Sermon Notes
Rabbi Ken Alpren
Notes by: Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
Deuteronomy 13:6-8, ‘“If your brother the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or your wife whom you love, or your friend who means as much to you as yourself, secretly tries to entice you to go and serve other gods, which you haven't known, neither you nor your ancestors - 7 gods of the peoples surrounding you, whether near or far away from you, anywhere in the world - 8 you are not to consent, and you are not to listen to him; and you must not pity him or spare him; and you may not conceal him.”’
This portion of Scripture warns us to be aware that you will be enticed away from serving the One True Living G-d. Even our loved ones may entice us away.
Matthew 10:37, ‘Whoever loves his father or mother more than he loves me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than he loves me is not worthy of me.’
Of courser the L-rd wants us to love our families, but this verse emphasizes our radical need to put Him first especially as it relates to our families!
There are several Hebrew words used in the passage of Deuteronomy that are notable in regard to being tempted away from the Truth.
Looking at the Hebrew words in verse 6 of the passage in Deuteronomy, the phrase ‘secretly entice you to serve other gods’, we see “cether’ which means secretly to hide or conceal and ‘suth’ which means to incite, allure, lure or instigate. Literally, this passage cautions us about being secretly allured away or even tricked into serving other gods.
Paul’s writings caution us about the same in 2Corinthians 11:2-3, ‘For I am jealous for you with God's kind of jealousy; since I promised to present you as a pure virgin in marriage to your one husband, the Messiah; 3 and I fear that somehow your minds may be seduced away from simple and pure devotion to the Messiah, just as Havah was deceived by the serpent and his craftiness.’
The reason given in Deuteronomy 13:6 for the caution to be secretly enticed is to go and serve other gods. The Hebrew word for serve is ‘abad’ which means work. What other gods might be be tempted to work for? Money? Success? Power? Influence?
Even John cautions us in 1John 5:21, ‘Children, guard yourselves against false gods!’
Jeremiah 2:5, ‘here is what ADONAI says: "What did your ancestors find wrong with me to make them go so far away from me, to make them go after nothings and become themselves nothings?”’
Independence from G-d was the first sin in the Garden. We want to be like G-d without G-d! There is an allurement to be independent; to fall away from our dependence upon G-d and look for dependence and guidance from other places including ourselves.
We are tempted to serve the gods of others; that is the gods of people that surround us. But the Hebrew in Deuteronomy 13:6 also means ‘after G-d or G-d after’. Our tendency is to serve or worship G-d after He has done something for me or for others. The principle here is to serve and worship Him before He does anything for me! Praise Him and love Him before He answers my prayer or does anything for me or for others!
We need wisdom to be able to put G-d Radically First! Be wary of things that lure us away rather than foster the truth and healthy doctrine. Keeping the L-rd radically first not only entails staying in the truth, but also requires us to letting go or giving things back to Him.
Deuteronomy 15:18, ‘Don't resent it when you set him free, since during his six years of service he has been worth twice as much as a hired employee. Then ADONAI your God will bless you in everything you do.’
The Hebrew word for resent is ‘qasheh’ which means hard, severe, fierce or harsh. Setting things free or giving them back to the L-rd should not be hard for us because when we do, the L-rd will double bless us in all we do.
Three principles can be applied through the process of giving things up to G-d: be grateful for the past, be obedient in the present and be expectant for the future.
Hebrews 12:15, ‘See to it that no one misses out on God's grace, that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and thus contaminates many,’
We can be grateful for the past regardless of how we have been hurt or mistreated in it; doing so will guard against developing a root of bitterness. Know, like Joseph, that G-d had His purpose through Joseph’s trials to bless others and to bless Joseph.
Genesis 50:20, ‘You meant to do me harm, but God meant it for good -so that it would come about as it is today, with many people's lives being saved.’
G-d can use our brokenness and turn it into compassion for others as we give our brokenness up to Him.
Be obedient in the present! Holding on to people, possessions and places; we need to let them go to G-d will a joyful heart and willingly.
1Chronicles 29:9, ‘The people were filled with joy, because they had given willingly - wholeheartedly they had given willingly to ADONAI; and David the king too was completely filled with joy,’
Abraham let go of Lot, Jonathan let go of his inheritance to David, Hannah let go of Samuel to the L-rd and Miriam let go of Yeshua. We also need to let go of people and things.
Finally, we need to be expectant toward the future. In the passage of Deuteronomy 15:18, we read that G-d will bless us in all we do. Let people, things, past, ourselves and our futures to G-d and He will bless us because we are obedient. He will bless us when we put him radically first in all aspects of our lives!
Further Readings: Luke 18:28-30, Philemon 10-16, 1John 5:21, Jeremiah 2:5, Jeremiah 3:14, 1John 5:16, Hebrews 12:15, Psalm 49, Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 66:1-2, Psalm 139, Romans 5:3-5
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Face North!
Rabbi Ken Apren
Sermon Notes: Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
August 6, 2011
D’var is the Hebrew word for the Book of Deuteronomy and means ‘reality or the real thing’ reminding us that G-d’s Word is true and eternal. See Matthew 24:35 and Psalm 119:89. The word deuteronomy is derived from a Greek word which means ‘second law’ and was used to name this book since it is a review of the history of Moses preparing to enter and inherit the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 1:22-23, ‘"You approached me, every one of you, and said, 'Let's send men ahead of us to explore the country for us and bring back word concerning what route we should use in going up and what the cities we will encounter are like.' 23 The idea seemed good to me, so I took twelve of your men, one from each tribe.’
What seemed good in Moses’ eyes certainly was not what G-d saw as right in His eyes. It wasn’t G-d’s plan at all for them to spy out the land prior to taking it. What seems right in our eyes may not be the L-rd’s plan for us.
Proverbs 14:12, ‘There can be a way which seems right to a person, but at its end are the ways of death.’
We are much too quick to act upon what seems right to us without waiting on the L-rd for His guidance and confirmation. We can keep going nowhere or going around in circles like the Israelites did.
Deuteronomy 2:1-3, ‘"Then we turned and began traveling into the desert along the road to the Sea of Suf, as ADONAI had said to me; and we skirted Mount Se'ir for a long time. 2 Finally ADONAI said to me, 3 'You have been going around this mountain long enough! Head north.’
For all practical purposes, the Israelites had been ‘circling the mountain’ for 38 years! Why? Because they had not trusted in the L-rd or believed Him. They made no progress and weren’t succeeding.
Ecclesiastes 1:9, ‘What has been is what will be, what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.’
The Hebrew word used in the passage of Deuteronomy for traveling around the mountain is ‘sov’ which comes from the root word ‘savav’. Savav means going around, vain or futile movement, getting exhausted, going nowhere.
How despairing!
Ecclesiastes 3:15, ‘That which was is here already; and that which will be has already been, but God seeks out what people chase after.’
Through our eyes we are quite limited, but through G-d’s eyes, we are unlimited! Even though there is nothing new under the sun, G-d is over the sun. The circuitous route taken was in the natural realm to avoid the Edomites and in the supernatural realm it was due to rebellion.
Revelation 3:8, ‘"I know what you are doing. Look, I have put in front of you an open door, and no one can shut it.’
When G-d shuts a door, nothing we can do can open it. Many times we try to open a door He has shut and eventually begin to bang our head against the wall so to speak. God is more interested in our heart than to open a door that we are persisting in trying to open. He will keep a door shut so as to affect a change in our hearts and relationship with Him. Similarly, He can open a door when it was not humanly possible to do so. We live a supernatural life as a Child of G-d, not a natural life.
After 38 years of judgement, G-d was still with His people and still imparting their judgement when He said that it had been long enough! Why had they been under judgement for so long? They had not put Him first! They were rebellious, ignoring Him, pursuing their own plans. But G-d wasn’t finished! It wasn’t over yet, nor was it the end of the story.
Finally, after all that time of judgement, circling around in the desert, He said it was time to take the Land!
Philippians 3:13-14, ‘Brothers, I, for my part, do not think of myself as having yet gotten hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind me and straining forward toward what lies ahead, 14 I keep pursuing the goal in order to win the prize offered by God's upward calling in the Messiah Yeshua.’
It was time to move on and turn to Him!
He said, ‘Face north’ or ‘turn north’. In Hebrew, ‘p’noo lachem tsaphon’.
‘Panah’ means to turn, and is related to ‘panim’ which is face or faces of G-d; it means to face Him and turn from the wrong direction.
‘Tsaphon’ means north, or hidden, a treasure and in Scripture, north is a picture of heaven!
Isaiah 14:13, ‘You thought to yourself, 'I will scale the heavens, I will raise my throne above God's stars. I will sit on the Mount of Assembly far away in the north.’
Job 37:22, ‘Out of the north comes a golden glow, fearsome majesty surrounding God.’
In Canaanite mythology, Ba’al reigned in the north. Spiritually, Ba’al and false gods are dethroned and the One true G-d assumes the throne. By facing north, false gods are dethroned, whether they be ourselves, sin, others, things or even our past. There are no answers in these things. Face the L-rd! He is on His Throne! Face Him and He’ll dethrone Ba’al and falsehoods and assume His rightful place in our lives!
It is never too late to face north or turn to Him. He can redeem the years the locusts have eaten and turn us around to His plan and future.
Joel 2:25, ‘"I will restore to you the years that the locusts ate, the grasshoppers, shearer-worms and cutter-worms, my great army that I sent against you.”’
Turn toward that hidden place, that treasure, the L-rd.
Further Reading: Deuteronomy 1:20-27, 2 Samuel 7:1-5, Hebrews 12:1-2, Job 23:12, Col 2:3
Sermon Notes: Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
August 6, 2011
D’var is the Hebrew word for the Book of Deuteronomy and means ‘reality or the real thing’ reminding us that G-d’s Word is true and eternal. See Matthew 24:35 and Psalm 119:89. The word deuteronomy is derived from a Greek word which means ‘second law’ and was used to name this book since it is a review of the history of Moses preparing to enter and inherit the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 1:22-23, ‘"You approached me, every one of you, and said, 'Let's send men ahead of us to explore the country for us and bring back word concerning what route we should use in going up and what the cities we will encounter are like.' 23 The idea seemed good to me, so I took twelve of your men, one from each tribe.’
What seemed good in Moses’ eyes certainly was not what G-d saw as right in His eyes. It wasn’t G-d’s plan at all for them to spy out the land prior to taking it. What seems right in our eyes may not be the L-rd’s plan for us.
Proverbs 14:12, ‘There can be a way which seems right to a person, but at its end are the ways of death.’
We are much too quick to act upon what seems right to us without waiting on the L-rd for His guidance and confirmation. We can keep going nowhere or going around in circles like the Israelites did.
Deuteronomy 2:1-3, ‘"Then we turned and began traveling into the desert along the road to the Sea of Suf, as ADONAI had said to me; and we skirted Mount Se'ir for a long time. 2 Finally ADONAI said to me, 3 'You have been going around this mountain long enough! Head north.’
For all practical purposes, the Israelites had been ‘circling the mountain’ for 38 years! Why? Because they had not trusted in the L-rd or believed Him. They made no progress and weren’t succeeding.
Ecclesiastes 1:9, ‘What has been is what will be, what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.’
The Hebrew word used in the passage of Deuteronomy for traveling around the mountain is ‘sov’ which comes from the root word ‘savav’. Savav means going around, vain or futile movement, getting exhausted, going nowhere.
How despairing!
Ecclesiastes 3:15, ‘That which was is here already; and that which will be has already been, but God seeks out what people chase after.’
Through our eyes we are quite limited, but through G-d’s eyes, we are unlimited! Even though there is nothing new under the sun, G-d is over the sun. The circuitous route taken was in the natural realm to avoid the Edomites and in the supernatural realm it was due to rebellion.
Revelation 3:8, ‘"I know what you are doing. Look, I have put in front of you an open door, and no one can shut it.’
When G-d shuts a door, nothing we can do can open it. Many times we try to open a door He has shut and eventually begin to bang our head against the wall so to speak. God is more interested in our heart than to open a door that we are persisting in trying to open. He will keep a door shut so as to affect a change in our hearts and relationship with Him. Similarly, He can open a door when it was not humanly possible to do so. We live a supernatural life as a Child of G-d, not a natural life.
After 38 years of judgement, G-d was still with His people and still imparting their judgement when He said that it had been long enough! Why had they been under judgement for so long? They had not put Him first! They were rebellious, ignoring Him, pursuing their own plans. But G-d wasn’t finished! It wasn’t over yet, nor was it the end of the story.
Finally, after all that time of judgement, circling around in the desert, He said it was time to take the Land!
Philippians 3:13-14, ‘Brothers, I, for my part, do not think of myself as having yet gotten hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind me and straining forward toward what lies ahead, 14 I keep pursuing the goal in order to win the prize offered by God's upward calling in the Messiah Yeshua.’
It was time to move on and turn to Him!
He said, ‘Face north’ or ‘turn north’. In Hebrew, ‘p’noo lachem tsaphon’.
‘Panah’ means to turn, and is related to ‘panim’ which is face or faces of G-d; it means to face Him and turn from the wrong direction.
‘Tsaphon’ means north, or hidden, a treasure and in Scripture, north is a picture of heaven!
Isaiah 14:13, ‘You thought to yourself, 'I will scale the heavens, I will raise my throne above God's stars. I will sit on the Mount of Assembly far away in the north.’
Job 37:22, ‘Out of the north comes a golden glow, fearsome majesty surrounding God.’
In Canaanite mythology, Ba’al reigned in the north. Spiritually, Ba’al and false gods are dethroned and the One true G-d assumes the throne. By facing north, false gods are dethroned, whether they be ourselves, sin, others, things or even our past. There are no answers in these things. Face the L-rd! He is on His Throne! Face Him and He’ll dethrone Ba’al and falsehoods and assume His rightful place in our lives!
It is never too late to face north or turn to Him. He can redeem the years the locusts have eaten and turn us around to His plan and future.
Joel 2:25, ‘"I will restore to you the years that the locusts ate, the grasshoppers, shearer-worms and cutter-worms, my great army that I sent against you.”’
Turn toward that hidden place, that treasure, the L-rd.
Further Reading: Deuteronomy 1:20-27, 2 Samuel 7:1-5, Hebrews 12:1-2, Job 23:12, Col 2:3
Going Forward
Rabbi Ken Alpren
Sermon Notes: Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
July 30, 2011
We all want to know the future! We need guidance and direction not only for our lives, but for our nation and our world.
Scripture records forty-two encampments of the Jewish people in Numbers 33 requiring the people to pull up their tents and then go forth to their next destination.
Numbers 33:1, ‘These are the stages in the journey of the people of Isra'el as they left the land of Egypt divided into groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aharon.’
The Hebrew word used in this passage for leaving the land of Egypt is ‘yatsa’ which means to go out, go forth or forward. And the Hebrew word for pulling out is ‘nasav’.
Numbers 33:2, ‘Moshe recorded each of the stages of their journey by order of ADONAI; here are the starting-points of each stage:’
As with the Israelites, G-d is keeping a record of every start and stop we make along our journey. In this instance He recorded every step from their journey out of Egypt into the Land or Haaretz.
Two important lessons can be drawn from the recorded journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Haaretz. In order to go forward we must pull up or pull out our stakes so to speak and sometimes in order to pull out, we must first just make the effort to go forward. And secondly, the final review of our lives will be recorded by G-d which will include all the steps we took in faith and obedience.
Romans 1:5-8, ‘Through him we received grace and were given the work of being an emissary on his behalf promoting trust-grounded obedience among all the Gentiles, 6 including you, who have been called by Yeshua the Messiah. 7 To: All those in Rome whom God loves, who have been called, who have been set apart for him: Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 8 First, I thank my God through Yeshua the Messiah for all of you, because the report of your trust is spreading throughout the whole world.’
Our sins are not being recorded if we are in Messiah, however, we do experience the consequences of sin and discipline.
Our journey as a country is being recorded as well and it appears we are at a crossroads. Will we, as believers, have an impact on the course of history?
We do have the power to change things, but not in human effort! How then can we affect change? Through prayer and the Word of G-d!
Through prayer we can be in tune with G-d and listen for His Voice. We have power in prayer as the Holy Spirit leads.
G-d answers prayer!
Psalm 30:1-4, ‘A psalm. A song for the dedication of the house. By David: I will exalt you, ADONAI, because you drew me up; you didn't let my enemies rejoice over me. 2 ADONAI my God, I cried out to you, and you provided healing for me. 3 ADONAI, you lifted me up from Sh'ol; you kept me alive when I was sinking into a pit. 4 Sing praise to ADONAI, you faithful of his; and give thanks on recalling his holiness.’
David knew what it was like to have a false sense of security, but then he realized that when the L-rd’s Face was turned from him he was in deep trouble so he cried out to the L-rd and He responded!
Psalm 30:6-12, ‘Once I was prosperous and used to say, that nothing could ever shake me 7 when you showed me favor, ADONAI, I was firm as a mighty mountain. But when you hid your face, I was struck with terror. 8 I called to you, ADONAI; to ADONAI I pleaded for mercy: 9 "What advantage is there in my death, in my going down to the pit? Can the dust praise you? Can it proclaim your truth? 10 Hear me, ADONAI, and show me your favor! ADONAI, be my helper!" 11 You turned my mourning into dancing! You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 so that my well-being can praise you and not be silent; ADONAI my God, I will thank you forever!’
Every detail of the Israelites’ journey was recorded; where they came from and where they went. Most of the journey’s record may seem boring or mundane with occasional interruptions recording significant events as with the death of Aaron. But with G-d the entire record is important because as with us, character was being formed through every seemingly boring or mundane start and stop. They continued their journey and didn’t stop and finally reached Jericho where they were to cross the Yarden to reach Haaretz. As with us, we continue as well until we meet the L-rd!
As with the Israelites, we must be willing to pull out and move forward no matter how inconvenient. In faith, G-d gives the ability and He moves us forward to replant; but first we must be uprooted.
Psalm 1:3, ‘They are like trees planted by streams -they bear their fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds.’
The Hebrew word ‘shatooll’ for planted in this passage actually means ‘replanted’. Clearly, for a plant to replanted, it must first be uprooted! Wasn’t Abraham uprooted from his home to go to the Promised Land? This principle also applies to us.
Hebrews 11 records from an eternal perspective the faithful ones and their obedience. It does not record their sins, faults or bad days, but rather, where they were obedient.
The final review of our lives, as well, G-d will have recorded our steps of obedience and not our sins. He will have recorded every time we trusted Him, when we pulled out and when we went forward. We put our hand in His, trusting His guidance knowing it is the only place to be kept safe.
Further Reading: Psalm 85, Romans 5:1-5, Isaiah 46:10 and Ephesians 1:3-4
Sermon Notes: Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
July 30, 2011
We all want to know the future! We need guidance and direction not only for our lives, but for our nation and our world.
Scripture records forty-two encampments of the Jewish people in Numbers 33 requiring the people to pull up their tents and then go forth to their next destination.
Numbers 33:1, ‘These are the stages in the journey of the people of Isra'el as they left the land of Egypt divided into groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aharon.’
The Hebrew word used in this passage for leaving the land of Egypt is ‘yatsa’ which means to go out, go forth or forward. And the Hebrew word for pulling out is ‘nasav’.
Numbers 33:2, ‘Moshe recorded each of the stages of their journey by order of ADONAI; here are the starting-points of each stage:’
As with the Israelites, G-d is keeping a record of every start and stop we make along our journey. In this instance He recorded every step from their journey out of Egypt into the Land or Haaretz.
Two important lessons can be drawn from the recorded journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Haaretz. In order to go forward we must pull up or pull out our stakes so to speak and sometimes in order to pull out, we must first just make the effort to go forward. And secondly, the final review of our lives will be recorded by G-d which will include all the steps we took in faith and obedience.
Romans 1:5-8, ‘Through him we received grace and were given the work of being an emissary on his behalf promoting trust-grounded obedience among all the Gentiles, 6 including you, who have been called by Yeshua the Messiah. 7 To: All those in Rome whom God loves, who have been called, who have been set apart for him: Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 8 First, I thank my God through Yeshua the Messiah for all of you, because the report of your trust is spreading throughout the whole world.’
Our sins are not being recorded if we are in Messiah, however, we do experience the consequences of sin and discipline.
Our journey as a country is being recorded as well and it appears we are at a crossroads. Will we, as believers, have an impact on the course of history?
We do have the power to change things, but not in human effort! How then can we affect change? Through prayer and the Word of G-d!
Through prayer we can be in tune with G-d and listen for His Voice. We have power in prayer as the Holy Spirit leads.
G-d answers prayer!
Psalm 30:1-4, ‘A psalm. A song for the dedication of the house. By David: I will exalt you, ADONAI, because you drew me up; you didn't let my enemies rejoice over me. 2 ADONAI my God, I cried out to you, and you provided healing for me. 3 ADONAI, you lifted me up from Sh'ol; you kept me alive when I was sinking into a pit. 4 Sing praise to ADONAI, you faithful of his; and give thanks on recalling his holiness.’
David knew what it was like to have a false sense of security, but then he realized that when the L-rd’s Face was turned from him he was in deep trouble so he cried out to the L-rd and He responded!
Psalm 30:6-12, ‘Once I was prosperous and used to say, that nothing could ever shake me 7 when you showed me favor, ADONAI, I was firm as a mighty mountain. But when you hid your face, I was struck with terror. 8 I called to you, ADONAI; to ADONAI I pleaded for mercy: 9 "What advantage is there in my death, in my going down to the pit? Can the dust praise you? Can it proclaim your truth? 10 Hear me, ADONAI, and show me your favor! ADONAI, be my helper!" 11 You turned my mourning into dancing! You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 so that my well-being can praise you and not be silent; ADONAI my God, I will thank you forever!’
Every detail of the Israelites’ journey was recorded; where they came from and where they went. Most of the journey’s record may seem boring or mundane with occasional interruptions recording significant events as with the death of Aaron. But with G-d the entire record is important because as with us, character was being formed through every seemingly boring or mundane start and stop. They continued their journey and didn’t stop and finally reached Jericho where they were to cross the Yarden to reach Haaretz. As with us, we continue as well until we meet the L-rd!
As with the Israelites, we must be willing to pull out and move forward no matter how inconvenient. In faith, G-d gives the ability and He moves us forward to replant; but first we must be uprooted.
Psalm 1:3, ‘They are like trees planted by streams -they bear their fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds.’
The Hebrew word ‘shatooll’ for planted in this passage actually means ‘replanted’. Clearly, for a plant to replanted, it must first be uprooted! Wasn’t Abraham uprooted from his home to go to the Promised Land? This principle also applies to us.
Hebrews 11 records from an eternal perspective the faithful ones and their obedience. It does not record their sins, faults or bad days, but rather, where they were obedient.
The final review of our lives, as well, G-d will have recorded our steps of obedience and not our sins. He will have recorded every time we trusted Him, when we pulled out and when we went forward. We put our hand in His, trusting His guidance knowing it is the only place to be kept safe.
Further Reading: Psalm 85, Romans 5:1-5, Isaiah 46:10 and Ephesians 1:3-4
Fully Committed
Sean Bortz
Sermon Notes by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
July 23, 2007
Numbers 32:1-9, “1 The descendants of Re'uven and the descendants of Gad had vast quantities of livestock. When they saw that the land of Ya'zer and the land of Gil'ad were good for livestock, 2 the descendants of Gad and of Re'uven came and spoke to Moshe, El'azar the cohen and the community leaders. They said, 3 "'Atarot, Divon, Ya'zer, Nimrah, Heshbon, El'aleh, S'vam, N'vo and Be'on, 4 the country that ADONAI conquered before the community of Isra'el, is livestock country; and your servants have livestock. 5 If you regard us favorably," they went on, "let this land be given to your servants as their possession; and don't have us cross the Yarden." 6 Moshe answered the descendants of Gad and of Re'uven: "Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here? 7 Besides, why are you trying to discourage the people of Isra'el from crossing into the land ADONAI gave them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Eshkol Valley and saw the land, they disheartened the people of Isra'el, so that they wouldn't enter the land ADONAI had given them.”
Gad and Re’uven were tempted to stay in the lush pastures of Gil’ad because they had much livestock. They weren’t considering the effect of staying east of the Yarden (or Jordan River) or what it would do to the moral of the entire Israeli community and they certainly weren’t thinking about how their actions related to the actions of their fathers just forty years prior.
When the spies had returned from the land, the report of the ten resulted in national fear and rebellion.
Numbers 14:1-3, “1 At this all the people of Isra'el cried out in dismay and wept all night long. 2 Moreover, all the people of Isra'el began grumbling against Moshe and Aharon; the whole community told them, "We wish we had died in the land of Egypt! or that we had died here in the desert! 3 Why is ADONAI bringing us to this land, where we will die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be taken as booty! Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"
Fear led to rebellion and the desire to return to slavery than to trust the Living G-d who had just delivered them!
Forty years later, the little children who were spared were now men with families of their own. They had wandered the desert dependent upon G-d for where to go, what to eat and what to drink. But at the very last step, right when they were about to cross the Yarden, the commitment of Gad and Re’uven was beginning to crack!
Can we not be guilty of the same? Given a view of what we think is important to us, couldn’t we also be guilty of thinking “I’ve got mine!” and our self preservation can become more important than obedience or community preservation.
Gad and Re’uven’s behavior could have brought the whole nation back to ‘square one’ so to speak. But this time, Moses intervened. Over the course of forty years leading the people through G-d’s direction, he had learned a few things about leadership! This time he spoke up and persuaded them to participate in the taking of the Promised Land. He didn’t let history repeat and fail to enter the Promised Land thus averting a national crisis!
Numbers 32:14-23, ‘14 Now you, another brood of sinners, have arisen in your fathers' place to increase still more the fierce anger of ADONAI toward Isra'el! 15 For if you turn away from him, he will leave them in the desert again, and thus you will cause the destruction of all these people!" 16 But they came up to him and said, "Here we will build enclosures for our livestock and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will be armed and ready for action to march at the head of the people of Isra'el, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones will stay in the fortified cities here because of the people now living in the land. 18 However, we will not return to our own homes until every man in Isra'el has taken possession of his land for inheritance. 19 We will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Yarden, westward; because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Yarden, eastward." 20 Moshe said to them, "If you will do this - if you will arm yourselves to go before ADONAI to the war, 21 and if every one of your soldiers will cross the Yarden before ADONAI, until he has driven out his enemies ahead of him, 22 and if the land has been conquered before ADONAI, and only after that do you return - then you will be clear before ADONAI and before Isra'el, and this land here will be yours to possess before ADONAI. 23 But if you will not do this, then you have sinned against ADONAI, and you must understand that your sin will find you out.
Gad and Re’uven were certainly tempted to stay put in Gil’ad because it was lush and plentiful for all their livestock. When they were confronted by Moses, although tempted to stay in Gil’ad, they chose to be obedient and participate in the taking of the Promised Land.
Temptation is not sin. Yeshua was tempted for in the wilderness after fasting for forty days! The fasting made Him sharp as a razor and when He was tempted he countered the evil one with Scripture. His time of testing made Him sharp and prepared Him for His ministry.
Similarly, we can view temptation as testing without becoming disheartened and decide to be committed to the L-rd!
Psalm 37:5, ‘Commit your way to ADONAI; trust in him, and he will act.’
There are three important facets of commitment; commitment to G-d, commitment to others and G-d’s commitment to each of us.
We cannot be truly committed to Him and others unless we know how committed He is to us!
Luke 14:25-27, ‘Large crowds were traveling along with Yeshua. Turning, he said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he cannot be my talmid. 27 Whoever does not carry his own execution-stake and come after me cannot be my talmid.”’
The verses in Luke describe the type of commitment about which the L-rd is fostering in us. Looking closely one may be confused about what the L-rd is saying in regard to ‘hating’ your family. What He means is that because we love Him so much and are committed to Him that it will appear as though we hate our family. Of course we love our family. But the dedication and commitment toward the L-rd in comparison to the type of love we have for our family would make it seem like hating them.
Similarly, testing the commitment of His Talmidim, the L-rd says something outrageous.
John 6:53-58, ‘Then Yeshua said to them, "Yes, indeed! I tell you that unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life -- that is, I will raise him up on the Last Day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live through the Father, so also who ever eats me will live through me. 58 So this is the bread that has come down from heaven -- it is not like the bread the fathers ate; they're dead, but whoever eats this bread will live forever!"’
The type of commitment He wants from us requires us to put all else aside. He wants us to say, “My answer is yes, L-rd, what is Your bidding?”
What type of commitment do we have? Are we like Paul who on the edge of death and danger because of his commitment to the congregations, put his life in danger and went to help them anyway? See 2 Corinthians 11 and Acts 20.
The L-rd is far more committed to us than we are to Him! He is always thinking about us as described in Psalm 40 and He is the defender of our very lives based upon Psalm 27:1.
We should take commitment seriously and be careful not to over commit either. G-d takes what we say seriously; what we say matters. Nor should we be under committed.
What makes commitment to Him, to others, and His commitment to us possible? The answer is love.
John 17:20-23, ‘"I pray not only for these, but also for those who will trust in me because of their word, 21 that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are united with me and I with you, I pray that they may be united with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. 22 The glory which you have given to me, I have given to them; so that they may be one, just as we are one -- 23 I united with them and you with me, so that they may be completely one, and the world thus realize that you sent me, and that you have loved them just as you have loved me.”’
Sermon Notes by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
July 23, 2007
Numbers 32:1-9, “1 The descendants of Re'uven and the descendants of Gad had vast quantities of livestock. When they saw that the land of Ya'zer and the land of Gil'ad were good for livestock, 2 the descendants of Gad and of Re'uven came and spoke to Moshe, El'azar the cohen and the community leaders. They said, 3 "'Atarot, Divon, Ya'zer, Nimrah, Heshbon, El'aleh, S'vam, N'vo and Be'on, 4 the country that ADONAI conquered before the community of Isra'el, is livestock country; and your servants have livestock. 5 If you regard us favorably," they went on, "let this land be given to your servants as their possession; and don't have us cross the Yarden." 6 Moshe answered the descendants of Gad and of Re'uven: "Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here? 7 Besides, why are you trying to discourage the people of Isra'el from crossing into the land ADONAI gave them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Eshkol Valley and saw the land, they disheartened the people of Isra'el, so that they wouldn't enter the land ADONAI had given them.”
Gad and Re’uven were tempted to stay in the lush pastures of Gil’ad because they had much livestock. They weren’t considering the effect of staying east of the Yarden (or Jordan River) or what it would do to the moral of the entire Israeli community and they certainly weren’t thinking about how their actions related to the actions of their fathers just forty years prior.
When the spies had returned from the land, the report of the ten resulted in national fear and rebellion.
Numbers 14:1-3, “1 At this all the people of Isra'el cried out in dismay and wept all night long. 2 Moreover, all the people of Isra'el began grumbling against Moshe and Aharon; the whole community told them, "We wish we had died in the land of Egypt! or that we had died here in the desert! 3 Why is ADONAI bringing us to this land, where we will die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be taken as booty! Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"
Fear led to rebellion and the desire to return to slavery than to trust the Living G-d who had just delivered them!
Forty years later, the little children who were spared were now men with families of their own. They had wandered the desert dependent upon G-d for where to go, what to eat and what to drink. But at the very last step, right when they were about to cross the Yarden, the commitment of Gad and Re’uven was beginning to crack!
Can we not be guilty of the same? Given a view of what we think is important to us, couldn’t we also be guilty of thinking “I’ve got mine!” and our self preservation can become more important than obedience or community preservation.
Gad and Re’uven’s behavior could have brought the whole nation back to ‘square one’ so to speak. But this time, Moses intervened. Over the course of forty years leading the people through G-d’s direction, he had learned a few things about leadership! This time he spoke up and persuaded them to participate in the taking of the Promised Land. He didn’t let history repeat and fail to enter the Promised Land thus averting a national crisis!
Numbers 32:14-23, ‘14 Now you, another brood of sinners, have arisen in your fathers' place to increase still more the fierce anger of ADONAI toward Isra'el! 15 For if you turn away from him, he will leave them in the desert again, and thus you will cause the destruction of all these people!" 16 But they came up to him and said, "Here we will build enclosures for our livestock and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will be armed and ready for action to march at the head of the people of Isra'el, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones will stay in the fortified cities here because of the people now living in the land. 18 However, we will not return to our own homes until every man in Isra'el has taken possession of his land for inheritance. 19 We will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Yarden, westward; because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Yarden, eastward." 20 Moshe said to them, "If you will do this - if you will arm yourselves to go before ADONAI to the war, 21 and if every one of your soldiers will cross the Yarden before ADONAI, until he has driven out his enemies ahead of him, 22 and if the land has been conquered before ADONAI, and only after that do you return - then you will be clear before ADONAI and before Isra'el, and this land here will be yours to possess before ADONAI. 23 But if you will not do this, then you have sinned against ADONAI, and you must understand that your sin will find you out.
Gad and Re’uven were certainly tempted to stay put in Gil’ad because it was lush and plentiful for all their livestock. When they were confronted by Moses, although tempted to stay in Gil’ad, they chose to be obedient and participate in the taking of the Promised Land.
Temptation is not sin. Yeshua was tempted for in the wilderness after fasting for forty days! The fasting made Him sharp as a razor and when He was tempted he countered the evil one with Scripture. His time of testing made Him sharp and prepared Him for His ministry.
Similarly, we can view temptation as testing without becoming disheartened and decide to be committed to the L-rd!
Psalm 37:5, ‘Commit your way to ADONAI; trust in him, and he will act.’
There are three important facets of commitment; commitment to G-d, commitment to others and G-d’s commitment to each of us.
We cannot be truly committed to Him and others unless we know how committed He is to us!
Luke 14:25-27, ‘Large crowds were traveling along with Yeshua. Turning, he said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he cannot be my talmid. 27 Whoever does not carry his own execution-stake and come after me cannot be my talmid.”’
The verses in Luke describe the type of commitment about which the L-rd is fostering in us. Looking closely one may be confused about what the L-rd is saying in regard to ‘hating’ your family. What He means is that because we love Him so much and are committed to Him that it will appear as though we hate our family. Of course we love our family. But the dedication and commitment toward the L-rd in comparison to the type of love we have for our family would make it seem like hating them.
Similarly, testing the commitment of His Talmidim, the L-rd says something outrageous.
John 6:53-58, ‘Then Yeshua said to them, "Yes, indeed! I tell you that unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life -- that is, I will raise him up on the Last Day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live through the Father, so also who ever eats me will live through me. 58 So this is the bread that has come down from heaven -- it is not like the bread the fathers ate; they're dead, but whoever eats this bread will live forever!"’
The type of commitment He wants from us requires us to put all else aside. He wants us to say, “My answer is yes, L-rd, what is Your bidding?”
What type of commitment do we have? Are we like Paul who on the edge of death and danger because of his commitment to the congregations, put his life in danger and went to help them anyway? See 2 Corinthians 11 and Acts 20.
The L-rd is far more committed to us than we are to Him! He is always thinking about us as described in Psalm 40 and He is the defender of our very lives based upon Psalm 27:1.
We should take commitment seriously and be careful not to over commit either. G-d takes what we say seriously; what we say matters. Nor should we be under committed.
What makes commitment to Him, to others, and His commitment to us possible? The answer is love.
John 17:20-23, ‘"I pray not only for these, but also for those who will trust in me because of their word, 21 that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are united with me and I with you, I pray that they may be united with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. 22 The glory which you have given to me, I have given to them; so that they may be one, just as we are one -- 23 I united with them and you with me, so that they may be completely one, and the world thus realize that you sent me, and that you have loved them just as you have loved me.”’
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