Devarim

Parasha Devarim

Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:23

Please pray this Prayer

Before reading.

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah,

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

That the Light of Torah may

Revealed to me. Amen

The Sabbath of Devarim is the 43^rd Torah Portion, it is also known as “Sabbath Chazon” or the Sabbath of vision it is one of the greatest Sabbath of the year. There is no greater day for the Yisraelites than the day that the Temple was destroyed.

The Talmud teaches that if a husband is going away on a long trip, he has to lie with his wife the night before he leaves.  Whenever there is a separation, there has to be an equally great union.

On this week in history, both the temple in Jerusalem were destroyed and it is regarded as the most negative day of the Year. In addition to the psychic and spiritual damage, thousand of people were killed when the temple was destroyed. Where there was a tragic day in the physical world, it was a day of amazing love in the upper world.

Where there is a great amount of darkness, there is also the possibility for a great amount of light. The greatest revelation of the light of the Creator is Messiyah Yahushua. This means that this Light is revealed completely only on the Sabbath of Deverim.

One of the gifts of this Sabbath of Devarim is that all of our spiritual strength can be double, as Elisha ask Elijah for a double portion of his blessing.

One week before the 9^th of Av, on the Sabbath that connects us to the greatest separation, the destruction of the Tabernacle, we gain access to the most incredible Light. On this Sabbath, we have the power to double the strength of  Elijah the Prophet.

 This book is a repetition of both the history and the laws contained in the three previous books, which repeat what Moses delivered to Yisrael (both by word of mouth, that it might affect, and by writing, that it might last) just before his death. There is no new revelation in it, but, that of the death of Moses in the last chapter, nor any new revelation to Moses, and therefore the style here is not, as before. YAHVEH spoke unto Moses, saying.

But the principles of Torah are repeated and commented upon, it explained and enlarged, and some with some particular precepts clarified is given, with abundant reasoning’s for the enforcing of the understanding.

In this book Moses was divinely inspired and assisted, so that this is truly the word of YAHVEH written by Moses as that which was spoken to him with an audible voice out of the Tabernacle of the congregation, Lev. 1:1.

The Greek interpreters call it Deuteronomy, which signifies the second law, or a second edition of the Torah, not with amendments, for the principles Torah needed none, but with additional clarification, for the further direction of the people in specific cases, not mentioned before. That is why this book of the Law was design to be place on the outside of the Ark, Deut 31:²⁵ That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of YAHVEH, saying, ²⁶Take this book of the law, and put it at the side of the Ark of the covenant of YAHVEH your EL, that it may be there for a witness against thee. ²⁷For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against YAHVEH  and how much more after my death?

One could safely say that Deuteronomy is the policeman of the Torah, since it contains the laws that stand against us, both in chapter 11:¹⁷And then YAHVEH’S wrath be kindled against you, and HE shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which YAHVEH give you. 11: ²⁶Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

²⁷A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of YAHVEH your EL, which I command you this day: ²⁸And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of YAHVEH your EL, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. ²⁹And it shall come to pass, when YAHVEH thy EL hath brought thee in unto the land whither you goes to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.

Deut 28:¹⁵But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not listen unto the Voice of YAHVEH your EL, to observe to do all HIS commandments and HIS statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come "against" upon thee, and overtake thee: ¹⁶Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. ¹⁷Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. ¹⁸Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. ¹⁹Cursed shalt you be when you come in, and cursed shalt thou be when you goes out.

Deut 30:¹And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come "against" upon thee, the blessing or the curse, which I have set before thee, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, whither YAHVEH your EL hath driven thee.

Now, it was much for the honor of the Divine Principles that it should be repeated; how great were the things of those principles which was place inside the Ark Exodus 40:20 “And he took and put the testimony into the Ark, and set the staves on the Ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the Ark:” Therefore think on how inexcusable would those be by whom they were counted as a strange thing! Hos. 8:12 I have written to him the great things of My law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

There might be a particular reason for the repeating of it in this book; the men of that generation to which the Torah was first given were all dead, and a new generation had sprung up, to whom YAHVEH would have Moses repeated, that if possible, it might make a lasting impression upon them. Now that they were just going to take possession of the Promise Land, Moses must read the contract of the covenant to them, that they might know the terms and conditions they were to hold and enjoy the land, and that they might understand how to behavior in it.

It would be of great benefit to the people to understand this parts of the law therefore gathered up and put together which did more immediately impact them and their practice; for the Torah which concerned the priests and Levites, and the execution of their offices, are not repeated: it was enough for them that they were once delivered.

But, in compassion to the infirmities of the people, the Torah was written a second time. The first sets of law was place inside the Ark Exodus 40:20 and this second set of the law was place on the outside of the Ark Deut 31:26.

Precept must be upon precept, and line upon line, Isa. 28:10. The great and eternal truths of the gospel should be often pressed upon people by the ministers of El (Jesus) Yahushua. To write the same things (says Paul, Phil. 3:1) to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. What YAHVEH has spoken once we have need to hear twice, to hear many times, and it is well if, after all, it be faithfully perceived and practice.

Three ways in this book of Deuteronomy was magnified and made honorable used:

1. The king was to write a copy of it with his own hand, and to read it all the days of his life, ch. 17, 18, 19.

 

2. It was to be written upon great stones plastered, after their passing over Jordan, ch. 27:2, 3.

 

3. It was to be read publicly every seventh year, at the feast of tabernacles, by the priests, in the audience of all Yisrael, ch. 31:9, etc. The gospel is a kind of Deuteronomy, a second law, a remedial law, a spiritual law, a law of faith; by if we are under the law of Messiyah and it is a law that makes the believer perfect, then it is wise to learn it.

This book of Deuteronomy begins with a brief rehearsal of the most remarkable events that had happen to the Yisraelites since they came from Mount Sinai. In the fourth chapter we have a most pathetic exhortation to obedience.

In the twelfth chapter, and on to the twenty-seventh, are repeated many particular laws, which are enforced (ch. 27 and 28) with promises, blessings and curses, formed into a covenant, ch. 29 and 30.

Care is taken to perpetuate the remembrance of these things among them (ch. 31), particularly by a song (ch. 32), and so Moses concludes with a blessing, ch. 33. All this was delivered by Moses to Yisrael in the last month of his life.

The whole book of Deuteronomy contains the history, except for two months; compare ch. 1:3 with Jos. 4:19, the latter of which was the thirty days of Yisrael’s mourning for Moses; see how busy that great and good man has to do good when he knew that his time was short, how quick his motion when he drew near his rest.

Therefore, we have more recorded of what our blessed Savior Messiyah Yahushua said and did in the last week of his life than in any other. The last words of a eminent persons make or should make deep impressions. For the honor of this book, that when our Savior Messiyah Yahushua would answer the devil’s temptations with, It is written, He got all His quotations out of this book, Mt. 4:4, 7, 10.

The first part of Moses’ farewell teachings to Yisrael begins with this chapter, and is continued to the latter end of the fourth chapter. In the first five verses of this chapter we have the date of the sermon, the place where it was preached verse 1, 2, 5, and the time when verse 3, 4. The narrative in this chapter reminds them:

 

I.                Of the promise YAHVEH made them of the land of Canaan verse 6-8.

II.             Of the provision made of judges for them verse 9-18.

III.          Of their unbelief and murmuring upon the report of the spies verse 19-33.

IV.            Of the sentence passed upon them for it, and the ratification of that sentence verse 34.