Ekev
Because
“Because of a Circumcised Heart”
Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25
Isaiah 49:14-51:3
excerpted from TorahScope, Volume I
Ekev continues Moses’ monologue to the people of Israel, as he was anticipating his death. He knew that his days were numbered, and how he was charged with preparing the Israelites to enter into the Promised Land. In many respects, the entire Book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ last will and testament to his beloved Israel. Following Deuteronomy’s recollections and instructions, will be critical for a successful conquest of Canaan. Like any good leader, Moses knew the power of words—and as we saw last week in V’et’chanan, Moses was quite aware that he had been chosen to be the communicator of the voice of God to the people (Deuteronomy 4:2).
As we reflect on Ekev this week, one of the very first things we notice is that the term ekev, from which our parashah gets its name, begins the reading: v’hayah ekev, “It shall happen, because…” (Deuteronomy 7:12, WMB). You might consider what I have to say on Ekev to be a bit of a stretch, but I do wonder if there is something about the Hebrew term ekev which might communicate important messages to Bible readers. While stylistically ekev can be translated a variety of ways throughout English Bibles, TWOT describes how it means “consequence. Usually occurs as an adverbial accusative, as a consequence of, because.”[1] I simply ask, does this seemingly, insignificant connecting word have a more important meaning than just “because”?
Within our lives, we can probably all remember prefacing answers to questions with the word “because.” We have certainly heard other people use “because” to justify various actions, saying “Because of such-and-such I did so-and-so,” or “Because of so-and-so, such-and-such happened.” How many times have you encountered an immature child, who has been caught in the wrong, use “because” as an excuse? Frequently in speech today, we see a term like “because” used—really exposing some of the negative reasons or causes because of an action committed. Yet at the same time, the English term “because” can have positive uses as well. Within Ekev, is it possible that God was trying to get Israel to seriously consider the absolute root of their convictions, that they might take certain actions? Let us consider a variety of instances where ekev appears, so we can evaluate the function(s) it performs.
The opening verses of Ekev include a response to the final verses which concluded V’et’chanan last week. Recall how Moses ended his pleadings with a command to the Israelites: “You shall therefore keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances which I command you today, to do them” (Deuteronomy 7:11, WMB). This summary statement covers a broad range of instructions which were given to Israel during the wilderness journey. Now this week as Ekev begins, we see a positive affirmation implied in the term ekev or “because,” listing some of the blessings which the Israelites would receive as a result of obeying the commandments given:
“It shall happen, because [v’hayah ekev] you listen to these ordinances and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the loving kindness which he swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your livestock and the young of your flock, in the land which he swore to your fathers to give you. You will be blessed above all peoples. There won’t be male or female barren among you, or among your livestock” (Deuteronomy 7:12-14, WMB).
Ekev was employed to describe the blessings which the Israelites would receive if they obeyed the Lord. The term ekev is only used two times in our Torah portion,[2] and only nine other times in the rest of the Torah.[3] At the conclusion of Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminded Israel of the consequences they would incur if they did not listen to the Lord:
“But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it is today. It shall be, if you shall forget the LORD your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish. As the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish, because you wouldn’t listen to the LORD your God’s voice [ekev lo tishme’un b’qol ADONAI Eloheikhem]” (Deuteronomy 8:18-20, WMB).
What you discover between the two “ekev bookends” of our parashah (Deuteronomy 7:12 and 8:20) is a list of some of the benefits for Israel’s obedience to God, and some of the serious consequences for disobedience. The blessings bestowed upon Israel—from fertility to disease prevention to expulsion of nations from the Promised Land[4]—are described. Details about how to deal with pagan idols,[5] and helpful reminders about the forty-year wilderness journey,[6] are included. Moses did this to remind the Israelites about the provisions which have been maintained by God since their departure from Egypt.
While pondering the two opposite results of listening versus not listening to the voice of God, a further look at some of the other uses of the Hebrew term ekev seemed appropriate. I thought that perhaps some insight could be gleaned from other contexts where ekev is used.
The first time ekev appears in Scripture is where Abraham had not withheld his son Isaac for sacrifice. God would appropriately bless him because of his obedience:
“The LORD’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, and said, ‘“I have sworn by myself,” says the LORD, “because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice [ekev asher shama’ta b’qoli]’” (Genesis 22:15-18, WMB).
The second time ekev appears is where Isaac was warned by God not to travel to Egypt, but rather to remain in Canaan. Isaac, as the son of Abraham, would be an agent of blessing to the world because of the obedience of his father:
“The LORD appeared to him, and said, ‘Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about. Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice [ekev asher-shama Avraham b’qoli], and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws’” (Genesis 26:2-5, WMB).
Finally, a third time, before this Torah portion where ekev is used, is in the description of the faith exhibited by Caleb, one of the two faithful spies:
“But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him [ekev hayatah ruach acheret immo v’yemalleih acharay], and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land into which he went. His offspring shall possess it” (Numbers 14:24, WMB).
In these three examples of ekev, preceding our parashah this week, we see how “because” is used to describe either obedience to God or people faithfully following Him. Certainly, every usage of ekev in the Tanakh is contingent on context—and as I have previously mentioned, in speech today “because” is often used to self-justify one’s sinful actions. But most important to us as people of faith, is how ekev does indeed explain specific ways of how the Lord can demonstrate His favor to individuals who have heeded Him. And is this not one of the main points of Ekev which we are reading about? Is it possible that God was trying to get the Ancient Israelites—and by extension us today—to seriously consider following Him with their whole hearts?
Within Ekev Moses made the serious point to Israel of how God was going to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan, because of His previous promises made—and also because of the Canaanites’ own wickedness and sin.[7] Interestingly enough, within these words Moses also declared to Israel that they were quite stubborn and discordant, frequently not wanting to follow the Lord:[8]
“Know therefore that the LORD your God doesn’t give you this good land to possess for your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people…Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people’” (Deuteronomy 9:6, 13, WMB).
After recalling how a second set of Ten Commandments had to be written, and how the Levites were separated out for duty as priests,[9] Moses reminded Israel of the critical duty which was required of them:
“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the LORD’s commandments and statutes, which I command you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13, WMB).
The Israelites must fear or revere the Holy One, walk in His ways, love Him, and serve Him with all their hearts and all their souls. The problem was that too many had hard hearts. Just how were they going to deal with those hard, stubborn hearts which they had? Moses provided an answer: a change of heart. The Lord demanded that His people possess a circumcised heart, which would be sensitive to Him and to His ways:
“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked. For the LORD your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn’t respect persons or take bribes. He executes justice for the fatherless and widow and loves the foreigner in giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him. You shall cling to him, and you shall swear by his name” (Deuteronomy 10:16-20, WMB).
As you read this injunction for the Israelites to circumcise their hearts, you might consider the varied usages of ekev I mentioned—describing the obedience of Abraham and Isaac, and the faithfulness of Caleb. We cannot know whether these individuals consciously had heard of the idea to “circumcise” their hearts, but what we do know is that they were not stubborn and stiff-necked in their relationship with God. They knew of the Lord’s supreme power, and they desired to accomplish His will and purposes, not resisting Him or disbelieving Him.
The command for people to circumcise their hearts is not the whole picture of what it means to submit to the Lord. Later in Deuteronomy, Moses asserted how the Lord Himself would have to circumcise hearts—indicating how this is not only a human action, but also a Divine action:
“The LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your offspring, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6, WMB).
To this may be added the Prophet Ezekiel’s expectation of how in the era of the New Covenant, people will be given new hearts, filled up with God’s Spirit:
“For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes. You will keep my ordinances and do them” (Ezekiel 36:24-27, WMB).
Both a heart circumcision and transplant refer to how the Lord will give His people the desire and ability to fully obey Him and walk in His ways. This will come not out of mortal compulsion, but rather be a positive result of the love people have toward Him and for the acts of deliverance He has accomplished. There is no greater act of deliverance that we can conceive of than the sacrifice of Yeshua the Messiah at Golgotha (Calvary), and how it results in possessing eternal life:
“not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the mikveh of rebirth and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Yeshua the Messiah our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7, WMB).
Do you truly have a circumcised heart of flesh, which eagerly desires to obey the Lord and accomplish His tasks for your life? Do you receive of the blessings promised to those who follow the commandments? How will the Lord describe your life when you meet Him face to face? If there were any descriptions of your life employing the Hebrew word ekev, would they at all be similar to those of Abraham, Isaac, and Caleb?
NOTES
[1] J. Barton Payne, “eqev,” in R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 2:691.
[2] Deuteronomy 7:12; 8:20.
[3] Genesis 3:15; 22:18; 25:26; 26:5; 27:36; 49:17, 19; Numbers 14:24.
[4] Deuteronomy 7:12-8:20.
[5] Deuteronomy 7:16, 25.
[6] Deuteronomy 8:2-5.
[7] Deuteronomy 9:1-5.
[8] Deuteronomy 9:6-29.
[9] Deuteronomy 10:1-9.
