Reflections
Korah
Torah Reflections 38
Torah portion Numbers 16:1 to 18:32
Haftarah portion 1 Samuel 11:14 to12:22
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
Two weeks ago, we saw the anger God displayed against Miriam and Aaron because of their challenge to the authority of Moses.
Last week, we saw that God instructed Moses to tell the people to sew tassels on the corners of their garment in order to remind themselves of God’s statutes and commandments. Well, it appears that this was just a bit too much for some of them. Korah (name means ‘boldness’ in Hebrew), a descendant of Levi, together with a crowd of 250 that three men from the tribe of Reuben had pulled together, took it upon themselves to again challenge the authority of Moses !!
Moses was not pleased! He reminded Korah of the privilege the Levites enjoyed in serving in the Tabernacle of the Lord. “Are you seeking the priesthood as well?” he challenged. (Perhaps a gentle reminder to us today to be content in the role God, in His wisdom, has given us, and not be too ambitious (or envious), to do that in which we see others being successful)
Moses instructed all of them to appear at the entrance to the Tabernacle the next day, each with a censer of hot coals. “Let the Lord decide who has authority here” he said.
If Moses was angry, it is reasonable to think, from His reaction that the Lord was livid!! The resulting events were staggering. Please read the account in Numbers 16:4-40.
I sometimes ponder if the writer to the Hebrews 10:31, had this incident in mind when he penned those famous, chilling words … “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”
It is so easy today, for each of us, reading that account of the judgment of God, to take the high ground and scoff that we would never have fallen for such a circumstance. It is a ‘natural’ response, because we have the advantage of seeing the end as well as the beginning.
Did you know that the word “torah” in Hebrew comes from an archery term meaning to ‘hit the mark’? Did you also know that the word translated “sin” in our Bibles comes for another archery term in Hebrew, “chata” which means to miss the mark (and it does not specify by how much the mark is missed!)?
It is surely possible to list areas of our walk with a Holy God where we could do better, where we have “missed the mark”. The prophet Isaiah saw, very clearly, these issues with his generation, and warned them of it. Jeremiah put it best perhaps
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
When I was a very young man (almost 70 years ago) I was privileged to be taken by my Sunday School teacher to hear a very young Billy Graham speaking in Pontypridd South Wales. The text of his talk is burned into my memory today, as it seemed he was speaking ONLY to me. It changed my life.
“Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting” Daniel 5:27
Korah and his companions were found wanting, and paid a terrible price for it. May God grant each one of us a desire to search our own hearts and minds … and approach a loving God for His forgiveness, before He approaches us!!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Shelach
Torah Reflections 37
Torah Portion Numbers 13 : 1 to 15 : 41
Haftarah Portion Joshua 2 : 1 – 24
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
It was time for the Israelites to prepare to enter the Land God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, fulfilling the unconditional promise God had made to them. But it was inhabited by the Canaanites in the low lying areas, and by Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites in other parts.
In our day, much is made about ‘original ownership’ rights. There are two places in our Bible (Exodus 19:5 and Leviticus 25:23) where God puts ‘ownership’ in perspective. On both occasions He reminds the Israelites that the earth is His. That the occupation of any land is by His grace and favour. In this case, He had chosen to give that right of occupancy to the Israelites, but on the condition that they would order their lifestyle in accord with His instructions. A lifestyle that was to be a beacon of light to those nations around them.
Twelve tribal leaders were chosen to spy out the land. Trustworthy men of their respective communities. The two names that stand-out, (because we know the end of the story) Joshua and Caleb, were from the tribes of Ephraim and Judah respectively.
This story is well known. There would not be a person who ever attended a Sunday School class that could not repeat it. But I always think it was a big ask of these erstwhile bunch of recently freed slaves, expecting them to face an unknown foe, who were in their own familiar territory, ready to defend themselves to the bitter end. Especially when some were of giant stature. I ALWAYS ask myself how I might have behaved in like circumstances. And I ALWAYS find myself having sympathy for these Israelites. Such is my frailty.
Well, as the story unfolds, they decide that it is all too hard for them, and we see the result. Not one of those Israelites aged above 20 years (except the aforementioned Joshua and Caleb) survived the rest of their 38 year journey. So, apart from Joshua and Caleb, ALL the Israelites who did eventually enter the Land, were less than 59 years old. Imagine that, a whole nation of people under 60 years old! Everyone active. No-one on the age pension!! And God had another 38 years to meld them into a people He could work with and use as an example to other nations.
I never cease to be amazed by the dialogue, recorded in this passage, between God and Moses. The story is told in a manner which elevates Moses to a position of an elder statesman. He appears calm and rational in his argument, seeing the quite disastrous consequences which would most likely follow if these fearful Israelites were to be punished for their fear, and consequent lack of faith in Almighty God. But returning to Egypt was never a viable option, even though they contemplated it. Then they tried another option, to ‘go it alone’ as it were, against the very strong word of advice from Moses. “The Lord is not with you” he said, “don’t even think about it”.
But that did not stop them, or their complaints. But it did move Almighty God to develop another course of action, “plan B”. The long route.
Does it ever occur to you that it could well be that we too may be experiencing God’s “plan B”?
(Of course that is hypothetical. We will probably never know (or we know it already). I recall hearing a well-known missionary, speaking at a church, of which I was once a member, declare that he was quite sure that because of an earlier rejection, by him, of God’s first missionary call, that he was now experiencing God’s second best!)
The lesson for us is all too clear. The Israelites, in our parashah today, were clearly experiencing God’s leading in their lives. They were in a place they could never have been without God’s active leadership. How many of us can identify with that experience today, in our relationships, in our employment, in our friendships, in our church, in our personal circumstances? How much of that is due to our own carefully orchestrated planning, and how much because we have been led by Almighty God? Do not underestimate God’s ability.
There is so much more, as always, on which we could ‘reflect’ in this reading, but the lesson for me is this. When I recognise the call of God on my life, when I receive that “rhema” from His word, when I know, because I know, that He is speaking to me on some matter, then I have a choice to make. I can choose the short route, or suffer the long route. God’s way is perfect and His plan for me is written before the foundation of the world. As it was for Israel.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Beha’alotcha
Torah Reflections 36
Torah Portion Numbers 8 : 1 to 12 : 16
Haftarah Portion Zechariah 2 : 10 – 4 :7
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The Tabernacle of the Lord was in the middle of the Israelite camp. It was absolutely central to their life. It had a special place, it was holy, the dwelling place of YWHW Elohim. I imagine that there might have been talk amongst them as to what it looked like inside, but no-one dare approach. None of them was allowed inside the Tabernacle. Except the Kohenim and the Levites, and they had to be specially prepared in bodily cleanliness and dress, in order to do their work there.
There are two replica Tabernacles that I have visited in Israel. Both claim to be identical to the Biblical dimensions, and even though they differ from each other, they are both immensely impressive. One is a in a desert setting in the Timna region of Israel near Eilat, and the other is in Samaria, in a Biblical garden setting in a hotel near Ariel. One just needs to close ones eyes, use ones imagination, and wonder at the spectacle these structures presented to the people at the time of our parashah.
There are no windows in the Tabernacle. The Holy place is covered in thick drapes and Badger skins. The only light comes from the Menora, the lampstand, made of pure gold and which was to burn continuously.
Last week, we reflected on the special role of the Levites, as substitutes for the firstborn. They belonged to the Lord. In our parashah this week we read that God gave these Levites as a gift (Leviticus 8:19) to Aaron and his sons (the Kohenim) to do the work of service in the Tabernacle. There were more that 8,000 of them of the designated age.
Our reading takes place just one year after the exodus from Egypt. The Lord had already told them that this was to be a time of perpetual remembrance of their release from slavery in Egypt. Now, just to be sure Moses did not forget. God gave him a reminder. Moses must have been a very busy man with his many responsibilities towards this huge crowd of people in the desert. But God made sure they started their new life of freedom in the right way. Giving thanks to Him for His work of salvation. Then an interesting instruction (Numbers 9:10-13) about the observance of Passover for those unable (or unwilling) to keep it at the appointed time.
(It was a misunderstanding of this instruction which, in part, caused the Council of Nicaea to make such sweeping changes to the non-Jewish observance of Passover, substituting the Easter Rule by which that date is calculated today)
We then come to the first big movement of these people. They had been at this resting place for a little over one month after remembering Passover when the ‘cloud’ was taken up from above the Tabernacle. The first big test of their organisational skills. There had never been a ‘trial run’. The Tabernacle had to be taken down, as previously instructed, packed properly, carried by the right people, and transported for however long the ‘cloud’ moved. An amazing spectacle I should think. First the members of six tribes, several hundred thousand people, then the Levites carrying the Tabernacle component parts, followed by the remaining six tribes of another several hundred thousand folk. Plus their livestock.
It was not long before the complaints began, We are told that God was Himself so angered by these complaints that His fire (we may assume it was the pillar of fire meant to guide them) was so intense that some folk at the edges of the assembly were consumed by it. They complained about not having meat in their diet. It is not difficult to empathise with Moses as he enters dialogue with God on this issue. (read it in Numbers 11:10-32) The relationship God had with Moses was very close.
Our parashah ends with another dispute. This time both Aaron and his sister Miriam decided to challenge Moses authority as a leader of the people. They obviously objected to Moses marrying an Ethiopian lady, but carried it further by suggesting that Moses was not the only messenger God had in their camp. To say that God was furious would be an understatement.
“Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!" So the three came out. Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed.” Numbers 12 : 4 – 9
Miriam ended up with leprosy. Moses plea before the Lord restored her.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Nasso
Torah Reflections 35
Torah Portion Numbers 4 : 21 to 7 : 89
Haftarah Portion Judges 13 : 2 – 25
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The counting continues. This week, we have an insight into the family of Levi. He had three sons, Gershon, Merari, and Kohath (the grandfather of Moses and Aaron). Between them, they had 8,580 male descendants between the ages of 30 and 50, who were assigned tasks of serving in the Tabernacle and carrying various parts of it whenever it relocated from one place to another.
Once again, we have confirmation of the meticulous attention to detail which God instructed Moses to convey to the Israelites. Nothing left to chance, good order, no-one in doubt about the tasks they were assigned.
There follows, some instruction about keeping the camp healthy, by segregating those with signs of disease. And also a charge to the priests about making judgements relating to accusations of marriage infidelity. The core of this section of our parashah is the recognition of jealousy and how to deal with it. These instructions are formative in the life of the new community as they change from being mere ‘neighbours’ as slaves in Egypt, to becoming an exemplary nation before the rest of the nations around them. That is what the word “Torah” means. It is ‘teaching’ or ‘instructions for righteous living’. It is instructive of a lifestyle which is honourable and caring. It is ‘being holy, as God Himself is holy’.
The section about the vow of a “Nazarite” is most enlightening. In the Scriptures we are told of three men who were Nazarites for life, a vow taken on their behalf by their grateful parents. They are Samson, Samuel and John the Baptiser. Only Samson is actually referred to as a Nazarite. But there were many others who took this vow for a specific period or purpose. The outward signs related to hair growth and wine abstention. There is speculation, based on Acts 18, that the Apostle Paul might have taken a Nazarite vow whilst in Corinth, but this cannot be confirmed from the little we are told about it in the text.
The most well-known section of our reading today is found at the end of Numbers 6. Words that are burned into the memory of most preachers of the gospel, and frequently used as a benediction. Words that are usually spoken as a plea, or a wish, for the benefit of the hearer when quoted today from our English Bible translations. But in Hebrew, just fifteen words, full of meaning, spoken as a powerful promise.
We need to put this into context. The Israelites were at the beginning of what was to be a very long journey in trying conditions of the desert wilderness. They had no idea where they were, and even less idea of where they were going. Being led by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. They had left behind everything that was familiar to them. Going back was not an option.
Then, at God’s command, Aaron stood before them, hands raised in blessing, his voice loud and very clear.
“Yivarechecha Adonai viyishmirecha, Ya’er Adonai panav elecha veechunera, Yeesa Adonai panav elecha viyasem lecha shalom.” (phonetic Hebrew)
“The LORD will bless you, and He will keep you, The LORD will make His face shine upon you, and He will be gracious to you. The LORD will lift up His countenance to you, and He will establish your Shalom.” (One New Man Bible translation)
The strong emphasis in the Hebrew is on what God WILL do. It was not a prayer, it was a promise. A promise spoken by a man of high integrity among the people. A man in whom they had trust and respect.
The Ancient Hebrew Research Centre translates this ancient Hebrew text as follows:-
“YHWH will kneel before you presenting gifts and will guard you with a hedge of protection. YHWH will illuminate the wholeness of His being to you, bringing order, and He will beautify you. YHWH will lift up the wholeness of His being and look upon you, and He will set in place all you need to be whole and complete.”
What a promise.
We know that God kept His word. They enjoyed the provision of food and water. Their shoes did not wear out, their livestock produced food. But they also had the blessing of both Moses and Aaron to intercede, guide, instruct and encourage them all the years of their travels. They were observant of all the commandments of God, and they prospered in their travels safely to the Land of Promise.
Let us ponder this Aaronic blessing, and ask God what He requires of us to pronounce such a blessing on us today.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Shavuot
Torah Reflections M3
Torah portions Exodus 19:1 to 20:23 and Numbers 28 :26 - 31
Haftarah portion Ezekiel 1 : 1-28 and 3 : 12
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.
Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.
When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.
This ‘appointed time’ is fixed in relation to Pesach. Seven Sabbaths plus one day later.( In the Christian reckoning, it is called “Whitsun” and is seven weeks after Palm Sunday, but it bears no relationship at all to the ‘mo’ed’ of the Lord specified in Leviticus 23.) Some pretty exciting things happened at Shavuot, and the festival (also known as the Feast of Weeks) figures most significantly in the prophetic calendar as it relates to Yeshua.
Firstly, by Jewish calculation, and there is good evidence for it, this was the time when Moses was on the mountain communing with the Lord and receiving the instructions for righteous living, which we know as Torah. (see Exodus 19:1) That, in my view is cause enough to celebrate. The very Word of God, which is ‘sharper than any two-edged sword’, came to us at this time of the year. An immeasurable blessing. My Bible tells me that Moses spoke “all that the Lord had told him” and wrote it in a book.(Exodus 24: 3 and 7). More importantly, that was the exact time that the first covenant was sealed, when the people voluntarily agreed as they said “all that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient”.
Secondly, according to Acts 1, Yeshau returned to His Father 40 days after his resurrection from the grave. But He told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem. Just 10 days later was the festival of Shavuot. Jerusalem was overflowing with people, there for the festival from all over the known world (as it is today for the three pilgrimage festivals). Then came a sound ‘like a mighty rushing wind’. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, the One who points to Messiah, was sent to minister His blessing to those who would receive it.
The disciples, already emboldened at meeting the resurrected Lord Yeshua, were imbued with power from on high. No longer the ‘shrinking violets’ who were shattered by the death of Yeshua on that cruel Roman cross. They spoke boldly to the throngs of people in the Temple courtyard, and miracle of miracles, the foreigners present all heard these fishermen from Galilee speaking in their own several languages. It is almost impossible to imagine. But by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, over three thousand were added to the company of believers that very day. Now that surely is another reason to celebrate.
But there’s more!! Both events related above did not stop.
Today, we have the precious Holy Scriptures, written in so many of the world’s languages. The faithful Jews who were entrusted with those Scriptures have carefully preserved them for our blessing and instruction down through the ages. In the early days, meticulously copying by hand every ‘jot and tittle’. Every yod and vav.
The Holy Spirit of God is alive and well in the earth today. His role on earth is to point us to Messiah Yeshua, by any and all means possible. He brings strength to the ‘weary’, comfort to the ‘afflicted’, guidance to those who seek, and blessing to all who ask.
So if any still wonder why we should celebrate Shavuot, I trust that this ‘reflection’ will provide some answers. But there is a much greater and compelling reason. God commanded it. His promise, is included in the introductory remarks of this ‘reflection’. He will be there to meet all who come. It is a special time. It has never been revoked.
You will be blessed as you meet together and thank Him for His unspeakable gift.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Bamidbar
Torah Reflections 34
Torah Portion Numbers 1 : 1 to 4 : 20
Haftarah Portion Hosea 1 : 10 – 20
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The events described in our parashah today take place almost exactly one year after the Israelites had left the land of Egypt. The Exodus account ended with the instruction for the Israelites to move when the ‘cloud’ moved, and to rest when the ‘cloud’ stood still.
The whole chronology of the Israelites is contained in just eleven books of the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Torah (first five books) Leviticus and Deuteronomy are books of instruction, rather than books of travel. So following our ‘reflections’ in Leviticus, we return to the travelogue of these Israelites. For good orders sake, it was deemed necessary that these people, probably exceeding two million in number, be properly organised for their long journey (even though they had no idea how long it would be). So the parashah begins with the numbering of people by family groups. From this numbering the whole assembly was designated a place to pitch their tents, in approximate equal number and in order, on each side of the Tabernacle. When the ‘cloud’ moved, the people would strike camp, again in designated order, and follow the ‘cloud’ to the next stopping place.
(It is worthy of our effort to try to imagine the spectacle of this. It is the equivalent of the whole population of Brisbane moving, in order, at the same time. Amazing. If that weren’t enough, try to picture the same group having food and water provided each day! … for forty years!!)
What an awesome God we serve.
The Levites were in a special category. A year earlier, they were the ones who stood by Moses, declaring themselves to be on the Lord’s side, at the time of the idolatry with the ‘golden calf’. (Exodus 32) As an aside to this event, we are also informed that God keeps a ‘book’. It would appear that in this .book’ everyone’s name is recorded, because God says to Moses that “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book”. Evidently, there were plenty of people whose names were blotted out at the ‘golden calf’ incident.
But there is much more. The Levites were accepted by God as a substitute for the ‘firstborn’. That is a very special role. We note that there is much evidence in the Scriptures of the pagan practice of human sacrifice. In particular, the firstborn son, the natural heir of his father, was sacrificed to Moloch, a Canaanite god. (Anyone interested in this can look up Moloch in Wikepedia). The main point here being that YHWH had eliminated that practice from the Israelites by demanding that the firstborn belong to Him, (Exodus 13:2 and 14) dedicated to His service, and most definitely not to be sacrificed in the fire.
So then, already having possession of the firstborn (males), God then told Moses that He would accept the Levites as a substitute into His service, one Levite for one firstborn. Demonstrating His insistence on absolute justice, “near enough is definitely not good enough” for God, it was discovered in the numbering of the Levites, that they were 273 short of the right number. Those 273 were then purchased for money, and the money was given to Aaron to be used in the Lord’s service. This practice of ‘redemption of the firstborn’ is still practiced today in Jewish society.
What lessons are there for us today in this parashah?
Firstly, we note that God is precise in His dealings with the people. We have noted many times in our ‘reflections’ that we serve a God who does not change. His particularity continues. There is no ambiguity in His instructions. He says what He means and He means what He says. His instructions are not open to individual interpretation. When I was a young boy, there was an older man in our congregation who often quoted these words .. “God said it, I believe it, that settles it”. It appears to me that in many of our churches today, we are prone to live a different version of that saying. Perhaps “God said it, I’ll have a think about it, and if it is convenient, I'll go along with it.” There seems to be scant regard for the ongoing validity of the Hebrew Scriptures, even though they were the ONLY Scriptures available to the early believers and the writers of the Apostolic Scriptures.
In the course of my weekly ‘reflection’ on the Scriptures, in an orderly manner, I have learned that God is wonderfully consistent. I have learned that God’s instructions are always attuned towards benefit for those who are His. He has our very best interest at heart.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Bechukotai
Torah Reflections 33
Torah Portion Leviticus 26 : 3 to 27 : 34
Haftarah Portion Jeremiah 16 : 19 – 17 : 14
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
When we started our ‘reflections’ in Leviticus, I said this was the place where “new year’s resolutions” founder!!!
Well this week we come to the final ‘reflection’ in Leviticus. And what an amazing message God has given us this week. Reward for our perseverance perhaps!
This week’s parashah strongly emphasises the blessings which accrue to those who faithfully commit to the will of God. The words are directed to the Israelites of course, but to the extent that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” as the Apostle Paul wrote to the young Timothy, there are valuable lessons available to us in this week’s parashah.
It starts with the condition God requires, in verse 3. “IF you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and perform them” Everything which follows hinges on that condition. How often do we hear the words “Why does God allow ‘so and so’ to happen?’ That is usually followed, by those who have no allegiance to Him, with the words “God is supposed to be a God of love isn’t He?” What is missing from these questions is the understanding of the condition God made for His provision of abundant blessing. Sadly, even Christians sometimes appear not to understand that God is not some gigantic Department Store where one can go and make selections to satisfy ones selfish wants and desires. Our prayer to Him can often sound like a daily shopping list!
His promises are trustworthy. He is a covenant keeping God. He is faithful and true. But He is not to be trifled with. We are blessed by Him on His terms, not ours.
Look carefully at the promises He gave in verses 9 and 12. “I will look on you favourably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.” “I will walk among you and be your God and you shall be My people”. It could not be clearer. Now we should also take note that right at the end of Leviticus, the last verse in fact, declares that these commandments were spoken by the Lord to Moses on the mountain, that is, in the third month after they left Egypt. In Exodus 24 :7 we have the record of the covenant agreement, wherein the Israelites said “All that the Lord has said, we will do, and be obedient.” It could not be clearer.
But God knows the human heart. He knows our propensity to want to do things our way. So He issues a warning. Having given the wonderful promise of His protection and provision when we do things His way, He tells us what will happen when we go our own way. It is not comfortable reading. And as I read this account in our parashah today, because we have the advantage of living hundreds of years later, and have the record of history, I could readily identify how true this description was of events which unfolded in the life of the Israelites down through the centuries. And that because of their neglect of their covenant commitment.
What is our covenant commitment?
How many times have you heard Christians declare that “we are not under law but under grace”? Those eight words appear at the end of a sentence. Very few Christians can tell you where that sentence appears in the Scriptures, and even fewer can recite the whole sentence. And yet those words have become “doctrine” to many. A doctrine which says that Christians no longer need to take heed of God’s commands. How sad.
Our covenant commitment is to become disciples of Yeshua. The Yeshua who is “the Word”, who was in the beginning with God and who was God. The Yeshua who became flesh and dwelt among us. The Yeshua who said that if we love Him we would keep His commandments. Furthermore, our commission is to make other disciples of Him. A disciple is one who imitates his Master.
Our parashah today is, sadly, a prophetic statement of the whole history of Israel. It is a history which flowed from neglect of their covenant commitment. But the good news in this parashah is that we can learn from the mistakes of others. The promises of blessing, resulting from obedient worship, are amazing. The message of Scripture is wonderfully consistent. As we study Torah we have a reminder every week. What a privilege we share.
“Be diligent to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. 2 Timothy 2:15
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Behar
Torah Reflections 32
Torah Portion Leviticus 25 : 1 to 26 : 2
Haftarah Portion Jeremiah 32 : 6 – 27
The Torah of YHWH given to Moses
The Lord spoke to Moses with an amazing promise of blessing for the Israelites.
The LAND was to have a Sabbath rest. Imagine that. These dear people were destined to be, in effect, subsistence farmers, vinedressers, orchardists and graziers. Sure there were other skills in their community, sufficient for them to live together in harmony with clothing, shoes and other essentials for living, but their main source of wealth would be produced by what they grew in the fields.
What God was saying to these people, who had been slaves in Egypt for their whole lifetime thus far, was that they were to have a one year holiday every seven years. Incredible. But how would they survive if they took a holiday? God promised them that in the sixth year of harvest, there would be a bumper crop, sufficient to last three years.
But, this promised blessing came at a price!
In order to enjoy this blessing, the Lord required that they “observe My statutes and keep My judgements, and perform them”. The full impact of the blessing would then be available to them. The Lord continued “then the Land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safely”. Sounds too easy doesn’t it?
But there’s more. Whatever did grow of its own accord in their fields was to be freely available to their servants, guests and livestock. The principle being that they did not sow, so neither should they reap.
That Land Sabbath is known as the “shemittah year”. It is still practiced today in many parts of Israel, but not in all Israel. And the sad truth, however, is that a large majority of Israelis today do not fulfil the conditions God laid down for the full blessing to flow to them.
In addition to the “shemittah”, there was also to be a “Sabbath of Sabbaths”. That is, after every SEVEN “shemittahs”, there was to be a special year, the fiftieth year, known as “the Jubilee”. This year had even more significance for them, in that, in the event that they had chosen to sell their land rights to someone else, for whatever reason, that land would be returned to them in the year of Jubilee without cost to them. WOW !! What a blessing that was. Or would have been if the practice was ever implemented. There is no record in Scripture, or anywhere else, of that ever taking place.
So now let us learn a lesson from what we have just seen here. Just as these Israelites were promised blessing, so are we. Our church teaching is clearly focussed on the grace of God. Our salvation is wrought by our faith in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Yeshua, not by works. So none of us can do anything of ourselves to merit salvation. The Scripture even tells us that “our (self) righteousness is as filthy rags”. However, just as these Israelites in our parashah today, missed the abundant blessing God had prepared for them (by their unwillingness, or laxity, to fulfil the conditions on which God’s promise was made), so too, we miss out on the very best God has for us by our unwillingness, or laxity, in keeping the commands of God for us. Let me be clear, I am not referring here to a salvation issue, but to our receiving the abundant blessing God wants to bestow on us.
We are quite adept at deciding the reasons why God said “so and so”, As though God did not have His own reasons for so commanding what He did. We content ourselves by saying “Jesus kept all the commandments, so we do not have to”. Well, Jesus said “If you love Me you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15,23,24 and 15:10).
Our parashah ends with an exhortation not to make idols for ourselves. The reference for the Israelites was relating to carved images and pillars, which were pagan symbols of worship. There are many cultural practises in the world today where this still has relevance. In our society however, we have become skilled in setting up many other kinds of idols which come between us and the worship of God. I do not need to list them.
The final word today regards the observance of “My Sabbaths”. There are the weekly Sabbaths and the special Sabbaths we read in last week’s parashah. The festivals listed in Leviticus 23. Most of us in the ‘church’ do not even know when they occur!! They are described in Scripture as ‘everlasting’, ‘throughout your generations’, and ‘forever’.
The challenge for me this week is to understand what God is saying to ME in this passage of Scripture. I trust that you too find it just as challenging.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
Emor
Torah Portion for 15th May - 21st May
Torah portion Leviticus 21:1 to 24:23
Haftarah portion Ezekiel 44 : 15-31
“Speak”
Understanding God’s times
Each week there are lessons, reminders, encouragements and even chastisements. Almighty God, in His love, wisdom and grace, speaks to each person according to ones relationship with Him.
It would be a worry if one received NOTHING from the reading of His Word !! If the reading were mechanical, even legalistic.
Leviticus 23 contains the well-known declaration of the “mo’edim”, the “appointed times” of the Lord. Within our churches today they are often perceived as ‘Jewish Festivals’, consigned to antiquity, even obsolete.
But Almighty God called them “MY FEASTS” in Leviticus 23:2. They are described as being ‘a statute forever throughout your generations’. They are festivals observed by Yeshua, by the disciples in the early church, by Paul. No-where in the Scriptures are they superseded by any other festival.
In effect, God was saying to the people “these are the times when I will be there, I want you to come and meet with me”. Once every week on Shabbat, then another seven times in the year for a stated number of days.
These Holy (set apart) Festivals were prophetically significant in the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua (Passover), as well as the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai and the coming of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost). Many also see that the next set of festivals (Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles) are prophetic of the return to this earth of Yeshua.
However, in Leviticus 23:22, we have a strange looking verse which appears to have nothing at all to do with these “appointed times”. They are a repetition of the commandment in Leviticus 19:9,10. This activity of “gleaning” reminds us of Ruth, the Moabitess, a gentile who joined herself to the people of God.
In terms of timing, sitting as it does between those festivals already completed in Yeshua, and those which speak of His future return, is it possible that this verse, referring to ‘the poor and the stranger’ is talking about the time of the gentiles? Which when completed will herald the return of Yeshua?
There is, of course, a more simple explanation. That God is here reminding us all of an obligation we have as believers in Him to extend our hand to those in need.
Did you know that a principal reason for tithing was the caring for the :-
“Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat (freely) and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand, which you do.” Deut 14:29
So then, it appears that this act of caring for those in need is part and parcel of what God intended, He commanded it. IF that is an “appointed activity”, consider carefully how best to respond.
We would appear, today, to have two different ways of understanding the Scriptures. The first is to take God at His word. At best this is the view of a minority of Christians. The prevailing attitude, which most of us learned from an early age, is that God is quite flexible in His requirements of His people. We ‘do it God’s way’ when it doesn’t inconvenient us, or when that way conforms to ‘traditional’ practise.
Understanding God’s times is a responsibility we all share. Ask Him, and He will show you.
Shalom and Blessings
RS
Kedeshim
Torah Portion for 8th May - 14th May
Torah portion Leviticus 19 : 1 to 20 : 27
Haftarah portion Amos 9 : 7 – 15
“Holy people”
“Be ye holy, because I am holy”
God said “Be ye holy, because I am holy”. This is an entreaty almost universally appropriated by every believer, at least in principle if not in fact!! “Holy” has a much simpler meaning than many understand. It means “set apart”. Different even. At least different from those around us.
The negative side of “holiness” is found in Leviticus 18 : 2,3
“According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.”
You are NOT to behave as the Egyptians, amongst whom you were living for the last 400 years, and you are NOT to behave like the Canaanites, where you are going to live for the next several hundred years.
Then God shows them the positive side of “holiness”.
“You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God.”
Let us now completely ignore the statement in Malachi 3 :6 (look it up). Let us take the ‘church’ teaching that declares that Yeshua kept all the “Law”, so we do not have to. It’s a tall ask, but let’s do it !
We still believe that our call is to “holiness” don’t we? (See paragraph 1 above) That is to be “set apart”. So we now only look to that which we can read in the “Brit Hadassah”, the ‘New Covenant’.
Yeshua was clear in His declaration when asked about the ‘great commandment’. See Matthew 22:37-40 and Mark 12 : 28-32 for His response. Note that Yeshua did nothing except quote the Torah. Then we look at the “Letter to the Gentiles” which we read in Acts 15 : 23 – 29 (noting their comment in Acts 15:21 which precedes it).
All fair-minded people will conclude that there is an overwhelming reason to believe that the “means toward holy living” are the same for the people in the days during and following Yeshua’s life, as they were for the people hearing Moses instructions in our Parashah this week. “Be ye holy, because I am holy”
The rest of the parashah goes into much detail. It deals with issues of familial morality, adultery, witchcraft, homosexuality, bestiality and general wickedness.
Some, even today, maybe especially today, have questioned the reasons why God displaced the inhabitants of the Land of Canaan in order to give it to the Israelites. Well, the answer is found in this parashah. Look at Leviticus 18:24 -27.
We may look also at the trends towards similar patterns of behaviour in the world today and ask .. “How long O Lord, how long?”
In the midst of such overt wickedness, God is still looking for a people to call His own. The Israelites have been promised that their salvation is of the Lord, for His own reasons, in His own way, and in His own timing. Gentiles are in the period of opportunity. One day, the Scriptures declare, the ‘fullness of the gentiles’ will be complete. The door WILL be closed. When that happens, a people, Jew and Gentile together will be “One New Man” in worship of Almighty God. King of the Universe. They WILL be joined together, a people called “holy, because I am holy”.
The Scriptures seem to be abundantly clear on the issue of “holiness’. It is God’s way, NOT our way. There is only ONE standard by which ‘holiness’ can be measured. Our parashah this week laid it out plain and simple for the Israelites of old.
Ask the Lord, this week, ‘Lord, what do you expect of me when you say:-‘ “Be ye holy, because I am holy”?
Shabbat Shalom
RS