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This week our parasha is called Ki Tavo which means (When You Come) and it covers Deuteronomy 26:1-29:9.
The book of Deuteronomy consists mainly of three discourses of the law delivered by Moses a short time before his death. Here Moses gives his third and final discourse to the Israeli people. The dominant theme is to obey the Lord with all our heart, soul and strength.
When Israel had taken possession of the Promised Land they were to celebrate three rituals. The offering of the firstfruit, the tithe in the third year, the setting up of large stones and in addition they were also to build an altar.
These commands were given so that God could be glorified and that Israel could celebrate their transition from a nomadic existence to a settled agricultural community, made possible only by the blessings of Adonai. In response to the goodness, grace and loving-kindness of the Lord, an Israeli presented to God a basket of the first and the very best of his harvest.
This one time ceremony of first fruits was to be done at the beginning of the very first harvest once they were in the land.
A basket of wheat, grapes, barley, olives, dates, pomegranates, figs or any other produce that was harvest, were brought in a basket to the sanctuary and presented to the priest, who was to set the basket before the altar.
Not only was this special ceremony a confession of God’s goodness to Israel and to the worshiper, but it was also a pronouncement that the man had now claimed his inheritance. That he had worked the land, received a harvest and that he had brought the first and his very best to give to God.
The basket of fruit sitting by the altar was also a witness to the faithfulness of God. These things should speak loudly to the New Covenant believer. Yeshua said seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give us everything we need.
The second part of the ceremony was that the one who offered was to give an elaborate confession of Adonai’s faithfulness. In this confession the worshiper spoke of Israel’s time in Canaan through the famine, of Jacob’s going into Egypt at 130 years old, with his 70 family members.
He told of how and why the Egyptians mistreated the Jewish people, of how the Jewish people were forged in the furnace of affliction, suffering, bondage and slavery. That by the providence and mercy of Adonai, the Jewish people miraculously multiplied.
The worshiper was also to confess how God answered the cries of Israel by delivering them out of Egypt by His mighty hand and outstretched arm, which included his using miraculous signs and wonders with great power.
And though great and powerful pagan nations lived in Canaan, Israel would possess this land flowing with milk and honey. In short, the confession underscored God’s miraculous working at every turn in Israel’s history. It also teaches us of the faithfulness and sovereignty of the three in one God.
Moses instructed the people that every in third year was to be the Year of Tithes. In that year Israel was to give one-tenth of their harvest to the Levites, widows, orphans and the foreigners that were living in their country. These were not deadbeats of society, but the Levites and those who were legitimately in great need such as the orphans and widows. This also included the foreigners who had moved to Israel but were in great need as most foreigners are who move to a new land, like Ruth and Naomi.
Adonai had very explicit instructions pertaining to this offering. In giving this tithe, the worshiper was to confess to the Lord that he had been honest in setting aside the tithe and using it as the Lord had commanded.
He was not to take the tithe for his own personal use and certainly not to use it for any sinful purpose. He also confessed he had been careful not to defile the tithe by touching it while unclean because of a death in the family.
In other words, the setting aside of this tithe for others was a very serious matter and had to be done with dignity and obedience. This ceremony would end with a prayer of asking God to bless the whole nation and not just the individual worshiper.
Chapter 27, Moses and the leaders of Israel gave this charge to the people: “Obey all these commands that I am giving you today. You will soon go across the Jordan River into the land that Adonai your God is giving you.”
Israel was ordered upon arrival in the land of promise, under Joshua and the elders, to set up large stones on Mount Ebal, these stone were to be white washed with lime and coated with plaster.
Joshua was to write on them the commands that God gave His people. This wasn’t just a symbolic gesture, because the words were to be written clearly for the people to read.
At the foot of Mount Ebal they were to erect another altar, where burnt offerings and peace offerings would be sacrificed. To have God’s law without having a sacrifice for sins would be to bring condemnation and not consecration, the altar met the needs of the condemned sinner.
This points powerfully to Yeshua’s complete sacrifice on our behalf on the altar of his cross, and the peace offerings reminds us that in spite of God’s broken law, Yeshua’s sacrifice and shed blood has brought us peace, with a Holy God.
Israel was commanded to conduct a special ceremony at the junction of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Mount Ebal was to be “the mount of curses” and Mount Gerizim “the mount of blessings”.
The tribes on Mount Gerizim would be Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin, the remaining tribes would gather on Mount Ebal.
The Levites, with the ark, were to stand in the valley between the two mounts and call out the Law. This entire ceremony would be a striking reminder to Israel that they were a covenant nation obligated to obey the Laws of God.
Chapter 28, The Israelis were told if they listen to these laws and if they were careful to obey them, Adonai would keep his agreement of love with them. There were 21, conditional blessings that Adonai had promised in this chapter alone.
He promised that He would love them, that He would make the Israeli nation to grow and prosper. Their marriages would be blessed with children, their fields with good crops, God would bless them with grains, new wine, and oil. He would bless their cows with calves and their sheep with lambs.
The heavens would give their rain in due season over their entire coast. Israel would have all these blessings in the land that God promised to give them and more.
The chosen nation’s continuance in this state of favor was depended only on their faithfulness to the Lord.
If Israel should rebel through disobedience, even though God had chosen them through his love, He would cast them off in his justice.
Disobedience would bring curses, including diseases, severe drought, and military defeat. Along with defeat would be despair, everything that the people would put their hand to, including marriage would prove unsuccessful.
Such failure would be a clear sign of their disobedience. A tragic downward spiral would occur from disease, to drought, to defeat, to despair, and ultimately deportation by Gentile powers and this is exactly what happened.
Chapter 29, Moses never seemed to tire of reminding the people of the grace and mercy that God had bestowed on his chosen nation. Moses reminded them how God had judged the land of Egypt and delivered Israel from bondage.
He also reminded them how Adonai cared for his people through their wilderness journey, how the Lord kept their shoes and clothing from wearing out and their feet from swelling.
Moses reminded them of the manna from heaven, and the water from the Rock, he also reminded them that God had given them victory over the nations east of the Jordan.
Now because of all that Adonai had done for them, Israel was now on the verge of entering the Promised Land and claiming their inheritance.
In closing, we know that today we have the same choices as Israel of old, obey and prosper, or disobey and perish. It’s not rituals or ceremonies that we choose to obey or disobey. It is Yeshua our Messiah that we are to bring our first, and are very best. It is to the Son of the living God, who is the living word of God, who we are to be obedient to.
It should be our sincere prayer and our hearts desire, to say to our God and King, O Lord, we have come to do your will.