Post by alon on Aug 3, 2018 6:03:37 GMT -8
From Mark:
Par’shah 46: ‘Ekev
This week’s readings: Par’shah 46
Date of reading: 4 August 2018/23 Av 5778
Name of Par’shah: ‘Ekev (Because)
Par’shah: D’varim 7:12-11:25
Haftara: Yesha’yahu 49:14-51:3
Brit Chadashah: Mattityahu 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Ya’akov 5:7-11
D’rash:
D’varim 7:22---“Adonai your G-d will expel those nations ahead of you little by little; you can’t put an end to them all at once, or the wild animals will become too numerous for you.”
In the literal sense, if the Israelites conquered too much land all at once they would not be able to inhabit and become established in those places within such a short amount of time; where there is no human presence, wild animals would come in and take advantage of the resources left behind.
This principle will also work in a natural sense. Suppose someone desires to improve their physical health through diet and exercise; the key to success would be to take small steps little by little towards the goal over time, ones that can be easily, or at least reasonably accomplished until the mind and body become accustomed to those habits. Then keep adding small steps over time until the goal is eventually achieved. At this point the effort required should be manageable to maintain the goal. Quite often, failure occurs because too much effort is taken on all at once to achieve the goal quickly, usually from impatience or being overzealous. One can then become discouraged and likely quit, that is, the wild animals become too numerous and their health is back to their first state (or possibly worse).
In a spiritual sense this principle will apply to many well-intentioned believers who desire to pursue goals that will help them towards a stronger relationship with G-d. These can include such things as consistent reading of scripture, study, memorization, fasting, prayer, learning and obeying more mitzvot, etc. Again, it is wise to take small steps to achieve success; otherwise, taking on too much at once may become discouraging and lead us to giving up and the adversary is more than happy to hinder or stop us in our spiritual journey.
Whether the goals are physical or spiritual, here are key principles to keep in mind:
Humbly pursue your desire. Don’t be overconfident or boastful, especially if sharing your goals with others. In M’lakhim Alef 20, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, had thirty-two kings with him and sent a message to Ach’av, king of Israel, saying how he would confidently defeat him. Ach’av’s response? “He who is putting on his armor shouldn’t boast as if he were taking it off (vs. 11). We can see later on in the account that Adonai gives Ach’av his enemies into his hands. Save the shout of victory after a successful accomplishment, not before.
When getting rid of a negative habit or pattern, make sure to replace it with a positive one. The plan of G-d was to expel wicked nations from the land and replace it with His righteous nation. If only the wicked were expelled, then the land would be replaced by the wild animals. Psalm 1:1-3 speaks about how blessed is the man who doesn’t intimately associate with evil but meditates on G-d’s
. Romans 12:2 says “…do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you will know what G-d wants and will agree that what he wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed.”
Start with small steps towards your goal and when that becomes natural to do, similarly add to the process.Be patient! Small increments with consistency will likely be successful.
In conclusion, we as believers should always be striving to develop spiritual disciplines over the course of our lives, just as one who lifts weights gradually increases strength or as a distance runner who gradually increases endurance over a long period of time. Those who put off spiritual disciplines in their walk with G-d until a much later time will regret that they had not started sooner. It is like a high school senior who slacks off in his studies in the springtime a month or more before graduation and then, upon realization that he is failing the class with only a week to go, pleads with the teacher that he may do some quick makeup project to get a passing grade. Some may succeed, but will likely be far short of what they could have accomplished had they practiced responsibility in the first place.
Yochanan 2:28—“And now, children, remain united with Him; so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink back from Him in
at His coming.”
One does not expect great strength from lifting weights or endurance to run many miles in only one week. It is just as true in the spiritual realm; being transformed into the image of Yeshua is a lifelong process. Let’s not fail in doing what matters most.
References: Scriptures taken from The Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern copyright 1998
MRD
Par’shah 46: ‘Ekev
This week’s readings: Par’shah 46
Date of reading: 4 August 2018/23 Av 5778
Name of Par’shah: ‘Ekev (Because)
Par’shah: D’varim 7:12-11:25
Haftara: Yesha’yahu 49:14-51:3
Brit Chadashah: Mattityahu 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Ya’akov 5:7-11
D’rash:
D’varim 7:22---“Adonai your G-d will expel those nations ahead of you little by little; you can’t put an end to them all at once, or the wild animals will become too numerous for you.”
In the literal sense, if the Israelites conquered too much land all at once they would not be able to inhabit and become established in those places within such a short amount of time; where there is no human presence, wild animals would come in and take advantage of the resources left behind.
This principle will also work in a natural sense. Suppose someone desires to improve their physical health through diet and exercise; the key to success would be to take small steps little by little towards the goal over time, ones that can be easily, or at least reasonably accomplished until the mind and body become accustomed to those habits. Then keep adding small steps over time until the goal is eventually achieved. At this point the effort required should be manageable to maintain the goal. Quite often, failure occurs because too much effort is taken on all at once to achieve the goal quickly, usually from impatience or being overzealous. One can then become discouraged and likely quit, that is, the wild animals become too numerous and their health is back to their first state (or possibly worse).
In a spiritual sense this principle will apply to many well-intentioned believers who desire to pursue goals that will help them towards a stronger relationship with G-d. These can include such things as consistent reading of scripture, study, memorization, fasting, prayer, learning and obeying more mitzvot, etc. Again, it is wise to take small steps to achieve success; otherwise, taking on too much at once may become discouraging and lead us to giving up and the adversary is more than happy to hinder or stop us in our spiritual journey.
Whether the goals are physical or spiritual, here are key principles to keep in mind:
Humbly pursue your desire. Don’t be overconfident or boastful, especially if sharing your goals with others. In M’lakhim Alef 20, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, had thirty-two kings with him and sent a message to Ach’av, king of Israel, saying how he would confidently defeat him. Ach’av’s response? “He who is putting on his armor shouldn’t boast as if he were taking it off (vs. 11). We can see later on in the account that Adonai gives Ach’av his enemies into his hands. Save the shout of victory after a successful accomplishment, not before.
When getting rid of a negative habit or pattern, make sure to replace it with a positive one. The plan of G-d was to expel wicked nations from the land and replace it with His righteous nation. If only the wicked were expelled, then the land would be replaced by the wild animals. Psalm 1:1-3 speaks about how blessed is the man who doesn’t intimately associate with evil but meditates on G-d’s
. Romans 12:2 says “…do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you will know what G-d wants and will agree that what he wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed.”Start with small steps towards your goal and when that becomes natural to do, similarly add to the process.Be patient! Small increments with consistency will likely be successful.
In conclusion, we as believers should always be striving to develop spiritual disciplines over the course of our lives, just as one who lifts weights gradually increases strength or as a distance runner who gradually increases endurance over a long period of time. Those who put off spiritual disciplines in their walk with G-d until a much later time will regret that they had not started sooner. It is like a high school senior who slacks off in his studies in the springtime a month or more before graduation and then, upon realization that he is failing the class with only a week to go, pleads with the teacher that he may do some quick makeup project to get a passing grade. Some may succeed, but will likely be far short of what they could have accomplished had they practiced responsibility in the first place.
Yochanan 2:28—“And now, children, remain united with Him; so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink back from Him in
at His coming.”One does not expect great strength from lifting weights or endurance to run many miles in only one week. It is just as true in the spiritual realm; being transformed into the image of Yeshua is a lifelong process. Let’s not fail in doing what matters most.
References: Scriptures taken from The Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern copyright 1998
MRD
