Seder 10: Genesis 12:1-9---"...The Land that I Will Show You"

 God directed Abram to go "to the land that I will show you" (Ge 12:1).  We are not told how much advance information Abram was given about his destination.  Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik suggests that the journey was meant to develop Abram's "spiritual radar" for detecting holiness.  In this scenario, Abram followed the lead of this radar until he reached the intended destination, and then God appeared to him and confirmed his choice (Gen 12:7).  

Abram would have entered the Promised Land in the north, the most fertile region, but he continued on to the arid southern part of the land (v 9).  This raises the question of why Abram didn't stay in the north.  One proposed answer is that the holiness of Jerusalem drew him to continue southward.  

On his journey Abram came "to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh" (v 6).  Soloveitchik notes that in the patriarchal narrative, the word for place (makom) sometimes refers to a place of prayer (e.g., Ge 19:27; 28:11).  Perhaps Abram prayed  that his great-grandchildren would resist the possibility of assimilation with the Shechemites raised by Hamor's proposal (Ge 34:9-10). Perhaps he also prayed that his descendants would come again safely to the oak of Moreh (Dt 11:30) to confirm the covenant there. 

Seder 156---Deuteronomy 26-27---Rituals of Remembrance

 In Deuteronomy 26, Moses describes two rituals designed to help the Israelites stay on track in carrying out their divine mission.  One (vv 1-11) is a firstfruits ceremony, in which a family would bring the firstfruits of a year's harvest to the central sanctuary and present them to the priest.  The head of household would recite a statement rehearsing the nation's history and God's mighty works on their behalf.

No time is specified for this ceremony, but a natural time for it to occur would be annually at the time of Pentecost, when lots of people would be traveling to the sanctuary.  These would be wonderful times to rejoice together and include everyone in the celebration (v 11).  

Moses lays out a second ritual in verses 12-15, one to take place in the third and sixth years of every seven, the years in which one gave a tithe to help the needy (Dt 14:28-29).  In this ritual one affirmed one's allegiance to God and his covenant and prayed for God's covenant blessings.  

To our ears this statement might sound boastful, but it is not intended that way.  The statement is not making a claim of moral perfection; instead it is an affirmation of loyalty.  Understanding the difference can help us gain a more balanced understanding of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14.  In that parable the Pharisee can be faulted for looking down on the tax collector but not for affirming his obedience to God.  

Verses 16-19 of Deuteronomy 26 are a conclusion to Moses' address in Deuteronomy 12-26.  This conclusion implies that in conjunction with Moses' address, the Israelites carried out a covenant renewal ceremony (vv 17-18).  

There would be an additional covenant renewal ceremony when the Israelites crossed the Jordan in a few short weeks.  The principles of the Torah were to be written on large plastered stones which they were to set up at Mount Ebal (verses 1-8).  Then there would be a ceremony at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (already mentioned in Dt 11:29), with 6 tribes represented at each mountain.  Levites would give a series of twelve imprecations that would be affirmed by the people.  

The twelve imprecations, listed in Deuteronomy 27:9-26, cover a range of issues representing the entire Torah.  Two of them (vv 14, 25) explicitly mention things done in secret, leading to the observation that a number of the things covered are private actions that would not be prosecuted in court. For the Israelites to prosper in the land, they would need to follow God even when no humans were looking.

The ritual at Gerizim and Ebal was carried out as described (Joshua 8:30-35).  After that, people could look at the two mountains and remember the importance of the choices they made each day. 

This region would play an important role in Israel's later history.  For example, Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4) would take place there.  Kyle Kettering discussed this fascinating episode in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on August 12, 2023.  

Seder 143: Deuteronomy 11---The Gift, Test, Promise, and Opportunity of the Promised Land

 Moses begins Deuteronomy 11 by reminding the congregation of some events from their history.  In verses 2-7, he gives several examples of the power and mighty works of God.  In particular, he recalls the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, who had accused Moses of taking them out of  "a land flowing with milk and honey" in order to kill them in the wilderness (Num 16:13).  God had stopped that rebellion by having the earth swallow up the rebels.

There was no need for the Israelites to look back wistfully at Egypt, as the rebels had done.  Instead, they should follow God and look ahead to the wonderful home that he was providing for them. Moses contrasts Canaan with Egypt and describes the unique characteristics of the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 11:8-12:

• In Egypt there is a little rain, and food is produced through human effort.  Canaan, on the other hand, produces a spontaneous bounty and will yield produce in abundance when God grants rain.
• While Egypt is flat, Israel is a land of hills and valleys.
• Canaan is the special object of God's care and attention.

Moses explains that inheriting the land is a major test for Israel (verses 13-21).  If the people are loyal to God, they will enjoy abundant life in the land.  If they turn to other gods, then the rains will stop and they will eventually lose the land.  God's commitment to Israel would be unwavering, but each generation would choose to what extent to participate in the blessings of the land.  The potential for blessing was great (vv 23-25), including the opportunity to expand all the way to the Euphrates.

Moses brings this part of his message to a climax in vv 26-28 with an "altar call."  Israel had two options, blessing and curse.  The choice was theirs.  The choice would be presented in a very tangible way when they reached the land in a special ceremony at Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim (v 29).