Ki Tavo: Devarim 26:1-29:9; Haftarah: Yeshayahu (Isa.) 60:1-22 Brit: Mattityahu (Mt.) 13:1-23; Lk.

21:1-4; Acts 28:17-31; Ro.11:1-15

Check the Label

This weeks parsha, Ki-tavo, begins with when you enter in, and quite matter of factly continues to drive home that we are the ones to take, and we are to bring, and we are to put, we are to go, and we are to speakvery action-oriented commandments. To clarify beloved, Israel has already been redeemed. They are not in Egypt, theyve been removed from the house of bondage and from under the cruel taskmaster of old pharaoh, theyve accepted and been received into YHVHs Holy Covenant as administered on Mount Sinai, and now The Father is instructing Israel how to honor Him vis--vis the land .
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True to form, our ancestors prove our own die-hard folly we battle with daily as demonstrated in their habitual circling of the mountain; which was fraught with many an object lesson in humility, in obedience, in realizing the eternal power of words and in learning how to trust The One who delivers them from trouble. And so Israel is now ready and they are rapidly approaching this defining moment when YHVH will lead them over the Jordan River, through the Jordan valley in between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Eibal and YHVH says look, when you enter into this land that Im giving you to possessI want you to bring the first fruits of the land that Ive given you to inherit. This is a key parasha and it would serve us well if we studied it. The Hebrew language is brimming with reference to Messiah so I want us to take a moment to explore the greater impact this section is revealing to us. The Father is in fact establishing within the psyche of every IsraeliteOvercomer that the fruit of the ground in the Promised Land is a reminder of YHVHs promise, of His provision and of His faithfulness. Consider how different our relationship with Abba would be if society on the whole had remained an agrarian society. I submit to you the business paradigm we operate in today would not exist. A persons perspective is drastically altered when one undertakes cultivating the land or growing a garden. Ive witnessed how this can even lead to buying livestock; the point is we gain new appreciation for the provider of these blessings because we experience the miracle of harvesting fruit from the earth that began with faith in a seed. Understand I am truly grateful to my local grocer and appreciate the wonderful convenience they make available to us, however, I believe a great spiritual component is severely compromised when the only basket weve ever known is a grocery cart meandering down aisles of crowded shinycanned shelves, some of which promise nutrition but are anything but. If we examine the epidemic of obesity in America, our community, our homes, and for many of us including myself, its obvious to see just how powerful a snare food has become to us. Paul alludes to the danger of separating the connection between Gods provision and the blessing of the first-fruits as we read

just as the Tanakh says, God has given them a spirit of dullnesseyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, right down to the present day. And David says, Let their dining table become for them a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a punishment. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cant see, with their backs bent continually?1 Theres something to be said for the burdens we load upon our frame that were intended to be a blessing, but have now become a curse because weve made our dining table a snare. Thats strong medicine to me.

Like Daddy Said, Give 100%

When we read the opening of Ki Tavo chapter 26 verses one through ten there are a multitude of references made to Messiah, which is critical because it is Yeshua who is our covering yes? In other words, no amount of blisters from plowing on the hands make us acceptable before our Elohim. Although we do have a responsibility to act, it is the blood of Yeshua covering us that makes us acceptable unto HaShem. And so we read And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God2. First-fruits has its origin in the concept of the first-born. If we go back to the first family we read

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Romans chapter 11:8-10 CJB Deut.26:1-4 KJV

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell 3. Ephraim and Rimona Frank explain this superbly in their book Firstborn Factor, but the reason we learn Cains offering not accepted is most easily observed in Abels. It says Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof. Abel brought the first-born of his flock and the fat thereof which are symbolically recognized as the choicest parts of the animal unto YHVH. Cain however held back the choicest of his harvest for himself and did not give the first-fruits. In so doing Cain brought a curse upon himself because when he held back he was essentially saying, this is mine because I planted it, I cultivated it, this came by my labor and I deserve to keep it for myself. When he took that road4 he removed Himself out from under the protective covering of YHVH and opened himself up to all the things that came into his heart like division, strife, bitterness, jealousy, pride, rage, all of which he allowed to lead him to commit murder. And isnt that what sin does? For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord5. The significance of all this is to remember that YHVH provides everything. So when we bring the first-fruits of the land to our King, our obedience brings not only blessing upon us 6, but also upon those whom we are responsiblewhich is the role of the first-born. This bringing of the basket full of first-fruits speaks of ancient declarations I am certain were ingrained upon the hearts of Israel, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
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Gen.4:3-5 Jude 1:11 5 Ro.6:23 6 Ex.23:19

And And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:7 James 1:18 says Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Isnt this exactly what Abba did with the Isra elites? The word in Greek for begat is ap-okoo-eh'o (in the actual Greek it appears like this; ) and it means to breed forth, to generate, and to beget. So Abba brought forth Israel into the Land of Promise by His Word, or Torah, who we know in the flesh is our Messiah Yeshua! Israel is YHVHs firstborn, and as such His plan is that we are to provoke brother Judah to jealousy by their observing how YHVH is operating in our lives. Paul says on further in the eleventh chapter of Romans that for if their (Judah) casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation of the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead! 8

The Cohen
The basket we bring holds a deep spiritual significance as well but let us look at who we hand it to first. We read that we are to bring our basket and give it to the priest. Priest in Hebrew is the word Cohen, comprised of three letters, a Kaf, a Heh, and a Nun. Cohen actually is rooted in the word Kahan, Strongs #3547, and it means to mediate and to adorn. The officiating priest took the basket with your first-fruit offering and offered upon the altar for you because he was the mediator between you and The Father, another symbolic reference to kinsman-redeemer Yeshua, But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant which was established upon better promises9.

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Ex. 13:2; 4:22 Ro.11:15 9 Heb.8:6

And because Israel is also the bride of Yeshua, it is He who adorns her and makes her beautiful! I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels10.

Whats In Your Basket?

This basket in Hebrew is the word teh'-neh from Strongs #2935 and it means a woven basket, comprised of the Tet, the Nun and the Alef, with the two-letter root word ten made up of the Tet and Nun which is the base for its related words of palm leaf, tapestry, and chariot. Palms were seen as symbols of life, as they surrounded the waters of Elim in Israels wilde rness journey. Tamar, the woman Judah took to wife for his firstborn son Er, is spelled Tav, Mem, Resh, and means Palm, and was called righteous because she had been treated wrong by Judah, but obtained his authority, respect and power by his own admission stating, And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I 11. And what of Messiahs entering Jerusalem upon a donkey, and all the people regaled Him with praise crying Hosanna as they waved and laid palm branches upon the road for His entrance into the city12. And finally when Messiah restores His people and kingdom upon the earth we read in the book of Revelation that After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 13

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Isa.61:10 Gen.38:26 12 Jn.12:13 13 Rev.7:9-10

Arise & Shine!

This ties into our haftarah, Yeshayahu chapter 60 that reads for us to Arise and Shine! Arise, or qum in Hebrew means to stand up, to affirm, to establish. What are we affirming and establishing? The Light! Who is The Light? Yeshua! And we read on further where were instructed I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.14 Officer comes from the word pek-ood-daw' and it means overseer, to inspect, to watch, to appoint, to remember. Exactor comes from the word naw-gas' and it means taskmaster. When The Father brings us into the land, when we walk in intimacy with Him, He makes our overseer shalom, and our driving taskmaster righteousness! If we operate in obedience regardless of whether our lives are in the valley or on the mountain, then we will experience and have an outpouring of shalom and righteousness in our minds, in our hearts and in our relationships. We read in the book of Matthew I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire15.

Adorned in Righteous Palms

The word we read here in Mattityahu 3:12 for garner in the Greek is the word ap-oth-ay'-kay from Strongs #G659, and it means a repository, a granary, a barn, and it is the same word in the Septuagint as the word used in this weeks parasha for the word basket, or teh'-nehthe righteous palms woven into a tapestry made up of the people of YHVH. And as we stay in Yeshua, who is our basket, we represent those first fruits James speaks about in chapter 1, protected and surrounded by the righteousness and shalom of Yeshua who said

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Isa.60:17 Mt.3:11-12

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid16. Let us not hold back beloved, but like Caleb and Joshua, like Abel, like Yeshua, let us bring our best to demonstrate faith in the covenant YHVH has called us to, and to bless one another as well, because as His chosen royal priesthood what did our Elohim do for the Levitical priesthood? They placed the offerings upon the altar and God invited them to eat of His Holy set apart banquet table and they were always filled! Filled with His Ruach, filled with His Shalom, and filled with the ability to worship Him face to face, set before the altar of sacrifice, gathered under the righteousness of Yeshua. Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Deu 26:10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:

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Jn.14:27