Our Future Is in Your Hands

Reprinted from International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Daily Devotional

You must be blameless before the LORD your God. — Deuteronomy 18:13

The Torah portion for this week is Shoftim, which means “judges,” from Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9, and the Haftorah [ Scripture reading from the books of the prophets] is from Isaiah 51:12–52:12.

Have you ever wished you could get a glimpse into the future and see what it brings? It’s tempting to want to know what lies ahead on our life’s path. However, as this week’s reading illustrates, in order to walk with God, we must not push ourselves ahead.

In this week’s Torah reading, God issued a prohibition against going to consult sorcerers. Scripture directs us: “You must be blameless before the LORD your God.”

This commandment seems to be telling us that we must remain without sin before God or we will suffer the consequences. The Hebrew word in the text translated as “blameless” is tamim, which literally means “whole,” or “wholehearted.” Based on this understanding the Sages reveal an alternative meaning for the verse. They translate it as follows: “You must trust the LORD your God wholeheartedly.”

In the context of verses which prohibit divination, the Sages understand that God is not merely teaching us to trust Him and rely on Him in times of need. Rather, God is telling us that part of trusting Him means not needing or trying to know the future. To trust God wholeheartedly means to know that whatever lies ahead will always be from God and will be exactly what we need for our own good.

I often think about the story of the widow who was helped by the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 17, in the midst of a severe famine, Elijah encountered a widow who told him that she was down to her last drop of food and that soon, she and her son would die of starvation. Elijah told the widow that God would take care of her and her son. He conveyed God’s promise that her jar of flour would never be empty and her jug of oil would never run dry until the famine was over.

Now, God could have instructed Elijah to lead the woman to a place stocked with many jars of flour and jugs of oil. God could have told Elijah to hand the woman a large sum of money. However, God wanted the widow’s provisions to come from a source that she could not see so that she would learn to trust God not just once, but every single day. She needed to have faith that although she could not see how, her future would be okay. God wanted the woman to learn to trust Him wholeheartedly.

Friends, no matter what you might be facing right now, trust that God will take care of your future. In difficult times, let us have faith that things will turn out alright. In good times, let’s also remember that things can change in a second if not for the grace of God.

Just a Little Bit Longer

Reprinted from International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Daily Devotional

A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity. — Psalm 37:10–11

While Psalm 37 is on the lengthy side, it has one simple message: Crime doesn’t pay. Sin doesn’t pay, but righteousness does. Over and over, in different forms, the verses in this psalm let us know that while we may be tempted to believe that the wicked prosper, we must hold on to the truth that only the righteous will ultimately enjoy true reward. While the world is filled with images and stories that suggest the opposite, David warned us not to be fooled. In the long run, yes, the good guy wins.

The Sages explain that the reason this psalm is so long for just one concept is because we need constant reinforcement of this idea. It’s so easy to lose clarity, so tough at times to cling to the truth. It’s a test of faith, trust, and endurance. It may take time, but justice will be served.

I love how David expressed this idea in verses 10–11. He wrote, “A little while, and the wicked will be no more . . . But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” The key phrase here is, “A little while . . .” We can all grasp God’s truth for a moment, but the true test is to hold onto it throughout our lives. We need to hold on a little while longer and then a little bit more until we see God’s promises fulfilled.

Sometimes, we feel like giving up and giving in. What good is faithfulness? What good is being meek? Evil seems to prosper, and for all our good deeds, we might have little to show. But David comes along and encourages us, “Hold on just a little bit longer; peace, joy, and prosperity are on their way!”

I once came across the following observation. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. At 211 degrees, water is just hot; it takes that one degree extra to cause it to boil. When water boils, it creates steam, and enough steam can power a train!

What’s the lesson? That extra bit of perseverance can be the difference between victory and defeat. So don’t give up and don’t give in. Our God is a good God, an almighty God, Who will make good on His promises.

Today, see if you can muster an extra bit of faith. See if you can find an extra bit of energy to help someone out. Keep walking in the path of righteousness, and before long, “a little while” will have passed, and salvation will be ours.

Things Can Be Different

Reprinted from International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Daily Devotional

“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with lapis lazuli.
I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
All your children will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be their peace.” — Isaiah 54:11–13

The Torah portion for this week is Re’eh, which means “see,” from Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17, and the Haftorah [Scripture reading from the books of the prophets] is from Isaiah 54:11–55:5.

In this third of the “Seven Comforts,” the seven readings leading from the fast day of Tisha B’Av to the High Holy Days, we read a beautiful description of Israel’s future as told to us by the prophet Isaiah. The Haftorah begins with a call to Zion to make room because her children are coming home. Although the prophet described the great return of the nation of Israel, which should inspire joy and celebration, Zion refused to be comforted. Isaiah noticed: “Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted . .”

What’s holding Zion back from being comforted?

The Sages explain by taking an overall look at the long history of Israel. There was a cycle. The nation sinned, they called out to God, God sent a redeemer, and they were saved. This cycle occurred numerous times just in the book of Judges alone! On a larger scale, it is the summation of all Jewish history. Even when the Jews were brought back to Israel after the destruction of the First Temple, they were exiled again hundreds of years later. So Zion refused to be comforted because, even though her children had returned once more, what was to stop the cycle from repeating itself again?

The prophet continued that this time things would be different. He said that this time the children of Israel were not going to be as they had been before. Isaiah described how the very walls and streets of Jerusalem would be paved with precious stones. In addition, all of Zion’s children would learn directly from God Himself. This time, Israel would be restored to even greater glory than ever before. This time it would be a complete change that would last forever.

This is a great message of hope for any of us who have ever fought a battle and then had to fight it all over again. You thought you kicked that habit, you thought that relationship was healed, you thought you had seen the end of financial worries, but the cycle seems to repeat itself. How do we break out of that cycle and live in a new reality?

The answer is faith and perseverance.

No matter how many times we fail, we must try again, knowing that one day, we will achieve our goals. This reading encourages us to never give in to despair. It may take a long time, and we may suffer setbacks along the way, but if we press on, with the help of God, we will ultimately succeed. When we do reach our goals, we will be stronger than ever before. All those failures will create one glorious victory. So whatever battles face you today, keep fighting. Everlasting victory is on its way.

Serving God with His Gifts

Reprinted from International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Daily Devotional

You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go. — Deuteronomy 12:4–5

The Torah portion for this week is Re’eh, which means “see,” from Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17, and the Haftorah is from Isaiah 54:11–55:5.

Pablo Picasso once said: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Whether our gift is in the arts, medicine, or the ministry, our job is to find out what our talents are and then devote them to God’s purposes.

Many years ago, when a Jewish boy approached 17, it was his father’s duty to find him a vocation. It was the custom to take the boy to the marketplace in town where many artisans worked at their trade. There were tailors, cobblers, leather-workers, bakers, artists, and so on. Whatever area attracted the boy most was the area his father would choose for him. If the boy paused for a long time at the baker’s, it was a signal that he was well-suited for that job. If he lingered at the cobbler’s shop he might be best at that trade. In this way, the father could choose the most appropriate trade for his son.

The rabbis explain that the same principle applies in doing God’s work. Wherever a person is drawn and whatever talents he or she innately possesses are signals for what that person should be doing to best serve God. In Proverbs 3:9 we read, “Honor the LORD with (honecha) your wealth.” The Sages teach, “Don’t read the word as honecha, meaning ‘your wealth,’ but as chonecha, meaning ‘with what God has graced you with.’” In other words, we all have been graced with a set of talents. We must figure out what those are and serve God with them.

In this week’s Torah portion we read: “You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go.” On the surface, God was instructing Israel that they must not worship as other nations do, but must serve God alone in the particular place that He would choose. The fact that the verses are nonspecific – they don’t specify that God’s chosen place is Jerusalem in the territories of Judah and Benjamin – leaves them open to other interpretations.

One such interpretation is that we are not meant to serve God the same way as someone else because we have our own unique set of gifts which God has given us. Our job is to uncover those talents and find the unique place in which to serve Him.

What gifts have you been graced with? How might you give them away?