Parashah 45: Va'etchanan (I pleaded)
Deuteronomy 3:23 through 7:11

Parashah 45: Va'etchanan (I pleaded); Deuteronomy 3:23 through 7:11.

Haftarah (Writings and Prophets): Isaiah 40:1-26.

B'rit Hadasha (New Testament): Matthew 4:1-11.

Tanach Scriptures are from Stern's Complete Jewish Bible; B'rit Chadash Scriptures from the Aramaic English New Testament.

Welcome "newbies" and "oldies!" As you all know, Torah was written by Moshe (Moses) and consists of the first five Books of the Bible which contain God's original Divine Instructions in Righteousness. Since this is a Netzarim (Nazarene/Messianic) website, we refer to God by His proper Name: Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey, transliterated into English as YHWH, and most likely pronounced "Yah-way" (see Exodus 3:13-15). His Son's Name is Y'shua (most likely pronounced "Ye-shoo-ah"). Enjoy this week's Torah portion!

It is amazing that so many people refer to the commands YHWH gave to Moshe as "the Mosaic Law" - as if Moshe was the one who instituted YHWH's divine commands. The truth is, Moshe merely presented what YHWH instructed him to share with Israel. Remember, Moshe was very special, as YHWH spoke to him "face-to-face" (Exodus 33:11). So when Moshe presented the Word, it was not "the Mosaic Law"; it was the Word of YHWH presented to us via Moshe's unique, personal relationship!

In this week's parashah we find Moshe continuing to recap the Ten Commandments to the "new generation" - which were originally presented in Exodus 20. This parashah serves to remind us of what YHWH said in Numbers 15 concerning the obedience of, and continued worship by, His people once they entered the "Promised Land":

Numbers 15: 17 ADONAI said to Moshe, 18 "Speak to the people of Isra'el; tell them, 'When you enter the land where I am bringing you 19 and eat bread produced in the land, you are to set aside a portion as a gift for ADONAI. 20 Set aside from your first dough a cake as a gift; set it aside as you would set aside a portion of the grain from the threshing-floor. 21 From your first dough you will give ADONAI a portion as a gift through all your generations.

This parashah reading makes it abundantly clear that YHWH expected not only faith and belief in Him, but also obedience to His Torah (Divine Instructions in Righteousness) - And we must ask ourselves, was "obedience" abolished with the death of Yeshua? Let's dissect what YHWH said:

Deuteronomy 4: 1 "Now, Isra'el (remember - ALL who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are part of Israel!), listen to the laws and rulings I am teaching you, in order to follow them, so that you will live; then you will go in and take possession of the land that ADONAI, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

Granted, at the time He was talking to "that generation"; however, our "Promised Land" is in heaven, and in order to get there, we MUST obey His commands - and we will certainly be obeying them forever after. We cannot be "carnal" in this world or offer "strange fire" (Leviticus 10:1, Numbers 3:4) before YHWH if we wish to please Him!

Deuteronomy 4: 2 In order to obey the mitzvot of ADONAI your God which I am giving you, do not add to what I am saying, and do not subtract from it. 3 You saw with your own eyes what ADONAI did at Ba'al-P'or, that ADONAI destroyed from among you all the men who followed Ba'al-P'or; 4 but you who stuck with ADONAI your God are still alive today, every one of you.

Realistically, what are many believers doing today? They are constantly either adding to or subtracting from His Word! Many "Messianic" (Torah observant) believers have skewed the Word by fighting and arguing about certain things, such as the spelling of the transliteration of the Sacred Names, and some are even concentrating on unbiblical nonsense such as "adding wives" because they believe God condones polygyny.

And Christians, of course, insist that "Jesus is God" and all we have to do is to 'believe' in Him in order to gain eternal life - while totally ignoring the fact that Yeshua came to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH (including obedience to His Torah by, among other things, keeping the feasts and the Seventh Day Sabbath) and to personally show us how to worship and obey:

Luke 4: 43 "But he (Yeshua/Jesus) said, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."

And the Apostles upheld it, but somehow that is ignored, as well:

Acts 28: 23 "From morning till evening the Apostle Paul explained and declared the Kingdom of God and tried to convince people about Yeshua from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."

Acts 24: 14. But this indeed I (Paul) acknowledge, that in that same doctrine of which they speak, I do serve the Elohim of my fathers, believing all the things written in Torah and in the prophets.

YHWH over and over again reiterated via His servant Moshe the need for His people to OBEY:

Deuteronomy 4: 5 Look, I have taught you laws and rulings, just as ADONAI my God ordered me, so that you can behave accordingly in the land where you are going in order to take possession of it. 6 Therefore, observe them; and follow them; for then all peoples will see you as having wisdom and understanding. When they hear of all these laws, they will say, 'This great nation is surely a wise and understanding people.' 7 For what great nation is there that has God as close to them as ADONAI our God is, whenever we call on him? 8 What great nation is there that has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today?

The above should bring tears to our eyes! How can anyone possibly misunderstand that following YHWH's laws will set us apart and make others recognize that we have wisdom and understanding? Please read on:

Deuteronomy 4: 9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves diligently as long as you live, so that you won't forget what you saw with your own eyes, so that these things won't vanish from your hearts. Rather, make them known to your children and grandchildren - 10 the day you stood before ADONAI your God at Horev, when ADONAI said to me, 'Gather the people to me, and I will make them hear my very words, so that they will learn to hold me in awe as long as they live on earth, and so that they will teach their children.'

11 You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain; and the mountain blazed with fire to the heart of heaven, with darkness, clouds and thick mist. 12 Then ADONAI spoke to you out of the fire! You heard the sound of words but saw no shape, there was only a voice. 13 He proclaimed his covenant to you, which he ordered you to obey, the Ten Words; and he wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 At that time ADONAI ordered me to teach you laws and rulings, so that you would live by them in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it.

Now, below we will see why it is wrong for us to have statues or paintings of "God" in our homes and churches. (And that includes His Messiah - because we don't know what YHWH or Yeshua look like! There was a reason YHWH didn't send His Son before cameras and videos were invented)....

Deuteronomy 4: 15 "Therefore, watch out for yourselves! Since you did not see a shape of any kind on the day ADONAI spoke to you in Horev from the fire, 16 do not become corrupt and make yourselves a carved image having the shape of any figure - not a representation of a human being, male or female, 17 or a representation of any animal on earth, or a representation of any bird that flies in the air, 18 or a representation of anything that creeps along on the ground, or a representation of any fish in the water below the shoreline. 19 For the same reason, do not look up at the sky, at the sun, moon, stars and everything in the sky, and be drawn away to worship and serve them; ADONAI your God has allotted these to all the peoples under the entire sky.

So, what part of "make no carved/graven images" is too hard to understand - too hard to obey?

Reading on, we see poor Moshe pushing himself to continue with his teachings, even though he knows he angered YHWH enough to be denied entrance into the Promised Land:

Deuteronomy 4: 20 No, you ADONAI has taken and brought out of the smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of inheritance for him, as you are today. 21 "But ADONAI was angry with me on account of you and swore that I would not cross the Yarden and go into that good land, which ADONAI your God is giving you to inherit. 22 Rather, I must die in this land and not cross the Yarden; but you are to cross and take possession of that good land. 23 Watch out for yourselves, so that you won't forget the covenant of ADONAI your God, which he made with you, and make yourself a carved image, a representation of anything forbidden to you by ADONAI your God. 24 For ADONAI your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Now take a look at this:

Deuteronomy 4: 25 "When you have had children and grandchildren, lived a long time in the land, become corrupt and made a carved image, a representation of something, and thus done what is evil in the sight of ADONAI your God and provoked him; 26 I call on the sky and the earth to witness against you today that you will quickly disappear from the land that you are crossing the Yarden to possess. You will not prolong your days there but will be completely destroyed. 27 ADONAI will scatter you among the peoples; and among the nations to which ADONAI will lead you away, you will be left few in number. 28 There you will serve gods which are the product of human hands, made of wood and stone, which can't see, hear, eat or smell.

29 However, from there you will seek ADONAI your God; and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and being. 30 In your distress, when all these things have come upon you, in the acharit-hayamim, you will return to ADONAI your God and listen to what he says; 31 for ADONAI your God is a merciful God. He will not fail you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your ancestors which he swore to them.

Notice from verse 27 on, where YHWH said He would scatter His people among the nations - which He ultimately did....And most are still there, among the pagans who have their own theologies and gods and where Christmas traditions and Christmas trees and Easter eggs are still being decorated and everyone is "tolerant" of other "religions" and gods.

But take a look at the Grace YHWH is willing to dole out for those who return to Him and renounce their evil ways:

Deuteronomy 4: 29 However, from there you will seek ADONAI your God; and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and being. 30 In your distress, when all these things have come upon you, in the acharit-hayamim (world to come), you will return to ADONAI your God and listen to what he says; 31 for ADONAI your God is a merciful God. He will not fail you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your ancestors which he swore to them.

(Well, that knocks a hole in the "white supremacist" Replacement Theology!)

The above shows that YHWH leaves time for HIS people to wake up! Many (both Jews and Gentiles) have realized the error of their ways, given up their carnality and decided to become Torah observant believers in Messiah Yeshua who was our Final SIN Sacrifice!

Check out the following where we once more see YHWH reiterating that HE is God and we are to obey His commands:

Deuteronomy 4: 37 Because he loved your ancestors, chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt with his presence and great power, 38 in order to drive out ahead of you nations greater and stronger than you, so that he could bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance, as is the case today; 39 know today, and establish it in your heart, that ADONAI is God in heaven above and on earth below - there is no other. 40 Therefore, you are to keep his laws and mitzvot which I am giving you today, so that it will go well with you and with your children after you, and so that you will prolong your days in the land ADONAI your God is giving you forever."

As a refresher, please read Deuteronomy 5:6-21 where Moshe reiterates YHWH's Ten Mitzvot (Words/Commands). Note in verse 5:11 YHWH says: 'You are not to misuse the name of ADONAI your God, because ADONAI will not leave unpunished someone who misuses his name." This is totally different from Deuteronomy 6:13 which says: "You are to fear ADONAI your God, serve him and swear by his name" in that the former means we are not to use His Name as a cuss-word or tell anyone "YHWH told me to tell you...." or whatever; while the latter means you are to honor Him by using His Name when you swear an oath.

Note in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, we see that YHWH's Shabbat is NOT according to the moon phases as the lunar sabbatarians would have us believe!

It is interesting to note that our country which is a nation "under God" has NEVER bothered to keep the COMMANDED Seventh Day Sabbath (4th Commandment)! Christians have always insisted on a SUNDAY Sabbath, even though neither YHWH nor Yeshua ever suggested that Sabbath was to be observed on the "first" day. (Please re-read Deuteronomy 5:15!) So, the question begs to be asked: Which god are we really worshiping?

Now, please pay close attention to the following which makes it absolutely clear that there is more to God and the Bible than just knowing "the Ten Commandments!" Moshe spoke these words AFTER he had finished reiterating the Ten Commandments....

Deuteronomy 5: 28 "ADONAI heard what you were saying when you spoke to me, and ADONAI said to me, 'I have heard what this people has said when speaking to you, and everything they have said is good. 29 Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my mitzvot; so that it would go well with them and their children forever. 30 Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you, stand here by me; and I will tell you all the mitzvot, laws and rulings which you are to teach them, so that they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.' 32 "Therefore you are to be careful to do as ADONAI your God has ordered you; you are not to deviate either to the right or the left. 33 You are to follow the entire way which ADONAI your God has ordered you; so that you will live, things will go well with you, and you will live long in the land you are about to possess.

Moving on to Deuteronomy 6 we find the Sh'ma (hear/listen/do) - which we can find written inside the mezuzahs on our door frames:

Deuteronomy 6: 4 "Sh'ma, Yisra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; 5 and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. 6 These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; 7 and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, 9 and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.

Quick question: Who is Israel? YOU are!

Quick comment: Isn't it ironic that so many - including supposed "men of God" such as some of the Catholic priests, busted for sexually abusing children; and some former US Presidents who were self proclaimed Christians - have chosen to totally ignore YHWH's commands (such as the above in Deuteronomy 6:4-8)?

Just a couple examples of hypocritical former US Presidents are the adultering, lying "I did not have sex with that woman" Bill Clinton who was cavorting with a young intern in the Oval Office; and Barack Obama, who openly supported homosexuality and even lauded the idea of "gay marriage." The Sunday-go-to-meetin' Obama made the following comments that revealed he had allowed his children (then aged 10 and 13) to influence his decision to support same sex-marriage (never mind what SCRIPTURE said! His exact words were:

"Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we're talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It doesn't make sense to them and, frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective."

Believers should have "a change in perspective" that leads AWAY from Scripture? SHAME ON OBAMA and all the above-mentioned people! Whom are we following if not YHWH? ... Unfortunately, people allow themselves to cater to "the world" - especially those who are not firmly rooted in Torah. Is it any wonder we are IN the end times right now?

Returning to Deuteronomy 6, we see YHWH telling His people once again that if they kept obeying and teaching their children His ways, all would go well with them!

Deuteronomy 6: 10 "When ADONAI your God has brought you into the land he swore to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov that he would give you - cities great and prosperous, which you didn't build; 11 houses full of all sorts of good things, which you didn't fill; water cisterns dug out, which you didn't dig; vineyards and olive trees, which you didn't plant - and you have eaten your fill; 12 then be careful not to forget ADONAI, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves. 13 You are to fear ADONAI your God, serve him and swear by his name. 14 You are not to follow other gods, chosen from the gods of the peoples around you; 15 because ADONAI, your God, who is here with you, is a jealous God. If you do, the anger of ADONAI your God will flare up against you and he will destroy you from the face of the earth. 16 Do not put ADONAI your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah [testing].

Deuteronomy 6: 17 Observe diligently the mitzvot of ADONAI your God, and his instructions and laws which he has given you. 18 You are to do what is right and good in the sight of ADONAI, so that things will go well with you, and you will enter and possess the good land ADONAI swore to your ancestors, 19 expelling all your enemies ahead of you, as ADONAI said. 20 "Some day your child will ask you, 'What is the meaning of the instructions, laws and rulings which ADONAI our God has laid down for you?' 21 Then you will tell your child, 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and ADONAI brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22 ADONAI worked great and terrible signs and wonders against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household, before our very eyes. 23 He brought us out from there in order to bring us to the land he had sworn to our ancestors that he would give us. 24 ADONAI ordered us to observe all these laws, to fear ADONAI our God, always for our own good, so that he might keep us alive, as we are today. 25 It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to obey all these mitzvot before ADONAI our God, just as he ordered us to do.'"

Now, let's quickly check out Deuteronomy 7 wherein YHWH reiterates who His People are and why they are to be holy:

Deuteronomy 7: 6 For you are a people set apart as holy for ADONAI your God. ADONAI your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his own unique treasure. 7 ADONAI didn't set his heart on you or choose you because you numbered more than any other people - on the contrary, you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 Rather, it was because ADONAI loved you, and because he wanted to keep the oath which he had sworn to your ancestors, that ADONAI brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from a life of slavery under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

9 From this you can know that ADONAI your God is indeed God, the faithful God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot, to a thousand generations. 10 But he repays those who hate him to their face and destroys them. He will not be slow to deal with someone who hates him; he will repay him to his face. 11 Therefore, you are to keep the mitzvot, laws and rulings which I am giving you today, and obey them.

What amazing scriptures! And what's more, these verses still apply to us! How could anyone suggest that YHWH agreed to have His mitzvot abolished on the day His Son was nailed to the stake?

Haftara portion:

Our Haftara portion reveals our Elohim's ongoing efforts to reach out to His people!

Isaiah 40: 1 "Comfort and keep comforting my people," says your God. 2 "Tell Yerushalayim to take heart; proclaim to her that she has completed her time of service, that her guilt has been paid off, that she has received at the hand of ADONAI double for all her sins." 3 A voice cries out: "Clear a road through the desert for ADONAI! Level a highway in the 'Aravah for our God! 4 Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill lowered, the bumpy places made level and the crags become a plain. 5 Then the glory of ADONAI will be revealed; all humankind together will see it, for the mouth of ADONAI has spoken." "

6 A voice says, "Proclaim!" And I answer, "What should I proclaim?" "All humanity is merely grass, all its kindness like wildflowers: 7 the grass dries up, the flower fades, when a wind from ADONAI blows on it. Surely the people are grass! 8 The grass dries up, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 You who bring good news to Tziyon, get yourself up on a high mountain; you who bring good news to Yerushalayim, cry out at the top of your voice! Don't be afraid to shout out loud! Say to the cities of Y'hudah, "Here is your God! 10 Here comes Adonai ELOHIM with power, and his arm will rule for him. Look! His reward is with him, and his recompense is before him.

11 He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering his lambs with his arm, carrying them against his chest, gently leading the mother sheep." 12 Who has counted the handfuls of water in the sea, measured off the sky with a ruler, gauged how much dust there is on the earth, weighed the mountains on scales, or the hills in a balance? 13 Who has measured the Spirit of ADONAI? Who has been his counselor, instructing him? 14 Whom did he consult, to gain understanding? Who taught him how to judge, taught him what he needed to know, showed him how to discern? 15 The nations are like a drop in a bucket, they count like a grain of dust on the scales. The islands weigh as little as specks of dust.

16 The L'vanon would not suffice for fuel or its animals be enough for burnt offerings. 17 Before him all the nations are like nothing. He regards them as less than nothing. 18 With whom, then, will you compare God? By what standard will you evaluate him? 19 An image made by a craftsman, which a goldsmith overlays with gold, for which he then casts silver chains? 20 A man too poor to afford an offering chooses a piece of wood that won't rot, then seeks out a skilled artisan to prepare an image that won't fall over. 21 Don't you know? Don't you hear? Haven't you been told from the start? Don't you understand how the earth is set up?

22 He who sits above the circle of the earth - for whom its inhabitants appear like grasshoppers - stretches out the heavens like a curtain, spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He reduces princes to nothing, the rulers of the earth to emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely their stem taken root in the ground, when he blows on them, they dry up, and the whirlwind carries them off like straw. 25 "With whom, then, will you compare me? With whom am I equal?" asks the Holy One. 26 Turn your eyes to the heavens! See who created these? He brings out the army of them in sequence, summoning each by name. Through his great might and his massive strength, not one of them is missing.

Note verse 22 says, "He who sits above the circle of the earth"....Back then, no one had the ability to figure out that our earth was a "circle!" Only YHWH could have revealed this those thousands of years ago!

Brit Chadasha portion:

As today's Torah studies come to a close, we must take a quick look at a few important Brit Chadasha scriptures and their significance, such as in Matthew 4 where we find through Yeshua's example that we are NOT to argue with the devil or his minions! Yeshua quoted TORAH, instead of arguing with Satan when He was being "tempted":

Matthew 4: 1. Then Y'shua was taken by the Ruach haKodesh to the desert to be tempted by the accuser. 2. And he fasted forty days and forty nights and after which he hungered. 3. And approached he that was tempting and said to him "if you are the son of Elohim, say to these rocks become bread," 4. and he answered and said, It is written that the Son of man does not live by bread alone, but by all the Words[1] that proceed from the mouth of YHWH. 5. Then the accuser took him to the Set Apart city and raised him upon the edge of the temple,[2]

6. and said to him, "If you are the son of Elohim, cast yourself down for it is written that his Messengers he commands concerning you, and upon their hands they will bear you up that your foot should not strike upon a rock." 7. Y'shua said to him, Again it is written that you will not test Master YHWH your Elohim. 8. Again the accuser took him to (a) mountain that (was) very high and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9. and said to him, "These all I will give to you if you will fall (and) worship me." 10. Then Y'shua said to him Leave enemy, for it is written that you will worship Master YHWH your Elohim and Him alone you will serve.

Now check out how Paul asks if FAITH nullifies Torah, and then he answers his own question!

Romans 3: 27. Where then is glorying? It is completely unmade. By what Torah? By that of works? No! But by the Torah of faith. 28. We therefore conclude, that it is by faith a man is being made righteous, and not by the works[1] of Torah. 29. For, is he the Elohim of the Jews only and not of the Gentiles? No, but of the Gentiles also. Because there is one Elohim who makes righteous the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision by 30. the same faith. 31. Do, we then nullify Torah by faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish Torah.

And in the below, James goes on to show what "justified" means:

James 2: 24. You see that by works a man is justified[1] and not by faith alone.

Christians love to use the next verse as proof that Torah was abolished, but please take a look at the footnote concerning Acts 13:39:

Acts 13: 39. And from all that which you were not able to be made righteous[1] by the Torah of Moshe, by this (man), everyone who believes is justified!

The next parashah reading:

Parashah 46: 'Ekev (Because); Deuteronomy 7:12 through 11:25.

Haftarah (Writings and Prophets): Isaiah 49:14 through 51:3.

B'rit Hadasha (New Testament): Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; James 5:7-11.

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