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Barmidbar 19:1-25:9

(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 22:20 God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do."

There are many things in this double portion that we could discuss, but there is none more important for the believer today than to obey this command as it was given to Balaam. To only speak what YHVH would give us to say, is especially important when we are dealing with our brothers and sisters in the faith. We see first hand in this, and previous weeks, that to speak out against our brothers in a way that is not scriptural brings fast and immediate disaster for Israel. The complaints about the lack of meat, and the confronting of the God appointed leadership of Israel, placed many an Israelite in their grave. If we don't want to end up the same way we need to learn from their example.

Num 23:8 "How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how can I denounce whom YHVH has not denounced?

This should be the question we ask our selves; not whether or not we think what an individual is, or usually, is not doing is correct. We tend to judge a person based on what we, do or do not, like; or what we, do or do not, do, in our own walk. Let's look at a few examples from the pages of Scripture.

Lev 10:1-2 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before YHVH, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of YHVH and consumed them, and they died before YHVH.

We are all familiar with this careless and ill conceived act on the part of Aaron's sons, but did you ever catch the part about the sacrifice being burned up and Moses taking issue with Aaron?

Lev 10:16-20 But Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up! So he was angry with Aaron's surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, "Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before YHVH. "Behold, since its blood had not been brought inside, into the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded." But Aaron spoke to Moses, "Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before YHVH. When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of YHVH?" When Moses heard that, it seemed good in his sight.

Yes even Moses had a case of "wrong judgment-itis" At the beginning, he was quick to judge that Aaron had not followed the "letter" of the Torah, which I readily admit we should be ready to do. However, he was not thinking about the "spirit" of the Torah, which is the meaning behind the commandment. As Aaron explained his position to Moses, Moses had to admit that Aaron had done the "righteous" thing by choosing to burn up the sin sacrifice, thus rendering it an Olah, or whole burnt offering given only to YHVH. Even though Moses at first had a scriptural reason for his anger toward Aaron, he listened to the reason behind the action and correctly discerned that it was done to please YHVH not to disobey Him.

Mat 18:21-22 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Yeshuah said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Peter was trying to show his righteousness by saying that he would forgive his brother seven times referring to a passage in Amos claiming, in a back handed sort of way, that he would forgive his brother (Judah or Israel) more than YHVH had. He was trying to show Yeshuah that he was doing more than the TaNaK required of him.

Amo 2:4-8 Thus says YHVH, "For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the law of YHVH And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those after which their fathers walked. "So I will send fire upon Judah And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem." Thus says YHVH, "For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money And the needy for a pair of sandals. "These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless Also turn aside the way of the humble; And a man and his father resort to the same girl In order to profane My holy name. "On garments taken as pledges they stretch out beside every altar, And in the house of their Elohim they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

However the response that Yeshuah gave him put him in his place. Yeshuah referred to the forgiveness offered by His Father for 490 years (7x70) that Israel did not keep the Shemitah or Sabatical seventh year allowing the land of Israel to rest (Lev. 25:3-4). YHVH gave Israel 490 years to repent from their sin before He brought judgment in the form of the Babylonian exile. (2 Cron. 36:20-21)

Peter thought he was doing well but Yeshuah showed him his limited vision. Peter thought he was applying good Torah knowledge but Yeshuah showed him a better Torah principle to follow. We will be judged by the Torah, for the judgment we render with the Torah. As the Brit Chadashah illuminates;

Mat 7:1-2 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged."For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

Jas 4:11-12 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He, who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

Here clearly the emphasis is on judging only with The Torah of YHVH; not with what we think it says, or what we want it to say. I believe that James is saying that it is better to be silent than to mis-judge your brother, and in doing so, you judge YHVH. If we cannot clearly see a Torah commandment being violated we should keep our big mouths shut! If we do see a commandment being transgressed then we have further instructions;

Mat 18:15-17 "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

When we do not follow these instructions that were given for our benefit, then we are just like Balaam. He apears to follow YHVH's command to only speak what He (YHVH) put in Balaam's mouth, but then we learn that Balaam is the one who causes B'nai Israel to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.(Num. 31:16) He did not only speak the words of YHVH (Torah) he added his own and lost his life for it! (Num. 31:8) Don't be like Balaam and add to the Torah. Judge by His word in love. Do it "Yah's way" not your way.

Shalom in Yeshauh

Bill