TribalTestimony

 

     This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Pinchas, who was also known as Phineas, and covers Numbers 25 through 27. (*Aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Phineas (see written Hebrew of Ex. 6:25) was the grandson of Aaron, and because of his zeal for the LORD, his actions stopped a plague that had killed 24,000 Israelites because they had married Moabite/Midianite women and had joined themselves to the women's false god Ba'al (Num. 25:1-9). The name Phinehas means "mouth of brass, break in pieces the hissing serpent/snake/image of a serpent/fleeing serpent; to command, blow away, break in pieces the enchanter/divination/practice of fortunetelling." This challenge to the LORDSHIP of God over the Israelites came shortly before the allotments for the inheritance of the land were officially established.

     The LORD commanded Moses and Eleazar the priest, the son of Aaron who had died, to take a census of all males over the age of twenty, which are those who were able to go to war. The census was taken by tribe separately, and then added together: "These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty...Each shall be given its inheritance according to those who were numbered of them. But the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land shall be divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. According to the lot their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller." (Num. 26:51-56). The Israelites had traveled through the wilderness by tribes under separate tribal banners, had encamped in specific tribal formation around the tabernacle, and would occupy the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land by tribal groups. The word "tribe" is the Hebrew word matte/nata, meaning "staff, branch, staves, correcting rod, ruling scepter, throwing lance, support of life/stretch out, extend, cause to yield, spread." The "tribe" had to do with the ruling royal scepter and extending authority. 

      The map at the top of the page shows the allotment of the land of Canaan to each Israelite tribe according to the result of this final census and the casting of lots. As we can see, the land was not claimed by each individual Israelite as he chose but was settled in tribal units. Within each tribal allotment, the land was further allotted to each of the heads that had descended directly from the tribal patriarch of generations past. We will see a reason for this. Before we do that, however, another reading selection from this Sabbath from Joshua 17, reminds us that the inheritance that would go to the tribe of Manasseh had to be restored of a very important missing part. One of the descendants of Manasseh, Zelophehad, had died in the wilderness, and had only five daughters. The daughters earlier had demanded of Moses that they should be able to inherit their father's future portion of land so that his inheritance would not be lost, saying: "Why should the name of our father be removed (gara - diminish, withdraw, keep back, be restrained) from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers." (Num. 26:33, Num. 27:1-4). In verse 11, it is called an (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) inheritance. The LORD told Moses to agree to this request, and inheritance laws were established to reflect this. In Joshua 17:3-6, those five daughters come before Joshua to claim the inheritance that had been promised to them by Moses. Their father's name was preserved within the tribe of Manasseh through his five daughters. His name means "first born" (see also Ex. 13:11-12, Zech. 12:10, Lk. 2:4-7, Rom. 8:28-30, Col. 1:13-18, Rev. 1:4-6). His daughters' names mean "wounded, disease, travail (see Isa. 53:4-5, 11)/ stagger (see Mt. 26:36-39)/ partridge: call, cry out, proclaim, named, invited, preach, summon, bidden, guest, be chosen (see Jn. 7:37-38, Jn. 15:16)/ queen-king, rule and reign (see Ex. 19:5-6, 2 Tim. 2:11-13, Rev. 5:9-10)/ to be pleased with (see Lk. 3:21-22, pleasant land whose city is the seat of the kingdom (see Ps. 16:6, Rev. 21:1-5)." We can see that each descendant's name is important to God, who had agreed that this name should not be lost from the tribe of Manasseh. We can see the identity of the Messiah/Christ Jesus in these names alone. We will see even more of the purpose of God in commanding that the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land be settled by tribal identity.

     Keeping in mind the profane idolatrous practices of the inhabitants of Canaan whom the LORD was displacing with the tribes of Israel, the Hebrew meaning of "tribe" being "staves, branches, scepters of ruling, extending, spreading out, causing to yield", becomes very important.  The practices of idolatry by the Canaanites even included human/child sacrifices (see warning: Mt. 19:13-15, Mt. 18:5-7, 10). The LORD was casting down false gods, occultic practices and bondages of spiritual darkness with His name and His covenant expressed by the witness of the tribes of His people.

      Isaiah later wrote: "You are My witnesses (ed/ud - witness, evidence, testimony, recorder, prince, commander, legislator/restore, relieve, bear witness, cause to testify, affirm, exhort, enjoin, admonish, charge solemnly, give warning),' says the LORD, 'and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses,' says the LORD, 'that I am God." (Isa. 43:10-12). Isaiah also wrote: "Bind up the testimony (te'uda/ud - testimony attestation, precept/ ud - see above), seal (hatam - seal up, affix a seal, marked, lock up, close up - see also Rev. 7:3) the law among my disciples." (Isa. 8:16). Those who are disciples are marked and sealed inwardly and outwardly with the testimony/witness of God's precepts and salvation promises.

     The land of Canaan became covered west to east and north to south with the ruling scepters of the tribes of Israel. These were the tribes who occupied the land, and the witness/testimony found in their names:

Asher - happy, fortunate, to go straight, set right, upright, prosper (Ps. 146:5-7)

Naphtali - wrestling, struggle, twist (Gen. 32:24-30, Eph. 6:12-13)

Manasseh - cause to forget (..."all my toil", Gen. 41:51) (Jer. 31:34, Heb. 8:10-13)

Zebulun - exalted habitation, dwell exaltedly, inhabit (Isa. 33:5-6, Eph. 2:6-7, Jn. 14:2-3)

Issachar - "there is recompense", wages, reward (Isa. 40:10-11, Rev. 22:12-14)

Ephraim - "I shall be doubly fruitful", fruitfulness (Jn. 15:4-5)

Gad - troop, invade, attack, overcome, fortune (Mk. 3:27, Rev. 12:10-11, Rev. 3:12)

Benjamin - "son of the right hand", right side (Rom. 8:34, Col. 3:1-3, Heb. 12:1-2)

Reuben - "behold a son" (Isa. 9:6-7, Lk. 2:7)

Judah - praised, thanks, confess, shoot arrow (Ps. 34:1-3, Lk. 1:67-75)

Simeon - heard, hearing with acceptance, hear, obey, publish, declare (Isa. 52:7, Lk. 11:28)

     The witness of the tribes of Israel was against the spiritual powers present in the land and the wicked ways of the Canaanite people of the land which the LORD had promised to Abraham's descendants, and upon which He had set His holy name (Neh. 1:9). The LORD will not allow His (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) holy name to profaned by anyone or anything (Ex. 20:7, Ezek. 36:23-24, Ezek. 39:7) for the sake of His power of salvation, because "Whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Joel 2:32, Rom. 10:9-13).

     From this land, the spiritual witness of the tribes regarding the LORD God and the Messiah/Christ spread out or extended (see Hebrew word for "tribe" above) throughout the earth. Jesus also said to His disciples after His resurrection: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8).

     From another reading portion from this Sabbath, Joshua, who had led the tribes into the promised land and apportioned the inheritance to each tribe years before, knew that he was soon to die. Understanding the importance of the testimony and witness of the tribes, he gave this solemn warning: "Therefore be very courageous (hazak - strong, strengthened, prevail, be urgent, keep hold of, to tie fast or bind bonds strongly) to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it...and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods...you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations, but...no one has been able to stand against you to this day....Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God. Or else, if...you...cling to the remnant of these nations...and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you." (Josh. 23:6-13).

     It takes strength in the Word of God to resist the urge to adopt and practice the world's ways that defile us and profane the name of the LORD because the pressure and draw is great. Paul wrote that these ungodly strongholds are pulled down when our obedience is fulfilled. (2 Cor. 10:4-6). We have been entrusted with an urgent and important testimony and a witness contained in the new name/character which we have been given by God through Messiah/Christ. (see Isa. 62:1-5, 2 Cor. 5:17-18).

     If you would like to know more about walking out and living our identity purpose, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, the tribes of Israel had a witness within them of You, Your Word, Your Messiah/Christ and Your salvation. Lord, by Your Living logos Word Jesus, and Your Holy Spirit, help me to be a living testimony of Your greatness and Your love. For You so loved the world that You gave Your only Son for it, that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life. I bless, exalt and magnify Your holy name, the name of My salvation and deliverance. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Blind

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Balak, which is the name of a Moabite king. The name Balak means "devastator, annihilate, make void, empty." The Sabbath reading begins in Numbers 22. Most of the Torah readings in this Sabbath portion from Num. 22 through 24, deal with Balaam, a practitioner of the occult who was be hired by King Balak, but the Sabbath portion is named after Balak, the king of Moab. Why is the focus placed on Balak in this title rather than Balaam, who plays the central role? What is the LORD telling us by doing this? 

     First, we will look at Moab and its god. Moabites were physically related to the Israelites because they were descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot. However, Moab had turned away from the knowledge of the God of Israel and instead worshipped the god Chemosh, also known as Astar-Chemosh. The Moabites were called "the people of Chemosh" (see Num. 21:29). Chemosh was considered to be a savage god of war and was seen by the Moabites as "the subduer of the enemies of Moab." Chemosh was also called "the abomination of Moab." Chemosh was associated with the sun as well. The name of this god was invoked in curses against the enemies of Moab. Enemies of the Moabites that were killed in battle were considered by them to be sacrifices to Chemosh, who was credited with the victory. Sometimes people conquered by Moab were actually physically sacrificed to Chemosh. At one point in history, scripture says that a king of Moab sacrificed his own son and heir as a burnt offering to Chemosh on the wall of his Moabite city, desperate to escape defeat at the hands of Israel (2 Kings 3:26-27). The nations of Canaan that God had Israel come in contact with had fallen into, not just idolatry, but abomination. It is a sad fact in scripture that King Solomon introduced the worship of Chemosh to Jerusalem to please one of his foreign wives who was a Moabitess (1 Kings 11:1-8). In the case of at least Moab, they also relied upon the counsel of the occult as well, as we will see.

     The children of Israel had moved and camped in the plains of Moab: "Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.' And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time." (Num. 22:1-4). Midian, mentioned here, were allies with the Moabites.

     King Balak sought to pay with "a diviner's fee" and increasing incentives to a soothsayer of reputation named Balaam (bil'am - not of the people, a foreigner, remove garment) to curse the Israelites for him. Balaam used divination as well as soothsaying, both occultic practices. King Balak's message to Balaam regarding the Israelites said: "...see they cover (kasa - to cover, conceal, hide, hidden, clothe, garment, spread over, overwhelm, cover from sight, cover by dust or blood) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) face of the earth, and are settling next to me!...curse this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) people for me, for they are too mighty for me...for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (v. 5-6). 

     The king pointed out that the Israelites were a people that "cover the face of the earth", above. The word translated as "face" here is not the usual Hebrew word panim, but it is the word ayin, which means "eye, sight, presence, fountain, spiritual faculties, physical origin, new power of vision, give sight to the blind, opening of eyes, revive, surface of the earth, face, to flow out as water or tears." Not only do the Israelites cover the earth with new spiritual sight, or new revelation, but at the same time, the earth becomes "hidden" from those who rely on sight that is not from God. Why does the king have to hire an outside occultist to curse this "problem" for him? 

      Proverbs 25:2 says this: "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter (dabar), but the glory of kings is to search out (haqar - search out, seek out, penetrate, examine, investigate, ascertain, examine intimately) a matter (dabar)." This pertains to all kings, not just kings of Israel, as there is no distinction made here. Many foreign kings had counsels of magicians, sorcerers, soothsayers and diviners to advise them and to supernaturally "see" for them. As we find in scripture, wise kings, even if they were foreigners, recognized the special value of an Israelite who had the Spirit of God, and would promote such an Israelite into positions of advisement and authority. A wise Israelite king would have a true prophet advising and counseling him. So why did King Balak need to seek out and hire this foreign soothsayer? He must have had his own counselors in the occult, unless the presence of the Israelites had "blinded" them. 

     There's another interesting piece of information about King Balak. He is called "the son of Zippor (sipor/sapar - sparrow, small bird, twittering/to chirp, to twitter). The oral tradition of the Jews says that "Zippor" does not refer to Balak's natural father, but rather to a small bird object that was used for divination. This "bird" was made from metals and crystal stones which would be placed in the morning light to catch the rays of the sun. Then the little bird would be placed on the person's shoulder to whisper occultic insights into the person's ear. We also today have the expression "a little bird told me" when we don't want to reveal how we came to know something. Could it be that as the Israelites encamped on the plains of Moab and "covered the face of the earth", things that the occultists expected to be able to look into were no longer revealed to them, but they became hidden or "covered"? Did the "bird" of divination on his shoulder no longer have anything to whisper to him? The king might have found himself to be spiritually blind at the nearby presence of the Israelite camp! Perhaps this is an explanation of why the king had to hire the help of this foreign soothsayer to curse the Israelites. Does the presence of the "seeing" people of God cause spiritual blindness to the practitioners of the occult? Is the "sight" of the covered face of the earth become affected by the presence of the people of God?

     Before moving on with this account of King Balak, let's see the moment when the Israelites discovered that they had indeed "covered the face of the earth" with either spiritual blindness or eye-opening spiritual revelation. In Numbers 21, the Israelites found themselves encamped on the borders of the Amorites and the Moabites on the side of the Arnon (arnon/ranan - rushing stream/overcome, sing, rejoice, shout aloud, give a ringing cry in joy, exultation and praise, cry aloud in exhortation of wisdom) river (v. 13). God gave Moses the promise that He would give them water, and the Israelites began to sing this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) song: "Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it - The well the leaders sank (hapar - search out, seek, explore), dug (kara - pierce, open, to give a banquet or feast) by the nation's nobles, by the lawgiver with their staves." A well or fountain was opened in this place. It was not only a well of water, but of "searched out" and perceived revelation, in this case of the Messiah/Christ, the One who was pierced, and the One who will attend the marriage banquet with His Bride to shouts of great rejoicing in heaven (Rev. 19:6-9).

     Back to the account of King Balak and the soothsayer hired to see and curse the people of Israel. Unfortunately for the king's plan, we find out that God had told the soothsayer that he could not curse the Israelites because they were already blessed by Him (Num. 22:12). Also, in an interesting turn of events, the soothsayer became spiritually blind. His donkey could see the Angel of the LORD standing in the middle of the road with a drawn sword, but Balaam the soothsayer repeatedly could not see the Angel until "the LORD opened (gala - uncover, be disclosed, be revealed, lay bare) Balaam's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes (ayin - see above)." (Num. 22:31).

     The king met Balaam the soothsayer at the same place that the Israelites had celebrated and sang about the digging of the well above (Num. 22:36). The next day, the king took the soothsayer to the high places (bama - high place, battlefield, victory, dominion, sepulchral mound) of Ba'al (a false Canaanite/Babylonian god) "that from there he might observe (ra'a - see, look, behold, seer, have vision, be visible) the extent (qase/qasa - end, edge, extremity, the whole/cut off, cut down, scrape off, break off, exterminate, finish, destroy people) of the people." (Num. 22:41). The purpose was for Balaam to spiritually "see" the extermination of the Israelites. Then Balaam the soothsayer went to a desolate height (sepi/sapa - barren height, baldness, nakedness [uncovered]/to sweep bare, to scrape off), but the LORD met him there and put a word in his mouth (v. 3-5). Balaam could only speak the word that the LORD had placed in his mouth, which was to bless Israel. The king was very unhappy. He took the soothsayer to a different place: "Then Balak said to him, 'Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there." (Num. 23:13). Taking the soothsayer to a different physical place was done with the hope that the soothsayer would then be able to see what the king wanted him to see - the destruction of the Israelites. But the LORD again met Balaam there and put a word in his mouth, and Balaam could only speak a great blessing towards Israel, including: "For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel." (v. 23). The king was getting desperate and took Balaam to yet another place, to the top of Peor (Ba'al Peor/pa'ar - place where the idol Ba'al was worshipped by Moabite women prostituting themselves/gaping mouth of a ravenous beast) that overlooks the wasteland (yeshimon/yasam - desolate place, to ruin, laid waste) (v. 27-28). 

     This time, however, Balaam did not use sorcery but "raised (nasa - lift up, bear up, be exalted, forgive) his eyes (ayin - see above), and saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Israel encamped according to their tribes (sebet - rod, staff, branch, royal scepter as a mark of authority, tribe, a scion [meaning a notable descendant]); and the Spirit of God came upon him." He said: "...the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened (satam - unclosed, unveiled), who hears the words of God, who sees the vision (mahaze/haza - a vision in the ecstatic state/see perceive, look, prophesy, to have a vision) of the Almighty, who falls down (napal - fall down, lie prostrate, die, slay, smite out, falling in battle) with eyes wide open..." (Num. 24:1-4).

     The vision Balaam saw of Israel was glorious, including its coming King who will have an exalted kingdom. The end of Balaam's prophetic word regarding Israel was: "Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you." (v. 9). In having this vision by the Spirit of God, Balaam wasn't looking down from Peor, but he had raised his eyes.

     Now having both experienced and reported his vision to the Moabite king, one would assume that both Balak's and Balaam's lives would have been changed. Instead of seeking the extermination of Israel, it would have been wiser for these two men to align themselves with those to whom God had shown such history and world changing favor. However, this is not the case with spiritual blindness, even after God has allowed a person to "see". Both men continued on their paths of trying to exterminate the children of Israel. It is difficult for us to understand their choice.

     Isaiah described spiritual blindness this way in a prophecy to God's own people. The Lord said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed." (Isa. 6:9-10, Isa. 44:18, Mt. 13:10-17). Paul described the spiritual blindness that had come upon Israel in regard to their Messiah/Savior as being "blinded" with the veil that remained unlifted. The veil can only be taken away in Christ, Paul wrote. (2 Cor. 3:14-18). The Gospels tell of several of the physically blind who cried out to Jesus, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me", to heal their eyes and restore their sight, and He did (Lk. 18:35-43). However, the spiritual blindness of Israel that Paul spoke of would one day be removed. "All Israel shall be saved" according to God's covenant promise to them, Paul wrote, when God's prophetic timeline concerning the Gentiles is accomplished (Rom. 11:25-27). When Paul's own spiritual and physical blindness towards his salvation in Christ was removed, it is described in scripture: "Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized." (Acts 9:18-18). 

     Sometimes it seems that we take pride in our ability to spiritually "see" what the Lord reveals to us. However, it is not an occasion for pride, but for falling to our knees and thanking Him for removing our spiritual blindness by His grace and allowing us to see. Jesus told His disciples: "...blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear."

     In other selections from this week's Balak Sabbath reading portion, God's people are warned to remember the lesson of King Balak and Balaam. Joshua delivered the Word of the LORD to the children of Israel, after they had settled in the land promised to them by God, to remind them of His interventions on their behalf from the beginning of their history. In part, the LORD told them: "Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he (Balaam) continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand." (Josh. 24:9-10). The LORD considered the incident of King Balak and Balaam the soothsayer to be so important that He mentioned it among His great deliverances of Israel.

     In another reading from this Sabbath, the prophet Micah brought the Word of the LORD, which was a call for Israel to return to Him. The LORD said: "O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Acacia Grove (Shittim - "scourging", border valley in the land of Moab in the east) to Gilgal ("rolling away", on west coast of Palestine), that you may know the righteousness of the LORD....He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Mic. 6:5, 8, see also Ps. 103:11-14). When the LORD removes the spiritual blindness from the eyes of His people, or blinds the eyes of His enemies, it is for the purpose of His people intimately knowing His righteousness. He expects us to "see" and live by what He has "shown" us.

     If you would like to know more about spiritual sight, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, You open the blind eyes and cause them to see. Lord, if there is any spiritual blindness in my eyes, remove it. Lord, let me appreciate the spiritual eyes that you have opened for me for my life, and show me how to humbly walk with You. As I speak Your name to others, Jesus, please use the occasion to remove any spiritual blindness in them and to open their (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes. As I read Your Word, Jesus, allow the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to see its depth and wonders. Let my heart and my life be changed by what You show me. My song is "Spring up, O well!" within me. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Ordinance

     Our Sabbath reading portion for this week is titled Chukkot, meaning "Ordinances of", and begins in Numbers Ch. 20. The Hebrew title Chukkot comes from the words hukka/hoq/haqaq which mean "statute, ordinance, limit, law, that which is established or defined/ordinance, bounds, commandments, boundary, decrees/decree, cut out, engrave, inscribe, govern, law giver, cut upon, mark out, cut in stone, a scepter, carve out like a grave or sepulcher in a rock." The ordinances of God are "set in stone" as the meaning of the word in Hebrew describes above. They are immutable (unchanging over time, unable to be changed-see Mal. 3:6, Heb. 13:8) by any natural means. We should keep in mind when considering the ordinances of God that there are two powerful and prophetic precedents that were established before the law was given to Israel from Mt. Sinai through Moses: covenant and grace. Covenant promises kept the LORD from completely wiping out the children of Israel, although they broke His ordinances (Mal. 3:6-7). Noah found grace in the eyes of God even though "all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth" and "every intent of the thoughts of his (man's) heart was only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5-13). However, neither of these two preceding conditions were intended to encourage the breaking of God's ordinances, and that without consequence (Rom. 6:1-2, 15-16). Neither covenant nor grace, however, means that we can continue to sin against the ordinances of God. These ordinances are to become written in our hearts so that we can live them as a testimony of God before men.

     In our Sabbath reading portion, Chukkot, or "Ordinances of", the children of Israel, the whole congregation (eda/ed - appointed meeting/witness, testimony, evidence), were in Kadesh (qades - holy, consecrated to God, consecrated to licentious idolatry) in the Wilderness of Zin (flat, to prick), a desert region. So God has directed His people to this specific place for an appointed meeting, to testify of His ordinances as witnesses. This place, Kadesh, can either be a place of holiness before the LORD or a place for the worship of idols by sexual uncleanness and soul-demeaning and soul-destroying perversion according to the meaning of the name. Imagine the spirits of wickedness that were to be found in this place, but God's assembly had been specifically brought to this dry place to witness and testify of Him, of His ordinances that limit and set boundaries against wickedness in the spirit. Not only do God's ordinances set boundaries against spirits of wickedness, bringing judgment to them, but we will see that there is a prophetic declaration hidden in these ordinances that would speak to generations ahead. However, because this place was such an important spiritual battleground, there would be serious challenges to the testimony of God's people here.

     The first challenge to the souls of Moses and the people of God that we find out about in Num. 20:1 is the fact that Miriam, Moses' sister died and was buried there in Kadesh. Miriam played an important role in preserving Moses' life when he was a baby, and she was a prophetess to the congregation (Ex. 15:20-21).  Then the congregation rose up against Moses and Aaron because there was no water in that place: "And the people contended (rib - strive, contend, debate, quarrel, wrangle, grapple, rebuke, to pull, to rend each other's garments, to contend with the hand in blows) with Moses and spoke, saying: "If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! Why have you brought up the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us to come up (ala- ascend, come up, offering, light, increase, raised, arose, go up, be exalted) out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place (maqom/qum - standing place, station, office, habitation, condition/to arise, stand up, become powerful, raise up)? It is not a place of grain (zera/zara  - seed, sowing, fruitful, seedtime, harvest/sow seed, yielding seed, to become pregnant) or figs (te'ena -tree having large leaves for shade covering, comfort) or vines or pomegranates (rimmon/raman - pomegranate fruit or tree/to be exalted, be lifted up, to be high, rise up); nor is there any water to drink." (v. 3-5). Contrary to what the congregation spoke, we know that it was not Moses who directed the congregation of Israel to this place, Kadesh, but the pillars of fire and smoke of God. The LORD instructed Moses to gather the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) assembly, and take the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rod, and He said: "Speak (dabar) to the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rock before their eyes, and I will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock..." (v. 7-8). However, instead of speaking to the rock, Moses lifted his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) hand and struck (naka - smite, slay, kill, beat, slaughter, wounded, stricken, stripes, scourge, give a thrust, ravage, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy, to pierce through, to pierce into) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rock twice with the rod. Water did come out of the rock abundantly. Psalm 78:16-17 describes the water that came from this rock: "He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness."

     It is revealed in the New Testament that this rock which carried abundant water was Messiah/Christ in their midst (1 Cor. 10:4), and it is "the Rock of our salvation" that is mentioned in connection to the rebellion in the wilderness in Ps. 95, which is another reading portion from this Chukkat Sabbath. We can also see the same wounds and death that were inflicted upon Christ expressed above in the word for "struck", which is naka. This rock had been "struck" earlier by God's command (Ex. 17:6), but was not meant by God to be struck again. It is an ordinance of God as revealed in the New Testament that Christ was to die once for sin for all time (Rom. 6:9-11, Heb. 9:25-28, Heb. 10:12-14, 1 Pet. 3:18).

     Considering this, the Book of Hebrews also revealed the understanding of the importance of this act of Moses by saying that one's unbelief, after having already seen and experienced the enlightenment of God and the Holy Spirit through Jesus, crucifies Jesus again, and puts Christ to open shame (Heb. 6:4-6). The LORD said the same thing to Moses: "...you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) assembly into the land which I have given them." (Num. 20:12). It is possible that Moses must had some understanding of who the rock truly represented, but if he did not, his failure to follow the ordinance of God given to him, caused him to lose entrance into the promised land. This seems a severe consequence, but Moses did not lose his life for breaking this ordinance. God's people were brought to this place of Kadesh to shame the spiritual strongholds of wickedness through the (prophetic) ordinances of God, not to shame the LORD!

     Some people say, "If I ever saw a miracle, I would believe in God." However, the congregation of Israel, anointed and appointed to carry the testimony of God both within the Ark and within their hearts and mouths, saw miracles too many to count, yet they contended against Moses and the LORD repeatedly in unbelief (see also Num. 21:4-9). We look at these accounts and wonder how Israel could have failed to trust the LORD, yet we, who have been miraculously given the gift of salvation through the knowledge of Christ, often speak unbelief and contention, although we may deny it. As with Israel, this is our biggest challenge, and this is where the spirits of wickedness succeed in the spiritual battle against us. However, the scripture says: "...the accuser (kategoros - incl. Satan) of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Rev. 12:10-11).

     If you would like to learn more about the ordinances of God and their application in our lives, you can pray with me: "LORD God, Your Word is bread for me that feeds my life. Forgive me when I speak thoughtlessly or in unbelief. Forgive me when my testimony is weakened by unbelief and rebellion. Jesus urged us to be overcomers by the Word and the Spirit, to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches, and I want to be that living testimony of Your glory. All things are possible with You, Lord, and as You direct me, let my mouth speak, and my feet walk. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit who will give me the Words I am to say and pray, and will direct my testimony. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Sent

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Korach, which means "Bald". This title comes from the beginning of the reading portion in Numbers 16: "Now Korah (qorah/qarah - bald/to be bald, to make bald, make oneself bald because of anyone's death) the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up (qum - rise up, stood up, arise, raise, to raise oneself, to stand, to establish) before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown." (Num. 16:1-2). Korah, spoken of in these verses, was the great-grandson of Levi and was one of the Levites who served in the tabernacle.

     These last few weeks we have seen the element of "rising, lifting up, exalting" being an important theme in the Sabbath readings. The Hebrew words nasa and ala were used to express this. We see this "rising, lifting up" theme again this week, but in a rebellious act against God: "They (those named above) gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, 'You take too much (rab/rabab - many, great, captain, greatly increase, officer, prince, much, a master, magnitude/be or become much, become great, increase, multiplied) upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt (nasa - to lift up, bear up, to sustain, forgive, exalt, to increase) yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (v. 3).

     This is called "Korah's Rebellion", although Korah made sure to enlist the support of 250 of the leaders (nasi/nasa - prince, captain, chief, ruler, one lifted up, exalted one, vapor or mist which ascends) of Israel. This rebellion, however, was founded in a lie. The rebels accused Moses and Aaron of having taken the role of leadership upon themselves, exalting themselves above the other Israelites. We know that the LORD called a reluctant Moses to this office of leadership, and He appointed Aaron also (Ex. 3:9-11, Ex. 4:10-17). Neither Moses nor Aaron appointed themselves, nor considered their roles to be something to be desired. We also know that privately, Moses cried to the LORD as he felt overwhelmed by the position to which the LORD had appointed him (Num. 11:11-14). During a previous painful rebellion against Moses' leadership from within his own family, the scriptures noted: "Now the man Moses was very (meod - exceedingly, greatly, very, utterly) humble (anav/ana - very meek, humble, poor, lowly/be bowed down, humble, to stoop, humble oneself, looking down, chasten self, submit oneself), more than all men who were on the face of the earth." (Num. 12:3).

     It is also interesting that the first thing that Moses did on hearing the false accusation that he had lifted himself was to physically lower himself: "So when Moses heard it, he fell (napal - fall down, cast down, lay, overthrow, prostrate oneself before, perish, slay, throw down) on his face..." (v. 4). He then told Korah that it will be the LORD who will choose who is to come near to Him (v. 5-7, see also Ezek. 44:15-16, Num. 17:5). Moses also said, "...you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for I have not done them of my own will...these men have rejected the LORD." (v. 28, 30). It is fitting that the LORD chose to deal with those who "rose up" before Moses by sending them downward: "Now it came to pass, as he (Moses) finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them (Korah, Dathan and Abiram and families), and the earth opened its (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down (yarad - go downwards, descend, fell, sink down, be prostrate, lay prostrated, bring down) alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished among the assembly...And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense." (v. 31-33, 35).

     The Levites had been chosen by God to serve in the tabernacle, but Korah coveted a "higher" position, even the positions of Moses and Aaron, who were themselves Levites. As Moses pointed out, these rebellious Levites were not rejecting Moses but the LORD. 

     In another reading portion from this Sabbath, we see the same thing again. The appointed priest, judge and prophet of Israel, Samuel, had been rejected by the people of Israel who wanted a king instead like the nations around them. This choice made perfect sense to the people of Israel. Samuel was old, his sons were corrupt, and there was an enemy king, Nahash (nahas - serpent, dragon, snake, viper, image of a serpent, practice divination, soothsayer, use sorcery) of the Ammonites threatening them. However, in all of their thinking, they forgot that it was through the anointed and appointed office of Samuel as priest, judge, and prophet of Israel that caused the LORD to save them from the attacking Philistines just shortly before this incident. How short people's memories are! Not only that, but the LORD then kept the Philistines from harming Israel for the rest of Samuel's life. Israel also had peace with the Amorites (see 1 Sam. 7:7-14). This is exactly how the LORD miraculously works through His appointed servants in leadership on behalf of His people and their nation. The LORD assured Samuel that it was not he, Samuel, who had been rejected by the people, but they had rejected the LORD from reigning over them in favor of a king. (1 Sam. 8:6-9). 

     After Samuel had anointed Saul as their first king as the LORD had instructed him to do, Samuel began to teach Israel of the wickedness they had truly done by this, and what would befall them as a result of removing the LORD from reigning over them: "It is the LORD who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt...your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place." (1 Sam. 12:6, 8). Samuel told the people how the LORD had later heard their cries, even though they had sinned in the worship of false gods. They were being oppressed by enemies and the LORD sent deliverers to rescue them: "And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us,' when the LORD God was your king." (v. 11-12). Because they had been wicked and chosen a king from among themselves rather than the LORD, Samuel said that he would call on the LORD to send thunder and rain upon the wheat crop that was then ready to be harvested, which would damage the crop (v.16-17). The people feared the LORD and Samuel when this sign came to pass, and Samuel said to them, "Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider the great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king." (v. 24-25).

     The LORD had exalted this small nation of people to be the only nation on earth to be supernaturally ruled and prospered directly by Him, but they preferred the rule of a man. The LORD had covered them and heard their cries for help and answered them, but they exchanged that covering for a king who was a man like them.

     There are many nations around the world facing wars, terrors, oppression, famine, drought, economic instability, and violence and crime, including my own nation. All of these conditions are prophesied in scripture and will grow torturously worse (Mt. 24, Lk. 21:5-36). These nations, like Israel in scripture above, prefer to rely upon their kings, presidents, prime ministers, dictators, tyrants, legislatures and courts to provide answers and deliverance. They refuse to turn to the LORD or to call upon His anointed and appointed spiritual leadership whom He has set in every nation on earth. My own nation's founding documents acknowledge the all-powerful and merciful hand of God in the establishing of my country, but this same nation has done all that they can to eliminate God from the hearts and minds of its people, and my nation as a result is in deep trouble. However, this Sabbath reading portion Korach, or "Bald", is a timely reminder that we have a miraculous resource available to us which we can no longer neglect. I will be praying that all leadership in my nation begin to reach out to the truly anointed and appointed spiritual leaders that the LORD has provided for such a time as this.

      Paul wrote this regarding all in authority over us: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim. 2:1-4). Are we praying for those in authority over us? The Lord will move through our prayers for them, to save souls and to provide a blessing for our lives.

     This is an age of lawlessness. Even the Church of believers in Christ often fail to acknowledge the role that anointed and appointed spiritual leadership provides in our lives, and instead, challenge and criticize that leadership at every opportunity. Jesus wept as He prophetically observed the terror that would be coming upon Jerusalem. Jesus wanted to gather them under His protective wings, but they refused (Mt. 23:37-39). The Lord moves miraculously through our anointed and appointed spiritual leaders to guide His people safely through danger. By weakening or removing the covering of the spiritual leadership that Jesus has provided and appointed to those who believe in Him, we become spiritually "bald" like Korah. We think to pull down our spiritual leaders in an effort to "lift up" ourselves into a higher position, but it is the Lord who determines who may come near to Him. Instead, the quickest way to "fall lower" is to disregard those appointed by Him, thereby disregarding Him who is head of all things to the church (Eph. 1:19-23). We believers have also begun to rely upon the political leadership of men as the Israelites did, rather than the rulership of the LORD. Our times are too dangerous for this choice.

     If you would like to know more about the importance of the LORD's appointed covering, you can pray with me: "Dear Father, forgive me for relying upon man instead of You. Forgive me for weakening Your covering over me, my family and my nation because of the rebellion in my heart. By Your Spirit, help me to seek Your face at every turn of events, and to believe Your Word which was given for my benefit. Help me to lift the arms of Your anointed servants, rather than pulling their arms down. I pray also for the heart of my nation, Lord, that we may turn back to You, our only true God, whose arms are always outstretched towards us. Have mercy and forgive our stubbornness, revive us, renew us, visit us, save us. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.