The High Expectations for God’s People to Fulfill His Will and Purpose — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 122

by | Mar 2, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Shabbat Shalom beloved of Yeshua Messiah.

 

This week’s Torah Reading is the 122nd reading of our 3-year Torah Portion reading cycle. Our reading is found in Numbers 32:1-42.

 

I’ve entitled this teaching: The High Expectations for God’s People to Fulfill His Will and Purpose — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 122.

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A Quick Overview of the Transjordan Region

 

Gilead is east of the Jordan River. Our reading records that Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh would ultimately occupy this region. Many centuries prior to the timeframe of our reading, Scripture records that Ya’achov fled here when he covertly left with his family and belongings from Laban, his father-in-law (Gen 31). It is here that scripture records that Yosef was sold to an Ishmaelite caravan by his brothers (Gen 37).

 

Beyond these patriarchs, more contemporaneously with our present reading, it is here that we seized this land from Sihon as recorded in Numbers 21:2-32. Recall that he was the Amorite king who refused to allow us to short-cut through his territory (i.e. Num 21:21-23; Deu 2:26-37; Jug 11:19-16). Scripture reveals Yah hardened Sihon’s heart such that he would not agree to our request, somewhat like He did to Pharoah in the hardening of his heart. And, of course, it turns out that his hardened heart, again like Pharaoh before him, would not bode well for him as we would destroy him and seize his kingdom (Num 21:24-25). (Don’t mess with Yah’s chosen ones, especially when they are walking according to His Ways, Will, and Purpose.)

From there Yah instructed us to destroy Og of Bashan and seize his kingdom (Num 21:33-35; Neh 9:22; Psa 135.10-12). And as we will discuss here today, these lands would be given to our tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh at their request and upon completion of their obligation to assist their other tribal brethren in conquering Canaan proper.

 

Overall, we of this 2nd generation coming out of Egypt were preparing to go in and conquer Canaan and this request by our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren, we will see, came as a surprise to Moshe. It was not part of the originally known plan that we, as Yah’s chosen nation, would go into Canaan proper, conquer it, and take possession of it.

 

Our Gadite, Reubenite Brethren State Their Case for Wanting to Possess Gilead

 

So, our Gadite and Reubenite brethren, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, approached Moshe with the petition that they would settle in the region of Gilead which included the lands formerly ruled by Sihon (i.e. of the Amorites), Og of Bashan, and Balak of Moab.

 

Our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren stated their case to Moshe with seemingly warm cooperation and peaceful intent. Turns out that these three tribes were, at this time, in possession of vast numbers of livestock (i.e. Hebrew “miqneh”) and the lands they had their hearts set on to the east of the Jordan (aka the Transjordan) seemed to them perfect for raising and maintaining their vast animal stocks (32:1).

 

Moshe’s Concern — Considering the Hebrew Terms “Heni” and “Tenu’ah”

 

Consequently, Moshe was concerned that if the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh were given the green light to settle in the lands they expressed interest in possessing that we might have another incident akin to the “Spies Incident” of Numbers 13 on our hands. If you recall beloved, a significant portion of our nation refused to go in and take possession of the Land as Yah instructed us to do. Our nation’s refusal was based on the negative report of the spies that Moshe sent to reconnoiter the Land. Of those 12-spies, only Caleb and Joshua gave us a positive report and strongly encouraged us to obey Yah and go in and take the Land. Most of us refused to listen to Caleb’s and Joshua’s words and we as a nation rebelled against Yehovah and Moshe. This historic incident falls within the Hebrew concepts of “Heni” and “Tenu’ah.”

 

In his initial presumption that the petitioning tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh were up to some “monkey-business” (i.e. that their intentions for not going in to possess the Land with their other tribal brethren was somehow similar to the intentions we had as a nation in response to the 10 spies’ negative report). So, Moshe being the astute and discerning leader that He was says to these Gadite and Reubenite leaders:

 

“Why would you turn (i.e. “heni” — nullify or retract as well as turning the thoughts and will of another from their intended will) the will of the Yisra’elites?” Baruch A. Levine addresses this Hebrew term “heni” as used here by Moshe within the general context of annulling vows, oaths, and obligations. Mr. Levine also introduces us to the term “tenu’ ah, which is a situation where an individual or a people denies and treats the Will (and Plan) of Yehovah as though it was nothing or something to be scoffed at or dismissed. Clearly, Moshe didn’t want any repeat of any such foolishness as we experienced in response to the spy caper many years prior. (AB-Numbers 21-36 — A New Translation with Introduction and Translation — AYB4A)

 

Thus, Moshe brings up that spy incident and the ensuing punishment we endured for adhering to the negative voice of the 10-spies. Our “tenu’ah” condemned us to wander in the wilderness until the first Exodus generation died out, except for Caleb and Joshua (reference Num 14.29). Levine suggests that with our previous “tenu’ah” in the forefront of Moshe’s memory that maybe that same “tenu’ah” might be behind Reuben’s and Gad’s desire to remain in the lands east of the Jordan; that they viewed Yah’s promises and plans for our nation as “illegitimate.” For “to remain east of the Jordan was, in effect, to remain outside the Promised Land, to refuse to undertake its conquest.” (Baruch A. Levine, Numbers 21–36: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 487.)

 

Why is this such a big deal? you may ask. When we disregard Yah’s promises and instructions, which are connected to His commands to obey Him and to go and do what will bring about the fulfillment of those covenantal promises, we symbolically communicate to Him and the world that we are not committed to Him. When we do not commit ourselves to Him as His covenant people, we displease and upset Him (vss 10 and 11). Again, this is related to our reneging on our promises and commitments (i.e. our vows, oaths, and obligations as we discussed in Torah Reading 121).

 

So, as a follow-up to our previous reading, the importance of keeping our vows, oaths, and obligations is once more reiterated in this story. To tenu’ah and heni the vows, oaths, and obligations that we make to Yehovah and to others is a transgression of Yah’s Torah (i.e. it is a sin). Dare I say that to nullify our promises is a showstopper as it relates to our making it into the kingdom? I say, beloved, that it is imperative that we repent of any such acts in our lives and seek Yah’s forgiveness. And from there, we need to correct the denials and nullifications (i.e. the tenu’ah’s and heni’s) in our lives to the best of our abilities and not repeat those sins again.

 

 

The Hearts of the Gadites and Reubenites Regarding This Matter

 

On the surface, it seems that the hearts and loyalties of our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren were in the right place, at least as far as the text suggests. I’ll get into some perspectives of Jewish Thinkers who thought otherwise later in our discussion.

 

After some slightly contentious back and forth dialogue with Moshe on the matter, our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren agreed to fight alongside their other tribal brethren until Canaan was under our complete control and possession (32:16-19). These tribes’ willingness to obey Yehovah led Moshe to agree to their terms for taking possession of the lands east of the Jordan, outside Canaan proper (32:20-24).

 

Nevertheless, Moshe warned these tribes that if they failed to keep their word to assist their fellow Israelites in conquering Canaan, they would have to answer to Yehovah as it would be a transgression of Yah’s instructions (32:23). Indeed, these tribes would fulfill their obligation to Yehovah and the entire nation of Yisra’el when they will fight alongside their tribal brethren to conquer and take possession of Canaan as recorded in Joshua 4 and 22.

 

Thus, Moshe agreed to the Gadites’ and Reubenites’ proposal that they would fight alongside their brethren when they deployed to conquer Canaan (32:17). In the interim, the Gadites, Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh began to make a life for themselves in Sihon’s and Og’s former lands (32.16). More so, these three tribes vowed to deploy ahead of their brethren who would settle in Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. They vowed to unite in armed force with their brethren in the conquest of Canaan. And once Canaan was fully conquered and their brethren were received their inheritance of land (i.e. “nahalah”) to the satisfaction of Yehovah, then the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manasseh tribes would return to their homes in the lands east of the Jordan (32:18). These would also not lay any claim to any of the lands west of the Jordan (32:19).

 

Jewish Thinkers Weigh in on This Subject

 

I was surprised to learn just how much thought the ancient Jewish Thinkers put into this story. I want to share some of their thoughts with you for purposes of expanding our perspective on how our ancient and modern Jewish brethren see the merits of this story.

 

We find that towards the conclusion of the back and forth that occurred between Moshe and the Gadites and Reubenites, before Moshe agreed to these tribes’ petition and to ensure that the record on the matter was firmly established, that these tribes would face serious consequences if they did not keep their vow or obligation to fight alongside their other tribal brethren in the conquest of Canaan. Moshe warned these tribes:

 

But if you do not do so (i.e. you do not keep you word to fight alongside and help secure the promised Land for your brethren), behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and know that your sin will find you. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Nu 32:23.)

 

The Talmudist Thinkers labeled this conditional formulation “tena’ i kapul.” “Tena’ i kapul” is a provision that is incorporated in most binding Hebrew contracts and written obligations. Such provisions “spell out both the positive and negative outcomes” of the contract or obligation (Baruch A. Levine, Numbers 21–36: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 491.) In other words, if you do such-and-such a thing as you promised, then such-and-such a thing will happen. However, if you don’t do such-and-such a thing (i.e. you fail to keep your word), then a certain bad thing will happen.

 

Consider this Mishnaic commentary on “tena’ i kapul” in relation to our reading:

 

  1. Meir says, “Any condition which is not stated as is the condition of the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben [that is, in both negative and positive formulations], is no condition, “since it says, ‘And Moses said to them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass over” (Num. 32:29). And it is written, “And if they will not pass over armed” (Num. 32:20).’ ” R. Hananiah b. Gamaliel says, “The matter had to be stated in just that way, for if not, it would have been implied that even in the Land of Canaan they would not inherit land.” (Qiddusin 3:4; Jacob Neusner, The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary, vol. 12 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2011), 295.)

 

Thus, in our reading, Moshe stipulates that if our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren keep their obligation to Yehovah and their brethren by arming themselves and fighting alongside their other tribal brethren on the west side of the Jordan until all military operations have been successfully completed, then they would be free to return to those lands that they’d chosen for their home. If these stated conditions were met, then the land they desire to dwell in the Transjordan would be granted unto them as their homeland. (32:20-22) However, if our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren reneged on their obligation to take part in the conquering of Canaan alongside their other tribal brethren, then they would have committed a serious sin and their sin would most certainly find them. (32:23) And thus, the leaders of Gad and Reuben officially agreed to fulfill their responsibilities in the Land, and most importantly, obey Yehovah’s instructions regarding the taking of Canaan. (32:25-27)

 

Verses 33-38 entail the official land grant to Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

 

Now all of this was well and good in my mind until I recently came upon Torah Resources Tim Hegg’s Commentary on our reading (“Studies in the Torah — Numbers; Tacoma, Washington; 2016).

 

Mr. Hegg, who I greatly respect and who’s many written Torah resources I routinely reference in most, if not all, of my Torah studies and postings, introduces to his readers a rather negative perspective on the actions of the Gadites, Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh here in our reading and he shows in his commentary what some of the ancient Jewish Thinkers thought about their land petition. Turns out that the opinion of some ancient Jewish Thinkers towards the Gadites, Reubenites, and Manasseh was that their hearts were evil. According to these ancient thinkers, these tribes eventually suffered loss because they selfishly sought to separate themselves from their other brethren in response to their greed and sense of self-worth that was not in keeping with the will and purpose of Elohim.

 

Hegg illustrates this shocking perspective by recording the following Midrash commentary:

 

“Three gifts exist in the world: wisdom, valor and wealth. Whoever has merited one, can attain all the world’s delights. When is this so? When these gifts come from heaven by a means in keeping with Torah. (In other words, when one walks in Torah as they should, they will be appropriately blessed and receive their heart’s desires. Continuing.) Otherwise, they are worthless (i.e. getting worldly blessings is worthless if they are not obtained through the provisions that Yehovah spells out in His Torah. Continuing). There are two wealthy men in the world (i.e. two types of unsavory wealthy souls in the world), one of Israel — Korach — and the other of the nations (i.e. the goyim) — Haman (i.e. infamous in the Esther story) — and both were destroyed. Why? Because their gift was not from Hashem, but something they grabbed for themselves. (And here’s the kicker) It is just so with Gad and Reuven. Rich, blessed with much flocks (i.e. our forefathers measured wealth at times according to how much livestock one owned), they loved their wealth and dwelt outside the Land of Israel. Therefore they were the first tribes to be exiled…What caused this if not their isolating themselves from their brethren for material gain” (Mid. Rab. Num 22.7)?

 

Turns out that according to scripture, it was the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali that were the first tribes to suffer exile at the hands of the Assyrian onslaught (2 Kin 15:29). Some Jewish thinkers give this oversight a pass by taking a position that these tribes’ (i.e. Gad’s and Reuben’s) exile was their living outside the Land of Promise (i.e. a self-imposed exile if you will). (But why quibble over scriptural facts when you are a renowned Jewish sage, right?) But clearly, this thinker held a rather nasty, biased view of our Gadite and Reubenite brethren because these established their homes in the Transjordanian region as opposed to joining their other tribal brethren in Canaan, west of the Jordan.

 

Interestingly, these ancient Jewish thinkers didn’t stop in their criticism of these tribes’ perceived greed-driven actions. Some thinkers criticized them for their lack of faith/belief in Yah. They note that the leaders of these tribes failed to mention Yehovah in their petition to Moshe, this in contrast with Moshe’s mention of Yehovah some five times in his discourse with them over this land-grant issue (Num 32:20-22). The thinkers argue that these leaders were solely focused on their wealth and did not see any true need for Yah or any relationship with their other tribal brethren.

 

And not to be done with their criticism of Gad and Reuben in relationship to their perceived faithlessness and materialism, other thinkers saw these as having an inaccurate understanding of Yah’s Plan for Israel and their conquering of the Land. These, the thinkers contended, believed that Yehovah was going to miraculously eliminate the inhabitants of Canaan and simply hand the land over to their other tribal brethren. Thus, Reuben and Gad saw no need to get involved in that which Yehovah clearly had under control and within His sovereign purview. Hegg, in response to this criticism asserts: “The conquest of the Land would be done through Yehovah’s mighty hand, but it would require warfare: ‘I will deliver the inhabitants of the Land into the hand…’ To enjoy Yah’s covenant promises requires obedient participation” (ibid., p. 201). Amein to that, I say.

 

Hegg gives wide credence to the criticisms of the Jewish Thinkers but stops short of fully committing himself to their perspectives. His major criticism of the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manasseh is centered on their perceived self-centeredness and initial lack of concern for the wellbeing of their Israelite brethren. I understand his well-worded position and I, to a lesser or greater extent, somewhat agree with him. However, I do not go so far as to suggest that these three tribes were sinful in their petition to settle in the Transjordan as opposed to Canaan proper. Seems to me that if Yehovah was truly upset with Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, He would not have permitted the arrangement to go through as recorded in our reading. If these tribes were about some monkey-business and were willing to sell out their other tribal brethren in order to settle on land that was more conducive to their present livestock situation, Moshe certainly addressed and put a stop to such concerns. I believe what happened in our reading regarding these three tribes and the land they wanted for their homes was within Yah’s permissive will.

 

What I mean by Yah’s permissive will is that, although the actions of an individual or a group of individuals may not fall within Yah’s original plans, He makes allowances for certain actions of these individuals or group of people to take place. Unfortunately, some of those actions may have far-reaching, generational consequences. A prime example of such consequences coming out of those things Yah allows through His permissive will is realized in the practice of polygamy that so many of the ancients committed themselves to. I think with these three tribes, their desire to settle in lands just outside the Land of Promise was not in Yah’s original plan, but these tribes’ actions were not contentious to Yah’s plan and will. At the very least, this is not mentioned in our text. These three tribes agreed to fulfill their obligations, and that seems to have satisfied Moshe, and more importantly, Yehovah in this matter.

 

The take-aways from this week’s reading are many:

 

  • Yah requires us to fulfill the vows, promises, oaths, and obligations that we make to Him and to our fellowman. This is a carryover, of course, from last week’s reading.

 

  • Despite the many promises that Yah has made to us, His chosen ones, we are still required/obligated to act when He says act and do whatever He directs us to do at the time He says move. There are no free lunches in Yah’s great work of redemption, restoration, and salvation. So, we are going to have to obey His Words and listen to His still small voice, and follow His lead as He so provides and directs.

 

  • Despite my disagreements with the ancient Jewish Thinkers as it relates to their criticisms of the Gadites and Reubenites’ perceived sinful behavior, I will concede that they provide us with food for thought. It behooves us, as Yah’s set apart people, to always keep Yah and His will in front of our own desires, plans, and will. In fact, Yah’s will and purpose should always be our purpose; our will; our desire. Furthermore, we should always obey Yah’s Torah of loving Him with our whole being and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves such that we place Yah and the wellbeing of our brothers and sisters ahead of our own interests. Last, our material possessions must be made fully subject to the will, purpose, and plans of Yah. Greed and selfishness have no place in the hearts, minds, and souls of Yah’s people. If left unchecked, greed and selfishness will adversely impact our intimate covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. In fact, in opposition to greed and selfishness potentially overtaking His disciples at any time in their walk, Master Yeshua directed us to store up our treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupts and where thieves do not break through nor steal (Mat 6:20). And if our wealth gets in the way of our relationship with our Master Yeshua and in the way of our commission as His emissaries, He instructs us to sell that which we possess and give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Him (Mat 19:21; Mar 10:21; Luk 18:22).

 

 

A Serious Warning Against Continuing Deliberate Sin

 

As citizens of heaven and sons of the coming Malchut Elohim, we know how we are supposed to behave, and those of us who know better are always expected to do better. Yah holds us accountable for always doing the right and just thing. Sin must be given NO place in our lives as our apostolic reading this week so poignantly declares through the teachings of the writer of Hebrews:

 

26 For if* we keep on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that is about to consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think the person will be considered worthy of who treats with disdain the Son of God and who considers ordinary the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy and who insults the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Heb 10:26–31.)

 

Have a blessed and overcoming week in Yeshua Messiah, beloved. Shabbat Shalom, shavu’atov, take care.

What God Expects From Us When We Make Vows — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 121

by | Feb 23, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Shabbat Shalom beloved of Yeshua Messiah.

 

This week’s Torah Reading is the 121th portion of the 3-year Torah Portion reading cycle. Num 30:1-31:54 contains this week’s Torah Reading.

 

I’ve entitled this teaching: What God Expects from us When We Make Vows — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 121

 

(30:1-16) — The Torah Regarding the Making of Vows and Oaths

 

The Torah regarding the making and keeping of vows, oaths, and obligations is a carryover from the instructions Yah gave us regarding the required sacrifices and offerings we are to render on various set-apart/feast days (i.e. Torah Reading 120):

 

39‘These you prepare to יהוה at your appointed times, besides your vowed offerings and your voluntary offerings (some English translations render as votive offerings), as your ascending offerings and your grain offerings, as your drink offerings and your peace offerings.’ (The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Nu 29:39.)

 

 

The Expectations for the Vows – Oaths – Obligations That Men Make

 

We cannot revoke or nullify the vows, oaths, and obligations that we, as men, make unto Yehovah. They are binding, especially upon men. To swear a vow or oath is no small matter, but is done on one’s life, whether male or female (vv. 4, 6). (John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Nu 30:2.)

 

The making of vows and oaths is serious business and is never to be taken lightly by us. In fact, it behooves us as we examine the binding potential of vows and oaths to always be careful to guard that which comes out of our mouths as commitments.

 

 

The Expectations for the Vows – Oaths – Obligations That Women Make

 

However, Yehovah delineated the following exceptions for women.

 

Any female living in her father’s house (the LXX stipulates this applies to a female in her youth) who makes a vow that her father hears about, but he says nothing to her about it, her vow or oath will stand. However, if her father hears about it but disagrees with the vows or oaths she’s made, he may invalidate them, and she will not bear any responsibility for it. “Any vow and any sworn oath or a pledge to inflict on herself, her husband can confirm it or her husband can nullify it. But if her husband is completely silent from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her pledges that are on her; he confirms them because he was silent to her on the day he heard them. But if he indeed nullifies them after he hears them (i.e. days after hearing them), then he will bear her guilt” (30:13-15 LEB).

 

The same principle applies today, whereby children cannot enter nor be bound to contractual agreements for obvious reasons. They are young and they are often unaware of the consequences of their life decisions. We have total responsibility for our children until the day they are emancipated or get married. Yah has given them to us to oversee.

 

The same provision applies to a married woman as applies to a young female living in her father’s house. A married woman who has made a vow that her husband disagrees with has the authority to nullify such vows. Why is this so? Yah placed the man ahead of the woman in terms of the family unit. He makes the decisions for the home. It is the order that Yehovah established for the family unit. Any vows or oaths that his wife makes will have a direct effect on the family, and since the husband is responsible for the wellbeing of his family, he must ensure that his wife hasn’t involved herself into something that will adversely affect the shalom of the home.

 

Vows, oaths, and obligations made by a widow or a divorced woman will remain valid as they would for a man.

 

The provision in Torah, whereby husbands and fathers may annul their wives’ and daughters’ vows, oaths, and obligations, respectively, protected the women in a man’s life from the legal ramifications of commitments that they may have made in error or because of naivete. This provision also aims to protect the integrity and security of the family.

 

Why were special, restricting provisions made by Yah regarding women making vows and oaths? Females who were married or underaged living in her parents’ home lived under the authority of their husband and father, respectively. However, any husband or father that nullifies their woman’s vow or oath is subject to the consequences that may come from his nullification.

 

Let us not forget that in ancient times, and to a greater and lesser extent today, the wife in a family cares after her husband and raising the family’s children. Daughters focus on becoming good wives and partners to their future husbands. If a wife or underaged daughter get caught-up in an obligation, she is incapable of fulfilling; she risks bringing financial harm to the family or being enslaved for failure to meet the terms of her obligation.

 

Widows and divorced women followed the same standards as men, as they didn’t have any domestic male authority governing their lives.

 

 

Biblically Defining Vows and Oaths and Obligations

 

Oaths (aka shevu’ah) are formal, binding promises we make to another individual or entity, such as Yehovah. Oaths then are a fulfilling of a sacred duty or responsibility without a condition precipitating the oath. We can find an example of an oath in the Psalms.

 

132 O יהוה, remember Dawiḏ,

All his afflictions;

2How he swore to יהוה,

Vowed to the Mighty One of Ya‛aqoḇ:

3“Not to enter into my dwelling-house,

Not to get into my bed,

4“Not to give sleep to my eyes,

Or slumber to my eyelids,

5“Until I find a place for יהוה,

A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Ya‛aqoḇ.” (The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Ps 132.)

 

Vows (aka neder) are expressions of devotion or piety that we make towards Yehovah, such as offerings, pledges of abstinence (e.g. Nazarite Vow), and other forms of spiritual or physical actions (e.g. praying, committing to serve the Body, etc.). We pledge to do something in response to something the other party (namely Yehovah) promises to do for us. Vows that involve financial commitments would be a direct concern for the head of household, since more times than not, he was the bread-winner for the family. Unfortunately, because we may get caught-up in our piety and zeal towards Yah from time-to-time, we may make vows in haste and later on find that we’ve over-committed ourselves or simply forget to fulfill the vow.

 

Often, vows involve our dedicating something or someone to the service of the sanctuary, as in the case Abshalom (ref. 2 Sam 15.7-8), Hannah and Elkanah (ref. 1 Sam 1:19-27), and in the case of those who took on the Nazarite vow (Num 6:2-21).

 

 

Our reading also addresses general contractual and dedicatory commitments or obligations (aka ‘issar/’esar) which is any binding agreement that is executed in writing or by official proclamation.

 

When Yah delivers an edict, for instance, we must carry out and obey that edict, such as fulfilling our obligation to present the firstfruits of our increase on its appointed day (Num 18:12-13) and presenting our tithes unto Yehovah (Lev 27:30-33). When Yah prohibited us from taking the spoils of war and devoting to destruction, the inhabitants of the various nations and cities Yah directed us to war against. Then there are financial, contractual obligations that we enter into that we are required to fulfill.

 

We must mention that certain vows, oaths, and obligations overlap from time to time. That to break any of these commitments is tantamount to profaning Yehovah. Why? It is tantamount to profaning Yehovah because He is a direct witness to the vows, oaths, and obligations we attach ourselves to.

 

Recall that our reading addressed exemptions or reversals to the vows, oaths, and obligation rules, which applied only to those commitments that a father or husband overrules. But were you aware that the Rabbis took it upon themselves to provide an escape from obligations that we commit ourselves to by assuming religious authority to nullify certain vows, oaths, and obligations? When petitioned to do so, these treaded lightly, knowing that they really had no wiggle room to nullify vows, oaths, and commitments. Thus, these took advantage of word-plays to circumvent the validity of certain commitments, which, of course, violated Yah’s prohibition against adding to and subtracting from His Torah commands (Deu 4:2; 12:32; e.g. m. Nedarim 1.1-3).

 

Master Yahoshua pushed back on this profane practice of the Rabbis when He directly addressed this issue of making vows and oaths and obligations in His Sermon on the Mount, which also is our apostolic reading for this week:

 

33“Again, you heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to יהוה.’ Way. 19:12; Bem. 30:2; Deḇ. 23:21

34“But I say to you, do not swear [vainly] at all, neither by the heaven, because it is Elohim’s throne;

35nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; Yesh. 66:1 nor by Yerushalayim, for it is the city of the great Sovereign; Teh. 48:2

36nor swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.

37“But let your word ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ And what goes beyond these is from the wicked one. (The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Mt 5:33–37.)

 

Here we see the Master’s corrective instructions are quite simple: Avoid making commitments we know we are incapable or have no intention of keeping. Rather, ensure that our yeses are yes, and our no’s be no.

 

 

(31:1-12) — We War Against the Midianites

 

Yah left instructions with Moshe that we were to seek vengeance against the Midianites just before he dies. Men were to assemble themselves before Yehovah, arrayed for battle, to execute vengeance from Yehovah against Midian. We were to muster 1,000 men from each tribe to go up against Midian, totaling 12,000 soldiers. Phinehas the Priest, upon whom Yah conferred His covenant of peace, led us into battle along with the holy elements of the sanctuary. Shofars were used to communicate our maneuvers against Midian (LXX).

 

(31:13-24) — The Outcome of our War with Midian

 

We killed every Midian male, along with their leaders and princes. Balaam of Peor we also killed. (I guess Balaam either did not make it back to Peor or he had returned to Moab by that time.) No Israelite warrior died in the battle (31:49).

 

We took captive the Midianite women along with their children and took unto ourselves all their domesticated animals and articles of wealth. We burned all their cities and encampments. We brought all that we’d taken from the Midianites and presented them before Moshe and Eleazar the Cohen Gadol just outside our encampment on the desert-plateau of Moab at Araboth.

 

Moshe was outraged that we had taken captive the Midianite women. He reminded us it was these women who were instrumental in our apostacy with Ba’al of Peor. (Reference Num 25:1-9) We learned that Balaam of Beor was the mastermind behind the plan to lead us into apostacy with Ba’al of Peor. That apostacy resulted in the deaths of 24,000 souls.

 

Thus, Moshe instructed us to execute every woman who has ever engaged in a sexual relationship with a man. Those women who had not engaged in a sexual relationship with men, we were to spare them and we could take them as wives.

 

Because we had become ritually defiled in our war against Moab, we were required to remain outside the encampment for 7-days and undergo the purification ritual along with the captives and the confiscated booty. (Reference Num 19:11-22) We must return to a state of ritual purity and anything that we brought into the camp had to be purified according to the Yah’s Torah.

 

(31:25-54) — Divi’ing Up the Spoils of War

 

In obedience to Yehovah’s instructions, we took inventory of all that we took possession of in our war against the Midianites and divided those items between those of us who fought and the rest of our community. From the spoils of war we provided Tribute (Me-kes, meaning a tax on spoil to be rendered unto Yehovah; religious dues or taxes in support of the priestly servants of Yehovah) to Yehovah through our High Priest Eleazar. (Yah must always receive first portion of our increase.) Still, quite a bit of the war-booty remained after we gave Tribute of it to Yah and our warriors received their portions. That which remained included thousands of sheep, heads of cattle, donkeys, and virgin females.

 

Still yet, our warriors rendered unto Yehovah all the valuables they’d collected as booty from the Midianites a memorial and to make atonement for them before Yehovah (31:50). Our hearts, for once, were in the right place. Yah came first in our hearts, minds, and souls. We were ready to go in and receive the Land.

 

Yah instructed us to eradicate the men, male children, and sexually active women of the Midianite confederacy. Let us not forget that it was Balak, through the instigation of Balaam, used the Midianite women to seduce our men into apostacy. These women brought a curse upon us that resulted in 24,000 members of our nation perishing. His retribution against the Midianite confederacy through our warriors was a fulfillment of His promise to Avraham that He would curse those that curse him, and by extension, his seed (Gen 12 and 27). Yah has always been clear that vengeance is His to be had (Isa 63:4; Rom 12:19), and Yah does not forget.

 

You may agree that one of the biggest complaints the uninitiated members of society and the Christian religion have against Yehovah is that He is a mean, vengeful, hateful, always-angry, unforgiving God. Some go as far as saying that they want nothing to do with such a God and that they much prefer to deal with the loving God who they identify as Jesus Christ.

 

 

But these individuals are sorely lacking in their understanding of the wholeness of Yah’s sovereignty, His holiness, and His righteousness. You see, Yehovah doesn’t operate on the same scale and with the same convictions and mindset that many of us do.

 

Of Himself, through the Prophet Isaiah, Yah stated:

 

6Seek יהוה while He is to be found, call on Him while He is near.

7Let the wrong forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to יהוה, who has compassion on him, and to our Elohim, for He pardons much.

8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares יהוה.

9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Is 55:6–9.)

 

We try to hold Yah to our personal standards and sense of righteousness. But we must not overlook the fact that “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags” (Isa 64.6; KJV). For our Elohim is irresistibly holy and righteous beyond compare. Thus, because of his unrestricted sovereignty and holiness and righteousness, He deals with people and nations under these immutable character traits.

 

Indeed, there are certain sins and transgression of the creative order (such as the defilement of all flesh that took place when the Watchers descended to earth and disrupted Yah’s creative order) that prompt Yah to act in ways that may offend our delicate western sensibilities. But our sensibilities and our opinions don’t amount to a hill of beans when it comes to Yah exercising His sovereign will and purpose.

 

 

The purification that our warriors underwent before being permitted back into the encampment was demonstrative of Yah’s character. Our God is a God of life and holiness. He does not take pleasure in the deaths of any human soul. However, to propagate His pro-life agenda, He occasionally spills blood in accordance with His divine will and purpose. And in order for Him to dwell in our midst, we must be in a state of ritual purity. Death, the precipitate of sin, is impure. Any contact that we have with human remains requires that we be purified in order to dwell in His midst and be of service to Him.

 

 

If you have not established and are not walking in a true and substantive covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe through Yeshua Messiah, I invite you to do so today, for today is the day of salvation. Simply turn to Yah, repent of the sins of life, and ask Him to forgive you of those sins. Then seek Abba Yah for opportunities for you to be water-immersed (aka baptized) and receive Yah’s indwelling, Set-apart Spirit. Become a disciple of Yeshua and begin walking in His and His Father’s ways. Seek out opportunities for fellowship with likeminded believers and engage yourself in growing and learning how to walk this narrow path that leads to the Kingdom and to salvation.

 

Please, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need guidance in the True Faith once delivered. (perceptionwp@gmail.com) But don’t let another day go by without acting on you convictions. The time for coming to faith in this dispensation is coming to a close and you need to be on the right side of life that only Yeshua can provide.

 

It is my heartfelt hope, trust, and prayer that you have a blessed day of rest in Yeshua Messiah.

 

Faithfully,

 

Rod

 

Worshiping God Throughout the Year — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 120

Worshiping God Throughout the Year — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 120

by | Feb 17, 2024 | Blog

Shabbat Shalom beloved of Yeshua Messiah

This week’s Torah Reading is the 120th portion of the 3-year Torah Portion reading cycle. Num 28.1-29.40 contains this week’s Torah Reading.

I’ve entitled this teaching: Worshiping God Throughout the Year — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 120

Num 28:1-29:40

Lexham Context Commentary on the Old Testament points out that the regimen of worship that we find in this portion of Torah was directed specifically to the 2nd generation of Hebrews who were about to take possession of the Land of Promise. Much of what is covered in this reading was introduced and instituted when we were encamped round about Mount Sinai. (Exo 29) These sacrifices were offered by the Levitical Priests on behalf of the nation.

Every sacrifice is to be offered according to Yah’s established time, that is, on its appointed day.

The Daily Sacrificial Ritual (28:1-8)

Two yearling male lambs without defect each day as whole burnt offerings (aka appeasement offering): One n the morning, the other at evening, along with a grain offering (i.e. wheat) mixed with olive oil and a libation offering (undiluted wine; Earl D. Radmacher in Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary states that this libation offering was beer as opposed to wine) to be poured out in the holy place. (cf. Exo 29:38-46)

The general practice of praying in the morning when we rise for the day and at night when we go to bed in great part is based upon this God-commanded ritual.

The burnt offering is often described as being that of a pleasing or soothing aroma unto Yehovah. Some English translations of Torah call these offering appeasement offerings in great part because the rendered offerings are meant to sooth or appease Yah in His wrath towards us.

The priests rendered these daily offerings at the sanctuary daily on behalf of the nation.

They are symbolic of the intercession that our Master Yahoshua makes on our behalf in the heavenly Mishkan (i.e. the Heavenly Temple).

The Weekly Sabbath Offerings (28:9-10)

In addition to the daily offerings (referred to as a “musaf” offering because it is an offering made in addition to the regular daily burnt offerings), two perfect yearlings were to be rendered as whole burnt offerings besides its grain offering (wheat mixed with oil) and libation offering (i.e. 4-quarts of wine) each Sabbath. One commentator suggested that this addition to the daily offerings was symbolic of our doubling our devotions unto Yehovah on the Sabbath. The Rambam (prominent Jewish sage) referred to this offering as “peace on account of the Sabbath Bride.”

The set of liturgical prayers recited to welcome the Sabbath by our Hebrew brethren is referred to as the “Lekhah Dodi.” It is from Lekhah Dodi that the concept of the Sabbath Bride/Sabbath Queen is derived: ““Come, my beloved, to greet the bride; let us welcome the Sabbath presence” (Ronald L. Eisenberg, The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions, 1st ed. (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2004), 146.). It is said that this line of the Lekhah Dodi was inspired by the Shab. 119a accounting of how the Talmudic sages received/welcomed the weekly Sabbath. This welcoming of the Sabbath by the sages is likened unto that of a bride or princess or queen. The author of this liturgy was Solomon haLevi Alkabetz, a kabbalist poet of the early 16th century. It is said that originally when this Sabbath Bride was embraced by certain Jewish leaders, a certain Isaac Luria, along with his disciples, would, in a line, proceed down to a set place in a select field and and receive the Sabbath Bride/Queen with songs and praises. Over time, this ritual transitioned from select fields in Jewish communities on over to their synagogues at the outset of their Eruv Shabbat Services. The liturgical poems recited to receive the Sabbath Bride/Queen are meant to “extol the love between God the Creator and human beings, who humbly yearn for divine mercy and favor” (JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions). The whole point behind the concept of the Sabbath Bride/Queen is that of a personification of the Sabbath. The Sabbath Bride/Queen depicts the Sabbath as “beautiful” and “lovely.” So, the Sabbath is considered feminine and through the recitation of these liturgical poems and prayers, she is received as though she is a lovely/beautiful queen. The queen appellate denotes the Sabbath’s graciousness and the princess appellate denotes the Sabbath’s charm (The Messianic Bible Study Collection, V 176, p 9).

Yah required no sin offering on Shabbat.

It is believed that both lambs were to be offered in the morning as opposed to the evening so as to not have the evening offering/sacrifice run the risk of being rendered on the next day. One source I consulted stated that the Sabbath offerings were made between the two daily offerings (Rashi). Ibn Ezra insisted that this Sabbath offering had to be placed on top/atop the regular, daily offering.

Jewish tradition designates the first lamb as representing the world at creation and the second lamb as representing our Exodus from Mitsrayim to coincide with the commandments to “remember” and “observe” that Father imparted unto us regarding our keeping of Shabbat.

Our Monthly Sacrifice Renderings (28:11-15)

On the Rosh Chodesh (first day or new moon) of every month of the calendar year, our priests were to render unto Yehovah:

  • 2 Bulls (whole burnt offerings)
  • 1 Ram (whole burnt offerings)
  • 7 yearling male lambs without blemish (whole burnt offerings)
  • Fine Wheat Flour with beaten olive oil to be rendered with one of each of the animal sacrifices.
  • A libation offering of wine with one of each of the animal sacrifices.
  • 1 male kid as a sin offering.

This monthly offering was to be rendered unto Yah besides the daily offerings.

As Messianic, Torah-observant believers, we are called to honor the Rosh Chodesh. Besides the stipulated sacrifices, the priests were to sound shofars on every Rosh Chodesh (Num 10.10).

Anciently, we conducted Rosh Chodesh observances throughout our time in the Land, as evidenced by Tanach passages such as 1 Samuel 20:5, 18; 2 Kings 4:23; Isaiah 1:13-14; and Amos 8:5. With the Hillel Calendar in the 4th c. AD, which is a calculated reckoning of time, emphasis on Rosh Chodesh observances by Yah’s people diminished. This diminished, if not complete ignoring, of Rosh Chodesh by believers today, not only disconnects us from our sacred, Torah-based heritage but also causes us to lose a Yah-ordained opportunity to worship Yehovah. Yes, because Yehovah commanded we were to render unto Him such substantive sacrifices and offerings as delineated above should tell us we should treat each Rosh Chodesh as a set-apart day of worship unto our God. So why aren’t we doing it?

Hilary and I greet each Rosh Chodesh with the blowing of our shofars, prayers, and songs of praise unto Yehovah for allowing us to see another month. We love observing Rosh Chodesh each month of Yah’s biblical calendar year. (If you are new to our ministry and this website and are interested in knowing about the biblical observation calendar, please check out my various teachings on the subject.)

The Moedim of Yehovah and their Assigned Offerings

Our reading transitions rapidly into reiterated instructions about the set-apart moedim or feasts of Yehovah, along with their required offerings. This is a reiteration of the instructions related to our keeping of the mandated feasts of Yah that is given in Leviticus 23.

1. (28:16) Passover (aka Pesach).

Passover falls on the 14th day of the 1st month of Yah’s biblical calendar year. Yehovah did not mention any sacrifices (other than the daily renderings) that we would be required to render unto him on Pesach. It is on Pesach, however, that we eat the Passover meal (aka the Passover Seder) and remember the examples our Master Yeshua left us in observance of this special day. (If you are new to our ministry or to our website and are interested in learning more about the keeping of Passover by Netsarim (aka Nazarene Israelites or Messianic Believers), please check out my various teachings on the Spring Feasts of Yehovah.)

2. (28:17-25) Unleavened Bread.

This moedim spans seven consecutive days, from the 15th to the 22nd day of the first month of Yah’s Biblical Calendar Year. During this 7-day period, we are prohibited from consuming any foods that contain leaven (aka yeast). Biblically speaking, leaven as you may know, is symbolic, in many cases, of sin. Our cessation from consuming yeast-containing foods is symbolic in many ways of the elimination of sin from our lives as a people of Yehovah.

We are to participate in a holy convocation on the first and seventh day of this week-long feast. (If you want to learn more about what a convocation is, I invite you to listen to our read my teachings on holy convocations.) We are to perform no work on these days.

Besides the daily offerings, each day of Unleavened Bread, the priests were to render unto Yehovah:

A. Burnt offerings of 2 bulls.

B. Burnt offering of 1 ram.

C. Burnt offerings of 7 yearling male lambs without blemish.

D. A grain offering of milled flour mixed with oil for both the animal offerings.

E. A goat as a sin offering.

It should be mentioned that this is the first of 3 pilgrimage feasts that every male head of household was required to make each biblical calendar year (Exo 23:14-17; Deu 16:16). The pilgrimage feasts required us to travel to and assemble ourselves before Yehovah and celebrate His set apart day, at the location where He placed His Name. When the Temple was in operation, it would have been Jerusalem.

3. (28:26-31) Shavuot (aka Feast of Weeks or Pentecost).

This moedim occurs 7-weeks after Unleavened Bread. Leviticus 23:15-16 gives the specific determination of the day that Shavuot is to occur.

Shavuot is a non-work, holy convocation day. On this day, besides the daily offerings, our priests were to render unto Yehovah:

A. Burnt offerings of 2 bulls.

B. Burnt offering of 1 ram.

C. Burnt offerings of 7 male yearling lambs.

D. A grain offering of milled flour mixed with oil for both the animal offerings.

E. A goat as a sin offering.

Shavuot is the 2nd of the 3-annual pilgrimage feasts.

4. (29:1-7) Yom Teruah (aka The Day of the Blowing of Trumpets).

Yom Teruah occurs on the first day of the 7th month of Yah’s biblical calendar year. It is non-work and holy convocation day.

On this day, besides the daily offerings, our priests were to render unto Yehovah:

A. Burnt offering of 1 bull.

B. Burnt offering of 1 ram.

C. Burnt offerings of 7 male yearling lambs without blemish.

D. A grain offering of milled flour mixed with oil for both the animal offerings.

E. A goat as a sin offering.

5. (29:7-11) Yom Kippurim (aka the Day of the Atonements).

Yom Kippur(im) holds the reputation of being the holiest day of Yah’s moedim calendar year. It falls on the 10th day of the 7th month of Yah’s biblical calendar year. We are required to observe Yom Kippurim as a total, complete day of rest, where we are prohibited from performing any kind of work. It is a holy convocation day for us as well.

Probably the most distinguishing feature of Yom Kippurim is the requirement that we perform a complete fast on that day. (If you want to know more about the keeping of Yom Kippur, I will refer you to my teachings on this set-apart day.)

On this day, besides the daily offerings, our priests were to render unto Yehovah:

A. Burnt offering of 1 bull.

B. Burnt offering of 1 ram.

C. Burnt offerings of 7 male yearling lambs without blemish.

D. A grain offering of milled flour mixed with oil for both the animal offerings.

E. A goat as a sin offering.

F. The atonement ceremony sacrifices performed by the High Priest on our behalf.

6. (29:12-34) The Feast of Tabernacles (aka Sukkot).

This is the 3rd of the 3-required pilgrimage feasts for us and Tabernacles of Sukkot is considered by most Hebrews as the highlight moedim of Yah’s biblical calendar year. It is called by many as the season of our joy.

Like Unleavened Bread in the spring of the year, Tabernacles or Sukkot is a 7-day in duration feast. The first day of the feast we convene a holy convocation and it is a no-work day.

Each day of the Feast our priests were to render unto Yah sacrifices and offerings that differed in number each day. For the sake of space and time, I will refer you to this section of our reading for the precise number and type of each offering (29:13-31).

7. (29:35-38) The Last Great Day (aka Shemini Atzeret).

This day is actually an attachment to the 7-day celebration Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot. Our text refers to it as the 8th day.

The 8th Day of the Feast is a holy convocation and no-work day for us.

On this day, besides the daily offerings, our priests were to render unto Yehovah:

A. Burnt offering of 1 bull.

B. Burnt offering of 1 ram.

C. Burnt offerings of 7 male yearling lambs without blemish.

D. A grain offering of milled flour mixed with oil for both the animal offerings.

E. A goat as a sin offering.

Our Worship Throughout Yah’s Biblical Calendar Year

Our reading concludes with instructions that direct these offerings and sacrifices to be rendered on their assigned days. The renderings of these set-apart offerings were all performed by our Levitical Priests, but we were still required to present to Yah our vows, freewill offerings, and our burnt and fellowship offerings.

This is a snapshot of what our worship was like throughout the Creator’s Biblical Calendar Year. We must remember our worship was only rendered unto Yehovah at the Tabernacle proper, and later in Jerusalem (aka Yerushalayim) at the Temple. Obviously, with there being no operating Temple and with the atoning sacrifice of our Master Yahoshua Messiah on our behalf, our worship of Yehovah today comprises:

1. Sacrifices of praise.

2. Assembling ourselves with like-minded brethren on these set-apart days.

3. Rendering financial and material offerings to those ministries that feed us.

4. Lending our talents and strengths to ministries that bless us or to our own ministries.

5. Doing good — bearing good fruit — towards others.

6. Study of Yah’s Word.

7. Prayer.

8. And other activities as Yah’s Spirit directs.

Let us joyously worship our Elohim in Spirit and in Truth daily, at the start of every month, at the start of every biblical year, and on each moedim of Yehovah. Our worship must be heartfelt and rendered with complete submission to Yehovah. In so doing, we fulfill the Great Commandment of loving Yehovah with our whole being.

Shabbat Shalom, shavu’atov, take care beloved of Messiah.

The Generational Inheritance Covenant Realized — Thoughts & Reflections on Torah Reading 119

by | Feb 10, 2024 | Blog

The Generational Inheritance Covenant Realized — Thoughts & Reflections on Torah Reading 119

Shabbat Shalom beloved of Yeshua Messiah.

 

This week’s Torah Reading is the 119th portion of the 3-year Torah Portion reading cycle. Num 26:52-27:23 contains this week’s Torah Reading.

 

In last week’s reading, Abba instructed Moshe to conduct a census of our numbers as we sojourned at Araboth of Moab. (26:63-65) By this time in our Torah storyline, we had entered our 2nd generation after leaving Egypt. Our first generation had all but passed away except for Caleb and Joshua, son of Nun. This is all in anticipation of entering and conquering and parceling out the Land of our inheritance.

 

Inheriting the Promised Land

 

The Hebrew concept of inheritance, especially as related to the Promised Land is firmly based upon (1) Yehovah’s sovereignty — such that Yah owns the Land as the entire world and the fullness thereof belongs to Him, and (2) Yehovah promised our patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their seed the land. “Because He loved your fathers — Moshe speaking to us before we entered the Land — therefore He chose their descendants after them” (Deu 4.37 NASB). Thus, the owner of the land had promised to bequeath the land to us, the seed of the patriarchs.

 

Yehovah viewed us — the nation of Israel — as His firstborn son. (Exo 4.22) Thus, being the owner of all creation, Yehovah our Elohim had every right legally to give us the Land.

 

A critical note must be made here: Because we refused to take the Land when Yehovah initially instructed us to do so — after we received the bad report of the spies — the generation that left Egypt had all died out, except for Caleb and Joshua. The first generation had forfeited their direct access to the inheritance because they transgressed Abba’s Torah. The promise remained, so the Land was not taken from them. Instead, the land passed down to our second generation. This is illustrative of the reality that the sins of the fathers can and often affect the next generation(s).

 

We separated the Levites from the whole of our nation during the count. They would not inherit land because their portion was confined to Yehovah. Yehovah took care of all their needs. (26:57-62)

 

It was imperative to the faithfulness of Yehovah that we inherit and remain in the Land as His promises are irrevocable. When we are not in the Land, the nations have opportunities to “despise and belittle” Yehovah because it appears as though Yehovah is incapable of keeping His promises to His set apart people (Hegg, Torah Studies Numbers, p. 180; cf. Eze 36:19-20).

 

Yehovah demands that His people sanctify Him on the earth, and thus, He works behind the scenes to ensure that the seeds of the patriarchs receive and keep the Land inheritance as promised.

 

The Daughters of Zelophechad (Heb meaning “refuge from danger”) petition Moshe for inheritance. (27:1-11) They rationalize that they too are of the firstborn of Yehovah and are thus entitled to the Land inheritance. Yehovah agrees, saying, “The daughters of Zelophechad speak properly.” Here Yehovah established a just next-of-kin order (families inherit the land) that considers situations where a father died having no sons but only daughters to pass his inheritance to. This system has carried over into many modern Western nations.

 

Yehovah appoints Joshua to lead us after Moshe’s death. (27:12-23) He is installed as leader in a ceremony where Moshe lays his hands upon Joshua. This laying on of hands ceremony, often referred to in modern parlance as an ordination, conveys the message to all in attendance and in future generations that Moshe has transferred his authority to Joshua. This authority, referred to in some texts as majesty, was the same authority that Yehovah conferred upon Moshe at the burning bush back in Exodus 3. It should be kept in mind, however, that despite Moshe’s authority had been conferred upon Joshua, Joshua would always remain under Moshe’s authority. Hegg points out that “a disciple was never ultimately to disagree with his mentor from whom he received ordination, though of course he could expand upon and even enhance his master’s message” (Hegg, Studies in Torah Numbers, p. 181). Thus, Joshua would always be a disciple of Moshe. This is a carryover to us today. Yeshua has conferred upon us a measure of His authority, but we remain steadfastly under His authority. Yahoshua is the original revelation of Yehovah to us (Hegg, ibid., p0. 182). This concept dovetails nicely into this week’s Haftarah reading.

 

Haftarah

 

Jos 17:1-6: The daughters of Zelophehad receive their allotment of the Land under the leadership of Joshua.

 

The Apostolic Reading

 

Joh 10:7-18: Yeshua is the Good Shepherd. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

 

Have a blessed day of rest in Yeshua Messiah.

 

Learning to Fear God and Receive His Peace — Israel’s Inextricable Link to Our Salvation Part 4

by | Feb 9, 2024 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

After Paul’s conversion to the Way Faith, the Nazarene assemblies that were strewn throughout the Judean region, including the Galilee and Samaria, enjoyed a season of relative peace and unity. (Act 9:31) Those coming into the Way Movement, a movement that many scholars believe the orthodox Jewish communities in the region treated as simply another Jewish sect (like the Pharisees, Sadducees, the Essenes), were being instructed in (1) the fear of Yehovah (i.e. learning to fear Yehovah through witnessing the movement of the Holy Spirit and by walking in Yeshua-centric Torah) and (2) the comfort of the Holy Spirit (aka the Ruach Kodesh). The King James Version describes members of the Nazarene or Way Movement operating within the broader Jewish Community as “walking” in the fear of Yehovah and in the “comfort” of the Holy Spirit. The Faith at that time was experiencing tremendous growth. It was truly a wonderful time to be a part of such a great move of the Holy Spirit, under the leadership of the Apostles. (Eph 2:20) In so many ways, the Kingdom of God (aka the Malchut Elohim) had once again intervened in the affairs of man and had established itself amid a set-apart people who were truly living the life abundant. (Joh 10:10)

 

Andrew Gabriel Roth’s commentary on this verse (i.e. Acts 9:31) points out an interesting contrast in what the Netsarim (aka the Jerusalem Messianics) were experiencing during this quiet but spiritually dynamic period in our Faith’s history: When the redeemed of Messiah fear Abba Yah they receive comfort. (Aramaic English New Testament) As Roth sees it, these extreme opposite emotional states are really one of cause and effect: fear God and receive God’s peace.

 

This historic situation established a Netsari/Messianic character trait that every subsequent generation of Yeshua disciples must adopt if they are going to be successful in their quest for the Kingdom of God/the Malchut Elohim. That essential character trait is having a true fear of Yehovah Elohim.

 

God Fearers

 

Those that truly “fear YHVH” such that they are obedient only to His voice and His ways — such that these take to heart the fundamental maxim that the whole duty of man is to fear Yah and keep His commandments (Ecc 12:13) — possess the Father’s Set-Apart Spirit (aka the Ruach Kodesh/Holy Spirit). The Spirit that operates in them creates in them an “I want to obey heart” (to borrow a phrase frequently used by Torah Teacher Gary Steven Simons of Triumph in Truth Ministries). And this is what the first-century Jerusalem brethren described in Acts 9 were doing: They were fearing Yehovah and living a Yeshua-centric Torah lifestyle. Because of this unique, Kingdom-driven way of life, these believers received God’s peace (aka the Shalom of Yehovah).

 

The Shalom of Yehovah

 

We frequently use the Hebrew term shalom when greeting and bidding goodbyes to one another. When our assembly leaders recite and confer Yehovah’s blessing upon God’s people with the Aaronic Blessing, there is an expectation by Yah’s people that Abba Yah will always have His face turned towards them and bestow His shalom upon them. (Num 6:26) I go into some detail about the Aaronic Blessing in my teaching entitled “The Deep Abiding Mysteries of the Aaronic Blessing.” (I will place the link to that discussion in this teaching’s transcript for your convenience.) But the shalom that flows from an obedient covenant relationship with Yehovah is not just about one having freedom from disturbances, but more so, it’s about one being whole in every aspect of their being.

 

Shaul (aka the Apostle Paul) describes this form of peace as a mystery (i.e. it surpasses human understanding). Yehovah’s shalom guards the Child of Yah’s heart and mind. (Phi 4:7) So, what is Yah’s shalom guarding the Child of Yah’s heart and mind from? It’s guarding their heart and mind against the wiles, slings, and arrows of the enemy (i.e. the enemy’s tactics, deception, and ploys). And don’t you know, beloved, that the enemy’s attacks are not always against our bodies, relationships, and material possessions? The enemy’s attacks are more times than not against our hearts and minds. (Eph 6:10-12, 15) And so, as the apostle wrote to his Philippian readers, it behooves them to receive Abba Yah’s shalom. It was, and remains even today, the only defensive weapon against the enemy’s attacks against their hearts and minds.

 

And if there is anything that we, as a people of the Malchut Elohim, need during these perilous times, both collectively and individually, is the Shalom of Yehovah.

 

Roth describes those first-century members of the Way Movement in Jerusalem as having found “peace and contentment of being.” (AENT; p. 331) And this biblical principle of Yehovah-fearers/God fearers possessing a peace that surpasses all understanding is just as applicable today as it was back then.

 

Sadly beloved, there is a drought of true God-fearers in this world, especially today. I’ll get into some reasons this is so later on in this teaching. But one of the main reasons the world today experiences a drought of true God-fearers is because of biblical illiteracy and the conditioning of believers to not fear the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

Biblically Defining What it Means to Fear God

 

What does it mean to fear YHVH?

 

The traditional (let’s say Christian) teaching holds that to fear God is to revere or reverence Him; to adore Him; to be loyal and faithful to Him; to trust Him; and to obey the tenets of whatever church one is a member of. Some would call this being religious or being a person of faith.

 

Most teachers reject the idea that to fear God is to possess concern or dread towards God, or to be terrified of Yah. But to a lesser or greater extent, this is what true biblical fear of God looks like.

 

When we talk about fearing Elohim, we’re not talking so much about being terrified or frightened of Yah such that we run away and hide from Him because we fear for our lives. Indeed, Yehovah does not want that type of relationship for His chosen ones.

 

Abba Yah did not intend for us to pull away in terror of Him at the display of His irresistible power on the day that He revealed Himself to us on Mount Sinai and spoke to us His ten-commandments. But as Moshe explained, it was Abba Yah’s intent “that His fear may be in you, so that you do not sin. (Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, Holy Scriptures: Tree of Life Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), Ex 20:20.) Yah wanted there to be implanted into our psyche such a mind of, what I will call here, fearful respect of Him that we would not transgress His Torah.

 

What Abba wants from His chosen ones is obedience, trust, love, and a substantive intimate relationship such that they are quite aware of Who He is and the great things that He can and will do for us if we remain true to Him, and what will happen to us when we cross and transgress Him and His ways.

 

Yes, Abba Yah wants His chosen ones to revere, be loyal, impressed by, faithful towards Him, and the like. But He wants us to truly fear Him because there is great benefit to be had by us when we have trepidation, apprehension, an uneasiness, and disquietude toward Him.

 

The Psalmist wrote that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: A good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth forever” (111:10; KJV; cf. Pro 1:7; 9:10).

 

We desperately need a measure of Godly wisdom in order to make it into the Kingdom. Our Master Yeshua came to impart His Father’s wisdom to us in a way that only He, as the Son of Yehovah, could deliver. That’s why it is imperative that we develop an intense hunger and thirst for Him and His Father’s righteousness such that we grow in Godly wisdom.

 

I believe when we turn a blind eye to what it truly means to fear Elohim, such as having trepidation, apprehension, an uneasiness, or disquietude toward Him, and we substitute the biblical meaning of “the fear of God” with milk-toast terms such as awe, reverence, loyalty, and the like, we leave open the door to making God into whatever image or likeness that we want Him to be.

 

Consider the practices of some of our Denominationalist brethren who place the entirety of their eternal security upon their warped understanding of “grace.” Their perverted grace doctrine has conditioned many of them to not fear Yehovah, as scripture teaches. To these, grace covers every fault they had in the past, that they have in the present, and that they will have in the future. Therefore, they erroneously rationalize that there’s no need to truly fear the Holy Creator of the Universe. And because there’s no need to truly fear the Holy Creator of the Universe, there is no need to obey His instructions in righteousness nor walk in our Master Yeshua’s footsteps. All one need do is to possess a cognitive understanding (i.e. believe) that Jesus died for his/her sins and ask Him to take up residence in their heart. To these, Yah has no expectation whatsoever of them. They’ve arrived and nothing Yehovah or Yeshua may say contrary to their erroneous beliefs will change the fact that they are guaranteed eternal life and a place in the Kingdom.

 

 Again, for the nominal Christian, there is no need to fear Yehovah. Sadly, this rejection of Biblically fearing Yehovah, I believe, has led to the gulf that exists between our Faith Community and Denominational Christianity. When we came into this beloved faith of ours and the scales of spiritual blindness fell from our eyes and the deafness of truly hearing Yah’s voice in our lives was unstopped in our ears, we gained an immediate fear of Yehovah. If you were like me, upon learning that we’d inherited lies, we feared the consequences of what our years of ignorant disobedience and rebelliousness would bring us if we didn’t straighten up and fly right. Our hearts were broken at the thought that we’d let our beloved Creator down because of our previous life of disobedience and rebelliousness. And it was that fear of Elohim that was finally ignited within us that led to us truly taking up our execution stake and following Yahoshua HaMashiyach for the rest of our lives (Mat 16:24; Mar 8:34; 10:21; Luk 9:23). We received, through Yah’s indwelling, Set-Apart Spirit, an “I want to obey” heart, mind, and soul. And we became fearfully sin-conscious, constantly searching for — asking Yehovah to reveal to us — those sinful elements in our lives that “doth so easily beset us” (Heb 12:1). Our greatest fear is that we will disappoint Yehovah and damage our loving, covenant relationship with Him because of some unreconciled sin. We always want to make things right with our God. So yes, we develop an perpetual, genuine fear of Yehovah.

 

True Biblical fear of Elohim affords those that would be His to come into His presence unimpeded (i.e. unimpeded by unreconciled sin) and commune with Him. The one who truly fears Yehovah knows that Abba Yah can see right through them as He is a discerner of the heart, the thoughts and intents of the human soul (Heb 4:12). Thus, he/she is careful when they come into Yah’s presence that they not be found by Him to be in an unclean state (i.e. an impure heart, mind, and body). We cringe at the thought that we may have crossed Him, disappointed Him, or worse, offended Him and transgressed His Torah. We take nothing for granted when it comes to our covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. So we go the extra-mile by seeking His forgiveness for unreconciled sin and petitioning that we once again be permitted to enter His divine presence. We petition Him to reveal to us those things in our being that displease Him and we ask His help to overcome those obstacles to our relationship with Him.

 

 

Yah’s greatness causes those that come into His presence to not just respect and revere Him, but to tremble at His presence (Exo 14:30-31; Deu 7:21; Psa 99:3).

 

We fear certain things that if not handled properly by us, may result in our harm: Fire, electricity, water/flood, structural integrity of our homes, the integrity of our relationships, the government, nature, and so forth. The fear of such things typically don’t cause us to avoid them outright because we know there is great benefit to be had if we are obedient to their proper use; that is, if we possess a healthy fear of them.

 

If we were children who were raised by moral and loving parents, we learned to fear them. Yes, we may have revered them, but we also feared them. We feared the consequences of what might happen to us if we crossed them or transgressed their house rules.

 

Those of us who are married and we love our spouses are careful to not cause upset to our relationship (e.g. do something that our spouse won’t approve of or will be injured by such as our cheating on them and so forth). We fear the consequences of what may happen if we wrong our spouses and transgress Yah’s Torah.

 

These same principles apply to our relationship with Yehovah. It’s one thing to reverence, respect, and adore Yehovah which we are compelled to do anyway. But we enter an entirely different level of relationship with Yah when we truly fear Him as He demands of us to do.

 

We are called to be “God-fearers,” not in the classic, orthodox Jewish sense that the title once served as a bone to Gentiles who simply wanted to serve and worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but were led to take a pass on becoming a religious Jew. But a God-fearer from God’s perspective. Where we wake-up every morning and with firm resolve “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phi 2:12; 2 Cor 2:3). Where we serve Yehovah with fear and rejoice with trembling because we know Who He truly is: that He is sovereign and all powerful (Psa 2:11). We start to learn that we are not to fear people that can only kill our physical bodies, but we fear the Creator of the Universe that can completely destroy all traces of our being in the Lake of Fire (Mat 10:28; Heb 13:6). We tremble and fear Yehovah because we know the mighty and awesome work He has done in our lives and in the lives of His set apart people throughout the ages. As disciples of Yeshua Messiah, we recognize that our whole duty is to fear Yehovah and keep His commandments, and His commandments are our Master’s commandments (Deu 8:6; Ecc 12:13; Joh 14:15). We know that when we fear our Elohim, He will deliver us from our enemies (2 Kin 17:39). In fact, our fear of Yehovah becomes our confidence (Job 4:6).

 

We humans transgress our Creator’s ways and instructions when we lose (although most of us never had it in the first place) any and all fear of Yehovah. And how do we lose fear of Yehovah? We lose our fear of Yehovah when we stop believing Him and we instead start believing people over Yah. Genuine faith and belief in Yehovah and in His Son Yeshua induce genuine fear of Yehovah. When we believe Yehovah is Who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do, then we are compelled to fear Him. It’s just that simple.

 

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Cornelius — The God-Fearer

 

Luke records Cornelius being the first “named” Gentile converted to the Netsarim (aka Nazarene) Faith. He is described as being a Caesarean native and a captain of a Roman army regiment. Spiritually, he was righteous, and he feared God, along with his entire household (Act 10:2). Cornelius “beseeched” or earnestly prayed to Yehovah throughout each day of his life. (Some have suggested that he was actually reciting Jewish liturgies as part of his daily routine.) Furthermore, Cornelius rendered many alms before the people (that is, he was a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7) to the local synagogue he attended and to the poor of his community). Indeed, given this character sketch, it is likely that Cornelius not only feared Yehovah in his person, but was a qualified “God-fearer” according to orthodox Jewish custom.

 

Many of us focus on the religious classification that the title “God-fearer” places on this man and his household, which I will not attempt to marginalize here. I do think that him being a God-fearer in the eyes of orthodox Judaism, that is a Gentile who takes up Judaism as a way of life but who chooses not to convert to Judaism (aka become proselytized which leads to physical circumcision and total conformity to the Jewish religion) for whatever reason, is a relevant factor in the storyline. But let us not be fooled into understanding the realities of the title God-fearer that Rabbinic Jews conferred upon certain classes of Gentiles. It was a porous barrier that permitted certain well-to-do Gentiles to take part in restricted worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob while maintaining “the middle wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile. The Apostle Paul (aka Shaul) recognized that Yehovah never intended for Gentiles to be excluded from worshiping and walking out a life of Torah. Yehovah used the Person and ministry of Yeshua, Israel’s Messiah, to break down the middle wall of partition that separated the Jew from the Gentile believer, bringing them together as one man. (Eph 2:14)

 

 

Denominationalists have feloniously failed to understand the meaning of the vision that led Peter (aka Kefa) to Cornelius’ home and to Cornelius and his family coming into a covenant relationship with Yehovah through Yeshua Messiah. The true meaning of the vision of the sheet knitted at its four corners holding several unclean animals descending to the apostle with a voice instructing Kefa to “rise, kill, and eat” has been feloniously misinterpreted by denominationalists for centuries, despite Kefa himself declaring the vision’s true meaning to any who has eyes to see and ears to hear. The denominationalists, as most of you know, have used Kefa’s vision of the sheet holding unclean animals to promote their anti-Torah agenda, this time focusing on Yehovah’s dietary Torah. (Lev 11:1-47; Deu 14:3-21) The truth of the matter is that Kefa’s vision was not about the free consumption of meat by God’s people, be those creatures clean or unclean. The Holy Spirit revealed to Kefa the true meaning of the vision:

 

(25) And it came to be that when Kefa entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and bowed before him. (26) But Kefa raised him up, saying, “Stand up, I myself am also a man.” (27) And talking with him, he went in and found many who had come together. (28) And he said to them, “You know that a Yehudi (aka a Jewish) man is not allowed to associate with, or go to one of another race. But Elohim has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (29) That is why I came without hesitation when I was sent for…(34) Truly I see that Elohim shows no partiality, (35) but in every nation, he who FEARS HIM AND WORKS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS ACCEPTED BY HIM.” (Act 10; The Scriptures ISR).

 

And of course, as the story goes, Kefa delivers unto Cornelius and his household the unadulterated Gospel message. Amid Kefa’s sermon, “the Set-apart Spirit fell upon all those hearing the world. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Kefa, because the gift of the Set-apart Spirit had been poured out on the nations also for they were hearing them speaking with tongues and extolling Elohim” (Act 10:45-46; The Scriptures ISR).

 

This historic event was followed up by Cornelius and his household being water-immersed by Kefa and his evangelistic team. (Act 10:48)

 

Let us not fall for Denominationalists’ false narrative that Cornelius and all non-Jews that followed him into the Nazarene Faith began living a lawless/Torahless life upon their conversion. Let us not overlook the reality that before Cornelius and his household officially transitioned to the Nazarene Faith, they feared God, which means they walked in Yehovah’s ways to the best of their knowledge and ability. They kept Torah to the best of their knowledge and ability. And although the Gospel record of Luke is silent on Cornelius’ life after his conversion, history bears out non-Jewish converts to the Way worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and walked in His ways right alongside their Messianic Jewish brethren in their local synagogue and in fellow-believers’ homes. (Act 2:42, 46)

 

This is a primer for our upcoming discussion on the Jerusalem Council’s Edict and its bearing on our salvation and inextricable link to Israel.

 

It is my hope, trust, and prayer, beloved, that we all learn to fear Yehovah in such a way that we walk blameless before our Elohim and receive His shalom over our lives.