Drash
Deuteronomy 31:7-8, 23
Blaine Robison, M.A.
Delivered 19 September 2015
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NOTE: The Scripture text is taken from Messianic Jewish Family Bible: Tree of Life
Version, © 2014 by Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. Bibliographic
data for works cited may be found at the end of the drash.
MAN UP!
7
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be
strong! Be courageous! For you are to go with this people into the land
Adonai has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you are to enable them
to inherit it. 8 Adonai—He is the One who goes before you. He will be
with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be
discouraged.” … 23 Then he commissioned Joshua son of Noon and said,
“Chazak! [Be strong] Be courageous! For you will bring Bnei-Yisrael into the
land I swore to them—and I will be with you." (Deut 31:7-8, 23 TLV)
Today's
Parashah is part of the final address of Moses to the twelve tribes of
Israel. He calls Joshua son of Nun ["noon"] forward to issue a public and
special charge. Moses had previously ordained Joshua as his successor [Num
27:15-23], but now Moses will give him specific instructions as part of his
assumption of command, what we in the Army call the Commander's Intent. In
verse 7 there are two commands and two prophetic exhortations:
The
first command is Be strong
The verb means to be firm or strong and here
relates to attitude not physical strength.
Chazaq is the same word used in Exodus for Pharaoh hardening his heart. So
the underlying meaning of the command is "You are going to wipe out seven
nations and you cannot afford to have pity. This is total war."
The
Septuagint translates chazaq with a verb that means "act like a man," or in
modern English "man up." Paul uses this same verb in 1 Corinthians 16:13
where he says, "Stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
The idiom "man up" can refer to the
action of getting prepared to fight, to rise to an occasion to complete a
task, or to take care of one's responsibilities.
The
second command is Be courageous
The verb means
to be stout, strong, bold, or alert.
The Septuagint uses a verb that means strength to overcome.
The verb describes one who willingly
"gets into the action."
Carl von Clausewitz in his classic book On War said,: "War is the
province of danger, and therefore courage above all things is the first
quality of a warrior." He also said that in
warfare "timidity
will do a thousand times more damage than audacity."
The
first prophetic exhortation is "you will go":
The
practical meaning of the verb is "You will keep on going until the mission
is accomplished." The Masoretic Text has "you will go with this people," but
the Septuagint clarifies with "you will go before the people." Joshua would
"take point" as we say in the Army. Whoever "takes point" has to be strong
and courageous, because he could be among the first to die in battle.
The
second prophetic exhortation is by your leadership you will
"enable the people to inherit the land by taking possession of it." The
Septuagint adds "and distribute by lot to them." In other words, Joshua
would insure transference of the title deed of the Land promised to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. That deed has never been revoked.
In verse 8 Moses reveals
a simple combat support plan, a four-fold promise followed by two
exhortations.
ADONAI
will go before you.
and
ADONAI will be with you
He will remove obstacles, give early warning, protect your flanks and your
rear, and finally give victory over your enemies.
He will
not fail you
and He will not forsake you.
ADONAI
will
not fail to give you intelligence and guidance, to provide you with courage,
and to stay with you until you have made a complete conquest of the
Canaanites, and settled the people of Israel in their land. SO
Do not
fear,
or do not stand in awe of your enemy as the ten fearful spies did.
Do not
be discouraged
at the number and strength of the enemy, nor at any difficulties that might
happen along the way. Paul drew on this inspiration when he said in his
Roman letter, "If God is for us, who is against us." [Rom 8:31]
verse 23
occurs in the tent of meeting where Adonai appearing in the Shekinah repeats
the previous instruction of Moses, confirming the divine call on Joshua's
life, and God's reliance on him to accomplish the mission. Rashi interprets
the charge here to mean
“Everything depends upon you. There can be only one leader
for a generation, not two leaders for a generation."
ADONAI
then made him a personal Promise
"I will be with you," which
the Targum of Jonathan interprets as, "my Memra shall be Your help."
Yeshua, who is the Memra, said to his disciples! “I will be with you.”
Does this passage have a lesson for this season of the Days of Awe? The
charge to Joshua also applied to the Israelites who would follow him into
battle and so it becomes a call for self-examination, and then a call to
embrace the commands given to Joshua. Because if we are willing to obey we
may be sure that God will provide the empowerment keep His commands.
The Torah provides a simple method for conducting this analysis. In this
very chapter of Devarim ADONAI
required that in the seventh month of every
Sabbatical year, which happens to be this month, the Torah instruction of
ADONAI
was to be read to the people. The reading was not merely for
educational purposes, but for covenant renewal. For them commitment to God's
commands was essential to taking and keeping the Land. The same principle
holds true for us.
With rabbi's permission I am going to read the Ten Commandments or more
literally the Ten Words of ADONAI
that in effect summarize all His
instructions. And, we know from Yeshua's teaching, God implied much more in
these commandments. Would you please stand with me. Man up! As I read each Word
of ADONAI
treat it as a mirror to examine your life and character. Be honest
with God, because with confession comes cleansing and forgiveness. After I
each commandment you will respond with AMAYN and after the reading is
completed there will be final response on the slide.
Hear O
Israel the Ten Words of
ADONAI ELOHIM (Sh'mot 20:2-17)
●
ALEPH
"I am ADONAI
your G-d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
BET
"You shall have no other gods before Me. Do not make for yourself a graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth
below or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to them, do not let
anyone make you serve them. For I, ADONAI
your G-d, am a jealous G-d,
bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and
fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to the
thousands of generations of those who love Me and keep My mitzvot.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
GIMMEL
"You must not take the Name of ADONAI
your G-d in vain, for ADONAI
will not
hold him guiltless that takes His Name in vain.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
DALET
Remember Yom Shabbat, to keep it holy. You are to work six days, and do all
your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat to ADONAI
your G-d. In it you
shall not do any work; not you, nor your son, your daughter, your male
servant, your female servant, your cattle, nor the outsider that is within
your gates. For in six days ADONAI
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Thus ADONAI
blessed Yom
Shabbat, and made it holy.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
HEY
"Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the
land which ADONAI
your G-d is giving you.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
VAV
"Do not murder.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
ZAYIN
"Do not commit adultery.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
CHET
"Do not steal.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
TET
"Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
And all say "AMAYN."
●
YOD
"Do not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, his manservant,
his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s."
And all say "AMAYN."
These are the Ten Words of the G-d of Israel.
And all the people said,
“We will serve ADONAI
our G-d and we will obey His voice. Amayn!”
Works Cited
Rashi:
Rabbi
Shlomo Yitzhaqi (1040-1105), Commentary on the Tanakh.
Online.
Von
Clausewitz:
Carl von
Clausewitz (1780-1831), On War. Anatol Rapoport, ed. Penguin Books,
1968.
Copyright © 2015 by
Blaine Robison. All rights reserved. |