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SHABBAT HAZONE “SABBATH OF THE VISION”
6 AUG 2011
DEVARIM
Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
Isaiah 1:1-27
1 Timothy 3:1-7
The Shabbat preceding Tisha B’Av is called Shabbat Chazon, taken
from the opening verse in Isaiah. It is in this HafTorah portion that
the prophet discusses Israel’s betrayal of GOD (Isaiah 1:11-15).
In Deuteronomy 1, Moshe reproves the sins of the past forty years in the
wilderness. He makes the point that it was only an eleven-day journey.
Because of the disobedience of the spies rejecting GOD’s land, the
people rejecting His Torah, and all of the children of Israel rejecting
His love by constantly murmuring and rebelling against His appointed
leader, Moshe, they wandered for forty years to finally receive the
blessing of land ownership in the Promised Land.
Here we are at the beginning of the book of Devarim. In about two
months, the High Holidays will be upon us. In the days when the temple
existed, many of those who came to Jerusalem from far-away places were
physically away from their home (Acts 2:5). I am reminded that we are
spiritually away from our home.
As long as the believer lives in this world, he is spiritually “away
from home” (2 Cor 5:1-8). It is said that, “home is where the heart
is.” The believer needs to be careful to keep his heart in heavenly
places (Matt 6:21, Col 3:1, 2).
The believer has chosen a higher loyalty than he had before. One cannot
decide for Messiah without deciding against some other things (Matt
12:30, 1John 2:15-17). The disciple of Messiah is not of this world
(John 17:16). As believers, we still have our duties in this world, but
we have higher obligations that go beyond these earthly loyalties (Matt
22:21, Acts 5:29).
1 Peter 2:11, states that for the duration of his life, the believer is
a sojourner. Sojourner=one who resides temporarily at a place. The
great need is for the believer to maintain the frame of mind of the
sojourner; he must think and act as one who is away from home. The
believer is in trouble if he “settles down” here (1Peter 1:17, 2:11).
It is possible to become so used to the discomforts of the “wilderness”
that we fail to want the Promised Land enough to strive for it (Numbers
13:30-33).
Do not become content to die in this wilderness (Numbers 14:2). Keep
your eyes on the prize, so to speak. The prize will be the results of
our higher calling and obligations.
Shavua Tov
Rabbi Z.
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