down, but in a different way. The root word for "settle" is the same as that for yeshiva, and it actually means to sit, though when yeshiva students are really making progress, there is little sitting involved; they are on their feet, heatedly discussing what they are studying. Moshe emphasizes the Land over and over, and as we prepare to go back there from practices very foreign to it, we can stand to hear much reiteration as well. After having been away for so long, we can appreciate it even more. Inheritance: "what flows down", related to the Hebrew word for a seasonal river. It is how we receive what we have a right to. What qualifies us as legal inheritors of the Land? First, leaving Egypt. The first step out of Egypt was to gather back together in Goshen after having been scattered all over that land as slaves. The plagues pushed us to go back to the place where we had been free as guests to care for our flocks. It may take great crises again to push most of Israel back into community as a people, but now the door is open to do so voluntarily because it is the right time to become a true nation once again. Will we enjoy the comforts of Egypt so much that we wait until it is nearly too late to escape the plagues that are coming upon it? Our Egypt is not just sin, but the lawless Church, and even after we have left it, some of its doctrines (invented to maintain its power base) still have a hold on us. Take possession: or "take it over" (including the sense of dispossessing whomever was there previously). It is not enough just to settle, as we see in the Land today. We are not called to have compassion on those YHWH calls His enemies. Settle: connotes permanence (being "planted" as Amos 9:15 says). He does not say to borrow it or live there as squatters on land owned by someone else. As we will see below, Israelites have no permanent claim to any other place, and will not truly be able to settle down or be at rest anywhere else, so Israel must take authority over it all, or we will continue to be overrun by enemies. Part of the tribe of Yehudah is already there, as a preamble and example, but though it is a huge step, it is far from the fullness. They are proving to have a difficult time holding onto it all without the rest of Israel. It is like trying to drive the engine of a car; you need the rest of the car to make it function properly. This particular command still stands; it has not gone anywhere. We cannot all come there until it is time; when we are able to settle and practice Torah fully, we will know it is YHWH's salvation and that it is time to go. When He again makes it available, our job will again be to come in, seize, and settle. If we skip any of the steps, including driving out those who have occupied it, we are still outside of the Torah. Living on the ground there is not living in the Land:

From the very first crops we grow in the Land, we will need to do this, so let's get in practice now. Do not partake of any until we have given Him His share, which acknowledges that He is the one who provided it all. Again we see that though we are already in the Land, we are not finished going. Ground: or soil. This is contrasted with the Land (or territory). The Hebrew word for "ground" is adamah, which is related to "Adam", for he was made from it. All men come from Adam, but only those given an inheritance by YHWH will live in His Land. Right now, until it is rendered holy again, it is merely adamah. YHWH's inherited portion is His people, and until the physical and allegorical come together (which we pray will be soon), the Land of Israel is wherever His people are, and loving them is where our focus must be. Eretz Israel does not really exist until Israel takes possession of it; right now it is to some degree Eretz Yehudah, but Yehudah is losing its grip on it. Beginning: first or best. Giving the firstfruits symbolizes giving our whole selves to YHWH. The basket: a particular one. Which one? The only other place this word for basket (tene') appears in Scripture is in the blessings and cursings of chapter 28. It is mentioned in conjunction with kneading-bowls, and the emphasis seems to be on what one uses to collect the fruit initially to brig it home for processing. The same vessel is used to bring some of it all the way home to YHWH. How big a basket should we bring? That depends how generous we are. It is up to us.

"Your" Elohim? The high priest's? Why not "our Elohim"? Because now that we are in a fruitful place, YHWH's particular provision for the Levitical priest can be realized. Arrived in: or, attained to. These are the firstfruits of having taken possession of the Land. We are not fully "in the Land" until we bear fruit. The firstfruits show that we are fully engaged and possessing the Land. We are required to say something to mark the significance of the occasion, for it has to do with more than literally being on Israeli soil. Even if we have been there for a long time, the day we say this is the day we have come into the Land in a new sense. And though we are not there yet, we should be preparing for that day by practicing the conscious submission to YHWH of our firstfruits, whether that means making the decision that our natural selfish inclinations will not own us today, that YHWH will come before any other claims on us when they compete, or giving Him the best of our time and resources. This will change us and refocus us on where we are headed. Putting Him first now will also help earn us the right to dwell in His Land in the first place. Some church denominations are boycotting the exportrs of this Land because they do not believe Yehudah is supposed to be there. But by rejecting the fruits of this Land, they prove that they are not on YHWH's side.

In front of the altar: It is not to be burned or cooked on the altar like meat offerings. These are vegetables. But though it is still not in its final place, there is again an altar being built, so soon there will be a possibility of actually doing this again.

Aramean: The Aramaic Targum Onqelos identifies this as Lavan, Yaaqov's uncle, who used up every ounce of his energy for his own purposes (Gen. 31:40), but YHWH did not want his name mentioned in this context, because though his name suggests purity, he did not live up to it, and instead cheated him. He is a picture of the church, which promises us one thing but delivers another, and enslaves us. The more we serve it, the more it takes. Yaaqov left because he was being taken advantage of; if he had stayed, he would soon have had nothing left. Stayed as a guest: or sought hospitality. By making this affirmation we are identifying with Yaaqov, the captivity he fell under, and YHWH's deliverance of him.

Both Aram and Egypt became the most fruitful places when Yaaqov was in them, but such fruitfulness intimidates others. In Egypt, they tried to kill us because they thought we were getting too strong.

The concept of an elohim paying closer attention when called by his true name is what led the Babylonians to avoid speaking the names of their gods, because they were afraid of being watched too closely. The Jews wrongly borrowed this practice when they returned from captivity, and made the speaking of YHWH's Name taboo. The Hasmoneans put an end to this, but then the Rabbinic authorities reinstated it and by Yahshua's day speaking YHWH's Name was considered the only blasphemy worthy of death.

Here is another declaration: "This is who I am." Coming into the Land is connected with bringing forth our history--where we came from to get here. Even Lavan recognized that our fruitfulness came from YHWH's blessing, and He tried to co-opt that blessing for his own use.

The Land is not just the soil but its character. One has not fully inhabited this Land until he keeps its laws. No one who does not keep the Torah may remain there. But returning to the Torah is also the first stage of re-entering the Land, and if we are faithful in this, we may proclaim boldly that the Land is ours.

Why is it fruit of the ground (adamah) again, and not of the Land? Because when YHWH is our priority, we return to the place Adam once was. He was in the presence and will of YHWH, and when we uphold our end of the covenant, we will be too. The Land is not just the soil but its character. One has not fully inhabited this Land until he keeps its laws. No one who does not keep the Torah may remain there. But returning to the Torah is also the first stage of re-entering the Land, and if we are faithful in this, we may proclaim boldly that the Land is ours. Leave it before YHWH: If we read this the way Christians read the New Testament, then the text is saying that the priest--or the altar--is YHWH and should be worshipped! But what it is really saying is that while the priest sets it before the altar, only you can set it before YHWH. You do that by making this declaration. Bringing the firstfruits is not enough; it must be announced. Christianity emphasized witness, but this is supposed to be Israel's focus, with a different flavor: "Look at the fruit! It came from YHWH, I took responsibility for it, and here it is. The witness is given in Israel, not on the street corners of the world at large. Others are fully welcome to come and watch, but there are no big signs advertising it. Those who are drawn to search it out can see it. Our lamp is to be put on a lampstand, not paraded through the city where the wind can blow it out. Me: This time the reference to self is positive, not negative, for it reflects the fact that this is not only about our ancestors but of each of us today as well. If there is much strength in the words, "This is what YHWH has done!", there is even more when we add "for me and through me." YHWH interacts with His people! He is not just a cosmic force out there. "He took the likes of me and did this!" That really gives Him credit. He rarely chooses diamond-encrusted platinum vessels through which to work; He chooses the foolish things of the world. A great modern rabbi said, "The greatest enemy of Israel is false humility." If He is truly with uis, can we ever say, "I could never do that?" The Hebrew word for humble means "lowered", but that is easily misunderstood. It is not groveling, but being grounded--having our feet firmly on the ground, understanding who we truly are, both in our strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what we excel at (so that we will be sure to stand up and volunteer when the job needs to be done and teach others how to do the same) and where we do not (where we need others' help and their example and teaching to gain more strength). If you are a tea pitcher, do not claim to be just a slop jar. There is a fine line towalk, for we must do this without selfishness. To be sure we do not take it too far, the ceremony ends with bowing down, to keep it all in the right context: "Here is my fruit, but there is nothing that compares with You!" And "me" also is the terminology of one man, for we cannot get back to the Land until we are unified. By second Temple times, the procedure here was to take the basket of firstfruits from an oxcart and place it on the shoulder when arriving at the Temple Mount, whereupon the Levites would chant Psalm 30:1. While the basket remained on his shoulder, the donor recited verse 3. When he reached verse 5, he would take the basket down and hold it by its rim. A cohen would put his hand beneath the basket and wave it while he recites the entire confession through verse 10, then place the basket beside the altar, bow, and depart. (Mishnah Bikkurim 3:2-6)

This is a celebration of being in a Land where we can be fruitful and not be penalized for it. Everywhere Israel has gone, it has been condemned for bearing fruit, and the nations still try to do so now. Now we are here, and no one is opposing our fruitfulness; here is the fruit to prove it. We made others' fruit greatly increase (in Aram and Egypt), but now we have fruitfulness of our own, and we thank Him for the increase. Everywhere else, fruitfulness caused us trouble, but here it is a source of great joy. If YHWH has blessed you, He has also inherently blessed the Levite and sojourner if you are obeying the Torah, because you are to provide for them. When you are fruitful, he gets to eat too. Sojourner: one who is among Israelites to learn about their faith, or in the process of becoming an Israelite. We share our blessings with both those who teach us and those who have come along to learn.

"Pure, undefiled religion" includes caring for widows and orphans in their affliction. (Yaaqov 1:27) Of course, a widow is only truly one if she has no grown children to support her. An orphan would still inherit whatever land his father had, and he would have uncles or other relatives to ensure that it was properly farmed if he was too young to do so himself. Except for debt, there would thus be few truly needy people in a land based so strongly on extended-family and tribal units and agriculture. The focus shifts slightly here. We are no longer speaking of firstfruits, but tithes. Third year: This actually incorporates all the tithes in the three-year cycle, for there is not one tithe in Israel, but three. All the tithing that the church drums up by manipulation can therefore not compare to what YHWH really requires. The first mention of the tithe (that is, a tenth) is when Avram voluntarily tithed to his teacher, Melkhitzedeq (whom most identify with Shem), in celebratiuon of the fact that he had recovered his nephew and all the inhabitants of S'dom from five kings that kidnapped them. (Gen. 14:14ff) Though Avram refuised any of the plunder for himself, he accepted 10% of it so that YHWH could have his due. The first of the three tithes is given to the Levites to be distributed as needed. This is not done in the place where all Israel gathers, but in the Levitical cities in each region. (Num. 18:20ff) The Levites then give a tenth of this tenth (or 1% of what you have grown) to the priests as their own tithe--and the priests' portion must be the best 10%. The priests are permitted to eat this food anywhere but only with those in their household, including their slaves. They are not permitted to serve it to anyone else who might be their guest. If one finds that he does not have enough left to feed his family, but can afford to do so, he can redeem this tithe, but for a 20% fee. He cannot do the same with an animal he is bringing to YHWH. (Lev. 27:30ff) The second tithe is not given to anyone else, but saved up to be eaten at the festivals YHWH has commanded Israel to attend. (Deut. 12:17ff) We eat it, but it is still YHWH's; it must be eaten in His presence, and must again be shared with the Levites. This ensures that we can truly have a feast at His festivals. If the fruit is too much to bring, it can be sold and the money used to purchase food at the festival site. Whatever is in season can be brought to each festival. The third tithe is taken only once every three years. It is not given to the Levite storehouses this time, but is stored up in one's own gates--his own town. It is for the needy in your own town and the foreigners or outsiders who come to visit there. The elders of the city are aware of who needs most, and they divide it out as needed, and store it up to be sure it is available for three years. Grain found at Matsada was still edible after 1,900 years, so it could certainly be safely stored for three years. It is also used to feed one's local Levites who teach or serve as scribes. (Deut. 14:27ff) This averages out to 23% of one's increase, in addition to the firstfruits and the corners of the field that one leaves for widows, orphans, and strangers. Of course, the grain would be brought to the storehouse in a form ready to be eaten, possibly leavinbg the grinding into flour to be done by the recipient. Those truly needy, such as the blind, were even assigned a specific place to sit and beg, so that they could honorably be doing something when they could do nothing else. They provided those whose hearts were telling them to give with an outlet for that giving, for, as Yahshua said, the poor will always be with us; to be poor is not dishonorable, but laziness always is. The giving may open doors of understanding to the giver that would otherwise remained closed to him. If we all try to outgive one another for the right reasons, we will all do very well. When we make the trip to that place during the pilgrimage festivals, we swear that we have indeed fulfilled this order:

Consecrated things: They never were ours to start with, and to keep them in one's house too long is a form of robbery from YHWH. (Mal. 3:8) We are given them first so that we can share in the truth that it is "more blessed to give than to receive". (Acts 20:35) Notice all the components: one has not just set aside his tithe, but has actually made sure it got into the right hands. He has not done too much or too little. Not forgotten: a frequent warning in this book (4:9; 4:23; 25:19, etc.). To hold any back would be to rob Elohim. (Mal'akhi 3:8) This can neither be an intentional nor unintentional error; otherwise, it must be atoned for on Yom Kippur, for this is in regard to the "holy things". But if we have not transgressed, doesn't that already mean we have remembered His commands? But a key element of "not forgetting" is recounting His commands to the next generation. "Forget" also means to misplace or ignore. We are now in the process of putting the misplaced commands back where they belong: on our lips and in our hearts.

In my guilt: literally, panting--i.e., one had such passion for the taste of the food that he forgot it was set apart and ate it. But the term usually has the connotation of mourning, affliction, or exerting oneself in vain, and the next two items go along with that. Unclean use: not just "profane" (ordinary) but defiled, ritually impure. This would probably mean for the purpose of idolatry, or for other selfish use. For the dead: as a pagan ritual. As You have commanded me: Note the similarity to what Yahshua said in one of his final recorded prayers. (Yochanan 17:4)

One is saying, "I did what I was told; I did not leave anything out." This was said on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 4th and 7th years of the Sabbatical cycle. (Mishnah Maaser Sheni 5:10) This is after each cycle of three years is completed. The seventh year, no official crop is grown (the land is left fallow and anyone may eat of what grows on its own), so no tithes apply during that year. It is a scary thought to claim one has been absolutely faithful with every kernel for the past three years, and this is one of the few times when the focus is on the individual: He has lived up to YHWH's expectations for him. If we did not do it correctly, we cannot claim this blessing. We must evaluate ourselves so we will not come under condemnation. If we are prone to forget, we are responsible to put systems in place to remind us, and that will often include enlisting others to remind us. We must discipline ourselves to do it correctly, so we must begin learning before we enter the Land, when the expectation will be fully upon us. Train your children now. But this also behooves us not to make YHWH's commands into something too complicated for any simple farmer to keep track of, placing unnecessary burdens on any. (Mat. 23:4) But we will feed the needy, for we must uphold the reputation of YHWH's generous Land.

The way to arrive in the Land is to begin doing today what we are commanded to do when we arrive there. With all your heart: Make this your ambition! The tithes all have to do with agricultural produce, and YHWH does not explicitly require us to transfer the concept to our financial earnings, though our hearts would tell us to do so. Doing something that approximates it in our context is a way to remember what to do when we get back into the full context of Israel, so it will come naturally then, for there will be a Levitical priesthood again; YHWH promiused it to Pin'has. YHWH does not need what we have; we need to give! It may be what we need to get us past the walls we are facing, and it does grant us better understanding if it is done for that reason.

Declared: or "had YHWH promise"--a causative phraseology that was typical covenant- affirmation language. Aramaic, "You have selected YHWH". And He has selected you. Listen [and obey]: carrying out the orders to the letter alone is not enough; hearing what He is saying through them is His real goal.

Particular treasure: has the connotation of being a special jewel locked or securely hidden away from everyone else. This emphasizes the holiness for which He had designed this "uncommon" people, who are not to be considered just another of the nations. 1 Kefa/Peter 1 speaks of an inheritance reserved for us in heaven (Yahshua said that was where no corrupting force from earth could affect it), to be revealed (on earth) in the end times. Chapter 4 calls us living stones that are precious to YHWH. But the whole people is the treasure. We keep His commandments not just for our own sake, but for the benefit of all Israel.

Highest: the same term as a name used of Himself: elyon. Praise: a "shining song", or even a "boast that seems foolish"; renown: "name, reputation, glory"; beauty: "glory and honor, gleaming splendor". We had this under David and Shlomoh, and can have it again if we will live the Torah. No longer will people look to the superpowers as their example, but to Israel. This is the final result if we do our part. He has already provided the pattern for us to enter into; it is up to us to start molding ourselves to it.

CHAPTER 27

Elders: not necessarily the oldest, but the most experienced. Those whom the individual Israelites knew more directly stood in clear solidarity with what he said. These leaders of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000 had been established many years before this, so now that Moshe has told them he is not going into the Land with them, although Y'hoshua will be the new leader, it is important that the people change their focus from the words of Moshe to the instructions of their leaders, all based, of course, on his instruction. Among returning Israel today, there is a great hesitancy both to be led and to to be looked to for leadership because of the culture that surrounds us. But if everyone did what was right in his own eyes, we would not stay in the Land very long. The pattern established here shows that we need “pushy” leaders who command us to keep the Torah and set an example by their own lives. Of course this means there is an expectation on leaders to walk a straight path, but that is what Israel needs. Acts 15 uses “Moshe” as an idiom for the Torah which he wrote, so today's leaders must be seen to be standing with Moshe as well. These words are as much for today as they were for this time over 3,000 years ago. We are here to tell all Israel that, despite much teaching to the contrary, in YHWH's opinion we can live according to the Torah. Though surrounded by many others, Moshe says “I am giving”, because they are one united voice. When this is not the case, the people will try to play one leader against another, and follow only those who say what they want to hear. When we lead according to YHWH's instruction through him, Moshe's life continues. If his teaching is alive in our lives, his energy still affects the world. Guard: literally protect with a hedge--i.e., make sure these commands are adhered to. The Hebrew word for “commandment” is related to the word for “army”, so it has the connotation of being marching orders. We must all march according to the same orders: the simplicity of the Torah without so many opinions stated as facts. The leaders must show us how to march together, examining themselves, and then saying, “Follow me”, rather than sitting in a bunker and watching the battle on a TV screen. The whole commandment: Not just the parts we are comfortable with or what makes sense to us; all of it is necessary to get a complete picture of YHWH, His will, and His ways. Today: We need to see the Torah as being given to us afresh each morning.

In the day: It certainly did not occur the same day they crossed over, but it says “day” rather than “time” because they were not to delay any more than they had to in order to fight their way through to that spot. They would not get to Mt. Eval until after two military victories (Y'hoshua 8), but this was as soon as possible after their minimal conquest. He is emphasizing that it is this audience who must do it, not someone else sometime during the next generation. Whitewash: or coat with plaster, so the uncut stones (v. 6) could be written upon. (v. 3, 8) In ancient times--actually for thousands of years--to make the plaster required heating the limestone until it is brittle, crushing it, and mixing it with water.

All the words: Not just the ten commandments, but the specifics expounded on throughout the rest of the Torah--the purity laws, property laws, instructions for the Sabbath and Festivals, etc. YHWH is in these details. We have to know them, but more; we have to be them. They determine our priorities, whom we marry, what we eat, etc., for the purpose of setting us apart to Him. With several million people present, the whole Torah could be written fairly quickly. Indeed, it is the job of all Israel to be a witness to the words of YHWH. As individuals, we cannot keep the whole Torah, but as a community we can. (30:14; Yirmeyahu/ Jer. 11:1ff) Such stones were always set up as a reminder or recognition of something that took place at that site. They are a picture of the living stones that all Israel is to be. The word for “stones” is related to “sons”, because they are the building-blocks of the household and of all Israel. Our job is to cover them and etch the Torah into them. When you cross over: A river is the perfect place to get stones that we can be reasonable sure have never been altered by iron tools. (The Temple Institute recently collected stones from a remote part of the Dead Sea for this reason.)

Round stones need mortar to fit together. The same lime as used for plaster might have been used for mortar. The mortar in YHWH's temple is our love and commitment to one another. Yahshua said men would know that we are his because of this love--because it makes us into one structure. The Torah can only be written on round stones (v. 8) when all are joined together. Mt. Eval is 3,084 feet (940 meters) above sea level, and is on the north side of the city of Sh'khem (called Nablus by the Arabs today, but the Jews still call it Sh'khem). Mt. Grizim is on the south side, and is about 194 feet (59 meters) lower than Mt. Eval, which is one of the highest peaks in central Israel. The Samaritan version of the text says Grizim (the other mountain at Sh'khem as seen below), and that is where they built their temple. One of the two communities of the 712 remaining Samaritans still live at this site. These do not appear, then, to be the same as the twelve stones (Y'hoshua 4) set up at the place of crossing (Beyth-Abarah), for they still seem to have been in place at the time Yochanan had his immersion site there. (Yochanan 1:28) They may have been picked up at the same time, however.

The rules are the same as for the sanctuary altar. It would be very hard to write legibly on it until plastered. It is not a separate stone standing alone; that was a common form of pagan worship. It parallels what the Church has done with “Jesus”, making him the sole focus and an object of worship, when he kept saying that he was not here to do his own will but his Father's. He is the cornerstone, but not a stand-alone. Instead, we must all have the Torah in common. This altar has been located by archaeologists, and is largely intact. Adam Zertal, who excavated it, writes, “This is the first time a complete Israelite cultic center, including an altar for burnt offerings, is available for study. Thanks to King Josiah's and King Hezekiah's activities in breaking up the "high places," only two small altars for burnt offerings have been discovered in Israel, one in 'Arad and the other (discovered no longer intact) in Beer-Sheba, and both date relatively late. The altar on Mt. 'Ebal is not only the most ancient and complete altar, but also the prototype of the Israelite burnt offering altar of the First and Second Temple periods. The Mesopotamian architectural influence on the structure of the altar is also very interesting, both in its stepped construction and in the orientation of its corners to the north, south, east, and west…A ramp of unhewn stones, 4 feet wide by 23 feet long, rises to the top of the platform from the southwest. The gentle incline, easily climbed and the presence of the ramp itself accord with the explicit scriptural injunction: 'Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered thereon' (Exodus 2:23).” It had another ramp up to the surrounding ledge, like the second-Temple altar.

Undamaged stones: Hirsch, "intact stones"; LXX and Aramaic, "whole stones"--those that have not been reshaped by human tools. A chisel (v. 5) often cracks the stone, making it useless, and YHWH does not want any of His people ruined by the teachings of men. The Temple was built of stones that were cut, but not at the site of the Temple. In every case--here, in the Tabernacle, both Temples, and the Maccabean rededication, the altar was built and/or in use before the rest of the Temple was. Thus it represents "forerunners" in the restoration of Torah to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel, who because of the trail they are blazing, may be required to be more strictly pure in doctrine and practice, in order to be an example to others who may follow later. It suggests the same theme as in 2 Timothy 2:21 in which one's position in the "house" of the Master is determined by how thoroughly he cleanses himself from impurities after having been selected to be some sort of vessel for that house. These people become a place for others to come to draw near to YHWH, for the offerings cooked on it are not called “sacrifices” in Hebrew, but “drawings-near”. Ascendings: by building this altar, we are able to take another step higher, again coming closer to YHWH.

Peace offerings: from the same root word as "undamaged” stones (v. 6), so there is a play on words; the term means “complete”. Wholeness is indeed what we want to offer up to YHWH. After all the trouble it takes to carry the stones, find limestone, mix the mortar, build the altar, and plaster it over, we get to put it to use, having a party with plentiful meat and bread to celebrate who we are, who YHWH is, and what He has done. This type of offering is spontaneous, not mandated, but when we feel a need to give, we should not ignore it. We never know what doors we may open by responding to that urge. Many are clamoring for the rebuilding of the Temple, but first must come the altar, the place for laying self aside. Rejoice: literally, "brighten up". This and 26:11 are probably the basis for Sha'ul's statement that "YHWH loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7) The procedure and "script" for the peace offering are found in Psalm 116. This altar was not for sin offerings. It seems like it therefore could still be used even after the altar was centralized (at Shiloh, Beyth El, and ultimately Yerushalayim), because we never see the Tabernacle being stationed at this location. Since this is in Torah, it seems we have a standing command to build an altar there again too. And now that it has been located, we have found that it remains half-built, so once the Land dispute has been resolved, it would be a very simple matter to rebuild it on exactly the same site!

It is possible that they wrote the Torah out twice--once on the standing stones, and once on this altar. The "letter of the Torah" is written on the mountain of cursing. (v. 13) Indeed, Sha'ul (Paul) speaks of the letter "killing", while the spirit gives life. (Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6) He also literally says that the handwriting of threatened judgments therein that was our adversary was "whitewashed over" (atoned for) by Yahshua's blood so the Torah becomes our friend instead of our tyrant (Colossians 2:14), teaching us the underlying principles of reality rather than just telling us that we will be punished if we disobey. (See note on v. 26.) An analogy would be the point at which we learn WHY our parents told us not to touch a hot stove--it was for our own benefit! Write: A whitewashed wall in itself has no content; it tells no one anything. Torah, however, explains what Israel is to be. This altar was centrally located in the Land and told anyone who wished to sojourn in that Land what kind of lifestyle they were obligated to live if they did. There may have also been a similar sign set up at the borders of Israel, serving notice to sojourners, traders, etc., of the restrictions placed on them when passing through the Land, to warn them not to try to sell idols to Israel, etc. The problem is that with use or age it would fade, crumble, or be eroded away by wind and rain, exposing the bare rocks again until we no longer know what they bore witness to. So the writing would have to be renewed often as a built-in memory aid. It is incumbent on each generation to “re-cover” that to which the words bore witness so we can continue to fulfill our side of the covenant. This way they are no longer only the words of our forefathers; it is our commitment as well. Plain: from the same word for a well, which is full of water, another picture of the Torah. But the root word means to be distinct or clear--that is, “write it large and keep it simple enough for everyone to understand”; it should not be overspiritualized or other-worldly. Of course there are deeper levels on which to understand it, but if we are not carrying it out literally, we are not doing the Torah. It is available for all to read, not hidden away as the Catholic Church did so that it could control how much people could hear; Jews, on the other hand, always encouraged literacy so the whole community could read the Torah. All: Thus, other than some visions of what the tabernacle was to look like, Moshe did not receive any instruction other than what was written down. Oral tradition does give us some of the “how-to's” that Scripture does not detail, but it does not have the same authority; if it is given that, it actually freezes the halachah (way to walk) at one point in history, while it was meant to remain fluid so that each community in each generation could interpret the authoritative Word in the ways most suitable for their particular needs. People who have not been shaped only by the water of the Word itself, but were once carved by men's doctrines to fit their agendas, can let themselves be put back into the "river" of the Water of the Word and the edges washed away so they can be suitable to be part of this altar as well. Thankfully, it need not take as long with a human heart as with a stone. (Compare Y'hezq'el 36:25-27.)

With these words the covenant is being ratified before they enter the Land, so they are fully responsible for all of it once they (and we) get there. Now it is the priests and Levites, rather than the elders, who are sayingthe same thing as Moshe. They are the ones who are the teachers, and who judge cases too hard for the other elders. Be silent: or "pay attention". Forget your own opinions, which only demonstrate our foolishness. Wisdom is to not answer too hastily, but slow down and approach carefully. We need to also practice inward quietness, silencing our thoughts so we can clean our own lives out of His vessel. People today have great difficulty with this, not because they have “attention-deficit disorder” or schizophrenia/ bipolar syndrome, but because they have never been disciplined enough to calm their minds. Over-stimulation leads to very short attention spans, even though studies have shown that “multitasking” actually slows efficiency, contrary to today's logic. Even when we stop talking outwardly, most of us keeping a conversation going in our heads, and have a hard time truly listening to what others are saying, let alone YHWH's still, small voice:

No excuses or opinions are needed; just obey and learn from His instructions. We will not hear His voice properly if we are not studying His instruction (torah).

12. "These [are the tribes who] shall stand on Mount G'rizim to bless the people after you have crossed the Yarden: Shim'on, Levi, Yehudah, Issachar, Yoseyf, and Binyamin.

These are all sons of Yaaqov's true wives, including both of Rachel's only sons. So Yaaqov, too, like Avraham, had sons of the curse and sons of the blessing. (Galatians 4) There are twelve curses and twelve blessings, just as there are twelve tribes.

The altar, interestingly, is on the mountain of the curse. Re'uven lost his birthright due to disobedience toward the principle now codified in v. 20; the other son of Leah who is here is Z'vulun, and he may have been placed here so that both of Rachel (his truest wife)'s sons can represent the blessings, because Yoseyf's stone on the high priest's breastplate was the same as the stones on his shoulders. Sh'khem, the town which sits between the two "shoulders" of these mountains, means "shoulder" or "upper back", which bears the body's burdens, and the high priest carried the names of all the sons of Israel on his shoulders. The first two sons mentioned in v. 12 slaughtered the whole town of Sh'khem. (Gen. 34)

The males have a particular responsibility to train their households in the way of YHWH. How much they are willing to put into learning the Torah and training the rest of the family in it holds a special key to what extent these blessings and curses will come upon them. Respond: The Levites were on the mountain opposite those pronouncing the curse (vv. 12-13), suggesting that those on the other mountain would repeat the same phrases back across the valley antiphonally.

This is very plain, like the words on the plaster: If you do this, you will be cursed. Imagine how the media would look down their noses at these priests in our own day. But it is not so much that YHWH will respond by cursing those who do these things as that these things are already a curse to those who do them. They have already cursed themselves. No one is forced to enter into Torah, but we have just eaten from YHWH's altar, and this is a statement that we agree with what is written on it. If we do not, we should not be eating the peace offering. A halfway commitment innately brings a curse, because, as when one enters a gateway in the Temple complex, he has already taken on the sanctity of the court it leads into.If we enter in at all, we must walk in it. We are not perfected overnight; it is a process, but the commitment to get it right must be present. If you say you are about Torah, you must play around, or you will get huirt and destroy your family. “Amen” means "This is firmly true and verified; so may it be established." Hidden place: or, disguised place, hinting at a conscious intent, though when Rakhel hid her family idol under her saddle, it was probably so engrained in her from her youth that she saw nothing wrong with serving YHWH and also having idols simultaneously. This is how paganism was underhandedly sneaked into what came to be called the Church--by changing the names of foreign gods, rituals, and symbols, putting them into what sounded like a more biblically-oriented context. And idolatry is very often disguised under a genuine respect for Yahshua as the one YHWH anointed, confusing him with YHWH Himself. Comparatively few people actually bow down to physical images anymore, but there are many things we bow to that no one sees. His first command was to love Him with all that we are, and not give that type of love to any other. But He wants us to express it by taking care of one another (vv. 16-25):

Dishonors: or esteems them lightly, makes light of them, not giving weight to their words or taking them as authoritative. This applies in Israel; if they are still steeped in idolatry, they are not Israel. Even children who are too old to spank are expected to take their parents seriously. Listen to their experience, or you will hurn--the hard way. It also does not say his “parents”, but his father or mother; he must listen to both. He does not get to pick what one says and ignore the other. In the broader sense, it includes the one who does not take seriously the fact that he is already under a curse because of his very first ancestors' sin. Yahshua said our "mother" was now the ones who do the will of his Father. We must not take this lightly. And our ultimate Father is YHWH, our foremost authority; we must not take His Name lightly--either by failing to use it or by "taking it in vain".

Moves: displaces or shifts the neighbor's property line marker (to one's own advantage). This is just one more example of loving one's neighbor as oneself. But it goes beyondlanmdmarks. Teaching others to ignore even the smallest of YHWH's commands is also moving our neighbor's boundary.

This certainly applies in a literal sense, but also includes those who take advantage of people's spiritual ignorance or biblical illiteracy for their own gain or cause a "weaker brother", who looks to you as his example, to stumble. (1 Cor. 8) What we sow we will reap, so YHWH does not even have to be directly involved in bringing this curse about. It applies to those who have no understanding because the light that is in them is really darkness. They think they can see clearly, but they are really blind, because they have only been taught doctrine. but On the road: Psalm 18:20-21 says YHWH rewards us for keeping His way. Teaching lies to those who do not yet know how to test the truth of your statements keeps the light of Torah from people who are unable to stay on the path by themselves.

Influences: to in any way change the "shape" of a just ruling as it would be handed down for the native of the land, if the one being judged is a foreigner. These are the only people who have no inheritance at all in the Land. YHWH insists that we treat the powerless as well as the powerful. If we do not, he may leave the Landone day and give an evil report so that the Landis again seen to be devouring its inhabitants.

His father's extremities: the Aramaic interpretation is "reveals his father's shame", but literally it says "his father's wings", which suggests that this somehow renders vulnerable YHWH's "Body" itself. Who is His body but the community who "flees under His wings for protection" (Psalm 91:4). The tribe of Re'uven, whose own ancestor had violated this command and was indeed cursed for it by Ya'aqov, was one of the tribes that had to pronounce this curse! But there are twelve curses here; was each a reference to a particular tribe's tendencies? YHWH left the “how” of the curse open,because it depends to what degree this was intentional, rebellious, etc., but the individual curses will not be pronounced by a court, but in the spirit realm. One is opening the door for evils in the heavenlies to come in, measure for measure.

No “because” is needed here!

23. "'Cursed is [any man] who lies with his mother-in-law.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'

There are several forms of incest listed. We need orderin our families, for if your uncleis also your brother, the authority structure will get very confusing.

The only way one could literally strike another down secretly would be to sneak up on him. But it can also mean “under cover”--deceiving him into being taken advantage of in any way. Thus "back-stabbing", gossip, and "character assassination" are certainly included in this sin. Whispering is harder to ignore than a shout. That is worse than a direct punch in the face.

If he is not innocent, the court will strike him down. The main point here is to not pervert justice formoney, whether one is the judge or the witness. This is the most extreme case. The curses are elaborated on, but the blessing is not detailed! But these (including v. 26) are essentially “twelve commandments” stated in a negative way; we can deduce the positive blessings by turning them around. Some are the same as the “ten words”, while some add more detail: Blessed are those who (1) do worship only YHWH; (2) honor their father and mother; (3) do respect their neighbors' boundaries; (4) give proper direction to the blind; (5) give the sojourner, fatherless, or widow right rulings/justice; (6) do “drink water from their own well” (at the right times); (7) are fruitful by letting Israel multiply rather than wasting seed; (8) respect the vulnerability of those closest to them; (9) keep the right things distinct and do not cause confusion; (10) if they must oppose someone, do so openly; (11) are righteous in financial dealings; and who (12) do uphold the Torah, not just in word, but by carrying it out. A few blessings do appear in chapter 28, and some scholars believe these two lists are what was most likely to have been written on the stones. (See Peake's Commentary on the Bible.) Or we might speculate that just chapter 6 (the core commands) were written thereon, if there was not room for all five books of the Torah.

Uphold: or ratify, establish, apply, implement an already-existing authority. It is our job not just to hear the Torah, but to let it change our walk and makesure it is raised up for all Israel to see, for if we do it we will live. (Lev. 18:15) The priests and the whole nation formed a great cloud of witnesses. Yirmeyahu (11:1ff) and Y'hezq'el (18:26ff) upheld the fact that we would not be cursed if we turn back to Torah. It often appears that Paul did not uphold it, but he actually did say, “Amen”. He says Yahshua is the goal of the Torah (not the “end” in the sense of being a thing of the past) But then he seems to contrast 'the righteousness of faith” with that (Rom. 10:6), and in the very same context, he enlists Moshe (the author of the Torah) as the primary witness to uphold his argument! What he means is that despite what Yehudah, our past sins, or the weakness of our flesh may say, we can do Torah, and its point is to make Yahshua the King. It's about both Yehudah and Israel accepting Him as rightful heir to the throne, after first establishing a kingdom worthy of having Him rule over it. What is a kingdom without a king? A curse! (See the book of Judges.) All of us in the Northern Kingdom had ancestors who completely gave up on continuing in the Torah (instruction), but everyone has gaps in his obedience, so we are all under a curse, and therefore YHWH can have mercy on all of us. (Rom. 11:32) Yahshua redeemed us from this curse, “plastering it over” (Gal. 3:10ff), but taking this out of context has often caused the weak and ignorant to stumble by thinking Paul was contradicting both Torah and Yahshua, who said he did not come to do away with the Torah. (Mat. 5) But the weakness of the Torah (Rom. 7, 8) is that our flesh does not want to obey it. Keeping the Torah for the sake of self and personal gain (even reward from YHWH) is indeed a curse, but keeping it because it is what is best for the whole community of Israel brings great blessing (chapter 28). From Y'hoshua 8:33 tells us that rather than standing on the two mountains (as verses 12 and 13 specified), they only stood in front of the two mountains, to give the blessings and curses. Already they were deviating from Moshe's instruction. Though the mountains are two miles apart and logistically it seems difficult to see how they could hear each other if they did it the way he said, the fact that they apparently did not even try may have been what opened the door for the next generation to almost completely forget YHWH's instructions.

CHAPTER 28

Listen carefully: literally, listen listening, but the term means more than mere hearing; it includes paying attention, heeding, and obeying. The repetition of the same term in different forms is an idiomatic way of emphasizing that you are “really” listening. These words are not merely background noise or words to repeat. This is an active listening that does something about what one hears (Yaaqov 1:22ff)--a listening with the purpose of understanding every nuance and following the directions it gives. The Torah must change your understanding. It is a mirror into which we look to truly find ourselves--to see what a true Israelite looks like. Then we must not forget who we are. (1:25). Don't start building and then stop halfway. This is a survival kit for living in His Land, so when it is being handed out, do not let it pass you by. Do not waste anything you are taught. And keep holding onto it. Otherwise you will not even survive in His community on this side of the Promised Land. You will end up stranded with no one to bail you out. The way you become the highest nation is--to listen and know what's being said! That is not as tall an order as you might expect. It sounds pretty simple, and it is, but in our day it is still somewhat lofty because people are used to listening to their own hearts instead. It sounds like a promise, but there is a conditional clause as always. It is not so much a promise as a contract. This will only come to pass if we are careful to preserve the conditions by which we can carry them out. If we do, He will also come through with His part of the covenant. Be vigilant: The root word means to build a hedge around. Pay attention so you can carry it out, for very specific results are desired. If we do not, nothing is accomplished, and there is no covenant. Do not claim to be part of a covenant with YHWH if you are not carrying out the Torah. That is what the covenant is based on; “faith without works is dead.” A covenant is only in effect if both parties uphold it; if one side is broken, it is of no use. We are still signed up for the covenant, and if anyone tells you otherwise, see chapter 30. But we have not been carrying out all of it, so we cannot receive its benefits. It is a promise only if you are doing your part. When Torah is planted in our eyes and our ears, the fruit is to be action, not just words. Everyone has something to say, but who will do something about it? Otherwise it is not this covenant. We must discuss it and understand it, but to leave it at that is more dangerous than avoiding it altogether. We prove what we know by what we do. YHWH knows your heart through your fruit, and so can men. Has what we heard changed what we do? What have I done about what I read? Take steps to guard it from men who would nullify it by their teachings, opinions, or motives. Guard it from compromise. Memorizing it is the first step to hiding it in our hearts (Ps. 119:11), but this is not enough; it must be carried out. He tells us the same thing over and over, because He knows our tendency to forget to do it. The Torah is alive today--if we will live it out. Appoint you to be the highest: literally, give you the highest. We will be like the empires in Daniel and more, yet beneficial to all the other nations who capitulate to the Torah. How could it not improve them? Despite any tribute imposed on them, they would still come out far better than when left to their own trial and error, because this is the wise way to make any nation work. (4:6) the highest spot is the best place to set a light, but it also gives us the best vantage point. From there you can see the whole picture--just what men have been seeking all along. But again, it comes only when we obey. This applies not just to the grand scheme of going Home, but with each step, the more we hear and do, the more we ascend toward YHWH and the Kingdom, and the higher our point of view. From here, the “New testament” looks totally different, for we have a higher angle from which to survey it, as flying over a mountain range gives us a much better understanding of it overall than hiking it. Today: Our actions must change right away, not just when they are forced to. The voice: this is paralleled here with His commands. If you are not hearing from YHWH, have you opened His Word? Because any other revelation must be tested by that anyway. Test the voices in your mind to see if they line up with His Word, for the heart is deceitful (Yirm. 17:9). Most importantly, do not listen to beautiful-sounding voices that tell you that you no longer need to obey His commands. Christianity is still afraid His voice will kill them, but you need to understand even the commands you cannot obey personally, for you must support those who can obey them.

Blessings: literally, knee-bendings. It is easy to see how we can thus “bless” YHWH, but how does He bless us? As a parents bends down to listen to his small children, He will pay special attention to us if we obey. He takes an interest in us, and wants to pick us up and set us on a higher place so He can interact with us more eye-to-eye (v. 1). Catch up: They will chase you down! You will not be able to avoid being blessed! But don't expect the blessing to be low-level ones like a Cadillac or money in the bank; as we rise higher, our definition of blessing will become clearer. Ultimately they all point to living at peace in His presence in the Land of Israel. That is the top “landing”. Now He starts to list aspects of this:

This includes pretty much everywhere. In the city you see people; in the fields, there are few. But whether we gather together on the Sabbath, festival, or new moon, or whether we are at work alone, making a living, in the fields surrounding our Israelite city (and the field is also a picture of the world at large), He wants to be directly involved in our lives. And we need to be the same kind of people in either position.

All of these are our continuance. When we have more children, we can cultivate more fields and raise more livestock. If we listen and obey, He will bend down and make sure this fruitfulness comes to pass.

Basket: What we need to contain our fruitfulness. (See 26:2.) Kneading bowl: Also where the dough is allowed to rise; i.e., what we need in order to make our fruitfulness useful. Whether gathering our grain or making it edible, there will be no breakdown in the process. When both are full, we will be well fed. If the dough rises well, the texture of the bread is better, and it is more enjoyable to eat. He not only wants to give us enough to eat, but to eat well also.

Going out and coming in is an idiom throughout Scripture for military battles. (Y'hoshua 14:11; 1 Shmu'el 29:6) It is not enough to make us strong and fearless so that we will go willingly; we also need the skill to stay alive in battle so we can come home again!

They would come in as one unit, but run away as individuals.

9. "YHWH will establish you as a people set apart for Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you will guard YHWH's commandments and walk in His ways.

One thing He will not do is make us like the other nations; that is not a blessing! We have made the mistake too many times of wanting a king like them, etc. But He sees our being separate from all others as a desirable goal, for He does not want us to keep up with them, but to be better than they are.

The Name of YHWH is proclaimed upon you: or "you are called by YHWH's Name." Not another name or substitute title. Stand in awe: or "be afraid" (depending on whether they want to know the truth or not). They will consider us dangerous when we walk in Torah, and especially if we become as comfortable with the judgments as the blessings. This only makes it easier to separate the sheep from the wolves--or goats. They will try to kill us for the sake of that Name. (Luk. 21:16ff) But we are not to be afraid of them, or He will turn us over to them. (Yirm./Jer. 1:8ff; 1 Kefa 3:6)

We overflow so we can benefit many more people. The rest of this verse sounds just like verse 4, except here it says that not only will you have these things; you will have plenty of them! We need to be specific when we ask, so that we do not end up with only one or two of something rather than what we really need.

Treasure from the heavens is not a shower of gold coins or a castle coming down onto our lawn. In an agricultural view (which is the context intended for Israel), rain in season is one of the greatest blessings. It means our children will not starve, nor will we. If the Land bears well, its people will be strong and more intelligent. The greatest accomplishments and the greatest armies are traced to those with the greatest food supplies, and the more varied the diet the better. In ancient times, Israel was a land coveted because of its fertility, and though the Land had become ruined, the Israelis are getting the most out of every drop of water that is available. This treasure is not individual wealth, but corporate wealth based on making sure we all are fed. Yahshua gave a slightly different meaning to this concept by casting the heavens as a sort of bank where one could make deposits by giving away wealth on earth, and thus find that YHWH would pay "interest" on the "loan". (Mat. 6:20) Notice that we will be working in the Kingdom, not sitting on a cloud. Borrow: literally, be bound by them.

It is the elders and "exalted of face" (honored) who are defined as the head (Isa. 9:15). There were 144,000 elders of Israel, so those sealed in Rev. 14 may only be leaders of a larger group. There are also 24 elders around the throne, corresponding wit the 24 orders of priestly duty that David lined up. Prophets who teach lies as the tail. Amaleq attacked the weaker of the people, who were lagging in the rear--the tail. (25:17-18) Just as Amaleq is atheistic, believing only in fate and chance, so one who dares to prophesy lies cannot truly believe that he will be held accountable to YHWH.

Turning aside from the covenant includes not just to things that are obviously bad like murder or prostitution, but turning in the other direction--toward things which “seem right to a man”--morals that are nonetheless not in agreement with Torah or not required by it, things that make us feel positive about ourselves, that stroke our ego, but have no beneficial effect for those we are called to help. There are ditches on either side, so keep moving directly ahead instead.

Catch up with: or "overtake". Why are we back to curses already? We did curses in the last chapteyr! And we've only had a handful of blessings. Why this again? Because YHWH knows Israel's tendency to slack off on our part of the covenant, yet expect Him to keep His nonetheless. So He is showing us that we have no right to think that way; this mocks His Name. Contrary to what the Church told us, the curse is not in doing Torah, but in not doing it.

All the blessings will be directly reversed if we turn away from walking in the right direction.

18. "Cursed will be the fruit of your body, the fruit of your tilled soil, and the fruit of your livestock--[that is,] the offspring of your cattle and the increase of your sheep and goats.

The order of verses 4 and 5 are reversed here, because there is a cause-and-effect relationship in both directions. And increase is mentioned here because though our livestock bear young, they will be devoured by enemies (see below), so we will have no net increase.

If you are not blessed in your going out and coming in, you are not blessed at all, because you have lost the war. (See note on verse 6.)

Cursing: LXX, "want"; Aramaic, "calamity". Corruption: or rebuke; Hirsch, "the feeling of reproach".

22. "YHWH will strike you with a wasting lung disease, fever, and burning inflammation, with extreme heat, with the sword, with blight, and with mildew, and they will dog you until you have gotten lost.

Extreme heat: Hirsch, "parchedness". Gotten lost: gone astray or perished.

Sky: or heaven. I.e., your prayers will not be heard, but will "bounce back", nor will the ground respond to your cultivation. The soil will be too hard to work. But the more basic meaning is seen in verse 24. There will be no help from heaven or earth--exemplefied by Assyrian warfare that simultaneously attacks both you and those on whom you would naturally rely for help. Contrast the promise of the restoration despite His punishment in Isaiah/Yeshayahu 60:17.

Not only will the lack of rain leave the earth dusty; even more dust will be added from the sky! Dust and ashes, in an ironic twist, are what is used to symbolize mourning and repentance. Compare Mat. 5:4: "Blessed are they that mourn [over their sin], for they shall be comforted. This is what the second part of Yeshayahu (40-66) is all about.

26. "Your corpse will become meat for all [kinds of] fowls of the air and beasts of the earth, and no one will scare them away.

Avraham is the one who chased away the birds from the corpses of the animals by which YHWH cut the covenant with him. (Gen. 15) To forsake this covenant means we will no longer have the benefit of being under his covering, as we will forget that that is who we are.

To add insult to injury! And a constant itch is a real scourge--sometimes even worse than outright pain.

One example would be those who committed suicide when the stock market crashed. Blindness: This is why Yahshua's disciples asked him whether a blind man or his parents were the ones who sinned. (Yochanan/John 9:2) But in that case the man was blind only to demonstrate YHWH's power to heal. Bewilderment: or stupefaction. We certainly became stupid when we left the Torah, being unable to see many parts of Scripture any longer.

Robbed: despoiled or plundered. Gloomy darkness: or dusk. Why would it make any difference whether it was noon or dusk for a blind person? Because even if he was given his sight back, he still cannot see, because much of the darkness we experience we have brought on ourselves. Even in the light of day, there is no understanding if we have embraced the darkness. Homosexuality is called “a noble, brave” estate, though it by definition is unfruitful. And more money is put into AIDS research than to curing heart disease, because ethe former is the “noble cause”. We no longer see it as disgusting to treat dogs like children while our children live like dogs. We only perpetuate the blindness when we bail out those whose idol-worship has brought them to poverty. The word here for "blind" means someone who has skin growing over his eyes. As with cataracts, he can see some things, but not clearly. Paul saw his "scales" removed (Acts 9:18), but said most of Israel was still under a type of blindness (Rom. 11) and would be until the "fullness of the Gentiles" (the northern Kingdom of Efrayim, Gen. 48:19) returned. The Torah, though it is so simple, has been so blurred to us until this day when the curse is being lifted. No one to rescue: This is prescient of the refusal to allow Jews back into Israel at the time of the Holocaust, and the denial of entry in so many other lands to which they tried to escape the Third Reich. A ship took many Jews back to Germany because no other nations would accept them as refugees. They could not go anywhere that they could keep their wealth intact, though some were able to settle in third-world countries. Only those willing to give up their comfortable lifestyles to go to the Land when it was available but still undeveloped and primitive were allowed the open door until after the curse had run its course.

Those who have just betrothed a wife, built a house, or planted a vineyard are the ones who are exempt from going to war (24:5, etc.), yet the war will overtake them nonetheless. They will not have sufficient numbers to be able to afford to let these men stay home.

One eats of his slaughtered ox when he brings it as a sacrifice to YHWH; this may be a reference to them making sacrifices to other elohim, who do not allow men to participate in their feasts as YHWH does. But an ox was one's security, and even today we speak of a “bull market”. Many have had their “bulls” slaughtered in front of their eyes recently as home ownership and other “reliable” investments showed their true volatility.

This is even worse than losing one's house, for it is losing one's home. This is very sad, because He is not speaking to pagans, but to Israel. It is easier to measure among Jews, whose children have become Christians, secularists, or humanists. But our children become part of another people when they take on completely different values, losing all sense of what YHWH has defined as right and honorable.

Be exploited: Hirsch, "have your rights violated". How much of our debt is now owned by Muslim Saudi Arabians and atheist Chinese? The House of Yoseyf is reaping what we have sown.

This is the psychological collateral of all of these curses.

36. "YHWH will bring [both] you and the king that you set over you into a land with which neither you nor your ancestors have been familiar, and you will worship different elohim--wood and stone.

This occurred in the case of both northern (Israelite) and southern (Yehudahite) kings. (Yirm. 39; 2 Chron. 33:11)

A horror: Hirsch, "desolate". Byword: or taunt. Have you ever heard of "the wandering Jew"?

39. "You will plant vineyards and work them, but you will neither drink the wine nor gather [grapes], because the worms will eat them.

40. "You will have olive trees throughout all your territory, but will not anoint yourself with oil, because your olive tree will drop [its fruit] off.

We may appear well-to-do, but really not be.

42. "The locust will take possession of all your trees and [the] fruit of your Land.

43. "The alien who is in your midst will climb high above you, and you will descend far below [him].

Climb: or "be lifted". This seems to be repeating itself through the Palestinians today, whom modern Israel is being pressured to treat better than our own people--and many politicians comply because most are not directly interested in YHWH, and even the very religious often refuse to mention the name by which He revealed Himself, or find loopholes to get around obeying Him.

Even in Yehudah's diaspora, one professional her sons were permitted to engage in, even when hated and persecuted, was moneylending.

Note the repetition of the language used for the blessings that preceded.

Sign: Hirsch, "instructive wonder". I.e., it would teach us to repent, or teach others what to avoid. Until the age: often translated "forever", but since we are seeing repentance today in both houses of Israel, we know what the Father's attitude toward the prodigal son(s) will be. All this can be reversed if we only turn back to YHWH and His Torah.

Are you relieved when you hear that the tithe is technically only for agricultural products? Do you rejoice if told you do not “have to” keep it if you are not a farmer, or are you eager to find a parallel in your circles? If you see His Torah as drudgery, no matter how precisely you obey, it does not count. Joy is not just for the festivals, but for every act of loving our neighbors as ourselves. “Would it kill you to say 'Thank you' now and then?” If so, you will never be satisfied and always disappointed. If there is no positive response to all His blessings, and we are so busy taking care of His gifts to pause and spend time with Him, He turns them on their heads. Christianity told us the Torah was a burden, but if we sign onto that outlook, we swear off the covenant with YHWH. It is hard to say whether these curses apply if we no longer consider ourselves Israel, but that in itself is a worse place to be, because YHWH only disciplines those He loves. It sounds pretty stupid to turn from what disappoints us only to look for something else to want, when He has given us enough to celebrate. Do not buy into the curse! Just have a joyful heart! It is not that we have to answer His invitations; we get to!

One can never just serve self; you must always serve someone, and if it is not one Master, it must be the other. Yahshua told the congregation at Laodikea (which means “people who judge rightly”) that, without knowing it, they are "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17)--so these curses may not always be obvious to those they come upon, but they are a direct result of failing to follow YHWH's instruction. But he said the reason he rebukes us is because he loves us. He does all this to bring us to the end of ourselves so we will return to the protection of His covenant. But He tells us to buy back the things we gave away for nothing in return, for we have no covering any longer. Are we waiting for something better to come along? It will not. Most often what turns us aside is thinking it is our responsibility to guarantee that we will receive the things He called His blessings (vv. 3-14), but that is His job. He will make sure we have the things we need if we seek His Kingdom first (Mat. 6:33); if we spend our time focusing on “all these things”, we will not have time left (at least not the highest-quality time) to do the things He does assign us.

50. "a nation of fierce countenance, which will not show regard for the elderly, nor have mercy on the young.

Fierce: or greedy. This is the philosophy of all nations that are not based on fear of YHWH: it sounds precisely like euthanasia and infanticide and the type of abortion that is merely used for birth control. Respect for elders is hardly known anymore. Now we only see a "thin entering wedge" in our culture, but once it gets its foot in the door it will lead to the same butchery that is described here. A part of losing our children is that they take on the attributes of our enemies.

Grain, wine, and oil: these are all symbols of the worship and blessing of the true Elohim (11:14), but He will bring "a famine for hearing the words of YHWH" (Amos 8:11). We will lose aof the things we were supposed to use to celebrate YHWH, because even if we withhold them from Him, we will not be able to keep them.

Besiege, cause you distress: the same word, alternately rendered "cramp", "afflict", or "trouble" you. Placed your confidence: in other things than in YHWH.

54. "The man who is [most] timid among you and most delicate--[even] his eye will be evil toward his brother and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he will leave alive,

The evil eye: not some mysterious occultic spell, but in Hebrew thought, one who is grudging, not generous or glad to share his possessions. Consider this meaning when interpreting, for example, Luke 11:34.

He has nothing to spare: i.e., it is all he has left.

57. "and toward her miscarried fetus that comes forth from between her legs, and toward her children whom she shall bear, because for lack of anything [else], she will consume them in secret during the siege and straits into which your enemies shall press you within your gates.

Miscarried fetus; Aramaic, "the youngest of her children". These are far from kosher, but they show the extent to which we will be driven if we refuse to obey. This is as graphic as YHWH can get. If we do not teach our children to hear and obey, we will end up having to have them for lunch! Or, stated differently, if no one holds you accountable, you will become a cannibal. These horrors did literally take place at least twice, during the sieges of Shomron (2 Kings 6:28ff) and Yerushalayim (Yirmeyahu 19:9). But many consume their children in much less obvious ways--through physical or sexual abuse, through forcing them to live out the parents' own unfulfilled dreams, etc.

Document: based on the word for "count" or "number", from which we get the word "cipher". Indeed, every word in Hebrew has a numeric value, and those words which have the same value have some connection between them. This...Name: not a substitute, either the name of a chief pagan deity or a euphemism spoken out of the wrong type of fear of YHWH (a custom learned while in captivity in Babylon). Weighty: glorious, authoritative, of utmost importance.

Wounds: or defeats.

With some of the things Egyptians worshipped, like the dung beetle, we might expect that the most common diseases of Egypt were exotic ones like cholera and malaria. But when Dr. Rosalie David of Manchester University did autopsies on Egyptian mummies, she discovered that they died from heart disease, cancer, hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure. Dr. Claude Rufeis also did X-rays on 14,000 mummies. He, too, found that they had died from heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and rheumatism. What could better describe our modern catalogue of diseases? This in itself should be a wake-up call.

I.e., just in case I've missed mentioning any potential curse, it will fall upon you as well! In contrast to 14 verses about the rewards of obeying, YHWH goes on and on three and a half time as long with the threats of punishment, because this tends to motivate people much more powerfully than wisdom--just like a school child who is more motivated by the "switch" than by the advantages an education will give him if he patiently endures and builds a firm base for prosperity later in life.

A full third of the tribe of Yehudah was destroyed within three to four years only a few decades ago. Efrayim's decimation is harder to trace, but it is coming to light more and more clearly day by day.

64. "And YHWH will scatter you among all peoples, from one extremity of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other elohim with which neither you nor your ancestors have been familiar.

Part of the curse is learning these new concepts of deity that we had accrued over the years. The idea of a god-man is a punishment! This strong delusion of Christian doctrines has come because we walked away from the Torah, descending from the best vantage point so that we could no longer even distinguish a man from YHWH.

Yehudah's pogroms are well-known, but the New World was populated first by those being chased from their own lands and churches because they insisted on being true to the Biblical text and had reformist ideas--the heretics of their day, who would not celebrate Christmas, who kept the Sabbath, who refused obvious idols. John Hulley has documented this well as one means of identifying Efrayim. This breadbasket of the world has been a great blessing as an open door to repent. It is a test to see whether we will establish the Kingdom in its fullness this time, or if this will be the last straw that prevents any possibility of the covcenant truly being renewed. The philosophies of many Western nations which largely stem from the Northern Kingdom of Israel have ended up in such paranoia, rootlessness, and despair. Only recently has this fearfulness gone away because of the presence of the Israeli nation back in the Land. Yet even it is still threatened.

We would be so full of fear that the sound of a leaf driven by the wind would send us running. (Lev. 26:36)

The thoughts might be, "If only it were night, our enemies could not find us", and "If only it were daytime, so we could see our enemies coming and have enough warning." But hopelessness would prevail.

You will be sold: in order to at least have something to eat. No one will buy you: You will not even be able to be a slave, so you will starve. Yahshua alluded to this when He told His parable about the prodigal son who was not even allowed to eat what the pigs he was feeding ate. Does YHWH sound serious? This is the harshest warning anywhere! It would be one thing if this were Genghis Khan making such threats, but this is YHWH, and He can deliver. Why would He do this to us? Because He knows our tendency to start well and then slack off after only a few generations. Our pattern is to settle in when YHWH has blessed, and forget that we need to keep improving and seek a higher plane still. This is clear in the Land today during times of apparent safety. When the crops do well, they neglect the sabbatical year. When we do not get the blessings, we complain. But He has just shown us that He will say “No” when we ask for things contrary to what He taught us. Before these things ever occurred, He warned us how it would be if we turned away from Him. He is clearly saying that if we are not going to do our part, we should not sign up to be His people. The curses are worse if we put our hand to the plow, then look back. We mock Him by receiving from Him and not becoming what we said we would be--so He multiplies the curse. But our ancestors already sigfned us up, so we cannot opt out of it; our only choice is to do our part. If we act like spoiled children who think the bill will never come due, we will indeed get what we deserve, but it will not be what we expect! "But we are convinced of better things concerning you, things belonging to deliverance." (Heb. 6:9; cf. 10:39 in context). The whole point of this threat is that we "be careful not to refuse the One who is speaking." (Heb. 12:25 and whole context). We cannot hold onto pieces of Egypt or Babylon, or we will end up back there. He has no desire to carry these things out, and we who have the benefit of retrospect and can see what He has done once should all the more strive to avoid making the same mistake again. (Rom. 15:4) And to the nation of Israel as a whole, He says that when the doubled punishment (Yirm./Jer. 16:18) for her sins has been completely paid, He will comfort Israel (Yeshayahu/Isa. 40:1-2) and reverse all these curses. (Yesh. 60:10-18) The Kingdom can come if we turn around. Indeed, ships will also bring the people back to the Land. (60:9) If any of these things is occurring, we would do well to consider why. Not that we should be consumed with paranoia about our relationship with YHWH if we have an occasional itch or a pest in our gardens, for He has said the righteous can stumble without falling. (Psalm 37:23-24) But we should certainly not ignore such possible signs, because each can be an open door to repentance. Though it sounds like a hopeless domino effect, at any point in this slippery slide into deeper and deeper trouble, we can say, “Stop! You are right; I did wrong, and this is what I will do about it.” These curses can then turn into blessings. Will we listen to them or not? We are still in exile, yet the sentence is at an end, so we have both blessing and cursing still swirling all around us, because it is time to make choices. There is a deadline for repentance. Any of these can be a reminder to examine ourselves: Is there something we have not been careful to do? In any case we can always stand prodding to even more perfect obedience.

CHAPTER 29

Cut: The animals that represented a covenant were cut in half to say, “May this be done to me if I do not keep my side of the agreement. At this time Israel was to be divided into two parts, standing on two different hills (27:12ff), to demonstrate vividly what the nation of Israel would look like if it did not fulfill its part (which is keeping the Torah). Indeed, that did take place after King Shlomo's reign. He has, in mercy, kept the door open for us many times when we did not deserve it so that the next generation could again try to keep it, but ultimately He had to disperse us because He is also just. Although the reversal of the curse has begun, as long as we cannot ascend to His House to worship in the place He has set His Name, we are still not home. But YHWH says that one day soon the two nations Israel became will again be under a single king. (Y'hazq'el 37:22) In addition to: . This whole book is a reaffirmation of the covenant for the generation now made ready, after 40 years, to enter the Land, so he gives them more detailed instructions. Everything added since Sinai now also became counted as part of the covenant. Since they had already proven to be inclined to look for loopholes, He spelled out more of the specifics that illustrated the intent and implications of the contract. Some of them came about because specific situations highlighted the need for clarification. In it there are things not mentioned at Sinai. There are more responsibilities because they are now going into the Land. Back then, we were told how to treat one another; now we are told how to treat the Land. Thus the covenant has had not just one, but several renewals, whenever they are needed. Moshe was the one who more directly made the covenant with Israel, though it was on YHWH's behalf. Therefore, Moshe (who figuratively represents the Torah) is the mediator. The Torah always speaks for YHWH more than any man, doctrine, or tradition. Accept no covenant that cannot be found in the Torah. Yahshua, the living Torah, is the mediator of the most recent renewal of the covenant, which has not yet been completed. He proved a man could keep the Torah if he just put away self. Just as in this case, when a covenant is renewed, it is not in opposition to or replacement of the former; the former one is rolled into it but more details are added, just as Yahshua said his renewal included not just outward actions but inward attitudes. (Mat. 5-7) It does not set the older one aside; there are just some new needs to deal with, just as our version of the covenant had to make some allowances for our condition of exile far from the Land. Modern contract law is based on ancient covenant formats and throws more light on this. If we bought an additional car but had not yet finished paying off the first, the earlier contract would not be nullified. Both would be in effect. This was not a trade-in! The great lie of Christianity is that something could supersede what the Creator said was eternal. Something that is to last forever can never be “fulfilled”. He has met His side of the obligations, but we cannot therefore throw the contract out like a completed mortgage. Why would we want to, unless we had been conditioned to see it as a burden rather than a blessing? As Yahshua pointed out, it is men's unauthorized additions that make the Torah a burden. (Mat. 23:4 et al) He showed us how to enter into rest while keeping it; He simplified the picture by reminding us what it was really about--loving YHWH with all our hearts, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. As with today, they had caught on to the fact that YHWH had made promises, but were beginning to take them for granted, forgetting the conditional clauses. They were beginning to wonder why they had to work so hard to receive them. The Sinai covenant was still in effect, but they were signing up for this one too. The renewed covenant is based on the same promises, and we are told that this time it is renewed--when there are two clear houses of Israel and Yehudah to confirm it with again (Yirmeyahu 31:31ff)--it will finally be kept. It will be written on our hearts. That is, it will become our natural inclination--not by magic, but by practice. As we do what we can of our side of the covenant, He will give us more enabling. As with driving a car, though it seems difficult and inconvenient at first, it will become second nature as we continue to acclimate ourselves to it. Keeping it is the only way we can remain free in our own Land rather than a vassal to Babylon. His part of the bargain is much greater because of who He is, and because He knows our weakness. He has given us the whole car except one wheel, but the car still will not go without that wheel which we must supply. Of course, it requires a mature community in which to practice it properly, as the whole cannot be done by individuals in isolation. Notice that Moshe did not say, “This is the covenant”, but “These are the words of the covenant”, for the words are only the beginning of the covenant; we could talk about it all day without it being in effect. The actual covenant is an agreement with reciprocal actions. We can even agree to it, but if we do not put it into action, there is still not really a covenant. If the words are being carried out, then the covenant is truly enacted and brought to life. We may have heard it, but we can only see the covenant when someone is living it out. We must put our hands to it so that we can see it in one another.

All Israel: Not just the Levites, judges, elders, or even just men; the whole nation must be involved in order for this covenant to function. Do not let anyone tell you that women or children may not obey the commands if they are not specifically directed toward a particular segment of Israel. You have seen: Most of them had not literally seen these events with their eyes, let alone ever seen an Egyptian, and many others were very young when they did (though it would have been vivid enough to be burned forever into their memory). The rest had been told, just as we are. They probably heard about it every day, and for them it had been from firsthand witnesses; ours may not be quite as close to the facts, but their parents did not prove very reliable either, so we are on the same footing indeed. We, like they, must live as if we had seen it firsthand, for if two or three witnesses speak faitfhfully, it is counted as true in Israel. If only a few of those standing here had seen it, YHWH counts it as if they had all seen it. This is a hard concept for Western minds, but the law is that all of Israel is responsible for what two faithful witnesses affirm.

Acts of proof: The main reason for His miracles was not their comfort or even provision, though these were the effects. It was not so they could understand the mechanics by which Moshe's rod turned into a snake, but so they would trust YHWH, to be testimonies in advance to His faithfulness, before they were asked to “sign on the dotted line”. For Avraham it was the other way around.

Receive: The truth had been there all along; they had seen the events, but did not have the perspective to be able to understand it until this time, when they could see all the wilderness wanderings in retrospect, and for the first time Moshe put all the pieces together so they could see the pattern. They had seen, but not “seen” the big picture until now. We often cannot see it because we are too close to the “trees” to see the “forest”. They were focused on gathering manna, or not gathering it because it was the Sabbath, or gathering twice as much the day before. One rarely recognizes it when he is participating in something heroic or historic. Columbus was lost when he stumbled upon the Americas. The writers of the Declaration of Independence did not know if they would succeed or fail. The men who stormed Normandy beach only saw themselves as doing their job. They had no idea they would still be being interviewed about it 60 years later. Israel did not know that every move they made, even their complaints, would be used to instruct generations to come. Moshe just wanted to please YHWH, and did not expect to be the father of the faith. But this was a big deal, and they were part of it! And we who are preparing for re-entry also need to see it as a big deal, and see the big picture with every lost sheep of Israel that we help regather. Every one is significant. While we are small, what is being done is huge. Every little thing we do, right or wrong, will affect Israel for many generations. We undergird those who come later, because they can point to our actions and say, “This is what the Torah looks like.” When we make the Torah seen and not just heard, we establish the Torah. We represent YHWH, and this is only a burden if we do not see it as a joyful privilege, for we can help those who have never seen to see. Though Yahshua had already made it more plain and we could even quote much of Scripture, during our exile we did not know what much of it meant, because we were looking at it through Gentile glasses. But we have a similar vantage point today, as the time of our exile has begun to end and the "partial blindness" is being removed from the eyes of both houses of Israel. We have seen the fulfillment of the curses, and know what to avoid. We also tried to practice it in the wrong context, which turned out to be spinning our wheels. By returning to an Israelite community--the context in which He gave the Torah--we can become fruitful in our practice.

40 years, to the day, they relived the same event, though on a much smaller scale. (Y'hoshua ) The survival of their clothing was another proof of YHWH's faithfulness despite the odds. But why does it say “on you” and “on your foot”? Because using them is how they normally wear out. But things attached to YHWH last precisely because they are used. His words are our covering, and if we “put them on” every day, they will continue to cover us; we cannot wear out the Torah, but if “left in the closet” and given low priority, it could wear away from dry rot. If we do not use it, we will lose it.

Wandering about the wilderness, we had no time to raise vineyards. By having none of the things on which we normally rely, they had to depend on YHWH daily, and He proved Himself capable of "saving with much or with little" by giving us manna to sustain us. We are not intoxicated by the food He gives us, so that our minds will be clear and we will give credit where it is truly due, unlike the other nations who thank "luck". They drank no wine and ate no leaven, so they would not be fooled. This was not just an illusion dreamed up by people intoxicated with newfound freedom or the accidents of nature. What they ate was not something they grew themselves, but manna, which was provided for them and which did not appear on the Sabbath; what “accidental” provision could do that every week?

Note the shift in reference: We might think of ourselves as individuals (“you”) until we have a common enemy; then we become “us”.

He did not give us the burden of everyday supplies wearing out. (vv. 5-6) The little bit He did give us to do was to do away with His enemies. If we had not done that much, our clothes would have indeed worn out, and Amaleq was waiting close by to engulf us. There was already a precedent in their recent memory of the kind of thing YHWH had said He was going to do over and over when they arrived in the Land. He gives plenty of cause for confidence for the next step: even these "bonus" territories on the other side of the Yarden, which were never even promised to us as such, have been conquered with no casualties; how much more the part that has been foresworn? We can see from this battle that there was no reason to doubt that YHWH can keep His side of the covenant. Og was as well-known in his generation as Hitler was in his. It was a name that rang in their ears, and YHWH had not only allowed us to kill him, but to take his land as well! If we want to see this continue, He says, we must uphold our part of the bargain:

Succeed: Hirsch renders it "do with thoughtful reflection". Prospering does not mean becoming individually wealthy, but receiving what YHWH promised to Avraham--that is, becoming numerous and possessing the Land. He will give us more strength if we submit and join in with what He is doing. These things require more of a response than merely “thank you” as we think of it in English. In Hebrew, the connection is much clearer. Todah, which means “thank you”, is from the root word yadah, which means to cast with one's hands. Saying “thank you” is, by definition, saying, “I will do something about that for which I am thanking you; I will now use my hands for You.” Faith without works will not bring us the things He promised to Avraham. We cannot simply believe ourselves into the Promised Land. Since that became obvious, men in power changed the definition of the Promised Land for the masses, moving it from a physical place to a cloud in the sky. The way Paul phrased things led Yaaqov to recognize that people would interpret him out of context to mean they no longer had to obey the Torah, so he corrected him, and Paul took the point well. If He has to rope us into obedience, like the horse or mule that need bit and bridle, we cannot expect to flourish. We have no promise of prosperity in any pursuit that is contrary to the Torah--anything that serves self will eventually prove to produce only further selfishness, and we will be left with nothing but self, rather than with any of the things YHWH has promised.