Ki Tavo (When you enter in)

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8
Isaiah 60:1–22

“Why We Obey the Lord”

by Mark Huey

“Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).

This week’s Torah reading, Ki Tavo, continues Moses’ final instructions to the people of Israel as they are being prepared for entry into the Promised Land. It is in these chapters of Deuteronomy that Moses lists the benefits or blessings of obedience to God, but also details the curses resulting from disobedience to Him. The very last statement that Moses gives at the end of the reading succinctly summarizes what he is trying to communicate:

“So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do” (Deuteronomy 29:8).

When you read and meditate upon this Torah portion, if you want to prosper in all that you do, it is imperative that you keep the words of the covenant. Moses could not state it any more precisely. We can easily summarize this by the axiom: obedience equals blessings, while disobedience equals curses. I personally do not know any other way these words can be understood. Whenever I am asked why I am Torah obedient, particularly by a Jewish person, I simply turn to Deuteronomy 28, read some of the blessings and curses to my questioner, and then ask the following question:

Why would anyone want to receive the curses of God, when through obedience, the blessings of God will come to the faithful?

I usually get perplexed looks in response, but most discussions usually stop right there. I feel confident that I have fulfilled my duty of provoking my Jewish brothers and sisters to jealousy for faith in the Messiah, as they are forced to recognize that I, as a non-Jew, am keeping the Torah (unlike most Christians they may encounter). Some may ask further questions as to why I think Believers in Yeshua should follow the Torah, when as a “Gentile” some Jews may assert that I only have to follow the so-called Noahide laws. I frequently say that the New Testament asserts that those who belong to the Messiah Yeshua are considered the seed of Abraham, and inheritors of the promises God made to him:

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Messiah, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Messiah Yeshua. For all of you who were baptized into Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:24-29).

The Apostle Paul’s words to the Believers in Galatia are very clear. The Torah is a tutor to lead us to faith in Messiah Yeshua. It is to first train us in the rudimentary principles of right and wrong, which are to be instilled in our psyche. When we reach the point of understanding our fallen sin nature, the Law should reveal our need for a Divine Savior. It is by faith in the accomplished work of Yeshua at Golgotha (Calvary) that I have become a son of the Most High. I have been baptized in the Messiah and have been covered by His atoning work. Inclusion in the Kingdom of God has nothing to do with one’s ethnicity, societal position, gender, or financial status. It comes by one recognizing himself or herself as a sinner according to the Torah, and being redeemed by Yeshua’s sacrificial work for us.

The Apostle Paul writes the Ephesians that all those who have come to faith in Yeshua the Messiah—particularly those of the nations—have become a part of the Commonwealth of Israel:

“Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in [dogma],[1] so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Messiah Yeshua Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:11-22).

In these statements to the Believers at Ephesus, Paul unequivocally states that anyone who was separated or “alienated” (RSV) from Israel has become a part of Israel via faith in Yeshua. Because of the Messiah’s completed work, a benefit of that work is that I have become a part of the “one new humanity” (NRSV) reconciled by the blood sacrifice of the Messiah. As a result, I am no longer a stranger or alien to the Commonwealth of Israel, but instead have become a fellow citizen of Israel and a part of God’s household. By belief in the Messiah of Israel, I am fitted together with all others who share my belief as a part of the eternal dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Another analogy Paul uses appears in his letter to the Romans, with the example of Israel’s olive tree. The Apostle Paul writes that those of the nations, compared to be wild olive branches, have been grafted in along with the natural olive branches of Israel. In Romans 11, Paul describes in great detail what he was largely witnessing regarding the unbelief of many Jews of his era:

“If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:16-36).

Paul makes the argument that non-Jewish Believers in Yeshua, regardless of their origin or birth, “have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root” (NIV). We have the responsibility in understanding that our inclusion in Israel is a part of the eventual redemption of all Israel—and particularly relates to provoking our Jewish brethren to jealousy for faith in Yeshua. As can be expected, this can get some people upset, including Jewish Believers. However, the Torah itself is clear that there is to be only one Law or Instructions for God’s people to follow:

“The same law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you” (Exodus 12:49).

“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34).

I am convinced that no matter when you attach yourself to the God of Israel, after doing so you need to follow His commands. This applied to the person with the Israelites in the wilderness, the person accompanying Israel when crossing the Jordan, or those down through the ages in the period prior to the crucifixion. It also applies to anyone believing in Yeshua the Messiah and is a recipient of the New Covenant, having God’s commandments written on the heart via His Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 33; Hebrews 8). After all, if we are all a part of the Israel of God, why would we want to discard His blessings that come via obedience? In this week’s Torah portion, we see that Israel is a special possession from God’s perspective:

“This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken” (Deuteronomy 26:16-19).

Throughout the Scriptures, there is a unique relationship between not only being “a people for his own possession” (RSV), but also a holy and separated people called out to perform God’s special tasks in the Earth. As Ancient Israel was being prepared to receive the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the Lord calls them to this purpose:

“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5).

God makes a proposal to Israel that includes obedience to His voice and keeping His covenant. Just after Moses shared the Almighty’s words with Israel, the overwhelming response was a desire to do all that the Lord had spoken in order to become the Lord’s treasured possession:

“So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do!’ And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord” (Exodus 19:7-8).

The theme of Israel being God’s special or treasured possession is seen throughout the Tanakh, indicating the relationship that Israel is to have with Him:

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6).

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 14:2).

“For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession” (Psalm 135:4).

Allow me to encourage you today that if you consider yourself to be a part of Israel by faith in Yeshua the Messiah to take your privileged position seriously. I believe that any Believer who is honest wants to receive the blessings of God, and not be cursed by Him—or at the very least be distanced from Him in some way. I would ask you to remember that the Scriptures are replete with admonitions about the requirement of obedience in order to receive the blessings of God. The forerunners of our faith understood what was required. Joshua, the inheritor of Moses’ leadership position, grasped the concept of obedience and service in order to receive the blessings of God:

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

The Prophet Samuel knew that obedience was far greater than sacrifice:

“Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).

Yeshua makes it absolutely clear that if you love Him, you will obey His commandments:

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

This critical concept is confirmed by the Apostle John:

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:2-4).

If you are a part of the Israel of God by faith in Messiah Yeshua, then you need to obey Him in order to receive His blessings. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, this should be something that is not difficult—especially if our motivations for obeying God are a strong love for Him and wanting to please Him. By reviewing texts like Ki Tavo, we each have an opportunity to reconsider some of the choices we make when it comes to the commandments of God. The choice is ours. We can either have a blessed relationship with our Maker, or one that is constantly riddled with problems.

When you consider the listing of blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28, it is easy to prefer the blessings to the curses. The difficult thing is obedience. Fortunately, the answer to obedience is found in the life example of Messiah Yeshua, and can be attained by receiving Him into our lives and having our hearts and minds transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is my sincere prayer that you choose obedience to the Lord in order to receive His blessings, and thus be counted among those who are part of His people—a treasured possession!

NOTES

[1] Grk. dogma, “that which seems to one, an opinion, dogma” (LS, 207).

Companion (Related Article): Torah As Constitution- McKee

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