D'varim (Words)
1) Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
My father once asked me on a walk years ago what I thought my gift was. Without hesitation, I said, “words.”
While I only learned this later in my life, I have discovered that words are my greatest strength. I am a deep thinker and my creativity flows through artfully articulating deep things. Furthermore, for years I have struggled with making these deep things accessible to others in simple ways. I like to say that my brain is filled with both beauty and chaos and I work hard to translate the beauty.
Perhaps that’s why the academy is a good place for me. As a professor, my primary job is to use words. The time I spend teaching, public speaking, researching, and writing are all activities driven primarily through using words. My hope and prayer is that these words not only inform—but transform—RD4KB style!
Incidentally, however, words are also my greatest weakness—just ask my children! I use far too many (I’m really trying—with my wife’s help—to use fewer)!! I think this is true for us all—our greatest strength also carries an underbelly that can function as a weakness.
What’s your greatest strength? Additionally, can you identify the underbelly of that gift that also sometimes serves as a weakness?
What’s In a Name?
We are embarking on the fifth and final book of the foundational revelation upon which the entire Bible rests—the Torah or Pentateuch. The English name for this book is Deuteronomy, which comes from the Greek Deuteronomion, which is a compound word from deuter, meaning “copy” or “repetition” and nomos, meaning “law.”
In Jewish tradition, the names of each book of the Torah, and each of the 54 parishiot, come from one or two words in the opening verse(s) of the text. Thus, each of the 54 portions of the Torah—along with their complementary readings from the prophets and apostolic writers—comprise the annual Jewish lectionary that can help to form what I call a Tanachian worldview. This worldview is basically a Biblical worldview that is free from the anti-Judaic bias that has infected the church (which is being prepared as a pure and spotless bride) and has defiled Christian tradition for too long.
Thus, while the Reformation beginning about 500 years ago restored the word of God to the people of God, it did nothing to address the underlying anti-Jewish sentiments that have deceivingly and artificially divided us since the newly converted Emperor Constantine used the power of the Roman state to authorize religion that was to be essentially de-Judaized!
My passion through the Parashah Project, and this thread of Scripture for ALL blogs, is to help restore the word of God to the people of God using words that are simple—and make the transforming power and love of God accessible—to all with faith to believe and a will to obey and follow God’s leading.
Visualizing the Vision
One way to visualize the Torah is as the Biblical Bedrock of God’s revelation to humanity. A bedrock is a solid foundation upon which to build.
Furthermore, there is an ancient Jewish tradition of “chunking” the text into these 54 parishiot that tell the story of Creation and Redemption.
The name of this week’s portion, and in fact the name of this entire book—is D’varim, “words.” This foundational book contains the culminating words of Moses to God’s covenant community as they are poised on the threshold of entering the Promised Land. In essence, Moses is preaching—proclaiming God’s words and rehearsing the events of the past 40 years.
These are the WORDS (d’varim, דְּבָרִים) Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan… (Deuteronomy 1:1)
I encourage you to identify yourself as a Jewish “natural branch” or a Gentile “grafted in branch” of God’s covenant community—that Paul likens to an olive tree in Romans 11—and posture yourself to receive God’s word to you afresh.
Authority and Partiality
As I reflected on this portion after reading it afresh for myself, I was struck by the following two words in Deuteronomy chapter 1, verses 15 and 17 respectively.
So I [Moses] took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have AUTHORITY over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. Do not show PARTIALITY in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. (Deuteronomy 1:15-17, NIV)
God wants His people to exercise AUTHORITY without showing PARTIALITY.
To show partiality means to show prejudice or bias in favor of something. Showing favor for anything over God and His Word is a misuse of power.
Authority as Power to Bless Others
Our culture has become increasingly skeptical of authority. We are prone to mistrust authority because too often authority is wielded in self-serving ways that benefit the one with authority rather than primarily focusing on the one(s) being served. Ultimately, God created us to be blessors. Accordingly, we can use our words to bless others or to burden them in ways that twist and warp God’s self-giving love into self-serving manipulation.
Back in Exodus 18, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, recognized that Moses was carrying too heavy of a leadership load. He advised his son-in-law to appoint leaders who would help carry the load by sharing and exercising authority but doing it without showing partiality.
Specifically, the three qualifications of these leaders were the listed in Jethro’s recommendations to Moses in Exodus 18:21.
But [Moses,] select capable men from all the people—
(1) men who fear God,
(2) trustworthy men
(3) who hate dishonest gain
—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. (Exodus 18:21)
He goes on to describe how these leaders should help administrate justice by helping settle disputes with the harder cases going to Moses.
Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. ((Exodus 18:22)
When God’s people are led by His Spirit, they are blessors by using their authority to serve others. Using our authority, however, to require others to serve us is a misuse and abuse of power. But don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater and be anti-authority! Authority is good when it is submitted to God—Who leads us directly through His Word (written and living)—and indirectly through others.
So, let’s be like those “capable” individuals set apart by Moses who helped lead the people of God through the wilderness as God prepared them for entry into the Promised Land. Fear God. Be trustworthy. And flee from dishonest gain. These are good words to live by.
Readings for the Week:
Torah: DEUTERONOMY 1:1–3:22
Prophets: ISAIAH 1:1–27
Apostolic Writings: JOHN 15:1–11
Click HERE for the online Parashah commentary. (If you prefer a printed copy, please email me at thomas@faithforall.org)
Shalom,
Thomas