Parashat Va’etchanan (To Implore or Beg…)

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 3:23–7:11
One of the most beautiful passages with regard to God’s amazing love and endless grace toward His beloved Israel is found in this week’s Torah portion:

For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own treasured people, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His Grace to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.
Deuteronomy 7:6–11

God chose Israel to be His own treasured people; He did it simply because of His love for them. In the Scripture above, you can also see His incredible and endless grace, especially in the account of the Exodus out of Egypt. He is faithful to complete any promise He makes.

It’s amazing that even in the name that God gave to Israel, you can see a prophetic element that reveals His deep love, endless grace and faithfulness. In Genesis 32:22–28, we read of the famous account of Jacob wrestling with God:

Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.
Genesis 32:23–28

The name “Israel” is linked to wrestling with God. Just like Jacob (who became Israel) wrestled with God, so does Israel today. But just like Jacob insisted to not let go until God blessed Him and revealed Himself, so too will it be with Israel and the Jewish people. The day will come when Israel will see the revelation of God’s endless love and grace to them in the person of Yeshua, our Messiah!

My dear brothers and sisters, yes, Israel broke their part of the deal, but God’s endless love, grace and faithfulness is not dependent on that! In fact, His covenant never depended on man’s faithfulness, but only on HIS faithfulness to keep His word and fulfill HIS promises. I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful!

Be encouraged!

Shabbat Shalom,

Moran

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