Nitzavim “Standing”
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.
Nitzavim is the Hebrew title for “Standing” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Deuteronomy starting in chapter 29 verse 9 and going through chapter 30 verse 20.
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 61 verses 10 through chapter 63 verse 20.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of John in chapter 12 with verses 41 through 50.
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 fifty-first reading from the Weekly Torah Portion cycle is called Nitzavim in Hebrew, which means “Standing” in English.
In the Torah Portion Nitzavim, like most Torah portion readings the name is derived from the first verse in the weekly portion. In this portion, Moses invites all of Israel to partake in the covenant with Yahweh. He reminds them that sin will lead to exile, but that in the future they will repent and God will return them to the promised land of Israel. Depending upon the year Nitzavim and Vayelech are read as a double portion.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Deuteronomy 29:9 The Covenant and terms
Deuteronomy 30:1 Forgiveness and Repentance
Deuteronomy 30:11 The Choice of Life or Death
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Isaiah 61:10 The Favor of God
Isaiah 62:1 Zion’s Coming Salvation
Isaiah 63:1 Vengeance of the Lord
Isaiah 63:7 Mercy of the Lord
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
John 12:41 Isaiah sees Jesus’ glory
John 12:45 Jesus declares He is the Father
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
