- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Aug 23, 2019 1:39:54 GMT -8
This week’s readings:
Date of reading- 24 Aug, 2019/ 23 Av 5779
Name of Par’shah- ‘Ekev - Because
Par’shah- Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25
Haftara- Isaiah 49:14-51:3
Brit Chadashah- Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; James 5:7-11
D’rash: Let’s start with our B’rith Chadashah readings. Note the order of the temptations in Matthew’s account:
Matthew 4:3 (ESV) And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Matthew 4:5-6 (ESV) Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Matthew 4:8-9 (ESV) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Now let’s read from Luke, again noting the order of the temptations:
Luke 4:3-13 (ESV) The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
In Hebrew thought, it is ok to change the order of events in order to emphasize different things. Matthew wanted to emphasize our worship of YHVH-Tsidkenu, God Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6) alone. He also wanted to show that knowing the word of God is a powerful tool against our enemy:
Matthew 4:10-11 (ESV) Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
But Luke’s account is more interesting. In both accounts Yeshua gives three references to Deuteronomy in answer to ha’satan:
Deuteronomy 6:13,16a; 8:3b (ESV) It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. … “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” … man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Ha’satan cites Psalm 91 in the last exchange in Luke’s version: “He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Ps 91:11-12). It’s ironic that the commander of demonic forces would quote this particular text. Psalm 91 was thought of as a prayer against demons! It counsels us to not fear- “You shall not fear the terror (פכד pachad) of night, nor the arrow (קטב qeṭeb) that flies by day, nor the pestilence (דֶבֶר; dever) that stalks in the darkness, or of the destruction (יָשׁוּד; yashud) that wastes at noon” (Ps 91:5-6). The LXX renders the last half of this “nor of the thing (πράγματος; pragmatos) that walks in darkness and the demon (δαιμονίον; daimonion) at noon.”
As often happens in Hebrew, we can get a double meaning from the same words. Contextually we could read “pestilence” (דֶבֶר; dever) and “destruction” (שׁוּד; shud) or “thing” (דָבָר; davar) and “demon” (שֵׁד; shed). In copying the text many times it would be easy to have the ו vav either added or deleted to that last word.
The Peshita is rife with demonic references in Psalm 91: “You will not be afraid of the terror of the demon (מזיק; maziq) that go about in the night… nor of the company of demons (שׁידין; shedin) that destroy at noon…. No evil shall befall you, and no plague or demons (מזיקיא; maziqaya) shall come near your tent, for he will command his angels concerning you.” (Psalms Targum 91:5-6, 10-11).
So why would ha’satan use that scripture as a reference to tempt Yeshua? I think ha’satan was trying to show Yeshua, who was in a weakened state that he, prince of darkness and commander of demons was not afraid of Him. He was asserting dominance! This whole exchange was about ha’satan trying to asssert dominance over Yeshua, and this is what Luke was trying to emphasize.
Isaiah 51:1,3 (ESV)
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
…
For the Lord comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
Date of reading- 24 Aug, 2019/ 23 Av 5779
Name of Par’shah- ‘Ekev - Because
Par’shah- Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25
Haftara- Isaiah 49:14-51:3
Brit Chadashah- Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; James 5:7-11
D’rash: Let’s start with our B’rith Chadashah readings. Note the order of the temptations in Matthew’s account:
Matthew 4:3 (ESV) And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Matthew 4:5-6 (ESV) Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Matthew 4:8-9 (ESV) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Now let’s read from Luke, again noting the order of the temptations:
Luke 4:3-13 (ESV) The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
In Hebrew thought, it is ok to change the order of events in order to emphasize different things. Matthew wanted to emphasize our worship of YHVH-Tsidkenu, God Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6) alone. He also wanted to show that knowing the word of God is a powerful tool against our enemy:
Matthew 4:10-11 (ESV) Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
But Luke’s account is more interesting. In both accounts Yeshua gives three references to Deuteronomy in answer to ha’satan:
Deuteronomy 6:13,16a; 8:3b (ESV) It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. … “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” … man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Ha’satan cites Psalm 91 in the last exchange in Luke’s version: “He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Ps 91:11-12). It’s ironic that the commander of demonic forces would quote this particular text. Psalm 91 was thought of as a prayer against demons! It counsels us to not fear- “You shall not fear the terror (פכד pachad) of night, nor the arrow (קטב qeṭeb) that flies by day, nor the pestilence (דֶבֶר; dever) that stalks in the darkness, or of the destruction (יָשׁוּד; yashud) that wastes at noon” (Ps 91:5-6). The LXX renders the last half of this “nor of the thing (πράγματος; pragmatos) that walks in darkness and the demon (δαιμονίον; daimonion) at noon.”
As often happens in Hebrew, we can get a double meaning from the same words. Contextually we could read “pestilence” (דֶבֶר; dever) and “destruction” (שׁוּד; shud) or “thing” (דָבָר; davar) and “demon” (שֵׁד; shed). In copying the text many times it would be easy to have the ו vav either added or deleted to that last word.
The Peshita is rife with demonic references in Psalm 91: “You will not be afraid of the terror of the demon (מזיק; maziq) that go about in the night… nor of the company of demons (שׁידין; shedin) that destroy at noon…. No evil shall befall you, and no plague or demons (מזיקיא; maziqaya) shall come near your tent, for he will command his angels concerning you.” (Psalms Targum 91:5-6, 10-11).
So why would ha’satan use that scripture as a reference to tempt Yeshua? I think ha’satan was trying to show Yeshua, who was in a weakened state that he, prince of darkness and commander of demons was not afraid of Him. He was asserting dominance! This whole exchange was about ha’satan trying to asssert dominance over Yeshua, and this is what Luke was trying to emphasize.
Isaiah 51:1,3 (ESV)
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
…
For the Lord comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
