Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you. (Deuteronomy 7:12-13)
As we shared in the previous devotion, the word translated as “because” carries a much richer meaning than what the English word conveys. Again, the word עקב ekev is typically translated as “heel” and implies that which is underneath our feet, or in other words, things we might consider as insignificant. However, what begins small — when it is of God — can grow into something strong and mighty. This principle can be seen in all of our lives if we have been born again. What started as a “seed” — the Word that impregnated our hearts — provokes growth in our lives that eventually translates into fruit that, in turn, brings glory unto our Father.
Interestingly, this same word, ekev, is the root of the name, Jacob –- or in Hebrew, יעקב Ya’akov. The only difference is the addition of the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, י yod, which interestingly enough, is symbolic of a “hand.” So in short, the name Ya’akov (Jacob) literally means, “hand on a heel.” It should be obvious to us all why he would be named such. But moving past this point, we must also acknowledge that later in life Jacob was renamed Israel, or in Hebrew, ישראל Yisrael. The root of this name is thematically related to the word ראש rosh or “head.” And so in Jacob/Israel, we see a life that started as small and seemingly insignificant to most — he was beneath the heel of Esau — but grew into a nation through which God spoke to and affected the entire world.
Dare I say, that what we see in the “heel” hints at the greater potential; the fruition of that potential becomes reality when the “head” appears, which is to say, the fruit that is produced by the seed. And so the “reward” of fearing Him, loving Him and keeping His commands is to be transformed from what is small and seemingly insignificant into being the “head.” Lives that don’t mature in God’s Word will never be fulfilled and unfulfilled people will be unhappy. So then, happiness, fruitfulness and blessing comes only by being in concert with God’s Will and it is His Will that we be blessed. In that vein of thought, let us close with this passage Moses pronounced upon God’s people:
“And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.” (Deuteronomy 28:13)
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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