Eikev (Because)
Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25; Isaiah 49:14–51:3; Hebrews 11:8–13
“And it shall come to pass, because [eikev] you hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers, and He will love you, and bless you, and multiply you.” (Deuteronomy 7:12–13)
A young Jewish man wearing tefillin (phylacteries) recites prayers from the Jewish prayer book. Because of their binding nature, tefillin is a daily reminder that our thoughts, emotions and actions are at their best when we live a life that is submitted to God’s Word.
Last week, in Parasha Va’etchanan, Moses reviewed the Torah and repeated the Ten Commandments, telling the Israelites to wholeheartedly love God and bind His words to their hands and between their eyes (Deuteronomy 6:8).
This week, in Parasha Eikev, he continues with this theme, promising the Israelites that they would enjoy prosperity and good health if they walk in God’s ways.
A young man with payot (sidecurls) prays at the Western (Wailing) Wall. Payot are worn by some Orthodox men as a response to the decree not to shave the corners of one’s head (Leviticus 19:27).
Moses reveals that it’s not enough to be hearers of God’s Word; we must also be diligent doers.
All the blessings and benefits we receive from God are because of our obedience to His Word.
This Parasha reveals that some of the rewards brought about by obedience include prosperity, favor and good health:
“If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep His covenant [brit] of love [chesed-mercy] with you…. You will be blessed more than any other people.… The Lord will keep you free from every disease.” (Deuteronomy 7:12–15)
Notice that when we are obedient, all of the blessings are founded on two extremely powerful forces: divine covenant (brit) and mercy (chesed).
Jewish men gather for prayer at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
When God makes a covenant, He doesn’t break it. The Bible emphasizes in many places that He will not break the covenant promises He swore to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel) and their descendants:
“He remembers His covenant forever… the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan.’” (Psalm 105:8–11)
When we honor our covenant with God by choosing to love Him and to keep His commandments, not only do we receive God’s blessing on our own lives, but so do our children, and our children’s children, to a thousand generations down the line!
“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is Elohim, the faithful God who keeps covenant [brit] and mercy [chesed] for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Because God keeps His covenant “for a thousand generations,” it’s entirely possible that some of the tremendous benefits and blessings we are reaping today are because of the faithfulness of our ancestors.
Because the Western (Wailing) Wall is part of the wall surrounding the courtyard of the Holy Jewish Temple, throughout the centuries, it has been a key pilgrimage site.
Commandment to Possess the Land
One of the commands that Israel was given in this Torah portion was the challenging task of possessing the Land.
God commanded the Israelites to not only go in and possess the Land, but also to destroy the inhabitants so that they would not end up worshiping their false gods:
“You must destroy all the peoples that the Lord thy God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.” (Deuteronomy 7:16)
Israel wondered how they would be able to drive out these pagan nations who were stronger than themselves. To ease their fear, God reminded them of His power in delivering them from Egypt:
“Do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 7:18)
“But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.” (Ezekiel 36:8)
The Israelites were not entirely faithful in destroying the inhabitants of the Land, however. This failure eventually caused the spiritual and moral fall of the nation.
“They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.” (Psalm 106:34–35)
Even today, many people question the morality of God’s command to destroy the inhabitants; they wonder how a loving God could give such an order.
To help us understand God’s plan, we can keep in mind the following:
- God’s intention was to protect Israel from falling away into idolatry;
- He also was judging the egregious sin of the nations in the Land; and
- He promised the Land to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:15).
“The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 9:5)
A Jewish man prays at the Western Wall wearing tefillin (seen on his forehead) and a tallit (prayer shawl).
Of course, the reality is that conquest is nothing new.
Nearly every country in existence today conquered its present homeland and destroyed or dispossessed the original inhabitants. So too, in Europe and North America.
While Israel today attempts to appease the world as it points fingers at us, it seems that this tiny nation of ours may be making dangerous concessions with the Palestinian “inhabitants of the Land” that may threaten our very survival as a nation.
That said, Israel as a nation comprises both Arab and Jewish citizens.
A Muslim and an Orthodox Jew in Jerusalem
Arabs who live in Israel enjoy the same citizenship and benefits as the Jewish people, including health care, education, and the right to vote and occupy seats in the Knesset (Israeli parliament).
In one respect, they might have it easier than Israeli Jews. Unlike Jewish women and men who must sacrifice two or three years respectively of their young lives for military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), service is not mandatory for Israeli Arabs.
Although Israeli Arabs are allowed to volunteer for military service in the IDF, the numbers of those who do are small because many secular and religious Muslim Arabs want to see the destruction of Israel and the Jewish People.
Preparing to read from the Torah scroll at the Western (Wailing) Wall
The Loving Discipline of the Father
“Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.” (Deuteronomy 8:5)
God, as a loving Father, chastises, disciplines and trains His beloved children—even through hunger, hardship and suffering in the desert (Deuteronomy 8:5).
Nubian Ibex at Makhtesh Ramon (Ramon Crater) in the Negev Desert.
“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you … to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
The Hebrew word for desert or wilderness is midbar, which has the same root letters as the word m’daber (to speak).
It is God’s word that sustains us, and He often speaks to our hearts during our desert/wilderness times of spiritual dryness.
There in our desert, He tests us “to see what is in our heart, whether we will keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)
The rabbis call this testing a “chastisements of love.”
We see this same sentiment in the Book of Hebrews, as well:
“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6)
An Orthodox Jewish woman carries her child across the Promenade in front of the Kotel (Wailing Wall).
God’s discipline, however, is not only fatherly; it is also motherly. The Book of Proverbs links Shaddai, one of the names of God, with God’s discipline.
“Do not despise the chastisement of Shaddai.” (Proverbs 3:11)
Although Shaddai is related to the word for destroyer and Self-Sufficient One, it comes from a Hebrew root word meaning a woman’s breast (as in a source of food for babies).
This specific name, Shaddai, represents the maternal, gentle, nourishing characteristics of God.
What does a name that reflects God’s maternal nature mean in the context of God’s discipline?
It tells us that His discipline is not only strict and just, but also merciful and tender. We can, therefore, “count it all joy” even when going through times of discipline and suffering because we know that God’s love for us is entirely balanced (James 1:2).
We can rest assured that His discipline will bring us to maturity, and we will be ready to possess the Land when we come out the other side.
Jewish men at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
Possessing Our Own Land
“The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.” (Deuteronomy 7:22)
God has given each one of us territory that He wants us to possess for His Kingdom. However, in order to do so, we must first face the challenge of dispossessing the enemy.
Our victory or deliverance will likely not happen suddenly or in one fell swoop.
Since God says He will drive out these nations little by little, we might find that the process of transformation toward our freedom in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) is gradual (Deuteronomy 7:22).
And as we begin to take the Land, we must remember that our victory has nothing to do with our righteousness or integrity as Believers, but it has everything to do with God’s integrity, power, judgment and discipline.
God makes it clear that it was not because of Israel’s own righteousness that the Israelites went in to possess the Land, (for they were a stubborn, stiff-necked, rebellious people), but because God gave His Word to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, and because the nations that lived there were wicked (Deuteronomy 9:5–6).
“My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.” (Psalm 57:7)
These words should give us hope for our own lives. When we are confronted by a sense of our own unworthiness, ashamed by our sinfulness—our stubbornness and rebellion—we can still count on God’s faithfulness to the covenant we have with Him through Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah).
We know that our own righteousness is like filthy rags before the holiness of God (Isaiah 64:6); however, we also know that God’s Servant “poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)
Through the sacrificial death of His Servant, Yeshua, God activated the promised new covenant with His people—a covenant in which He would “forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
Because of our covenant relationship with Him, God will never leave us nor forsake us.
Though the way ahead may appear dangerous or impossible, we can always trust the faithfulness, merciful discipline, and leading of our Heavenly Father.
“For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.” (Psalm 94:14)
