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Haftarah Ki-Teitzei

“Restoration Guarantee”

Isaiah 54:1-10 (or finish at 52:13)

excerpted from TorahScope Haftarah Exhortations

Our Torah reading for this week, Ki-Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19), focuses on a series of miscellaneous laws, which are prescribed to bring an additional level of civility to the people of Israel. The object of these commandments is to “sweep out evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 21:21, NJPS; cf. 22:21,22,24). Areas of clarification include family laws,[1] hanging corpses,[2] sundry laws between neighbors,[3] morality of virgins,[4] persons excluded from the congregation,[5] usury laws,[6] divorce regulations,[7] employment or labor laws,[8] limitations on corporal punishment,[9] retaining a brother’s family line,[10] equal weights and measures,[11] and even how to deal with the wicked Amalekites.[12]

After reading and contemplating these different commandments, regulations, and restrictions—one sees how the Lord was intimately concerned about a wide variety of personal and corporate issues, in order to keep Ancient Israel holy. The human condition is such, that these laws were given to keep the people from becoming a licentious and immoral society, like some of the Ancient Near Eastern nations which surrounded them.

When you turn to the Ki-Teitzei Haftarah selection from Isaiah 54:1-10, the fifth Haftarah of consolation, you realize that God is definitely the restorer of His relationship with Israel, despite the propensity for them to disobey His commandments. The fact that Israel had all of these commandments spelled out for them in such great detail, does not mean that they would be followed to the letter of the law. In fact, as it is recorded in the prophecies and histories of the Tanakh, it was Israel’s lack of obedience to the Law, which warranted punishment to the point of being scattered and exiled into the nations of the world.

There is certainly much comfort to be derived from the words of Isaiah 54:1-10. It is in this section of Isaiah where God communicated great, everlasting love for Israel. In the first three verses, we read about how joy is to return to Israel, in spite of its wandering ways. Note that eventually the numbers of people will be so great, that tents will be enlarged and descendants will possess nations and resettle the cities which had been abandoned:

“‘Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth! Break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who didn’t travail with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,’ says the LORD. ‘Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your habitations; don’t spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out on the right hand and on the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and settle in desolate cities’” (Isaiah 54:1-3, WMB).

In due time, the shame and humiliation of being scattered into the nations, will be eliminated. The Lord even used the expression of the intimate relationship of a husband and wife, to describe the fondness He had for Israel. Using aspects seen in our Torah portion, He described how He will take back His wife who has been temporarily forsaken, because ultimately His love and compassion for Israel will prompt Him to restore the broken relationship:

“‘Don’t be afraid, for you will not be ashamed. Don’t be confounded, for you will not be disappointed. For you will forget the shame of your youth. You will remember the reproach of your widowhood no more. For your Maker is your husband; the LORD of Hosts is his name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of the whole earth. For the LORD has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off,’ says your God. ‘For a small moment I have forsaken you, but I will gather you with great mercies. In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you,’ says the LORD your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:4-8, WMB).

Finally, the Lord brings back the remembrance of the covenant He established with Noah. In a similar vein, God is unable to forsake His love for Israel, just like He had promised to never again destroy humanity with another flood. Additionally, as the Creator of the mountains and hills, He described how even if they were shaken and moved, He will never forsake the covenant of peace which He has established with His people:

“‘For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but my loving kindness will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will not be removed,’ says the LORD who has mercy on you” (Isaiah 54:9-10, WMB).

The Great Comforter reminded Israel how His compassion will never fail. Even though for a season He had to punish them for their disobedience, His lovingkindness will prevail. It is significantly comforting to know how loving a God we serve—especially today as we believe we are beginning to witness the promised restoration of all things (Acts 3:19-21)!

It is a great blessing to not only know that God’s Word will not return void, but that He is in the business of seeing it come to pass. As a part of His people today—saved by the atoning work of Messiah Yeshua—we can take great comfort that our Father has given His guarantee that the promised restoration is inevitable. However, this does not mean that we are to neglect obedience to His ways, or that we are to forget His mandate upon His people to be a light to the nations. Understanding the miscellaneous commandments seen in this week’s Torah portion, recognizing their significance in the Biblical story, teaches us important things about His character and the mission He has called us to.

May we each take comfort in His words of compassion and covenant promises, but also bless Him by obeying Him!