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Shabbat Shalom, this week’s Parasha is Eikev, which means “Consequence”, and covers Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25.
We start in Chapter 7 with Moses telling our people to listen to the rules that the Lord has given them. If they are willing to listen and obey then the Lord promises to love, bless, and multiply them. Every blessing will be given to them. We are told to remember all Adonai did to Pharaoh and the land of Egypt. To remember all the signs and wonders that were done in the land. The Lord also commands that the Caanites are to be totally destroyed. All the peoples and their gods are to be destroyed so that we are not tempted to worship those gods.
The Lord also encourages our people in verses 17-18 “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,”
God is teaching our people an important lesson, a lesson for us today as well. We need to remember what Adonai did for our people in the past! To remember that He is always faithful, even when we are not. When we face trials or hardships in this life, no matter how big it seems to us, we need to remember what the Lord has done in our lives! We can remember what Messiah Yeshua has brought us out of and how He has changed our lives.
In Chapter 8 Moses again tells our people to remember what the Lord has done. In verse 2, Moses lets our people know that God has led them these 40 years in the wilderness, that we might be humbled. The Lord tested our hearts to see whether we would keep His commandments. Verses 3-4 talk about during the wilderness journey, Adonai provided food and water for our people. Even the clothes and shoes that were worn did not wear out.
Despite the Lord’s blessings He still had to discipline our people so that they would remember and keep His commandments. The remainder of Chapter 8 reminds our people that when they are in the promised land to not forget the Lord. When they are rich off the land they should not say this was achieved by their own power. Adonia gives a warning in verse 19, “If you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.”
This warning takes us into chapter 9, which talks about how our people will successfully take the land from great and mighty people. However, our people cannot say it is because of their right standing with Adonai that they are being given this land. Our history in the wilderness tells us how we provoked the wrath of the Lord. Especially when we made a golden calf to worship, after Moses was up on the mountain with Adonai.
However, we are promised that we will destroy the nations in the land because of those nations’ wickedness. We will also have victory due to the promises made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Moses reminds this generation of their rebellion against God and how the Lord was going to wipe them out. It was only after Moses interceded on our behalf that the Lord relented.
In chapter 10, we are to remember how the Lord commanded Moses to go back up the Mountain to receive new tablets containing the 10 commandments. It is a reminder that the Lord is faithful even when we are not. In verses 12-22 our people are told to love Adonai and serve Him with every fiber of our being; mentally, physically, and spiritually. He is a mighty and awesome God who is above all things, yet also brings justice on behalf of those who are abused and ignored.
We end our parasha in chapter 11 with the promise in verse 25 of what will happen if we follow and keep the Lord’s commandments, love what He loves, and serve Him. We read, “No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as He promised you.”
To summarize this parasha, how often do we turn to God when times are good? Not nearly as often until things are bad. Parasha Eikev tells us repeatedly to remember what God has done for us. Are we blessed today because of our own power? Surely Not! Adonai has been our guiding hand, leading us down His paths for our lives!
We are told that if we think we have accomplished things by our own hand, then we will perish. We see this perishing as people are consumed by the material traps around them. Leaving the Lord behind to pursue things that moth and rust will destroy. Instead, we need to live for the promises of the Lord and not the temporary lies of this world.
So how can we practically remember what Messiah Yeshua has done for us? First, you can make a list of what He has done for you. Writing things down helps us to remember. So we can start creating notes with one blessing of the Lord and continue to keep a list as things happen and are remembered. I like to use sticky notes. Put these in an area that you often go by. Maybe it is on your computer monitor, bathroom mirror, or bedroom door. Some place where you can take a moment out of your day to thank the Lord for what He has done in your life.
One suggestion is to write down how and when Messiah Yeshua saved you and what it means to you. A second step you can take is when you have your list, pray and thank God for everything you have written down. Do that one item at a time and do not rush. The third step is to share with someone one of the things you wrote down! Give Yeshua all the praise and help lift others up with what He has done in your life! When people ask why you have made Messiah Yeshua the foundation of your life this can help you have a meaningful answer. My prayer is that as a result of us taking these steps, we can always have our mind on Yeshua, remembering the great and awesome God that we serve.