Deu. 01 : 1 - 03 : 22 The Wilderness Plan

[Mark]

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
(Psalms 139:1-6)

I wanted to start by putting you in a particular mind-frame with this passage of Scripture, suggesting quite plainly that Adonai knows everything, that there are no surprises with Him, that He hedges us behind and before so that it is not possible for us to slip outside of the sovereignty of His will.

Then we read the Exodus story that is replete with rebellion and consequences and forget the quality of Adonai’s omniscience. Was He surprised by the golden calf? Did He not anticipate Korah’s rebellion or the plot that was laid by the Midians at Baal Peor? Why did He give permission for the spies to go out, knowing the report that they would bring?

In Deuteronomy 1:1, Moses lists some places along the journey that his audience would just assume forget: the desert, Arava, opposite Suf, between Paran, and Tofel, and Lavan, and Hazerot, and Di-Hazav. These are places along the journey that represent Israel messing things up big time. "In the desert" is a reminder how they complained, "If only we had died in the desert," in Exodus 17:3. The plain of Arava is where they succumbed to the Midain women in Numbers 25. Yam Suf is the Red Sea where Israel was faithless against the Egyptian army, forgetting already Adonai’s deliverance by His plagues. Paran is the place from whence the twelve spies were dispatched with ultimately resulted in Israel wandering for forty years in the desert. Tofel and Lavan are not even places but represent the slander of the people against the "white" of manna. Hazeret is the location of Korah’s rebellion. Di Zahav literally means "too much gold" and is likely a reference to the golden calf.

The significance of reminding us of our sin by the location is a powerful statement because location is the method that Scripture will consistently refer to covenants. Adonai’s promises are promises that are established in specific places and those places are the mental markers to remind us of those promises.

The locations listed stand as evidence against the people of Israel that they had broken their promises to God repeatedly and overwhelming throughout their journey. Yet, here they stand on the banks of the Jordan, ready to receive the Promised Land. Let God be true though each one of us is a liar. That’s kind of how Paul put in Romans 3:4.

For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
(Romans 3:3-4)

So, why did the all-knowing and ever present God of all creation let all these things happen? Why did He allow this people be put in a position, knowing how they would respond?

I think we get a little to focused on the goal of our destination. I think we get a little caught up in getting there, when Adonai has some things that He wants to show us, about ourselves and about His character, along the way. He doesn’t seem to have any problem with taking His time along the scenic route. He doesn’t want to just get there as fast as possible.

We need to really understand this in our pursuit of righteousness. It’s not about getting there. It is about sharing the journey. The flat tires and the wrong turns are as much a part of the experience that He is wanting to share with us as is the Kingdom at the end of the road.

This is kind of hard for us "type A" goal oriented people to accept. We’re all about making time and staying on course and being most efficient. He says, "That’s okay because we’re not driving the bus anyway, though we might like to think that we are."

The story of the Exodus (as it articulated throughout Scripture) is a wonderful story of how much He loves and cares for us, despite how clueless and rebellious we really are. If He had just brought us into the land, it would have been a pretty short and boring story, just like the road to Gramma’s house along the interstate is a tedious uneventful trip.

Adonai wastes nothing, and especially not time. What we may see as wasted years of rebellion or wrong-headedness, He sees as a scenic byway where you have made some pretty wonderful memories together. What you may see as the fast track and straight and narrow, may likely cause Him to yawn.

The wilderness experience was His plan all along. The message of His love and grace toward us is never learned in Church or at synagogue. We begin to own it for ourselves in the wilderness, may we walk with Him, even as we wander.

[nasah]

Hahaha <insert giddy laughter> you know that was just the message i needed today and this morning. This is exactly what i'm going through right now.
I have come to the realization that the journey is what brings us to the end, not our striving towards it. I am constantly analyzing anymore how the things i go through in life match up with scripture and what i can learn from it and glean from the experiences made along the way.

Sometimes i'm feeling crushed much like the Israelites did, and i'm want to complain, but i try not to anymore seeing what they went through, and how God always watched out for them, and how they were so malcontent never happy with what God had to offer.

I suppose this whole trip is teaching me to be content in all things, knowing He will never leave me nor forsake me.

This whole thing of changing locations, reminds me of stages of schooling/training, or something to that effect. This is where i'm wondering lately what awaits us around the corner. And i'm trying hard not to be dreadful, but rather joyful to know i have Him by my side.

Thanks Mark, for sharing this.

Shalom,
nasah

[fireshifter]

I've been thinking about this a lot this week. I know this journey has a lot of twists and turns. It's easy to become wrapped up in all that we don't have, that we're barely getting through, that there's nothing extra and hasn't been for years. But I'm finding that complaining about it just puts me further from the destination God has in mind for me. And maybe I am in the 40 years of desert because I did complain too much and didn't trust in God's plan. But, what can I learn from this desert, this wasteland. Can I appreciate it's beauty and the fact that it's requiring me to cling closer to my Father? All this refining fire hurts sometimes. But what I see as disappointments are moments for growth.

I'm so glad to have been blessed with this thought this week.

Jen D.

[alon]

This week’s portion is Davarim, which means “words,” - Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22

The entire book of Deuteronomy is mostly Moses’ farewell speech to the children of Israel; a recap of where they’d been and some final instructions and encouragement. I want to focus on just two verses from this par’shah:

Deuteronomy 1:2 (ESV) It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.

Aside from the time spent receiving the Word, as well as the time spent re-receiving the tablets; time spent building the Mishkan and learning to serve YHVH there; and a couple of detours- they were eleven days from receiving their inheritance from God. This Shabbat was the 9th of Av, the day Jewish tradition says the people believed the report of the spies and refused to go in and take the land promised by Elohim. Eleven days from Mt. Sinai (Horeb) to the point they eventually entered the land- and it took them almost 40 yrs. to get there. An entire generation lost, along with the boredom and heartache of living on the march in the desert. Some of their greatest national heroes even to this time- Aaron, Miriam, and Moses himself- never entered the land. And all because they hesitated to take the promise. How many times do we hesitate, and how long before the next opportunity comes? Looking back, hesitations are among some of my greatest regrets.

Deuteronomy 2:12 (ESV) The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the Lord gave to them.)

This is one of those verses which should make us sit up and take note: “as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the Lord gave to them.” This sounds as if Moses was writing after the conquest, not as though encouraging the Hebrews to make entry to the land. It isn’t the only hint that another person was writing this account after the land was conquered. So should we lose faith? If I recall correctly, there will be other anomalies as we go through the book of Deuteronomy. The point I want to make from this is that if we look at these things honestly as we go, there is no reason to doubt.

This was written by a scribe who had heard the speech and was recreating it as faithfully as he could. But he was human, and speaking of the conquest in past tense was a very human mistake. The Bible in its’ entirety is “breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16 - ESV) This doesn’t mean God just dictated a list of do’s and don’ts. He knows us, and we generally don’t respond well to that kind of thing. “Rules were made to be broken” – I’m sure that is in the Bible somewhere … isn’t it?

No, we learn from lessons; especially true stories, the more vivid the better. We also learn from digging out the lessons rather than being told. And then there is the fact that Godly lessons work simultaneously on different levels, often having multiple meanings. That inspired humans wrote these lessons for us is much more miraculous than the finger of God chiseling a list on stone. And just look what happened the first time He did that! That some guy using clay tablets and a stylus, or quill and parchment, could write these lessons and that they’d survive is, to me, miracle enough to believe! This is a lesson for us as we go through scripture, especially when we get to the B’rith Chadasha.

I know, I have often said there are some 5700 documents or fragments, many of which disagree from which translators must piece together the entire “New Testament.” And there is blatant and sometimes admitted tampering with these documents; documents which I maintain (from reading scholars- I’m not that smart) were translated from Hebrew in the first place. And yet, I’ve also read (scholars again) there is only about a 15% major disagreement rate in those documents. Pretty miraculous, if you ask me. And if we go back to as the benchmark God’s truth still shines forth in what has to look pretty daunting to a translator just sitting down to work. That 15% by men like Marcion who boasted of writing his own- well, I’m pretty sure the smell emanating from those documents isn’t exactly Godly.

And is perfect? Genesis starts out with two different creation accounts, and Deuteronomy starts out with this. If these accounts by different men were verbatim perfect, then I’d get suspicious. After all, if He’d wanted perfect God could have just wrote it on a rock and hit me in the head with it! Men, they wrote what they observed the best they could, and these writings, inspired but not dictated by God, became our Bible. The miracle is in the message, not the messenger.

Dan C