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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. (Deuteronomy 28:13)

When the one who would later be called Israel was first born, he was given the name Jacob (Hebrew is יעקב Ya’akov). His name meant “hand on a heel” reflecting the fact that, when he was born, his hand was literally grasping the heel of his twin brother, Esau. I have long believed that, rather than demonstrating an attempt to supplant his brother, Jacob’s hand was on Esau’s heel to prevent his brother’s heel from crushing his head. In short, from his birth, Jacob — and by extension the people of Israel — were always having to be on guard for those who wished to destroy them.

The prophecy given to the boys’ mother, Rebekah, stated that these two nations would be in competition with one another vying for preeminence. If one grew strong, the other would grow weaker until, in the end, the younger (Jacob) obtained ultimate dominance over the older (Esau). All of this is to say that it was always God’s intention that His people Israel would rise above their enemies and master them, thus becoming the “head and not the tail.” At the same time, God often used their enemies to be a rod of correction when Israel strayed into unbelief and disobedience, hence the reminder to “heed the commandments of the LORD.”

This promise is just as true and valid today as it was then. When we are following the Messiah in the way that is expected of us, we can have dominance over our enemies. In fact, Yeshua said that we have been given “the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). But I dare say that this authority is active only when we are walking as we should. In other words, when we, by the Spirit and Word of God, suppress our own carnal tendencies, we can demonstrate the authority that has been given to us from above. So then, let us take heart in knowing that we are called the “head and not the tail” because we have submitted ourselves completely to the Master and Head of all things.

Blessings and Shalom,  

 

Bill 

 

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