R’eh
Deuteronomy
11:26-16:17
Jerusalem
is the crown jewel of Eretz
Yisrael. We read in the psalms
If I forget you, O
Jerusalem
, May my right hand forget her skill.(Psalm 137:5).
Every day, Jewish people pray that
Jerusalem
would be restored to its former glory and that the Messiah would reign from his
throne in
Jerusalem
. Our Torah portion this week
describes a place that the Lord would choose to be His dwelling place.
Over and over again we read the
place which the LORD your God will choose This
“place” is the place where God would choose to place His name.
(12:5, 11, 21, 26;14:25;16:6).
According to these texts, this “place” is the location where the
children of
Israel
were to seek after God. This place is the location where sacrifices were to be
brought - hence this was the place where the people would come to worship God -
the place where the temple would be built. This place is
Jerusalem
. As Solomon prayed at the
dedication of the
Temple
,
"Yet
have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my
God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You
today; that Your eyes may be open
toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, 'My name shall be there,' to listen to the prayer which Your servant
shall pray toward this place. “(1 Kings 8:28-29).
What does it mean for God to place His name there? Even
though God is everywhere, He designated that this “place” is where his
essence dwells. Blessed be the LORD from
Zion
, Who dwells in
Jerusalem
. Praise the LORD!(Psalm 135:21).
According to our Torah portion, this place is where offerings would be
brought - where atonement could be found; this is the place where worship would
take place; where man could find God. This
is also the place where
Israel
is called to dwell. In order for
Israel
to fulfill her calling of being a light unto the nations, the Jewish people
must dwell in
Jerusalem
and the Jewish people must be in a right relationship with God in the land.
The portion emphasizes the importance of
being a holy people in the land. When
the Messiah came, He said that .
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth.(
John
4:23-24). Today, it
is in Yeshua that true worship takes place; it is in Yeshua
that atonement is found. It is while Yeshua sits at the right hand of the
Father; while the mystery of the body of Messiah is visible in this world; while
the kingdom is invisible in this world, the “place” where we meet God is in
the Messiah. We worship “in
Him”; we find comfort “in Him”; we find God in Him.
However, this does mean that the importance of
Jerusalem
is diminished. Not at all!! For the
Messiah will return to this world at
Jerusalem
(Zech. 14:4). Yeshua will sit on
His throne in
Jerusalem
and all of the nations will come to
Jerusalem
and worship the King (Zech. 14:16)
Our Haftorah portion describes the nations coming to
Jerusalem
to find satisfaction from the Lord. Isaiah
55 is an invitation for the nations to come to
Jerusalem
. Verse five clearly shows that in that day it is not only
Jerusalem
that fulfills her calling, but people will come to
Jerusalem
because
Israel
will reflect the glory of the Lord. Today
our people do not reflect the glory of the Lord. But in that day the Jewish
people will believe that Yeshua is the Messiah and then there will be peace and
the nations will come in an attitude of worship to
Jerusalem
. Paul speaks of importance of Jewish belief in the messiah when he says Now
if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for
the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!… For if their rejection
is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from
the dead?(Rom.11:12,15). Today
as we see turmoil in Israel, may we
pray not only for the welfare of the Jewish people in the land but may we also
pray that the eyes of the people of Israel would be opened to see that Yeshua is
the promised Messiah and that it is
“in Him” that Israel will fulfill her calling and be reflection of the glory
of God to the nations.
Shabbat Shalom!