Bamidbar (Numbers)
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Meaning
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Day Four
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Haftara
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B'rit Hadashah
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1 Our Father, we receive Your Words and hide Your commandments with us; 2 we incline our ear unto wisdom, and apply our hearts to understanding; 3 We cry after knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding; 4 we seek it as silver; and search for it as for hidden treasures; 5 We declare that we shall understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Declaration of Proverbs 2:1-5
Numbers 27:12-28:13 (NASB)1
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. 13 "When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; 14 for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16 "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd."
18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. 20 "You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. 21 "Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation." 22 Moses did just as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
28 1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Command the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.' 3 "You shall say to them, 'This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day. 4 'You shall offer the one lamb in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 5 also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil. 6 'It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai as a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 7 'Then the drink offering with it shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb, in the holy place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the LORD.
8 'The other lamb you shall offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the LORD. 9 'Then on the sabbath day two male lambs one year old without defect, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering: 10 'This is the burnt offering of every sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. 11 'Then at the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 12 and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for each bull; and two-tenths of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for the one ram; 13 and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering for each lamb, for a burnt offering of a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. 20 "You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. 21 "Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation." 22 Moses did just as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
28 1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Command the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to Me, at their appointed time.' 3 "You shall say to them, 'This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day. 4 'You shall offer the one lamb in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 5 also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil. 6 'It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai as a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 7 'Then the drink offering with it shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb, in the holy place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the LORD.
8 'The other lamb you shall offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the LORD. 9 'Then on the sabbath day two male lambs one year old without defect, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering: 10 'This is the burnt offering of every sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. 11 'Then at the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect; 12 and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for each bull; and two-tenths of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for the one ram; 13 and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering for each lamb, for a burnt offering of a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
Yesterday was my day off from everywhere and I made the hay while the sun was shining! Now this is the “morning after the day before” and it's got nothing to do with alcohol. It's just my body saying, “You were so busy yesterday, didn't I warn you'd be sorry!” Mornings are always difficult the 'day after'. The post-exertional-malaise will pass off in a couple of hours. The upside of getting yard work done is that it's SO good to see the acreage looking well groomed. Richard cleared behind the coop with the weed whacker and I raked it up today in numerous piles which I shall pick up later this week. That crazy kudzu-like vine was getting a good start and now it's all torn out on the north end of the coop and won't present trouble like it could have. That stuff will grow right through the cracks in the chicken coop exterior! I've made inroads on the destruction of the multiple Scotch thistles. I took the vinegar spray bottle out and showered their leaves once again this afternoon. I see where a couple of the smaller plants have succumbed and in a few days, I'll be able to go out with the cultivator and pull them out by their roots. I'm just waiting for maximum effect on the bigger ones and the plan is to dispose of them all at the same time. (Memo to self. Buy more vinegar).
I finally got some small jobs done that I've been trying to finish. One of those unfinished projects was two years old! I varnished some crafts for the garden that my daughter bought from “Pet Save”. The third one was a plaque our grandson, Kyle, made in 'shop' at school. It is an etched sign that says, “Nault's Ark”. I still haven't gotten to the rock garden or the east side of the front flower patch, but I'll get there. I bought a good pair of grass shears at a yard sale recently. I got started on cleaning them and getting them ready for use. I have multiple areas where I cannot use the weed whacker. I'm doing what “I can do” and it is remarkably productive of late. The Osteoarthritis in the knees is settled and has upgraded from “You ain't goin' anywhere,” to “Okay, go for it but take frequent rest periods and water!” That is what I did yesterday.
In our Torah journey, we have seen productivity as far as prep for the settling in Canaan as well as the census for military service. Amid all these new changes, our Moses gets some bad news.
12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. 13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. 14 For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. Numbers 27:12-14.
He was to choose and anoint his successor, Joshua. It appears that the last official act of Moses was this. He dealt with the inheritance question after seeking the Lord. He was told to anoint a successor after Moses expressed concern for the people’s welfare should they not have a single leader. At this point, who would minister to Moses? When the pastor needs a pastor, where does he go? When the intercessor needs a word of intercession on their behalf, where do they go? We sometimes confound ourselves with our thinking, don’t we? We think that because we are operating in our gifts and skills that when we’re worn out and tired, we should be able to minister to ourselves! And yet, that is probably one of the best reasons why God set up the body of believers to be a “body”.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ... Ephesians 4:11-13.
Until the arrival of the Messiah, Israel needed the leadership of a multitasking prophet, teacher, intercessor, and pastor. Moses fit that bill. Messiah is the ULTIMATE multi-gifted leader—praise His Name! While I was back in the old mainline system and still yearning for The WATER OF LIFE to sprout through the cracks in that little religious social club we called a ‘church’, I used to beg God for the maturity for that body like it was outlined in Ephesians. If you took a look at a fraction of some of the denominations out there you’d see that this five-fold ministry is not present in its completeness. There is always some part of it missing. In the Old Testament, the people would kill their prophets. Nowadays, we merely ignore them and pretend that such an office doesn’t exist. These places also act like the ministry of Messiah involving healing and casting out of demons also doesn’t exist. I was listening to a teacher this morning on my iPod and something he said stood out and made me sit up and wonder. This teacher was encouraging all believers about getting mature and if we really want to stand out as a beacon in this world we need to repent of our sin and build a prayer closet and lift our hands and worship God three times a day. Then he said a strange thing. He said, “I don’t mean, “praise” God, I mean “worship” God!”
When does the praise turn to worship? Or when does the worship deviate into a sort of praise that isn’t worship of Him in the least? These days the term is “praise and worship”. I once attended a special service and there was a very long interval before the actual Word was preached. It involved the youth of the church showcasing their talents as vocalists and musicians (and of course, everything was electric with amps). The music was so loud that eventually I began to find it grating and spent the rest of the interval with fingers in my ears. But that is because I have this thing where loud sound starts to hurt. These musicians, under the guise of “praise and worship,” continued to repeat lyrics so many times that I began to hope that the song would end. It might have been praise, but for me, there was no worship there. I would think nothing of this event as a singular thing that happened to me because of my physical limitations except, there were many others there at that same service that grew fatigued of the loudness and the repetition as I did! I was at a mid-week meeting at the Anchor church in Surfside where a man of God with his acoustic guitar, no amp, sang and played so sincerely and with such an attitude of humility that I concluded that this indeed was true Worship. I could go on for another six paragraphs but I’ve got to leave this right here today. But it might be a good question to ponder about “praise and worship” and “praise” OR “worship”. I know I’m going to think about this today.
The sheep need a shepherd; of that there is no doubt. The shepherd needs the structure of the body outlined in Ephesians with the Absolute Shepherd, Messiah Jesus. The church substituted so many degrees in their chain of command in every denomination that God seems to have gotten lost in all of it. Then they wonder why it has so little power out there in this world. Now they substitute their understanding and interpretation of the original law of Torah and simply outlaw The law.
I do thank God for the example of “multi-taskers”. Elijah was another. He too became tired and worn and it became necessary for him to go off to the side and recoup. This is found in 1 Kings 18:46 to 19:21. What a God we serve who allows us to run away for a time and who feeds us physically and emotionally as we need it and after He does that He asks us, “What are you doing here?” I am not called to be a Moses or an Elijah and that is plenty for me to be thankful for today because I’ve had enough of personal times of “running away” with God’s sustaining hand upon me and He’s let me get so far and then He asks me, “Ewe! What are “Ewe” doing here?” Ephesians continues to address this issue of a ‘body’ under the headship of a shepherd who is under the Absolute authority of the Ultimate Shepherd.
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:14-16.
So, if the pastor needs a pastor, or the intercessor needs intercession we follow the natural chain of command that our Father outlines for us. We can so much appreciate the gifting and skills of those multi-task individuals while “confessing our faults one to the other” and asking for the fervent and effectual prayer of our righteous comrades.
I finally got some small jobs done that I've been trying to finish. One of those unfinished projects was two years old! I varnished some crafts for the garden that my daughter bought from “Pet Save”. The third one was a plaque our grandson, Kyle, made in 'shop' at school. It is an etched sign that says, “Nault's Ark”. I still haven't gotten to the rock garden or the east side of the front flower patch, but I'll get there. I bought a good pair of grass shears at a yard sale recently. I got started on cleaning them and getting them ready for use. I have multiple areas where I cannot use the weed whacker. I'm doing what “I can do” and it is remarkably productive of late. The Osteoarthritis in the knees is settled and has upgraded from “You ain't goin' anywhere,” to “Okay, go for it but take frequent rest periods and water!” That is what I did yesterday.
In our Torah journey, we have seen productivity as far as prep for the settling in Canaan as well as the census for military service. Amid all these new changes, our Moses gets some bad news.
12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. 13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. 14 For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. Numbers 27:12-14.
He was to choose and anoint his successor, Joshua. It appears that the last official act of Moses was this. He dealt with the inheritance question after seeking the Lord. He was told to anoint a successor after Moses expressed concern for the people’s welfare should they not have a single leader. At this point, who would minister to Moses? When the pastor needs a pastor, where does he go? When the intercessor needs a word of intercession on their behalf, where do they go? We sometimes confound ourselves with our thinking, don’t we? We think that because we are operating in our gifts and skills that when we’re worn out and tired, we should be able to minister to ourselves! And yet, that is probably one of the best reasons why God set up the body of believers to be a “body”.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ... Ephesians 4:11-13.
Until the arrival of the Messiah, Israel needed the leadership of a multitasking prophet, teacher, intercessor, and pastor. Moses fit that bill. Messiah is the ULTIMATE multi-gifted leader—praise His Name! While I was back in the old mainline system and still yearning for The WATER OF LIFE to sprout through the cracks in that little religious social club we called a ‘church’, I used to beg God for the maturity for that body like it was outlined in Ephesians. If you took a look at a fraction of some of the denominations out there you’d see that this five-fold ministry is not present in its completeness. There is always some part of it missing. In the Old Testament, the people would kill their prophets. Nowadays, we merely ignore them and pretend that such an office doesn’t exist. These places also act like the ministry of Messiah involving healing and casting out of demons also doesn’t exist. I was listening to a teacher this morning on my iPod and something he said stood out and made me sit up and wonder. This teacher was encouraging all believers about getting mature and if we really want to stand out as a beacon in this world we need to repent of our sin and build a prayer closet and lift our hands and worship God three times a day. Then he said a strange thing. He said, “I don’t mean, “praise” God, I mean “worship” God!”
When does the praise turn to worship? Or when does the worship deviate into a sort of praise that isn’t worship of Him in the least? These days the term is “praise and worship”. I once attended a special service and there was a very long interval before the actual Word was preached. It involved the youth of the church showcasing their talents as vocalists and musicians (and of course, everything was electric with amps). The music was so loud that eventually I began to find it grating and spent the rest of the interval with fingers in my ears. But that is because I have this thing where loud sound starts to hurt. These musicians, under the guise of “praise and worship,” continued to repeat lyrics so many times that I began to hope that the song would end. It might have been praise, but for me, there was no worship there. I would think nothing of this event as a singular thing that happened to me because of my physical limitations except, there were many others there at that same service that grew fatigued of the loudness and the repetition as I did! I was at a mid-week meeting at the Anchor church in Surfside where a man of God with his acoustic guitar, no amp, sang and played so sincerely and with such an attitude of humility that I concluded that this indeed was true Worship. I could go on for another six paragraphs but I’ve got to leave this right here today. But it might be a good question to ponder about “praise and worship” and “praise” OR “worship”. I know I’m going to think about this today.
The sheep need a shepherd; of that there is no doubt. The shepherd needs the structure of the body outlined in Ephesians with the Absolute Shepherd, Messiah Jesus. The church substituted so many degrees in their chain of command in every denomination that God seems to have gotten lost in all of it. Then they wonder why it has so little power out there in this world. Now they substitute their understanding and interpretation of the original law of Torah and simply outlaw The law.
I do thank God for the example of “multi-taskers”. Elijah was another. He too became tired and worn and it became necessary for him to go off to the side and recoup. This is found in 1 Kings 18:46 to 19:21. What a God we serve who allows us to run away for a time and who feeds us physically and emotionally as we need it and after He does that He asks us, “What are you doing here?” I am not called to be a Moses or an Elijah and that is plenty for me to be thankful for today because I’ve had enough of personal times of “running away” with God’s sustaining hand upon me and He’s let me get so far and then He asks me, “Ewe! What are “Ewe” doing here?” Ephesians continues to address this issue of a ‘body’ under the headship of a shepherd who is under the Absolute authority of the Ultimate Shepherd.
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:14-16.
So, if the pastor needs a pastor, or the intercessor needs intercession we follow the natural chain of command that our Father outlines for us. We can so much appreciate the gifting and skills of those multi-task individuals while “confessing our faults one to the other” and asking for the fervent and effectual prayer of our righteous comrades.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. James 5:16-18.
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise specified
*The Torah and Haftara chapter/verse numbering taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numbering indicated within parenthesis)
*The Torah and Haftara chapter/verse numbering taken from the Hebrew Bible (Christian-published chapter/verse numbering indicated within parenthesis)
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