Dev/Deut
26:1-29:8
The events described in
this Torah portion are connected to the feast of Sukkot. This will be the first
appointment we have with YHVH in the millennial kingdom. The instruction around
this event as given to us in this Torah portion clearly establishes the kind of
foundation that will be established as we enter into the millennial kingdom of
our Messiah.
Once
again the tone for the Torah portion is set by the title and opening words. The
sages remind us that the title “Ki Tavo” is presented in its future tense form.
The use of this kind of language suggests to us some future time when the land
of Yisrael will be divided according to the inheritance of the different tribes
of Yisrael. This event will take place at the commencement of the Messianic
age.
Amo 9:15 “And I shall plant them on their own soil,
and not uproot them any more from their own soil I have given them,” said יהוה your Elohim! (Yisrael will never be dispersed again)
The preparation for this future event begins NOW!!!
We who are not Jewish believers in Messiah need to trust
our Heavenly Father that we are securely grafted into the root of Yisrael.
Rom 11:16 Now if the first-fruit is set-apart, the lump
is also. And if the root is set-apart, so are the branches. (dear reader I know
this may offend some, but YHVH did not set the church apart as the first fruit-
it has always being a believing remnant who trust in Messiah and live by YHVH’s
Torah)
Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches were broken off,
and you, being a wild olive tree, have been grafted in among them, and came to
share the root and fatness of the olive tree,
Rom 11:18 do not boast against the branches. And if you
boast, remember: you do not bear the root, but the root bears
you!
Rom 11:19 You shall say then, “The branches were broken
off that I might be grafted in.”
Rom 11:20 Good! By unbelief they were broken off, and
you stand by belief. Do not be arrogant, but fear.
Rom 11:21 For if Elohim did not spare the natural
branches, He might not spare you either.
Rom 11:22 See then the kindness and sharpness of
Elohim: on those who fell sharpness, but toward you kindness, if you continue
in His kindness, otherwise you also shall be cut off.
Rom 11:23 And they also, if they do not continue in
unbelief, shall be grafted in, for Elohim is able to graft them in again.
Rom 11:24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree
which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive
tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches, be grafted
into their own olive tree?
Rom 11:25 For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this
secret, brothers, lest you should be wise in your own estimation, that
hardening in part has come over Yisra’ĕl, until the completeness of the
gentiles1 has come in. Footnote: 1Gen. 48:19.
General Overview:
The Yisraelites are commanded to bring the first of their fruit to the Temple,
and to deliver all tithes to their proper recipients. Moshe explains how the
blessings and curses are to be proclaimed on Mts. Grizzim and Ebal when the
Hebrew nation enters into Yisrael. He then details the blessings they will
receive for following the commandments of the Torah, and the calamities which
will result from disregarding them.
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher
bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn
ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples, and
have given us your Torah.
Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Torah
Readings:
26:1-19
27:1-10
27:11-26
28:1-14
28:15-57
28:58 - 29:1(28:69 Heb.)
29:2(1 Heb.) - 29:9(8 Heb.)
Maftir: 29:7(6) - 9(8)
Haftarah: Yeshayahu/Isaiah 60:1-22
26:1-19
27:1-10
27:11-26
28:1-14
28:15-57
28:58 - 29:1(28:69 Heb.)
29:2(1 Heb.) - 29:9(8 Heb.)
Maftir: 29:7(6) - 9(8)
Haftarah: Yeshayahu/Isaiah 60:1-22
Isa 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come! And
the esteem of יהוה has risen upon you.
Isa 60:2 “For
look, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. But יהוה arises over you, and His esteem is
seen upon you.
Isa 60:3 “And the
gentiles shall come to your light1, and sovereigns to the brightness
of your rising. Footnote: 1Isa. 60:19,20, Rev. 21:23,24.
Isa 60:4 “Lift up
your eyes all around and see: all of them have gathered, they have come to you;
your sons come from afar, and your daughters are supported on the side.
Isa
60:5 “Then you shall see and be bright,
and your heart shall throb and swell, for the wealth of the sea is turned to
you, the riches of the gentiles come to you.
Aliyah
Rishon 26:1-19
This
section introduces us to the mitzvah of bikurim, (firstfruit) the requirement
to bring one's first fruits to the Set Apart Temple. This mitzvah (commandment)
applies to fruits and produce grown in the land of Yisrael, and only those for
which the land of Yisrael is praised: wheat, barley, dates, figs, grapes,
pomegranates and olives. When in the Temple, the owner of the fruits recites a
prayer acknowledging his humble past as well as the struggle he had to go
through to enter into the land. The prayer includes a declaration that no part
of the tithe has been withheld and the priest presents the prayer and the
offering before YHVH.
During
Temple times, Jewish farmers were required to separate from their produce
several different tithes. These were distributed to the priests, the Levites, the poor, and one tithe which was eaten by
its owners in Jerusalem. The different tithes
were not all given each year, rather there was a three-year cycle.
Deu 26:1 “And it
shall be, when you come into the land which יהוה your
Elohim is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it,
Deu 26:2 that you
shall take some of the first of all the
fruits of the soil which you bring from your land that יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and
shall put it in a basket and go to the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to make His
Name dwell there.
The events described here coincide with the festival of
Sukkot.
The Hebrew root of
bikkurim (first fruits) is the same as that of bekhor (first-born)
The bride of Messiah
is a kind of first fruits:
Rev 14:1 And I looked and saw a Lamb standing on Mount
Tsiyon, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s
Name1 written upon their foreheads. Footnote: 1Some texts
read: having His Name and His Father’s Name.
Rev 14:4 They are those who were not defiled with
women, for they are maidens (pure and
undefiled by mixture). They are those following the Lamb wherever He leads
them on. They were redeemed from among men, being first-fruits to Elohim and to
the Lamb.
The implications of
this are profound and very important for us to know and understand. The Bride
of Messiah is beginning to understand and prepare herself as a possession of
Yahshua and to possess of the land of Yisrael.
This will most probably
be only those who are part of the first resurrection.
Jas 1:18 Having purposed it, He brought us forth by
the Word of truth, (Torah) for us to be a kind of first-fruits of His
creatures.
It is the purpose of a dedicated first fruit to bring set apartness to
those who are not part of the first fruit.
Rom 11:16 Now if the first-fruit is set-apart, the lump
is also. And if the root is set-apart, so are the branches.
Deu 26:3 “And you
shall come to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I shall
declare today to יהוה your
Elohim that I have come to the land which יהוה swore to our fathers to give us.’
Deu 26:4 “And the
priest shall take the basket from your hand and place it before the altar of יהוה your Elohim.
Deu 26:5 “And you
shall answer and say before יהוה your Elohim, ‘My father was a
perishing Aramean, and he went down to Mitsrayim and sojourned there with few
men. And there he became a nation, great, mighty, and numerous.
“you shall answer - "v'anita v'amarta" can also mean
to shout out loudly (even with a tune)
Deu 26:6 ‘But the
Mitsrites did evil to us, and afflicted us, and imposed hard labour on us.
Deu 26:7 ‘Then we
cried out to יהוה Elohim
of our fathers, and יהוה heard
our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression.
Deu 26:8 ‘And יהוה brought us out of Mitsrayim with a
strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great fear and with signs and
wonders.
Deu 26:9 ‘And He
brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk
and honey.”
Deu 26:10 ‘And
now, see, I have brought the first-fruits of the land which You, O יהוה, have given me.’ Then you shall
place it before יהוה your
Elohim, and bow down before יהוה your
Elohim,
Deu 26:11 and
shall rejoice in all the good which יהוה your Elohim has given to you and
your house, you and the Lĕwite and the stranger who is among you.
Deu 26:12 “When
you have completed tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year,
which is the year of tithing, and have given it to the Lĕwite, to the stranger,
to the fatherless, and to the widow, and they have eaten within your gates and
have been satisfied,
Deu 26:13 then you
shall say before יהוה your Elohim, ‘I have put away the
set-apart portion from my house, and also have given it to the Lĕwite,
and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all
Your command which You have commanded me. I have not transgressed Your
commands, nor have I forgotten.
The sages tell us: “We can keep the Torah in two different ways: We
can fit the Torah into our lives, or we can fit our lives into the Torah.
The
first way involves seeking out as many leniencies as possible so the mitzvot
don’t interfere with our lives too much.
Or
we can look at the mitzvot as life itself – “For they
are your life.” Deut 32:47
Everyone
would agree that the better we keep the mitzvot in this world, the bigger
will be our share in the future world. That’s only fair. But the truth is that
a person who fits his life into the mitzvot, rather than fits the mitzvot
into his life, has it better not only over there but over here too.”
Order
will be established in the millennial kingdom – there will be a set apart
priesthood and they will ensure that every word of Torah will be obeyed in its
letter and in its spirit. We must understand clearly and even fear that there
will be no “lone rangers” or any man or woman who have their own agenda’s.
Deu 32:47 “For it is not a
worthless Word for you, because it is your life, and by this Word you prolong
your days on the soil which you pass over the Yardĕn to possess.”
How serious are we
today who hear these instructions and are willing to take them to heart? Those
who do will one day utter these words as they enter into the millennial kingdom
of Messiah.
Deu 26:14 ‘I have
not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for any
unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of יהוה my Elohim, I have done according to
all that You have commanded me.
Deu 26:15 ‘Look
from Your set-apart dwelling place, from the heavens, and bless Your people
Yisra’ĕl and the land which You have given us, as You swore to our fathers, “a
land flowing with milk and honey.” ’
Deu 26:16 “Today יהוה your Elohim is commanding you to do
these laws and right-rulings. And you shall guard and do them with all your
heart and with all your being.
Deu 26:17 “You
have today caused יהוה to proclaim to be your Elohim, and
to walk in His ways and guard His laws, and His commands, and His
right-rulings, and to obey His voice.
Deu 26:18 “And יהוה has caused you to proclaim today to
be His people, a treasured possession, as He has spoken to you, and to guard
all His commands,
Deu 26:19 so as to
set you high above all nations which He has made, for a praise, and for a name,
and for esteem, and for you to be a set-apart people to יהוה your Elohim, as He has spoken.”
Aliyah
Sheni 27:1-10
Deu 27:1 And
Mosheh, with the elders of Yisra’ĕl, commanded the people, saying, “Guard all
the commands which I am commanding you today.
Deu 27:2 “And it shall be, on the day when you pass
over the Yardĕn to the land which יהוה your
Elohim is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and
plaster them with plaster,
Deu 27:3 and write
on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go
into the land which יהוה your
Elohim is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as יהוה Elohim of your fathers has spoken
to you.
Deu 27:4 “And it
shall be, when you have passed over the Yardĕn, that on Mount Ěyḇal you set up
these stones, which I command you today, and you shall plaster them with
plaster,
Deu 27:5 and build
an altar to יהוה your
Elohim there, an altar of stones – do not use an iron tool on them.
Deu 27:6 “Build
the altar of יהוה your
Elohim with complete stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to יהוה your Elohim,
Deu 27:7 and shall
offer peace offerings, and eat there, and rejoice before יהוה your Elohim.
Deu 27:8 “And you
shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones – plainly and well.”
Deu 27:9 And
Mosheh and the priests, the Lĕwites, spoke to all Yisra’ĕl, saying, “Be silent
and hear, O Yisra’ĕl: This day you have become the people of יהוה your Elohim,
Deu 27:10 and you
shall obey the voice of יהוה your
Elohim, and do His commands and His laws which I command you today.”
Aliyah
Shlishi 27:11-26
These 12
issues discussed here lay a clear foundation for our entry and permanent
residence in the land. The sages teach that a person is in public what he is in
private. They state that the list of 12 curses relate to what people can do in
secret and think they get away with. YHVH intended that there be no double
standards in the private and public lives of His covenant people.
Note
carefully each of these 12 sins and trust the Ruach to reveal their present day
application in your life.
Deu 27:11
And Mosheh commanded the people on that day, saying,
Deu 27:12 “These are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless
the people, when you have passed over the Yardĕn: Shimʽon, and Lĕwi, and
Yehuḏah, and Yissasḵar, and Yosĕph, and Binyamin.
Deu 27:13
“And these are to stand on Mount Ěyḇal to curse: Re’uḇĕn, Gaḏ, and
Ashĕr, and Zeḇulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
Deu 27:14
“And the Lĕwites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of
Yisra’ĕl:
Deu 27:15
‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved or moulded image, an abomination
to יהוה, the work of the hands of the
craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’
And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:16 ‘Cursed
is he who makes light of his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall
say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:17 ‘Cursed
is he who moves his neighbour’s boundary.’ And all the people shall say,
‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:18 ‘Cursed
is he who misleads the blind in the way.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:19 ‘Cursed
is he who twists the right-ruling of the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’
And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:20 ‘Cursed
is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s
bed.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:21 ‘Cursed
is he who lies with any beast.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:22 ‘Cursed
is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of
his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:23 ‘Cursed
is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:24 ‘Cursed
is he who smites his neighbour secretly.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:25 ‘Cursed
is he who takes a bribe to slay an innocent being.’ And all the people shall
say, ‘Amĕn!’
Deu 27:26 ‘Cursed
is he who does not establish the Words of this Torah.’ And all the people shall
say, ‘Amĕn!’
Aliyah
Reviee 28:1-14
Deu 28:1
“And it shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands which I command
you today, that יהוה your Elohim shall set you high
above all nations of the earth.
Deu 28:2 “And all
these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim:
Deu 28:3 “Blessed
are you in the city, and blessed are you in the field.
Deu 28:4 “Blessed
is the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your
livestock – the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
Deu 28:5 “Blessed
is your basket and your kneading bowl.
Deu 28:6 “Blessed
are you when you come in, and blessed are you when you go out.
Deu 28:7 “יהוה causes your enemies who rise
against you to be smitten before your face – they come out against you one way
and flee before you seven ways.
Deu 28:8 “יהוה commands the blessing on you in
your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and shall bless you in
the land which יהוה your
Elohim is giving you.
Deu 28:9 “יהוה does establish you as a set-apart
people to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim and walk in His ways.
Deu 28:10 “And all
peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of יהוה is called upon you, and they shall
be afraid of you.
Deu 28:11 “And יהוה shall make you to have plenty of
what is good, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in
the fruit of your ground, in the land of which יהוה swore to your fathers to give you.
Deu 28:12 “יהוה opens to you His good treasure, the
heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work
of your hand. And you shall lend to many nations, but you do not borrow.
Deu 28:13 “And יהוה shall make you the head and not the
tail. And you shall be only on top, and not be beneath, if you obey the
commands of יהוה your
Elohim, which I command you today, to guard and do.
Deu 28:14 “And do
not turn aside from any of the Words which I am commanding you today, right or
left, to go after other mighty ones to serve them.
Aliyah
Chamishi 28:15-57
When it
comes to curses in the Torah we note that in several places the use of the
third person as in Lev 26 – This is YHVH Himself who will bring these calamities
on us because of our disobedience. We note in parashat Bechukotai the Torah speaks in the plural of
the curses, whereas in this week's Parsha the curses are mentioned in the
singular.
It is safe to assume
that these curse will not be upon the bride of Messiah, however because we are
in a process of reaching perfect perfection in all things, we must assume that
our restoration has something to do with the effects of these curses on our
lives that are in a process of being perfectly restored. When we understand the
nature and the impact that these curses have had on our and others, lives we
will truly be able to minister life and light to the nations.
Once again let us
meditate on each of these curses and ask the Ruach of YHVH to show us what
needs to be restored and healed in our lives.
We must fear and not
be arrogant. We must know that everything that is done in secret will be
revealed, not to shame us but heal us and set us free.
Deu 28:15 “And it shall be, if you do not obey the
voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard to do all His
commands and His laws which I command you today, that all these curses shall
come upon you and overtake you: (hyphil
verb also meaning to take hold of you )
Deu 28:16 “Cursed
are you in the city, and cursed are you in the field.
Deu 28:17 “Cursed
is your basket and your kneading bowl.
Deu 28:18 “Cursed
is the fruit of your body and the fruit of your land, the increase of your
cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
Deu 28:19 “Cursed
are you when you come in, and cursed are you when you go out.
Deu 28:20 “יהוה sends on you the curse, the
confusion, and the rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are
destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the evil of your doings by
which you have forsaken Me.
Deu 28:21 “יהוה makes the plague cling to you until
He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess.
Deu 28:22 “יהוה smites you with wasting disease,
and with inflammation, and with burning, and with extreme heat, and with the
sword, and with blight, and with mildew. And they shall pursue you until you
perish.
