Ekev “Consequence”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma.
While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Ekev is the Hebrew title for “Consequence” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Deuteronomy starting in chapter 7 verse 12 and going through chapter 11 verse 25.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah reading comes from the book of Isaiah in chapter 49 verses 14 through chapter 51:3.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 16 with verses 13 through 20.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
The forty-sixth reading from the Weekly Torah Portion cycle is called Ekev in Hebrew, which means “Consequence” or “on the heels of” in English. The Torah Portion name comes from the opening lines “Then it shall come about, because (Ekev) you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness, which He swore to your forefathers. ” (Deuteronomy 7:12).
The word Ekev has a traditional meaning of “heel” since it shares the same three-letter root as the name Jacob. However, we see in Deuteronomy 7:12, the word Ekev means “because of” or “on the heels of”. This Torah Portion in Deuteronomy outlines the blessings and rewards that come to Israel by following and obeying the laws and commandments of God.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Deuteronomy 7:12 Blessings of following Commandments
Deuteronomy 8:1 Don’t Forget God is Prosperity
Deuteronomy 9:1 Consequences of Rebelling against God
Deuteronomy 10:1 Second Set of Ten Commandment Tablets
Deuteronomy 10:12 The Essence of the Commandments
Deuteronomy 11:1 Rewards for Obedience
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Isaiah 49:8 God’s children to be brought home
Isaiah 50:4 The Servant’s Humiliation and Vindication
Isaiah 51:1 Blessings for God’s People
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Matthew 16:15 Jesus asks who they think He is
Matthew 16:16 Peter calls Jesus the Son of God
The Book of Deuteronomy “Devarim” which means “Words.”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the fifth book of the Bible (Deuteronomy) is Devarim. The name “Devarim” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Deuteronomy which means “Words,”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Deuteronomos” called “Deuteronomy.”
The book of Deuteronomy is primarily comprised of the farewell teachings of Moses to the children of Israel. Like all good prophets and leaders in the Torah, Moses encourages the children of Israel to remain faithful to the covenants they made with God.
Moses then continues to review the stories of the giving of the Torah at Sinai, the journey to the Promised Land, the review of some of the Torah laws, and the introduction to new laws.
It is also important to point out that the format of the book of Deuteronomy also follows a general pattern of Ancient Near Eastern treaty documents.
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Deuteronomy and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
