CANDLEGLOW LESSON: EKEV Week 46
(Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25)
“Some day your child will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of the instructions, laws and rulings which ADONAI our God has laid down for you?’ Then you will tell your child, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and ADONAI brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. ADONAI worked great and terrible signs and wonders against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household, before our very eyes. He brought us out from there in order to bring us to this land he had sworn to our ancestors that he would give us. ADONAI ordered us to observe all these laws, to fear ADONAI our God, always for our own good, so that he might keep us alive as we are today. It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to obey all these mitzvot before ADONAI, our God, just as He ordered us to do.’” (Deuteronomy 6:20-25 CJB)
This is the lesson of Remembering…To Remember. The stories in the books of Moses resonate in our hearts. The more we immerse in Torah, the more our thoughts revolve around the truth. The more we feast in the Garden of Torah, the greater our zeal to feed those around us. It is in this ancient, cyclical way of studying Torah that we make the journey with God’s Nation, covered in His manifold presence, power, and pre-eminence, flowing through our lives today.
This is the lesson of Remembering…To Remember. In opposition to remembering is the progression of falling away; because of forgetting to remember what Adonai has commanded that we hold dear. When our focus shifts, little by little, to the world around us, the shift results in forgetting to remember, and eventually ceasing to care. May we awaken from our slumber with a jolt! Remember, today is the day the Lord has made, because of His love for His own!
This is the lesson of Remembering…To Remember. Our life on earth is a journey lived one step at a time. Adonai is patient as we learn to walk with Him. Step by step, lesson by lesson, verse by verse, we grow into mature sons and daughters for the Kingdom. The blueprint is woven stitch by stitch, by His sovereign hand, and our obedience to it. May we remember to seek Him in His Tabernacle, all the days of our lives.
CANDLEGLOW LESSON FOR SHABBAT
Remembering to remember is a command of the Lord for His children. He requires us to respond to Him, as He awakens us to His presence. As we learn more of Him, we will remember back to a time before we knew the bright trustworthiness of His character, the holy names He asks to be called, and their meanings, and His bold love and promise to Israel and to us, His wild olive branch.
The Sabbath is a call to remember! From the very first Sabbath rest for the Hebrew people in the desert of Mt. Sinai, as they denied themselves the compulsion to gather the food from heaven (the manna) on the seventh day, instead of resting and waiting for the Lord to provide all they needed as he promised, the process of remembering to remember began for the nation.
The nation had to reflect back on how the week before, there was a double portion of manna, just as the Lord promised, so their Sabbath rest would also include enough food to satisfy. This is the lesson of remembering to remember His goodness, His trustworthiness, His promises which have been proven over time, to His children of the light.
This beautiful remembering should be part of every Sabbath table. As we gather to light a beautifully prepared table in honor of our Lord, the fruitfulness and bounty of God’s goodness should be the topic of our conversation. Think about it. As we prepare for our Shabbat table and light the two candles which symbolize the command to ‘hear and obey’ from the Lord, we are invited not only to rest in His goodness, but to expound on His greatness to those at our table with us. This is the full circle of the blessing of Shabbat. We can find the abundant life at the table of abundance, by celebrating the goodness of God in our lives. This is just as much a part of our Sabbath rest, as releasing every care and concern to Him as we seek our rest.
As you remember to remember this Sabbath night, immerse in the glow of the candles and the beauty of the God of the Bible. The powerful unveiling of the Lord is there, from Genesis to the final words in the Revelation! May we invite the Lord to come and sup with us as we rest and revel in His goodness.
Shabbat Shalom dear treasured people.
Sydney