Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, who has made us set apart through His commandments and commanded us to actively study Torah. Please YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel. May we and our offspring, and the offspring of Your people, the House of Israel, may we all, together, know Your Name and study Your Torah for the sake of fulfilling Your desire. Blessed are You, YHVH, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel. Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, King of the universe, Who chose us from all the nations and gave us the Torah. Blessed are You, YHVH, Giver of the Torah.
This Torah portion ‘’bemidbar’’ or ‘’in the wilderness’’ has a prophetic message for us in the present world -yhe wide epidemic and the consequent economic and social crisis’s many face in our time.
One of the trending social media topics addresses the issue of a
so-called ‘’new world order’’.
This Torah portion establishes YHVH’s ancient world order for those He
has called out and set-apart for Himself.
Isa 8:17 And I shall
wait on יהוה, who hides
His face from the house of Ya‛aqoḇ. And I shall look for Him.
Isa 8:18 Look, I and
the children whom יהוה has given
me – for signs and wonders in Yisra’ěl from יהוה of hosts, who dwells in Mount
Tsiyon.
Isa 8:19 And when
they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and
mutter,” should not a people seek their Elohim? Should they seek the dead on
behalf of the living?
Isa 8:20 To the
Torah and to the witness! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is
because they have no daybreak.a Footnote: aOr light.
Isa 8:22 And they
shall look to the earth and see distress and darkness, gloom of hard times, and
be driven into thick darkness.
Isa 8:11 For יהוה spoke thus
to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way
of this people, saying,
Isa 8:12 “Do not
say, ‘A conspiracy,’ concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be
afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
Isa 8:13 “יהוה of hosts,
Him you shall set apart. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
Lyrics of Disney’s classic ‘’Alladin’’
A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us, "No"
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming
A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you
(Now I'm in a whole new world with you)
What does the Torah say about the
last days?
Gen 49:1 And Ya‛aqoḇ
called his sons and said, “Gather together, so that I declare to you what is to befall you in the last days: (Heb ‘’be achariet ha yamim’’)
Gen 48:16 the Angel
who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. And let my name be named on them,
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow like the fishes
into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Gen 48:17 And when
Yosěph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephrayim, it was
evil in his eyes; and he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from the
head of Ephrayim to the head of Menashsheh.
Gen 48:18 And Yosěph
said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the first-born, put
your right hand on his head.”
Gen 48:19 But his
father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also becomes a people, and
he also is great. And yet, his younger brother is greater than he, and his seed
is to become the completeness of the nations.” (Heb ‘’ mello ha goyim’’)
Gen 48:20 And he
blessed them on that day, saying, “In you Yisra’ěl shall bless, saying, ‘Elohim
make you as Ephrayim and as Menashsheh!’ ” Thus he put Ephrayim before
Menashsheh.
Rom 11:25 For I do
not wish you to be ignorant of this secret, brothers, lest you should be wise
in your own estimation, that hardening in part has come over Yisra’ěl, until
the completeness of the nations[a]has come in. Footnote: a Gen_48:19.
‘’The "Fulness of the Gentiles" is
the time when Gentile dominion on the earth ends, and the visible theocratic
kingdom on earth once again begins. When the theocratic kingdom on earth ended
with the departure of the esteem of YHVH (before the Babylonian Captivity) as
described in the Book of Ezekiel, the Hebrew Scriptures from that time forward
then referenced Gentile powers as the mirror of time. The Gentile rulership
(when the theocratic kingdom on earth ended) had begun at the time of the
Babylonian Captivity, and continues to this day, and therefore the fulfilment
("fulness") of the Times of the Gentiles awaits a future day, when
the visible theocratic kingdom will once again be established on earth.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the theocratic kingdom began at Sinai, when the
esteem of Yahveh dwelt in the Tabernacle and later in Solomon's Temple. First Moshe,
the judges, and then the Jewish kings were the representatives of the
leadership of this theocratic kingdom on earth.
So the "Times of the Gentiles" refers to this indefinite period
of time on earth, which will one day end when the Messiah comes back to earth
to re-establish YHVH’s rule and authority on the earth, when "the nations
will be broken with a rod of iron and shattered like earthenware" (Ps 2:9 with Rev 2:26-27, Rev 12:5, and Rev 19:15). The Apostle Paul is making the same reference to
the fulfilment of the Times of the Gentiles, which will inaugurate the Tzionic
era.’’
Isa 14:1
Because יהוה has
compassion on Ya‛aqoḇ, and shall again choose Yisra’ěl,[a] and give them rest
in their own land. And the strangers shall join them, and they shall cling to
the house of Ya‛aqoḇ.[b] Footnotes: aSee Isa_45:17, Jer_30:11, Jer_46:28,
Dan_2:44, Amo_9:8, Zec_1:16-17, Zec_2:10-12, Joe_3:16.
bSee Isa_56:6-8 and Isa_60:3, Amo_9:12, Zec_2:11, Zec_8:23,
Rom_11:17-24, Rev_21:24.
Isa 14:2 And peoples
shall take them and bring them to their own place. And the house of Yisra’ěl
shall possess them for servants and female servants in the land of יהוה. And they
shall make captives of their captors, and rule over their oppressors.
We have a King a Kingdom and a Constitution – Yahshua, Yisrael and the
Torah.
So we too as this Torah portion teaches, will be prepared in the wilderness
during the last days (Hosea 2:14-23) before we enter the land – crossing the
Jordan …….
Act 3:20 and that He
sends יהושע Messiah,
pre-appointed for you,
Act 3:21 whom heaven
needs to receive until the times of restoration of all matters, of which
Elohim spoke through the mouth of all His set-apart prophets since of
old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9o4Rz-qJgk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XBLVDXoek
Num 2:14
Then the tribe of Gaḏ, and the leader of
the children of Gaḏ: Elyasaph, son of Reʽuw’ĕl.
Num
2:15 And his army with their registered
ones: forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
Num
2:16 All the registered ones of the camp
of Re’uḇĕn, according to their
divisions: one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty. And they
are the second to depart.
Num
2:17 And the Tent of Meeting, the camp
of the Lĕwites, shall move out in the middle of the camps. As they camp, so
they move out, everyone in his place, by their banners.
Num
2:18 On the west side: the banner of the
camp of Ephrayim according to their divisions, and the leader of the children
of Ephrayim: Elishama, son of Ammihuḏ.
Num
2:19 And his army with their registered
ones: forty thousand five hundred.
Num
2:20 And next to him the tribe of
Menashsheh, and the leader of the children of Menashsheh: Gamli’ĕl, son of Peḏahtsur.
Num
2:21 And his army with their registered
ones: thirty-two thousand two hundred.
Num
2:22 Then the tribe of Binyamin, and the
leader of the children of Binyamin: Aḇiḏan, son of Giḏʽoni.
Num
2:23 And his army with their registered
ones: thirty-five thousand four hundred.
Num
2:24 All the registered ones of the camp
of Ephrayim, according to their divisions: one hundred and eight thousand one
hundred. And they are the third to depart.
Num
2:25 On the north side: the banner of
the camp of Dan, according to their divisions, and the leader of the children
of Dan: Aḥiʽezer, son of
Ammishaddai.
Num
2:26 And his army with their registered
ones: sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
Num
2:27 And those who camp next to him: the
tribe of Ashĕr, and the leader of the children of Ashĕr: Paḡʽi’ĕl, son of Oḵran.
Num
2:28 And his army with their registered
ones: forty-one thousand five hundred.
Num
2:29 Then the tribe of Naphtali, and the
leader of the children of Naphtali: Aḥira,
son of Ěnan.
Num
2:30 And his army with their registered
ones: fifty-three thousand four hundred.
Num
2:31 All the registered ones of the camp
of Dan: one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They depart last,
with their banners.
Num
2:32 These were registered ones of the
children of Yisra’ĕl by their fathers’ houses. All who were registered
according to their divisions of the camps: six hundred and three thousand five
hundred and fifty.
Num
2:33 But the Lĕwites were not registered
among the children of Yisra’ĕl, as יהוה commanded
Mosheh.
Num 2:34 And the children of Yisra’ĕl did according to
all that יהוה commanded Mosheh. So they camped by their
banners and so they departed, each one by his clan, according to their fathers’
houses.
Num 3:1 And these are the generations of Aharon and
Mosheh when יהוה spoke with Mosheh on Mount Sinai.
Num 3:2 And these are the names of the sons of
Aharon: Naḏaḇ, the first-born, and Aḇihu,
Elʽazar,
and Ithamar.
Num 3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aharon,
the anointed priests, whom he ordained to act as priests.
Num 3:4 And Naḏaḇ and
Aḇihu
had died before יהוה when they
brought strange fire before יהוה in the
Wilderness of Sinai. And they had no children. So Elʽazar
and Ithamar acted as priests in the presence of Aharon their father.
Num 3:5 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Lĕwi near, and set them
before Aharon the priest, and they shall serve him,
Num 3:7 and shall guard his duty and the duty of all
the congregation before the Tent of Meeting, to do the service of the Dwelling
Place.
Num 3:8 “And they shall guard all the furnishings of
the Tent of Meeting, and the duty of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to do the
service of the Dwelling Place.
Num 3:9 “And you shall give the Lĕwites to Aharon and
his sons. They are the given ones, given to him from among the children of
Yisra’ĕl.
Num 3:10 “And appoint Aharon and his sons, and they
shall guard their priesthood. And the stranger who comes near shall be put to
death.”
Num 3:11 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 3:12 “Now look, I Myself have taken the Lĕwites
from among the children of Yisra’ĕl instead of every first-born who opens the
womb among the children of Yisra’ĕl. And the Lĕwites shall be Mine,
Num 3:13 because all the first-born are Mine. On the
day that I struck all the first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, I set apart to
Myself all the first-born in Yisra’ĕl, both man and beast. They are Mine, I am יהוה.”
Significance of Tribes and Tabernacle:
1Co 10:1 For I do not
wish you to be ignorant, brothers, that all our fathers were under the cloud,
and all passed through the sea,
1Co 10:2 and all were
immersed into Mosheh in the cloud and in the sea,
1Co 10:3 and all ate the
same spiritual food,
1Co 10:4 and all drank
the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed,
and the Rock was Messiah.
1Co 10:5 However, with
most of them Elohim was not well pleased, for they were laid low in the
wilderness.
1Co 10:6 And these became examples for us, so that we should not lust after evil, as those indeed lusted.
http://njkproject.blogspot.co.za/2011/01/four-living-creatures-throughout-bible.html
A Lion is Biblically clearly identified with Judah (Gen 49:9; Rev 5:5), and an Ox is also clearly identified with Ephraim (e.g. Hos 10:11; Jer 31:18). These two locations are identified as the “right” and the “left” respectively in Ezek 1:10, which from his relative/standing perspective can be said to be his “East” and “West” respectively; and these are matched up with the cardinal locations in Num 2:3, 18. Then the Man position can also be logically assumed as being in the South = Reuben (Num 2:10), and by process of elimination, Dan was in the North and thus the Eagle (Num 2:25).
Eze 1:10
And the likeness of their faces: the face of a man, and each of the four
had the face of a lion on the right side, and each of the four had the face of
an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.
Rev 4:7
And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living
creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like a man, and
the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
Rev 4:8
And the four living creatures, each having six wings, were covered with
eyes around and within. And they do not cease, day or night, saying,
“Set-apart, set-apart, set-apart, יהוה Ěl Shaddai,
who was, and who is, and who is coming!”
Rev 4:9 And when the living creatures give esteem and
respect and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him
who sits on the throne and bow before Him who lives forever and ever, and they
cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev
4:11 “You are worthy, O יהוה, to receive esteem and respect
and power, for You have created all, and because of Your desire they are, and
were created.”
Rom 10:4
For Messiah is the goal1 of the ‘Torah unto righteousness’to
everyone who believes. Footnote: 1Or end purpose; not termination.
Four accounts of Good News in Second
Writings – four aspects of Messiah and His followers ministry and calling –
Matthew Lion; Luke Man; Mark calf and Yochanan Eagle.
Four-Fold Ministry – Part 5 – Pastors and Teachers - https://acts2024ministries.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/four-fold-ministry-part-5-pastors-and-teachers/
From The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee
Quote-“Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are our Father’s gifts to His Kehilah to serve in the ministry. Strictly speaking, shepherds and teachers are one gift, not two, because teaching and shepherding are closely related. In enumerating the gifts, apostles, prophets, and evangelists are all mentioned separately, while shepherds and teachers are linked together. Further, the first three are each prefixed by the word “some,” whereas the word “some” is attached to shepherds and teachers unitedly, thus – “some apostles,” “some prophets,” “some evangelists,” and “some shepherds and teachers,” not “some shepherds and some teachers.” The fact that the word “some” is used only four times in this list indicates that there are only four classes of persons in question. Shepherds and teachers are two in one.
Shepherding and teaching may be regarded as one ministry, because those who teach must also shepherd, and those who shepherd must also teach. The two kinds of work are interrelated. Further, the word “pastor” as applied to any person is found nowhere else in the New Testament, but the word “teacher” is used on four other occasions. Nowhere in YHVH’s Word do we find anyone referred to by name as a pastor. This confirms the fact that shepherds and teachers are one class of men.
Teachers are men who have received the gift of teaching. This is not a miraculous gift but a gift of favour, which accounts for the fact of its being omitted from the list of miraculous gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, and included in the list of the gifts of favour in Romans 12. It is a gift of favour which enables its possessors to understand the teachings of YHVH’s Word and to discern His purposes, and thus equips them to instruct His people in doctrinal matters. In the assembly in Antioch there were several such persons thus equipped, Paul included. Teachers are individuals who have received the gift of teaching from Yahshua and have been given by the YHVH to His Kehilah for its upbuilding. The work of a teacher is to interpret to others the truths which have been revealed to him and to lead believers to an understanding of YHVH’s Word. Their sphere of work is mainly among the children of God( Elohim) though at times they also teach the unsaved (1 Timothy 4:11; 6:2; 2 Timothy 2:2; Acts 4:2-18; 5:21, 25, 28, 42). Their work is more one of interpretation than of revelation, whereas the work of the prophets is one of revelation more than of interpretation.”
The purpose of the four-fold ministry is “to prepare YHVH’s people for works of service so that the body of Yahshua may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of YHVH and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Messiah” (Ephesians 4:12-13).
There’s something wrong with the church today. And the problem is that the church has left one man in charge of what’s supposed to be a four-fold ministry. Sure, we have counsel, board of directors, elders, deacons, etc. But YHVH in his Word says that he gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, so that the body of Messiah may grow to a state of full maturity. There’s a reason why he said it. We find it in verses 14 through 16 of Ephesians 4. The Word of YHVH says, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Messiah. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Now, I hope we really do notice what the Word of YHVH emphasizes here. The reason of the four-fold ministry is that we would no longer be swayed by false teachings, but know the truth. We must be founded properly in order to understand and receive YHVH’s truth. YHVH, through his Word, establishes the foundations of the Kehelah so that it may grow to its full-blown maturity.
Brothers and sisters, we have a problem. I am not saying that we should not have a shepherd, deacons, and elders in the assembly; but YHVH’s Word is saying that we need prophets, apostles, and evangelists, and teachers and shepherds.
The misunderstanding of this sound doctrine and what it is saying is causing a great division among the body of Yahshua, and it shows. We have wounded congregations all over the world, and it’s because the Ekklessia as a whole is not doing what YHVH’s Word says it should be doing. We should be joined and held together in unity, growing and building each other up in love as each of us does our work. But there are parts of the body missing. And when you have a body that’s missing parts, that body is not whole; it is incapacitated.
An end time generation will follow the same path as our Yisraelite forefathers. End quote.
What is “The Torah”? What does it come to say to us? If the message of the Torah could be summed up in a few lines, it might be something like this: “There is an objective, divinely ordained path of goodness and truth. YHVH has revealed this path to us at Sinai, and it has been handed down through the generations in an unbroken chain of tradition. It is this path that you should follow—not the desires of your heart or the conventions of your society.’’ (Sages of Pirkei Avot)
2Maccabees-“ We know from the records that Jeremiah the prophet instructed the people who were being taken into exile to hide some of the fire from the altar, as we have just mentioned. 2 We also know that he taught them God's Law and warned them not to be deceived by the ornamented gold and silver idols which they would see in the land of their exile. 3 And then he urged them never to abandon the Law.
4 These same records also tell us that Jeremiah, acting under divine guidance, commanded the Tent of the Lord's Presence and the Covenant Box to follow him to the mountain where Moses had looked down on the land which God had promised our people. 5 When Jeremiah got to the mountain, he found a huge cave and there he hid the Tent of the Lord's Presence, the Covenant Box, and the altar of incense. Then he sealed up the entrance.
6 Some of Jeremiah's friends tried to follow him and mark the way, but they could not find the cave. 7 When Jeremiah learned what they had done, he reprimanded them, saying,
No one must know about this place until God gathers his people together again and shows them mercy. 8 At that time he will reveal where these things are hidden, and the dazzling light of his presence will be seen in the cloud, as it was in the time of Moses and on the occasion when Solomon prayed that the Temple might be dedicated in holy splendour. End quote of2 Maccabees.
Will the final exiles return from the wilderness with the ark of the covenant and cross the Yarden and enter the land carrying the ark of the covenant as their ancient forefathers?
‘’ The fourth-century church fathers Eusebius and Epiphanius of Salamis cite a tradition that before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 the Jerusalem Christians had been miraculously warned to flee to Pella in the region of the Decapolis across the Jordan River. The flight to Pella probably may have included the Ebionites.’’ Wikipedia
(Blessed are you YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn