Parasha Shoftim 5782

Me

Planting Congregation Mayim Chayim was kind of a weird experience. We knew we were called by God to start a Messianic Synagogue here on the Eastern Shore, there was absolutely no doubt in our mind. However, we didn’t really know anyone here… We grew up in Mobile and then we had spent about five years in New York working with a synagogue and going to college there, and then two years in South Georgia working with a synagogue there. We legitimately knew no one here… But, we knew this was what God was calling us to do, we knew that if we were faithful He would be faithful to make it successful for His Kingdom.

But I would be lying if I said we weren’t scared… At that point I had been involved in congregational ministry for quite a while, so I was well aware of how difficult it could be. I had helped plant a number of synagogues, so I was well aware of how difficult that could be. I was young, I think I was about 28 years old and God was calling us to start a Messianic Synagogue… I wasn’t just scared, I was terrified… I was young, the job was huge, the field that needed to be worked was seemingly insurmountable… I don’t even know that terrified was the right word… It was almost paralyzing…

But, we pushed forward. We knew this was what God was calling us to do, we knew He had a reason for it, we knew He made promises to us about the Congregation, so we pushed forward. We didn’t let the fear of failure, the fear of “what if,” the fear of not being liked, the fear of doubt, the fear of anything get in our way… And we made a choice to give in solely to the fear of the Lord, follow His direction and calling, and push forward no matter what. There have for sure been some rocks and bumps along the way, there have been a ton of battles that we’ve faced—both physical and spiritual—but God has always been faithful to His promise to us and for CMC.

We

Have you ever felt fear like that before? You know, that gut wrenching, physically and mentally paralyzing kind of fear…

Maybe you had a difficult conversation needing to be had with a family member...

Maybe you were facing a doctor’s appointment where you weren’t sure what kind of outcome you’d be looking at...

Maybe God was calling you into a different direction in your life and it was way out of your comfort zone...

Maybe you had to make a difficult decision about a relationship in your life...

In fact, I’m pretty confident the last few years have produced this exact kind of fear in the hearts of many...

My guess is, in one situation or another, each and everyone of us have experienced scenarios in our life where we were nearly paralyzed by the fear of the unknown laid before us...

God

This week we read Parasha Shoftim, Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. Just to give a quick synopsis of the Parasha we start with the beginning, Deuteronomy 16:18-22 which reiterates the need to establish and maintain judges who will seek justice first and foremost. This is followed into chapter 17 with the commands for investigations into transgressions and the need for two or more witnesses to disseminate capital punishment, and this is important, because it is for any sin that required capital punishment. The end of chapter 17 is a series of commands specifically for Israel’s future kings, which included them having to scribe their own copy of Torah and read it daily. But it also details that we’d end up with a king because we’d end up asking for one so we could be like all the nations around us, rather than being set apart and HaShem being our king.

Deuteronomy 18 begins with the reminder that the Levites would have no physical inheritance in the Land, the command to not learn and practice the abominations of the nations being dispossessed including walking our children through fire, fortune-telling, omen reading, sorcery, witchcraft, necromancing, or anything of the like. Chapter 18 also contains the Messianic prophecy of a prophet like Moses to whom we must listen and the command to avoid false-prophets and how to determine a false-prophet.

Chapter 19 lays out the description and purpose of the cities of refuge. In chapter 20 the Lord encourages Israel not to fear their enemies ahead of them as they prepare for the battles they will face on the other side of the Jordan. Finally, Parasha Shoftim ends with the first part of Chapter 21 which details the process for redeeming the people of innocent blood spilled when there is no killer known.

We see this very concept of fear dealt with in Parasha Shoftim, in fact, considering where Israel is in our journey, the second generation out of Egypt standing on the shores of the Jordan looking across to the Promised Land knowing that war assuredly awaits them on the other side… Fear was a very central reality… And it’s amazing how rapidly something like fear can deteriorate our success if we let it. Simply consider what happened in Numbers when the spies returned with an evil report of the land… Fear completely consumed Israel… And this second generation couldn’t afford the same reality.

In fact, there’s a powerful principle to take away from this in our own lives:

When faced with crisis, we can cower in fear or we can trust in the One who fights for us.

(Repeat)

Let’s dig into the text together. If you have your Bibles go ahead and open up to Devarim/Deuteronomy chapter 20, physical or virtual on your phones works just fine… And, just in case, we will also have the passages up on the screens as well.

As I mentioned a moment ago, Moses is talking to the second generation of Israel out of Egypt. These are the people who are going to cross the Jordan with Joshua and Caleb and who will take possession of the Promised Land. The first generation died out in the wilderness because they rejected the Promised Land out of fear caused by the evil report of the spies. This is what Moses says to Israel in Deuteronomy 20...

Deuteronomy 20:1–4 TLV

“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horse and chariot—a people more numerous than you—do not be afraid of them. For Adonai your God, the One who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. When you draw near to the battle, the kohen will come forward and speak to the people. He will say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near today to the battle against your enemies. Don’t be fainthearted! Don’t fear or panic or tremble because of them. For Adonai your God is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you.’

Do not fear! Chazak! This is the central theme here… Israel is getting ready to face war, to go to battle… They have to trust that God is in control, that God is paving the way for them, and that He has ALREADY provided the victory. That last reality is key, He has ALREADY provided the victory… Here me out here one more time, and listen closely: HE HAS ALREADY PROVIDED THE VICTORY!!!

Before Israel ever crossed the Jordan; before they ever came to Mount Sinai; before they ever walked across the Yom Suf on dry ground; before they ever witnessed the 10 plagues; before Moses ever encountered the Burning Bush… Heck, before Abraham was ever called out of his father’s home, HaShem had already provided the victory that Israel would be walking into on the other side of the Jordan.

Keep that in mind for your own lives, folks. Whatever battle God is taking you towards, He has already provided the victory. We’ve just got to trust Him and walk behind Him and follow His lead.

Deuteronomy 20:4 TLV

For Adonai your God is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you.’

Now, why is this reality so important for Israel at this point? Because in Numbers 13 Moses sends 12 spies in to spy out the Promised Land and ten of them come back with an evil report of the Land. In essence, they say the Land is exactly as God promised, but we don’t stand a chance to take it...

Numbers 13:31–33 TLV

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack these people, because they are stronger than we.” They spread among Bnei-Yisrael a bad report about the land they had explored, saying, “The land through which we passed to explore devours its residents. All the people we saw there are men of great size! We also saw there the Nephilim. (The sons of Anak are from the Nephilim.) We seemed like grasshoppers in our eyes as well as theirs!”

Moses is reminding Israel of what happened last time we stood in this very spot. He is reminding us that we have nothing to fear because God has already provided the victory and we just have to walk in and take it.

Let’s take note of the words used in Deuteronomy 20:3

Deuteronomy 20:3 TLV

He will say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near today to the battle against your enemies. Don’t be fainthearted! Don’t fear or panic or tremble because of them.

Al-Yeirach l’vav’chem- Do not be fainthearted... The root word is Rachach- which means “to be tender, weak, or soft”

Al-Tiru- Do not fear… The root word is Yarei- which literally means “to fear”

Al-Tachp’zu- Do not panic… The root word is Chaphaz- which means “to be in trepidation, hurry, or alarm”

Al-Taartzu- Do not tremble… The root word is Aratz- which means “to cause to tremble or given to trembling”

In other words, when you come up against your enemies— Do not be weak of heart before them… Do not be afraid of them… Do not be trepid or apprehensive before them… Do not let them cause you to tremble before them… Another way we might word this today, do not let them smell fear in you.

This verse makes me think of a Black Mamba, which is the most poisonous snake in Africa. The Black Mamba doesn’t hold on to its prey once it bites it, it will let the prey run off and then follow behind it until it succumbs to the poison then it will consume it. But, it has also been noted that they are able to sense the fear in its prey and will follow the prey while hunting or after biting for miles simply following the sent of fear.

It was fear that caused the first generation to fail and not take the Land, and it is fear of the enemy that Moses is reminding Israel to not walk in, but rather to trust that the Lord our God is fighting for us.

Moses continues on the next few verses and tells the officers of Israel’s army a series of ways to weed out those who shouldn’t go into battle because fear could take over. If you’ve built a house and not dedicated it, otherwise he might be afraid someone else might live in it… If you’ve planted a vineyard and not put it to use, otherwise he might be afraid someone else might gain from it… If you’ve gotten engaged and not been married yet, otherwise he might be afraid he’d die and someone else marry her… And lastly, once all of those are thinned out, the Torah just gets down to the nitty gritty of the problem…

Deuteronomy 20:8 TLV

The officers will speak further to the troops and say, ‘What man is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house—so he does not weaken his brothers’ heart like his own.’

When faced with crisis, we can cower in fear or we can trust in the One who fights for us.

Here’s the thing though, God continually reminds us not to fear the enemies laying before us. Over and over again throughout the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah He reminds us to trust in Him, to not fear those before us, and to know that He goes before us and fights for us. See, when we allow the Lord to direct our footsteps we have nothing to fear because He has already prepared the way, and He has already secured our victory. His message has never changed.

As FDR is famous for saying, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Here’s a few examples from the Tanakh:

Joshua 1:6–9 TLV

Chazak! Be strong! For you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be very strong, and resolute to observe diligently the Torah which Moses, My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the Torah should not depart from your mouth—you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous and then you will be successful. Have I not commanded you? Chazak! Be strong! Do not be terrified or dismayed, for Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”

And when the Assyrians attacked against Hezekiah:

2 Chronicles 32:6–8 TLV

He also appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate, and encouraged them saying, “Chazak! Be courageous! Do not be afraid or dismayed by the king of Assyria and the whole horde that is with him—for we have more with us than he has with him! With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Adonai Eloheinu to help us and to fight our battles.” So the people were encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.

And here’s the reality, folks, this message hasn’t changed. The battles we may be facing may have changed, but HaShem’s promise to go before us and fight for us has not. We may not be facing the uphill battle of conquering the Promised Land, but if this past few years have shown us anything it is that there is still a battle raging, a battle raging for our very souls.

The battles may have changed, but the enemy is still the same. The same enemy (hasatan) trying to destroy Israel before they even stepped foot in the Promised Land is the same enemy who tried to destroy the Good News of Messiah before it even got rolling. He’s the same enemy who has tried to derail the Jewish people through the destruction of the first and second Temples, through the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Roman onslaught and through the Pogroms and Holocaust. He’s the same enemy fighting with all his might to keep the world from recognizing the truth of the Promised Jewish Messiah. And he’s the same enemy fighting to destroy the truth of our testimony.

But, as we’ve already noted, God is calling us not to fear the battles that lie ahead because He’s already provided us the victory. And the enemy we face today is the same as the enemy Israel has faced in the past, the God who told us He was giving us the Promised Land is the same God who told us He’d provide the Promised Jewish Messiah. And through Messiah He has already provided us the victory against the enemy, against sin and death, and against any attack of the enemy!

Ephesians 6:10–18 TLV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you are able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the worldly forces of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist when the times are evil, and after you have done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm then! Buckle the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Strap up your feet in readiness with the Good News of shalom. Above all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Ruach on every occasion, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, keep alert with perseverance and supplication for all the kedoshim.

Listen folks, a simple look around us in today’s world tells us something just isn’t right anymore… There is so much pain and anguish, so much death and suffering all around us. Everything in the world feels upside down… What is good is called evil, what is evil is called good… Hearts have turned cold to one another… The world around us is falling apart as the return of Messiah draws closer. And, despite how we’d all like to see things, it isn’t going to get any better.

But we still have a job to do. The Good News must still be preached. We must still strive to fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples who make disciples. We are all facing some crazy times, we have plenty happening all around us to be afraid of… But, the call from the Lord is the same today as it was when Moses spoke to Israel at the shores of the Jordan River.

Deuteronomy 20:3 TLV

He will say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near today to the battle against your enemies. Don’t be fainthearted! Don’t fear or panic or tremble because of them.

When faced with crisis, we can cower in fear or we can trust in the One who fights for us.

Here’s a few words of encouragement to this very issue from two men who knew a lot about suffering for the Good News of Messiah, both were direct disciples of Yeshua.

From 1 John 4 verse 4

1 John 4:4 TLV

You are from God, children, and you have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Skipping to verse 17

1 John 4:17–19 TLV

In this way, love is made perfect among us, so that we should have boldness on the Day of Judgment. For just as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and the one who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love, because He first loved us.

And finally from 1 Peter 3

1 Peter 3:14–17 TLV

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not be afraid or worry about their threats. Instead sanctify Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, yet with humility and reverence—keeping a clear conscience so that, whatever you are accused of, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Messiah may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good (if it is God’s will) than for doing evil.

When faced with crisis, we can cower in fear or we can trust in the One who fights for us.

You

(Call the worship team back to the stage and unmute)

What are you afraid of today? What is weighing on your heart right now? Have you been allowing fear to rule your life and detract from what the Messianic call truly is?

Maybe you’re afraid of the current political landscape here in the US or globally...

Maybe you’re afraid of the reality of all the evil that exists all around us...

Maybe you’re afraid of experiencing pain and anguish, or of your addictions, or of losing family and friends…

Or maybe you’re afraid of something else altogether.

We

So, I want to encourage you today, if we are allowing fear to distract us from what really matters, today is the day to cast the fear aside and to walk in perfect faith in Messiah Yeshua. Because, no matter what, greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world!!!

When faced with crisis, we can cower in fear or we can trust in the One who fights for us.

Are you willing to trust in the One who is fighting for you?

After I pray to close out the message today we are going to spend a few minutes in worship. I want to encourage you to take this time for self-reflection… Ask the Lord to reveal to you the areas in your life where you are giving into fear, and to help you walk in the victory in Messiah, to walk in victory for Messiah.