This week's Sabbath reading portion has a double title, Nitzvarim - Va yelech. This Sabbath is the last Sabbath in the month of Elul, which is dedicated to the repentance of God's people and their return to the LORD. Within a few days following this Sabbath, the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah, will take place. This feast day is also known as Rosh Hashanah.
This week, we will be focusing on the Nitzvarim part of the title, which means, "are standing". This title comes from Deut. 29:10-13 which contains the words of Moses to the Israelites: "All of you stand today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones and your wives - also the stranger who is in your camp...that you may enter into (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath (ala - covenant confirmed by an oath, blessing, curse), which the LORD your God makes with you today, that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
Then the LORD makes the following statement: "I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today." (v. 14-15). There is a "today" that is connected with our covenant with God, and His with us. It was not just something entered into long ago, but it is present and now. However, the LORD makes clear that there are those who are not here today, but they will still be able to have their "today" of covenant with Him in the future. In another part of scripture the LORD says, "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2, Isa. 49:8). Today, now, is the day in which the LORD has made a place for you to stand before Him and accept His salvation covenant.
This is a beautiful offer to those who will stand before the LORD "today" in covenant, from the youngest to the oldest, from the common citizen to the leaders, from the tribes by blood to the stranger or foreigner in the midst, from those present now to those who will be standing in the future.
As we saw with the Hebrew meaning of the word, "oath" or ala used above, there is a curse that comes when this covenant is broken. There are several things mentioned in Deut. 29 involving the situations that bring the curse. One involves anyone "whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations" creating among His people "a root bearing bitterness or wormwood (la'anah - to curse, poisonous, accursed, bitter things, perverted justice, noxious)." (v. 18). We should understand that the worship of the false gods/idols of the world, both today and as it did then, involved horrible practices including human/child sacrifice, and the use of perversion and prostitution as worship. These practices caused whole nations to be shrouded alive in spiritual darkness: a living death. How much worse is it for someone who knows God to put the corrupted and corrupting things of the world before Him, thereby creating idols?
Another situation that brings the curse in Deut. 29 is one who hears the words of the curse but ignores the curse, while blessing himself saying "I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart..." (v. 19). This person chooses to go their own way not believing the reality of the curse or that he will be affected by it. Perhaps this person thinks that the LORD will bless and protect him anyway. The LORD said that this person's name would be blotted out from under heaven (v. 20).
This curse would affect the whole land (v. 23). When others would wonder why the LORD had done these things to the whole land, the answer would be given: "Because they have forsaken the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; for they went and served other gods and worshipped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them." (v. 25-26).
With God dwell the blessings. Separated from God dwell the curses. It is like saying "In the Light, there is light. Separated from the Light, there is darkness", or "With the Giver of Life, there is life. Separated from the Giver of Life, there is death." For the world, including the people of God, that found themselves in darkness and the curse, God sent His Son, Jesus, Messiah/Christ, to become the curse of the Law for us so that we might walk in the eternal blessing of the salvation covenant with God (Gal. 3:10, 13-14).
What we learn above is only to set the stage for the Sabbath lesson of this week found in Deut. Ch. 30. The LORD establishes a provision for His people to be able to return to Him when they find themselves separated and dispersed, both spiritually and physically: "Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity (sebut/saba - captivity, captives, prisoners, exile/take captive, take or lead away), and have compassion (raham - to love deeply, have mercy, have compassion, to stroke with love, cherishing, soothing, to behold with tenderest affection) on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you." (Deut. 30:1-4, see also Heb. 7:25-26).
The LORD promises to bring them back to their land and they will possess it, and: "He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live...The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand...the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments...and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (v. 5-10, excerpt).
How hard does the LORD of All make it for His people to be return to Him? He makes it as easy as turning to Him in complete love, a love which causes His people to obey His voice and Word. Moses said that this was not too difficult, or a thing too distant for them to do: "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you today (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) life and good, death and evil...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling (dabaq - follow hard after, cleave to, abide, joined to, pursue closely, cling, adhere firmly, be glued) to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land..." (Deut. 30:11-20, excerpt).
In another reading portion from this Nitzavim Sabbath, the LORD expresses His desire to the prophet, Jeremiah, for His people to return to Him: "...I earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD...Turn back, O virgin of Israel...How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter?...I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul...Behold, the days are coming, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...I will put My (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (see Jer. 31: 20-34, excerpts). We can see the heartfelt desire of the LORD for His people to return to Him. Jesus had the same desire as He sent the message of repentance and return to His church in the Book of Revelation: "Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:19-20). The church had become so indifferent to their Savior that He had to stand outside the church and knock (krouo - to knock [with a heavy blow]) to be let in! As did His heavenly Father with Israel, Jesus offered other powerful rewards also if the church would return to Him (v. 21-22). To another church Jesus said, "...you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works..." (Rev. 2:4-5). If this church repents, Jesus promises them to eat from the tree of life in Paradise. The first works were driven by the church's love for their Savior. They must return to that love and its fruitful works.
In another reading portion from this Sabbath, we see a people who have returned to the LORD. This is their voice: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels." (Isa. 61:10).
This is the LORD's response to their joyful return: "For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation (yesua - salvation, deliverance, rescue, also the Hebrew name of Jesus) as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name (see also Rev. 3:12-13, Rev. 2:17), which the mouth of the LORD will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God...and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you...Indeed the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the world: 'Say to the daughter of Zion, surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work (pe'ulla - deeds, good action, a people won back by warfare) before Him." (Isa. 62:1-11, excerpt).
The second state of the returned people above becomes even more blessed and exalted than their first state. This is the way of the LORD who is forever eager to pour out His mercy upon His people who will return to Him. It is especially at this time of the year that we need to repent, renew our love for the Lord, and return to Him. We should not wait until He is pounding on the door of our hearts asking for entry. Jesus warned that in these days before His return many will fall away and the love of many will wax cold (Mt. 24:10-13, 2 Thess. 2:3). It is time to return to our Lord. Call upon the Lord while He is near.
If you would like to take this opportunity today to return to the LORD whose hands are stretched out to us and waiting (see Isa. 65:1-2), you can join me in my prayer: "My Father, You have shown me mercy in my life. You have saved me through Your beloved Son, Jesus. Today, Lord, I want to repent for going my own way and I want to return to You, my Creator. I want to renew my love for You, to cling to You and follow after You. Jesus, You have made the Way possible for me to return to my Father and be reconciled with Him. Fill me with the Spirit of God who leads me and teaches me in His ways of everlasting life. I ask this 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