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