Lamed
Lamed Messianic Studies

(Original Entry from HOD-Wordpress - 2007-08-04 4:01:30 pm)

Category - Lamed Messianic Studies, Jewish

Parashat Eikev

Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25
Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 49:14 - 51:3

This week, the lesson is kind of involved. So I will start with making a few notations about passages I found of interest and then continue the lesson from there. In essence, the lesson this week is about Mezuzot or the posting of HaShem’s Laws on the door posts and gates of a dwelling and how that dwelling is taken from the physical to the spiritual in its meaning.

First, a few notes about todays Torah Portion.

• Deuteronomy 7:7-8 — The reason HaShem has chosen Israel.
• Deuteronomy 7:9-11 — Israel’s duties and rewards in the promise of HaShem.
• Deuteronomy 7:12-26 — The explanation of the events by the hand of HaShem and how He will keep His promise to Israel.
• Deuteronomy 8:3 — Refer to Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; John 6 is the Bread revealed.
• Deuteronomy 8:5 — Earthly example from punishment used to explain HaShem’s discipline. Discipline used here is as “corrects” [Strong’s H3256, yawsar, primary root word, (with words) to instruct; also correct, taught, punish, reproveth, bound, reformed, “to discipline”].
• Deuteronomy 8:11-20 — The dangers and punishment of contentment and power with a forgotten L-RD.
• Deuteronomy 9:5-6 — Israel has gone forth many times to conquer, not because of any right-standing with G-D or the corpus of His Laws, but as the hand of HaShem against other nations and their defiance of G-D. For the sake of G-D’s promise is why Israel has been preserved, which is explained in Deuteronomy 9:26-29.
• Deuteronomy 10:12-16 — Specifically, Deuteronomy 10:16, is dealt with again in I Corinthians 7:18-19. Romans 2:25-29 reveals this passage in Deuteronomy in a beautiful rendering of the wisdom in G-D’s Ways, as does Philippians 3:2-3.

Deuteronomy 11:20 states that the commandments of G-D were to be written on the door posts of the houses and gates of the Israelites. In Isaiah 49:6, we are told that Israel will be a light to the gentiles. There is no need for light to those who are not willing to walk in that light. In Jeremiah 31:31-34, we are taught that the spirit will do what law on the flesh has done before it. This preludes the transition of the dwelling place of G-D’s Spirit and Will from “among the people” towards remaining “in the people.”

The commandment of the Mezuzah, or door posts, seems to be another prophetical prelude to the ending spiritual intent of G-D’s Will. Houses as structures will pass away as will all earthly things. But the spiritual remains forever. It would seem that if the commandments of G-D were to have a permanent and long lasting standing, it would take a more permanent and long lasting place to “post” G-D’s commandments to be worthy of G-D’s permanent and long lasting Will.

Consider the house of the soul. What are the doors and gates to this dwelling? Everything we see enters through the eyes and everything we hear comes through the ears. Whatever is tasted and smelled is considered as good or bad to eat to build the structure of the house of the soul which is the body.

It is many times that things entering the body affect the condition of the soul. These outside influences can sway how one feels or things about things. This is why we need to “post” G-D’s commandments on these entry ways so that they can be guarded against things that do not need to enter.

How does one go about posting the commands of HaShem on the gates of the body? Let us start with the promise of the L-RD to enable our constant knowledge of Him by writing His Laws on the hearts (or souls, inward parts) of men. We first see this promise in Jeremiah 31:33, and this same promise is reiterated in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16. We begin to see the fulfillment of the prophetical overshadowing of Deuteronomy 11:20 oddly enough with the preceding verse in Deuteronomy 11:18, which is the ultimate intent. This verse and its fulfillment is brought to fruition in its understanding in II Corinthians 3:3. Heart is used here as Kar-dee’-ah [Strong’s G2588] as in the center or seat of the soul or understanding as of the mind or will. The application and spiritual understanding of this mortal sounding commandment in Deuteronomy 11:20 are explained throughout the rest of II Corinthians 3 to the endpoint of understanding stated in II Corinthians 4:18.

Even in stating that the body is the understood house of the soul wherein the gates and doors into it are the corporeal senses, we have to come to the conclusion from a spiritual perspective. In Proverbs 3:1-3 and 7:1-3, it is understood that the Law was something to be remembered or “written” on the mind so as to be on the forefront of thoughts just as written text is at the forefront of sight. Even in Psalms 37:30-31 and 40:8, the understanding of the way in which man works best with G-D’s Laws is when they are “in the heart.” Granted that heart as used in Psalms 37:31 is leb [Strong’s H3820], labe, meaning more as to motives, feelings, affections, desires, the will, the aims, principles, the thoughts, and the intellect of man; and heart as used in Psalms 40:8 is me-eh [Strong’s H4578], may-eh’, from and unused root word, meaning as to abdomen, sympathy, stomach, belly, bowels, womb, uterus (or of men, the seat of generations), probably meaning to be soft. The intent of both of these understandings is the same as if we said we “have a gut feeling” about something. The basic meaning is the inward parts we acknowledge as present in us but which we do not completely understand in workings or operation; and which we have trouble separating as to what is bodily and what is feelings or our own understandings.

Even in Ezekiel 44:7-9, there is an understanding about how things can be “impressed” on the heart, or “written” in understanding. In this passage, there is a distinct differentiation made between understanding, as heart is referencing, and the outer flesh.

We see this referenced again as a direct passage in Acts 7:51 when the people are called stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart (or understanding) and ears (or hearing). The fruit of this concept applied is stated in Romans 2:15. The passage gives how one can recognize that the seat of understanding has been effectively impressed with G-D’s Laws. Even further evidence of this is talked about in I John 3:17-24 and again in I John 4:12-21, which gives the outward manifested evidences on how one can know if G-D’s laws are in a person so as to be acknowledged, processed, and effectively understood.

We gain this understanding by holding fast or remembering, as is suggested in II Timothy 1:13-14, the sound (or solid, unshakable) words and the form of applicable concepts they create. We make allowances for that understanding to abide or make its place in us by remembering I Corinthians 3:16-17 in that it is by the spiritual things from which spiritual knowledge comes; so when the presence of the Holy Spirit (or Ruach HaKodesh, Spirit of Separation and Sanctification) is in us so is the spiritual knowledge and understanding also with us.

The following is a listing of several other passages on which one can ponder the presence of G-D’s Laws in the hearts (or minds, seat of understanding, seat of consciousness) of man.

• Proverbs 7:1-3 — Keep my words; write my commandments on the tables of thine heart.
• Proverbs 10:8 — The wise in heart receive commandments. Addendum idea — Proverbs 15:28; 15:32; 16:21; 18:15.
• Isaiah 51:7 — The people in whose heart is G-D’s Law know righteousness.
• Ezekiel 28:2-6; 28:10 — Those who take the place of G-D with their hearts have unclean (uncircumcised) hearts not in agreement with the covenant of G-D and will die as such.
• Daniel 7:28 — Daniel kept (held in countenance) matters in his heart. Addendum idea — Luke 2:19; 2:51; Mary kept events and sayings in her heart.
• Acts 17:10-11 — Bereans deemed as more noble because of willing minds.
• Ephesians 2 — Specifically 2:8-10; 2:11; 2:15; Verbal ordinances done away with but not G-D’s Laws which supposed to be written on the tables of the heart. Refer to Proverbs 7:1-3; Isaiah 51:7; Psalms 37:30-31; etc.

–SILVERMOUSE