Ekev עֵקֶב - As a Result
Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25
Deuteronomy 8:11–9:3
8:11 Beware lest you forget Hashem your Elohim, in not keeping His commandments, His ordinances, and His statutes, which I command you today; 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built fine houses and lived in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 then your heart might be lifted up, and you forget Hashem your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with venomous snakes and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who poured water for you out of the rock of flint; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers didn’t know, that He might humble you, and that He might prove you, to do you good at your latter end; 17 and lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.” 18 But you shall remember Hashem your Elohim, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today.
19 It shall be, if you shall forget Hashem your Elohim, and walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish. 20 As the nations that Hashem makes to perish before you, so you shall perish, because you wouldn’t listen to Hashem your Elohim’s voice.
9:1 Hear, Israel! You are to pass over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to the sky, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard say, “Who can stand before the sons of Anak?” 3 Know therefore today that Hashem your Elohim is He who goes over before you as a devouring fire. He will destroy them, and He will bring them down before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as Hashem has spoken to you.
Today’s Meditation:
He goes before us. What need have we to worry about? Only there is a contingency in there. You have to keep His commandments, ordinances, and statutes. This theme is continuous throughout the book of Deuteronomy. It’s simple: obey and be blessed, disobey and suffer punishment. Look what 9:3 says, “Know therefore today that Hashem your Elohim is He who goes over before you as a devouring fire.” Not only will He protect you, but He will devour anything in His way. There is no greater protection in all the universe than this. Do you want Hashem to go before you in all you do? We all do, but it requires obedience.
Today’s Challenge:
This portion starts out with a pretty heavy-duty warning. In verse 11, we read, ”Beware lest you forget Hashem your Elohim.” And it goes on to say that when things are going really well, you have all the food, housing, jobs, everything you need, then you might forget Hashem. Is that possible? You know it is. I think of the times when things are going really well, and I might not spend so much time in prayer as I do when they are not. These are the times we are to praise Him, worship Him, and spend time praying for and helping those in need. That’s your challenge today. If you are in a good spot and have most of what you need, take some time to praise Hashem. Tell Him how much you love Him and adore Him. Try to find a way to help others who need it.
