Behar / Bechukotai (At Mount / In My Statutes)
Torah: Leviticus 26:3-27:34 Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 Brit Chadasha: I Corinthians 7:20-24
“I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Tav’, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Revelation 22:13
Scriptures for today
I did a radio interview some years back and what I remember was we had just finished this exact Torah portion. The interviewer was reading the headlines of a newspaper and was talking about the drought that was happening in California and during this same time this drought took place, California was in the legal process of passing pro homosexual legislation. All of the sudden Leviticus twenty six came to mind. So let’s look at some verses in this chapter to see if as some call it, “an old outdated irrelevant book” can shed light on our current conditions where we live?
Yah begins in verse two: ‘Guard My Sabbaths and reverence My set-apart place. I am Yahweh. ‘If you walk in My laws and guard My commands, and shall do them, then I shall give you rain in its season, and the land shall yield its crops, and the trees of the field yield their fruit. Leviticus 26:2-4
So we are given big words here like IF and THEN which speaks of the word being conditional. How are we doing as a society with the IF’s? How are we doing as individuals with the IF’s? Are we doing our part? I clearly see the Eternal doing His part with the THEN’s!
It goes onto say in verse six that if we do our part that Yah will give us peace in our land and nobody will make us afraid. Do we have peace in our land today? Are we pursuing our enemies and making them flee as verse seven implies? Are we bearing fruit as a nation and being increased? I think the answer is very clear to these questions.
With that said let’s take a look at what happens if we DO NOT do what the Father has written. Verse fourteen says, “BUT IF you do not obey Me and do ALL these commands and IF you reject My laws, or if your being loathes My right-rulings, so that you do not do ALL My commands but break My covenant, I also do this to you: And I shall appoint sudden alarm (terror) over you, wasting disease and inflammation, destroying the eyes, and consuming the life. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. ‘And I shall set My face against you, and you shall be smitten before your enemies. And those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. ‘And I shall break the pride of your power, and shall make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. ‘And I shall bring against you a sword executing the vengeance of My covenant, and you shall gather together in your cities, and I shall send pestilence among you, and you shall be given into the hand of the enemy. Leviticus 26:14-17, 25
Today terrorism has been the main focus of many people in the States since the false flag attacks of 9/11. The administration is getting ready to play the terror card again since their approval rating is lower than a Latin American novella (soap opera). Anytime something happens the word terrorism usually always is thrown out as the cause. I’ve seen people in the States walk around in fear because of the ‘threat’ of terrorism. Many times these ‘terroristic events’ aren’t at all terrorism. Look at the patsy’s that are used in these so called terrorist attacks. They almost can’t even spell their names. In my opinion these events happen many times as a manifestation due to the folks ‘who rule over us’ in that they are behind the scenes pulling strings or allowing strings to be pulled. I think many times we lose sight and are force fed by the dinosaur media that our enemies are the ones wearing turbines and hiding in caves on dialysis machines or communist China and so forth and so on.
For what it’s worth, I see our country fulfilling the curse of enemies ruling over us. I’m sure what I am about to say would fall under the guideline of a terrorist but oh well. I see our greatest enemies not thousands of miles away in a different land or territory but right next door but before I continue my critical analysis look at Scripture again. This is all a manifestation because of the disobedience of our nation. We can’t forget that and many can’t see it because they are still bogged down in the whole left/right paradigm that has been manufactured to keep folks infighting and never getting together on the same page. So when you and I want to complain and start pointing fingers at other nations or our government, which is easy to do and probably on spot, we should remember that IF you/I obey THEN we have promises from our Father’s word that He will not allow our enemies to rule over us and He will give us peace in the land and so forth and so on.
We also see that the Creator brings about wasting disease and inflammation. Isn’t it interesting that several years ago we had new strains of bird flu and swine flu that came on the scene? Whether created in a lab somewhere or a natural happening event I see the Word manifesting right in front of our eyes due to the disobedience in the land. We are on the verge of collapse as a nation and a society and sure everyone would have 10 reasons why but I think it is safe to say that if we looked at many of those top 10 reasons from folks; we wouldn’t find mention of the number one cause and that in my opinion is we as a nation have not only forgotten the God of Israel and His commandments but thumb our noses at him just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden because we know what is best and we live our lives according to our standards and not His. The States once was the ‘super power’ of the world but now the Ruler of the Universe is breaking the pride of our power and soon will bring about a sword on the land in a greater scale than we are experiencing and seeing today in my opinion. So if you don’t want to partake of the plagues that seem to be happening right in front of our eyes then come out of her and not partake in her sins any longer and be sober and obey.
I could continue on and on with current events that are unfolding right in front of our eyes but I will not because the answer is simple for you and I. IF we would do what was written, we would not have to deal with most of these things that are taking place today. Yahweh is trying to get the attention of people to show them that He is real and His Word still applies today just as it did back when He gave it. I pray that we would not be a stiff necked people any longer and that we would be a people with soft fleshly hearts and a people who obey. If we will not heed/obey His word then unfortunately will have to sit back and watch more devastation and events unfold in the days ahead due to the lack of obedience in our nation.
Is not my word like as a fire? saith YHVH; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29
With all the negative things happening in our world today it can be quite depressing and cause several dozen emotional responses as well, all at the same time I might add. Many times I’ve been guilty of focusing on these things to the point of where it distracted me and I was looking at other things instead of looking and focusing on me and what was going on within me. So I guess the point I would like to make is that instead of focusing on the tares and just exactly how ‘tarey’ they are why not focus on ourselves. In my life when I would begin to focus other things it actually caused other areas of my life to become casual. I don’t want to become casual in my relationship with the Father. There are consequences if this is the case.
‘And if you walk contrary to Me, and refuse to obey Me, ‘And if you are not instructed by Me by these, but walk contrary to Me, then I also shall walk contrary to you, Leviticus 26:21, 23-24
I know the text uses the word contrary here but what about inserting the word casual in there. If you walk casual to Me then I will walk casual to you. I remember many times as a teen getting in trouble for having a casual attitude towards what my folks would tell me to do or whatever was the task. In the times we find ourselves in I think most of us would all agree that we would want the Father to provide for our needs and not really take His time in doing so. Well it is my opinion that the Father is saying to us kids. Look guys if you take a casual approach to Me and my words then that is exactly how I’m going to approach you guys.
Guys we have promises and the Creator is no liar. What He said He will fulfill but it is up to you and I to meet the conditions of those promises. You know those little words like IF and BUT that are just skipped over and many times explained away with well that’s what it says but that’s not what it means to me… Those two little words should cause a blinking light to start flashing and point us to pay attention because here comes something that is expected of me and if I do or don’t do it then there is a reward for my behavior. We find when Israel walked casually it brought forth the hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces as Jeremiah said. Folks I don’t want to have to be prodded or the hammer falling in order to bring change. Why not be a people of the Word and strive to obey the Father in every aspect of our lives? I think that we all need to do some deep self-analysis and when we find ‘casual areas’ or ‘casual attitudes toward the Father’ well, we’ve come to the cross roads of my way or His way and Leviticus 26 gives us a clear picture of what happens by traveling down either of those roads. It is a choice and the ball is in our court.