Introduction to Parashat
42:
“Vows and oaths – The Torah introduces a chapter which
upon reflection, gives a person the right to do something heretofore could only
be done by YHVH: to create a new halachic status. By pronouncing a sort of vow
or oath set forth in the passage, a person is given the power to invoke a
“neder” a vow or oath, thereby placing upon himself or others, or upon objects
of his choice, a status equivalent to that of a commandment of the Torah. It
must be understood that there is no English equivalent for the word “neder”;
for lack of anything closer, it is translated a
“vow” –Stones Chumash.
The title of this parasha “mattot” implies that YHVH
has given us in the Messiah an opportunity to be part of a greater family –
“Restored Yisrael”- a new halachic status. The members of this family come from
both houses of Yisrael, Yahudah and Ephraim as well as gentiles from the
nations. YHVH is NO respecter of persons and in Messiah Yahshua those who are
“called out” of the nations and respond in obedience to the calling of the
Ruach Ha Kodesh and walk in a manner pleasing to the Master in obedience to His
Torah may be included in this restored house of Yisrael. In other words only through our faith in
the shed blood of Messiah as an atoning offering for our sins and His
intercessory ministry towards us, to include us into the restored Yisrael, are
we able to enter into His kingdom. This restored house of Yisrael will
serve as a “halachic guide” to all nations. It will serve as a guiding light to
the gentiles. (“Mattot” is also the Hebrew word for a branch of a vine or a rod
or staff)
The number 42 is
very important number throughout the Scripture. It’s connected to our
deliverance from bondage from slavery, iniquity and sin. It’s connected to
being able to come into His Presence through The Cohen Ha Gadol (Yahshua). At
the end of the age there will be witnesses that rise up (Revelation 11) and
testify for 42 months.
·
Forty-two journeys
through the wilderness (Parashat Massei)
·
Forty-two generations
between Adahm and Yahshua
·
Forty-two = the
gates of the Most Set Apart place – 6 by seven cubits
·
Forty-two letters
engraved on Moshe Rabainu’s staff*
·
Baalam made
forty-two offerings to Balak
·
Two segments of
forty-two at the end of time. Called the seven years, the time of distress, the
time of Yakov’s/Jacob’s trouble – final Shmita year-the year of our release
·
Forty-two months of
the tribulation
·
The two witnesses
testify for 1260 days. Using a 30 day month = forty-two months
All the vowels
therefore point to the fact that they are “in YHVH’s Hand” (Be Yad YHVH, hwhy dyb = 42). This is alluded to in the verse, “Let us fall in YHVH’s Hand,
for His mercies are great, but let me not fall in the hand of man.” (2 Samuel
24:14).
Their mystery is:
Eloha hwla = 42
My only One ydyxy = 42
In the ((Beit and memsofit) = 42
My heart ybl = 42
Will be worthy. hkzy = 42
And this mystery is
Enough! Enough! Enough! yd yd yd = 42
Eloha hwla = 42
My only One ydyxy = 42
In the ((Beit and memsofit) = 42
My heart ybl = 42
Will be worthy. hkzy = 42
And this mystery is
Enough! Enough! Enough! yd yd yd = 42
Introduction to Parashat
43:
“Massei” means an “exodus, journey, a march, point of
reference, station, a pulling up of stakes, breaking camp, a journey repeated
again and again.” The term refers both
to the places where the children of Yisrael camped and to the journeys between
those places.
“Massei”
is the plural possessive of “massah”, and implies that we who are believers in
Yahshua will be known by our ownership of these journeys.
“Massei” prophetically describes our journey and the kind of life we
will live here on earth, if we love YHVH and walk according to His Torah. This
kind of lifestyle appears contrary to the kind of messages proclaimed by the motivational
sermons we hear from many pulpits today.
There may be a profound
connection to between these two Torah portions. “Mattot” reminds us of oaths
and promises that we or our forefathers have made that have brought us into
bondage. Generational sins can bring all kinds of demonic strongholds over our
lives. We see this in a general sense in that most of our forefathers made a
determined decision to disobey the Torah of YHVH, they made covenants and
promises to teachings and teachers who did not consider Torah observance
important.
Now we must go through 42
stages in the wilderness of this life to free ourselves of the bondages that
have come upon us generationally (Parashat Massei). There are NO SHORT CUTS.
These destructive vows (generational sins) which bind us will be dealt with
during our “42 stages” of pilgrimage while here on earth. We see that when Yashua was filled with the Ruach
(Spirit), he was immediately led into the wilderness for 40 days. The Ruach of YHVH will also lead us into the
wilderness where He will seek intimacy with us and cleanse and free us from all
obstacles that hinder our fellowship with Him. When we become aware of these
obstacles and bondages we should humble ourselves and repent and trust Him to
break and deliver us from all such bondages and demonic strongholds.
The Hebrew letters of
“neder” or “oath” is spelled in the Hebrew with the letters “ nun, daleth and
reish.” “Nun can mean fish action or seed, “daleth” can man door or follow
through. “Reish” can mean the head of
man.
Together we could say “
Actions will follow through the door to the seed of your generations and land
upon men’s heads.”
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam,
asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH,
noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the
peoples, and have given us your Torah.
Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah.
Ameyn.)
Torah Readings (when Mattot and Massei are
read together):
1. 30:2 – 31:12
2. 31:13-54
3. 32:1 –
32:19
4. 32:20 –
33:49
5. 33:50 –
34:15
6. 34:16 –
35:8
7. 35:9 –
36:9
8. Maftir:
36:10-13
Haftarah
(when Mattot and Massei are read together): Jeremiah 2:4 – 2:28; 3:4
Aliyah
Rishon 30:2-31:12
Amongst other things, this portion of scripture
teaches us the principle of authority and submission:
A man is under the authority of YHVH (also accountable to leaders) 30:1-2.
A man is under the authority of YHVH (also accountable to leaders) 30:1-2.
An unmarried woman in the house of her father is under
the authority of her father, 30:3-5
A married woman is under the authority of her husband,
30:6-8
Num 30:1 And
Mosheh spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Yisra’ĕl,
saying, “This is the word which יהוה has commanded:
Num 30:2 “When
a man vows a vow to יהוה, or swears an oath to bind himself
by some agreement, he does not break his word, he does according to all that
comes out of his mouth.
Num
30:3 “Or if a woman vows a vow to יהוה, and
binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth,
Denying
of self leads to purity, purity leads to set apartness, set apartness leads to
humility, humility leads to fear of sin, fear of sin leads to righteous living,
righteous living leads to the [possession of] the Ruach Ha Kodesh, and the
Ruach Ha Kodesh leads to eternal life.(Talmud, Avodah Zarah 20b)”
Rom 8:11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised יהושע (Y’shua) from the dead dwells in you, He who raised
Messiah from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies through His
Spirit dwelling in you.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of
Elohim, these are sons of Elohim.
Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage
again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,
“Abba, Father.”
Like with Yahshua the
Ruach will always lead us into the wilderness and the Ruach of YHVH will guide
us and bring us into the true family of Yisrael.
The
Torah does not teach us to abstain from vows. Yahshua warned about vows because
people were taking them so lightly. (Mat 5:33-37)
Some
have such a desire to be more committed to YHVH and His Torah that they may
feel a need to make special promises or abstain from certain pleasures for a
season so that they may draw closer to Him.
Num 30:4 and her
father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her
father has kept silent towards her, then all her vows shall stand, and every
agreement with which she has bound herself stands.
Num 30:5 “But if
her father forbids her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her
agreements by which she has bound herself stand. And יהוה pardons her, because her father has
forbidden her. (Kelly this is what your parents did for you)
Num 30:6 “But if
she at all belongs to a husband, while bound by her vows or by a rash utterance
from her lips by which she bound herself,
Num 30:7 and her
husband hears it, and he has kept silent towards her on the day that he hears,
then her vows shall stand, and her agreements by which she bound herself do
stand.
Num 30:8 “But if
her husband forbids her on the day that he hears it, then he has nullified her
vow which she vowed, and the rash utterance of her lips by which she bound
herself, and יהוה pardons
her.
Num 30:9 “But any
vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which she has bound herself, stands
against her.
Num 30:10 “And if
she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an
oath,
Num 30:11 and her
husband heard it, and has kept silent towards her and did not forbid her, then
all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself
stands.
Num 30:12 “But if
her husband clearly nullified them on the day he heard them, then whatever came
from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her, it
does not stand – her husband has nullified them, and יהוה pardons her.
Num 30:13 “Every
vow and every binding oath to afflict her being, let her husband confirm it, or
let her husband nullify it.
Num 30:14 “But if
her husband is altogether silent at her from day to day, then he confirms all
her vows or all the agreements that bind her – he confirms them, because he
kept silent towards her on the day that he heard.
Num 30:15 “But if
he nullifies them after he has heard, then he shall bear her crookedness.”
Num 30:16 These
are the laws which יהוה commanded
Mosheh, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in
her youth in her father’s house.
Allegorically speaking we can assume that YHVH has
cancelled many of the covenants we have entered into in ignorance. We assume
this because we have not fully reaped the defilement and destruction that many
of our wrong choices which we have made.
YHVH’s “Silence” could possibly be one of the greatest
acts of judgment that can come upon man. YHVH knows the end from the beginning
and probably hands many over to do what is improper because He knows that they
have little desire to repent from wrong or do what is right. Maybe YHVH also
allows certain forbidden unions to take place so that we may come to our senses
as did the prodigal son, and we will return home with weeping and repenting.
Isa 28:16 Therefore thus said the Master יהוה, “See, I am laying in Tsiyon a
stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a settled
foundation. He who trusts shall not hasten away.
Isa 28:17 And I
shall make right-ruling the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet. And the
hail shall sweep away the refuge of lying, and the waters overflow the hiding
place.
Isa 28:18 And your
covenant with death shall be annulled, and your vision with the grave not
stand. When an overflowing scourge passes through, then you shall be trampled
down by it.
Num 31:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 31:2 “Take
vengeance for the children of Yisra’ĕl on the Miḏyanites. After that you are
to be gathered to your people.”
Num 31:3 And
Mosheh spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for the campaign,
and let them go against the Miḏyanites to take vengeance for יהוה on Miḏyan.
Num 31:4 “Send a
thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl for the campaign.”
Num 31:5 So there
were supplied from the tribes of Yisra’ĕl one thousand from each tribe, twelve
thousand armed ones for the campaign.
Num 31:6 And
Mosheh sent them on the campaign, one thousand from each tribe, them and
Pineḥas son of El’azar the priest on the campaign, with the set-apart utensils
and the trumpets for sounding in his hand.
Num 31:7 And they
fought against the Miḏyanites, as יהוה commanded Mosheh, and slew all the
males.
Num 31:8 And they
slew the sovereigns of Miḏyan with the rest of those who were pierced: Ewi,
and Reqem, and Tsur, and Ḥur, and Reḇa, the five sovereigns of Miḏyan. And they slew Bil’am son of Be’or with
the sword.
Num 31:9 And the
sons of Yisra’ĕl took all the women of Miḏyan captive, with their little ones,
and took as spoil all their livestock, and all their possessions.
Num 31:10 And they
burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their settlements.
Num 31:11 And they
took all the spoil and all the booty, both of man and beast.
Num 31:12 And they
brought the captives, and the booty, and the spoil to Mosheh, and to El’azar the
priest, and to the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to the camp in the
desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.
This was the last commandment YHVH gave to Moshe. Perhaps
the destruction of all those who cause strife will be the last event that
happens before Messiah returns.
Note how Yisrael had to be absolutely ruthless in dealing with this
problem. Everything had to be destroyed that could lead them astray again. (See
next aliyah)
Aliyah
Sheni 31:13-54
Num 31:13 And Mosheh, and El’azar the priest, and
all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.
Num 31:14
But Mosheh was wroth with the officers of the army, with the commanders
of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who had come from the campaign.
Num 31:15
And Mosheh said to them, “Have
you kept all the women alive?
Num 31:16
“Look, they are the ones who caused the children of Yisra’ĕl, through
the word of Bil’am, to trespass against יהוה in the
matter of Pe’or, and there was a plague among the congregation of יהוה.
Num 31:17 “And
now, slay every male among the little ones. And every woman who has known a man
by lying with a man you shall slay.
Num 31:18 “But
keep alive for yourselves all the female children who have not known a man by
lying with a man.
Num 31:19 “And you, camp outside the camp seven
days. Whoever
has slain any being, and whoever has touched any slain, cleanse yourselves and
your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
This also points us to the ashes of the red heifer and
the cleansing that comes from the word – Torah, given on the Third
day (third millennium) and the final cleansing that comes when the
Living Torah – Messiah comes to cleanse us on the Seventh
day (seventh millennium)
Num 31:20 “And
cleanse every garment, and every object of leather and all the work of goats’ hair,
and every object of wood.”
Num 31:21 And El’azar the priest said to the
men of the campaign who went to the battle, “This is the law of the Torah which יהוה commanded Mosheh:
Somehow this sums up all of Torah. How? One of the
central issues of Torah is to separate ourselves from all that can defile us
and be wholly set apart unto YHVH. (Term used only twice in Torah)
The “chukat” or
“statutes” only begin to make sense when seen in the light of our Messiah
Yahshua. These “chukat” unravel some of the deep mysteries of our Messiah’s
deep love and desire to be united with his bride in absolute purity. Our love
and desire to be with our Messiah king is measured by our response to these “chukat.”
The meaning of the word
“chukat” comes from the Hebrew verb “chukak” and means to cut upon, engrave or
inscribe. (The Hebrew word for “tattoo” is “kaka” (Lev 19:28) meaning no
graffiti on YHVH’s property -defilement of our temples)
Ti 2:20 But in a large house
there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some
unto value and some unto no value.
2Ti
2:21 If, then, anyone cleanses himself
from these matters, he shall be a vessel unto value, having been set
apart, of good use to the Master, having been prepared for every good work.
Num 31:22 “Only
the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
Num 31:23 every
object that passes through fire, you put through the fire, and it shall be
clean; only, let it be cleansed with the water for uncleanness. And whatever
does not pass through fire you pass through water.
Num 31:24 “And you
shall wash your garments on the seventh day and be clean, and afterwards come
into the camp.”