Barmidbar 13:1-15:41
(Please take the time to read the portion completely as this "reflection" is designed to be a life application of only a small part of the Torah portion and is not an in depth commentary, nor does it normally touch the scheduled corresponding Haftorah and Brit Chadashah readings)
Shalom Friends,
Num 14:22-23 "Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, (23) shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.
Do we test our Elohim? We have seen His glory and witnessed His signs performed amongst us. Do we listen to His voice? These are all questions that only you can answer for yourself.
In last weeks parasha we discussed the need to walk in the Ruach HaKodesh and the Torah of YHVH to live well and succeed in the plans that YHVH has for us. I would like to expand on the ten times that YHVH says B'nai Israel tested Him. The sages number them as follows;
1 They panicked at the Red Sea Ex. 14:11
2 They grumbled at the bitter waters of Meribah Ex. 15:24
3 They ran out of food Ex.16:3
4 They kept manna over night against the command of Yah Ex.16:20
5 They went out to collect manna on Shabbat Ex.16:27
6 They ran out of water at Refadin Ex. 17:2
7 The golden calf incident Ex 32:4
8 They rebelled against the Mitzvot (commandments) of YHVH Nm. 11:1
9 They complained that manna was not good enough Nm.11:4
10 They believed the bad report of the spies Nm.13:32
As you can plainly see most, if not all, of these "testings" were food or safety related. The people were focused on their physical comfort. Bread, water, meat and not wanting to be killed by others, are very common needs that we still have today. The need for leadership, ie the golden calf incident, is evidenced in the time and amount of energy we spend either defending or rebuking our elected leaders.
Now let's look at what the author of Hebrews says about this portion of scripture;
Heb 3:7-11 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, (8) DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, (9) WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. (10) "THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, 'THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS'; (11) AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'"
Now what was the "rest" that YHVH was promising? Well the Promised land of course, the physical dwelling place that Elohim Himself picked out for His people. B'nai Israel was NEVER supposed to live outside of the land of Canaan. That is where YHVH has placed His name for ever. Israel did not enter into Canaan because of disobedience;
Heb 4:1-6 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. (3) For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. (4) For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS"; (5) and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST." (6) Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,
WOW! B'nai Israel had the good news preached to them but without the faith to believe YHVH they fell short through disobedience. The question is, disobedience to what? To the word of YHVH! He gave them His instructions and they did not follow them. He gave them His promises and they didn't believe Him. He gave them His plan and they did it their way. YHVH had intended that B'nai Israel would only spend a little more than a year outside the land of Cannan, but due to their refusal to believe and obey, they literally dropped dead in the desert over forty years. We should be very careful that we do not make the same mistake as they did.
Heb 3:12-13 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. (13) But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
The interesting thing about the word "Today" is that in both Hebrew and Greek it means the exact same thing, the lighted part of the 24 hour period or from sunrise to sunset. What did Messiah Yeshuah say about the "day;"
Joh 9:4-5 "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. (5) "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."
And Rav Shaul to the Corinthians wrote;
1Co 3:11-13 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Yeshuah HaMashiach. (12) Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, (13) each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.
The Bible always refers to YHVH as Light (1 Jn. 1:5) and to His Torah as Light (Psm. 119:105) so if the light that we are to walk in is called "today," then should we not obey the very same voice that the Children of Israel rejected ie. the Torah of YHVH. That very same Torah will be the measuring stick by which we are rewarded when we enter our rest in the New Jerusalem. YHVH is always just and He would never judge us by something that we didn't know about.
Rev 20:11-12 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. (12) And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
The phrase "Good Deeds" is a Hebrew-ism that means things done according to Torah. We know that this is true because the things not done according to Torah are called sin (1 Jn 3:4) and we must be careful as we have been warned not to be "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
Brothers and sisters, we are seeing much deception in regards to the nation of Israel. What the Scriptures call "The Promised Land" an eternal possession of Israel, many today are calling illegitimate and even illegal. Be careful to not find yourself fighting against YHVH. Do not believe an "Evil Report" but believe the one who made heaven and earth, our Heavenly Father, YHVH.
Shalom In Yeshuah
Bill |
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