I have five children. They are vibrant and passionate. They can also be very stubborn.
My wife has read all the parenting books. One strategy we have embraced, especially in the teen years, is sometimes called the law of natural consequences. As the practice goes, you train your children by letting them experience the natural consequences of their choices—both good and bad. Furthermore, the assumption is that these natural consequences will be powerful enough to train and equip them with the power necessary for them to make good choices and lead them down the path of blessing.
The law of natural consequences basically assumes that when my children make a good choice, their experience of satisfaction from the positive results of that choice will empower them to make good choices in the future. Conversely, when they make a bad choice, their experience of dissatisfaction from the negative results of that choice will undermine their motivation to continue down that path.
While there are always exceptions, this is generally a good rule. It’s a basic principle of cause and effect.
But a blind spot of this theory is assuming that if we know better, we will have the power to do better. In this blog, I want to expose this blind spot by looking at this week’s portion and point to the ultimate source of empowerment—our human mind and will—fully surrendered to God’s Spirit. As the Jewish apostle to the Gentiles says,
The mind controlled by the flesh is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
Ekev - Cause & Effect
The name of the portion comes from the second word in Deuteronomy 7:12, ekev (עֵקֶב) and means “as a result.” Get this opening scene in your mind. Moses is continuing to preach to God’s chosen people, the people of Israel, who are about to—finally—enter into the Promised Land. Next week I will go deeper into the continuity of God’s land promises. For now, however, let’s look at the opening of this week’s parashah and how it extends God’s promises to Abraham to the children of Abraham.
God’s Commitment to Abraham’s Children
The opening verse in this week’s portion begins with Moses seemingly preaching the law of natural consequences. God’s covenantal commitments to Abraham are like a seed that continues to grow through God’s faithful watering and pruning. Furthermore, these seeds of promise are designed to ultimately reap a full harvest—still future—that the prophets and apostles called “the restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). Let’s look at the opening verse of the parashah.
If [ekev, as a result or because] you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his COVENANT OF LOVE with you, as HE SWORE [promised or committed] TO YOUR ANCESTORS [the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel]. (Deuteronomy 7:12)
If you…then God will. Simple, right?
Obedience —> Blessing
Disobedience —> Consequences
But this formula does not answer the age old question of why bad things still happen to good people. Why do negative consequences still happen to those who make good choices? While I won't attempt to answer this important question here, I will focus us on the deeper priority—in both good and bad circumstances—of our relationships with God and others.
My thesis is that the goal of God’s covenant of love for all humanity—for Jews and Gentiles, for Israel and the Nations—is fueled by Relational depth for Kingdom breadth (RD4KB)!
Who Is Like You?
There is no one like our God! In the remainder of this blog, I want to unpack one verse near the beginning of the portion that identifies God’s uniqueness as His greatness, His relational accessibility, and the only true source of reliable (and eternal) power. Here’s the verse.
Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is AMONG YOU, is a GREAT and AWESOME God. (Deuteronomy 7:21, NIV)
One way God is unique is His greatness. God is great. In Hebrew, the word for great is gadol (גָּדוֹל). This word is used 528 times in the Hebrew Bible and regularly populates the siddur liturgy (Jewish prayer book) to ascribe greatness to God.
Moses ascribes greatness to God later in this week’s portion as well in Deuteronomy 10:17.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, THE GREAT (ha-gadol, הַגָּדֹל) God, mighty (ha-gibor, הַגִּבֹּר) and awesome (ha-norah, הַנּוֹרָא), who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
I included the whole sentence above because it includes two other words that describe God’s uniqueness—mighty and awesome. Furthermore, these two words regularly show up throughout Jewish liturgy. God is mighty—He is El-Gibor. God is also awesome—He is the One to be feared, Ha-Norah). Below, I discuss the root meaning of the Hebrew word for awesome and the RD4KB dynamics as they relate to this aspect of God’s uniqueness.
The One Who Comes Near
God’s uniqueness is expressed in His passion and proactivity to draw near to us—His people. God delights to take the initiative relationally with us. Back in Exodus 25:8, in parashah T’rumah, God explained His RD4KB purpose for giving the Tabernacle instructions.
Have them make a Sanctuary for Me, so that I may DWELL AMONG them. (Exodus 25:8)
God wanted to draw near and dwell among these newly freed slaves. God loves the people He created. He wanted to come down from the top of Mt. Sinai to be with His people, to dwell among us again, like it was in the Garden.
God is great, mighty, and awesome in power.
The Awesome One
When Moses writes that God is awesome, he used the Hebrew word norah (נּוֹרָא) that comes from the root yareh (יָרֵא)—meaning “to fear.”
Fear is an interesting thing. In terms of relational dynamics, fear typically drives people away from the thing feared. For example, if you are afraid of dogs you will likely not draw near to a dog but run away from it.
The first instance of yareh in the Bible actually illustrates this relational dynamic. After Adam and Eve made a bad choice, God—dwelling among His creation—called out with a question. His answer was that he pulled away because of fear.
Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” I heard you in the garden, and I WAS AFRAID (from root yareh, יָרֵא) because I was naked; so I hid. (Genesis 3:9-10)
Relational Depth
There is another kind of fear that actually works the other way around. The fear of the LORD is different. Adam feared for himself in the Garden so he hid. But throughout the Bible, God speaks of a “fear of the LORD” that actually works to draw us closer to God.
The FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)
A good translation of “fear of God” or “fear of the LORD” is REVERENTIAL AWE. God is awesome and the root of this word is to fear. Fearing God draws us closer to Him. Every other fear drives us away from Him.
The second instance of yareh in the Bible actually illustrates this relational dynamic.
After these things the word of ADONAI came to Abram in a vision saying,
“Do not FEAR (from root yareh, יָרֵא), Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”
God had entered into covenant with Abram and was teaching him to walk by faith. The Torah teaches us how God taught Abraham the fear of the Lord to lead him down the path of blessing. Fearing God alone will protect us from falling to the right or to the left and will help keep us on the right path too. The right path is often a narrow road. Power to make good choices comes from following God—Who is the One who provides the real power.
Draw near to the One Who has drawn near to you through Messiah. Consider that Yeshua (Jesus) only made good choices and He is alive today. To magnify God’s love, Yeshua’s selfless sacrifice reverses the consequences of our bad choices if we confess and repent—turning from faithless ways and turning in faith to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His good choices and selfless sacrifice overpowers any and all of our bad choices and gives us power to walk in the ways of God! This is Good News!
How surrendered are you to this Great and Awesome God? He showers His love on those who fear Him and gives the power we need to not only survive—but thrive—in any and all circumstance!
Readings for the Week:
Torah: DEUTERONOMY 7:12–11:25
Prophets: ISAIAH 49:14–51:3
Apostolic Writings: HEBREWS 11:8–13
Click HERE for the online Parashah commentary. (If you prefer a printed copy, please email me at thomas@faithforall.org)
Shalom,
Thomas