Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Not all rebellion looks like shaking your fist at God. Sometimes it sounds far more spiritual. I just don't think that's what he meant. But what happens when everyone claims to follow the same Bible, the same Spirit and the same God, yet reaches completely different conclusions? If the Holy Spirit leads God's people into truth, why are there thousands of opposing interpretations of Scripture? Could it be that the greatest danger is not rejecting God's word outright, but using spiritual language to avoid what he plainly said? Let's explore this idea together in this week's five Minute Torah.
[00:00:41] Shalom and blessings from Shalom Macon, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect and grow. I'm Darren and before getting into the five minutes of my five Minute Torah commentary, let's cover a few quick facts about this week's Torah portion. This week we are studying the 51st and 52nd Torah portions and the 8th and 9th portions of the Book of Deuteronomy. We are in the double portion of nitzavim vayelech Deuteronomy 29, 9, 3130. And here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one continual covenant from generation to generation in this week's Torah portion, God tells the children of Israel, it is not with you alone that I'm making this sworn covenant, but with whoever is standing here with us today before the Lord our God, and with whoever is not standing with us today. Deuteronomy 29, 14, 15. God's covenant was not made only with those delivered from Egypt, but also with their descendants, generations yet unborn. His covenant with Israel does not expire, no matter what reformed theologians may claim. Number two Sukkot. Turn it. Turn it. Moses commands Israel to read the entire Torah during the week long festival of Sukkot or Tabernacles, or when the people were gathered together in one place. This ensured that each generation would remember his responsibility to the Lord and the covenant he made with them at Sinai. Some communities still divide the Torah among their members and read through it. During this season, we also remember this commandment through Simchat Torah. After finishing Deuteronomy, we immediately return to Genesis and begin again, reminding ourselves that the cycle of Torah learning never ends. And number three Change of the guard. Joshua replaces Moses. This portion also records Joshua's commissioning to take Moses place. God tells him, be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you. Deuteronomy 31:23. The portion closes with Moses instructing the Levites to place the Torah beside the Ark of the Covenant, which where it would stand as a witness against Israel if they strayed from its instruction. God's Torah remains the standard by which sin and righteousness are defined. There's a difference between being lost and getting lost. Being lost leaves you searching for direction, but getting lost can mean becoming completely absorbed in something beautiful. So many of us know we need to pray, but we struggle to find the time, or maybe create the space to connect consistently with our heavenly Father. That's why I wrote Lost in Prayer, to help you move beyond feeling lost and discover the beauty of a prayer life rooted in the Jewish sedur. This book will help you understand the prayers, navigate the structure, and see how each part can draw you closer to God. My hope is that prayer will become more than something you're supposed to do, it will become a place you want to be. Be sure to order your copy Lost in Prayer through Amazon or Barnes and Noble to using the link below this week's Torah commentary is called A Recipe for Rebellion and comes from my book 5 Minute Torah, Volume 1. The Torah portion of Vayelech, one of the shortest portions in the Torah, is only 30 verses long. However, if we look at it carefully, we can find within it a recipe for rebellion. For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord. And how much more after my death? Deuteronomy 31:27 this passage is written as a kol Vahomer, an argument going from the light to the heavy. If A is true, then how much more so is B true? Also, Moses recognizes that if the children of Israel rebelled and strayed against the Torah's instruction while he was with them, to take them by the hand and guide them in its requirements, how much more would they stray from it after his death? But who rebels against God's commands and why? There are generally two types of rebels. The first is the one who simply denies the truth and the authority of the Scripture and walks in outright rebellion against it. This is nothing spectacular. Rebels like this will exist in every generation that follows this path. The second type, however, is the one who claims that Scripture is still authoritative, yet rationalizes his behavior based on his own interpretations rather than following the Masorah, the accepted interpretations and traditions. This is the more deceptive road to a wayward life. Let's explore the implications of this. During the days of Moses, gaining understanding of a particular matter of Torah was easy for people. They could ask their questions and get an answer quote straight from the horse's mouth. Moses, the very one who transmitted the teaching of the Torah, was was with them and could authoritatively answer their questions. In our modern world, however, we don't have the luxury of having Moses here to guide us and give us the original meaning of each and every passage of the Torah. So what do we do? Some may say we don't need Moses. We have the Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit in us to lead us into all truth. But if it's as simple as that, why do we have thousands of opposing interpretations and applications of the Scriptures for from people claiming to be following the Holy Spirit rather than a single unified one? Is this truly the leading in the Spirit of God or our own spirit of stubbornness? Paul says that we are to cling to the Messor that he passed down. So then brother, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. This is 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
[00:06:28] Tradition and traditional interpretations are not inherently bad. They often keep us from falling off the path and into the ditch. They keep us from following after our own way when we want to follow the easier route. Judaism has an unending supply of Masorah designed to help maintain proper interpretation and application of Torah. But is bucking against tradition really an act of rebellion? Stubbornness, or being stiff necked, as it literally reads is, is a trait that signifies going one's own way rather than yielding to the designated authority. A stiff necked person follows his own path, making his own rules and living by his own values. Proverbs says a fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. Proverbs 18:2. A fool continues to say, I don't think it means that. Whereas wisdom listens to the counsel of many advisors. Proverbs 11:14.
[00:07:26] Can there ever be new interpretations of Scripture? Well, yes, but they can never supersede the peshat, the plain sense of the text. For instance, the Torah says, you shall kindle no fire in your dwelling places on the sabbath day. Exodus 35:3. A midrashic interpretation based off of this verse says we should not engage in quarreling on the Sabbath. However, if we interpret this to apply only to quarreling and and ignore the literal meaning of the text, then we have uprooted the foundation of the Torah. In Yeshua's words, we have abolished it. Unfortunately, many people have chosen to take this approach. Why? Because it's comfortable and it's easy we believe that if we obey the spirit of the Law, then we can ignore the letter of the law. But this isn't how it works. In order to obey the Spirit of the Law, one first has to obey the the letter of the Law. Only when one first obeys the literal meaning of the commandment and then goes above and beyond its requirement does he fulfill the spirit of the Law. To ignore either the Pashat, the surface reading, or the Masorah, the traditional understanding, one is simply walking into a more comfortable form of rebellion. Moses is gone. We can choose to live out the Torah based on our own understandings, or turn to the wisdom of those who have gone before us and handed down both interpretation and tradition that have withstood the test of time. The choice is ours. If today's teaching raised questions for you about the letter and spirit of God's Law, I explore this subject much more deeply. In my book Spirit of the Law, I take a fresh look at Yeshua Paul Torah Grace and what it means to live as a faithful disciple of Messiah. You'll discover that the Spirit of the Law was never meant to replace God's commandments, but to bring them to life through faithful obedience, love, and devotion. Spirit of the Law is available now on Amazon. You can check out the link below. As a final thought, God's Word was never given so that we could reshape it to our own personal preferences. It was given to lead us into life and through His Spirit, to transform us into faithful disciples of Messiah. Last week, in our study of Ki Tavo, we we explored what it means to make your life count with the time God has given you. If you missed it, you can check it out right here.
