Messianic Education Trust
		Nitzavim/Vayelekh   (Deut 29:9(10) - 31:30)

D'varim/Deuteronomy 30:16   I am commanding you today to love the L-rd your G-d, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His rulings

View whole verse and interlinear translation ...

Falling as it does, in the section of Moshe's powerful conclusion - "See, I have set before you life and good, death and evil ... therefore choose life so that you may live!" (D'varim 30:15-19) - this detail is easily overlooked, but this is the condition upon which the whole of the covenant and life within it depends. This is what we Jews - as the physical descendants of Avraham, Yitz'khak and Ya'akov - are expected to do. Day in, day out, whether comfortable and convenient or not, we are to love The Name ...

HaShem: literally, Hebrew for 'The Name' - an allusion used to avoid pronouncing the Tetragrammaton, the so-called 'ineffable' name of G–d
HaShem our G-d, walk in His ways and keep His commandments, statutes and rulings. The words seem very clear and simple; what is there to discuss?

Certainly, as we always have at least one more opinion than the number of Jews in the room, the details of exactly what the commandments, statues and rulings mean and how they are to be implemented have been debated almost since they were given. What is more - surely this is one of the more endearing features of the Jewish people - they will be debated until Yeshua returns and possibly for millennia afterwards in the Olam Haba as we try to make sure that we have understood exactly what the words mean, as we explore and marvel afresh at the wisdom and sagacity of HaShem. The principle, however, is very clear and unambiguous: love - that is, be in meaningful relationship and dialogue with - HaShem and make sure that you do what He says.

What Is ...

Targum Onkelos: An early (1^st-2^nd Century CE) translation/paraphrase of the Torah into Aramaic; attributed to a Roman convert to Judaism, Onkelos; used in Babylonian synagogues during the Talmudic era
Targum Onkelos, under its usual excuse of avoiding anthropomorphism - G-d doesn't have or need ways in which He walks - changes בִּדְרָכָיו, "His ways," to the longer בְּאָרְחָן דְּתָקְנָן קֳדָמוֹהִי, "in the ways that are right before Him." This highlights that G-d's ways, the ways in which He operates, are always right and correct. Rabbi Who Is ...

Hirsch: Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888 CE), German rabbi, author and educator; staunch opponent of the Reform movement in Germany and one of the fathers of Orthodox Judaism
Hirsch points out that "to walk in His ways" is the end in view of "love HaShem your G-d". He suggests that our obedience and success in walking in G-d's ways is a result of loving G-d; if we don't love Him, then we won't walk in His ways or - at least - not walk in them very well. This seems to echo Yeshua's observation to the disciples: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Obedience out of fear or duty will never have the same conviction or care as obedience from love. That is why Who Is ...

Abraham Ibn Ezra: (1089-1167 CE), born in Tudela, Spain; died in the South of France after wandering all around the shores of the Mediterranean and England; a philosopher, astronomer, doctor, poet and linguist; wrote a Hebrew grammar and a commentary on the Bible
Ibn Ezra starts his comment with, "to love ... this is the essential part", only then adding, "to walk ... you must not deviate from His ways and from the commandments that He gives you, whether or not your understand the reasons for all the laws and rules." John puts it this way: "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19, ESV); our love follows His love for us, is dependent upon His love.

Making the important connection to what Yeshua recognised as the first commandment, "וְאָהַבְתָּYou shall love the L-RD your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (D'varim 6:5), Hirsch explains that "you are expected to love G-d and this love is to show itself by your striving for, and only for, such aims that lie in the paths pointed out to you by G-d, and that you only try to achieve these aims in those paths. In these paths you remain near to G-d, and get nearer and nearer to Him, and this being near to Him is what love seeks." That love, claims Walter Brueggemann, is "a practice of holiness and habits of distinctiveness" that understands that life is received only in the presence of HaShem "in the midst of daily existence."¹

In our modern world, where infatuation is often mistaken for love, we find it hard to reconcile the idea of commanding love. Respect and obedience, perhaps, but love is mutual and sometimes wistful, growing in response to the other; commanding it would scare it away or even deny it. The Torah doesn't think that way as Jeffrey Tigay explains: "The idea of commanding a feeling is not foreign to the Torah, which assumes that people can cultivate proper attitudes. Nevertheless, love of G-d in D'varim is not only an emotional attachment to Him, but something that expresses itself in action. This is in keeping with the fact that Hebrew verbs for feelings sometimes refer as well to the actions that come from them. Israel's duty to love G-d is inseparable from action; it is regularly connected with the observance of His commandments. In such contexts, 'love' means 'act lovingly', which also translates to 'act loyally'. The command to love G-d may accordingly be understood as requiring one to act lovingly and loyally towards Him."

How is this to be achieved? Bruegemann again: "full obedience by hearing, loving, walking and heeding. These verbs are all familiar from the characteristic cadences of D'varim."² It is here, Christopher Wright asserts, that we find life, because "life is loving G-d, walking in His ways and keeping His commands. In the words of verses 19 onwards, life is loving G-d, listening to G-d and having loyalty to G-d."³ But which do we put first? Moshe lists the actions in our text in the order: love, follow, obey. Which should we do first? Is that HaShem's priority? And how do we overcome the natural human resistance to being commanded?

It is certainly true that human nature rebels against being told what to do. As Isaiah was shown only too clearly, "we all went astray like sheep, each going his own way" (Isaiah 53:6, NJPS). That was going on in Isaiah's day and it hasn't stopped in the meantime. Jeremiah voiced G-d's appeal to His people, "Stand by the roads and consider, inquire about ancient paths: which is the road to happiness? Travel it, and find tranquillity for yourselves" (Jeremiah 6:16, NJPS). But the people wouldn't listen: "they said, 'We will not'" (ibid., NJPS). So G-d tried again, "I raised up watchmen for you: 'Hearken to the sound of the horn!' But they said, 'We will not'" (v. 17, NJPS). Just as a toddler having a tantrum screams and screams until they wear themselves out and fall asleep, so HaShem waits for us to wear ourselves out so that He can scoop us up and show us His love. He tells us what we need to do because He knows what is best for us. He made us and designed us in His image, so He understands us perfectly. Yeshua identifies exactly with us because He "in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15, ESV). That is why He is our perfect High Priest, "because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted" (Hebrews 2:18, ESV).

I believe that the Torah's order is the only one that works. Love has to come first, because that gives the grounding and the context for everything else. John tells us that "G-d is love, and whoever abides in love abides in G-d, and G-d abides in him" (1 John 4:16, ESV). That is our starting point and the rest will follow as Rav Sha'ul points out: "we know that for those who love G-d all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28, ESV). As we experience G-d's love for us and respond to Him, so we start to follow Him and walk in His ways, then we find ourselves obeying His commands - even if that was originally the furthest thing from our minds. He woos us with His love and as we grow closer to Him, we find that our habits of sin become less attractive, our sinful lifestyles and relationships pall and appear as they really are. We disengage from the lies, fashions and people of the world, to cleave only to Him: our Master, our Friend and our Redeemer. Our conversations show what is going on: "Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6, ESV). Whoever will not hear the good news about the love of G-d and His invitation to join His kingdom of truth and righteousness is not of G-d.

Yeshua told a parable about this: ">What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" (Matthew 21:28-31, ESV). Well, of course, what could they say? "They said, 'The first'" (v. 31). They knew that the son who loved and honoured his father was the one who - even if he initially said, 'no' - went and did what his father had commanded. Then Yeshua pointed to the chief priests and elders - the authorities, powers and opinion makers of those days - and shocked them: "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of G-d before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him" (Matthew 21:31-32, ESV). You give the appearance of following G-d, Yeshua said, saying 'yes', but really, you are acting 'no'.

So it is with the authorities, powers and opinion makers of our world today. They say 'yes' and talk much about love, tolerance and compassion, but they are unwilling to show true compassion by calling out and rebuking destructive behaviour, attitudes and relationships. They are tolerant only of differences that really agree with themselves and are incapable of engaging in true dialogue. In practice, although they seem to promote love, it is a selfish, self-indulgent and loveless love. They have rejected the call of our text: to love G-d, follow Him and obey His commandments.

1. - Walter Brueggemann, Deuteronomy Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2001), page 270.

2. - Brueggemann, page 269.

3. - Christopher J. H. Wright, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2012), page 292.

Further Study: Matthew 3:8-10; Luke 7:37-50; 1 Corinthians 2:12-14

Application: Are you loving G-d, following relentlessly after Him and obeying His commandments - even the ones considered not politically correct by the world? Are you working in the vineyard of the kingdom, showing G-d's love by telling the truth, or have you said, "Yes, I'll go" and then sat on your hands?

Buy your own copy of the Drash Book for Deuteronomy/D'varim now at Amazon US or Amazon UK.

© Jonathan Allen, 2024

Messianic Trust Home Page	Join Weekly Email	More Weekly Drashot
Last Week	Support the work of producing this weekly commentary	Next Week
Last Year - 5783	Scripture Index	Next Year - 5785