Transcript [00:04] Shalom. So, if you wrote a song about [00:08] all the things that God has done in your [00:10] life, what would that song say? And this [00:14] is kind of what we're talking about in [00:16] today's Torah portion, which is and that [00:19] comes from the word listen. And this is [00:21] the song of Moses. Moses is, of course, [00:25] getting ready to leave the children of [00:27] Israel. He's trying to teach him [00:29] everything. And a as you know like the [00:32] the songs even from my earliest [00:34] childhood sometimes will come back to me [00:37] with such force. And songs are such [00:40] beautiful ways to impart knowledge to [00:43] children to the next generation that [00:45] they will remember all these important [00:47] things that you want to say. And that's [00:49] what Moses is doing in this psalm. So [00:52] it's Deuteronomy, this Torah portion, [00:54] Deuteronomy 32:1-52. [00:59] The haft portion is 2 Samuel 22 1-51. [01:05] And the new covenant portion is Romans [01:09] 10:14 [01:11] through 11:12. So I'm just going to [01:13] start out by reading selected portions [01:15] of this beautiful psalm that Moses [01:18] wrote. Start. Oh, actually I want to [01:21] start in last the end of last week's [01:23] parlasha which would be um Deuteronomy [01:27] 31:30. It says Moses spoke in the [01:31] hearing of all the assembly of Israel [01:34] the words of this song until they were [01:36] complete. And now we move into chapter [01:39] 32 which is the song. [01:43] And it says, "Give ear, O heavens, and [01:47] let me speak, and let the earth hear the [01:50] words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop [01:54] as the rain, and my speech distill as [01:58] the dew." [02:01] In verse three of chapter 32, [02:04] Deuteronomy, for I proclaim the name of [02:08] the Lord, ascribed greatness to our God, [02:12] the rock. His work is perfect, for all [02:16] his ways are just. A God of faithfulness [02:20] without injustice, [02:22] righteous and upright is he. What a God [02:25] we have. Faithful without injustice, [02:29] righteous and upright is he. That is so [02:32] beautiful. And we saw right here in [02:34] verse four, God is called the rock. And [02:37] we see that five times in this [02:39] particular paracha. [02:42] In verse 9, the Lord's portion is his [02:46] people. Jacob is the allotment of his [02:50] inheritance. [02:52] He found him in a desert land and in the [02:54] howling waste of wilderness. He [02:57] encircled him. He cared for him. He [03:01] guarded him as the pupil of his eye. [03:05] Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, [03:08] that hovers over its young, he spread [03:11] his wings and caught them. He carried [03:15] them on his pinions. The Lord alone [03:20] guided him, and there was no foreign god [03:22] with him. He made him ride on the high [03:26] places of the earth. He made he ate the [03:29] produce of the field. And he made him [03:32] suck honey from the rock and oil from [03:35] the flinty rock, curds of cows and milk [03:39] of the flock, with fat of lambs and [03:42] rams, the breed of bashan and goats, [03:46] with the finest of the wheat and of the [03:49] blood of grapes you drank. But Yeshua [03:53] grew fat and kicked. You are grown fat, [03:58] thick and sleek. Then he forsook God who [04:03] made him and scorned the rock of his [04:06] salvation. So here's God saying that he [04:09] has cared for Israel just like a a eagle [04:13] will care for his little ones, but but [04:16] that Israel grew fat and kicked and [04:19] forsook him. In verse 16, they made him [04:23] jealous with strange gods, with [04:25] abominations. They provoked him to [04:27] anger. They sacrificed to demons who [04:31] were not God. To gods whom they have not [04:35] known, new gods who came lately, whom [04:38] your fathers did not dread. You [04:41] neglected the rock who begotten you and [04:45] forgot the God who gave you birth. [04:50] In verse 28 it says, "They are a nation [04:54] lacking in counsel and there is no [04:57] understanding in them. Would that they [04:59] were wise that they understood this that [05:03] they would discern their future?" How [05:06] could one chase a thousand and two put [05:10] 10,000 to flight unless their rock had [05:14] sold them and the Lord had given them [05:17] up? Indeed, their rock is not like our [05:21] rock. Even our enemies themselves judge [05:24] this. I'm looking at verse 39 now. See [05:28] now that I I am he. [05:33] There is no God besides me. It is I who [05:37] put to death and give life. I have [05:40] wounded and it is I who heal. and there [05:43] is no one who can deliver from my hand. [05:47] And now moving down to verse 44. [05:51] Then Moses came and spoke all the words [05:55] of this song in the hearing of the [05:58] people. He with Joshua son of Non. When [06:02] Moses had finished speaking all these [06:05] words to all Israel, he said to them, [06:09] "Take to your heart all the words with [06:13] which I am warning you today, which you [06:16] shall command your sons to observe [06:18] carefully, even all the words of this [06:22] law. For it is not an idol word for you. [06:26] Indeed, it is your life." And here Moses [06:30] is saying, "Okay guys, these words are [06:33] so important. Remember them. Do what God [06:37] is telling them, telling you because [06:39] this word is your life." [06:43] And then in verse 48, the Lord spoke to [06:46] Moses that very same day, saying, "Go up [06:50] to this mountain of the Avarim, Mount [06:54] Nebo, which is in the land of Moav [06:58] opposite Yerho, and look to the land of [07:02] Cananan, which I am giving to the sons [07:05] of Israel for possession. Then die on [07:08] the mountain where you ascend, and be [07:10] gathered to your people, as Aaron your [07:13] brother died on Mount Hur and was [07:15] gathered to his people, because you [07:18] broke faith with me in the midst of the [07:20] sons of Israel at the waters of Meibba [07:23] Kadesh in the wilderness of because you [07:26] did not treat me as holy in the midst of [07:31] the sons of Israel. [07:33] For you shall see the land at a [07:35] distance, but you shall not go there [07:38] into the land which I am giving the sons [07:40] of Israel. And that brings us to the end [07:43] of this Torah portion. I love this where [07:47] um it talks about Moses being gathered [07:50] to his people just as Aaron was gathered [07:53] to his people. And what a hope we have [07:56] if we are in the Lord that when when our [08:00] soul lives his body, we will be gathered [08:03] to our people. And I just can't wait to [08:06] see my mom and dad, to see those who [08:09] went before me. Um, what a wonderful [08:12] time, what a day of rejoicing that will [08:15] be. Just like the song says, I want to [08:18] read a little bit from the haft [08:21] in uh 2 Samuel and I'm looking at [08:25] chapter 22 starting in verse 17. He sent [08:29] from on high. He took me. He drew me out [08:33] of many waters. He delivered me from my [08:36] strong enemy. From those who hated me, [08:40] for they were too strong for me. They [08:42] confronted me in the day of my calamity. [08:45] But the Lord was my support. He also [08:49] brought me into a broad place. He [08:52] rescued me because he delighted in me. [08:55] What beautiful words those are. And also [08:58] this one in verse 32. For who is God [09:02] besides the Lord? And who is a rock [09:07] besides our God? And I'm going to finish [09:10] with the New Covenant portion. I'm going [09:13] to Romans [09:15] chapter 11. I actually want to read this [09:18] whole this whole a lot of this portion [09:23] starting in Romans 11:1. [09:26] I say then God has not rejected his [09:30] people meaning Israel. Has he? May it [09:34] never be. [09:37] For I too am an Israelite, a descendant [09:40] of Abraham, of the tribe of Binyamin. [09:44] God has not rejected his people whom he [09:48] forneew. Or do you not know what the [09:51] scripture says in the passage about [09:54] Elijah? How he pleads with God against [09:58] Israel? Lord, they have killed your [10:01] prophets. Like this is Elijah speaking. [10:03] They have killed your prophets. They [10:05] have torn down your altars and I alone [10:09] am left and they are seeking my life. [10:14] But what is the divine response to him [10:17] to Elijah? [10:19] God said, I have kept for myself 7,000 [10:24] men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. [10:29] In the same way, then there has also [10:32] come to be at the present time a remnant [10:36] according to God's gracious choice. But [10:39] if it is by grace, it is no longer on [10:42] the basis of works. Otherwise, grace is [10:46] no longer grace. And I want to read um [10:49] still in Romans 11 starting at verse 11. [10:52] I say then, they did not stumble so as [10:56] to fall, did they? And when he's talking [10:58] about they, he means Israel. May it [11:01] never be. [11:04] But by their transgression, [11:06] salvation has come to the Gentiles to [11:10] make them jealous. Now, if their [11:13] transgression is riches for the world, [11:16] and their failure is riches for the [11:19] Gentiles, how much more will their their [11:23] fulfillment be? But I am speaking to you [11:27] who are Gentiles. In as much, this is [11:29] Paul writing, "In as much then as I am [11:33] am an apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify [11:36] my ministry if somehow I might move to [11:40] jealousy my fellow countrymen, meaning [11:42] Israel, and save some of them. For if [11:46] their rejection, [11:48] meaning their rejection of Messiah, [11:50] is the reconciliation of the world, what [11:54] will their acceptance be? But life from [11:58] the dead. If the first piece of the [12:00] dough is holy, the lump is also, and if [12:03] the root is holy, the branches are too. [12:07] What a beautiful promise of things to [12:09] come. [12:11] I bless you today and I pray that the [12:14] Lord just fill you with hunger for his [12:16] word because it is our life. Shalom.
