Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25

Ekev (‘If…’)

Just before this passage, the Lord reminded the people of Israel that He had chosen them out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession (Deut 7:6). This was both a unique privilege and an awesome responsibility. If they kept the Lord’s commands, He would be faithful to bless them more than any other people.

During their 40 years in the wilderness, the Lord led them, fed them and kept their clothes from wearing out, although they went through challenging times when there seemed to be no provision. God tested them in order to show what was in their hearts and whether they would keep His commands. They had to understand their own weakness and their need to trust Him.

Even our Lord, Yeshua, was tested for 40 days in the wilderness and we, too, will go through trials to teach us to depend on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. It is a sign of the Father’s care, not His neglect or abandonment, that He trains us with loving discipline. In difficulties, we cry out to the Lord. But do we continue to trust when it is tough, and do we remember to keep thanking Him when all is going well?

Danger: Complacency and Pride

The Lord was bringing Israel into a fertile land where they would prosper, multiply and feel secure. Then would come the danger of complacency and the temptation to become proud, forgetting all that the Lord had done to lead them there. “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me’” (Deut 8:17).

Denying the Lord’s provision – including of our ability to produce wealth – is a dangerous step. Today, again and again, we see people lauded for their scientific discoveries or remarkable achievements with no credit given to the Creator who made them possible.

In their pride, Israel would start thinking that the Lord had given them the land because they deserved it. However, the Lord made it clear that it was not because of their righteousness or integrity, but because of the wickedness of the other nations already living there. What was more, if Israel followed their example of pagan worship, they too would be driven from the land. We know that this is just what happened, although they were (and continue to be) His treasured possession.

No-one Can Boast

When we are blessed, are we ever tempted to think that we are somehow better than others? We have been chosen to be holy and blameless in His sight (Eph 1:4) and to be raised with Yeshua and seated with Him in the heavenly realms, but this is all through God’s grace - not of ourselves but by the gift of God, so that no-one can boast.

Instead, we are warned not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought (Rom 12:3). We are to humble themselves; it is the Lord who raises up and blesses (1 Pet 5:6; Matt 23:12). “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph 1:3).

Author: Catharine Pakington