Reflections
Vayera
Haftarah Reflections 4
Torah portion Genesis 18 : 1 – 22 : 24
Haftarah portion 2 Kings 4 : 1 – 37
Listen to the Prophets
This week we meet Elisha for the first time in our Haftarah studies. It is important to recognize that the “Prophets of God” who lived then, had a vastly different lifestyle to the modern day self-proclaimed prophets who are generally seen as ‘superstars’ of the church movement.
King Ahab and his ruthless wife Jezebel, were most antagonistic to the prophets of God. Both Elijah and Elisha experienced their wrath at first hand. They often survived in caves and other hiding places. They relied on God appointed supporters (once even the ravens) for their very next meal, and were ever watchful for the spies of Ahab and Jezebel. BUT, Jewish tradition has it, (and this is documented by Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian), that within the courts of King Ahab was a man called Obadiah. He held high rank in Ahab’s court and reportedly spent vast sums of borrowed money to feed and sustain up to 100 prophets of God.
This brings us to the opening words of our Haftarah parashah today. Seemingly, it was this same Obadiah who had died, leaving behind a wife and two sons. Very soon, the creditor called, and as was his right under the Law, harshly demanded that the debt be paid by the servitude of the two sons. We are not told the woman’s name, but she evidently knew something of her husband’s support for prophets of God, because she turned to Elisha for help.
There is an important lesson of principle here for us. Elisha exercised a messianic ministry in this parashah. BUT, his first response to the woman was “What have you got with which you can help yourself?” (my paraphrase). We know the story well enough don’t we? And out of what she was able to provide for herself, God multiplied miraculously, so that she was able to pay off her creditors and have some left over to support her family. We offer what we have to the Lord, and He provides the rest.
This event is followed by another “messianic” miracle (raising the dead) wrought by Elisha. It appears that in his many journeying’s through the Northern Kingdom of Israel, he found refuge and lodging at the home of a woman of Shunem. My Bible describes the woman as “noteable”. Commentators agree that she was a woman of substance. In any event, she was most hospitable, with her elderly husband’s consent, in providing a safe place for Elisha to lodge during his travels.
Elisha’s gratitude caused him to wonder how he might repay the woman for her kindness. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, noticed that she did not have a son to care for her in her advancing years. So Elisha prophesied that she would bear a son the following year. Which she did.
Some years later, the lad died tragically. (read the story). In deep distress, the woman hastily travelled about 30 Km. to visit Elisha. She chastised him because the hope she had in this God given son (which she had neither requested nor expected) had now disappeared.
The story has a happy ending, because by faith and action, Elisha was able to restore life to the boy. It is a fascinating story.
Note the expressions of faith exercised by all those involved. Firstly, Elisha had the faith in God which allowed him to prophesy the timely miraculous birth of this boy. The woman, although sceptical when told that she would have a son, was never-the-less delighted at this provision. So much so, that when the boy tragically died, she hastily turned to Elisha for help. She saw Elisha as God’s personal representative and her only hope, which he was. Next Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, exercised immense faith in following the instructions of Elisha in regard to laying the staff on the dead boy, expecting to see a miraculous restoration of life. And Elisha again when he persisted, in face of seemingly insurmountable odds, to work tirelessly with the dead boy, not giving up, until God restored life to the child.
The lessons in this parashah may be different for each one of us. My ‘reflection’ is with both of these examples of faith, is firstly to offer God what you have. Allow Him to bring the ‘increase’, and give Him praise for His faithful presence with us. And secondly, when events seem almost insurmountable, to persist. Seek assistance from a trusted faithful servant of the Lord.
Dare I finish with this quotation of Scripture, so often quoted but not always followed? “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55 :22
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Lech Lecha
Haftarah Reflections 3
Torah portion Genesis 12 : 1 – 17 : 27
Haftarah portion Isaiah 40 : 27 – 41 : 16
Listen to the Prophets
The Torah portion for this week introduces us to the faithful Abram. A man in whom God had great trust, and one with whom He felt comfortable. A man destined to be the “father” of God’s ‘special treasure’, the Nation of Israel. In today’s Haftarah, to those who were descended from Abraham, God instructed Isaiah to pen these beautiful words :-
“You are My servant, I have chosen you and not cast you away: Fear not for I am with you; Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
This Haftarah parashah marks the beginning of Isaiah’s “comfort” promises. In the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, his message was one of impending calamity because of the waywardness of the Judeans. Now God gives the people a message of love and hope. Confirmation that they were still “the apple of His eye”, BUT they had a plain choice to make if they were to continue in the Land of Promise. Remain faithful to the (conditional) covenant God made with them in Moses day, or be banished from the Land.
Here is a difficult, unpopular lesson, which has implications, by example, for us. This is more than a mere historical story. God’s dealings with the Israelites illustrates the pattern of His behaviour and attitudes towards all who are His. God had declared that they were to be “holy”, set apart, different, obedient, as a condition of living in the Land. When we become “grafted in” to the richness of the root (Romans 11:17-21), we too are expected to become ‘holy’ unto the Lord. Set apart, different, obedient, faithful to the leading of His Holy Spirit, IF we are to “remain in the land” (metaphorically speaking).
If you seek comfort in these words of the Lord, just look at Isaiah 40:28.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.”
Wasn’t it just last week that we discovered that “your ways are not My ways, says the Lord”. In fact, God is now saying in this parashah “do not even bother trying to fathom out My ways because your humanity will not grasp the infinite measure of my love for you”(my paraphrase). Are you not able to just TRUST Me?” Obedience to His commands is what God was looking for then, and that is what He is looking for today.
And what are we promised in return for that trust?
“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
So perhaps we could spend time this week asking the Lord to show us what He would have us do in response to this word of revelation. There is certainly NOTHING that anyone can do to earn ones salvation, it is priceless, free, without merit, by the grace of God. But there is plenty of scope, for those who are saved by grace, to live righteously before the Lord our God and with each other. That is precisely what the Lord was instructing Isaiah to tell the Israelites of his day. It was not, and is not, a suggestion, it is a command of God.
There is an interesting question posed in Chapter 41:2. “Who raised up one from the East?” Some have speculated that this is a reference to Abraham, who was called from the ‘East’, Chaldea, to become the father of Israel. This would be a reasonable explanation since all the people were aware of the historical origins of Abraham. But it is also speculated by others that this is a prophetic reference to a future event. The exile to Babylon had not taken place at the time of Isaiah’s prophetic writing. So some see this as a reference to King Cyrus of Persia, who almost 200 years later would be ‘raised up’ by God to facilitate the return to Israel of Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah and almost 50,000 others to build again the walls of Jerusalem.
This being the case, it illustrates that even though God allowed their banishment from the Land, at the same time, His plan included their restoration then, just as He is calling Jews back to the Land today.
Be blessed as you contemplate the completeness of God’s great love.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Noach
Haftarah Reflections 2
Torah portion Genesis 6 : 9 – 11 : 32
Haftarah portion Isaiah 54 : 1 – 56 : 5
Listen to the Prophets
We learned last week that the book of Isaiah is something of a miniature version of the whole Scriptures. The last 27 chapters of which (comparable to the Apostolic Scriptures, which is frequently referred to as the “New Testament”) contain the encouraging message of salvation.
The Haftarah relationship to the weekly Torah parashah is found in Isaiah 54: 6 – 10. A direct reference to the time when God flooded the earth. BUT, our Haftarah portion goes way beyond that to express the time, both present and future, when God remembers, with love and great mercy, those He called His “special treasure”. See verse 7. “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.”
If we needed any reminder, here again, God emphasises His great love for Israel. Yes, He has moments and times of great frustration with these ‘stiff-necked’ people. Yes, they try God’s patience to the very limit. Yes, they are described in other places in Scripture as an “unfaithful wife”. BUT God is God. He has made an everlasting covenant of love with Israel, and we may be absolutely sure that God will NEVER break that covenant.
If you want to know the exact time when Israel will “no longer be a Nation before the Lord”, read Jeremiah 31: 35, 36, It is spelled out precisely there.
Our parashah this week opens with an encouraging monologue from the Lord, “Sing O barren … enlarge the place of your tent … lengthen your chords … for you shall expand to the right and to the left …” I am going to honour My covenant with Abraham. I am going to make it happen. “For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of Hosts is His Name: And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel”
The Lord our God had been here before. He saw the abject wickedness of the people of His creation in the days of Noah. He decided to start again, so to speak, and chose the faithful Noah as His starting point. Even then, after some hundreds of years, it was not until “our father Abram” lived on this earth, that God was able to trust a man in whom He could have confidence to live righteously before Him and produce a family that God could use to be a light to the Nations. BUT, in Isaiah’s generation of Israelites, the Lord could see that they again needed a chastisement in order to bring about correction. Starting from scratch, as in the days of Noah was not an option. God had made an everlasting covenant to not go down that path. Isaiah’s task was to speak warning and to sound an alarm. At the same time to try to encourage the people with the promises of God regarding His great love for them.
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement You (the LORD) shall condemn.” “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat” “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord”
Don’t we just love these beautiful promises of God. He is talking to a people who are neglecting to live according to His commands. He is reaching out in love, and hope, that they will turn around and follow His ways.
Dear friends, what a challenge these Scriptures provide. We ALL want the blessing of God on our lives, do we not? We all bask in the joy of His great promises to us who believe. But is it good enough to “just believe”? The whole of Isaiah is a lesson for every age of believers. We have the advantage of knowing the end of the story. They did not heed the warnings of Isaiah and ended up in Babylon, in captivity. The Apostle James tells us that “faith without works is dead”. It is NOT about earning salvation. It is about keeping covenant with God as believers. Living as He has commanded, not carrying on as though we never met Yeshua.
A few verses from the end of our parashah we read “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all Nations” A verse of Scripture quoted by most without any knowledge that it is a ‘conditional’ promise. The condition is actually contained in conclusion of our parashah this week.
The promise is to those who “keep from defiling My Sabbaths” It may come as a shock to some, but what God wanted from those Israelites in Isaiah’s day, He also wants from us today.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
B’reisheet
Haftarah Reflections 1
Torah portion Genesis 1 : 1 – 6 : 8
Haftarah portion Isaiah 42 : 5 – 43 : 10
Listen to the Prophets
“Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it”
So begins our Haftarah parashah today. The beginning of a new reading cycle. What a stirring message God entrusted to the faithful Isaiah. (It has been noted that Isaiah has 66 chapters, and our Bible has 66 Books. The Hebrew Scriptures contain 39 Books, and the first 39 chapters of Isaiah contain warnings and pleading for the Israelites of the Kingdom of Judea to return to the path God had set before them. The Apostolic Scriptures contain 27 Books, and the last 27 chapters of Isaiah’ prophecy provide words of encouragement and comfort, the salvation message. So Isaiah’s prophecy is seen as a representation of both the Hebrew and the Apostolic Scriptures).
The weekly Haftarah portion always bears some relationship to the corresponding Torah portion, which this week is the creation story. When God created “man”, His purpose was to have loving fellowship with, and worshipful praise from, His created beings. He declared that what He had created was “very good”’. The comparisons we see between the creation story, and our Isaiah passage, indicate that what turned out to be a failure on the part of ‘man’, recorded in Genesis, will eventually be restored and put right as outlined in our prophetic passage from Isaiah today.
So this Haftarah message gets right down to business. Speaking to and of Israel, Isaiah declares:-
“I the LORD have called you in righteousness and will hold your hand. I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles ..”
There is so much to ‘reflect upon’. PLEASE read this passage for yourself. You WILL be blessed, and if you are anything like me, you will be challenged too.
“Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth” … says verse 10
How about this as a suggestion for a new song!!
Isaiah 25:1 “ O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
Most of us are not very good at singing ‘new’ songs to the LORD are we? And yet that seems to be the very sound that God loves to hear from those who are His. Next time you meet with the Lord in prayer, surprise Him ! sing Him this new song.
Our parashah looks forward to the time when Israel is restored to sweet fellowship with the LORD. It is very much a love letter from God to the people whom Isaiah has been warning because of their neglect of Torah. They had been living without proper acknowledgement of the covenant which was made by and with their forefathers in Moses time. Further comment from me seems superfluous. Just ponder some of the awesome things God revealed to Isaiah, for those ancient people, and marvel at the relevance of those words to us today.
42:16 “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them. And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.”
42:20 “Seeing many things, but you do not observe: opening the ears, but he does not listen.”
43:1-3 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name, you are Mine. When you walk through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you, when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.”
We know that in the end, Isaiah’s words were not heeded. So the Lord allowed them to go into Babylonian captivity for seventy years. Some, never to return.
How relevant are the words of Isaiah to us today? We have a choice to make.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflections “Tabernacles”
Torah portions Leviticus 22:26 to 23:44 and Numbers 29 :12 - 16
Haftarah portion Zechariah 14 : 1-21
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 festival is a happy occasion. It lasts for seven days and begins and ends with a Sabbath rest. Following just 4 days after the most solemn remembrance of Yom Kippur it is celebrated in a very special way in Israel particularly. The festival is actually known by THREE different English names. Tabernacles, Booths and Ingathering. In Hebrew ”Sukkot”.
Each family builds a kind of makeshift shelter, which they call “booths”, outside their home. It is deliberately constructed so that the roof is lightly covered with palm fronds which easily allows those inside the shelter to see the sky above. Observant Jewish families then carry on all normal family activities in and around this shelter. That includes having meals and sleeping. The purpose of these constructions is to cause the family to remember the time when their ancestors lived in this manner in their wilderness journeying’s from Egypt to the Promised Land. Naturally, there is also much storytelling and appropriate scripture reading to encourage and enlighten the experience for the children of the family.
As mentioned above, it is an especially joyful festival.
In terms of our understanding of the prophetic significance of this festival, we need to recall the teaching which accompanied the first two festivals of this season. TRUMPETS heralds the return to this Earth of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in power and great glory. Then follow 10 days of putting things right, before we remember the very solemn festival of YOM KIPPUR which is prophetic of the Great White Throne Judgement.
As the old hymn puts it “When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there”. Well this festival is effectively the time for ‘roll calling’. Those who have been judged worthy at the Great White Throne Judgement are invited to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. That is consistent with the joyfulness of the occasion isn’t it? In fact, “the Bride” of the Lamb is the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21 : 9 – 27) and there is no place for impurity within its walls. Only those cleansed by the blood of the Lamb participate in the Marriage Supper.
There is ONE more activity associated with this festival in Judaism. On the last day of the celebration is the most joyous parading of the Torah Scrolls through the Streets in Jerusalem, and I suspect, but have not personally witnessed, in other Jewish communities. This is called “Simchat Torah” (Rejoicing in the Torah). It marks the fact that the whole cycle of reading the Torah starts again for another year.
Take time to study and learn the significance of all the “mo’edim” of the Lord. They are full of rich meaning and this festival has been singled out for special mention in the millennial Kingdom. Read it for yourself in Zechariah 14 : 16 -19. It forms part of the Haftarah portion for this week.
Why is this ‘mo’ed’ singled out? For your thoughtful consideration, the first clue comes in Jeremiah 16:14,15. Probably the most memorable day in the Hebrew calendar superseded by a bigger event! Jews restored to the Land in preparation for the return of Messiah. Pesach (which includes Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits) no longer celebrated. Shavuot, traditionally the time of giving of Torah superseded by a New Covenant. Yom Teruah completed by the appearance of Yeshua as King of kings.(No third appearance expected) Yom Kippur, already completed at the White Throne Judgement. And what remains is the joyful time when Yeshua Tabernacles with us for the rest of time. It is the ONLY festival which remains when Yeshua returns to reign. Hallelujah, what a Saviour. Be part of “The great ingathering”.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflections “Yom Kippur”
Torah portions Leviticus 16 : 1- 34 and
Haftarah portion Isaiah 57 : 14 to 58 : 14
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.
The 10 days between the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur are referred to as “the days of awe”. In Judaism, they are days of intraflection and reconciliation … putting things right.. putting things right with God and putting things right with those we live with and associate with on a daily basis. In fact the Scriptures clearly tell us that we cannot be right with God, and be at odds with each other (Matthew 5 : 24).
Those who have visited Israel at this time of year will know that everything stops on Yom Kippur. It is a day of fasting and reflection.( It is the reason why, in 1973, the Arab nations around Israel attacked them on that specific day. There is No Radio, No Television, No answering phones.. NOTHING goes on). The Scriptures declared that all the people have a day of solemn rest and strict Sabbath keeping. A day to “afflict your souls”.
It was the one day in every year, appointed by God, for the Chief Priest to enter the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and the Temple when they were functioning. The whole purpose of that visit by the Chief Priest was to ensure that he himself, and the Nation of people he represented, were made right with God in preparation for the year that lay ahead.
The awesome significance of this very special day is, regrettably, totally lost to the church. In addition to its special anointing by God, being set apart from all other days as it is, there is a unique event recorded in Revelation which we should all be acutely aware of. It is the day of the WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT. It is represented for us today by the day of Atonement. It is a special day ‘to put things right’.
Revelation 20 : 11 – 15 describes that day of Judgment. It needs no comment from me. The judgement is to determine who is right with God, and who is not. It is there for everyone to read, but before you read it I caution you to read Revelation 22 : 18,19 first. Many ‘Christians’ today have never taken time to even read Revelation, let alone try to understand its message. It is a letter written by Yeshua Himself, or at least dictated by Him to John.
The climax of the whole letter, in fact the climax of the whole message of the Scriptures comes in the next festival of the Lord, the Feast of Tabernacles, which is why these “mo’edim” of the Lord are so important to celebrate, be part of, and to remember.
I am saddened that the modern Christian church, which is largely ignorant of the “mo’edim” of the Lord, has missed a blessing which God intended us to enjoy.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflections “Yom Teruah”
Torah portions Genesis 21:1-34 Numbers 29:1-6
Haftarah portion 1 Samuel 1:1 to 2:10
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 festival is known as “The Feast of Trumpets”, because God ordained that it was to be heralded by the blowing of trumpets, it is known as “Rosh Hashanah” because it brings in the civic New Year in the Hebrew calendar. It is a Sabbath, a Holy convocation, a day of rest. It is the first of a series of THREE festivals which closely follow each other at this season of the year.
Many, like me, believe that it is prophetic of the time of the Lord’s return, and there are good Biblical reasons for this. Others will say "no man knows the day nor the hour”, but an elementary knowledge of Judaic biblical history easily explains this. In Israel, even today, the beginning and end of festivals (Numbers 10:10) relies on the observance of TWO stars in the sky by TWO witnesses (and that is normally announced by the blowing of shofars). The appearance of the New Moon heralds the beginning of a new month, again reliant on TWO witnesses. There are a number of good reasons why these observances could be one day or the next. “No man knows the day”. The presence of cloud will affect the precise timing of the first appearance of stars, “no man knows the hour”.
The most compelling reason is however because it is consistent with the evidential significance of the first FOUR ‘mo’edim’. Pesach, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits are perfectly fulfilled in the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. Shavu’ot, the traditional time of the giving of Torah to Moses on the mountain, is also the time of the giving of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem a mere 10 days after the ascension of Yeshua into Glory.
The Scriptures reveal that Yeshua will return with the sound of trumpets. (Matthew 24:30,31 1Corinthians 15:52 1Thessalonians 4:16)
The Feast of Trumpets marks the beginning of a period of 10 days of preparation for the next solemn appointed time, the Day of Atonement. It is enlightening to read Revelation 18, 19 and 20 in conjunction with the reflection on these last three festivals. That passage of Scripture appears to fill in some detail of things to take place upon the return of Yeshua when He comes, not as the Lamb to be slain, but as King of kings and Lord of Lords in order to put into place the millennial Kingdom of God.
In concluding this reflection, please consider this thought. When God instituted the ‘mo’ed’ of the Feast of Trumpets, He could have had in mind not only the annual introduction of a New Year in the Hebrew calendar, but also the New Year which marks the commencement of Yeshua’s everlasting Kingdom.
I am saddened that the modern Christian church, which is largely ignorant of the “mo’edim” of the Lord, has missed a blessing which God intended us to enjoy.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 51
V’zot Hab’rakhah (This is the blessing)
Deuteronomy 33:1 to 34:12
Moses died on Mount Nebo on the east side of the Jordan River. No-one knows where he was buried., except that it was in “a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor”. But before he died he blessed 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel. That blessing started with a general pronouncement about the LORD’s relationship to the whole congregation, and their acceptance of His authority.
In the map showing the land division among the twelve tribes, we note that Levi did not receive land, because the Levites were spread throughout the other tribes as priests, but had 48 cities to live in. Joseph was represented by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. And Simeon’s land is totally within the boundaries of Judah. Some have offered plausible, but speculative, theories about the reasons why Simeon is not mentioned in Moses’ blessings, but we simply do not know why that is.
The map shows that the original tribal allotment includes territory of modern day Jordan. That land was included in the 1921 “Balfour Declaration” as land set aside for the modern State of Israel, to which the ‘League of Nations’ agreed.
The tribal names of the sons of Jacob remain, even though those men were long dead and had been succeeded by their descendants when the land divisions were allotted. The pronouncement of his blessing of these tribes does not follow any recognisable order, even though Reuben, the oldest, was first mentioned. He was also the first to have a land allotment. The blessing of the Reubenites was in a form of prayer that they would survive in the land (on the east of the Jordan River) and grow strong in number.
Judah seemed to be destined for leadership as Moses prayed blessing on them. “Let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies.” We know that about 300 years later, after the death of King Solomon, that Judah gave its name to the southern kingdom which comprised the tribes of Judah (with Simeon) and Benjamin.
Levi, the tribe of priests, was to be scattered among the other tribes as they fulfilled their priestly duties. They provided, among other things, a judicial function. “Let your Thummim and your Urim be with your Holy one (the High Priest)”. These are objects, within the breastplate of the High Priest’s garment, through which God, by selection of the High Priest, confirmed His will and judgment on specific matters to the High Priest. Moses continued “For they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant. They shall teach Jacob Your judgements, and Israel Your Torah”. Moses also prayed for God’s physical protection of the Levites.
For Benjamin, who was allotted territory which included Jerusalem, Moses prayed for their safety and peace.
Joseph, now represented by tribes which carried the names of his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, held a special place among his brothers. Moses asked for material prosperity and military might, recognising the depravation which he had earlier suffered in slavery in Egypt. But Ephraim would be militarily stronger than Manasseh, his older brother.(Genesis 48:20)
For Zebulun and Issachar, even though they eventually had landlocked territory, Moses prayed for blessing, particularly through trade in fishing!
Gad had a large territory east of the River Jordan, but was mighty in battle against the Canaanites.
Regarding Dan, Moses saw great military strength. They were the tribe that became discontent with their allotted territory and moved further north, as far as the border with Lebanon.
Naphtali, Moses prayed, would be favoured and blessed by the LORD.
Asher was seen as a tribe who would be blessed and favoured by his brothers. “As your days, so shall your strength be”, Moses prayed.
And finally, Moses prayed for them as a nation. “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places.”
Moses was well aware that he was about to die. It was no surprise to him. God had called him to lead the people when he was 80. He was now 120. And I believe he died peacefully and entered the presence of the LORD his God. And the people mourned for him for 30 days. “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.” **
Then, the faithful Joshua, Moses assistant, who was “full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him”, took charge of the situation. And the children of Israel ‘heeded him’.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
**BREAKING NEWS:- Matthew 1:21 “And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call His name YESHUA, for He will save His people from their sins”.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 50
Ha’azinu (Listen)
Moses sang the song that God had taught him. And then he died. Well, soon afterwards anyway. There are three major songs in our Bible attributed to Moses. This one, one in Exodus 15 and Psalm 90. He might well have written Psalm 91 as well, but that is not clearly identified as such. And we find out in Revelation 15 that the angels who are given the task of pouring out the last seven plagues the earth also will sing this song of Moses. (they may well be singing it already)
It is a God honouring song, imploring the hearers to “Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice. Righteous and upright is He”. The hearers were about to go into the land God had promised them. The same promise had been made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now they were on the threshold, waiting. They knew it would not be easy. There were battles to be fought, and won. There would be resistance and they had no idea of what obstacles they might face. But we saw in our ‘reflection’ last week, that they were told by Moses that God would go before them. That Joshua would lead them, and they were to be “strong and of good courage". If we are looking for lessons for ourselves, we have one right there. Our God does not change. “Ascribe greatness to Him.” “His work is perfect.” He is righteous and upright”. “He does not lie”. And He goes before us.
We remind ourselves that, as we discovered in our ‘reflection’ last week, God taught Moses this song for a purpose. He knew that they would break their covenant and turn to ‘other gods’. He also knew that they would not forget this song, which Moses taught them before they entered the land. It was to be a reminder and a witness to the people of Israel of all that God had accomplished in and for them. The song contains words of candour which will touch the heart of anyone with a glimmer of a conscience. “They have corrupted themselves; they are not His children, because of their blemish; A perverse and crooked generation. Do you thus deal with the LORD O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?” Can anyone else see, as I can, the blindingly obvious parallel with our own situation today? This song is a timeless reminder of the love and grace which God has for those who are His. It is cutting in its clarity.
Nothing is done or said by innuendo or clever construction of words to bring thoughts of the past to mind. This song is direct and persuasive. Amazingly it covers what is for the people of that day, the past, the present, and the future. Concerning the past “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations”. God has provided the record of the past. It is written that all who read it might judge. Even though the people of that day did not have the volume of the written word as we do today, they had the history of the Patriarchs, their forefathers.“He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye”. This was very modern history for these folk. Then the present, or at least seeing the very near days ahead “They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to God. … of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and forgotten the God who fathered you.” These are words which would bring shame on any reasonable person. Such ingratitude is palpable.
This song also has words for a future generation of Israelites. Things that were near at hand for them and some which are still being fulfilled today. “How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them? For their rock is not like our Rock”. And “Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me”. (It is not difficult to put this into a very modern scene, as Israel today is surrounded by enemies, and has been ever since its modern resurrection in 1948. Consider how many times Israel has, and continues to, prevail against seemingly almost insurmountable superior numerical force) God then introduced a most unlikely weapon in His armoury. “I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation”. (Romans 11:11) And in a kind of lament there is an appeal that they might acquire wisdom. “Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” And in a triumphant finale, the song comes to a victorious end. “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people’” This is a most direct ‘instruction’ and promise of God to gentiles. We are told to partake with God’s chosen, even when they have fallen into the chastisement of God for their covenant failure. Their restoration, and God’s provident atonement is assured by Him. It is such a tragedy that many believing gentiles today are so derisory in their comment and actions regarding Israel.
The sad end to our ‘reflection’. God told Moses “Go up this mountain, Mount Nebo … view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession; and die on that mountain and be gathered to your people .. you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there”. But good news for the people was that God had already promised to raise up another prophet like Moses for the people (Deuteronomy 15).
But we still have one week left for Moses to bless the people he had led for the last 40 years.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
TORAH REFLECTION
Torah Reflection 49
Vayelech (And (Moses) went)
Possibly the most enlightening, and yet the most disappointing speech ever made. Enlightening in its encouragement and optimism. Disappointing in its prophetic truth. A sad start as Moses said “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’”. We know that Moses was not in any way incapacitated (Deuteronomy 34:7), so the reference to “going out and coming in” is a statement of knowledge that his leadership duties were at an end, because that’s what God had told him. Then the encouragement. “The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy those nations from before you, and you shall disposes them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said.” The words which follow have been used as an encouragement to believers ever since. They are words appropriated by people of faith in a most personal way, and rightly so. But it is often forgotten that all the blessings and promises which God made to these Israelites were conditional upon their adherence and obedience to His commandments. That is an important lesson for any who personally take this encouraging Scripture as God’s promise to them. “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
But there was more to do. The Book of the Covenant, the Torah (God’s instruction for righteous living) was given to the Levites, the priests, and they were charged with a very solemn and interesting duty. We ‘reflected’ on the “Shmitah” year in “Torah Reflection 29” of this series. To this observance, the Levites were charged with another responsibility. At the time of the Feast of Tabernacles in “Shmitah” year, “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this Torah, and their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross Jordan to possess.” Every seven years the people were to be officially, ceremonially, and dutifully reminded of what God expected of them. Those over seven would hear it more than once! It was to be an ongoing ritual. Did you notice in those instructions that “the stranger within your gates” was also charged with “learning the fear of the LORD”? And “to carefully observe all the words of this Torah”? Selah.
As gentiles, we are at some disadvantage in not having been taught some of these fundamental precepts. Moses had told them that each year God provided “appointed times”, ‘mo’edim’ in Hebrew, for His people to meet with Him. At the remembrance of His Passover, all over the world, wherever they live, Jewish parents recall His dealings with them, teach their children the history of that miraculous escape from slavery in Egypt, right up to this very point in our ‘reflection’ today, and beyond. And now Moses added the Feast of Tabernacles, every seventh year, as a time for reading the Torah to the whole congregation of the people. We who are “strangers within their gates”, are privileged to join in that memorial time if we so wish, but not many of us do. They are times of encouragement, uplift, and optimism, when we regularly recall the greatness and the reliability of our unchanging God. Learning what He requires of those who seek His blessing.
Moses took Joshua to the Tent of Meeting to be inaugurated as leader by the LORD in the sight of the whole congregation of Israel. (He had been anointed for that task (Numbers 27:18-23) but unlike Moses, who received instructions directly from God, Joshua was instructed through the “Urim” of the High Priest.) It was then that God appeared in the cloud above the door of the Tabernacle and gave Moses the disappointing news to which I referred at the commencement of this ‘reflection’. God told Moses that when the people lived in the land they were about to inherit, they would ‘play the harlot’ with the gods of the foreigners of that land. And even worse perhaps (or was it the same thing) “they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.” But disappointing as it is, it also speaks volumes about God’s love and grace towards these Israelites. Because in spite of this foreknowledge, He still allowed them to proceed as He had promised. But not without anger. We can probably all identify with the disappointment and even the sense of betrayal we feel when someone we love does something contrary to that which we thought was agreed. But we act without the foreknowledge that God had. The word “covenant” is not usually used in our everyday language today, but that is what a solemn agreement really is. A child does something against what was promised. A man does not do what he said he would do. A woman does things she promised not to do. Often, with the disappointment, comes anger.
God told Moses that many terrible things would happen to those people that He loved when they no longer enjoyed the safety of His presence among them due to their breaking of their covenant with Him. But even that was not to be the end. God told Moses that He would give him a song to teach the people. So He did. Moses wrote the song that very day and taught it to the children of Israel. God said “Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants.”
Then Moses called together the elders of the tribes and their appointed officers to tell them what would happen. The song Moses taught them would be a constant reminder to them. We will look at it next week.
Shabbat Shalom.
RS