| Shelach |
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| Written by Carl & Julie Parker | |
| Thursday, 19 June 2008 | |
ScripturesNumbers 13:1 to 15:41 At this stage in our readings through the first five books of the Bible, the Israelites have been in the Wilderness two years and are now camped in the Desert of Paran at a place called Kadesh. This location was about a three-day journey from Mount Sinai on the northeastern section of the Sinai Peninsula. Numbers 13:1-25 Exploring The LandIn this study we have the test of exploring the Land promised to Abraham and his descendants. This was the first time in 400 years the Twelve Tribes of Israel were able to see with their own eyes the Promised Land. YHVH asked Moses to send out one leader from each tribe to go ahead of the group and explore the land. Among the twelve men chosen were Caleb from the tribe of Judah and Hoshea from the tribe of Ephraim. Before they departed, Moses changed Hoshea’s name to Yoshua (Joshua). Moses told them that when they entered the land, they were to travel from the desert regions of the Negev up into the hill country to see what the land was like. He asked them specifically to discern how fertile the land was and to bring a report back of who lived in the land, what the people were like and about the cities. He also asked them to bring back fruit from the land, as it would be the beginning of the grape season. The men left and for forty days explored the land just as Moses asked. While in the Valley of Eshcol, meaning cluster, just north of Hebron, they picked a cluster of grapes so heavy two men had to carry it between them on a pole. They also brought pomegranates and figs back with them to the camp. The fruit portrays a prophetic picture. The Land of Israel is synonymous with Torah and life in the Living Torah/Yeshua. The two men carrying the fruit can be likened to the two witnesses of YHVH, the House of Israel and the House of Judah united as one, who carry the testimony of the resurrected life in Messiah Yeshua. YHVH’s Word bears abundant fruit in the lives of those who taste and see that YHVH’s Word is good. We are also called to be fruit inspectors, signifying meditating and walking in the understanding of the Word. The single cluster of grapes represents the Whole House of Israel as Yeshua’s firstfruits, those who have received His atoning blood sacrifice and the cup of His covenant of Redemption for their lives. Pomegranates have been traditionally thought to have 613 seeds and represent the six hundred and thirteen commandments found in the Torah, while figs are thought to represent those who had been outside Torah now returning to God’s teaching and instruction. The whole picture together represents those who have the Messiah on their heart and walk in the redemptive holy lifestyle of the Torah. This is called the order of Melchizedek in the Spirit of Elijah/Yeshua.
Numbers 13:26-45 Report on the ExplorationThe twelve prominent leaders returned to camp. They showed the people the fruit from the Land (Torah) then gave the community a bad report of what they saw in it. These leaders of Israel maligned the Land/Torah, calling it “a land that devours its inhabitants.” They discredited Torah and YHVH’s plan among the people. Doing this profaned His Holy Name. They lacked vision and trust in YHVH and brought fear among the people. This fear literally consumed the people. Some end time prophets today are teaching that the last days are full of destruction. They are giving a bad report of the land when the truth is YHVH is preparing a bride to marry not to destroy. There will be destruction like there was in the Exodus and in Noah’s time but YHVH’s people will go through the waters of tribulation not be caught in the waters of tribulation. If Israel were to be a conquering army, Moses would naturally want the army to know the weaknesses and strengths of the enemy in order to save Israel and give them some idea of how the land would be invaded and conquered. The real sin of the spies, the Sages teach, is that they over-reacted in their own fear so that they became pessimistic about YHVH’s promise to His people. As leading figures in the community, they should have tried to bolster the people’s courage toward YHVH’s covenantal promises and inspire confidence in YHVH’s faithfulness to them. This they failed to do. Instead they caused the people to draw away from YHVH. The people continued their great heresy against YHVH, and that night slander against YHVH infected all the people in the camp. They all wept and grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and talked of appointing another leader to take them back to Egypt. Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the body of Israelites and interceded for them but it was only Joshua and Caleb who, after tearing their clothes in deep anguish, addressed the people, extolling YHVH’s great work among them and the greatness of the land. The assembly talked of stoning them, and at the height of emotion YHVH appeared at the Tabernacle. In spite of the people’s deep rebellion and personal attack against Moses, he continued to intercede for them. He was truly a humble leader. The spies were led away by their own fears and imaginations, allowing their souls to deceive them. The outside world influenced them more than YHVH’s everyday miracles, His Presence among them and His promises to them. They mixed their thoughts with what they saw of the people and cities in the Land, rendering their hearts unclean. They did not separate the holy realm from the unclean realm. YHVH’s fruit was in their hands, which was THE witness of the good land and YHVH’s promises to them, but by their own words they condemned themselves by speaking against YHVH’s future blessing in their lives and rejecting His Torah. They brought a curse upon themselves and their children twenty years old and over causing that generation never to enter the land. These were the survivors of Egyptian captivity, and by their own grumbling and complaining they threw life away by embracing the realm of death. How many of us have Torah in our hands and see it as death, proclaiming we are “no longer under the law”? It is this very same law/Torah that will bring us life. We are the ones that bring death upon ourselves, not God.
The law states that two witnesses are enough to establish the truth even when opposed by many people. Thus only Joshua (an Ephraimite) and Caleb (from Judah), the two witnesses from the House of Israel and the House of Judah, got to go into the Land with the next generation. United together, with unfaltering hearts, they upheld YHVH’s plan for ALL of Israel and the Nations to come for future generations, ours included. The consequences for the murmuring came the next day when YHVH declared that the Tribes of Israel were not permitted to go in and possess the Promised Land and must instead return to the desert. They were to suffer, remembering one year for every day they were in the Land, a total of forty years, until the generation that grumbled against YHVH died in the desert. The Land would be for their children (under twenty years old) to inherit. The leaders who explored the land and who were responsible for spreading the bad report were struck down before YHVH and died of a plague. How sad this outcome was. The next morning, after mulling over their death sentence, the people went further into rebellion. The Israelites defiantly proceeded to ascend the mountaintop on their own. Genesis 4:6-7 clearly describes what will happen to us if we allow anger and bitterness to overcome us. YHVH says if we do not do what is right, sin is crouching at our door, desiring to have us; our job is to master it. Their rebellion – in presuming that they could go up and take the land without YHVH – caused the Amalekites and Canaanites, enemies of the Israelites, to lay in wait for them, descend and drive them back to Hormah south of Hebron in defeat. We are told the enemy will be at our doorstep if we rebel against YHVH. Numbers 15:1-21 Wine Offering Introduced to the Offerings by FireAfter the blatant display of rebellion, and with the smell of death still lingering in the camp, YHVH, in His mercy, gave the Children of Israel a prophetic word to be activated once they entered the Land. Namely, that wine was to be introduced to the offerings made by fire (the elevation and burnt offerings) and alongside the meal offering. (Leviticus 1-5) Looking back on the behavior of the Israelites – they still displayed open fear of wholeheartedly following and trusting YHVH. They continually reverted back to the old ways of Egypt, even after seeing the abundant miracles from the Father’s hand at work among them. This new offering of wine with the meal offering gave Israel hope for themselves and their children. The meal offering – and now the added wine offering – held prophetic understanding of the Messiah. Yeshua is the perfect holy sacrifice who would bring deliverance and redemption to the people of Israel. He is the Living Bread, the mincha/meal offering, the Torah/Word made flesh. Moreover, Yeshua personifies the wine offering through His Blood sacrifice. It is about Yeshua’s holiness. This is what He offers us through His sacrifice.
The animal sacrifices were to cover the people’s innocent sin. This represented offering up our animalistic/pagan natures to be burned on the altar. The added wine offering with the sacrifice was the symbol of Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice, which not only covered the people’s sins but provided atonement for sin and cleansing from a guilty conscience.
It is interesting to note that the bread offering, also called the grain, meal or, in Hebrew, mincha offering, was made with fine flour, oil and incense. Neither yeast nor honey was to be used (Leviticus 2). It could be made in several ways, but when it was pierced and cooked in an oven, this flat bread was called hallah or challah. Hallah (Strong’s #1739/TWOT 660b) comes from the root word halal (#1737/TWOT 066) meaning to wound (fatally), bore through, pierce. Before it was baked, a portion called the memorial was removed and, along with all the incense, burned on the altar. The memorial portion represented the Messiah who offered Himself up willingly for us. The remaining challah belonged to the priests. We are a royal priesthood and a holy nation. We are partakers with the Messiah. The priestly portion was holy, and therefore the rest of the cake was also holy (Leviticus 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9). We all need the atoning blood of Yeshua, the only One who makes us holy.
The bread and wine offered at the Passover was a memorial of its own with its own requirements. But the challah, wine and fire offering introduced here was to be served at ALL YHVH’s appointed Feasts, Sabbaths and New Moon festivals throughout the year once they took hold of the land. (Leviticus chapters 2 and 23; Numbers 15:3) The introduction of the wine, alongside the unleavened challah and oil also offered with the sacrifice, was a foreshadowing of the Children of Israel’s redemption drawing near – Yeshua our Kinsmen-Redeemer. The bread and wine offerings would be evident in all their offerings throughout the years as a reminder to them and to give them hope (Psalm 111). These commandments were for the Twelve Tribes and the alien sojourning and living among them. This commandment was a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. (That means us!) Natural-born Israelites and aliens were to be treated the same and were to obey the same instructions. Numbers 15:15-16 Same Rules
The same law was for both native-born Israelites and the alien and stranger who sojourned among them and followed the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Aliens and strangers are those walking outside Torah. Once they return and walk in the ways of YHVH they are no longer an alien or stranger to His covenants and are as if a native born, grafted into the Tree of Life. We had been told by well meaning Jewish believers that it is a privilege for a “gentile” to study Torah. What is more, they continue to hold “gentiles” at a distance even when the “gentile” was learning to pursue Torah. Many Jewish believers do not allow the “returnees” to teach or hold leadership positions in their assemblies. Many among Judah’s camp maintain that the Gentile believer can only claim a relationship to Noah’s Covenant. The implication being that only Judah has a birthright and identity in the Abrahamic Covenant. Scripture states that Yeshua’s blood made it possible for the alien and stranger who chose to walk with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to become part of the commonwealth of Israel and heirs according to the promise (Abrahamic Covenant), thereafter to be known as a native-born Israelite alongside his brothers.
The Covenant YHVH made with Noah is universal to all mankind; the Abrahamic Covenant was made to a specific people group, the nation YHVH promised salvation to through faith in His faithfulness, namely, Israel. The point at which we are trying to make is that the term ‘gentile’ refers to one who is pagan, confused and without God, andnot to the one who believes in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore a true gentile or pagan would indeed not be a part of the Abrahamic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant signifies salvation through faith, and is the one Yeshua died to give us. We who are in the Abrahamic Covenant are no longer strangers and aliens but are part of Israel. Scripture reveals that Abraham was uncircumcised when YHVH made the covenant with him. He became a “Hebrew” when He crossed over, as “Hebrew” means one who has crossed over. Today, we also become Hebrews when we cross over from death to life in Yeshua. It was not until thirteen years had passed that Abraham received the sign of the covenant, which was circumcision. So he is the Father of the uncircumcised and Father of the circumcised.
Torah says that if an alien or stranger wants to sojourn with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and “crosses over” and becomes a Hebrew like Abraham, they are thereafter to be known as a native-born, and no longer as an alien, stranger or gentile. If an alien were only permitted to relate to the Noahic laws, this would restrict or prohibit him from entering into the Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic Covenants. The commandment in Numbers 15:15-16 regarding impartiality was part of the Mosaic Covenant, which holds the teaching and instruction of YHVH for the Abrahamic Covenant. This means that the aliens living among the Twelve Tribes of Israel who embraced the Abrahamic Covenant and walked in the ways of YHVH were to be treated as an equal with a native-born Israelite. In this passage the aliens or gentiles are not second-class citizens but fully Hebrew. They have not replaced Israel but are part of Israel. The people of the House of Israel and House of Judah are not coming into one tribe. Not everyone is a “Jew” – of the tribe of Judah, or of the tribe of Dan or Issachar etc. Our identity is not in one tribe but in the Messiah. There are two witnesses of the Messiah. All twelve tribes of Israel act as one nation (echad – Strong’s #H259; TWOT #61)in YHVH’s hand. He is our identity. We will further witness this in the story of Rahab, which is this week’s corresponding Haftarah portion (Ezekiel 37:15-28; Ephesians 2:14-22). The Torah section closes with the instruction that once the people enter the land, they are to bring the grain offering throughout the year with the sacrifices. They were to present a challah from the first of their ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor (Numbers 15:17-21).
Numbers 15:32-36 Sabbath-BreakerThe seventh day was to be observed as a holy day to YHVH. The Sabbath was made for man, a day he rested from his own pleasure. If people chose to continue doing their own pleasure, this not only dishonored YHVH but also profaned His holy Name. This truth was revealed in the incidence of the man found gathering wood on the Sabbath. If he gathered unintentionally and was repentant, then the death penalty would not have been required. The death penalty here signified a deeper underlying rebellion toward YHVH and His commandments, which brought about the man’s death. He would have known the consequences of his choice before death came. Touching the realm of death brought a spiritual death upon him before the physical death took him. The scripture that speaks of keeping the Sabbath holy unto YHVH still applies today. We must be careful not to profane YHVH’s name, and keep the Sabbath holy. Numbers 15:37-41 Tzitziot on Your GarmentsEarlier YHVH introduced the wine offering, representing Yeshua in us. “To them YHVH has chosen to make known among the Nations the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Yeshua in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). YHVH was now introducing something to put on us, again speaking of Yeshua, as in putting Yeshua on. “For all of you who were baptized (mikvah) into Yeshua have clothed yourselves with Yeshua” (Galatians 3:27). The tzitzit are a physical application of the spiritual reality of the Messiah in us.
To obey the commandment regarding the tzitziot, the tassels were to have a blue thread in them; otherwise it was not in YHVH’s order. This blue strand is called the shamash or servant; it represents the Messiah. For a period of time, those striving to obey the commandment of the wearing of the tassel dropped the blue-dyed cord and for generations wore the tzitziot totally white. This practice originated as a tradition when the Israelites were taken into exile, and represented captivity and mourning. The blue dye comes from a shellfish that lives on the northern coastline of Israel. Lost for many years, the ultra orthodox Jewish people believed that when they saw the blue color restored in the tzitzit, the Messianic era was at hand. The shellfish has recently been rediscovered. The Orthodox Jews have also been looking for people calling themselves Israel who are from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. They believe they are the ones who will help usher in the Messiah and the Messianic era. Beged Ivri, the leading expert on the recreation of Temple period clothing, makes a wide range of garments in Israel. We noticed one beautifully handmade linen burgundy talet katon. It was the tzitziot that especially caught our attention. They were not the traditional white, but made of the same deep burgundy color as the katon and wrapped with a blue cord. I asked the owner about the colored tzitziot on his katon. He said originally tzitziot were made in the same color as the tallit, that was why his were burgundy. He said, as mentioned previously, that the white was introduced when the Jews went into exile and chose to wear the white tzitziot without the blue cord to represent their state of mourning. Today the Israelites are not in exile but are back in the Land. They are not in mourning but are discovering their roots and heritage in the Messiah. With the finding of the snail for the blue dye, we are now able to obey this commandment. The blue cord represents the Messiah. He has restored and redeemed all things. When Joseph was young, his Father gave him a katan (Strong’s # H3801; TWOT 1058 -linen katan; tallit) made of many colors (Genesis 27:3). The story of Joseph’s life was a foreshadowing of Yeshua and prophetic of the return of all Twelve Tribes back to the Land. Question: Could Joseph’s tallit be made of twelve colors representing the twelve tribes? If so, were his tzitziot also made of twelve colors, one color for each tribe, prophetic of the return of all twelve tribes? In the High Priest’s ephod, there are four rows made of three colored stones in each row, one colored stone for each tribe. Using these colors and the pattern for the colored threads in the tzitzit, the four tzitziot could represent the twelve tribes wrapped in Yeshua. Another combination could be to wrap the blue cord around all twelve tribal colors together in each of the four tzitziot. Either way, you would have a very prophetic tallit, literally calling the Twelve Tribes home from the four corners of the earth! Halleluyah! The Word became Flesh and lived among us, or, the Word became “flesh and bone” (John 1:1,14).In Hebrew bone and word are synonymous. As Joseph’s bones had to come home, they were prophetic of calling all twelve tribes from the four corners of the universe to come home to the Living Torah (Genesis 50:25). The valley’s dry bones in Ezekiel 37 are prophetic of letters all coming together. The ‘letters’ are the letters of Torah. If we are in Yeshua, the Word lives in us, and as we come to Life in Torah, our bones begin to all come together. We of the House of Israel and the House of Judah (representing the whole house of Israel) who were once a valley of dry bones will rise and have life! When we come back to Torah, it is Torah that revives us. We are those Living Letters. We are walking Torah scrolls! (2 Corinthians 3: 2-3; Ezekiel 43:10-12) Haftarah Joshua 2:1-24 Rahab and the Spies
This is a prophetic story. According to tradition, the spies were Caleb and Phineas. Rahab recognized these men were holy. For their safety she hid them on her rooftop under stalks of drying flax. Flax is the raw product of linen (fabric for the priestly garments), and means ingathering or harvest (TWOT #140). She revealed how all who lived in her country were melting in fear because of the Israelites and the God of Israel. For her kindness to these men of YHVH she asked to be remembered and that she and her family be spared from death. They agreed and she helped them down a “cord” through the “window.” A cord is made of three strands woven together to form a strong rope. This is symbolic of the Two Houses of Israel who have received fulfillment of the promise of the Covenant through Yeshua the Messiah; together they equal a three-stranded cord (Ecclesiastes 4:12; Ezekiel 37:15-28). The word window in the above scripture is the Hebrew word challon (Strong’s #2474/TWOT 660c) meaning window (if taken as a piercing or hollow in a wall), and is from the root word chala (TWOT #660), which means: to wound (fatally), bore through, and pierce. This is the same root word as the challah (TWOT #660b) for the minchah/meal offering that we learned of earlier. All are references to Yeshua. YHVH’s men advised her to set up a mark in her challon – pierced window. She was to “bind a scarlet thread” in the same window they used. The “mark” is Torah. We are to bind (Strong’s # H7194/TWOT#2090) God’s teaching and instruction on our foreheads and hands (mind and heart), meaning onto our soul. The scarlet (Strong’s #H8144/TWOT 2420a) represents purification and is used in the water purification ceremony. This symbolized the purification of Rahab’s lineage (Numbers 19:6). Thread is Strong’s #H2339 (TWOT 621a), and implies: “I wait, looking for (Your) hope.” From this passage of scripture, we find that Rahab, who was an alien, embraced the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She crossed over and was no longer an alien or stranger but a part of Israel. She was remembered for her kindness and noted in the Messiah’s genealogy (Matthew1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Selah. Shabbat Shalom, References: TWOT:Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by Harris, Archer, Waltke. Moody Press Beged Ivri: Garments: katan, tallit tzitzi http://israelvisit.co.il/beged-ivri/index.html Tie your own Tzitzit? Visit Beged Ivri’s site http://israelvisit.co.il/beged-ivri/index.html The Hem of His Garment by John Garr Exploring the Land and The Blue Dye Story STBM Every Woman in the Bible by Sue and Larry Richards Past Parshot: www.messianicisrael.com/sheepfold-gleanings/ |
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