Deut. 1:1 – Deut. 3:22
In this week’s Torah Portion the forty years of wandering in the wilderness are finally coming to an end. It is the eleventh month of the fortieth year and Moses begins to share his final words with the children of Israel.
The name of this week’s Torah Portion is “דברים,” pronounced “devarim,” which can either mean “words” or “things.” The word “devarim” appears in the first verse and within the first few words of the Torah Portion; “These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel…” (Deut. 1:1). It is clear in this context that the word “devarim” used here means “words.”
Watch this video for a brief introduction to this week’s commentary!
The Fifth Book of the Law
The book of Deuteronomy was written as a farewell address to the sons of Israel from their leader Moses. Since Moses gives us the date that he began to deliver this address to the sons of Israel we can conclude that he more than likely took no more then a few weeks to deliver and compose the whole book.
It is recorded that Moses began to speak to the sons of Israel on the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year (Deut. 1:3). It is also recorded that Moses finished the “writing of the words of this law in a book until they were complete” (Deut. 31:23). Obviously Joshua or someone else must have completed the last chapter, which records the death of Moses (Deut. 34).
After the death of Moses the people wept and mourned for him for thirty days (Deut. 34:8). Finally, we know that Joshua and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered into the Promised Land on the tenth day of the first month (Joshua 4:19). We can therefore conclude that Moses completed the book of Deuteronomy (for his part) within the span of five and a half weeks at the most, from the first day of the eleventh month until the tenth day of the twelfth month, the approximate date when Moses died.
The Life of Moses
The book of Deuteronomy contains the final words of the humblest man on the face of the earth of that time (Num. 12:3). Moses was 120 years old when he died and he had experienced three forty-year segments of life;
- Forty years of growing up as a prince in Egypt
- Forty years tending the flocks and raising a family in the land of Midian
- Forty years leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, wandering around the desert, and arriving to the edge of the Promised Land.
Moses had a unique relationship with God, meeting with God almost daily during his last forty years (Num. 12:6-8). Moses was a man of God with an amazing life who had much to say before he left this earth. This week we begin to study the last book of Moses.
One of the first things that Moses let’s the reader know early on in this book of Deuteronomy is that the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land didn’t turnout as originally expected: “It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel” (Deut. 1:2-3). A journey that should have taken eleven days took forty years. Why? Moses continued his discourse to explain this.
The Journey of the Israelites
Moses explained how the LORD sent them away from Mt. Horeb until they arrived at Kadesh-barnea (Deut. 1:6-20). From Kadesh-barnea Moses sent out the twelve spies who then returned after 40 days and explained to all of the people about the goodness of the Land (Deut. 1:21-25). But then the story takes a turn for the worse.
Moses had commanded the people to go up and take possession of the Land but the people did not listen. Moses explained the reaction of the people:
Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.’ (Deut. 1:26-27)
The people feared going up to take the Land, rebelled against the LORD God, and believed the lie of the enemy. They shrunk back in fear and rejected the promise of God (Deut. 1:28).
Moses tried to persuade the people to trust in the LORD who redeemed them from Egypt, carried them through the fiery desert, and led them faithfully in fire by night and in the cloud by day (Deut. 1:29-33). The people, however, were not persuaded and as a result, God’s anger flared up against them:
Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, ‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully.’ The LORD was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it. Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it. But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’ – Deut. 1:34-40
A whole generation of people were unable to enter the Promised Land because of unbelief. Even Moses and Aaron were forbidden to enter the Land because of their unbelief along the way (Num. 20:12). Only Caleb and Joshua were able to enter the Land along with the next generation of Israelites. What was it that set Caleb and Joshua apart from all of the others?
Following Hard After God
Caleb and Joshua were two of the twelve spies and although they also saw the giants in the Land along with the fortified cities, they believed that the God who led them out of Egypt was greater than any other force in this world (Num. 14:6-9). The LORD Himself rewarded the faith of Caleb and Joshua, however, He then goes on to give a specific reason for allowing Caleb to enter the Land: “…Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully” (Deut. 1:36). This same statement is made about Joshua as well in the book of Numbers (Num. 32:12).
Moses recorded in these verses how the LORD declared that Caleb was a man who “followed the LORD fully.” This expression in Hebrew is “מלא אחרי יהוה” – “mileh acherei Adonai,” which translated literally means “fully after the LORD.” Used in context it clearly means to “follow fully after the LORD,” as most English translations have. There was no doubt in Caleb’s mind regarding the ability and power of God to do as He said He would. Both Caleb and Joshua believed God and were ready to go up and conquer the Land, which they would do forty years later. There is an excellent song that illustrates this principle of following hard after God by Jason Upton called Will of God.
The Distinctiveness of Caleb
Both Joshua and Caleb pleased the LORD with their lives and actions, however, Moses focused on Caleb in this first chapter of his last book as he reminded the people that Caleb followed the LORD fully. What was unique and special about this man Caleb?
Caleb was a leader of his tribe, the tribe of Judah. Judah was the exalted tribe having primacy in leading the people and being the tribe from which the Messiah would one day come forth (Gen. 49:10). Did Caleb’s courage spring forth from his tribal affiliation? Did Caleb come from a long line of men of faith? Who were the ancestors of Caleb?
Caleb is always referred to as the son of Jephunneh (Deut. 1:36), however, his lineage beyond that of his father is not very clear. In the book of First Chronicles we find the genealogies of the sons of Israel. In the genealogy of the tribe of Ephraim, Joshua and his ancestry are clearly listed (1 Chronicles 7:20-27). Within these lists of tribal ancestry is also the tribe of Judah, up to and including King David. In this genealogy of Judah there is a “Caleb” mentioned, however, he is called Caleb the son of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2:18). He is not the same Caleb.
Caleb’s Family Tree
In First Chronicles chapter four there is another genealogy of Judah which lists Caleb the son of Jephunneh: “The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah and Naam; and the son of Elah was Kenaz” (1 Chronicles 4:15). This is clearly the Caleb that is spoken of as the man who “followed fully after the LORD” and there is a listing of his own children here, however, there is no genealogy for Caleb before his father, Jephunneh. Caleb and his father Jephunneh seem to appear without any known lineage. Who were the ancestors of Caleb and Jephunneh?
The missing clue appears in the book of Numbers. In this parallel account of God’s judgement on the people for their unbelief, the LORD stated:
“None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD fully.” – Num. 32:11-12
Caleb is referred to in this account as “Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite.” This same ancestral link of Caleb to the Kenizzites is also mentioned in Joshua 14:6. Caleb and his father are listed as Kenizzites. Who were the Kenizzites?
The Kenizzites were the descendants of Kenaz. Kenaz was the grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:10-11) and Kenaz was a chief among his people (Gen. 36:15). Esau was the father of the Edomites. Therefore, it can be concluded that Caleb the Kenizzite was from the line of Esau, the Edomite. How did Caleb the Edomite become part of the sons of Israel? This is a great question! We don’t know exactly. More than likely, Caleb’s father, Jephunneh, left his people, the Kenizzites who were part of the Edomites, and joined himself to the people of Israel.
Joining the People of God
One thing I discovered in a rabbinic source while researching the ancestry of Caleb is that his father’s name “Jephunneh” can mean “one who turns away.” The Hebrew rendering of this name is “יפנה” pronounced “yefuneh” and comes from the Hebrew root “פנה” – “panah” which means “to turn.” If Jephunneh was the one who left his ancestors, the Kenizzites, and joined the sons of Israel then it would be natural for him to take a new name. The name “Jephunneh” which can mean “one who turns” would be quite fitting for someone who has left one people to join another.
In the Turkish language there is actually a parallel to this understanding of one who turns away. The Turkish verb “donmek” means “to turn” and the term “donme” is a noun form which means “one who turns.” Some of you may be familiar with Middle Eastern meat called “doner” which comes from the same root and gets its name from the meat which turns on the fire.
This term “donme” in the Turkish language and culture refers to one who has left his people and religion to join another people and religion. This term was specifically used for the Jewish people who lived under the Ottoman rule who converted from Judaism to Islam to save their lives. Today the term “donme” is still used in Turkey to refer to Turks with a Jewish sounding sir name.
Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite was a man who proved himself to be fully committed to the God and people of Israel. It seems clear that Caleb’s father, or possibly another ancestor, left the people of Edom to join the children of Israel in Egypt. We see in the life of Caleb that although God chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as a special people to represent Him on this earth, God is more concerned with faith and belief in Him rather than simple genealogy. Caleb the Kenizzite was a man who followed fully after the LORD and Caleb and Joshua were both honored above the whole nation of Israel for their faith in Him.
I believe that Moses focused on the complete devotion of Caleb through his following fully after the LORD in this week’s Torah Portion to emphasize this very point that despite the fact that God chose the Israelites to be His “Chosen People,” God loves the whole world and is concerned for the life of every human being. It also confirms the words written in the New Testament: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him” (Romans 10:12). Even though Caleb became part of the nation of Israel, we can say that Caleb had a Gentile background. When Joshua and Caleb entered into the Promised Land, as the only two from the first generation over 20 years old who came out of Egypt, they entered into the Land as Jew and Gentile in the faith of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The Bible tells us that God is searching for those who will follow fully after Him: “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chron. 16:9). We all, both Jew or Gentile, can learn a great lesson from the life of Caleb; to live a life following fully after the heart of our God. Let us be those who Follow Hard After God!
Shabbat Shalom!
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Torah Portion: Deut. 1:1 – Deut. 3:22
Hafatara: Isaiah 1:1-27
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