7/02/2021

Parashat 42 Portion 121 - Mattot/Tribes – Num/Bamid. 30:1 – 32:42 Josh 22:7-9 Heb 10:26-31


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 Yisrael. 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 Yisrael. 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.

Aliyah Shlishi 32:1- 32:19

Num 32:1  And the children of Re’uḇĕn and the children of Gaḏ had much livestock, a large number. And they saw the land of Yaʽzĕr (Heb – helped surrounded protected) and the land of Gilʽaḏ (Heb – witness) and saw that the place was a place for livestock.

Num 32:2  So the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn came and spoke to Mosheh, and to Elʽazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,

Num 32:3  “Ataroth, and Diḇon, and Yaʽzĕr, and Nimrah, and Ḥeshbon, and Elʽalĕh, and Seḇam, and Neḇo, and Beʽon,

Num 32:4  the land which יהוה had smitten before the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”

Num 32:5  And they said, “If we have found favour in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession, and do not let us pass over the Yardĕn.”

Num 32:6  And Mosheh said to the children of Gaḏ and to the children of Re’uḇĕn, “Are your brothers to go into the battle while you yourselves sit here?

Num 32:7  “Now why do you discourage the heart of the children of Yisra’ĕl from passing over into the land which יהוה has given them?

Num 32:8  “Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa to see the land.

Num 32:9  “For when they went up to the wadi Eshkol (Heb – cluster of grapes) and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Yisra’ĕl, so that they did not go into the land which יהוה had given them.

Num 32:10  “Then the displeasure of יהוה burned on that day, and He swore an oath, saying,

Num 32:11  ‘Not one of the men who came up from Mitsrayim, from twenty years old and above, is to see the land of which I swore to Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yaʽaqoḇ, because they did not follow Me completely, -  (ci lo milu acharai- they were not satisfied with Me)

Num 32:12  except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, the Qenizzite, and Yehoshua son of Nun, for they have followed יהוה completely.’ (ci milu acharei YHVH)

Num 32:13  “So the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the eyes of יהוה was destroyed.

Num 32:14  “And see, you have risen in your father’s place, an increase of men, sinners, to add still more the burning displeasure of יהוה against Yisra’ĕl.

Num 32:15  “For if you turn away from following Him, He shall once again leave them in the wilderness, and you shall destroy all these people.”

Num 32:16  Then they came near to him and said, “Let us build sheep-enclosures here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,

Num 32:17  but let us ourselves be armed, hastening before the children of Yisra’ĕl until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall dwell in the walled cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

Num 32:18  “We shall not return to our homes until every one of the children of Yisra’ĕl has received his inheritance.

Num 32:19  “For we shall not inherit with them on the other side of the Yardĕn and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Yardĕn.

Aliyah Reviee 32:20 – 33:49

Num 32:20  And Mosheh said to them, “If you make this promise: if you arm yourselves before יהוה for battle,

Num 32:21  and all your armed ones pass over the Yardĕn before יהוה until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,

Num 32:22  and the land has been subdued before יהוה, then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless before יהוה and before Yisra’ĕl. And this land shall be your possession before יהוה.

Num 32:23  “But if you do not do so, then see, you shall sin against יהוה, and know: your sin is going to find you out.

Num 32:24  “Build cities for your little ones and enclosures for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” (notice how Moshe changes the order around from vs 16)

Num 32:25  And the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Your servants are going to do as my master commands.

Num 32:26  “Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock are going to be there in the cities of Gilʽaḏ,

Num 32:27  but your servants are passing over, every armed one of the army, before יהוה, to battle, as my master says.”

Num 32:28  And Mosheh gave command concerning them to Elʽazar the priest, to Yehoshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 32:29  And Mosheh said to them, “If the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn pass over the Yardĕn with you, every man armed for battle before יהוה, and the land has been subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilʽaḏ as a possession.

Num 32:30  “But if they do not pass over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Kenaʽan.”

Num 32:31  Then the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn answered, saying, “As יהוה has said to your servants, so we do.

Num 32:32  “We ourselves are passing over armed before יהוה into the land of Kenaʽan, but the possession of our inheritance remains with us beyond the Yardĕn.”

Num 32:33  So Mosheh gave to the children of Gaḏ, to the children of Re’uḇĕn, and to half the tribe of Menashsheh, son of Yosĕph, the reign of Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites and the reign of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the land round about.

 

Moshe was initially not pleased with the request from Reuven and Gad, but later granted them their request because of their commitment to make sure that tribes would be established in the land of Yisrael. In hind sight it would seem that Moshe made sure half the tribe of Menasheh would stay with Reuven and Gad because Moshe knew how much Menasheh loved eretz Yisrael. (we see this love portrayed by the daughters of Tzelophad who came from the Menasheh). Moshe wanted to make sure that one day all 12 tribes would return and live in the land.

Num 32:34  And the children of Gaḏ built Diḇon and Ataroth and Aroʽĕr,

Num 32:35  and Atroth, Shophan and Yaʽzĕr and Yoḡbehah,

Num 32:36  and Bĕyth Nimrah and Bĕyth Haran, walled cities, and enclosures for sheep.

Num 32:37  And the children of Re’uḇĕn built Ḥeshbon and Elʽalĕh and Qiryathayim,

Num 32:38  Neḇo and Baʽal Meʽon – the names being changed – and Shiḇmah. And they gave other names to the cities which they built.

Num 32:39  And the sons of Maḵir son of Menashsheh went to Gilʽaḏ and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.

Num 32:40  So Mosheh gave Gilʽaḏ to Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, and he dwelt in it.

Num 32:41  And Ya’ir son of Menashsheh went and took its small towns, and called them Ḥawoth Ya’ir.

Num 32:42  And Noḇaḥ went and took Qenath and its villages, and he called it Noḇaḥ, after his own name.

Midrash.

What’s going on here in this portion?

It seems strange, even absurd, that after the 12 tribes of Israel spent 40 years wondering in the wilderness; two and a half tribes decided not to make their home in the Promised Land.

This was a historically bad choice that has repeated itself several times in Yisrael’s history.

We think of Lot who also chose to move eastward because of his livestock. The consequences were tragic.

We think of Esav, the twin brother of Yitzchac, who became the nation of Edom who caused so much hardship for Yakov and Yisrael. (Mal 1:2-3; Rom 9:13)

And now the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh also break away eastward from the other tribes from their promised inheritance.

The church like Esav, has traded its birth right for a ‘’bowl of lentil soup’’ (Gen 25:34) The church has left the ancient Hebraic paths for an exchange of a ‘’strange mixture’’ of Christianity infused with paganism.

Yahshua did not die on an execution stake and start a new religion called Christianity. Wicked men who hated the Torah started this new religion called Christianity and spawned generations of truth deniers.

What shall their end be?

 Jer 5:30  “An astounding and horrible matter has come to be in the land: 

Jer 5:31  The prophets have prophesied falsely,[b] and the priests rule by their own hand,(soul power) and My people have loved it so.[c] And what are you going to do at the end of it? Footnotes: bSee Jer_27:14-15. c Isa_30:10, 2Ti_4:3

 The Kingdom of YHVH has a King (Yahshua) a Constitution(Torah) and a Country (Yisrael)– only in these is righteousness peace and joy in the Set Apart Spirit.

 Rom 14:17  For the reign of Elohim is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Set-apart Spirit. 

Rom 14:18  For he who is serving Messiah in these matters is well-pleasing to Elohim and approved by men. 

 These two and half break away tribes were greedy for an inheritance.

Pro 20:21  An inheritance obtained with greed at the beginning Is not blessed at the end. 

 It appears they all despised their birth right and inheritance from YHVH.

 Gen 25:29  And Ya‛aqoḇ cooked a stew, and Ěsaw came in from the field, and he was weary. 

Gen 25:30  And Ěsaw said to Ya‛aqoḇ, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” That is why his name was called Eḏom. 

Gen 25:31  But Ya‛aqoḇ said, “Sell me your birthright today.” 

Gen 25:32  And Ěsaw said, “Look, I am going to die, so why should I have birthright?” 

Gen 25:33  Then Ya‛aqoḇ said, “Swear to me today.” And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Ya‛aqoḇ. 

Gen 25:34  Ya‛aqoḇ then gave Ěsaw bread and stew of lentils. And he ate and drank, and rose up and left. Thus Ěsaw despised his birthright.

Mal 1:3  but I have hated Ěsaw, and have laid waste his mountains and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 

‘’All the three tribes on the east of Yardan at length fell into complete apostasy, and the time of retribution came. YHVH "stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria," to carry them away, the first of the tribes, into captivity (1 Chr. 5:25, 26). - Easton's, The Tribe of Reuben’

The deception of these two and half tribes was deepened by their initial successes in conquering their enemies.

“Perhaps it is no coincidence that Og and Sihon, the last of the Rephaim , also connected to the Nephilim, also shrouded in mystery, dwelt in such a fortified city with a mysterious underground city as well. It is quite remarkable, when viewed in this context, that the Yisraelites, led by the men of the tribe of Manasseh, defeated the mighty King Og. These were giants, fierce warriors. The Jews, likely, were much, much smaller people. Edrei was a mighty capital for a mighty king. YHVH used the foolish, small, and insignificant of the earth to shame the mighty and proud”.

We must zealously guard our birth right and our inheritance. We have not earned it, but we must treasure and express to YHVH our deep gratitude and appreciation for allowing us to embrace it.

Rom 9:1  I speak the truth in Messiah, I do not lie, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Set-apart Spirit, 

Rom 9:2  that I have great sadness and continual grief in my heart. 

Rom 9:3  For I myself could have wished to be banished from Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh, 

Rom 9:4  who are the children of Yisra’ěl, to whom is the adoption, and the esteem, and the covenants, and the giving of the Torah, and the worship, and the promises, 

Rom 9:5  whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Messiah according to the flesh, who is over all, Elohim-blessed forever. Aměn. 

Rom 9:6  However, it is not as though the word of Elohim has failed. For they are not all Yisra’ěl who are of Yisra’ěl,a Footnote: aA play on words. See Explanatory Note on “Overcomers.” 

Rom 9:7  neither are they all children because they are the seed of Aḇraham, but, “In Yitsḥaq your seed shall be called.” Gen_21:12

Rom 9:8  That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of Elohim, but the children of the promise are reckoned as the seed. 

Rom 9:9  For this is the word of promise, “At this time I shall come and Sarah shall have a son.” Gen_18:10. 

Rom 9:10  And not only so, but Riḇqah having conceived by one, our father Yitsḥaq. 

Rom 9:11  Yet, before they were born or had done any good or evil – in order that the purpose of Elohim, according to choice, might stand, not of works but of Him who calls – 

Rom 9:12  it was said to her, “The greater shall serve the lesser,” Gen_25:23. 

Rom 9:13  as it has been written, “Ya‛aqoḇ I have loved, but Ěsaw I have hated.” Mal_1:2-3. 

Rom 9:14  What, then, shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with Elohim? Let it not be! 

Rom 9:15  For He says to Mosheh, “I shall favour whomever I favour, and I shall have compassion on whomever I have compassion.” Exo_33:19. 

Rom 9:16  So, then, it is not of him who is wishing, nor of him who is running, but of Elohim who shows favour. 

Rom 9:17  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this same purpose I have raised you up, to show My power in you, and that My Name be declared in all the earth.” Exo_9:16. 

Rom 9:18  So, then, He favours whom He wishes, and He hardens whom He wishes. 

Rom 9:19  Then you shall say to me, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His counsel?” 

Rom 9:20  But who are you, O man, to talk back to Elohim? Shall that which is formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Isa_29:16, Isa_45:9. 

Rom 9:21  Does not the potter have authority over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for value and another not for value? 

Rom 9:22  And if Elohim, desiring to show wrath, and to make His power known, with much patience tolerated the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 

Rom 9:23  and that He might make known the riches of His esteem on vessels of compassion, which He had prepared beforehand for esteem, 

Rom 9:24  even whom He called, not only us of the Yehuḏim, but also of the nations? 

Rom 9:25  As He says in Hoshěa too, “I shall call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.” Hos_2:23. 

Rom 9:26  “And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living Elohim.” Hos_1:10. 

Rom 9:27  And Yeshayahu cries out on behalf of Yisra’ěl, “Though the number of the children of Yisra’ěl be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved. Isa_10:22, Gen_22:17, Hos_1:10. 

Rom 9:28  For He is bringing a matter to an end, and is cutting it short in righteousness, because יהוה shall cut short a matter on the earth.” Isa_10:23. 

Rom 9:29  And as Yeshayahu said before, “If יהוה of hosts had not left us a seed, we would have become like Seḏom, and we would have been made like Amorah.”b Isa_1:9, Deu_29:23. Footnote: bSee Jer_49:18, Jer_50:40, Amo_4:11. 

Yisrael's Unbelief

Rom 9:30  What shall we say then? That nations not following after righteousness, have obtained righteousness, even the righteousness of belief, 

Rom 9:31  but Yisra’ěl following after the Torah of righteousness, has not arrived at the Torah of righteousness. 

Rom 9:32  Why? Because it was not of belief, but as by works of Torah. For they stumbled at the Stone of stumbling. Isa_8:14. 

Rom 9:33  As it has been written, “See, I lay in Tsiyon a Stone of stumbling and a Rock that makes for falling, and everyone who is believing on Him shall not be put to shame.” Isa_8:14, Isa_28:16. 

 Isa 8:14  “And He shall be for a set-apart place, but a stone of stumbling and a rock that makes for falling to both the houses of Yisra’ěl, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim. 

Isa 8:15  “And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken and snared and taken.” 

Isa 8:16  Bind up the witness, seal the Torah among my taught ones.

 

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 8:20  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. 

Rev 12:11  “And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb, and because of the Word of their witness, and they did not love their lives to the death. 

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim(Torah) and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah. 

‘’It was YHVH who helped the families of Avraham, Yitzchaq and Yakov transform their painful dysfunctional family conflicts into a redemptive process that would eventually create His chosen people, who would receive His Torah at Mt. Sinai and bring forth the Messiah at the appointed time.

Ultimately YHVH would pull together all the contrasting threads and weave for us a quilt of redemption. This is the favour that He bestowed upon Yakov’s family, as they developed, through intra-family conflict, to become His redemptive people and bring His eternal redemption to the world.’’

Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”

(Blessed are you Yahweh, 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.)