Parasha Re'eh - See

        

The word “hypocrisy” comes from a Greek word that was originally used in the world of the theatre. When a Greek actor put on a mask, it was to hide his real self in order to play his role as someone else. Each and every form of hypocrisy is fuelled by pride; what others think of us. I experienced people like that this past week. Pride, I believe, caused them to hide their allegiance to Yeshua because they wanted to be people pleasers instead of God pleasers.

Mark 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."            

Are you ashamed of Yeshua? Are you a true follower of Yeshua? If you are afraid to speak out boldly about your Savior but instead hide behind the excuse of not wanting to offend anyone, if you are ashamed to boldly acknowledge who your Lord is, then Yeshua is very clear in warning you,  

Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. 

That is quite the warning! If you are afraid of what people might think of you when you express your faith in Yeshua, yet you call yourself a Messianic Jew or Christian, you are a hypocrite.  

Are you a follower of Yeshua? A follower is someone who seeks to be like the one they follow. Yeshua was never afraid to confront the Jewish religious Pharisees of His day with the truth. He did it out of love not out of disrespect. He wanted them to see their hypocrisy.   

I am naïve enough to think that when Yeshua says we are to put aside our selfish ambitions if we want to follow Him, that is exactly what He means. I am also naïve enough to believe that if we continue denying our Messiah and continue seeking after pleasing people instead of wanting to see them saved, we will end up losing the most important thing in life and that is life itself. Yeshua said it and I am just naïve enough to believe it.  

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:18 (and I paraphrase): I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God.  

Paul was trying to get through to the Messianic Believers in Corinth that the wisdom and knowledge of the religious establishment, and their refusal to believe in Messiah Yeshua was nothing but foolishness and they were perishing because of it. 

The teachings of Yeshua are hard to accept because it goes against what religious leaders believe and teach. However, to be a follower of Yeshua, means you have to establish a whole new set of priorities, and there are some who are not willing to do that.  

Traditional Judaism is an antichrist religion, and people who, for their selfish reason of not wanting to offend anyone, are willing to let their neighbor perish and go to hell rather than embarrass themselves by preaching the Gospel to them. Sadly, the people I encountered this week have reached a point where the world set the standard and not God.

True followers of Yeshua do not compromise or hide their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah; they just tell it like it is.  Hell had its way Monday night!!  

 

Shabbat Shalom 

Yours in Messiah Yeshua,   

Rabbi Jack  

 

CLICK: https://youtu.be/gP99dPbhnMw To view the Torah commentary on Parasha “Eikev" by Kennedy (Moshe) Mutisya.  

CLICK: https://youtu.be/hyzwtzWtfrs To view the Torah commentary on Parasha “Eikev” by Rabbi Jack.   

CLICK: https://youtu.be/996dWuC6oIg To view the YouTube video of the sermon "Take My Yoke" by Rabbi Jack 

CLICK: https://youtu.be/uEqysoUvhwg To view the YouTube video of the "Shabbat Service" at Etz Chaim Kenya, August 1, 2026.   

  

VISIT our blog: https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com  

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EtzChaimKenya  

CHECKOUT our website and visit when in Kenya: www.etzchaimkenya.com  

  

If you are being blessed by the teachings, sermons and commentaries we share, please consider supporting the ministry. Contact us for more information: daatbina@gmail.com  

  

DONATE using PayPal: https://paypal.me/kenyamission   

No PayPal?  No problem! Contact us for other options.  

*We are not a 401K organization and can not give tax receipts.  

  

Titus 2:13…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua.”  

D’VAR TORAH

RE’EH – SEE

DEVARIM (DEUTERONOMY) 11.26-16.17

Deuteronomy {11:29} "It shall happen, when The Lord your GOD shall bring you into the land where you go to possess it, that you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal. {11:30} Are they not beyond the Jordan, behind the way of the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh?"

What kind of question is the Lord posing here? Certainly, God knows where Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal are located. So why is He asking the children of Israel this question? The answer, I believe, is revealed when we remember what the Lord said at the end of last week's Parasha, Parasha Eikev.

Deuteronomy {11:24} "every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even to the hinder sea shall be your border."

The Lord was obviously asking the children of Israel a rhetorical question. He was aware that they knew where Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal were located. However, in order for the children of Israel to possess the land that these mountains were a part of, their feet had to touch the ground where they were located. True, the Lord was going to give them all the land that the sole of their foot walked upon, but they had to cross the Jordan and claim it; they had to walk on it in order to get it. The Lord’s rhetorical question, I believe, was a prod for the children of Israel for them to get on with it and get in there and start claiming the land.

However, walking on the land to claim it was not the only requirement the Lord had. The children of Israel also had to follow and obey His commandments. That is why the blessings were to be placed on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal. These

mountains were to be Israel’s constant visible reminder in the land that their enjoyment of

the land was dependent on them walking in His commandments.

It seems, at least to me, that by the way the Lord worded His rhetorical question, the children of Israel might have been getting a little too comfortable on the east side of the Jordan. Perhaps they needed a little encouragement, a little verbal rhetoric from the Lord, to get them out of their comfort zone so as to start heading west to claim the land the Lord had given them.

Leviticus {18:26} "You, therefore, shall keep My statutes) and My judgements, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the foreigner who sojourns among you; {18:27} (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled); {18:28} that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. Claiming the land and holding the land were two different things. The children of Israel claimed the land by the soles of their feet, but they held the land or lost the land by receiving either blessings or curses from the Lord, according to their faithfulness. Both claiming the land and holding the land required effort on their part, nothing was going to come easy. In reality, nothing worthwhile ever comes easy."

Our salvation in Yeshua, which gives us entrance into the Kingdom of God, is the only thing that is a free gift from God. After salvation we must, as the apostle Paul put it:

Philippians 2:12 "…work out our own salvation in fear and trembling."

Sanctification, which is growth in observance of the commandments of God, is what Paul meant here. It is what gives us the full enjoyment of our salvation and it depends upon us keeping and walking in the commandments of the Lord. Sometimes when it comes to keeping the commandments, we need a little prodding from the Lord in the obedience area. So, the Lord has to send trials and tests into our lives to keep us moving in the right direction. We know where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do. His Word tells us all that there is to know (it is our Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal), but like the children of Israel we too get into our comfort zones and sometimes refuse to budge; consequently, we do not claim what He has given us. The trials and tests get us moving so that we can claim all the territory (benefits of salvation), that the Lord has promised us. Walking in His commandments helps us to keep the benefits. So, we must say as David said:

Psalm 119:71 "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your Statutes."

Parasha Shoftim - JUDGES

2 Corinthians {6:14} "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? {6:15} What harmony is there between Messiah and Belial ? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?"

Few things are more vital to our spiritual well being as Believers than not being unequally yoked. Yet many Believers give it little regard. Yes, we live in the world, but Yeshua said, we are not of the world. By necessity we need to be in contact with unbelievers and sinners, but we are not to become like them. Yes, it is impossible for us to isolate ourselves in a world filled with unbelievers but even though we move, work and live among them, we must not be contaminated by them. Yeshua was a friend of tax collectors and He ate with sinners, yet He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from them.So, right here lies the problem, a problem of relationships; how to be a friend of sinners and yet at the same time remain separate from sinners. By-the-way, this issue of not being unequally yoked is not only for marriages, it is actually wider reaching than that. In fact, in the passage we read marriage is not the primary issue. Unequally yoked takes in a whole spectrum of relationships and partnerships and reminds us, that as Believers our first loyalty is to the Lord and being separated unto Him is essential to us walking with Him and knowing Him in a deeper and more intimate way. 

Being unequally yoked has to do with our relationships. Notice what the Scripture says, “14) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” So, the principle of unequal yoking affects our relationships with all unbelievers. It is about our interpersonal relationships, it is about the limits we need to place on our fellowship, friendships, partnerships and any other personal contact we have with unbelievers.

The idea of an unequal yoking comes from a farming analogy where two animals of differing kinds and strength are coupled together in order to plough a field; a practice which was forbidden in Torah. A yoke is a harness which joins two animals' side by side and obviously if a stronger more dominant animal is joined with a weaker one both animals are going to suffer. In particular the weaker animal is going to be damaged by the pull of the stronger. In the spiritual sense, unequally yoked is speaking about Believers forming a bond with unbelievers. That is what the text says; “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.”  The word unbeliever in the Greek, the language Paul used to write this scripture, means; “someone who is faithless, someone who is skeptical of the things of God, someone who is not trusting in Messiah Yeshua.” That is what is in view here, and the idea is that a Believer is not to enter into any formal arrangement, any kind of binding partnership, any covenant or contract or tie with those who are in unbelief. Why? Because the relationship according to the Word of God will be damaging to their spiritual life. You see an unequal yoke equals an unbalanced relationship.

Surely one of Satan’s greatest devices for the crippling of Believers has been "The Unequal Yoke principle." His one object is to drag Believers down from their higher road in Messiah Yeshua to the lowest levels of the world. Take heed, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers…” but rather… “come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” 

 

CLICK: https://youtu.be/2B446isTqMs To view the Torah commentary on Parasha “Re'eh" by Adin (Job) Azgad and the Haftarah commentary by Naomi Mwangi. 

CLICK: https://youtu.be/Red7amW3DK8 To view the Torah commentary on Parasha “Re'eh” by Rabbi Jack.   

CLICK: https://youtu.be/Ao3ZantG8pE To view the YouTube video of the sermon "I Am The Light" by Rabbi Jack 

CLICK: https://youtu.be/cNlnu07RDPc To view the YouTube video of the "Shabbat Service" at Etz Chaim Kenya, August 8, 2026.   

  

VISIT our blog: https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com  

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EtzChaimKenya  

CHECKOUT our website and visit when in Kenya: www.etzchaimkenya.com  

  

If you are being blessed by the teachings, sermons and commentaries we share, please consider supporting the ministry. Contact us for more information: daatbina@gmail.com  

  

DONATE using PayPal: https://paypal.me/kenyamission   

No PayPal?  No problem! Contact us for other options.  

*We are not a 401K organization and can not give tax receipts.  

  

Titus 2:13 "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua.”  

D’VAR TORAH

SHOFTIM – JUDGES

DEVARIM (DEUTERONOMY) 16.18-21.9

Deuteronomy {16:18} “Judges and officers shall you make in all your gates, which the Lord your GOD gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgements. {16:19} You shall not wrest justice: you shall not respect persons; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. {16:20} That which is altogether just shall you follow, that you may live, and inherit the land which the Lord your GOD gives you. {16:21} You shall not plant an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the Altar of the Lord your GOD, which you shall make. {16:22} Neither shall you set up a pillar; which the Lord your GOD hates.”

This week’s Parasha begins with the Lord giving the commandment to always be impartial in our judgements and never accept a bribe. I think we all know all too well, and it goes without saying, that a bribe or gift can and will cloud judgement. I was extremely cautious, as a rabbi not to encourage anyone to give me large gifts, especially money. I emphasize the word large because small gifts can be expressions of appreciation and sometimes that is acceptable in an appropriate situation. However, I can see how a large gift or one given with the wrong motives could have clouded my judgement and perhaps caused me not to properly correct or discipline someone.  Righteous judgements and the giving of bribes are very important subjects and I could certainly write an entire commentary on them. However, they are not what struck me as I read through this Torah Parasha. These are the verses that stood out:

Deuteronomy {16:21} “You shall not plant an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the Altar of the Lord your GOD, which you shall make. {16:22} Neither shall you set you up a pillar; which the Lord your GOD hates.”

We can see that the Lord is adamant about not setting up Asherah of any kind of tree or to set up any kinds of pillars next to His Altar of burnt offerings. An Asherah pole or pillar is a symbol of pagan worship. The pagan nations Israel was going to dispossess, especially the Canaanites, used to set up these carved trees and poles in their religious locations as part of their pagan reverence for their satanic gods. The Lord does not want His people to have anything to do with this or any other type of pagan practice. He especially does not want us to mix pagan practices with our worship of Him. 

What significance does this commandment have for us today? Much I would say, because sadly, most Christian denominations mix pagan practices with the worship of the One True God. For one, they have incorporated the pagan symbol of a decorated tree (Christmas tree) and have associated it with the worship of the birth of our Messiah Yeshua. In addition, many Christian denominations have incorporated Easter eggs, a symbol of the Mesopotamian goddess of sexual love and fertility into the worship of the resurrection of Yeshua. There are even some denominations that have incorporated polytheism into their beliefs through the practice of praying to saints. Unwittingly they falsely believe that these “saints” can intercede for them with God when in truth they are praying to dead people, something practiced by Taoism.  

However, Christians are not the only guilty ones. Judaism has incorporated the ancient Egyptian symbol associated with the moon goddess Tania into their belief system. The “hamsa hand” also known as the “hand of Mary and the hand of Miriam,” along with the symbol of the “all seeing eye” which are both of pagan origin, and have made them a part of Judaism to this day. Judaism has also incorporated the teaching and practicing of kabbalah: a form of Jewish mysticism that, among other abominations, teaches astral projection and reincarnation. However, kabbalah does not stop with Judaism! Even Messianic Jews have allowed kabbalah practices to creep into their teachings. As well, countless Believers keep copies of the Koran, the Book of Mormon and other books that teach abominations, in their homes and think nothing of it. Then there is the practice of keeping statues of Buddha and other satanic, pagan deity symbols in homes as decorations. 

 

Deuteronomy {7:26} “Neither shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be a cursed thing like it: but you shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.”

We cannot be double minded. We either worship God with all our soul, with all our might, with all our hearts and Him only or we pervert our worship of Him by incorporating foreign pagan practices into our worship.  

Matthew {7:13} “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. {7:14} But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to salvation and only a few shall find it.”

Parashot Nitzavim-Vayeilech (YOU ARE STANDING—HE WENT)

Genesis {2:18}  “It is not good for the man to be alone.” 

            

Note: What I am about to share is applicable to all men and women: young, old, married and single.  

            

Romance is God’s idea! God created the two sexes with a “need” for each other. The entire book of Song of Solomon discusses romance, marriage and sex. God created marriage and sex to be great and satisfying. Sex is the reason each of us is alive and here today reading this! God created us with romantic desires and He wants us to fulfil those desires in the correct way. Going our own way causes tons of problems; divorce, unplanned pregnancies, STDs and damaged children.    There are God given rules for sex, following them produces the best and most satisfying sex possible. It provides the security and stability needed for a truly satisfying relational, emotional, spiritual, physical and progressive sex life. Sex within marriage is safe and actually contributes to the overall relationship. Premarital sex typically pulls people apart. Doing it God’s way draws couples together. 

            

Attraction plays a big role in relationships. You can be attracted to a kitten and a puppy but that does mean you get sexually involved with them. The same goes for attraction to a guy or a girl. You will be attracted to many different individuals but attraction does not equal romance or sex. Letting attraction lead you will get you into more trouble than you can imagine. Attraction is a feeling which can be good or bad depending on who is in  control. Attraction should never lead you; you lead it. You need to decide what and who you will allow yourself to be attracted to. If attraction controls you, you lose your self-respect. You jeopardize an abundant life with God, freedom, fulfilment, reputation, confidence, purity and the satisfying sex that God intended for you and your spouse. You will lose your life calling, purpose and the fruitfulness God had planned for you. The ripple effect of doing it your way outside of marriage will lead to guilt, shame, broken relationships and sexual frustration! Ultimately you will lose eternity with God. Do it God’s way and you win the abundant life, freedom, fulfilment, your reputation, confidence, purity and the satisfying sex God intended for you within your marriage.  

            

1 Corinthians {6:19-20} "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 

            

The idea that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit means that they are sacred and should be treated with respect and dignity. This passage also reminds us that we were "bought at a price," referring to the sacrifice Yeshua made for us. Reflecting on this immense sacrifice should inspire us to strive for purity and self-control, recognizing that our bodies are valuable and worthy of being honored in every way, including how we manage our sexual desires. This does not mean that the struggle with sexual temptation is not real or that overcoming it is easy. It acknowledges the challenge but also points to a higher calling of living in a way that honors God. 

Shabbat Shalom 

Rabbi Jack 

 

CLICK https://youtu.be/KsjvoEV-a8w To view the Torah commentary on Haftarah Parasha “Ki Tavo" by Mirriam Minayo. 

CLICK: https://youtu.be/EuVZt3QFeLA To view the Torah commentary on Parasha “Ki Tavo” by Rabbi Jack.   

CLICK:https://youtu.be/-YtcAKqS5ik To view the YouTube video of the sermon "Hope In God" by Rabbi Jack 

CLICK: https://youtu.be/nBtiW2qocFI To view the YouTube video of the "Shabbat Service" at Etz Chaim Kenya, August 29, 2026.   

  

VISIT our blog: https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com  

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EtzChaimKenya  

CHECKOUT our website and visit when in Kenya: www.etzchaimkenya.com  

  

If you are being blessed by the teachings, sermons and commentaries we share, please consider supporting the ministry. Contact us for more information: daatbina@gmail.com  

  

DONATE using PayPal: https://paypal.me/kenyamission   

No PayPal?  No problem! Contact us for other options.  

*We are not a 401K organization and can not give tax receipts.  

  

Titus 2:13…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua.”  

D’VAR TORAH

NITZAVIM- VAYEILECH 

YOU ARE STANDING—HE WENT

DEVARIM/DEUTERONOMY {29:10} - {31:30}

NITZAVIM

Deuteronomy {29:10} “You stand this day all of you before the Lord your GOD; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, {29:11} your little ones, your wives, and your sojourner who is in the midst of your camps, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water; {29:12} that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your GOD, and into His oath, which the Lord your GOD makes with you this day; {12:13} that He may establish you this day to Himself for a people, and that He may be to you a GOD, as He spoke to you, and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. {12:14} Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, {12:15} but with him who stands here with us this day before the Lord our GOD, and also with him who is not here with us this day….”

If you are a Born-Again Believer in Messiah Yeshua then Moses is speaking about you! Because you are connected to the covenant made by the Lord to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, since you are connected to the covenant you are also connected to the people and the land of Israel. As Believers our citizenship and home are in heaven, but our earthly, physical homeland is Israel. Why is Israel our homeland, because Yeshua is going to rule and reign from Israel for one thousand years, and we are told that where He is we will be also? 

Revelation {20:6} “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Messiah and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

 

It does not matter what country in the world you are now living in, or where you were born. Every time you read in the Torah (the first five books of Moshe) and apply the covenants to your life and make them applicable in your life, you connect yourself to the God of Israel. Your connection with the covenants connects you with the people and the land of Israel and, therefore Israel is your homeland! 

Today, if you were not born into a Jewish family by a Jewish mother, Israeli law does not allow you to become a citizen of Israel. But that will all change when Messiah Yeshua returns. What I am saying here does not apply to the Christian Church in general, many have rejected their connection to Israel, but it does, in my opinion, apply to any Believer, Jew or Gentile who has embraced Yeshua their Lord and Savior and are walking in the light of Torah and its commandments, as they are applicable today. It is especially true of Believers in Messiah Yeshua who have associated themselves with a Messianic Jewish congregation (both Jew and Gentile), and are living a Torah centered lifestyle.  

You are connected to the covenant because you were standing with the children of Israel when they received the Divine Covenant from God at Mount Sinai as described in the scripture passages, I quoted. Remember not all who came out of Egypt with Moses were Israelites, a mixed multitude of slaves of other nationalities including Egyptians came out with them, and they were all standing together when Moses proclaimed:

Deuteronomy {29:14} “Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, {29:15} but with him who stands here with us this day before the Lord our GOD, and also with him who is not here with us this day…”

As a non-Jew who has embraced the God of Israel and has aligned yourself with the covenants of Torah, one day you will be able to pick which tribe you want to belong to and receive your inheritance in the land of Israel: 

Ezekiel {47:23} "And it will come about that in the tribe with which the alien stays, there you shall give him his inheritance," declares the Lord GOD.”

VAYEILECH 

Deuteronomy {31:26} “Take this Book of the Torah, and put it by the side of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your GOD, that it may be there for a witness against you. {31:27} For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death? {31:28} Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. {31:29} For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”

This is quite the rebuke Moses gave to the children of Israel. They were not thrilled with Moses in the first place because he had often rebuked them for their irresponsible, rebellious, stiff-necked behavior. Now, in his old age and just weeks away from his death, he calls the children of Israel, their elders and leaders together, to rebuke them again.  

You would be hard pressed to find many leaders today that are as blunt and honest to their flock as Moses was to the children of Israel. Some leaders I have encountered try their hardest to placate their members so as to keep peace within the congregation. They think that the Renewed (New) Covenant requires them to always be kind, compassionate and loving. However, their motives may not always be so altruistic. Many, because they do not want their attendance to decrease, resulting in their tithing going down, are not prone to rebuke. So, they become peacemakers for reasons of compromise and not really because of kindness and love. However, sometimes being kind, compassionate and loving to someone does require being blunt and in some cases being brutally honest, just like Moses. 

Revelation {3:19} “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

These are the words of Yeshua. In addition, read these Scripture passages written by Paul:

1 Timothy {5:20} “Those that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”

2 Timothy {4:2} “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

Titus {2:15} “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise you.”

 

Was Yeshua cold, unfeeling or lacking in love; never! Was the Apostle Paul lacking in love when he said these things to Timothy and Titus? Of course not! Sometimes loving someone requires telling them the truth about themselves?

What if you were invited into the office of your rabbi or pastor and he told you something the likes of what Moses told the children of Israel; how would you react? Suppose he said you were being rebellious and stiff-necked, but you rejected his warnings, labeling him cruel, unloving, harsh and unkind. Suppose he then came straight out and told you that because of your attitude you were going to utterly corrupt yourself and that all kinds of evil would befall you because you refused to listen to the voice of wisdom and reason. Would you continue to choose your own path and simply ignore what you were told? Well, that is exactly what the children of Israel eventually did! They refused to listen to reason and Scripture is replete with what happened to them because of it. 

Sometimes we need to be rebuked in order to get back on the right path. I do not know about you, but I would much rather have a leader that told it to me like it is, than one that wanted to placate me so as to maintain peace. That kind of peace is not from God; it is a false peace that would ultimately lead both to destruction. 

Blessings, Rabbi Jack