This week, we’re reading about the final stages of the journey from Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land. God had brought Israel all this way through hardship, rebellion, miracles, and mercy, and now, standing on the threshold, He gives very clear instructions:

When you cross the Jordan… drive out the inhabitants… destroy their idols… eliminate every trace of their false worship. If you don’t, they will be thorns in your eyes and pricks in your sides.
Numbers 33:50–56

Parashot Mattot and Masei remind us not only where Israel traveled but who they were becoming. These weren’t just physical journeys, they were spiritual ones. And the lessons still echo in our lives today.

This wasn’t about conquest; it was about stewarding a promise. God wasn’t just giving His people land; He was giving them an inheritance, a future grounded in His covenant, and a calling to live fully set apart for Him.

But here’s the painful truth: many didn’t listen, and the sad reality is, many still aren’t listening today.

In the Haftarah, the prophet Jeremiah calls out the fallout of ignoring God’s instructions. And it’s heartbreaking. God says:

My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to dig for themselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
Jeremiah 2:13

Think about that. God is saying, “I gave you the real thing, I gave you Myself, and you walked away for something that doesn’t even work.”

It’s easy to point fingers at ancient Israel. But let’s be honest, this isn’t just their story. It’s ours too.

How many of us trade the living God for things that look good for a moment but leave us dry and empty? How many of us cling to our own way instead of trusting Him? How often do we refuse to drive out the “inhabitants” in our own lives - compromise, pride, distractions, fear - and then wonder why we feel stuck?

And yet this is where I need to be crystal clear.

God’s judgment is real, but it’s never the whole story.

Some teach that God rejected Israel, that He replaced her with someone else. That is not only wrong, it’s dangerous. It’s a lie that ignores the full counsel of God’s Word.

Yes, the book of Jeremiah is full of judgment, but it’s also full of grace. God’s discipline isn’t abandonment; it’s actually the proof that He hasn’t let go.

He pleads with His people:

“If you will return, Israel,” declares the LORD, “then return to Me
And if you will put away your detestable things then the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will boast.”
Jeremiah 4:1–2

God isn’t finished with Israel. Not then, not now. His promises stand. His faithfulness doesn’t waver. Even when we fall short again and again, He is still calling us back. That’s grace and that’s a covenant of endless love.

This is personal for all of us. We each have a choice: Are we holding onto broken cisterns or turning back to the fountain of living water? Are we keeping space in our lives for the idols we should have cleared out long ago or letting God clean house and lead?

The journey of Israel is not a distant history lesson. It is a mirror that shows us where we are. But it also reminds us who He is.

This Shabbat, let’s take time to ask: What have we let take root that God is calling us to clear out? And where might He be inviting us to walk in faith again?

Shabbat Shalom,
Moran