MercyPower

      This Sabbath reading portion is titled Eikev, which means "because, as a consequence of, following after, as a result of." The Hebrew word appears as part of Deut. 7:12: "Then it shall come to pass (in Hebrew: "Vehaya ekev"), because you listen to these (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) judgments (mispat/sapat - judgment, manner, order, measure/judge, defend, deliver, vindicate, punish, act as a lawgiver, plead), and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the covenant and (vaw-aleph-tav, with a meaning that includes: "Adonai, the Lord, nailed to the cross of the covenant") the mercy (hesed/hasad - mercy, loving-kindness, goodness, favor, pity, faithfulness, beauty, desire, ardor, zeal, love, rarely meaning reproof/to be good, kind, rarely meaning reprove, put to shame) which He swore to your fathers."

     There is much to look at from the verse above. The word eikev/ekev has a root word in Hebrew, aqab, which means "to take by the heel, to follow at the heel," which is also the root word of the name Jacob in scripture, who was born following after his twin brother, holding onto him by the heel. Therefore we can see how closely a consequence may follow after something - right at its heel.

     There are several things we can learn in the Hebrew word for "judgments," above. The written Hebrew associates the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega mispat judgment with Jesus Messiah/Christ (see *note below). Within its meaning in Hebrew, "judgments" includes the understanding of a kind of "measure." Again this is associated with Jesus by Paul who wrote that we, as believers in Jesus Messiah/Christ, are to come "to the measure (metron - a measuring rod, the rule or standard of judgment, determined extent, the due) of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (see Eph. 4:11-13). 

     The Hebrew meaning of "judgment" also includes the idea of a law-giver and also the act of pleading. In this Sabbath Eikev reading portion, Moses tells the Israelites how he, known as "the law-giver," repeatedly pleads for the mercy of God towards the rebellious Israelites. (see Deut. 9:18-19, 10:10-11). As a consequence of this (see the meaning of Eikev above) pleading by Moses the vaw-aleph-tav mercy of the LORD was extended to His people. The apostle James wrote that mercy triumphs over/rejoiceth over (katakauchaomai - boast against, "mercy boasts itself superior to judgment", to glory against, to exult over, full of glad confidence over) judgment for those who have shown mercy. (see James 2:12-13). Jesus also said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Mt. 5:7). The LORD told His prophet what He expected from His people: "He has shown you O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly (see mispat above), to love mercy (see hesed above), and to walk humbly (sana - be humble, be modest, be lowly, keep close, reserve, preserve) with your God." (Micah 6:8). The privilege of walking with God requires that we walk in His character, which includes mercy.

     In an earlier encounter with Moses after he had broken the tablets of the Ten Commandments because of the terrible sin the people had committed, the LORD covered Moses by proclaiming His name: "Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD God merciful (meaning compassionate) and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy (see hesed above) for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..." (Ex. 34:5-7). The LORD also assured in the proclamation of His name that He by no means clears the guilty, with the third and fourth generations seeing "the consequences that follow on the heels of" (see eikev above) that iniquity (aon - punishment, fault, sin, depravity, evil, perversity, guilt, great guilt). We may conclude that the nature of this iniquitous guilt is its refusal to be repented of and as a result of that (see eikev above) it is not placed under the mercy of God.

     As we see from the Hebrew meaning of hesed mercy above, it also includes the idea of reproof. However, being a part of God's mercy, the reproof given to God's people is like the reproof of a parent to a child, as Moses said in this Eikev Sabbath reading portion: "You should know in your heart that as a man chastens (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) his son, so the LORD chastens you. Therefore you shall keep (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him." (Deut. 8:5-6).

     Also included in the meaning of hesed mercy above is the emotion from which it comes forth: desire, ardor, zeal, love. Because of this ardent love and desire, God manifested His hesed mercy by sending His Son not to condemn but to save whoever will receive this mercy: "For God so loved (agapao/agab - to love dearly/to dote upon, to breathe after, wonder, beloved) the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (Jn. 3:16-17).

     Judgment will come, both to the individual and to a prophesied great evil that will rise up to enslave the world and persecute the believers in God and Messiah/Christ. The judgment of the just God is assured and will be devastating to all who have refused the covering of mercy that has been provided in His Word and in the Person of the Son of God, who is also The Word (see Jn. 1:14). The Father has placed all judgment into the hands of His Son, Jesus Messiah/Christ. (see Jn. 5:22-27, Rev. 6:15-17). Considering the calamity of the judgment, and the power of mercy over judgment, what place of eminence should the hesed mercy of God have in our prayers, our words, our message and our walk?

     In another reading portion from this Eikev Sabbath, we can read that every great and wondrous work the LORD, the God of gods, the LORD of lords, has done from His creation onward, has been driven by His hesed mercy. Not only were the wondrous works powered by mercy, but were a testimony of the hesed mercy of God. Psalm 136 has the repeated refrain after every work of power of God: "...for His mercy (see hesed above) endures forever (olam - ever, everlasting, perpetual, evermore, always)." The psalmist declared the mercy of God over every great work and covered them with that mercy. Do we declare and apply this eternal power of mercy over the precious works of God?

     The prophet Jeremiah wrote the Word of the LORD: "Through the LORD's mercies (see hesed above) we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!" (Lam. 3:22-24). 

     We are all products of His mercy.

     If you would like to learn more about incorporating the power of mercy into your life and walk with God, you can pray along with my prayer: "Heavenly and merciful Father, You extended Your mercy to me and touched and changed my life with Your Son, Jesus. While I receive Your loving mercy with joy and thanks, help me to extend and minister the truth of this same mercy to others. Help me by Your Holy Spirit to tell and show others that Your powerful mercy can overcome all judgment for those who will believe and receive it. Help me to reveal the truth that Your work of creation and all of Your works were accomplished through mercy towards me and all of us. Your Son could have judged and destroyed those who sought to kill Him, but He became even more powerful than that, extending overcoming mercy to them instead. In that power, He changed the world. He changed me. I give You all of my thanks, worship and praise, Lord, for Your overcoming mercies that are new to me and to all every morning. By and in Jesus' name, AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.