June 2016
Beha’alotcha
Torah Reflections 36
Torah Portion Numbers 8 : 1 to 12 : 16
Haftarah Portion Zechariah 2 : 10 – 4 :7
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The Tabernacle of the Lord was in the middle of the Israelite camp. It was absolutely central to their life. It had a special place, it was holy, the dwelling place of YWHW Elohim. I imagine that there might have been talk amongst them as to what it looked like inside, but no-one dare approach. None of them was allowed inside the Tabernacle. Except the Kohenim and the Levites, and they had to be specially prepared in bodily cleanliness and dress, in order to do their work there.
There are two replica Tabernacles that I have visited in Israel. Both claim to be identical to the Biblical dimensions, and even though they differ from each other, they are both immensely impressive. One is a in a desert setting in the Timna region of Israel near Eilat, and the other is in Samaria, in a Biblical garden setting in a hotel near Ariel. One just needs to close ones eyes, use ones imagination, and wonder at the spectacle these structures presented to the people at the time of our parashah.
There are no windows in the Tabernacle. The Holy place is covered in thick drapes and Badger skins. The only light comes from the Menora, the lampstand, made of pure gold and which was to burn continuously.
Last week, we reflected on the special role of the Levites, as substitutes for the firstborn. They belonged to the Lord. In our parashah this week we read that God gave these Levites as a gift (Leviticus 8:19) to Aaron and his sons (the Kohenim) to do the work of service in the Tabernacle. There were more that 8,000 of them of the designated age.
Our reading takes place just one year after the exodus from Egypt. The Lord had already told them that this was to be a time of perpetual remembrance of their release from slavery in Egypt. Now, just to be sure Moses did not forget. God gave him a reminder. Moses must have been a very busy man with his many responsibilities towards this huge crowd of people in the desert. But God made sure they started their new life of freedom in the right way. Giving thanks to Him for His work of salvation. Then an interesting instruction (Numbers 9:10-13) about the observance of Passover for those unable (or unwilling) to keep it at the appointed time.
(It was a misunderstanding of this instruction which, in part, caused the Council of Nicaea to make such sweeping changes to the non-Jewish observance of Passover, substituting the Easter Rule by which that date is calculated today)
We then come to the first big movement of these people. They had been at this resting place for a little over one month after remembering Passover when the ‘cloud’ was taken up from above the Tabernacle. The first big test of their organisational skills. There had never been a ‘trial run’. The Tabernacle had to be taken down, as previously instructed, packed properly, carried by the right people, and transported for however long the ‘cloud’ moved. An amazing spectacle I should think. First the members of six tribes, several hundred thousand people, then the Levites carrying the Tabernacle component parts, followed by the remaining six tribes of another several hundred thousand folk. Plus their livestock.
It was not long before the complaints began, We are told that God was Himself so angered by these complaints that His fire (we may assume it was the pillar of fire meant to guide them) was so intense that some folk at the edges of the assembly were consumed by it. They complained about not having meat in their diet. It is not difficult to empathise with Moses as he enters dialogue with God on this issue. (read it in Numbers 11:10-32) The relationship God had with Moses was very close.
Our parashah ends with another dispute. This time both Aaron and his sister Miriam decided to challenge Moses authority as a leader of the people. They obviously objected to Moses marrying an Ethiopian lady, but carried it further by suggesting that Moses was not the only messenger God had in their camp. To say that God was furious would be an understatement.
“Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!" So the three came out. Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed.” Numbers 12 : 4 – 9
Miriam ended up with leprosy. Moses plea before the Lord restored her.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Nasso
Torah Reflections 35
Torah Portion Numbers 4 : 21 to 7 : 89
Haftarah Portion Judges 13 : 2 – 25
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The counting continues. This week, we have an insight into the family of Levi. He had three sons, Gershon, Merari, and Kohath (the grandfather of Moses and Aaron). Between them, they had 8,580 male descendants between the ages of 30 and 50, who were assigned tasks of serving in the Tabernacle and carrying various parts of it whenever it relocated from one place to another.
Once again, we have confirmation of the meticulous attention to detail which God instructed Moses to convey to the Israelites. Nothing left to chance, good order, no-one in doubt about the tasks they were assigned.
There follows, some instruction about keeping the camp healthy, by segregating those with signs of disease. And also a charge to the priests about making judgements relating to accusations of marriage infidelity. The core of this section of our parashah is the recognition of jealousy and how to deal with it. These instructions are formative in the life of the new community as they change from being mere ‘neighbours’ as slaves in Egypt, to becoming an exemplary nation before the rest of the nations around them. That is what the word “Torah” means. It is ‘teaching’ or ‘instructions for righteous living’. It is instructive of a lifestyle which is honourable and caring. It is ‘being holy, as God Himself is holy’.
The section about the vow of a “Nazarite” is most enlightening. In the Scriptures we are told of three men who were Nazarites for life, a vow taken on their behalf by their grateful parents. They are Samson, Samuel and John the Baptiser. Only Samson is actually referred to as a Nazarite. But there were many others who took this vow for a specific period or purpose. The outward signs related to hair growth and wine abstention. There is speculation, based on Acts 18, that the Apostle Paul might have taken a Nazarite vow whilst in Corinth, but this cannot be confirmed from the little we are told about it in the text.
The most well-known section of our reading today is found at the end of Numbers 6. Words that are burned into the memory of most preachers of the gospel, and frequently used as a benediction. Words that are usually spoken as a plea, or a wish, for the benefit of the hearer when quoted today from our English Bible translations. But in Hebrew, just fifteen words, full of meaning, spoken as a powerful promise.
We need to put this into context. The Israelites were at the beginning of what was to be a very long journey in trying conditions of the desert wilderness. They had no idea where they were, and even less idea of where they were going. Being led by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. They had left behind everything that was familiar to them. Going back was not an option.
Then, at God’s command, Aaron stood before them, hands raised in blessing, his voice loud and very clear.
“Yivarechecha Adonai viyishmirecha, Ya’er Adonai panav elecha veechunera, Yeesa Adonai panav elecha viyasem lecha shalom.” (phonetic Hebrew)
“The LORD will bless you, and He will keep you, The LORD will make His face shine upon you, and He will be gracious to you. The LORD will lift up His countenance to you, and He will establish your Shalom.” (One New Man Bible translation)
The strong emphasis in the Hebrew is on what God WILL do. It was not a prayer, it was a promise. A promise spoken by a man of high integrity among the people. A man in whom they had trust and respect.
The Ancient Hebrew Research Centre translates this ancient Hebrew text as follows:-
“YHWH will kneel before you presenting gifts and will guard you with a hedge of protection. YHWH will illuminate the wholeness of His being to you, bringing order, and He will beautify you. YHWH will lift up the wholeness of His being and look upon you, and He will set in place all you need to be whole and complete.”
What a promise.
We know that God kept His word. They enjoyed the provision of food and water. Their shoes did not wear out, their livestock produced food. But they also had the blessing of both Moses and Aaron to intercede, guide, instruct and encourage them all the years of their travels. They were observant of all the commandments of God, and they prospered in their travels safely to the Land of Promise.
Let us ponder this Aaronic blessing, and ask God what He requires of us to pronounce such a blessing on us today.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Shavuot
Torah Reflections M3
Torah portions Exodus 19:1 to 20:23 and Numbers 28 :26 - 31
Haftarah portion Ezekiel 1 : 1-28 and 3 : 12
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.
Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.
When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.
This ‘appointed time’ is fixed in relation to Pesach. Seven Sabbaths plus one day later.( In the Christian reckoning, it is called “Whitsun” and is seven weeks after Palm Sunday, but it bears no relationship at all to the ‘mo’ed’ of the Lord specified in Leviticus 23.) Some pretty exciting things happened at Shavuot, and the festival (also known as the Feast of Weeks) figures most significantly in the prophetic calendar as it relates to Yeshua.
Firstly, by Jewish calculation, and there is good evidence for it, this was the time when Moses was on the mountain communing with the Lord and receiving the instructions for righteous living, which we know as Torah. (see Exodus 19:1) That, in my view is cause enough to celebrate. The very Word of God, which is ‘sharper than any two-edged sword’, came to us at this time of the year. An immeasurable blessing. My Bible tells me that Moses spoke “all that the Lord had told him” and wrote it in a book.(Exodus 24: 3 and 7). More importantly, that was the exact time that the first covenant was sealed, when the people voluntarily agreed as they said “all that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient”.
Secondly, according to Acts 1, Yeshau returned to His Father 40 days after his resurrection from the grave. But He told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem. Just 10 days later was the festival of Shavuot. Jerusalem was overflowing with people, there for the festival from all over the known world (as it is today for the three pilgrimage festivals). Then came a sound ‘like a mighty rushing wind’. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, the One who points to Messiah, was sent to minister His blessing to those who would receive it.
The disciples, already emboldened at meeting the resurrected Lord Yeshua, were imbued with power from on high. No longer the ‘shrinking violets’ who were shattered by the death of Yeshua on that cruel Roman cross. They spoke boldly to the throngs of people in the Temple courtyard, and miracle of miracles, the foreigners present all heard these fishermen from Galilee speaking in their own several languages. It is almost impossible to imagine. But by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, over three thousand were added to the company of believers that very day. Now that surely is another reason to celebrate.
But there’s more!! Both events related above did not stop.
Today, we have the precious Holy Scriptures, written in so many of the world’s languages. The faithful Jews who were entrusted with those Scriptures have carefully preserved them for our blessing and instruction down through the ages. In the early days, meticulously copying by hand every ‘jot and tittle’. Every yod and vav.
The Holy Spirit of God is alive and well in the earth today. His role on earth is to point us to Messiah Yeshua, by any and all means possible. He brings strength to the ‘weary’, comfort to the ‘afflicted’, guidance to those who seek, and blessing to all who ask.
So if any still wonder why we should celebrate Shavuot, I trust that this ‘reflection’ will provide some answers. But there is a much greater and compelling reason. God commanded it. His promise, is included in the introductory remarks of this ‘reflection’. He will be there to meet all who come. It is a special time. It has never been revoked.
You will be blessed as you meet together and thank Him for His unspeakable gift.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Bamidbar
Torah Reflections 34
Torah Portion Numbers 1 : 1 to 4 : 20
Haftarah Portion Hosea 1 : 10 – 20
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The events described in our parashah today take place almost exactly one year after the Israelites had left the land of Egypt. The Exodus account ended with the instruction for the Israelites to move when the ‘cloud’ moved, and to rest when the ‘cloud’ stood still.
The whole chronology of the Israelites is contained in just eleven books of the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Torah (first five books) Leviticus and Deuteronomy are books of instruction, rather than books of travel. So following our ‘reflections’ in Leviticus, we return to the travelogue of these Israelites. For good orders sake, it was deemed necessary that these people, probably exceeding two million in number, be properly organised for their long journey (even though they had no idea how long it would be). So the parashah begins with the numbering of people by family groups. From this numbering the whole assembly was designated a place to pitch their tents, in approximate equal number and in order, on each side of the Tabernacle. When the ‘cloud’ moved, the people would strike camp, again in designated order, and follow the ‘cloud’ to the next stopping place.
(It is worthy of our effort to try to imagine the spectacle of this. It is the equivalent of the whole population of Brisbane moving, in order, at the same time. Amazing. If that weren’t enough, try to picture the same group having food and water provided each day! … for forty years!!)
What an awesome God we serve.
The Levites were in a special category. A year earlier, they were the ones who stood by Moses, declaring themselves to be on the Lord’s side, at the time of the idolatry with the ‘golden calf’. (Exodus 32) As an aside to this event, we are also informed that God keeps a ‘book’. It would appear that in this .book’ everyone’s name is recorded, because God says to Moses that “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book”. Evidently, there were plenty of people whose names were blotted out at the ‘golden calf’ incident.
But there is much more. The Levites were accepted by God as a substitute for the ‘firstborn’. That is a very special role. We note that there is much evidence in the Scriptures of the pagan practice of human sacrifice. In particular, the firstborn son, the natural heir of his father, was sacrificed to Moloch, a Canaanite god. (Anyone interested in this can look up Moloch in Wikepedia). The main point here being that YHWH had eliminated that practice from the Israelites by demanding that the firstborn belong to Him, (Exodus 13:2 and 14) dedicated to His service, and most definitely not to be sacrificed in the fire.
So then, already having possession of the firstborn (males), God then told Moses that He would accept the Levites as a substitute into His service, one Levite for one firstborn. Demonstrating His insistence on absolute justice, “near enough is definitely not good enough” for God, it was discovered in the numbering of the Levites, that they were 273 short of the right number. Those 273 were then purchased for money, and the money was given to Aaron to be used in the Lord’s service. This practice of ‘redemption of the firstborn’ is still practiced today in Jewish society.
What lessons are there for us today in this parashah?
Firstly, we note that God is precise in His dealings with the people. We have noted many times in our ‘reflections’ that we serve a God who does not change. His particularity continues. There is no ambiguity in His instructions. He says what He means and He means what He says. His instructions are not open to individual interpretation. When I was a young boy, there was an older man in our congregation who often quoted these words .. “God said it, I believe it, that settles it”. It appears to me that in many of our churches today, we are prone to live a different version of that saying. Perhaps “God said it, I’ll have a think about it, and if it is convenient, I'll go along with it.” There seems to be scant regard for the ongoing validity of the Hebrew Scriptures, even though they were the ONLY Scriptures available to the early believers and the writers of the Apostolic Scriptures.
In the course of my weekly ‘reflection’ on the Scriptures, in an orderly manner, I have learned that God is wonderfully consistent. I have learned that God’s instructions are always attuned towards benefit for those who are His. He has our very best interest at heart.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Bechukotai
Torah Reflections 33
Torah Portion Leviticus 26 : 3 to 27 : 34
Haftarah Portion Jeremiah 16 : 19 – 17 : 14
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
When we started our ‘reflections’ in Leviticus, I said this was the place where “new year’s resolutions” founder!!!
Well this week we come to the final ‘reflection’ in Leviticus. And what an amazing message God has given us this week. Reward for our perseverance perhaps!
This week’s parashah strongly emphasises the blessings which accrue to those who faithfully commit to the will of God. The words are directed to the Israelites of course, but to the extent that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” as the Apostle Paul wrote to the young Timothy, there are valuable lessons available to us in this week’s parashah.
It starts with the condition God requires, in verse 3. “IF you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and perform them” Everything which follows hinges on that condition. How often do we hear the words “Why does God allow ‘so and so’ to happen?’ That is usually followed, by those who have no allegiance to Him, with the words “God is supposed to be a God of love isn’t He?” What is missing from these questions is the understanding of the condition God made for His provision of abundant blessing. Sadly, even Christians sometimes appear not to understand that God is not some gigantic Department Store where one can go and make selections to satisfy ones selfish wants and desires. Our prayer to Him can often sound like a daily shopping list!
His promises are trustworthy. He is a covenant keeping God. He is faithful and true. But He is not to be trifled with. We are blessed by Him on His terms, not ours.
Look carefully at the promises He gave in verses 9 and 12. “I will look on you favourably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.” “I will walk among you and be your God and you shall be My people”. It could not be clearer. Now we should also take note that right at the end of Leviticus, the last verse in fact, declares that these commandments were spoken by the Lord to Moses on the mountain, that is, in the third month after they left Egypt. In Exodus 24 :7 we have the record of the covenant agreement, wherein the Israelites said “All that the Lord has said, we will do, and be obedient.” It could not be clearer.
But God knows the human heart. He knows our propensity to want to do things our way. So He issues a warning. Having given the wonderful promise of His protection and provision when we do things His way, He tells us what will happen when we go our own way. It is not comfortable reading. And as I read this account in our parashah today, because we have the advantage of living hundreds of years later, and have the record of history, I could readily identify how true this description was of events which unfolded in the life of the Israelites down through the centuries. And that because of their neglect of their covenant commitment.
What is our covenant commitment?
How many times have you heard Christians declare that “we are not under law but under grace”? Those eight words appear at the end of a sentence. Very few Christians can tell you where that sentence appears in the Scriptures, and even fewer can recite the whole sentence. And yet those words have become “doctrine” to many. A doctrine which says that Christians no longer need to take heed of God’s commands. How sad.
Our covenant commitment is to become disciples of Yeshua. The Yeshua who is “the Word”, who was in the beginning with God and who was God. The Yeshua who became flesh and dwelt among us. The Yeshua who said that if we love Him we would keep His commandments. Furthermore, our commission is to make other disciples of Him. A disciple is one who imitates his Master.
Our parashah today is, sadly, a prophetic statement of the whole history of Israel. It is a history which flowed from neglect of their covenant commitment. But the good news in this parashah is that we can learn from the mistakes of others. The promises of blessing, resulting from obedient worship, are amazing. The message of Scripture is wonderfully consistent. As we study Torah we have a reminder every week. What a privilege we share.
“Be diligent to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. 2 Timothy 2:15
Shabbat Shalom
RS