The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Eikev, which means "Because". It may also be expressed "as a consequence of". The chapters from Deuteronomy that are part of this reading portion are chapters 8-11. Moses was recounting the history of the relationship between the Israelites and God up to that point, and it had been a contentious relationship.
This reading portion begins with Moses saying to the Israelites: "Every commandment which I commanded you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test/prove you, to know (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) what was in your heart (lebab - inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding, conscience, inclination, mode of thinking and acting), whether you would keep His commandments or not." (Deut. 8:1-2). There is a consequence or result to observing the LORD's commandments here: to live, to multiply, to go into the promised land.
The way that the LORD had led Israel through the wilderness was not an arbitrary way. It was the way that was connected to the prophesied Messiah, designated by the written Hebrew letters aleph-tav (see * explanation at the bottom of the entry). The first purpose of the wilderness was to humble the people according to the verse above. These were former slaves, treated as lowly servants of Pharaoh, yet it was still required that they be humbled before the LORD. This is also the way of the Messiah/Christ: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant (doulos/deo - slave, bondman, servile condition, one who gives himself up to another's will, devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests/to bind tie, fasten, fasten with chains, to be bound to one), and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow....and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ (Messiah) is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:5-11). This is the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega way of the Messiah/Christ.
God's second purpose of the forty-year way through the wilderness was to test the Israelites. This is an interesting word in Hebrew. It is the word nasa, which in this case means "to test, to put to the proof, to try by the smell." Yes, there is a smell test! There is a fragrance that results, or is a consequence of, our love and service to God. There is an expected fragrance to those who follow the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega way of the Messiah/Christ: "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Cor. 2:14-15). What is the fragrance of Messiah/Christ? It is the fragrance of one humbled and obedient, as a servant bound to the will of His Father in heaven. All four Gospels give the account of this fragrance. It is like the fragrance of the most precious and costly anointing ointment (spikenard: nardo + pistikos - East India plant yielding juice of delicious odor used in the most precious ointment + pertaining to belief, faith, assurance, producing belief) poured out upon Jesus six days before His death on Passover that marks one as walking humbly but powerfully in death to self (see Mt. 26:6-10, Mk. 14:3-9, Lk. 7:36-50, Jn. 12:1-8).
The LORD also that the humbling and proving that He did with the Israelites in the wilderness was "to do you good in the end (aharit/ahar - latter time, future, the last or end, end time/afterwards [of time])." (Deut. 8:14-17). As we are in the latter times, the end times, before the return of the Messiah/Christ, it becomes most important that we are humble, and that we pass "the smell test" in this regard as our faith is tried and proven.
Moses defined our humility before the LORD: "And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love (ahab - beloved, to desire, to breathe after, long for, to produce fruit, germinate and shoot forth) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD (Hebrew letters yod, hey, vaw, hey: "Behold the hand, behold the nail") your God and serve (abad - serve, servant, worship, to serve as a subject, slave, bondman) Him with all your heart, and with all your soul, then..." (Deut. 11:13, see also Deut. 6:4-6, Mt. 22:37-40). This command to love the LORD totally and serve Him was the command that Moses was leaving with the Israelites. Jesus said that the whole law and the prophets were contained in this command (Mt. 22:36-40).
Moses explained to the Israelites that even if they are flourishing and living in wealth, it is still necessary to humble oneself before the LORD. The humility is in the understanding that the LORD supplies the air that we breathe, the rain in the proper season that's necessary to grow the food that we eat and that our animals eat (Deut. 11:13-15). We cannot supply these necessary things to live, but the LORD supplies them for us. Money and possessions are enjoyable, and to some unfortunately they are the most important things in life, but those things cannot buy the air that you need to breathe: "Therefore you shall lay up these (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes...Then your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth." (Deut. 11:18, 21).
In another reading portion from this Eikev, "Because" Sabbath, a Psalm was written in thanksgiving for the mercy (hesed - goodness, kindness, faithfulness, desire, ardor, love, eager and ardent desire) of the LORD towards us that endures forever: TO HIM who does great wonders, TO HIM who made the heavens by wisdom, TO HIM who laid out the earth, TO HIM who made the great lights in heaven, TO HIM who struck the slave masters of Egypt, TO HIM who divided the Red Sea, TO HIM who led His people through the wilderness, TO HIM who struck down great kings on behalf of His people...it is to Him whom we give eternal thanks. (see Ps. 136). Only the LORD can do these things, and He does them out of faithful, ardent love which is His mercy.
There is another side to the meaning of the hesed mercy of the LORD. Hesed also contains the meaning: "reproach, wicked thing, revile, shame, put to shame." There is nothing more shameful than to refuse to return the ardent love, goodness and kindness of God when considering the supernatural mercies that have been extended to us. Shame falls upon us when we forget the hesed mercy of the LORD.
From another reading portion of this Eikev Sabbath, Psalm 19 wants us to consider "The Perfect Revelation of the LORD" according to the notation in my Bible. In this Psalm, David wants us to consider the heavens that declare the glory of God (v. 1-6). We know that the LORD has arranged the heavens into perfect gravitational balance and revolution so that the earth can support abundant life. The sun cannot pull the earth into its burning heat, and the outer planets cannot pull us into the cold darkness of space, but rather, we hang in the perfect balance between those powerful forces. The LORD maintains this balance by calling the heavenly bodies by name into their set places: "He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our LORD and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground." (Ps. 147:4-6). Is the LORD not to be loved, thanked and glorified above all else for this brilliant mercy towards us? It is indeed shameful to walk in the benefits of these great mercies of God, but to refuse to continually love and acknowledge Him for them.
One of the greatest expressions of the LORD's hesed mercy, ardent love, and desire for us is found in these words spoken by Jesus: "For God so loved 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). Here is the shameful side of that mercy: "...And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (Jn. 3:18-19). Rather than the humble, grateful acceptance of the sacrificial hesed mercy and avid love of God, it is refused in the pride and self-righteousness that dwells in men's hearts to their shame. Why refuse His great hesed mercy?
Moses had a warning about the development of self-righteousness in the hearts of God's people when they see God remove the Canaanite nations from the promised land before them: "Do not think in your heart after the LORD God has cast them out before you, saying, 'Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land (eres also means the whole world)'; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land..." (Deut. 9:4-6). These verses also say that God will dispossess those nations "that He may fulfill the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." It is very easy to lose our humility and become self-righteous before the LORD when He does wonders and shows favor on our behalf. Moses' serious warnings to the Israelites had to do with the issues of their hearts towards the LORD. Their fall, he warned, would not come from the actions of outward enemies, but from the sinful nature of their inward hearts.
Jesus warned of the religious pride and self-righteousness that are traps into which we can so easily fall. He spoke of those who were religious "elite" who thought they deserved the greatest honors, titles and recognition, and did things to be impressive in men's eyes rather than for the love of God. However, the truth of the kingdom of God is this, Jesus said: "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Mt. 23:1-12). Jesus said that God is spirit, and the Father was seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Holy Spirit, of whom we are to be filled as believers in Christ, is of the humblest character, never exalting Himself, but only revealing the glory and truth of the Father and the Son. We should be of the same heart and character.
The apostle James wrote: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:6, 10). Peter wrote similarly: "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Pet. 5:5-7).
If you would like to know more about the work in our lives of humility before the LORD, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, give me a humble heart to love You and serve You, even as Your Son, Jesus, humbled Himself to serve Your will and way. It is because of this humility that Your raised Him up and exalted Him for Your glory. You are magnified and glorified in the hearts of the humble. Be glorified in my heart today, LORD, and forgive me when I think more highly of myself than I ought. Change my innermost thoughts to conform to Your Word and Spirit. I thank You for the hesed mercy that You show to me daily. I pray 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 Α Ω , 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment