Va'etchanan “And I Besought”
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 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 Name and Readings-
Va’etchanan is the Hebrew word for “and I pleaded” or “and I besought”, this is the name for the weekly Torah Portion eading for the Book of Deuteronomy starting in chapter 3 verse 23 and going through chapter 7 verse 11.
Prophets and New Testament-
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 readings come from the book of Isaiah in chapter 40 verse 1 through verse 26.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Luke in chapter 3 with verses 2 through 15.
Torah Portion Overview-
Right before His death, the Messiah and greatest Torah teacher of all time was asked a question by one of his opponents in order to try to expose any ignorance in order to shame Him. The challenger asked Yeshua (Jesus) what the greatest commandment was in the law. Here was a chance for the Jesus to point to a law that would silence His enemies, or perhaps expound on a favorite commandment in order to gain honor or fame. But He did not do this. Instead, He spoke the truth and cut to the heart of the matter.
The greatest commandment, He said, was to love God.
Luke 10:27 (ESV) (also see Matthew 22:37 and Mark 12:30)
“And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
This may seem like an obvious answer today, because we have the benefit of looking back on history, but I doubt it was an obvious answer to all of the onlookers. Think about it, what would you pick? There are commands in the Torah that if we break them, we will die. Would a command that’s violation brings death take precedence? Or what about how often we keep a command? There are commands in the Torah that are constantly kept, like what we can wear, or what we can eat. Would a command that we constantly keep be at the top? What about the Sabbath, or a Feast of Yahweh (The LORD)? He did not pick any of these commands. Instead, He chose a command with no consequence, one that cannot be proven, or boasted about. One that man might not esteem, but that God would! He chose the command to love God.
I have spoken to many today that don’t even know that Yeshua was quoting from the Torah. They think that He was making up His own law. Looking at the verses quickly reveal that this was not the case.
Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV)
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
So what does it mean to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”?
Let’s start with the word “love” ʾahabh (אָהֵב). We don’t know exactly where the word ʾahabh (love) comes from but looking at the Greek equivalent in the Septuagint, and how the Hebrew word and its other language relatives were used in the Ancient Near East (ANE), we can draw some strong conclusions about its meaning and its use here in this verse.
Looking at the Greek, in Deuteronomy 6:5 the word for love is agapáō (ἀγαπάω). The Greek LXX (Septuagint) uses agapáō as a translation for ʾahabh in an overwhelming majority of cases. Because we are unsure of the origin of the Hebrew word ʾahabh, this offers us some insight into the possible meaning of the word. We learn that love is internal, a full expression of self towards God’s person first, and secondly towards things like the temple, or law. In fact, we love these things because we love Him. Thus, our love for Him is the foundation of this love for the Torah and His Temple and worship.
As Christians this is important to understand. Our love for His law must always be subject to, and subordinate to, our love for Him. If we find that our love for the Torah (instruction/law) has ever gone further than our love for Him, we must step back and examine our faith and life. This is the brilliance of the answer that Yeshua gave. He understood that the love for God must supersede that of our love for other things such as the law. Therefore, another command could not be the greatest command, since our love for the law must come second to our love for God.
What does this love look like practically? What does it mean to love God? How does this love express itself? Do we love God the same way that we would love a family member, a spouse, or perhaps a long-term friend? In fact ʾahabh, when speaking about God in Deuteronomy, is not used in connection with marital or parental love. This is strange, since it is the word most often used to describe physical love. Deuteronomy 6:5 then does not speak of marital or familial love. To quote Moran (1963) directly,
“Love in Deuteronomy is a love that can be commanded. It is also a love intimately related to fear and reverence. Above all, it is a love which must be expressed in loyalty, in service, and in unqualified obedience to the demands of the Law.”
This mirrors the way rulers spoke to their subjects, and how treaties were written in the Ancient Near East. The Ancient Near East is a term used to describe the ancient cultures and peoples that lived around Israel in the area we call the Middle East today. They would command the rulers that were subject to them to show them love. This love was expressed in loyalty, service, and obedience.
Here is an example of the King of Mitanni writing to the Pharoah of Egypt found in Context of Scripture by William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger.
LETTER OF TUŠRATTA, KING OF MITANNI (EA 17) (3.92D)
In one of the earliest letters of the Amarna archive, the king of Mitanni tries to patch up relations with Egypt and renew an earlier alliance.
(lines 1–10)
Say to Nibmuareya,1 the king of Egypt, my brother: Thus Tušeratta,2 the king of Mitanni,3 your brother. For me all goes well. For you may all go well. For Kelu-Heba4 may all go well. For your household, for your wives, for your sons, for your magnates, for your warriors, for your horses, for your chariots, and in your country, may all go very well.
(lines 11–20)
When I sat on the throne of my father, I was young,5 and UD-hi6 had done an unseemly thing to my country and had slain his lord. For this reason he would not permit me friendship with anyone who loved me.7a I, in turn, was not remiss about the unseemly things that had been done in my land, and I slew the slayer of
Artašumara, my brother, and everyone belonging to them.
(lines 21–29)
Since you were friendly with my father, I have accordingly written and told you so that my brother might hear of these things and rejoice. My father loved you, and you in turn loved my father. In keeping with this love, my father gave you my sister. And who else stood with my father as you did?
We can see that he speaks of love, not in a romantic way, but in obedience, service, and loyalty. For further examples see the letter of Abdi-Heba of Jerusalem.
Loyalty meant faithfulness to the covenant and to God. It means only serving Yahweh, and Him alone. The importance here is that we are not to server other gods. We are to be faithful to Him alone. Jesus spoke of this in the New Testament.
Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
We see that we are also to serve God. This often referred to the work of the priests and Levites. But how are we to serve God, since we are not a priest or Levite? We are to serve Him every day, offering the work of our hands, the fruit of our minds, our prayers and good deeds as worship to Him. We are to serve Him, not as priests of an earthly temple, but as priests of our earthly body, which is part of the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
And we come again to obedience. We are to obey Him. This is made clearer where love and obedience are linked.
Deuteronomy 5:10 (ESV) (also see Deuteronomy 7:9)
“but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
This obedience included the whole law, all the charges, statutes, judgements, and commands.
Deuteronomy 11:1 (ESV) (also see Deuteronomy 30:16)
“You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.”
This love also causes us to fear the Lord.
Deuteronomy 10:12 (ESV) “
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”
What does it mean to fear God? The Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament entry by H. F. Fuhs explains that the Hebrew word for “fear” yr’ [yarae] (ירא) in Deuteronomy 10:12 means to tremble, or to be short of breath. It can also mean reverence, dread, or honor. To quote the New American Commentary on Deuteronomy,
“The verb employed (yārēʾ) is one that speaks of terror, indeed, but more than that. It expresses reverential awe, the kind one shows in the presence of transcendent and awesome power and that motivates one to worship and obedience (cf. Deut 5:29; 6:2, 13, 24; 31:12–13).”
Understanding this fear we can see that this would come from just simply knowing God’s very nature as a just judge and understanding his vast power. This would indeed be terrifying! I want to make it clear though. This terror would not drive us from him, as it did the Israelites (Deuteronomy 18:16) but should drive us to Him as Moses was driven up the mountain. We should be driven into a deeper and deeper relationship with Him, but understanding His awesome power and authority.
Returning to love, it is expressed through obedience, fear, and loyalty. But there is more. It is expressed with “all the heart”. This conveys more than just obedience, but it also implies emotion. Alexander To Ha Luc (1982) puts it this way,
“in employing a term which is used predominantly for emotion, the author of Deuteronomy has set a high demand on the practice of religion: genuine inner feeling must go hand in hand with outward observance, loyalty to God must involve both.”
One without the other means that the love is lacking.
Putting it all together, love is an internal emotion, driving a mental decision of loyalty, and an outward expression of obedience. It is mixed with fear, knowing the righteousness and justice of God. It is wholehearted, and cannot be given in part. It puts God above all, even the things that represent Him like His law and His temple. In other words, to Love God means to love Him emotionally, mentally, and physically. It is expressed with our whole being. It is giving everything we have to Him. Thus, this truly is the greatest commandment.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Deuteronomy 3:23 Moses may not cross the Jordan to enter the Promised Land
Deuteronomy 4:1 Be loyal to Yahweh, fear and obey Him and do not commit idolatry
Deuteronomy 4:25 Heaven and Earth a witness if they do commit idolatry, they will be scattered and then return
Deuteronomy 4:32 Israel’s God is unique
Deuteronomy 4:41 Moses sets apart 3 cities as cities of refuge
Deuteronomy 4:44 Torah prologue
Deuteronomy 5:1 The Ten Commandments
Deuteronomy 6:1 The Shema and Greatest Commandment
Deuteronomy 6:10 Do not forget Yahweh but fear and serve Him. Do not commit idolatry, but obey and fear Him and teach your children
Deuteronomy 7:1 Devote to destruction the nations Israel is dispossessing
Deuteronomy 7:6 Israel to be a chosen holy people and be careful to obey
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Isaiah 40:1 Comfort the Jews by preparing a road for Yahweh
Isaiah 40:6 Isaiah prophecies that people have a limited lifespan but God’s word is eternal
Isaiah 40:9 Yahweh is great
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Luke 3:2 John the Baptist starts his ministry
Bibliography
Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, in Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977), 12–13.
Jan Bergman, A. O. Haldar, and Gerhard Wallis, “אָהַב,” in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, trans. John T. Willis (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1977), 102.
Randall Tan and David A. deSilva, Logos Bible Software, The Lexham Greek-English Interlinear Septuagint: Rahlfs Edition (Logos Bible Software, 2009), Dt 6:4–5.
Jan Bergman, A. O. Haldar, and Gerhard Wallis, “אָהַב,” in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, trans. John T. Willis (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1977), 103.
Gottfried Quell and Ethelbert Stauffer, “Ἀγαπάω, Ἀγάπη, Ἀγαπητός,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 22–23.
Moran, William L. “THE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN BACKGROUND OF THE LOVE OF GOD IN DEUTERONOMY.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 25, no. 1 (1963): 77–87. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43711394.
Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, “Love: Old Testament,” in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 376.
William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger, Context of Scripture (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2003), 237, 239–240.
H. F. Fuhs, “יָרֵא,” in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, trans. David E. Green (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990), 291.
J. A. Thompson, Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 5, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1974), 164–165.
Rick Brannan, ed., in Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).
Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 202.”
LUC, ALEXANDER TO HA. 1982. "THE MEANING OF 'HB IN THE HEBREW BIBLE." Order No. 8225657, The University of Wisconsin - Madison. https://libproxy.uco.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/meaning-hb-hebrew-bible/docview/303262359/se-2?accountid=14516.
Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009), 530–532.
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