In the Torah reading, one encounters a verse that seems to be inconsistent with the promises of God. It is clear from the Scriptures that the Lord has made an eternal covenant with Israel. Therefore, how is it possible that He would say that if Israel follows after other gods, He will destroy them from the face of the earth? There is no difficulty in reconciling these two seemingly contradictive passages when one reads them exactly as they were written.

The actual text states,

“You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you. For a jealous God is the Lord your God in your midst, lest the anger of the Lord your God will flare up against you and He will destroy you from the face of the earth.”

Deuteronomy 6:14-15

In the first verse of this passage, verse 14, the Lord is commanding the people in a general manner. The “you” is plural, and therefore this prohibition is inclusive to all of Israel. However, in the second verse, verse 15, the “you” is singular, meaning that this verse must be applied to each individual, and not to Israel in a general sense. The implications of this are most significant. God’s covenantal promises to Israel that Israel will endure and be in the Kingdom will be, but only in a general manner. That is, not every Jewish individual will realize these promises, but there will be a remnant that will most certainly experience His faithfulness. In a similar manner, when the Lord states that He will destroy the idol worshipper, He is not speaking to Israel collectively, but individually. This means that each individual Jewish person who chooses to embrace a false deity will suffer the consequence of this action, i.e. eternal destruction. However, there will be a portion of Israel that will not act in this manner, and it is these Jewish individuals who will be the recipients of His promises.

A good example that illustrates this principle is the Exodus from Egypt. The Lord promised to bring Israel into the Promise Land. Yet, all but two individuals died out in the wilderness. Yet, God did bring Israel (the new generation) into the Land. It is very important that one pays attention to the language of the text and notices the changes in the Scripture. When there is a change in the passage, even something as so seemingly insignificant as a change from the plural to the singular, it can have great implications.