SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 Numbers 21:8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” One of the great mysteries in the Bible is why God instructed Moses to make an image of what had afflicted Israel to be […]
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 Numbers 21:6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Jewish tradition teaches that the venom from these serpents, not only made the victims to feel as if they were burning, but also eliminated the sense of taste. If true, that is […]
SEPTEMBER 26, 2022 Numbers 21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. There are some commentators who believe that the incident involving the king of Arad and the subsequent destruction of his […]
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 Numbers 21:6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. When the children of Israel complained about the manna, calling it “detestable bread,” it greatly contributed to their undoing. It was as if they said the bread God gave to them was […]
SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 Numbers 21:5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” Earlier in Israel’s journey out of Egypt, the Bible says that a mysterious grain-like substance appeared […]
SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 Numbers 21:1 The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. As the people continued on their journey, they once again came under attack, this time from a people who lived in […]
Moses encouraged the Israelites not to falter on the edge of the Promised Land, as the previous generation had done. He told them to “be strong and courageous,” and he comforted them by telling them that God would not fail or forsake them.
Jewish tradition teaches that a person's income for the year is predetermined at Rosh Hashanah. The writer to the book of Hebrews quotes Deuteronomy 31:6 to encourage His readers to rely on God to provide for all their needs. He tells them to avoid greed and avarice because God has already promised not to forsake us:
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said [in Deuteronomy 31:6], ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we confidently say [what is written in Psalm 118:6], ‘The LORD is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:5-6)
“Be strong and courageous. … He will not fail you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). The High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are primarily about our relationship with God as individuals and as a common people. These are appointed times for reconciling with one another and with our Father in Heaven. If we take the opportunity to turn to God in sincere repentance in the name of His Son, He will receive us.
People who have been abandoned or abused by a parent or spouse sometimes suffer with anxiety about their relationship with God. They might project their hurts and fears from human relationships onto their relationship with God. They fear that He will withdraw His love from them. Such a view of God makes a true faith relationship almost impossible. God wants His people to know that He will not fail us, nor will He abandon us.
Even in times when God punished Israel for disobedience, it was not as if He had abandoned them or cast them off. He punishes Israel as a father disciplines a beloved son. God is faithful to His people. Even when He sent the children of Israel into exile, He did not send them out alone. The rabbis teach that God's Dwelling Presence went with the people of Israel when they were driven from their land, and that He will return with them when they are gathered back into the land.
We can trust our Father in Heaven. He travels with us even in the lonely places of pain and exile. He will not fail us or forsake us.
Nitzavim/Vayelech – × ×¦×‘×™×/וילך Torah : Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 Haftarah : Isaiah 61:10-63:9 Gospel : Luke 24:1-12/Luke 24:13-43
SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 Numbers 20:24-25 Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor. When the people arrived at Mount […]
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 Numbers 20:14-17 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. Please let us pass through your country.” In spite […]
SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 Numbers 20:12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Bible students have long struggled with how the consequences of Moses’ actions fit the […]
