Radically First

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