V’zot Ha’berakhah
This is the blessing
“Keeping Faith as a Servant of God”
Deuteronomy 33:1–34:12
Joshua 1:1–18 (A); 1:1-9 (S)
excerpted from TorahScope, Volume II
This is the final Torah reading for the annual cycle. Many conservative commentators contend that the final two chapters of Deuteronomy were actually amendments to the original text written and/or dictated by Moses, and were likely composed or authorized by someone like Joshua or Eleazar. If you will recall from our previous Torah portion, Deuteronomy ch. 32 ended with Moses visually surveying the Promised Land he was not permitted to enter:
“The LORD spoke to Moses that same day, saying, ‘Go up into this mountain of Abarim, to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is across from Jericho; and see the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel for a possession. Die on the mountain where you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor, and was gathered to his people; because you trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you didn’t uphold my holiness among the children of Israel. For you shall see the land from a distance; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel’” (Deuteronomy 32:48-52, WMB).
Lamentably, Moses as a great man of God was only allowed to see into the Promised Land from a great distance. The Lord refused to allow Moses to enter in because he had broken faith with Him, having not treated the Lord in a holy manner. While I am not concerned about Moses’ ultimate destiny, as he was present during Yeshua’s Transfiguration and will obviously be in the Kingdom (Mark 9:4; Matthew 17:3; Luke 9:30), I believe Moses not being allowed to enter into the Promised Land, has a great spiritual lesson for each of us to remember, as we walk out our own personal journeys of faith. We each need to recognize how it is imperative that we never lose our faith in the atoning work of the Messiah Yeshua! The possibility of losing faith and trust in the Holy One always exists. Additionally, the impact of treating Him profanely can have a devastating effect on those who might witness our poor attitude in approaching Him.
The Apostle Paul was certainly aware of these possibilities, as he made many statements in his letters which emphasized not only the need to work out one’s salvation with fear and trembling, but also to fight the good fight of faith until the very end of life:
- “So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13, WMB).
- “I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith” (1 Timothy 1:18-19, WMB).
- “But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:11-12, WMB).
- “For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-7, WMB).
As we come to the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, these are some serious admonitions for us to each meditate upon. Many of you will begin next week with another year of Torah study, and will need to know whether or not your mediation upon God’s Word will be rewarded in the long run. Will your next year of Torah study truly enhance your depth of faith in the Lord?
In Deuteronomy ch. 33, Moses as God’s prophet proclaimed not only various blessings upon the Twelve Tribes of Israel, but as he looked into the future, he described many of the attributes which Israel would exhibit. Some readers have taken this chapter, along with the blessings voiced by Jacob over his sons in Genesis ch. 49, to construct some possible prophetic profiles of the Twelve Tribes of Israel seen in history. While taking a look at the various tribal blessings and the order of the blessings might be an interesting study with some unique speculation, I would like to comment on the final description of Moses which is found in Deuteronomy ch. 34. As it is communicated,
“The LORD said to him, ‘This is the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, “I will give it to your offspring.” I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.’ So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the LORD’s word” (Deuteronomy 34:4-5, WMB).
Earlier in Deuteronomy 33:1, Moses was called “the man of God,” ish ha’Elohim, but in these closing verses of the Torah we see a reference to Moses being “the servant of the Lord,” eved-YHWH. If Joshua or Eleazar were the author of these concluding remarks, then either one of these succeeding leaders, was simply an observer of what Moses had become, during his tenure as the leader of Israel.
In the first significant encounter when God gave Moses his commission, the following words from Moses describe his position as a servant or eved:
“Moses said to the LORD, ‘O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue’” (Exodus 4:10, WMB).
When first in the presence of the Eternal Creator, all Moses could say was that he was His servant—not knowing any other description to give himself. Further on, we find that the people of Israel also recognized that Moses was a servant of God, when they witnessed the great miracles which came forth when Moses followed His commands:
“Israel saw the great work which the LORD did to the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31, WMB).
During the wilderness journey, Moses again referred to himself as the servant of the Lord, when he dealt with the complaints of Israel after the provision of manna:
“Moses said to the LORD, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why haven’t I found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?’” (Numbers 11:11, WMB).
Finally, we find that God actually recognized Moses as His servant. It must have been a great honor to have the Lord Himself directly refer to Moses as His servant:
“My servant Moses is not so. He is faithful in all my house. With him, I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see the LORD’s form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?” (Numbers 12:7-8, WMB).
Obviously from these statements, it is apparent that Moses not only considered himself a servant of the Lord, but was recognized as such by his peers—and ultimately by the Lord Himself.
I would like to give you something to ponder as you come to the conclusion of this year’s Torah study. How do you want to be remembered when you come to your dying days? Do you want to be known as a man or woman of God? Or, would you like to be known as a servant of the Lord?
Today, we hear a great deal about this man of God or that woman of God. But do we hear very much about the servants of God? What about the Ultimate Servant who came to serve and not be served? When you take a look at what Yeshua described the ultimate servant to be, we find how it means that each of us must be willing to give up our lives for those whom we may serve:
“‘They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Yeshua was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid. He again took the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were going to happen to him. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles. They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.’ Jacob and Yochanan, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, ‘Rabbi, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask.’ He said to them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left hand, in your glory.’ But Yeshua said to them, ‘You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ Yeshua said to them, ‘You shall indeed drink the cup that I drink, and you shall be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with; but to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but for whom it has been prepared.’ When the ten heard it, they began to be indignant toward Jacob and Yochanan. Yeshua summoned them and said to them, ‘You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever of you wants to become first among you shall be bondservant of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’” (Mark 10:32-45, WMB).
In this context, the sons of Zebedee wanted to be placed at the right and left hand of the Messiah in His glory. Do you know of any men or women of God, who intimate that they have some kind of gifting or anointing, and regard themselves as possibly being considered high up in a spiritual hierarchy? In modern media driven religious circles, obtaining a reputation as a “man of God” often goes a long way to develop a following. But is this the Biblical pattern established by Moses, and ultimately perfected by the Messiah Yeshua?
I truly believe that when it is all said and done, that there are going to be quite a few people who wish that they had simply called themselves servants of the Most High. James and John both had to endure incredible hardships and difficulty, martyrdom (James), and exile (John) to serve Yeshua. They got the point of what Yeshua had told them, especially given how Yeshua later specified how the pagan rulers would abuse their position of high authority. They endured hardship for the good news. How many so-called “men of God” who we hear about today, in America at least, have ever had to endure things even remotely close to the suffering of the Apostles?
Ultimately, I believe that the greatest gift will come if the Lord actually recognizes each of as a servant or slave of His, just like He did Moses. This brings to mind Yeshua’s parable about the Master, slaves, and talents:
“For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money. Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled accounts with them. He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents in addition to them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:14-34, WMB).
As you consider this parable, who do you identify with, when it comes to you working with the talents or spiritual gifts the Father has given you in His grace and mercy? Have you been a good steward of what you have been given? Have you been a good slave or servant of your Master? These are some serious questions to consider as we come to the end of this year’s Torah cycle.
We must be about our Father’s work, serving God and loving Him with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength! As we grow in the grace and mercy of the Lord Yeshua, we are able to truly serve one another—just as He has performed the ultimate service for us as our atonement for sins! As we serve Him in whatever capacity He has called us, our faith is to grow, and we are to be able to help the faith of others grow as well…
