Behind&Within

We read in last week's Sabbath reading portion that Moses pointed out to the Israelites that no other nation on earth had ever been given the privilege of seeing and experiencing the LORD as they had seen and experienced Him (see Deut. 4:7-9, 33-35, 5:26). These great wonders that the LORD revealed before Israel were to give them a knowledge of Him that made them His unique people in all the earth, and so that they would pass this knowledge down to their children and grandchildren, and so on. All of these marvellous things were in keeping with the promise that the LORD had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning their descendants, the Land, and even the Messiah who would come (see Gen. 49:8-12). Our current Sabbath readings are in Deuteronomy, which is from the Greek language, and refers to a "repetition (of the Law)". The Hebrew title of this Book of the Bible is D'Varim, meaning "Words", as Moses spoke the words to the Israelites. While parts of the Law are repeated by Moses to the people in Deuteronomy, I have learned that there is more to this fifth Book than that. This Sabbath's reading portion is titled Eikev, which means "Because" or "It follows", and it covers Deuteronomy chapters 8 through 11. The Hebrew letters that make up the word Eikev are ayin, qoph, beth. Each of these letters has an individual meaning that, when put together, could mean "See, understand, and experience what is behind and within". Moses spoke of more than the specifics of the Law. He spoke to the people of the understanding that was expected of them because of what they had seen with their eyes: "Know today that I do not speak with your children, who have not known and who have not seen the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega: see Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13) chastening (musar/yasar - instruction, correction, reproof, doctrine/teach, correct,admonish, reformed) of the LORD your God, His greatness and His mighty hand and His outstretched arm - His signs and His acts...but your eyes have seen every great (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) act of the LORD which He did." (Deut. 11:2-7, excerpt). As we see the Hebrew meaning of the word "chastening" used above, we are reminded of what Paul said that believers in Christ should know about all scripture: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16). Paul was describing the concept of tje Hebrew word musar, as Moses did, regarding the scriptures. Paul also wrote that the scriptures make us wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). We will see that something is required from those who have experienced Christ personally, as it was from the Israelites who had experienced God personally. Yes, obedience is required, but it is an obedience that should come from love for the LORD, whom we have been allowed to experience for ourselves: "Therefore, you shall love (ahab - love, lover, friend, beloved, loving, desire, breathe after, longing, delight) the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always...For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do - to love the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to him, ...if you earnestly obey my commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul...then the LORD will...". (Deut. 11:1, 13, 22-23). In another verse from our reading portion Moses tells the Israelites regarding the Law: "And now, Israel, what does the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God require (sa'al - require, ask, seek, borrow, beg, pray) of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD..." (Deut. 10:12-13). In Deuteronomy, Moses cannot separate obedience to the Law from love: the love that God has for His people, and the love that they must have for Him. The Israelites understood and experienced what it was like to serve Pharaoh under the hard bondage of slavery, but it was essential to see and understand that they now served the King of the universe, but this service must be founded in love. The LORD told the Israelites that He chose them based upon love: "...the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers...The LORD delighted only in your fathers to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer." (Deut. 7:6-8, 10:15-16). As the Hebrew letters of the title of this Sabbath's reading portion, Eikev, tell us, we are to "see, understand, and experience what is behind and within" our relationship with the LORD. This understanding will be a continuous living fountain (also part of the meaning of the Hebrew letter ayin) for us. Last week we read that Moses taught Israel: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deut. 6:4-5). Jesus also taught that this was the great commandment that encompasses the whole Law, and all that was written by the prophets (Mt. 22:36-38). Jesus also added that the second great commandment is of the same nature, and must follow the first: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Those to whom it is granted to experience the LORD personally are expected to follow that experience with a complete and total love for Him, the same as, we will see, the love that He professes for His people. The LORD is not looking for religion, but a reciprocal, loving relationship, and from that flows our obedience and service to Him and His Word. I'm sure that many already know this, but this Sabbath's reading teaches us that from this love flows everything else. Why is the LORD so insistent that the relationship with Him be based upon love here in Deuteronomy? There is something vital that we have to understand. Paul wrote that even those who move mightily in spiritual gifts, that without the knowledge of this kind of love, they are nothing, and have nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1-8). It sounds like Paul was again teaching from his knowledge of Moses and the true nature of the Law. Hopefully many of us would quickly say, "Yes, I love God like that!" However, this is not based upon a worldly or common understanding of love, but is based on a love that is the power of God's mighty Word and works, even resurrection, as we will learn. We can't practice this kind of love unless we understand ("see behind and within") what God is "requiring" of us regarding it. We may be able to see more about this love from another of this Sabbath's reading portions, which is Psalm 136. In this psalm, the writer records God's mighty deeds including creation, the deliverance of the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt through Passover, the dividing of the Red Sea so that His people could pass through and their pursuing enemies could be destroyed, the leading of His people through the wilderness, and the miraculous victory over great kings on their behalf there, bringing His people into the land of their inheritance, rescuing them from enemies, and the provision which the LORD faithfully provided for them, and all living. Between recounting all of these great acts of the LORD, there is the same refrain: "For His mercy endures forever." The word "mercy" can mean many things to us, but this is the meaning of mercy, or hesed, in Hebrew: hesed/hasad - mercy, kindness, goodness, favor, pity, desire, ardor, love, zeal//reproach, wicked thing, put to shame, be reproached, disgrace). Even the creation, and every act of God, was fueled by hesed loving mercy according to this psalm. As we can see, there is a great love, desire and ardor attached to the favor and kindness of God's hesed mercy. However, because of this great zealous love, those who harmfully touch the beloved of God will fall on the other side of hesed mercy, which is wickedness, shame, reproach and disgrace. The same hesed loving mercy that parted the waters of the Red Sea to save God's people, covered the Egyptians in death. Moses described this event as salvation: "And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) salvation (yeshua - also the Hebrew name of Jesus) of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." (Ex. 14:13-14). We can understand why "salvation" is identified with the aleph-tav of Christ in this verse, but why were the Egyptians connected to the aleph-tav, as well? Perhaps because they knew who God was. They had Joseph as their witness to the hesed favor and loving mercy of God generations before. It was God's hesed loving mercy that had saved Egypt from seven years of famine as they safely harbored His loved people, Israel. The generation of Egyptians who knew Moses had the hesed mercy witness of the signs, wonders, and miracles which the God of Israel had done in their midst. The LORD had revealed His mighty hand and His outstretched arm before them (Deut. 11:2-3, Ps. 136:10-12). Even after witnessing all of these things, the Egyptians had willingly disconnected themselves from the eikev knowledge, the hesed mercy, and the ahab love of the LORD. It is this same love that caused the Father in heaven to send His Word of Salvation in the flesh, His Son, Jesus, to save the world, and bestow everlasting life (Jn. 3:14-17). Paul described it this way: "Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself...by which He made us accepted (charitoo/charis - to make graceful, lovely, charming, agreeable, highly favored, to compass with favor/good will, lovingkindness, spiritual condition of divine grace) in the Beloved (agapao - love, beloved, much love)." (Eph. 1:3-6). We have been accepted by love into Love, through Christ. Paul also wrote: "But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8). God has "conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God..." (Col. 1:13-15). Jesus clearly identified Himself and us in connection to the Father's love: "As the Father loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love...keep My commandments...just as I have kept My Father's commandments...This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." (Jn. 15:9-14, excerpt). Jesus gives us the connection that flows from love to obedience. He identifies His laying down of His life as an act of love, which led to His obedience (Phil. 2:5-11, Jn. 10:17). We accept this love that led to our salvation, but the journey of love, as with the Israelites, does not end there. Something more is required of us. John wrote that our identity to God, to each other, and to the world is not based upon how gifted we are, how many scriptures we know, or how well we preach, pray or sing hymns, but our identifying characteristic is the same as the identifying characteristic of God Himself, and His Son. That identifying characteristic is love. The subtitle of this section in my Bible is "Knowing God Through Love". It begins: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God...for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son..." (1 Jn. 4:7-11). The same ahab love and hesed loving mercy that created all things, and created a people, Israel, for His own possession, loved us also into salvation and eternal life, and also commands us in His love, not for His sake but for ours, to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and with all our strength, and like it, to love our neighbor as ourselves. These are the two great commandments. If you, like myself, would like to learn more about loving God and obedience to His commandments, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You created me and called me to Your salvation in love. Open my eikev seeing and understanding so that I can know what is behind and within Your Word and all of Your marvellous acts: Your love. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and create in me the love that You require of me, and the mighty and holy fruit of obedience which follows it. I need to love You with the same measure of love with which Your Son, Jesus, loved You. You have adopted me as one of Your sons for this purpose. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."