D2c. You Are What You Think and Do!

Va-Etchanan no.3 Deuteronomy 6:4-7:11 (19 July, 2013, Av 12, 5773)

To read text of article Please Scroll Down!
The Oneness of God; Expelling the Heathen; Reward to the Faithful
Duration: 14.03 minutes

 Contents:

s6. Deuteronomy 6:4-25. The Oneness of God. Expelling the Heathen

s7. Deuteronomy  7:1-11 Reward to the Faithful

The Haftorah (Selection from the Prophets). Israel and Judah will be Helped. Isaiah 40:1-26

====
====
s6. Deuteronomy 6:4-25. The Oneness of God.

[Deuteronomy 6:4] HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD:     
This verse in Hebrew "Shema [Hear] Yisrael" is the mark of faith of Judah. Many Jews were killed for not abandoning their belief in God and His Torah. Their last words were often this verse. 
====
Expelling the Heathen
 
[Deuteronomy 6:11] AND HOUSES FULL OF ALL GOOD THINGS, WHICH THOU FILLEDST NOT, AND WELLS DIGGED, WHICH THOU DIGGEDST NOT, VINEYARDS AND OLIVE TREES, WHICH THOU PLANTEDST NOT; WHEN THOU SHALT HAVE EATEN AND BE FULL;
The Israelites when they conquered the Land of Canaan took over cities that we already built of and of a high cultural standard for that time. So too, the Jews when they conquered Palestine from the Arabs and the Arabs fled or were driven out the Jews received Arab houses that were often of a reasonable standard.
All the Land of Israel from the Nile River to the Euphrates should belong to Israel. In the future we will expel the heathen squatters who now illegally occupy this territory. The cities they have built and developed will be taken over by Hebrews.
 
It may be that, Because the Israelites did not drive out all the Canaanites as commanded then the Jews suffered in the Holocaust and had their houses and possessions taken from them by descendants of the Canaanites in Europe.
See:
Numbers 33:52-56
http://www.britam.org/numbers/9matotmasai.html

 [Deuteronomy 6:16] YE SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD, AS YE TEMPTED HIM IN  MAASAH
At Maasah (Exodus 17:7) the People had doubted whether or not God was with them. Such doubting is forbidden.
====
====
s7. 7:1-11 Reward to the Faithful

[Deuteronomy 7:4] FOR THEY WILL TURN AWAY  THY SON FROM FOLLOWING ME, THAT THEY MAY SERVE OTHER GODS: SO WILL THE ANGER OF THE LORD BE KINDLED AGAINST YOU, AND DESTROY THEE SUDDENLY.
THY SON. The grammatical construction here is where the Law comes that traces a Jew to anyone born of Jewish mother.
http://www.britam.org/Questions/QuesJudaism.html
Is there any Biblical foundation for the "Jewish Mother" Law?
 
[Deuteronomy 7:5] BUT THUS SHALL YE DEAL WITH THEM; YE SHALL DESTROY THEIR ALTARS, AND BREAK DOWN THEIR IMAGES, AND CUT DOWN THEIR GROVES, AND BURN THEIR GRAVEN IMAGES WITH FIRE.
All traces of idol worship must eventually be expunged from the Holy Land.   
 
[Deuteronomy 7:9] KNOW THEREFORE THAT THE LORD THY GOD, HE IS GOD, THE FAITHFUL GOD, WHICH KEEPETH COVENANT AND MERCY WITH THEM THAT LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS;
Here it is repeated.
God HIMSELF promises to repay you if you are faithful to HIM.
Not only will HE repay you but HE will also loom after your descendants for ever by virtue of the good things you have done. You will be rewarded in the best way possible.
 ====
====
The Haftorah (Selection from the Prophets). Israel and Judah will be Helped

Isaiah 40:1-26
http://www.britam.org/isaiah/Isaiah36to40.html

 [Isaiah 40:2] SPEAK YE COMFORTABLY TO JERUSALEM, AND CRY UNTO HER, THAT HER WARFARE IS ACCOMPLISHED, THAT HER INIQUITY IS PARDONED: FOR SHE HATH RECEIVED OF THE LORD'S HAND DOUBLE  FOR ALL HER SINS.
"Jerusalem" strictly speaking applies to Judah but it has some applicability also to the rest of Israel.
The sins are paid up for and now comfort is coming.

 [Isaiah 40:3] THE VOICE OF HIM THAT CRIETH IN THE WILDERNESS, PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE STRAIGHT IN THE DESERT A HIGHWAY FOR OUR GOD.

 [Isaiah 40:4] EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE EXALTED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE MADE LOW: AND THE CROOKED SHALL BE MADE STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH PLACES PLAIN:
There will be no impediments.
 
 [Isaiah 40:27] WHY SAYEST THOU, O JACOB, AND SPEAKEST, O ISRAEL, MY WAY IS HID FROM THE LORD, AND MY JUDGMENT IS PASSED OVER FROM MY GOD?
There will be a time of trouble. Judah and Israel will think that God has abandoned them. It is not so.
In our private lives also we should bear through times of trouble and know that God watches and will help us.