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Ekev – Because

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Ekev – Because ‘Ekev – Because Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 The layout of the book of Deuteronomy is comparable to a standard suzerainty treaty. 1. Preamble (Deuteronomy 1:1-5) 2. Historical Prologue (Deuteronomy 1:6-3:29) 3. Stipulations (Deuteronomy 4:1-26:19) a. General Deuteronomy 4:1-11:32 b. Specific Deuteronomy 12:1-26:19 4. Sanctions (Blessings &Curses) Deuteronomy 27-28 5. Summary recapitulation Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20 6. Continuity and disposition a. Deuteronomy 31:1-34:12 continuity. The parashah ‘Ekev is broken down this way: • 7 Nations to destroy (C) – Deuteronomy 7:16-26 • The covenant (C) – Deuteronomy 8:1-20 • YHVH keeps His covenantal promise (P) – Deuteronomy 9:1-6 • Provoking YHVH (C) – Deuteronomy 9:7-29 • Kohathites Carry The Ark of the Covenant (C) – Deuteronomy 10:1-11 • What is required (C) – Deuteronomy 10:12-22 • Acts of YHVH (C) – Deuteronomy 11:1-9 • Blessings and Curses (C) – Deuteronomy 11:10-32 Deuteronomy 7:12-16 "Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. 13 And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. 15 And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. 7 Nations to Destroy C Deuteronomy 7:16-22 Deuteronomy 7:23-26 Comments A Deuteronomy 7:16 Deuteronomy 7:25-26 Recall that 1, 2 Deuteronomy 7:1 Also you shall destroy all the You shall burn the carved specifically peoples whom the Lord your God images of their gods with commanded the delivers over to you; your eye fire; you shall not covet the Israelites to completely shall have no pity on them; nor silver or gold that is on them, destroy 7 nations shall you serve their gods, for nor take it for yourselves, lest greater and mightier that will be a snare to you. you be snared by it; for it is than them. These an abomination to the Lord were: the Hittites, ‘Ekev - Because HODF 6/2018 By Beth Mehaffey your God. 26 Nor shall you Girgashites, Amorites, bring an abomination into Canaanites, Perizzites, your house, lest you be Hivites, and Jebusites. doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing. B Deuteronomy 7:17-21 Deuteronomy 7:23-24 YHVH reminded the 1, 2 Israelites of how He 17 "If you should say in your But the Lord your God will defeated Pharaoh. heart, 'These nations are greater deliver them over to you, They could be sure that than I; how can I dispossess and will inflict defeat upon it will really be YHVH them?' — 18 you shall not be them until they are and not the Israelites afraid of them, but you shall destroyed. 24 And He will who will defeat these remember well what the Lord deliver their kings into your nations. your God did to Pharaoh and to hand, all Egypt: 19 the great trials YHVH Elohim will be which your eyes saw, the signs and you will destroy their the one to defeat and the wonders, the mighty name from under heaven; no them; He will give their hand and the outstretched arm, one shall be able to stand kings into the hands of by which the Lord your God against you until you have the Israelites. brought you out. So shall the destroyed them. Lord your God do to all the They will destroy the peoples of whom you are afraid. names of their 20 Moreover the Lord your God enemies. will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed. 21 You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. C Deuteronomy 7:22 This will not take place immediately. It will be And the Lord your God will drive done over a period of out those nations before you time. little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. The Covenant C Deuteronomy 8:1-9 Deuteronomy 8:10-20 Comments A Deuteronomy 8:1 Deuteronomy 8:17-20 The covenant that was 1, 2 originally with "Every commandment which I then you say in your heart, Abraham and later command you today you must be 'My power and the might of fulfilled with his ‘Ekev - Because HODF 6/2018 By Beth Mehaffey careful to observe, that you may my hand have gained me this descendants was a live and multiply, and go in and wealth.' covenant for land. To possess the land of which the remain in the land and Lord swore to your fathers. 18 "And you shall remember have life required their the Lord your God, for it is He obedience to the terms who gives you power to get of the covenant. If they wealth, that He may failed to keep the establish His covenant which covenant and serve He swore to your fathers, as other gods instead, it is this day. 19 Then it shall they would perish in be, if you by any means the same way the forget the Lord your God, people who were and follow other gods, and already in the land serve them and worship would perish. them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God. B Deuteronomy 8:2-4 Deuteronomy 8:11-16 Again, God’s people 1, 2 are reminded of the And you shall remember that the "Beware that you do not importance of keeping Lord your God led you all the forget the Lord your God by YHVH’s way these forty years in the not keeping His commandments. wilderness, to humble you and commandments, His test you, to know what was in judgments, and His statutes He wants them to your heart, whether you would which I command you today, remember the times keep His commandments or not. 12 lest — when you have when He humbled eaten and are full, and have them to know what 3 So He humbled you, allowed built beautiful houses and was in their hearts. you to hunger, and fed you with dwell in them; 13 and when manna which you did not know your herds and your flocks Adversity and difficulty nor did your fathers know, that multiply, and your silver and has a way of revealing He might make you know that your gold are multiplied, and what is in the heart of a man shall not live by bread alone; all that you have is person. It creates multiplied; 14 when your dependence on YHVH. but man lives by every word that heart is lifted up, and you When times are good proceeds from the mouth of the forget the Lord your God and all our needs are Lord. who brought you out of the met, we have a land of Egypt, from the house tendency to forget and 4 Your garments did not wear out of bondage; 15 who led you take what we have for on you, nor did your foot swell through that great and granted. We tend to these forty years. terrible wilderness, in which become prideful were fiery serpents and instead of remaining scorpions and thirsty land humble. That’s why ‘Ekev - Because HODF 6/2018 By Beth Mehaffey where there was no water; remembering the who brought water for you difficult times and out of the flinty rock; 16 who times of dependency is fed you in the wilderness so important. It is with manna, which your through remembering fathers did not know, that He that we remain might humble you and that humble. He might test you, to do you good in the end — C Deuteronomy 8:5 Deuteronomy 8:10 God’s people should: 1, 2 • Know YHVH 5 You should know in your heart When you have eaten and disciplines them as a that as a man chastens his son, so are full, then you shall bless man disciplines his the Lord your God chastens you. the Lord your God for the son. good land which He has given • Bless YHVH Elohim you. for the food and land that He has blessed them with. D Deuteronomy 8:6-9 Over and over again we are seeing the 6 "Therefore you shall keep the reminder to obey the commandments of the Lord your terms of the covenant, God, to walk in His ways and to which is the fulfillment fear Him. of the covenant for land and numerous 7 For the Lord your God is descendants promised bringing you into a good land, a to Abraham.
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