Va'etchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)

When most people think of “the Law of Moses,” they don’t get warm fuzzies. But God’s people shouldn’t be like most people. According to this week’s Torah portion, God’s people should be the exception to the rule. We should have a connection with the Torah deep within our hearts. Through Moses, God told the Children of Israel that, when they took His commandments seriously and lived them out, the nations would recognize this and praise God:

See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? (Deuteronomy 4:5–8)

Yeshua alludes to this in the Sermon on the Mount when he commissioned his disciples (past, presence, and future) to live a life that exemplifies a Torah-centric life:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)