TORAH: Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25
HAFTARAH: Isaiah 49:14-51:3
GOSPEL: Matthew 16:13-20
Portion Outline:
The forty-sixth reading from the Torah and the third reading from the book of Deuteronomy is named Ekev, a word from the first verse of the portion. Deuteronomy 7:12 says, “Then it shall come about, because (ekev) you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers.” Usually the word ekev means “heel.” In fact, this word shares the same three-letter root as the name Jacob (Yaakov), whose name actually means “heel.” He was born holding on to Esau’s heel. However, in Deuteronomy 7:12, the word ekev means “on the heels of” or “because of.” This portion of Deuteronomy speaks of the rewards that will come to Israel on the heels of keeping God’s covenant and commandments.
Torah
Deuteronomy 7:12 | Blessings for Obedience
Deuteronomy 8:1 | A Warning Not to Forget God in Prosperity
Deuteronomy 9:1 | The Consequences of Rebelling against God
Deuteronomy 10:1 | The Second Pair of Tablets
Deuteronomy 10:12 | The Essence of the Law
Deuteronomy 11:1 | Rewards for Obedience
Prophets
Isaiah 49:8 | Zion’s Children to Be Brought Home
Isaiah 50:4 | The Servant’s Humiliation and Vindication
Isaiah 51:1 | Blessings in Store for God’s People
Portion Commentary:
Self Righteousness
Never rely on your own good deeds or assume that God is blessing you because you deserve it.
Moses assured the Israelites that God will give them the conquest of Canaan. He warned them three times lest they presume that their righteousness provided sufficient merit for their success. Moses had already told them that their future success would be guaranteed “because” of their obedience to the commandments. The people of Israel might naturally assume, then, that success was an indication of their own righteousness.
We might be prone to make a similar mistake. A pastor with a successful, growing congregation might assume that he is in God’s favor because of the numbers. A businessman who lands a lucrative contract may suppose that he is being rewarded for his godliness. In both cases, the assumptions may be correct, but there might be other factors at work not at all related to one’s personal righteousness.
Moses stressed three times that “it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people” (Deuteronomy 9:6). He went on to rehearse the sin of the golden calf and the incidents in the wilderness that provoked God to anger. He recounted how he fasted on their behalf and pleaded for their forgiveness. He retold the story of how God, in His mercy, relented, and did not punish them as their deeds deserved. If not for Moses’ intercession and atonement on their behalf, Israel would not have even survived the journey from Egypt. They had Moses to thank for their deliverance thus far. There could be no talk of their merit and righteousness. Their observance of the Torah was not sufficient to merit the conquest of the land.
If the children of Israel did not deserve to take possession of the land, why did God give it to them? Moses gave two reasons: The sin of the Canaanites and the covenant promises to the patriarchs.
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
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