Parashat 37 Portion 122 B’Midbar/Numbers 14:11-45 – Ezekiel 20:18-44 Hebrews 11:1-3

Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, You have set us apart by Your commandments and have commanded us to actively study Your Torah. Please YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel. May You open our eyes to see marvellous truths from Your Torah. Thank You for calling us who were once gentiles excluded from the citizenship of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no expectation and without Elohim- but now through the blood of Messiah we have gained access into the covenants and have obtained citizenship into the commonwealth of Israel.  Blessed are You, YHVH, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel.  Amein

One of the severest statements that YHVH can make to His people is found in this Torah portion - vs 34…

14:34 ….. you shall know My breaking off. (Jer 3:8)

וִידַעְתֶּם, אֶת-תְּנוּאָתִי

The Hebrew word “tenuah” S8569 – implies realizing and fearing the reality of being completely broken off and been separated from YHVH. The ancient Hebrew Lexicon defines this term as a ‘’pleading of what is desired’’ and the resultant “opposition, alienation, enmity” that comes upon His people when they continue to refuse His pleadings and His Love.

This has been the history of His people from the ‘’garden to the grave’’ it is going to change in the last days – there is going to be a remnant of His people who are going to love and obey YHVH and receive and reciprocate His love.  This loving obedient remnant will play a significant role in the restoration of all things. YHVH is about to remove every obstacle and every human being that hinders His love and His esteem from been fully manifested in the heavens above and on the earth below – His will, will be done on earth as it is been done in the heavens.

The Great Commandment

Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes coming near, hearing them reasoning together, knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first command of all?” 

Mar 12:29  And יהושע answered him, “The first of all the commands is, ‘Hear, O Yisra’ěl, יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one. Deu_6:4. 

Mar 12:30  ‘And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ Deu_6:5. This is the first command. 

Mar 12:31  “And the second, like it, is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Lev_19:18. There is no other command greater than these.” 

Mar 12:32  And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one Elohim, and there is no other besides Him. Deu_4:35. 

Mar 12:33  “And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the being, and with all the strength, Deu_6:5 and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is more than all the ascending offerings and offerings.” 

Mar 12:34  And when יהושע saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the reign of Elohim.” And after that no one was bold enough to question Him.

Paul goes on to teach us how such a love is possible - Rom 5:5  … because the love of Elohim has been poured out in our hearts by the Set-apart Spirit which was given to us. 

The evidence of this love is found in Joh 14:15  “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.[a] Footnote: aSee also Joh_14:21 and Joh_14:23, Exo_20:6, 1Jn_5:2-3 and 2Jn_1:6. 

Joh 14:16  “And I shall ask the Father, and He shall give you another Helper, to stay with you forever – 

Joh 14:17  the Spirit of the Truth, whom the world is unable to receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him, for He stays with you and shall be in you. 

Tragically the possibility that YHVH would even consider separating Himself from His people hardly exists in the mind set of modern man and his religion. Rom 11:29

Our Haftarah portion captures the tragedy of this reality:

Eze 20:1  And it came to be in the seventh year, (end of a shmittah) in the fifth month on the tenth of the new moon, (day after ‘’tisha b av’’)  that certain of the elders of Yisra’ěl came to inquire of יהוה, and sat before me. 

Eze 20:2  And the word of יהוה came to me, saying, 

Eze 20:3  “Son of man, speak to the elders of Yisra’ěl, and say to them, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, I am not being inquired of by you,” declares the Master יהוה.’ 

Eze 20:4  “Judge them, son of man, judge them! Make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

Eze 20:5  “And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “On the day when I chose Yisra’ĕl and lifted My hand in an oath to the seed of the house of Yaʽaqoḇ, and made Myself known to them in the land of Mitsrayim, I lifted My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am יהוה your Elohim.’

Eze 20:8  “But they rebelled against Me, and would not obey Me. All of them did not throw away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Mitsrayim. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them to complete My displeasure against them in the midst of the land of Mitsrayim. ( only a very small remnant left Mitsrayim -  Ex 13:18 see Hebrew translation ‘’chamusim’’ is one fifth – the majority chose to assimilate into the ‘’world’’ Rom 12:2)

Eze 20:9  “But I acted for My Name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the eyes of the gentiles among whom they were – before whose eyes I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Mitsrayim.

Eze 20:10  “So I took them out of the land of Mitsrayim, and I brought them into the wilderness.

Eze 20:11  “And I gave them My laws and showed them My right-rulings, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’

Eze 20:12  “And I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign¹ between them and Me, to know that I am יהוה who sets them apart. Footnote: ¹See Ex. 31:13-17.

Eze 20:13  “But the house of Yisra’ĕl rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My laws, and they rejected My right-rulings, which, if a man does, he shall live by them. And they greatly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

Eze 20:14  “But I acted for My Name’s sake, not to profane it before the gentiles, before whose eyes I had brought them out.

Eze 20:15  “And I Myself also lifted My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, not to bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the splendour of all lands,

Eze 20:16  because they rejected My right-rulings and did not walk in My laws, and they profaned My Sabbaths. For their heart went after their idols.

Eze 20:17  “And My eye pardoned them, from destroying them. And I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

Eze 20:18  “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the laws of your fathers, nor observe their rulings, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

Eze 20:19  ‘I am יהוה your Elohim. Walk in My laws, and guard My right-rulings, and do them.

Eze 20:20  ‘And set apart My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, to know that I am יהוה your Elohim.’

Eze 20:21  “But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My laws, and My right-rulings they did not guard to do them, which, if a man does, he shall live by them. They profaned My Sabbaths, so I resolved to pour out My wrath on them to complete My displeasure against them in the wilderness.

Eze 20:22  “But I held back My hand and acted for My Name’s sake, not to profane it before the eyes of the gentiles, before whose eyes I had brought them out. (Rev 16 – no more withholding His Hand from wrath)

Eze 20:23  “Also, I Myself lifted My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, to scatter them among the gentiles and disperse them throughout the lands,

Eze 20:24  because they had not done My right-rulings, and they rejected My laws, and they profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were on their fathers’ idols.

Eze 20:25  “And I also gave them up to laws that were not good, and right-rulings by which they would not live¹.

Eze 20:33  “As I live,” declares the Master יהוה, “do not I, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, reign over you? 

Eze 20:34  “And I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 

Eze 20:35  “And I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and shall enter into judgment with you face to face there. 

Eze 20:36  “As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Mitsrayim, so I shall enter into judgment with you,” declares the Master יהוה. 

Eze 20:37  “And I shall make you pass under the rod,(of chastisement) and shall bring you into the bond of the covenant, (in the last days)

Eze 20:38  and purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me. From the land where they sojourn I bring them out, but they shall not come into the land of Yisra’ĕl. And you shall know that I am יהוה.

 

Paul sternly warns the Messianic believers of his day:

Rom 11:19  You shall say then, “The branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 

Rom 11:20  Good! By unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by belief. Do not be arrogant, but fear. 

Rom 11:21  For if Elohim did not spare the natural branches, He might not spare you either. 

Rom 11:22  See then the kindness and sharpness of Elohim: on those who fell sharpness, but toward you kindness, if you continue in His kindness, otherwise you also shall be ‘’cut off’’ – Hebrew ‘’carat’’ to be amputated to be lost, to be wiped out, to be destroyed.

 

And so, we begin this week’s Torah portion:

עד אנה ינאצני – until when will these people hate Me? (Treat Me with contempt)

 

Num 14:11  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “How long shall I be scorned by these people? And how long shall I not be trusted by them, with all the signs which I have done in their midst?

Num 14:12  “Let Me smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

 

Num 14:13  And Mosheh said to יהוה, “Then the Mitsrites shall hear it, for by Your power You brought these people up from their midst,

Num 14:14  and they shall say to the inhabitants of this land they have heard that You, יהוה, are in the midst of these people, that You, יהוה, are seen eye to eye and that Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a column of cloud by day and in a column of fire by night.

Num 14:15  “Now if You shall kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your report shall speak, saying,

Num 14:16  ‘Because יהוה was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’

Num 14:17  “And now, I pray, let the power of יהוה be great, as You have spoken, saying,

Num 14:18  ‘יהוה is patient and of great kindness, forgiving crookedness and transgression, but by no means leaving unpunished¹; visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ Footnote: ¹This is confirmed in Ex. 34:7 and in Jer. 30:11 – Hebrew ‘’pakad’’ can mean visit with judgment but it can also mean to visit with concern and persuade a people not to walk as their ancestors walked.

 

Eze 18:20  “The being who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the crookedness of the father, nor the father bear the crookedness of the son. The righteousness of the righteous is upon himself, and the wrongness of the wrong is upon himself. 

 

Num 14:19  “Please forgive the crookedness of this people, according to the greatness of Your kindness, as You have forgiven this people, from Mitsrayim even until now.”

Num14:20  And יהוה said, “I shall forgive, according to your word,

 Num 14:21  but truly, as I live and all the earth is filled with the esteem of יהוה,

Num 14:22  for none of these men who have seen My esteem and the signs which I did in Mitsrayim and in the wilderness, and have tried Me now these ten times, and have disobeyed My voice,

Num 14:23  shall see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor any of those who scorned Me see it. (Ezek 20:38)

In the last days YHVH will pour out His Spirit on all flesh in order for prayer and intercession to be made for all the remaining inhabitants of the earth – Joel 2:28-32

Num 14:24  “But My servant Kalev, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me completely, I shall bring into the land where he went, and his seed shall inherit it.

Num 14:25  “Since the Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites are dwelling in the valley, turn back tomorrow and set out into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds.”

It’s almost like YHVH was saying: “let us go back where we started our wilderness journey and do it again.”

This reminds us of the last days where this pattern will be repeated.

 

YHVH's Mercy on Yisrael

Hos 2:14  “Therefore, see, I am alluring her, and shall lead her into the wilderness, and shall speak to her heart, (tenderly)

Hos 2:15  and give to her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Aḵor (Heb – disturbance and affliction- ‘’Achan’’ or ‘’troubler’’ – Josh 7 and 1Chron 2:6 – Achan – great great grandfather of Zimri- Num 25:14)) as a door of expectation. And there she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Mitsrayim. 

Hos 2:16  “And it shall be, in that day,” declares יהוה, “that you call Me ‘My Husband,’ (Heb ‘’ishi’’)and no longer call Me ‘My Ba‛al.’ 

Hos 2:17  “And I shall remove the names of the Ba‛als from her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. 

Hos 2:18  “And in that day I shall make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping creatures of the ground, when bow, and sword, and battle I break from the earth. And I shall make them lie down in safety. 

Hos 2:19  “And I shall take you as a bride unto Me forever, and take you as a bride unto Me in righteousness, and in right-ruling, and loving-commitment and compassion. 

Hos 2:20  “And I shall take you as a bride unto Me in trustworthiness, and you shall know יהוה. 

 

Vs 19 and 20 are recited when we fasten the ‘’tefillim’’ to our arms and hands.

 

כא  וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי, לְעוֹלָם; וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי בְּצֶדֶק וּבְמִשְׁפָּט, וּבְחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים. 21 And I will betroth thee unto Me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in compassion.

כב  וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי, בֶּאֱמוּנָה; וְיָדַעַתְּ, אֶת-יְהוָה.  {פ}     22 And I will betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the LORD. {P} 

 

Hos 2:21  “And it shall be in that day that I answer,” declares יהוה, “that I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth, (harmony between heaven and earth)

Hos 2:22  and the earth answer the grain and the new wine and the oil, and they answer Yizre‛ěl. 

Hos 2:23  “And I shall sow her for Myself in the earth, and I shall have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion. And I shall say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people,’ while they say, ‘My Elohim!’

 

Aliyah Reviee 14:26- 15:7

Num 14:26  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying,

Num 14:27  “How long shall this evil congregation have this grumbling against Me? I have heard the grumblings which the children of Yisra’ĕl are grumbling against Me.

Num 14:28  “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ declares יהוה, ‘as you have spoken in My hearing, so I do to you:

Num 14:29  ‘The carcasses of you who have grumbled against Me are going to fall in this wilderness, all of you who were registered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

Num 14:30  ‘None of you except Kalĕv son of Yephunneh, and Yehoshua son of Nun, shall enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.

Num 14:31  ‘But your little ones, whom you said would become a prey, I shall bring in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.

Num 14:32  ‘But as for you, your carcasses are going to fall in this wilderness.

Num 14:33  ‘And your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whorings, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.

Num 14:34  ‘According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days – a day for a year, a day for a year – you are to bear your crookednesses forty years, and you shall know My breaking off.

Num 14:35  ‘I am יהוה, I have spoken, I shall do this to all this evil congregation who are meeting against Me: In this wilderness they are consumed, and there they die.’ ”

Num 14:36  And the men whom Mosheh sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing an evil report of the land, (evil leaders)

Num 14:37  even those men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before יהוה.

Num 14:38  Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Yehoshua son of Nun, and Kalĕv son of Yephunneh remained alive.

Num 14:39  And when Mosheh spoke these words to all the children of Yisra’ĕl, the people mourned greatly.

Num 14:40  And they rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “See, we have indeed sinned, but we shall go up to the place which יהוה had spoken of!”

Num 14:41  But Mosheh said, “Why do you now transgress the command of יהוה, since it does not prosper?

Num 14:42  “Do not go up, lest you be smitten by your enemies, for יהוה is not in your midst.

Num 14:43  “Because the Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from יהוה, יהוה is not with you.”

Num 14:44  But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop, but neither the ark of the covenant of יהוה nor Mosheh left the camp.

Num 14:45  So the Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and smote them, and beat them down, even to Ḥormah.

 

Hormah means and speaks of a total destruction.

 

 For most people YHVH’s most misunderstood attribute is His Love for His people – It would take a Mediator greater than Moshe to bring about a reconciliation between YHVH and His people Yisrael- the son of man the Messiah – Yahshua.

 

How do we respond to such an overwhelming body of evidence?

 

Rom 2:4  Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and tolerance, and patience,a not knowing that the kindness of Elohim leads you to repentance? Footnote: a 2Pe_3:9. 

 

Pro 28:13  He who hides his transgressions does not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them finds compassion.

 

2Co 7:10  For sadness according to Elohim works repentance to deliverance, not to be regretted, but the sadness of the world works death. 

 

2Ti 2:25  in meekness instructing those who are in opposition, lest somehow Elohim gives them repentance unto a thorough knowledge of the truth, 

2Ti 2:26  and they come to their senses, out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his desire

 

Act 5:30  “The Elohim of our fathers Exo_3:15 raised up יהושע whom you laid hands on, hanging Him on a timber. Deu_21:22-23. 

Act 5:31  “Him, a Prince[b] and a Saviour, Elohim has exalted to His right hand, Psa_110:1 to give repentance to Yisra’ěl and forgiveness of sins. Footnote: bSee Act_3:15. 

 

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 – Amein.

 

Parashat 37 Portion 121 – “Shelach lecha” – send! You send! Bemidbar/ Numbers 13:1 -14:10 Josh 2:1-24

Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, You have set us apart by Your commandments and have commanded us to actively study Your Torah. Please YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel. May You open our eyes to see marvellous truths from Your Torah. Thank You for calling us who were once gentiles excluded from the citizenship of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no expectation and without Elohim- but now through the blood of Messiah we have gained access into the covenants and have obtained citizenship into the commonwealth of Israel.  Blessed are You, YHVH, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel.  Amein

Only two sins on a national scale are singled out during Israels’ wilderness journey that almost brought about their total destruction: the sin of the golden calf – Shemot/Ex 32-34 and the rebellion of the scouts sent out to spy the Promised- Land described in this week’s parashah. Mosheh intervenes and pleads for YHVH’s mercy and YHVH withdraws His Hand of destruction.

Aliyah Rishon 13:1-20

Num 13:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 13:2  “Shelach lecha” – send! You send men to spy out the land of Kenaʽan,(Heb – a place of humiliation, where one is vanquished) which I am giving to the children of Yisra’ĕl. Send one man from each tribe of their fathers, everyone a leader among them.” (Its almost like YHVH is saying ‘’you send them to see for themselves because I’ve already told you what Canaan is like’’)

At the burning bush YHVH already told Mosheh that Canaan was a fruitful land - Exo 3:8  “And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Mitsrites, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Kena‛anites and the Ḥittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites and the Yeḇusites. 

2Co 5:7  for we walk by belief, not by sight[a] – Footnote: aSee 2Co_4:18 and 1Co_2:14. 

Our parashah begins by stating that YHVH commanded Moshe to send out spies. Yet Devarim(Deut) 1:22-23 states that sending out the spies was done by the request of the people.

Deu 1:22  “And all of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we would come.’ 

Deu 1:23  “And the matter was good in my eyes, so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. 

Was this a strategic mistake that should have been avoided and will it be repeated again in the last days?

 Num 13:3  And by the command of יהוה Mosheh sent them from the Wilderness of Paran, all of them men who were heads of the children of Yisra’ĕl. (Paran is believed to be the same place as modern day Petra)

Num 13:16  These are the names of the men whom Mosheh sent to spy out the land. And Mosheh called Hoshĕa (a causative imperative masculine singular) the son of Nun, Yehoshua.

 

A “yud” is added to “Yoshua’s/Joshua’s” name. His name then becomes “Yehoshua” the same Hebrew name was used for our Messiah. This name means that “YHVH” will save. (Ex 17:9) Jewish commentators say the basis for the name change is that Moses prayed for Joshua. Indeed Rashi explains that if he prays he will be saved from the counsel of the spies.

 

Num 13:17  And Mosheh sent them to spy out the land of Kenaʽan, and said to them, “Go up here into the South, and go up to the mountains,

Num 13:18  and see what the land is like, and the people who dwell in it, whether strong or weak, whether few or many,

Num 13:19  and whether the land they dwell in is good or evil, whether the cities they inhabit are in camps or strongholds,

Num 13:20  and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are forests there or not. And you shall be strong, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first-fruits of grapes.

 

 

Aliyah Sheni 13:21-14:7

Num 13:21  So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Tsin as far as Reḥoḇ, near the entrance of Ḥamath.

Num 13:22  And they went up through the South and came to Ḥeḇron. And Aḥiman, Shĕshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anaq, were there. Now Ḥeḇron had been built seven years before Tsoʽan (built before Avraham) in Mitsrayim.

Num 13:23  And they came to the wadi Eshkol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes. And they bore it between two of them on a pole, also of the pomegranates and of the figs.

Num 13:24  That place was called the wadi Eshkol, because of the cluster which the men of Yisra’ĕl cut down from there.

Num 13:25  And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

Num 13:26  And they went and came to Mosheh and Aharon and all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl in the Wilderness of Paran, at Qaḏĕsh. And they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

Num 13:27  And they reported to him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent us. And truly, it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

Num 13:28  “But the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, very great. And we saw the descendants of Anaq there too.

Num 13:29  “The Amalĕqites dwell in the land of the South, while the Ḥittites and the Yeḇusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains. And the Kenaʽanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Yardĕn.”

Num 13:30  And Kalĕḇ silenced the people before Mosheh, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are certainly able to overcome it.”

Num 13:31  But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”

Num 13:32  And they gave the children of Yisra’ĕl an evil report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land eating up its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.

 

What the spies said was right, however their report is considered evil (Heb – ‘’debbah’’- to whisper an evil report) because they intended to cause the people to rise up in rebellion against Moshe and YHVH.

 

Num 13:33  “And we saw there the Nephilim, sons of Anaq, of the Nephilim. And we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were in their eyes.”

 

The People Rebel

Num 14:1  Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 

Num 14:2  And all the children of Yisra’ěl grumbled against Mosheh and against Aharon, and all the congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Mitsrayim! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! (First the Israelites express contempt towards YHVH then they begin to mock Him)

Num 14:3  “And why is יהוה bringing us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become a prey? Would it not be better for us to turn back to Mitsrayim?” 

Num 14:4  And they said to each other, “Let us appoint a leader, and let us turn back to Mitsrayim.” 

Num 14:5  Then Mosheh and Aharon fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Yisra’ěl. 

Num 14:6  And Yehoshua son of Nun, and Kalěḇ son of Yephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their garments, 

Num 14:7  and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ěl, saying, “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 

Num 14:8  “If יהוה has delighted in us, then He shall bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which is flowing with milk and honey.’ 

Num 14:9  “Only, do not rebel (1Sam 15:23)against יהוה, nor fear (Prov 29:25)the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their defence has turned away from them, and יהוה is with us. Do not fear them.” 

Num 14:10  But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the esteem of יהוה appeared in the Tent of Appointment before all the children of Yisra’ěl. 

 

1Co 10:11  And all these came upon them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come,

1Co 10:12  so that he who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall. (almost all people have been completely assimilated into the spirit of this world)

 

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. 

1Co 10:7  And do not become idolaters as some of them, as it has been written, “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and stood up to play.” Exo_32:6. (Christianity is the golden calf of the gentiles)

1Co 10:8  Neither should we commit whoring, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell, 

1Co 10:9  neither let us try Messiah, as some of them also tried, and were destroyed by serpents, 

1Co 10:10  neither grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 

For centuries the sages have pondered what would cause the Yisraelites to behave in such perilous ways. Have things really changed in our days? This tragic event of the evil report of the 10 spies happened on the ninth day of the fifth month.

“Thus it came to pass that on the Ninth of Av -- a day which was to bode many tragedies for the people of Israel YHVH informed Moshe that the generation that received the Torah at Sinai was not fit to enter the Land of Canaan. He decreed that they shall live out their lives as wanderers in the desert until a new generation would take up the challenge of conquering the land of Canaan and developing it as a "Set Apart land”

What Happened?

Virtually all the commentaries pose the question: What happened? Where did they go wrong?

The spies dispatched by Moshe were no ordinary individuals: "They were all men of distinction, leaders of the children of Yisrael" (Bemidbar/Numbers 13:3). Furthermore, in all of history, it would be difficult to find a generation whose lives were more saturated with miracles than theirs. Mitsrayim/ Egypt, the most powerful nation on earth at the time, was forced to free them from slavery when "the mighty hand" of YHVH inflicted ten supernatural plagues. When Pharaoh's armies pursued them, the sea split to let them pass and then drowned their pursuers. In the desert, miracles were the stuff of their daily lives: manna from heaven was their daily bread, sheltered from the desert heat and cold, clothed and shod, destroyed the snakes and scorpions in their path, and flattened the terrain before them to ease their way.

For these people to doubt YHVH's ability to conquer the "mighty inhabitants" of Canaan seems nothing less than ludicrous. Yet these were the people whose leaders said, "We cannot go up against these people, for they are mightier than we" and even He!

Mat 22:29  And יהושע answering, said to them, “You go astray, not knowing the Scriptures[c]  nor the power of Elohim. Footnote: c Mar_12:24. 

Where did they go wrong?

Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains that the problem was one of excess spirituality.

The daily miracles experienced by the generation of the Exodus did more than provide them with sustenance and protection -- they shielded them from any and all involvement with the material world. For the first generation of our existence as a people, they lived a wholly spiritual life, free of all material concerns; the very food which nourished them was "bread from heaven."

Indeed, it could not have been any other way. Our sages have said that, "The Torah could have been given only to the eaters of the manna." To properly receive and assimilate the divine wisdom, one must be utterly free of the responsibilities and frustrations of physical life -- something that is possible only in the kind of environment which our ancestors enjoyed during their sojourn in the Sinai Desert.

This is why, says Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the Spies and their generation were loath to enter the land. Becoming a people with a land would entail plowing, sowing and harvesting; it would mean engaging in commerce and levying taxes; it would require a bureaucracy to run the land and an army to defend it. Their underlying problem with the land was, as the spies expressed it, that "it is a land that consumes its inhabitants" -- it consumes one's time and energy with its corporeal demands and infringes on one's capacity to study the divine wisdom of Torah and meditate upon its truths. They were unwilling to relinquish their spiritual utopia for the entanglements of an earth-bound life.”

If the "generation of the desert" would have themselves been capable of making the transition into a people of the land, the transformation of the material world into a home for YHVH would have been fully and perfectly achieved in that very generation. If they would have believed in their appointed destiny to "have it both ways," their sanctification of the land would have combined their ultimate apprehension of the divine truth with a full involvement with the natural reality.

The generation of the desert failed to actualize the unique opportunity which presented itself at that particular juncture of our history: for there to be a single generation which straddled both worlds, a single generation which first inhabited a world of utter spirituality and then proceeded to apply it to a life on the land. Instead, they fell prey to the tendency of man to "compartmentalize" his life, to label his experiences and attainments as "material," "spiritual," "sacred," "mundane," "natural" and "supernatural," thereby delegating and confining them to their respective domains.

“A great majority of the physical mitzvot can be implemented only in the Land of Yisrael, especially the agricultural laws and the laws of the offerings brought to the Beit Ha Mikdash (Temple)... The Spies, who were on a most lofty spiritual level, did not wish to lower themselves to the level of physical action, preferring to remain in the desert, where they received all their needs from above, and related to YHVH by means of the loftier levels of thought and speech (i.e., study of Torah and prayer). They desired to draw down all the Divine emanations into the "Land of Yisrael" that exists in the realm of Malchut,(the kingdom) the world of spiritual speech, where there also is a "Yerushalayim" and a "Set Apart Temple." Regarding the physical Land of Yisrael, they said: "It is a land that consumes its inhabitants"--if the Divine light were to be drawn down into the physical world, our entire existence would be nullified, they thought.

But Yehoshua/Joshua and Calev/Caleb said, "The Land is very, very good." It is specifically in the Land of Yisrael down below, and specifically by means of the mitzvot implemented by physical action, that the truly infinite light of YHVH is drawn down--a light that includes both the spiritual and the material, which is why it is "very, very" good. (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi)

Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

The possibility of a nation embracing reality that no other nation on earth has ever embraced.

Further Midrash – it has been speculated that the spies (prominent leaders) were sent out to see how desperately overwhelming the circumstances were in the land. The implication is that only a series of major miraculous interventions from YHVH would be able to save them from being destroyed by the inhabitants of the land. Today present day Israel needs another great miracle to save them from the descendants of these same Kanaanites – the Palestians – especially Hamas and Hezbollah.

When the pharaohs ruled Egypt and the ancient Greeks built their first cities, a mysterious people called the Canaanites dominated the Near East. Around 4000 years ago, they built cities across the Levant, which includes present-day Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and part of Syria

Who did the Canaanites worship? Baal, god worshipped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon.

What are the 7 Canaanite nations?

When enumerated separately, one of the seven nations is called Canaanites, while the others are called the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites and the Perizzites.

What is Canaan called today?

The land known as Canaan was situated in the territory of the southern Levant, which today encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and the southern portions of Syria and Lebanon.

A Chosen People

Deu 7:1  “When יהוה your Elohim brings you into the land which you go to possess, He shall also clear away many nations before you: the Ḥittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Kena‛anites and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites and the Yeḇusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you. 

Deu 7:2  “And when יהוה your Elohim gives them over to you, you shall strike them and put them under the ban, completely. Make no covenant with them, and show them no favour. 

Deu 7:3  “And do not intermarry with them – you do not give your daughter to his son, and you do not take his daughter for your son, 

Deu 7:4  for he turns your sons away from following Me, to serve other mighty ones. Then the displeasure of יהוה shall burn against you and promptly destroy you.

Vs 4-15 give the names of the leaders of the tribes. The tribe of Levi is excluded because YHVH was their inheritance. We must remember that these leaders did not bring back false reports, what they saw was real, they failed to embrace the spiritual discernment to obey YHVH – See Lev 10:10. 

We need to be in the land so that He can conquer our enemies.

We need to be in the land so that the world can see a generation of set apart people who know how to function spiritually and physically in a way that honours YHVH.

The world is yet to see a people who genuinely enjoy the physical and spiritual blessings of YHVH. This may initially include only an exceedingly small remnant of humanity.

It is clear from the prophets that there will one day in the future be a greater exodus to the land of Yisrael of all house of Yisrael.

 

Jer 23:7  “Therefore, see, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when they shall say no more, ‘As יהוה lives who brought up the children of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of Mitsrayim,’

Jer 23:8  but, ‘As יהוה lives who brought up and led the seed of the house of Yisra’ĕl out of the land of the north and from all the lands where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell on their own soil.”

When will those waiting to return to the land know when it is time to go? I believe there is a key for us to understand when and how we must return to the promised land.

When we realize as we look back over our lives and see that everything significant that has happened to us has all happened to us to prepare us for the greatest moment of our lives: the return along with a remnant to the land of Yisrael. Been able to embrace reality may be the only way to survive in the last days – a kind of reality that has not been embraced by any people at any other time in history.

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 – Amein.

Further Midrash as to why the 10 spies brought back a negative report. Giants and evil spirits – an end time preparation for an end time remnant. (Scriptures to meditate on)

Deu 3:1  “Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Oḡ sovereign of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Eḏre‛i.

Deu 3:2  “And יהוה said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt at Ḥeshbon.’

Deu 3:11  “For only Oḡ sovereign of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Repha’ites. See, his bedstead was an iron bedstead. Is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the cubit of a man. 

In the Hebrew Bible, "Rephaites" or "Rephaim" can describe an ancient race of giants in Iron Age Israel

Rephaim have also been considered the residents of the Netherworld (Sheol in the Hebrew Bible) in more recent scholarship. Possible examples of this usage appear as "shades", "spirits", or "dead" in various translations of the Bible. See: Isa 14:9, 26:14, 26:19; Ps 88:10; Prov 2:18, 9:18, 21:16; Job 26:5, and possibly 2 Chron 16:12, where Repha'im may be read as “dead ancestors” or "weakeners", as opposed to Rophe’im, “doctors”. The Heb. root רפא means “heal”, and thus the masculine plural nominalized form of this root may indicate that these “deceased ancestors” could be invoked for ritual purposes that would benefit the living.[9][10][11] Quote Wikipedia.

 Deuteronomy 3.11 (the length of the giant King Og's bed) is 'nearly 14 feet', which is approximately ‘four metres'.

Imagine facing these giant soldiers? Today there are claims in China of genetically enhanced soldiers.

In the book of Revelation, there are very real creatures lurking in an abyss. At the appointed time, they will be released to terrorize and kill people around the world. 

We are introduced to some of these creatures in Revelation 9, which describes the first and sixth trumpet judgments—the first and second woes.

Rev 16:13  And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as frogs, 

Rev 16:14  for they are spirits of demons, doing signs, which go out to the sovereigns of the entire world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of יהוה the Almighty. 

 

Luk 21:25  “And there shall be signs in the sun, and moon, and stars, and on the earth anxiety of nations, in bewilderment at the roaring of the sea, and agitation, 

Luk 21:26  men fainting(Gk ‘’breath out’’ or ‘’fail’’) from fear and the expectation of what is coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Hag_2:6, Hag_2:21. 

Luk 21:27  “And then they shall see the Son of Aḏam coming in a cloud Dan_7:13 with power and much esteem. 

Luk 21:28  “And when these matters begin to take place, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

We have little or no idea whatsoever of the horrors and destruction of the last days.

Isa 11:11  And it shall be in that day that יהוה sets His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam and from Shin‛ar, from Ḥamath and from the islands of the sea. 

Isa 11:12  And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’ěl, and assemble the dispersed of Yehuḏah from the four corners of the earth. 

Isa 11:13  And the envy of Ephrayim shall turn aside, and the adversaries of Yehuḏah be cut off. Ephrayim shall not envy Yehuḏah, and Yehuḏah not trouble Ephrayim. 

Isa 11:14  But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they plunder the people of the east, their hand stretching forth on Eḏom and Mo’aḇ, and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them. 

Isa 11:15  And יהוה shall put under the ban the tongue of the Sea of Mitsrayim, and He shall wave His hand over the River with the might of His Spirit, and shall strike it in the seven streams, and shall cause men to tread it in sandals. 

Isa 11:16  And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, those left from Ashshur, as it was for Yisra’ěl in the day when he came up from the land of Mitsrayim. 

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 12:12  “Because of this rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.” 

Rev 12:13  And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 

Rev 12:14  And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, Dan_7:25, Dan_12:7 from the presence of the serpent. 

Rev 12:15  And out of his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, to cause her to be swept away by the river. 

Rev 12:16  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 

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 and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah. 

To the Church in Smyrna

Rev 2:8  “And to the messenger of the assembly in Smurna write, ‘This says the First and the Last, Isa_44:6, Isa_48:12 who became dead, and came to life: 

Rev 2:9  “I know your works, and pressure, and poverty – yet you are rich – and the blasphemy of those who say they are Yehuḏim and are not, but are a congregation of Satan. 

Rev 2:10  “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. See, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, in order to try you, and you shall have pressure ten days. Be trustworthy until death, and I shall give you the crown of life. 

Rev 2:11  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes shall by no means be harmed by the second death.” ’d Footnote: dSee Rev_20:6.

Isa 10:20  And in that day it shall be that the remnant of Yisra’ěl, and those who have escaped of the house of Ya‛aqoḇ, never again lean upon him who struck them, but shall lean upon יהוה, the Set-apart One of Yisra’ěl, in truth. 

Isa 10:21  A remnant shall return, the remnant of Ya‛aqoḇ, to the Mighty Ěl. 

Isa 10:22  For though your people, O Yisra’ěl, be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return – a decisive end, overflowing with righteousness. 

Isa 10:23  For the Master יהוה of hosts is making a complete end, as decided, in the midst of all the earth. 

Jer 15:2  “And it shall be, when they say to you, ‘Where do we go?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Those for death, to death. And those for the sword, to the sword. And those for scarcity of food, to scarcity of food. And those for captivity, to captivity.” ’ 

2Co 3:6  who also made us competent as servants of a renewed covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. 

2Co 3:7  But if the administering of death in letters, engraved on stones, was esteemed, so that the children of Yisra’ěl were unable to look steadily at the face of Mosheh because of the esteem of his face, which was passing away, 

2Co 3:8  how much more esteemed shall the administering of the Spirit not be? 

2Co 3:9  For if the administering of condemnation had esteem, the administering of righteousness exceeds much more in esteem. 

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. 

Zec 14:20  In that day “SET-APART TO יהוה" shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. And the pots in the House of יהוה shall be like the bowls before the slaughter-place. 

Zec 14:21  And every pot in Yerushalayim and Yehuḏah shall be set-apart to יהוה of hosts. And all those who slaughter shall come and take them and cook in them. And there shall no longer be a merchant in the House of יהוה of hosts, in that day.

1Th 5:23  And the Elohim of peace Himself set you completely apart, and your entire spirit, and being, and body - be preserved blameless at the coming of our Master יהושע Messiah! 

Lev 27:30  ‘And all the tithe of the land – of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree – belongs to יהוה. It is set-apart to יהוה. 

Lev 27:31  ‘If a man indeed redeems any of his tithes, he adds one-fifth to it. 

Lev 27:32  ‘And the entire tithe of the herd and of the flock, all that passes under the rod, the tenth one is set-apart to יהוה. 

Lev 27:33  ‘He does not inquire whether it is good or spoilt, nor does he exchange it. And if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it are set-apart, it is not redeemed.’ ” 

Lev 27:34  These are the commands which יהוה commanded Mosheh for the children of Yisra’ěl on Mount Sinai. 

Robbing Elohim

Mal 3:6  “For I am יהוה, I shall not change,a and you, O sons of Ya‛aqoḇ, shall not come to an end. Footnote: a Jas_1:17. 

Mal 3:7  “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My laws and did not guard them. Turn back to Me, and I shall turn back to you,” said יהוה of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what shall we turn back?’ 

Mal 3:8  “Would a man rob Elohim? Yet you are robbing Me! But you said, ‘In what have we robbed You?’ In the tithe and the offering! 

Mal 3:9  “You have cursed Me with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this nation, all of it! 

Mal 3:10  “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and let there be food in My house. And please prove Me in this,” said יהוה of hosts, “whether I do not open for you the windows of the heavens, and shall pour out for you boundless blessing! 

Mal 3:11  “And I shall rebuke the devourer for you, so that it does not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor does the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” said יהוה of hosts. 

Mal 3:12  “And all nations shall call you blessed, for you shall be a land of delight,” said יהוה of hosts. 

Mal 3:13  “Your words have been strong against Me,” said יהוה, “but you have said, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 

Mal 3:14  “You have said, ‘It is worthless to serve Elohim. And what did we gain when we guarded His Charge, and when we walked as mourners before יהוה of hosts? 

Mal 3:15  And now we are calling the proud blessed – not only are the doers of wrongness built up, but they also try Elohim and escape.’ ”