Baruch
ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu
eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the
blessed One for all eternity. 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).
“ Nasso” –to lift up or Make
an Accounting– is a very interesting Hebrew verb, it is
called an infinitive of emphasis or an infinitive absolute verb. This conveys
the idea of a command as well as an ongoing action.
“The
infinitive absolute is employed to emphasize the idea of the verb in the
abstract, i.e. it speaks of an action (or state) without any regard to the
agent or to the circumstances of time and mood under which it takes place. On
the whole it is rare.” Wilhem Gesenius.
I believe
YHVH is showing us in this portion how significant and central the Levitical
priesthood is to our spiritual well-being. We are reminded that YHVH Himself
chooses and appoints (nasso) those who are to represent Him and we have an
enormous responsibility of sharing their burden and remaining accountable to
YHVH through them. We in turn must also
carefully “nasso” make an accounting of how YHVH has determined to assist us in
drawing closer to Himself.
The Ruach of
YHVH is still calling and preparing a priesthood to carry the burden of the
Word and ministry of YHVH into the world. This Torah portion teaches us once
again how to yield to His mighty leading and allow Him to place us in that set
apart space where we find true and everlasting meaning and purpose for our
lives and so fulfil the calling He has upon each one of our lives.
The ministry given to the Levites is a
ministry until the end of this age.
Exo 29:9 …. – Aharon and his sons
– and put the turbans on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs for an
everlasting law. So you shall ordain Aharon and his sons.
Even if the Levites
are presently not a visibly appointed authority in the Kingdom of YHVH they
still have a voice. We need to pay careful attention to what it would be that
they would say to us if they were officially operating in our time again.
General Overview: This week's
Torah portion, Naso, is the longest single portion in the Torah,
containing 176 verses, the same number of verses found in Psalm 119, reminding
us of the importance of the priestly responsibility and burden to carry the
Word of the Torah. The reading starts with a continuation of the Levite census
and a discussion regarding their Tabernacle duties, and the preserving of
purity in the camp. The laws of the “sotah” woman(Ex 34:14) and the Natzirite
vow follow. The portion concludes with the Priestly Blessing and the offerings
which the Tribal leaders brought in honour of the Tabernacle inauguration.
The Levitical ministry will be restored when Messiah returns and the
Temple is rebuilt in Yerushalayim/Jerusalem.
What about Messiah’s Melchizedek ministry? It is most definitely
superior but does not replace the Levitical ministry. Yahshua has proved
faithful in his ministry. His Bride still needs to prove her faithfulness. We
know and believe that Messiah accomplished a finished work in terms of our salvation
on the execution stake and we are still being called to work out our own
salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12)
The future ministry of the Levites when Messiah returns is found in
chapters 40 to 48 in the book of Yeḥezqĕl /Ezekiel.
This Torah portion also points us to the temporary restricting and
removing from the camp those who bring defilement into the camp. The purpose is
for protection and restoration of Yisrael- (sotah – the law of the jealous
husband who suspects his wife of unfaithfulness).
Finally, this Torah portion brings to our attention to the
responsibility of the on- going material support required by the Levitical
ministry.
Our Torah portion
begins:
Num 4:21 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 4:22 “Take a
census(nasso) also of the sons of Gĕreshon, by their fathers’ house, by their
clans.
“Nasso” in its context stresses the importance that this
accounting of Levites should never ever be neglected. This same word is used in
describing the setting up of a register for the Kohathites, but not the
Merarites.
Num 4:23 “Register
them, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter
to perform the service, to do the service in the Tent of Meeting.
Num 4:24 “This is
the service(“avodah” or burden) of the clans(“mishpachah” or families) of the Gĕreshonites,
in serving and in bearing burdens:
Num 4:25 “And they
shall bear the curtains of the Dwelling Place and the Tent of Meeting with its
covering, the covering of fine leather that is on it, the covering for the door
of the Tent of Meeting,
Num 4:26 and the
screens of the courtyard and the covering for the door of the gate of the
courtyard, which is around the Dwelling Place and altar, and their cords, all
the equipment for their service and all that is made for them – so shall they
serve.
Num 4:27 “Aharon
and his sons are to command all the service of the sons of the Gĕreshonites,
all their burden and all their service.
And you shall appoint to them all the duty of all their burden.
Num 4:28 “This is
the service of the clans of the sons of Gĕreshon in the Tent of Meeting. And let their duties be under the hand of
Ithamar, son of Aharon the priest.
Num 4:29 “As for
the sons of Merari, register them by their clans and by their fathers’ house.
The verb “muster or register”(tiphkod in Hebrew) is used
and implies being “called up” for duty – note the Hebrew verb “nasso” is not
used.
Num 4:30
“Register(tiphkod) them, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty
years old, all who enter the service to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.
Num 4:31 “And this
is the duty of their burden,(Heb “massa”
connected to “nassah”) according to all their service for the Tent of
Meeting: the boards of the Dwelling Place, and its bars, and its columns, and
its sockets,
Num 4:32 and the
columns around the courtyard with their sockets, and their pegs, and their
cords, with all their equipment and all their service. And assign to each
by name the equipment of the duty of their burden.
Num 4:33 “This is
the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar,
son of Aharon the priest.”
Why does it appear that some seemed to have had a nicer
job than some of the others? Merari which comes from the Hebrew word meaning
“bitter” seemed to have received the “wrong end of the stick.”
Maybe the answer lies in the fact that not all our
service to YHVH seems pleasant and inspiring. As the old adage (proverb/saying)
goes “its 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.”
Shemot 12:8 During the Passover Memorial Seder we eat
bitter herbs – maror – normally horse radish.
While Yahshua was been executed on the execution stake he
drank vinegar :
Joh 19:28
After this, יהושע, knowing
that all had been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be
accomplished, said, “I thirst!” (Ps 69:21)
Joh 19:29 A
bowl of sour wine stood there, and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it
on hyssop, and held it to His mouth.
Joh 19:30 So
when יהושע took the sour wine He said, “It has been
accomplished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
We see later on in chapter 16 that Korach(a Kohathite)
Moshes’ cousin felt that the system was unfair and incited a rebellion against
Moshe.
Num 4:34 So Mosheh
and Aharon and the leaders of the congregation registered the sons of the
Qehathites by their clans and by their fathers’ house,
Num 4:35 from
thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who entered the
service for work in the Tent of Meeting.
Num 4:36 And their
registered ones, by their clans, were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
Num 4:37 These
were the registered ones of the clans of the Qehathites, all those serving in
the Tent of Meeting, whom Mosheh and Aharon registered according to the command
of יהוה by the hand of Mosheh.
Num 4:38 And those
registered ones of the sons of Gĕreshon, by their clans and by their fathers’
house,
Num 4:39 from
thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who entered the
service for work in the Tent of Meeting,
Num 4:40 the
registered ones, by their clans, by their fathers’ house, were two thousand six
hundred and thirty.
Num 4:41 These
were the registered ones of the clans of the sons of Gĕreshon, of all who serve
in the Tent of Meeting, whom Mosheh and Aharon registered according to the
command of יהוה.
Num 4:42 And those
of the clans of the sons of Merari who were registered, by their clans, by
their fathers’ house,
Num 4:43 from thirty
years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who entered the service for
work in the Tent of Meeting,
Num 4:44 the
registered ones, by their clans were three thousand two hundred.
Num 4:45 These
were the registered ones of the clans of the sons of Merari, whom Mosheh and
Aharon registered according to the command of יהוה by the hand of
Mosheh.
Num 4:46 All the
registered ones of the Lĕwites, whom Mosheh and Aharon and the leaders of
Yisra’ĕl registered, by their clans and by their fathers’ houses,
Num 4:47 from
thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who came to do the
work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting,
Num 4:48 their
registered ones were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.
Num 4:49 According
to the command of יהוה they were
registered by the hand of Mosheh, each according to his service and according
to his burden, thus were they registered by him, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.
Only once the priesthood had been properly accounted for
and put in order could the camp of Yisrael be put in order.
Num 5:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 5:2 “Command
the children of Yisra’ĕl to send out of the camp every leper, and everyone who
has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled1 for a being. Footnote:
1Defilement can be imparted from one to another.
Num 5:3 “Send out
both male and female, send them outside the camp, so that they do not defile
their camps in the midst of which I dwell.”
Num 5:4 And the
children of Yisra’ĕl did so, to send them outside the camp. As יהוה had spoken to Mosheh, so the children of
Yisra’ĕl did.
We must assume that these physical ailments were
manifestations of spiritual conditions that needed to be addressed – See Deut
28.
Num 5:5 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 5:6 “Speak to
the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit
in trespass against יהוה, and that
being is guilty,
Num 5:7 then they
shall confess their sin which they have done. And he shall restore his guilt in
its principal, plus one-fifth of it, and give it to whom he has been guilty.
Num 5:8 ‘But if
the man has no relative to restore the guilt to, the guilt which is restored
goes to יהוה, for the priest, in addition to the ram of
the atonement with which atonement is made for him.
Vs 8 has possibly been poorly interpreted.
The Hebrew word for relative of kinsman is “goel” which is more accurately translated as “redeemer” the Hebrew structure is impossible to translate into English. One may assume the interpretation to mean that when a trespass cannot be atoned for, for the guilty party, a Redeemer will come for YHVH, through the intercessory ministry of a priesthood. This is a foreshadow of the Messiah who will make perfect our redemption.
Once again we see that Help for our desperate need has
been provided.
Num 5:9 ‘And every
contribution of all the set-apart gifts of the children of Yisra’ĕl,
which they bring to the priest, becomes his.
Num 5:10 ‘And
every man’s set-apart gifts becomes his, whatever any man gives the
priest becomes his.’ ”
Midrash on the gifts and ministry of The Ruach Ha Kodesh
(the set Apart Spirit)
We must also “nasso” make a careful accounting of the assistance
that has been given to us in these last days for the preparation of the Bride
without spot or wrinkle – See Rom 12, 1 Cor 12 and Eph4.
Sadly we have “Christianized” these ancient Torah truths
with catastrophic consequences.
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 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