RR Parshah Va’Etchanan By Jeffery Freeman
Shabbat Shalom,
The Parshah this week is Va’Etchanan which comes from Deuteronomy 3:23 I (Moses) pleaded (Va’Etchanan) with ADONAI…
In this parshah, Moses pleads to enter the land, Israel is commanded to obey Torah, Trans-Jordan cities of refuge are identified, the Ten Words are reiterated, the Shema is given, and the people are warned about becoming complacent.
Deuteronomy 4:23-31 Watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the covenant of ADONAI your God which He cut with you, and make for yourselves a graven image…(if) you act corruptly and make a graven image and do evil in the sight of ADONAI your God…you will be carried off quickly from the land…ADONAI will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left with but a few…among the nations where ADONAI will drive you.
The LORD predicted that Israel would bend under the pressures of the nations around them. They would worship idols and make unholy sacrifices; they would do evil in the sight of the Lord.
Hence the warning in Deuteronomy 7:1-6 When ADONAI your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out many nations before you…and ADONAI your God gives them over to you and you strike them down, then you are to totally destroy them…(do not) give your daughter to his son or take his daughter for your son, (they) will turn your son away from following me to serve other gods...
ADONAI knew that if the Israelites left any remnants of the nations in the land they would be pressured to join these nations and worship their idols.
Then most Israelites would be removed from the land and scattered among the nations. Yet ADONAI also predicted that there would come a time when the people would return to Him, that the people would seek ADONAI and seek to obey Him. Then ADONAI would return his people to the land.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there (the diaspora) you will seek ADONAI your God, you will find Him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You.
Matthew 7:7-8 Yeshua says Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it shall be opened.
What exactly does it mean to seek after God? Yeshua seems to be pointing to us getting to know God. When we seek after someone and knock on their door, we get an opportunity to get to know them.
Just remember there is a world of difference between knowing about someone and knowing them.
Knowing someone requires spending time with that person, building a personal relationship.
It’s the same way with ADONAI. When you accept Yeshua as your personal savior Yeshua helps you to “knock” on ADONAI’s door.
John 17:3 “This is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Yeshua, the one You sent.”
Yeshua introduces us to God when we turn from sin, turn to God and trust in Yeshua.
Then we must develop our relationship with ADONAI through months and years of study and prayer.
Psalm 119:66-68 Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I believe in Your commands. Before I was afflicted and went astray, but now I obey Your word. You are good and what You do is good, teach me Your decrees.
There David is admitting that he used to live a crazy, sinful life. Then he was introduced to ADONAI and found that He is good, and He does good things for people who trust in Him. David pleads with ADONAI to teach him Torah, and through Torah to give him the knowledge and judgement to make better life choices. He’s seeking to “know” God.
We have all made bad choices. ADONAI knew that we would need a Savior. So, He made a way for us. All we need to do is to trust in Yeshua and get to know Him through study and prayer. Then as the Psalmist says:
Psalm 63:5-6 I will bless You as long as I live. In Your name I will lift my hands. My soul is satisfied with fat and oil, so my mouth praises you with joyful lips.
Shabbat Shalom
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat25-July-202611th of Av, 5786
Parashat Vaetchanan Shabbat Nachamu
De 5:22[19]-7:11Isa 40:1-281 Pe 1:18-25
The Parshah this week is Va’Etchanan which comes from Deuteronomy 3:23 I (Moses) pleaded (Va’Etchanan) with ADONAI…
In this parshah, Moses pleads to enter the land, Israel is commanded to obey Torah, Trans-Jordan cities of refuge are identified, the Ten Words are reiterated, the Shema is given, and the people are warned about becoming complacent.
Deuteronomy 4:23-31 Watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the covenant of ADONAI your God which He cut with you, and make for yourselves a graven image…(if) you act corruptly and make a graven image and do evil in the sight of ADONAI your God…you will be carried off quickly from the land…ADONAI will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left with but a few…among the nations where ADONAI will drive you.
The LORD predicted that Israel would bend under the pressures of the nations around them. They would worship idols and make unholy sacrifices; they would do evil in the sight of the Lord.
Hence the warning in Deuteronomy 7:1-6 When ADONAI your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out many nations before you…and ADONAI your God gives them over to you and you strike them down, then you are to totally destroy them…(do not) give your daughter to his son or take his daughter for your son, (they) will turn your son away from following me to serve other gods...
ADONAI knew that if the Israelites left any remnants of the nations in the land they would be pressured to join these nations and worship their idols.
Then most Israelites would be removed from the land and scattered among the nations. Yet ADONAI also predicted that there would come a time when the people would return to Him, that the people would seek ADONAI and seek to obey Him. Then ADONAI would return his people to the land.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there (the diaspora) you will seek ADONAI your God, you will find Him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You.
Matthew 7:7-8 Yeshua says Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it shall be opened.
What exactly does it mean to seek after God? Yeshua seems to be pointing to us getting to know God. When we seek after someone and knock on their door, we get an opportunity to get to know them.
Just remember there is a world of difference between knowing about someone and knowing them.
Knowing someone requires spending time with that person, building a personal relationship.
It’s the same way with ADONAI. When you accept Yeshua as your personal savior Yeshua helps you to “knock” on ADONAI’s door.
John 17:3 “This is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Yeshua, the one You sent.”
Yeshua introduces us to God when we turn from sin, turn to God and trust in Yeshua.
Then we must develop our relationship with ADONAI through months and years of study and prayer.
Psalm 119:66-68 Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I believe in Your commands. Before I was afflicted and went astray, but now I obey Your word. You are good and what You do is good, teach me Your decrees.
There David is admitting that he used to live a crazy, sinful life. Then he was introduced to ADONAI and found that He is good, and He does good things for people who trust in Him. David pleads with ADONAI to teach him Torah, and through Torah to give him the knowledge and judgement to make better life choices. He’s seeking to “know” God.
We have all made bad choices. ADONAI knew that we would need a Savior. So, He made a way for us. All we need to do is to trust in Yeshua and get to know Him through study and prayer. Then as the Psalmist says:
Psalm 63:5-6 I will bless You as long as I live. In Your name I will lift my hands. My soul is satisfied with fat and oil, so my mouth praises you with joyful lips.
Shabbat Shalom
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat25-July-202611th of Av, 5786
Parashat Vaetchanan Shabbat Nachamu
De 5:22[19]-7:11Isa 40:1-281 Pe 1:18-25
Posted in Rabbis Reflections
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