Deuteronomy-A Rehashing and Retelling of Torah to a New Generation-Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 126

This week’s Torah Reading, contained in Deuteronomy 1.1-46, is the 126th portion of our 3-year Torah Portion reading cycle. I’ve entitled this teaching: “Deuteronomy – A Rehashing and Retelling of Torah to a New Generation.”

 

Deuteronomy is where we will be hanging our spiritual hats, so to speak, for the remainder of this biblical calendar year. So, buckle up and prepare for some intense forays into Yah’s eternal words of life.

 

Welcome to Deuteronomy

 

The title given to the 5th book/cepher of the Torah is the Greek term Deuteronomy. It’s one of those Greek, composite words that is meant to convey a spiritual meaning. In this case, the title consists of “deuteros” which means second, and “nomos” which can mean either “word(s)” or “law”.

 

When we consider the meaning of Deuteronomy being that of the second law, we’re not talking about Moshe/Moses adding a second set of instructions to that which is contained in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Instead, the Cepher of Deuteronomy is a rehashing of the Torah contained in these preceding books/cepherim. This becomes clearly evidenced by even a casual read of our parshah today. We see herein that Moshe is led by the Holy Spirit/the Ruach Kodesh (such that all Scripture – all Torah – is given by the inspiration of Yehovah – 2 Tim 3.16) to instruct our 2nd generation Exodus cousins in Yah’s Torah and in the covenant precepts we’d previously received at Horeb (aka Mount Sinai). This action of instructing our 2nd generation was critical preparation for our imminent conquest of, and taking possession of, Canaan.

 

Why was Moshe led to provide us with a rehash of Torah? Isn’t it likely that we, the 2nd-generation-Exodus children, would have received the teachings contained in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers as we were growing up? Well, let’s not overlook that significant portions of Torah had not been kept by either of our two Exodus generations since most of Yah’s instructions were applicable only when we finally settled in the Land.

 

Simply recall or reference the numerous passages where Yah prefaces certain commands with: “When ye come into the land,” or “when you appear before Yehovah,” or “when ye reap the harvest of your land,” and so forth. So, contrary to what may appear to us from casual read-throughs of Torah, while we sojourned in the wilderness, we primarily kept, with just a few exceptions, just the moral and purity laws, and of course, the ten-commandments. And what Deuteronomy/Devarim (in the Hebrew) captures for us is, essentially, Moshe rendering unto our second Exodus-generation cousins a “Torah Refresher Course” in preparation for our taking possession of the Land (Hegg, T., “Commentary on Deuteronomy,’ p. 15).

 

Tim Hegg (Torah teacher, scholar, and prolific writer, and president of torahresources.com) brilliantly points out in his commentary on our parshah that our steadfast studies of Torah, despite portions of it not being applicable to us today for various historic, logistical, and renewed covenant reasons, holds similarities to the situation facing our ancient Hebrew cousins. As these were being prepped to receive the Land of Promise, we are being prepared to receive the coming Malchut Elohim (aka the Kingdom of God) and the millennial reign of our Master Yahoshua Messiah (ibid., p. 15).

 

The point of our steadfast Torah studies each week is not to entertain some affinity for Jewish traditions and practices or to accumulate knowledge that may or may not be of spiritual use to our walk with Messiah. Instead, our studies should be for the purpose of expanding our knowledge of Yehovah and deepening our covenant relationship with Him.

 

We find in our reading that, Moshe, through his “Torah Refresher,” reaffirmed the covenant Yah cut with our first generation Exodus parents at the base of Mount Sinai.

 

“These are the words (“Eleh ha-d’varim) which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph (i.e. the Transjordan)… a journey of eleven days from Horeb… in the 40th year (i.e., year 39 of our 40-year wilderness sojourn) in the 11th month, on the 1st day of the month.” (Russell Resnik, Gateways to Torah: Joining the Ancient Conversation on the Weekly Portion (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2000), 189.)

 

The events as recorded in this 5th cepher of Torah is an official legal enactment of divine instructions, as it contains the location (i.e. the Transjordan region to the east of the Jordan River), date (i.e. the 11th month of our 40th year in the wilderness), and individuals involved (i.e. Moshe and all of Yisra’el). This historic event prophetically points us to the ministries of our Master Yahoshua Messiah and John (aka Yochanan) the Immerser. How so? Think of our Master’s temptation by hasatan and John’s epic water immersions of the sons and daughters of Yehudah/Judah. Both historic events take place in the general location that the Cepher/Book of Deuteronomy was written and delivered to us (Mat 4.24; 19.1; Mar 3.8; 10.1; Luk 4.1). Both New Testament events parallel this D’varim/Deuteronomic event in that both are about preparing Yehovah’s people to receive – to enter – the Malchut Elohim. Rood’s Chronology places Yeshua’s temptation and John’s mass water immersions in the Transjordan in and around the 11th month of Yah’s biblical calendar in the year 27 CE (Rood, Michael; The Chronological Gospels; p. 66-71).

 

From a timing perspective – getting back to our reading – Moshe’s “refresher of Torah” to our 2nd generation-Exodus cousins occurred over the course of one to two months since Joshua, chapter 5 records that we officially entered the Land in the month of the Aviv:

 

 8 And it happened, when all the nation had finished circumcising, they remained where they were in the camp until they recovered. 9 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. 10 And the ⌊Israelites⌋ camped at Gilgal, and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, on the plains of Jericho. 11 On the next day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate from the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted corn. 12 And the manna ceased the day after, when they started eating the produce of the land, and there was no longer manna for the ⌊Israelites⌋. They ate from the crop of the land of Canaan in that year. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Jos 5:8–12.)

 

Of course, our buddies, the ever opinionated Jewish sages, contend that Moshe’s delivery of D’varim concluded on the 6th day of the 12th month, which translates to 36-days from its start (reference Seder Olam Rabba).

 

Moshe narrates the cepher of D’varim himself, unlike the previous four cepherim of Torah which I believe Yehovah and angels narrated to and Moshe wrote down what they narrated to him.

 

I detect a prophetic shadow picture in D’varim. Moshe foreshadowing Y’shua Messiah, rehashing/clarifying/retelling Torah to a new generation of souls poised to take possession of the Kingdom of Heaven—the Land of Promise.

 

Just as Moshe’s words were delivered to aid our second generation of Exodus Yisra’elites in getting to know the Person of Yehovah and understanding how to serve and worship Him, Y’shua also provided us, a new creation, the keys to the kingdom; understanding what it takes to become a citizen of Yah’s eternal Kingdom and to fulfill the promise He made to us at Horeb that we would become unto Him a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, and a royal priesthood (Exo 19.6; 1 Pet 2.9). Additionally, D’varim is an exhortation to us to enter and receive the covenant promise of the Land. Moshe here reiterates that the blessings of the Promised Land were ripe for the taking, as the Land is “given before” us and “laid at” at our feet (1.21). This was our destiny. For this was all about a Land, a people [of Yah], and a covenant.

 

The clarion call is declared: “R’eh! … Aleh! Resh! — See! … Go up! Take possession!” What is this saying to us today, beloved?

 

D’varim is about the realities of the covenant and the covenant’s promises that Yah made initially to Avraham and on down to his descendants. It expresses Yehovah’s love for His covenant people and the love Yah’s covenant people must have for Him: Hearken O Israel: HaShem our God, HaShem is One! Now you are to love HaShem your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your substance!     (6:4–5; The Schocken Bible) (Russell Resnik, Gateways to Torah: Joining the Ancient Conversation on the Weekly Portion (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2000), 190.) I.e. the Shema!

 

Moshe’s Historical Review of our Journey from Sinai to Where we Find Ourselves in Transjordan

 

One of the greatest reveals of our reading is found in 1.1-2:

 

These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel ⌊on the other side of⌋ the Jordan in the desert, in the desert plateau opposite Suph, between Paran and between Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2 It is a journey of ⌊eleven days⌋ from Horeb ⌊by the way of Mount Seir⌋ up to Kadesh Barnea. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 1:1–2.)

 

Did you catch the reveal? Our trek through the wilderness should have taken just 11-days, leading up to our taking possession of the Land. But because we did not believe/trust Yah, we were sentenced by Yah to wander the wilderness as nomads/Bedouins for 40-years:

 

“Then Yahweh heard the sound of your words, and he was angry, and he swore, ⌊saying⌋, 35 ‘No one of these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors, 36 except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh; he himself shall see it, and to him I will give the land upon which he has trodden and to his sons because ⌊he followed Yahweh unreservedly⌋.’ 37 Even with me Yahweh was angry because of you, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. 38 Joshua, the son of Nun, ⌊your assistant⌋, will go there; encourage him because he will cause Israel to inherit it. 39 And your little children, who you thought shall become plunder, and your sons, who do not today know good or bad, shall themselves go there, and I will give it to them, and they shall take possession of it. 40 But you turn and set out in the direction of the wilderness by way of the ⌊Red Sea⌋.’ (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 1:34–40.)

 

Mr. Hegg describes our 1st-generation-Exodus cousins, prior to our refusal to take possession of the Land:

 

“Everything was in place for the implementation of the Torah covenant that God had graciously given. Had the people submitted to the words of Torah, and acted upon them in faith, then they would have experienced the victory of possessing the Land without having to wander for 40-years in the wilderness” (ibid., p. 16-17).

 

The culprits of our 40-year death sentence of wilderness wandering: unbelief [leading to] rebelliousness:

 

26 But you were not willing to go up, and you rebelled against the ⌊command⌋ of Yahweh your God. 27 And you grumbled in your tents, and you said, ‘Because of the hatred of Yahweh toward us he has brought us out from the land of Egypt to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 1:26–27.)

 

Our fear of being destroyed by the giants of Canaan was fully founded upon our unbelief – our absence of faith – despite Moshe’s, Caleb’s, and Joshua’s assurances that Yah had our backs, and that Canaan was ours for the taking:

 

But through all of this you did not trust in Yahweh your God, 33 ⌊who goes⌋ ⌊before you⌋ on your way, seeking a place for your encampment, in fire at night and in a cloud by day, to show you the way that ⌊you should go⌋. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 1:32–33.)

 

And the excuse we gave for our faithlessness and rebelliousness was the hasatan inspired lie that Yehovah “hated us” such that He’d brought us from Egypt where we were content with our enslavement, to the gateway of the Promised Land, only to destroy us at the hands of the Amorites:

 

And you grumbled in your tents, and you said, ‘Because of the hatred of Yahweh toward us he has brought us out from the land of Egypt to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 1:27.)

 

Where have we heard that lie before? Well, throughout various times of our wilderness sojourning. It was part and parcel of our rebelliousness, which was often the main ingredient to our incessant complaining (1.27).

 

The sinful habit of complaining is inextricably linked to a rebellious heart, and a lack, if not complete absence of, trusting faith in Yehovah Elohim.

 

Nevertheless, so, as it was with our wilderness wandering cousins, Yehovah has only the best of intentions and plans for we who are His beloved:

 

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.(The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Je 29:10–14.)

 

The sinful act of complaining or grumbling, according to Mr. Hegg, “is the leaven that makes rebellion grow. Rather, in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua” (a reference to 1 The 5.18). (If you’ve not already done so and you are so led, I invite you to listen to or read my teaching entitled: Overcoming Obstacles to Belief Part 2: Murmuring and Complaining.)

 

 

Moshe Gives our Second Generation a History Lesson on Our Wilderness Trek Towards the Promised Land (A Retrospective on the 40-Year Sojourn in the Wilderness and the Lessons of that Period — 1.6-3.29)

 

Moshe rehashes some of the events after we departed Horeb. It was at the appointed time that Abba Yah said to us: “Rav Lachem” — Enough for you …of [you] staying at this mountain [i.e. Mount Sinai at Horeb]. (1.6; reference Num 10.11) And we were made to turn ourselves around and journey/trek to the hill country of the Amorites. The year we sojourned at Horeb, at the base of Mount Sinai, Yah set out to mentally, physically, and spiritually prepare us to receive the Land. Of this move from the Holy Mountain of Yah, Rashi wrote:

 

There is much eminence for you, and reward for your having dwelt at this mountain. You made the tabernacle, menorah, and holy implements, you received the Torah, and you appointed Sanhedrin courts for yourselves, of leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. (Russell Resnik, Gateways to Torah: Joining the Ancient Conversation on the Weekly Portion (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2000), 191.)

 

Some have questioned Yah’s command “Rav Lechem” to us at Sinai, seeing it as a rebuke: A rebuke in the sense that maybe we had become too lax and too comfortable there. Some of this thinking seems to have emerged from the Korach incident where Korach challenged Moshe and Aharon, Rav Lechem — Too much is yours. In other words, you’ve taken more authority unto yourselves than you. Who do you think you are. What makes you two so special? Yehovah has declared that the entirety of Yisra’el is holy. And Moshe returns Korach’s rebuke with a Rav Lechem, noting that he and his ilk had bitten off more than they could chew and that Yehovah would make the ultimate determination as to who was Yisra’el’s true leaders.

 

In that sense, yes, Rav Lechem was a rebuke. But when Yehovah mentioned that to us as the prompt to leave Mount Sinai, it was not a rebuke at all. Rav Lechem in that sense was the commencement command to take all that we’d learned at our time of encampment about His Holy Mountain, and go forth and fulfill our destiny. Indeed, our time for glory had arrived. We would take Mount Sinai with us in spirit and infuse it into our existence once we realized our destiny in the Land that flowed with milk and honey.

 

Just as we experienced a similar period of learning and exponential growth when we came into a true and substantive covenant relationship with the Great I Am, through the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah, there comes a time when we must move onward and upward to fulfill our mandates and duties as Yeshua’s trustworthy disciples. We are called to be a light and a salt to a corrupt and dying world, and to do our part in His Great Commission. Sadly, many of us find it difficult, if not impossible, to depart from the base of Mount Sinai. Consequently, many of us remain for the duration of our walk in Messiah as pew warmers, never producing any fruit; never growing and multiplying our talents; never realizing our destiny in Yeshua Messiah. Just sucking the nutrients out of the roots and trunk of our beloved spiritual commonwealth and faith community. Here’s a news flash: Our destiny is not just our making it into the Kingdom; our destiny also includes doing the will of the One Who sent us.

 

The lesson of Sinai is that divine revelation is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new journey. (Russell Resnik, Gateways to Torah: Joining the Ancient Conversation on the Weekly Portion (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2000), 193.) As Hilary is ofttimes heard saying to her discipleship students: “It’s time to get going and do something!” Do something indeed. Too many of us aren’t doing anything. It’s time to work the fields “while it is still day, for the night cometh when no man can work” (Joh 9.4).

 

After Rav Shaul recovered from the “shock and awe” of his transformative experience meeting the glorified Yeshua on that dusty road to Damascus and he’d received the unparalleled revelations of the Person and Ministries of Yeshua Messiah, Luke records that the Master instructed Shaul: “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:5–6). “Rav lachem—Enough for you this supernatural encounter; now you must move on to the assignment for which I have called you.” (Russell Resnik, Gateways to Torah: Joining the Ancient Conversation on the Weekly Portion (Baltimore, MD: Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2000), 193.)

 

After we left Horeb and arrived at Kadesh Barnea, we were supposed to proceed forward with Yah’s original plan and promise, which was to go in and take possession of the Land (1.19-21). We were meant to fulfill our destiny at that point. Yehovah asserted to us:

 

Look, I have set the land ⌊before you⌋; go and take possession of the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them and to their offspring after them.’ (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 1:8.)

 

I can’t help but be reminded of the turmoil and tribulations that our Jewish cousins are experiencing today over in the Land. The horrific evil that the terrorist organization Hamas thrust upon the nation, forcing them to take up arms and defend themselves against their hateful, deadly assaults, has once again led the nation peoples of the world to reject Yehovah, His Torah, and His people. This world’s blinded people reject the notion that Yehovah gave the Land to the descendants of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov and that the Arab peoples who call themselves Palestinians actually have no rights to the Land. But when the nations of the world, many of whom were founded to some degree on Judeo-Christian principles, throw out the rule of Yehovah and of His Word over their lives, then the next logical step is to chant and level blasphemous words towards and take hateful actions against a people who are doing what their God requires of them. Yisra’el, contrary to the self-righteous convictions of most fools in this world, have no authority to hand over the Land that Yah gave to His people as a precept of the covenant agreement He’d cut with their forefathers. For the world’s self-righteous ones to insert themselves in the middle of something like this that they do not know of nor do they have any business opining about is to play with fire that will in the end turn around and burn them.

 

 

Getting back to our parshah, Moshe reminded us that we refused to obey Abba Yah out of fear of the inhabitants of the Land, despite Moshe’s promises that Yehovah would go before the nation and fight for them just as He’d done against the Mitsrim/Egyptians  (1.26-31). We’d lost all trust in Yehovah; the El who went before us along our way, manifesting Himself as fire at night and a cloud in the day (1. 33; Exo 13.21). Indeed, Yehovah became outraged at our failure to trust Him, which translated into our disobedience to not take possession of the Land as He’d commanded us to do (1.34). And it was our failure to trust/believe Yah, and our disobedience to Yah’s command that ultimately sealed the fate of our first Exodus generation, save Caleb and Joshua (1.35-36, 38).

 

Yah called us an evil generation (1.35). Our first generation cousins, because we did not trust/believe Yehovah and were rebellious to the point where we would not obey His commands, would not see for themselves the fulfillment of the covenant promise He cut with Avraham (1.35; Gen 15.5, 18). Not even Moshe, our illustrious leader, because he failed to give Yah the glory and honor due the Creator of the Universe, would enter and receive the promised Land (1.37; Num 20.12).

 

The irony in all this that Yah pointed out to us was that our second-generation children, who we saw as vulnerable to the “plunder” of the pagan nations, and who were innocent; ignorant of their situation would become the inheritors of the covenant promise (1.39). These beloved little ones of Yah would be protected and realize the destiny that their parents failed to achieve because of unbelief and rebelliousness.

 

Consider the prophetic shadow picture depicted here! Matthew records a confrontation between Yeshua and the chief priests and elders amid our Master teaching and preaching somewhere within the temple complex (21:23-43). It appears these Jewish leaders were still hot under the collar over Yeshua’s overturning of the moneychangers’ tables on the previous day, on or around Aviv 11, in the year 28 CE. These demanded Yeshua tell them under whose authority he brought about such wanton chaos and violence on the Temple Mount. Because these religious leaders were incapable of answering Yeshua’s rebuttal to their question, our Master refused to reveal the authority under which He operated.

 

Toward the end of their rather contentious exchange, seeing that He was getting nowhere in HIs discussion with these religious leaders, Yeshua declared unto them:

 

For this reason, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls—it will crush him!” (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Mt 21:43–44.)

 

The arrogance, rebelliousness, and faithlessness of our religious leaders and any who find themselves in positions over us, will find themselves in forfeiture of Yah’s covenant promises and other followers and believers of the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov instead receiving the blessings of those promises. This is the economy of the Malchut Elohim. Just because one may be in a prominent position of leadership over others in a faith community, doesn’t mean that they are a shoo-in for the Kingdom and to receive Yah’s covenant promises over the poor in spirit and the humble of the faith community.

 

 

Taking Matters into our Own Hands Offends God and Transgresses His Torah

 

Moshe reminded us that upon receiving our death sentence of 40-years of wilderness wandering, we elected to take matters into our own hands by attempting to render a partial take-over of the Land which resulted in our behinds being handed to us by the Amorites (1.43). This tragic, humiliating defeat came about because Yah was not with us when we sought to defy Him and take the Land on our own terms (1.42-46). We erroneously rationalized that we could fix the situation that we put ourselves in when we rebelled against Yah’s command to take possession of the Land.

 

To take matters in our own hands, as was the case in our going up against and being whipped by the Amorites, was a transgression against Yah and His Torah.

 

It is mandatory that we do things Yah’s Way: do them when, where, and how He directs. To do otherwise, as we did against the Amorites when Yah was not with us, is to face certain defeat and failure.

 

______________________________________________________

 

The accompanying Haftorah for this week’ parshah is contained in Jeremiah 30.4-11.

 

Here the prophet, through the inspiration of Yehovah, addresses YIsra’el’s Assyrian and Babylonian captivity and exile being brought about because of her unbelief and rebelliousness. Ya’achov by necessity had to be punished. However, Ya’achov would not be destroyed. Yehovah reveals to us that there will be an end to our captivity and exile:

 

But you must not fear, my servant Jacob,’ ⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, and you must not be dismayed, Israel, for look, I am going to save you from far, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. And Jacob will return, and he will be at rest, and he will be at ease, and there will be no one who makes him afraid. 11 For I am with you,’ ⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, ‘to save you. For I will make a complete destruction of all the nations to which I scattered you, but you I will not make a complete destruction. And I will chastise you to the measure, and I will not leave you entirely unpunished.’ (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Je 30:10–11. )

 

The accompanying Apostolic reading for this week’s parshah is contained in the Cepher of Hebrews 3.7-19.

 

Here the Hebraist reminds his readers to not have an evil, unbelieving heart which will inevitably lead to a fall similar to that of our first-generation Hebrew cousins (3.12). He warns us to not stray away from the living God (3.12). The writer encourages the readers to encourage each other to not become ensnared in the deception of sin through rebelliousness or the hardening of their hearts (3.13). The bottom line, according to the Hebraist is, that one cannot enter into Yah’s rest if they do not believe/trust Yah (3.19). (I would encourage you to listen to or read my teaching The Difference between Faith and Belief if you want a deeper understanding of these essential concepts.)

 

 

Beloved, let us not be fooled when it comes to our fear-induced rebelliousness – our faithlessness. When it comes to unresolved faithlessness and rebellion, scripture reveals that our prayers are severely hampered:

 

18 If I had considered evil in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Ps 66:18.; cf. Pro 28.9; 1.28; Isa 1.15; 59.2; Jas 4.3)

 

Only the prayers of those of us who possess contrite hearts and humble spirits will Abba Yah receive and respond to (Isa 57.15; 66.2; Psa 34.18; 51.17).

 

TMTO Ministry Update

Greetings I'm back! Well, not quite. But almost.   History of Ministry QFC (2012) Blog (2012) Podcast (2014-11/2022) YouTube (2018-11/2022) QFC Affiliates with Feastkeepers (New York) and First Century COG (Baltimore) (2019-2021)   Why we ended the podcast...

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Explaining the Current Calendar Confusion Among Observational Calendar Keepers

Explaining the Current Calendar Confusion Among Observational Calendar Keepers

 

Greetings Saints of the Most High. Trusting that this special post finds you, your families, and fellowships are well and blessed at the start of this new week.

 

As I am posting this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer, the date is 3/24/2024, which translates to the 13th day of the 13th biblical month of the Torah-based observational calendar. Consequently, there are many within our Faith Community who are at this time keeping the observational calendar, but who believe that we should all be in the 1st Month of the Biblical Calendar year – the month of the Aviv. And these brethren, who I love dearly and who I don’t have any gripes with whatsoever, are on the eve of Passover/Pesach 2024. And I’m certain that many of you are asking how could this possibly be happening? And that’s why I’m coming to you with this special post to explain the current calendar confusion that is currently ongoing amongst our faith’s observational calendar keepers. My purpose in bringing this information to you is not to sell you on the virtues associated with keeping the observational calendar over that of the calculated Jewish Calendar. Clearly, for me to do so would be foolish since what most members of our Faith Community want is unity and simplicity of life. And what we’re seeing take place in the observational segment of the Messianic/Netsari faith community is anything but unity and simplicity. But What I want to provide to you here today is in this post is an explanation as to why observationalists in our faith community are observing the biblical New Year at different times this year. This is an explanation of the current calendar confusion that exists among observational calendar keepers this year.

So, as it stands today, the observationalists of our Faith Community are once again divided. In fact, what we’re seeing take place this Roman Calendar month is a repeat of last year’s split among the observationalists as to when biblical Rosh HaShannah began. But this year, the split is more intense this year than it was last year as more observationalists have found themselves caught up in the chaos.

 

Why?

 

The core problem as I see it is that there exist a tremendous disconnect among members of competing barley inspectors in Yisra’el as to what constitutes the true biblical Month of the Aviv in terms of the state of the barley crop. You see, Yah requires that the Levitical Priest must receive an omer (aka sheaf) of aviv barley from Yisra’el and wave it before Yehovah at the place where He places His Name, at the Tabernacle or Temple, during the pilgrimage Feast of Unleavened Bread. This ceremony is referred to as the Wavesheaf Offering. It represented the firstfruits of our spring harvest. Prophetically, it foreshadows Yeshua, our Master, as the firstfruits of the new race of souls destined for the Kingdom through Yeshua Messiah (1 Cor 15.20-23; cf. Rom 11.5-16; Jas 1.18).

 

The Torah of the Firstfruits/Wavesheaf Offering is found in Leviticus/Vayiqra 23.9-15 and reads as follows:

 

9The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 10Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:

When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest (customarily the barley harvest) to the priest. 11He shall elevate the sheaf before the LORD for acceptance in your behalf; the priest shall elevate it on the day after the sabbath. 12On the day that you elevate the sheaf, you shall offer as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb of the first year without blemish. 13The meal offering with it shall be two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD; and the libation with it shall be of wine, a quarter of a hin. 14Until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears; it is a law for all time throughout the ages in all your settlements. (Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985), Le 23:9–14.)

 

How do we know precisely when to separate out the firstfruit barley for the wavesheaf offering from our overall barley crop? Yah instructed the following:

 

You shall count off seven weeks (at the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Wavesheaf Offering); start to count the seven weeks (i.e. the 49-day count to Pentecost/Shavuot) when the sickle is first put to the standing grain. (Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985), Dt 16:9.)

 

In order for the sheaf of barley to be acceptable for the priests to wave before Yehovah on the Day of the Wavesheaf Offering at the Tabernacle or Temple, the barley that comprises the sheaf must be in an aviv state of maturation.

 

It’s not that the barley inspectors in the land are incompetent when it comes to accessing and distinguishing between aviv and non-aviv barley. The various teams that are scattered throughout Israel of which I am aware are pretty consistent in regard to recognizing when a barley crop is aviv. The problem has to do with how much of the barley at the end of the 12th month needs to be aviv in order to declare the Biblical Rosh HaShannah. The inspectors seem to fall within the following categories:

 

Category 1: Does Abba Yah require there be just enough aviv barley to make up one omer of aviv barley in all the Land of Yisra’el to be presented to the Levitical Priests and waved on the Day of Firstfruits on behalf of the whole nation of Yisrael? I do not believe this is biblical.

 

We find in Leviticus that the Wavesheaf ceremony did not consist only of a single sheaf of barley to be waved before Yehovah by a Levitical Priest at the tabernacle or temple. Yah required us to bring to Him the firstfruits of our labor, regardless what crop or agriculture we were involved in for our livelihood. Consider the following passage in Leviticus that I believe clarifies my point:

 

In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh’s Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do ⌊any regular work⌋. 8 And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do ⌊any regular work⌋.’ ” 9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the ⌊Israelites⌋, and say to them, ‘When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf ⌊before⌋ Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it ⌊on the day after⌋ the Sabbath. 12 And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall ⌊offer⌋ a ⌊yearling⌋ male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. 13 And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation shall be a fourth of a hin of wine. 14 And you shall not eat bread or roasted grain or ripe grain until ⌊this very same day⌋, until you present your God’s offering. This must be ⌊a lasting statute⌋ for your generations in all your dwellings. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Le 23:5–14.)

 

Now this shall be the share of the priest from the people, from ⌊those who sacrifice the sacrifice⌋, whether it is an ox, sheep, or goat, and they shall give the priest the shoulder and the jawbones and the stomach. 4 The firstfruits of your grain, your wine, and your olive oil and the firstfruits of the fleece of your sheep you shall give to him. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 18:3–4.)

 

“ ‘And if you bring to Yahweh a grain offering of firstfruits, you must bring an ear of new grain roasted by fire, coarsely crushed ripe grain, as the grain offering of your firstfruits. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Le 2:14.)

 

Seems pretty clear to me from these critical Torah passages that Yah required the whole nation to bring the firstfruits of their harvest to be waved before Him during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the Day of the Wavesheaf Offering.

 

 

Category 2: Does Abba Yah require the whole of the barley crop in the Land of Yisra’el be in an Aviv state at the end of the 12th month so that each soul may present it to the Priests as a Wavesheaf Offering. Yes and no.

 

Some barley inspectors believe that as long as some of the barley crop is nearing an aviv state of maturity at the end of the 12th month, it stands to reason that within 10-days time, when we would pilgrimage to Yerushalayim to celebrate and keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then the Month of the Aviv can be called. (Somewhat of a risk.) It seems to me that at the very least, before we were to take our annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate and keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we had to harvest our “aviv” crop (Deu 16.9), of which we were prohibited from consuming, until after our firstfruit sheaf of barley was waved before Yehovah at the tabernacle/temple on the Day of the Wavesheaf Offering. Which is to say, if the barley crop is at the cusp of being truly and fully aviv at the end of the 12th month, and there is a certainty that the crop will be aviv by the time we harvest and separate out firstfruits Wavesheaf offering, then yes, we can call Biblical Rosh HaShannah at that time. But if the barley crop is not for a certainty going to be aviv by the time we take our pilgrimage to the tablernacle/temple for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then we are expected by Yehovah to allow the crop another month to ripen to an acceptable aviv state, a 13th month, which I believe we are currently in.

 

 

Unfortunately, the segment of our Faith Community that keep the observational calendar are divided along these stated lines. It is understandable why so many in our overall Messianic Faith Community steer clear of the observational calendar. Clearly, when the state of the aviv is in such flux as we have learned over the course of the past month or so, opinions and egos and personal interpretations take center stage and observationalists are forced to take sides. And when this happens, we have members keeping the set-apart days of Yehovah at different times of the Roman calendar year.

 

As I put together this brief discussion, some observationalists are preparing for Pesach/Passover which they believe falls on M-nday, 3/25/2024, having called Biblical Rosh HaShannah on T-esday, 3/12/2024. The other half of the observationalists won’t observe biblical Rosh HaShannah, depending on the sighting of the renewed moon, until W-dnesday, 4/10/2024 and Passover/Pesach until T-esday, 4/23/2024.

 

This disparity saddens and frustrates me. But not enough for me to go back to keeping the Jewish Calculated Calendar. I see this all as part of the sifting process and an important element of my faith and obedience development. If you are interested in learning more about the observational calendar and why Hilary and I have loyally kept the observational calendar for the last 10 or so years, I invite you to read my post entitled: “Why I Keep the Torah (Observational) Calendar and not the Other Popular Messianic Calendars.

 

So, where do I fall out in terms of where we are in Yah’s sacred calendar year this Roman Calendar year? After much prayer and meditation, Hilary and I have elected to side with those who believe that there is insufficient aviv barley crop in the Land of Yisra’el to support us being in the Month of the Aviv at this time. Thus, we believe that we are in the 13th Month, which gives the barley crop in Yisra’el the month to mature sufficiently to the required aviv state. Thus, we anticipate, Abba willing and depending on the sighting of the 1st renewed moon of Yah’s biblical calendar year 2024 (aka the Biblical Rosh HaShannah), to hit on W-dnesday, 4/10/2024. If you follow me on our website, themessianictorahobserver.org, I maintain an up-to-date tracking of Yah’s reckoning of time. You may also find my teachings on the Spring Feasts of Yehovah and the Biblical Rosh HaShannah on themessianictorahobserver.org.

 

One of the benefits that I see in the current 13th month calendar situation is that Hilary and I will be keeping both the Spring and Fall Feasts with most of our friends and acquaintances in the Faith who keep the calculated Jewish Calendar at the same time. And that’s always a tremendous blessing.

 

I’m going to leave it at that, beloved. Thank you for bearing with me on this issue. I felt it important to give an explanation as to why some members of our community are keeping Passover this month, and other members of our community aren’t keeping Passover till next month. I hope my explanation was useful to you.

 

And with that, I pray you have an overcoming, and powerfully blessed week in Yeshua Messiah.

Shavua’tov beloved of Yeshua Messiah.

 

The Torah of the Cities of Refuge–Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 125

 

Shabbat Shalom.

 

This week’s Torah Reading, contained in Numbers 35:9-36:13, is the 125th portion of our 3-year Torah Portion reading cycle. And for our discussion today, we will focus only on verses 9 through 34 of chapter 35. This is, by the way, the final reading in our 3-year Torah Reading cycle in the Book of Numbers (aka Bemidbar).

 

I’ve entitled this teaching: The Torah of the Cities of Refuge. It will be my thoughts and reflections on Torah Reading 125.

 

Key Terms and Concepts

 

  • Refuge (aka asylum): miq-lat
  • Die or dying: mwt (mem-vav-tav)
  • Kill or killer or murder or murderer; manslaying or manslayer: rot-zah. In our reading, Yehovah distinguishing for us the difference between murder/intentional homicide and what we call here in the West, manslaughter, accidental, or unintentional homicide. Yah’s Torah of the Cities of Refuge clarifies the distinction between these two forms of killings/homicides. Besides distinguishing between intentional and unintentional homicide, Yehovah, through His instructions on the Cities of Refuge, further emphasized the extreme value that He places on life. Yah’s extreme value for life must serve as a mandate for us to value life as He does. We value life in a Godly manner when we keep Yah’s commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev 19.18) and to steadfastly enact righteous justice in our communities.
  • Redeem; redeemer; avenger such as a blood avenger; to reclaim as one’s own; to right a wrong or restore equilibrium: ga’al
  • Blood; the shedding of blood; bloodguilt: dam
  • Bribe; ransom (given to one who holds sway in a case to avoid impending judgment or punishment against a guilty party): ko’fair (ko’per)
  • Strike; smite; to strike someone dead; to hit or injure another: neekah
  • To flee (such as flee to a refuge city): nun-vav-semach
  • Enmity or hostility: ehvah
  • Witness: ‘ed (ai-ed)

 

The Torah of the Cities of Refuge (arey hammiqlat)

 

Our reading today starts off with the command to choose for ourselves six cities to serve as Cities of Refuge for the commonwealth of Yisra’el:

 

9And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 10“Speak to the children of Yisra’ěl, and say to them, ‘When you pass over the Yarděn into the land of Kena‛an, 11then you shall choose cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the man-slayer who struck someone mistakenly shall flee there.

12‘And they shall be cities of refuge for you from the revenger, and the man-slayer is not to die until he stands before the congregation for right-ruling. 13‘And of the cities which you give, six are to be cities of refuge. (The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Nu 35:9–13.)

 

Our Haftarah Reading, contained within Joshua 20:1-6, names these six designated Cities of Refuge. Those cities were Bezer, Ramoth-Gilead, Golan, Hebron, Shechem, and Kedesh.

 

Besides these named cities, Yehovah gave instructions on the proper use of these refuge cities by those innocents seeking asylum or protection from a blood avenger. A blood avenger, by the way, was the direct male next-of-kin who, responding to the news of the murder or killing of their loved one, pursues their killer or murderer and avenges their death.

 

We established the six Cities of Refuge at the command of Yehovah. Their purpose was to prevent the shedding of innocent blood in the Commonwealth of Yisra’el (Deu 19.1-13). The shedding of innocent blood incurs bloodguilt upon a people and upon their Land. If a sanctioned court proceeding determines that the individual who killed the person in question did so with murderous intent, they would hand over the murderer to the blood avenger for execution. This would purge/expiate the bloodguilt that hung over the community and the Land, restoring God’s grace (Deu 4:41-43).

 

We find from last week’s reading that Yah tied these six cities or attached these six cities to the 48 cities that were given to the Levites (Num  35.1-8 of Torah Reading 124). These cities comprised pasturelands for the Levites’ domestic animals and their personal possessions (35.1-3). The confines of these cities are recorded in 35.4-5.

 

It makes sense that Yah required these six refuge cities be numbered among the cities belonging to the Levites. At this time in our history, the Levites served as our intermediaries or intercessors to Yehovah.

 

So, why did Yah command us to set aside these six Levite cities to serve as places of refuge for innocent killers to flee to?

 

  1. Yah’s steadfast grace and perfect justice and righteousness reveal that He cares about the life of the innocent soul. Yah is not willing that any should perish, be it in this life or the life to come (cf. 2 Pet 3.9).
  2. So as “to not defile the land on which we are living as He, Yehovah, is living in the midst of the land and in our midst” (35.34). This reality goes back to Yah’s demand that we ensure and maintain the absolute physical and spiritual cleanness/purity of our persons and our surroundings while He dwells in our midst (5.1-6.27).

 

The shedding of innocent blood in the Land, by virtue of Yah’s holiness and righteousness, and His demand that we, His people, also be holy, causes the Land to fall into an unclean state. Our God will not dwell amid either physical or spiritual filth. And the only way to return the Land to its formerly clean state — a state that is acceptable to Yah — is for the shed innocent blood to be atoned for by the shedding of the murderer’s blood. This principle not only applies to the blood that is shed by a murder victim, but it also applies to the blood that is shed when an innocent killer’s blood is shed by a blood avenger. Thus, Yah gave us the Torah of the Cities of Refuge to prevent the execution of an innocent soul.

 

Either way, we were commanded to ensure that the commission of such crimes did not sully (i.e. bring about uncleanness to) the Land in which we and Yehovah dwell. To forsake such righteous justice and atonement is to risk Yah abandoning us and the Land, and we, as His people, being exiled from the Land by Yah (Lev 18.28; Eze 36.17-18; Hos 4.2-3).

 

There is little wonder why this and other western nations, where the people once honored the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov, find themselves cursed as they are today. Innocent blood floods the streets of these nations and cities: From the millions of aborted babies, to the countless homicides and crimes that these nations’ judicial systems allow to go unpunished every single day, this and all other supposed Judeo-Christian nations of the world are cursed with a curse. But Yah will recompense the evil that has brought about the unacceptable filth that covers over the nation cities of this world, including the modern nation state of Yisra’el.

 

Many of the provisions of this parashah that we are reading today have been adopted and practiced by most Western nations of the world (at least at some point in their history). Yet the leaders and people of this and the other nations of the world have forsaken these God-given provisions in the name of and the religion we know today as “wokeness” and “progressiveness.” A new humanistic righteousness has replaced Godly-righteousness, and Yah has had about a belly full of this foolishness. Judgment is coming to this nation and to this world. And only those of us who possess the testimony of Yahoshua HaMashiyach and keep Yah’s instructions in righteousness will be spared and delivered from the wrath to come (Rev 12.17; 14.12).

 

The Torah of the Cities of Refuge applied to both the native born Yisra’elite and the foreigner/stranger/sojourner who worshipped the God of Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov and who lived within the commonwealth of Yisra’el (35.15). And so it stands as it was when we first received Yah’s covenant proposal: Abba Yah asserted that His Torah — His instructions in righteousness — applied to all Yisra’el and every Yisra’elite whether they be native born or the sojourning stranger in our midst (Exo 12.49).

 

There is a prophetic shadow picture embedded in the Torah of the Cities of Refuge, in particular, the aspect of the law that involved the death of the High Priest effecting the release of the manslayer from the City of Refuge that once provided him protection from a blood avenger’s wrathful execution. Freedom — release from the mandated confines of the refuge city he temporarily lived in — came to the manslayer only upon the death of the Cohen Gadol.

 

We find in 35.27 that the killer or innocent manslayer was not under “house arrest” while residing in one city of refuge. He was, however, confined to the defined limits or borders of that city (Barry, John D. et al., ESV Study Bible; Logos 10 edition). While residing within the borders of the City of Refuge, where the city’s elders had acquitted him of murder, he was protected from the murderous wrath of the blood avenger. If the manslayer wanted to live, he had to remain within the confines of that refuge city until the sitting High Priest (aka the Cohen HaGadol at the time of his trial) died. Upon the death of the Cohen Gadol, the manslayer was free to leave that City of Refuge and return to his home. To defy this provision that offered the manslayer protection meant that he would be subject to the wrath-driven vengeance of the blood avenger, regardless of his innocence.

 

The [atoning] death of our Cohen HaGadol has made us, as believers and followers of Yahoshua HaMashiyach, free. Unlike the innocent manslayer who is granted refuge from the wrath of the blood avenger and ultimately achieves complete freedom and release upon the death of the presiding High Priest, we, as believers and followers of Yahoshua HaMashiyach, are feloniously guilty and deserving of the penalty of death and separation from the Creator of all things. Yet, the wholeness and perfection of our High Priest’s sacrifice frees and releases us from our death sentence, despite our overwhelming guilt.

 

The politically motivated so-called sanctuary cities of this nation are receiving attention, making this topic and reading timely, if you ask me. These cities are finding themselves regretting their claims to be sanctuary cities because of the devastating financial and criminal effects brought to their cities by a large influx of undocumented migrants. The obvious difference between this nation’s sanctuary cities and Yehovah’s mandated Cities of Refuge is that the leaders of this nation’s sanctuary cities are not of Yehovah. They are a rebellious lot. And now, they and their constituents are having to eat crow, so to speak, and face the consequences of their self-serving actions.

 

Yah Requires at Least Three Witnesses to Convict and Ensure Righteous Justice is Rendered

 

One of the greatest principles related to righteous judgment to be gleaned from our reading is that of Yah, requiring the testimony of at least two or more witnesses to convict someone of murder. In fact, Yah stipulated:

 

30‘Whoever strikes a being, the murderer shall be executed by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness does not bear witness against someone to die. (The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Nu 35:30.)

 

6 ⌊On the evidence of⌋ two or three witnesses ⌊the person shall be put to death⌋. The person shall not be put to death by the mouth of one witness. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 17:6.)

 

The testimony of a single witness may not be used to convict⌋ with respect to any crime and for any wrongdoing in any offense that a person committed; on the ⌊evidence⌋ of two witnesses or on the ⌊evidence⌋ of three witnesses ⌊a charge shall be sustained⌋. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Dt 19:15.)

 

The righteous principle of establishing that a crime has indeed been committed through the testimony of two or more witnesses extends over to non-criminal matters, such as in resolving strife or disputes in the Body of Messiah:

 

15 “Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take with you in addition one or two others, so that by ⌊the testimony⌋ of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it* to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church also, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Mt 18:15–17.)

 

Thus, our Master extended the Torah precept of establishing guilt by the testimony of two witnesses to all matters of contention between brethren. (cf. 2 Cor 13.1; Heb 10.28)

 

The Torah of the Cities of Refuge serves as a prophetic shadow picture of the Person and ministries of Yahoshua our Messiah. He is our refuge. Death and Yehovah’s righteous wrath awaits and pursues after those who do not flee to the refuge that Yehovah offers to the world through His Son, Yahoshua HaMashiyach.

 

 Innocent or Guilt Determined by Righteous Judges

The intent of the killer must be determined by the refuge city’s elder-judges (35:16-21). Within these verses, Yehovah provided us examples of actions that constitute intentional homicide or murder.

 

Our judges (i.e. “edah,” which, according to Deu 19.11-12; cf. 16.18; 17.8, must consist of the elders of the city of refuge) determined the innocence or guilt of a killer based on their intent to cause deadly harm. The elders would rely on the testimony of two or more witnesses to arrive at their judgment. If the judges determined the killer did not murder the deceased (i.e. did not intentionally kill the deceased), they would remand the killer to the guardianship of the sanctuary city he first took refuge in. He was to remain there until the death of the presiding Cohen Gadol (aka the High Priest), at which time the manslaying was free to return to their home. If the court deemed the killer guilty of intentional homicide, the murderer was to be handed over to the deceased next of kin (aka the go’el or kinsman redeemer). The go’el was the deceased kinsman responsible (i.e. obligated) to represent the deceased family in avenging the murder of the loved one.

 

There is certainly some Messianic application to be seen here. Our Go’el, Yahoshua Messiah, stands as our redeemer, our deliverer, and the sole being to ransom us from the evil one and the Kingdom of Darkness.

 

Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, convicted murderers were not given sanctuary in any of the six cities of refuge. There was no provision in Torah for a murderer to be spared execution through him paying a ransom to either the blood avenger or the judges (35.31).

 

The Necessity Mission of the Blood Avenger

 

The “blood avenger,” or the “redeemer of blood,” despite the bad press he receives from a casual read of this parashah, serves an important purpose as it relates to restoring the righteous equilibrium, — wellbeing — functioning, of our commonwealth. When the redeemer of blood avenges the murder of their loved one, he “restores the status quo” of his family, community, and the Land” (Hegg, Tim, Commentary on Numbers; pg. 225). He brings about necessary justice to the evil that has been perpetrated upon his family, the community, and the Land through his actions. This same principle of restoring the equilibrium or returning a people and the Land back to its righteous status-quo is founded in the concept of the kinsman-redeemer in the Book of Ruth; is like the soul who redeems their brethren out of debtor’s slavery or debtor’s prison (Lev 25.48); and similar to the buying back of one’s inherited land that was, out of some necessity, sold to another (Lev 25.25). (Hegg, ibid., p. 225).

 

The shedding of innocent blood knocks the deceased’s family, the community, and the Land off kilter. And in order to right the situation and restore the righteous equilibrium that befell the people and the Land, the blood avenger must mete out righteous justice.  

 

Now, that being all said, it should be obvious to us all that we do not live under a theocracy (i.e. a government that is ruled by God and His Torah). We instead live in a hollowed form of a republic and we are subject to the laws of this land whether we like it or not.

 

The Shedding of Innocent Blood Defiles the Land and Separates our Community from Yehovah

 

Lastly, we find in verses 33 and 34 that the shedding of innocent blood defiles the Land and separates our community from Yehovah.

 

33‘And do not profane the land where you are, for blood profanes the land, and the land is not pardoned for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34‘And do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell, for I, יהוה, am dwelling in the midst of the children of Yisra’ěl.’ ” (The Scriptures, 3rd edition. (Northriding: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), Nu 35:33–34.)

 

37 They even sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons, 38 and they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and so the land was defiled with the blood. 39 And they became unclean by their works, and were unfaithful in their deeds. 40 So Yahweh’s anger burned against his people,     and he abhorred his inheritance. 41 Then he gave them into the hand of the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Ps 106:37–41.)

 

Atonement must be made for all transgressions — one way or the other — so that the bloodguilt may be lifted from the people and the Land and the community’s relationship with Yehovah be restored. The shedding of innocent blood defiles the Land and, as we previously discussed, Yehovah will not dwell among us when we and our Land are unclean. And if there is just one thing we take away from this Torah Reading today, it should be that if we desire to have Yehovah perpetually dwell in our midst, we must be clean. Our actions, our bodies, our spirits, and our surroundings must always be in a pure state. We ourselves cannot purify our personal world. We must rely on the efficacious, atoning sacrifice of our Master Yahoshua Messiah to purify our individual world. It is imperative that we repent of any and all sins that we commit and stop sinning. Clean up our individual environment, both physical and spiritual. Utilize the power and strength of Yah’s Set-Apart Spirit to help us overcome those strongholds that so easily beset us and cause defilement in our lives.

 

Yah desperately wants to commune with us. But Yah will not compromise His holiness to commune with us. That’s why He has provided us with the means to make that communion between Him and us even more possible. We just have to take Abba Yah up on His offer to help us clean ourselves. Hold Yah to His offer to help bring equilibrium and righteousness to our lives. The Psalmist wrote: O taste and see that the LORD is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 34:8.)

 

Today, we are beyond measure blessed to have full access to the atonement that Yehovah has put in place for those who are called by His Name. That atonement provision is now made possible through the Person and atoning ministry of our Master Yahoshua Messiah (Mat 20.28; Rom 3.23-26; 5.9; Eph 1.7; Col 1.14; 1 Joh 2.2; 4.10).

TMTO Ministry Update

Greetings I'm back! Well, not quite. But almost.   History of Ministry QFC (2012) Blog (2012) Podcast (2014-11/2022) YouTube (2018-11/2022) QFC Affiliates with Feastkeepers (New York) and First Century COG (Baltimore) (2019-2021)   Why we ended the podcast...

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

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.

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

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

 

TMTO Ministry Update

Greetings I'm back! Well, not quite. But almost.   History of Ministry QFC (2012) Blog (2012) Podcast (2014-11/2022) YouTube (2018-11/2022) QFC Affiliates with Feastkeepers (New York) and First Century COG (Baltimore) (2019-2021)   Why we ended the podcast...

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