KEHILAT NOTES 8/7/04
DEVARIM Ekev Deuteronomy
Mikhael:
REMEMBERING AND FORGETTING
These words are a dichotomy.
7 sins that come from forgetting:
Failing to study Torah leads to not following least of the commandments. That eventually leads to transgressing the greater commandments. That then leads to encouraging others to get away from Torah, then denying it altogether, then denying God and falling into idolatry. Even going to a good church, this can happen. Chap. 13 v. 4-6 of Deut., those who teach against Torah are falling into idolatry, and enticing others to do that. They deny the existence of Torah in your life. Enticers = masit – idolaters. If there arises among you a prophet or dreamer of dreams who speaks against reality of Torah as being relevant in our lives, we should not listen to them. If a person does not live according to Torah he’s a false prophet or idolater.
Last week’s portion Deut. 3:1+. Moses pleaded with Adonai. The whole rest of the portion and this week’s is Moses and Hashem pleading with us to understand & follow the Torah. 4:1-2 listen to the statutes, listen (shma, hear, understand, do) act (asah) observe (also asah). Do everything I’ve commanded you to do. 4:13 – he commanded you to perform (asah). 4:39 then know and consider in your heart that there is no other god. This is so it can go well with you and your children. He’s giving this to us for all time.
In Chapter 5:27 the people say go near to God and tell us all that we are to do. The people are to keep ALL of the commandments. 5:31 speaking ALL of the commandments and judgements. 5:33 therefore you shall walk in ALL of the ways that God has commanded you. Again that you may prolong your days in the land that you are to possess.
Going into Torah portion Ekev, 12:8, when they are outside the land you shall not all do as we are doing here today – man is doing what is right in his own eyes. Does that allow us the right to pick and choose what we are to do? Does it mean that we can eat what we want, and change the Sabbath to the first day?
Somebody in Denver has carved this into stone, sitting in front of a mega-church with about 6,000 members. But there’s a sign too that says “Sunday Sabbath worship.” We cannot pick and choose – if we do that, we begin to deny the least of the commandments, eventually develop a hatred for Torah. Eventually we see ourselves as free to do what we want, denying God and falling into idolatry. How long do we have to keep these commandments? Was it in the 4th century, when the Catholic church started putting together their own thing?
It should be for at least 1,000 generations. Hebrew word “Yom”, which can mean a day, or a distinction of time meaning yesterday, today and tomorrow forever.
Matt 5:17 Yeshua said “do not think I came to destroy the Torah.” Destroy in this sense means to abolish it by an incorrect interpretation. He came to verify it (pleru in Greek). Fulfill – contemporary interpretations say it means to end it – but really it means until heaven and earth pass away.
We’re to do the Torah, all of the Torah, as long as there’s a heaven and an earth, for a thousand generations and it will never pass away.
Years ago I threw my Bible out of the car. Another car ran over it, right on Deut. Chapter 8. I went and picked it up, and God spoke to me powerfully in that chapter.
What does it take for us to listen? I know you’re revealing a step by step process that will improve my marriage, my life. Then God will keep with us a covenant of mercy Deut. 8:13. He will lay the curses on all that hate you, 7 nations each one that represents a particular spiritual malady. God will destroy all those people and our eyes will have no pity on them. Don’t be afraid of them – remember what God did to Egypt. He was faithful to us then, and he’s faithful to us now.
The people he was speaking to were going to enter the Promised Land in 30 days. They saw these things like we can see them.
There are 7 blessings to deliver us from the 7 nations. They represent different idolatries and spiritual maladies. These are the 7 things we will be released from:
Humiliation
Barrenness
Sickness & disease
Poverty
Defeat
Oppression
Fear
Look at the last few verses of that chapter. These are the curses that will be broken, a precursor to what happens in Deut. Chap. 28.
Lev. Chap 26:14++ what happens if you don’t obey and you despise the statutes. This breaks the covenants, and causes diseases, famine, defeat by enemies, fear, humiliation etc. 49 curses given in this chapter, which is 7 times 7.
In Deut. 28 there are 98, which is 49 doubled. Sages say this came about because of baseless hatred among the people of Israel.
In the Anatomy of the Soul, I want to tie everything I’ve said so far into two verses. Adam’s sin was eating from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. The three primary lusts and core sins of men: for wealth (which is power), sexual pleasure, and food. Rabbi Nachman teaches that the lust for wealth is a bottomless pit, and returning is extremely difficult. Sexual lust is a major trial that a person constantly encounters in life. Gluttony provides man with the strength to pursue all the other lusts and desires. Therefore that’s the paramount lust, that creates the most difficulties with us.
The church says that we’re not bound by the food laws. They follow the laws put there by the Catholic church that says we’re free to eat whatever we want to eat. Christians can eat anything. Lust for food fuels our lusts for power and perversion. The kind of food we eat creates more arguments than almost anything else.
We all know that we’re not supposed to commit murder, adultery, thievery, etc. How many of the commandments are we supposed to keep? ALL of them as long as there’s a heaven and an earth. The New Testament doesn’t change any of that.
Chapter 6:10 when you have eaten and are full, beware lest you forget that God has given this to you. We need to bless the Lord when we have eaten. Not just thanking him for the food, but for putting us in this good land.
8:6 you shall keep the commandments of Adonai for you have been given this land…
We have a place to sleep, a home, God’s blessings in our lives. Therefore we are to keep the commandments. V 10, remember to bless the Lord, and do not forget. If you forget you will surely perish.
Rabbi Sachs: how do we respond? Either we will remember to bless God, remembering that all things come from him, or we will forget, and think all of this comes from our own efforts. It will make all the difference. In both Torah portions it comes together. When we are satisfied and filled, don’t forget to bless the Lord in even the small things. Remember it is God that is working for us in all of our lives, whether we think it is good or bad. This is to bring us to being better people, better husbands, better fathers. Take Torah study seriously. The difference between remembering and forgetting lies in disobeying even the least of the commandments.
God looks into the heart of a Tzaddik, seeing he wants to do good, and will bless him. When we encounter dreamers, we see things that look attractive. But if they don’t follow Torah, they’re a false prophet & idolater. If they acknowledge anything but God, they’re idolaters and phony. Remember that Pharoah could duplicate many of the miracles himself. Do we think that God needs help in deliverance? Does God need to have a man come along and do anything, like get rid of your servant’s demon? God sent the demon to teach something. God works in every area of our lives, and we need to remember that. God brings us into the good land.
In the wilderness, God caused everyone to thirst and hunger, because he wanted them to trust him.
If one falls away, even in the same day harassment can come back. This is to remind us to not turn away. To bless the Lord in small things, even after eating, thanking him for food and the land, will help.
You can be thankful that God chastens us like sons. “Didn’t you know that through the whole time in the wilderness, I carried you as a father carries his sons?” No one else can do it.
God can deal with Israel. If anyone such as Arabs or the US attacks Israel, God can take care of them.
I am in a wilderness, and God is taking care of me so I can take care of other people. My God delivered me and fed me and clothed me and gave me water – he provided for me all the time.
Study the Torah, don’t slack it off. This is not about going to church on Saturday night. We’re not trying to have 500 people at Kehilat, but I’d rather have 5 committed people. If only once every believer would honor the Shabbat, then Messiah would come. God is patient with us, he’s teaching us. He doesn’t want the Messiah to come before the time is due, because then some would be left out. Ask God to tell you what to think, how to dress, what to look at & listen to. It’s hard but the most rewarding thing you will ever do in your life. In another way it’s the most simple thing, to do everything in the leading and guiding of God.
NEXT
WEEK: Devarim Re’eh 11:26-16:17
Acts
8&9