THE THEME OF THIS CLASS IS:
The pattern of testing and triumph throughout the scriptures, both Torah and Gospel.
Deuteronomy 26:5-11 describes the declaration that Israelites were to make before God upon entering their possession in the Land of Promise. The passage I have cited here ends in verse 11 with the final state of triumph after the history of struggle that began with Laban’s persecution of Jacob all the way through the travail in Egypt and the saga in the Wilderness.
Finally, verse 11 says:
VE’SA’MACH’TA BE’KOL-HA’TOV ASHER NATAN-LACH Y’’H ELO’HEH’CHA UL’VEI’TECHA
You shall rejoice for all the good that the LORD your God has given you and your house(hold)
ATAH VE’HA’LEVI VE’HA’GEYR ASHER BE’KIR’BEH’CHA
you and the Levite and the Stranger that is the midst of you.
God has given all of his goodness to each of these three groups.
Each group is to rejoice for the goodness they have received.
The rejoicing is on behalf of all by the hand of the inheritors of the land.
There is a communal blessing that each of us and all of us must acknowledge:
“Our Father who art in heaven;
Give us this day our daily bread;
Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who sin against us;
Lead us not into temptation;
Deliver us from the Evil One.”
In some things we rise or fall together. From the moment of the curse in Genesis to the moment of the New Heaven and the New Earth in Revelation, we who follow God have struggled together against sin and we triumph together over it in Christ Jesus. “In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, our LORD Yeshua to the Disciples)
Messiah Himself is our victory. We rejoice in Him.
Then let our minds be focused on the common good that we have received. But let us also perform our own individual service in the process of living in community. Our common struggle against sin will culminate in each of us triumphing over it through the grace and resurrection power of our LORD Yeshua.
