Daily Thoughts from Deuteronomy 5:25-31: Laws (Mitzvot)

7. Laws (Mitzvot)

Yahweh heard what you people were saying when you spoke to me, and Yahweh said to me, ‘I have heard what this people has said when speaking to you, and everything they have said is good.  Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my mitzvot; so that it would go well with them and their children forever.  Go, tell them to return to their tents.  But you, stand here by me; and I will tell you all the mitzvot, laws and rulings which you are to teach them, so that they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.

(D’varim 5:25-31)

The morning broke grey with clouds and as he forced open his eyes and looked out the face of the cave he was jolted into alert, for he swore he saw some creature pass before the opening on the other side of the fire pit.  His first instinct was to brandish his walking staff and he grabbed it and sat still for several minutes waiting for he did not know what.  But eventually, as nothing transpired, he peeked out of the cave opening and saw no threat nearby.

But now surely, with the rain softened ground there would be prints and indeed there were.  As he had thought they looked like the paw prints of some large cat and they proceeded right by his cave and then down the slope and away to the west around the escarpment.

This both heartened him and disturbed him.  He had been sure this was some trial of satan and it might still be but now it seemed that all the time it was a very substantial creature that he was dealing with and not some demonic spirit.  His nerves were a bit of a mess.

He took a draught of the newly collected rainwater and noticed that as his nervousness subsided his hunger became more apparent.  He was used to this from past experiences of fasting.  There would be days when hunger would raise its demands and days when it wasn’t so loud.  Today was loud.

He felt driven to D’varim.  Moshe was continuing his messages to Yisrael as they prepared to enter Canaan and this one was about covenant, b’rit.  The ten words Yahweh had spoken on Sinai and etched on stone were the basis of all the mitzvot.  He imagined being there then and what it must have sounded like, the loud voice of Yahweh rumbling from the mountain, the earth shaking and the air full of that very experience he had had upon waking.  It felt dangerous.

Yahweh had wished that Yisrael could stay in this posture of deep respect for Him that led to obedience.  But it didn’t seem that his people had maintained that awe.  John’s preaching had done much good and awe was being properly directed once again to the coming King.

“Father, use me to teach Your mitzvot, to help our people see You more clearly than ever.”

He spent the rest of the day thinking about how to do just that, even as he went about taking care of the daily gathering of fuel for fire and exploring the yeshimon.  He kept an eye out for the cat that had been hunting him it seemed, though he did not know what he would do if he came upon it.

He did come upon a small grove of tamarisk, more bush size than tree size, but host to many creatures nonetheless.  That was what the kingdom was like.  A living tree that nurtured the lives of its inhabitants, a place of shelter and life.  This was how he could explain the kingdom to whomever would listen.

As another night approached his thoughts turned to safety.  Somehow the dark seemed less safe than the day.  To spend any time outside the cave seemed reckless.  People needed the light to walk in and the safety that God gave to those who were the children of the light.  God’s children could be such light to others.

The light of his fire gave him a sense of safety.  He felt weary and knew that lack of food was taking its toll on his strength.  He fell asleep quickly.  He woke and the moon and stars had moved little in the sky, so he knew he had not slept long.  Something did not feel right.

Then he saw it.  Two small red points of light, like the sunset restricted to two small orbs.  Eyes?  They were some distance off but seemed to be looking right at him.  He suddenly preferred to hear the growl or even roar of a cat, because that would feel explainable.  This made the hair on his neck stand up.

“Father, I am frightened!”

“I am with you my Son, fear not.”

The eyes disappeared.  A feeling of calm rolled over him and though disturbed much by what had happened he was able to sleep again.  As he dozed off he wondered how much of this he was going to have to endure.