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
Four times in this Torah
portion when speaking of the Levititcal priesthood and their responsibilities –
it states that it is a law forever… 18: vs 8,11,19,23. How dare we like Korach,
exult ourselves above the law of YHVH?
We often hear these words “things have changed”
Yahshua did not come to change the truth – He came to
establish the truth, the truth of every word that ever came out of the mouth of
YHVH – that also means every word YHVH spoke to Moshe – Yahshua came to say and
be the ‘’Amein’’ for every word that YHVH has spoken.
Isa 2:2 And it shall be in the latter days that
the mountain of the House of יהוה is established on the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. And all nations shall flow to
it.
Isa 2:3 And many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה, to the
House of the Elohim of Ya‛aqoḇ, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk
in His paths, for out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the Word of יהוה
from Yerushalayim.”
Isa 2:4 And He shall judge between the nations,
and shall reprove many peoples. And they shall beat their swords into
ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither teach battle any more.
The events in our haftarah portion take place during
the millennium when Yahshua will be ruling over the nations with a rod of iron
– Ps 2:9 Rev 2:27 – and Yahshua will be teaching the Torah to all the nations,
from Yerushalayim.
Eze 44:15 “But the priests, the Lěwites, the sons
of Tsaḏoq, who guarded the duty of My set-apart place when the children of
Yisra’ěl went astray from Me, they shall draw near to Me to serve Me, and shall
stand before Me to bring to Me the fat and the blood,” declares the Master יהוה.
Eze 44:16 “They shall enter My set-apart place, and they shall draw
near to My table to serve Me, and they shall guard My charge.
Eze 44:17 “And it shall be, when they enter the gates of the inner
courtyard, that they put on linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them
while they attend within the gates of the inner courtyard or within the
house.
Eze 44:18 “They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen
trousers on their bodies, they shall not gird themselves with sweat.
Eze 44:19 “And when they go out to the outer courtyard, to the
outer courtyard to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they
have attended, and shall leave them in the set-apart rooms, and shall put on
other garments, and they shall set-apart the people in their garments.
Eze 44:20 “And their heads they shall not shave, nor shall they let
their hair grow long – they shall keep their hair well-trimmed.
Eze 44:21 “And no priest is to drink wine when he comes into the
inner court.
Eze 44:22 “And they do not take as wife a widow or a divorced
woman, but take maidens of the seed of the house of Yisra’ěl, or widows of
priests.
Eze 44:23 “And they are to teach My people the difference
between the set-apart and the profane, and make them know what is unclean and
clean.
Eze 44:24 “And they are to stand as judges in a dispute, and judge
it according to My right-rulings. And they are to guard My Torot and My laws in
all My appointed times, and set apart My Sabbaths.
Eze 44:25 “And they are not to defile themselves by coming near a
dead man. Only for a father or mother, for a son or daughter, for a brother or
unmarried sister they defile themselves.
Eze 44:26 “And after his cleansing, they count seven days for
him,
Eze 44:27 and on the day that he comes into the inner court of the
set-apart place to attend in the set-apart place, he brings his sin offering,”
declares the Master יהוה.
Eze 44:28 “And it shall be to them for an inheritance, I am their
inheritance. And you give them no possession in Yisra’ěl – I am their
possession.
Aliyah Chamishi 17:1-9
Num 17:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 17:2
“Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and take from them a rod from each
father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses, twelve
rods. Write each one’s name on his rod,
Num 17:3 and
write Aharon’s name on the rod of Lĕwi, for there is one rod for the head of
each father’s house.
Num 17:4
“You shall then place them in the Tent of Meeting before the Witness,
where I meet with you.
Num 17:5
“And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose buds, and I shall
rid Myself of the grumblings of the children of Yisra’ĕl, which they grumble
against you.”
Num 17:6 And
Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and all their leaders gave him a rod
each, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods. And the
rod of Aharon was among their rods.
Num 17:7 So
Mosheh placed the rods before יהוה in the Tent of the Witness.
וַיַּנַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת-הַמַּטֹּת, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, בְּאֹהֶל, הָעֵדֻת
Lit. - Mosheh caused the rods to rest before the
Face of YHVH in the tent of witness.
Num 17:8 And it came to be on the next day that Mosheh went into the Tent of the Witness and saw that the rod of Aharon, of the house of Lĕwi, had budded, and brought forth buds, and blossomed and bore ripe almonds.
The almond tree is one of the first to bud in the spring, and its white blossoms are a beautiful sign that winter is over. Its name became a name for “watcher”; Yirmeyahu plays on this name for YHVH’s watching over his people and over His Word (1:11-12).
The purpose of the fivefold
ministry is to remind us of these things. Eph 4 :11-13
Num 17:9 And Mosheh brought out all the rods from
before יהוה to all the children of Yisra’ĕl. And they
looked, and each man took his rod.
All man - appointed
leadership will be exposed. True anointed Levitical leadership will awaken a
revelation of truth to those who submit to such leadership. The Hebrew word for
“almond”- “shaked’ is also the word used for one who does not sleep while on
guard. The “rod” of set apart leadership will always bring life in correction
and true spiritual guidance. This is their calling, every other calling from
YHVH will recognize and submit to YHVH’s choice of the Levites.
Aliyah Shishi 17:10-18:20
Num 17:10 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Bring
Aharon’s rod back before the Witness, to be kept as a sign against the rebels,
so that you put an end to their grumblings against Me, lest they die.” (The verb
‘’end’’ means “to finish; to complete” and here “to bring to an end.” It is the
imperfect following the imperative, and so introduces a purpose clause (as a
final imperfect) The verb ‘’die’’ is another example in this same verse of
another final imperfect tense verb – purpose clause- indicating a certainty of
its action)
Num 17:11
And Mosheh did as יהוה had commanded him, so he did.
Num 17:12
And the children of Yisra’ĕl spoke to Mosheh, saying, “See, we shall
die, we shall perish, we shall all perish! (The use of הֵן (hen) and the perfect tense expresses their conviction that they
are as good as dead—it was certain) הֵן גָּוַעְנוּ אָבַדְנוּ,
כֻּלָּנוּ אָבָדְנוּ.
The Torah portrays a violent side of Levi of Levi’s ‘’calling’’ which is
difficult to understand.
We first become aware of this when Yakov blesses his sons on his death bed telling them what will ‘’call’’ them in the last days – Gen 49 – of Levi Yakov says : Gen 49:5 “Shim‛on and Lěwi are brothers, their weapons are implements of violence. Gen 49:6 “Let my being not enter their council, let my esteem not be united to their assembly……Gen 49:7 “Cursed be their displeasure for it is fierce, and their wrath for it is cruel!
Then we see in Exodus, Levites rise up
and kill 3000 of their fellow Israelites after the sin of the golden calf –
Exo
32:25 And Mosheh saw that the people were let loose, for Aharon had let
them loose, to their shame among their enemies.
Exo 32:26 And Mosheh stood in the entrance
of the camp, and said, “Who is for יהוה? Come to me.” And all the sons of Lěwi gathered
themselves to him.
Exo 32:27 And he said to them, “Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ěl: ‘Each one put his
sword on his side, pass over to and fro from gate to gate in the camp, and each
one kill his brother, and each one his friend, and each one his relative.’
”
Exo 32:28 And the sons of Lěwi did according
to the word of Mosheh. And about three thousand men of the people fell that
day.
Exo 32:29 And Mosheh said, “You are ordained
for יהוה today – since each one has been against
his son and his brother – so as to bring upon you a blessing today.”
We see a similar violent action from another
Levite – Pinchas – Num 25:1-5
We also see in the Torah when Moshe blesses the
tribes of Yisrael before he dies – he says of Levi -
Deu 33:8 And of Lěwi he said, “Your Tummim
and your Urim belong to your lovingly-commited One, whom You tried at Massah,
with Whom You contended at the waters of Meriḇah,
Deu 33:9 who said of his father and mother,
‘I have not seen them.’ And he did not acknowledge his brothers, or know his
own children, for they have guarded Your Word and watched over Your
covenant.
Deu 33:10 “They teach Your right-rulings to
Ya‛aqoḇ, and Your Torah to Yisra’ěl. They put incense before You, and a
complete ascending offering on Your slaughter-place.
Deu 33:11 “O יהוה, bless his strength, and accept the work of his hands. Smite
the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they
rise no more.”
Luk 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does
not hatea his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and
sisters, and his own life too, he is unable to be My taught one. Footnote: aTo love
less
In modern history the Levites continue to be associated
with horrific acts of violence and appear to be the inventors of weapons of
mass destruction.
Is this merely a co- incidence that these scientists are possibly connected
to the tribe of Levi?
See also Deut 20 – Laws concerning warfare.
Num 17:13
“Anyone who comes near the Dwelling Place of יהוה dies. Shall we
be consumed – to die?”
The verse stresses the certain possibility of their death: “will we be
consumed by dying” (הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ, haʾim
tamnu ligvoaʿ).
Num 18:1 And יהוה said to
Aharon, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you are to bear the
crookedness against the set-apart place, and you and your sons with you are to
bear the crookedness against your priesthood.
Mal 3:2
“And who is able to bear the day of His coming, and who is able to stand
when He appears? For He is like the fire of a refiner, and like the soap of a
launderer.
Mal 3:3
“And He shall sit as a refiner and a cleanser of silver. And He shall
cleanse the sons of Lĕwi, and refine them as gold and silver, and they shall
belong to יהוה, bringing near an offering in righteousness.
Mal 3:4 “Then shall the offering of
Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim be
pleasant to יהוה, as in the days of old, as in former years.
Num 18:2
“But bring with you your brothers of the tribe of Lĕwi too, the tribe of
your father to join you and serve you while you and your sons are with you
before the Tent of the Witness.
Num 18:3 “And
they shall guard your charge, and the duty of all the Tent, but they do not
come near the furnishings of the set-apart place and the altar, lest they die,
both they and you.
Num 18:4
“And they shall be joined with you and guard the duty to the Tent of
Meeting, for all the service of the Tent, but a stranger does not come near
you.
Num 18:5
“And you shall guard the duty of the set-apart place and the duty of the
altar, so that there be no more wrath on the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Num 18:6
“And see, I Myself have taken your brothers the Lĕwites from the midst
of the children of Yisra’ĕl – a gift to you, given by יהוה, to do the
service of the Tent of Meeting.
Num 18:7
“But you and your sons with you are to guard your priesthood for all
matters at the altar and behind the veil, and you shall serve. I have given you
the priesthood as a gift for service, but the stranger who comes near is put to
death.”
Num 18:8 And יהוה spoke to Aharon, “And see, I Myself have also given you the charge of My contributions, all the set-apart gifts of the children of Yisra’ĕl. I have given them to you for the anointing, and to your sons, as a law forever.
Num 18:9
“This is yours of the most set-apart gifts, from the fire: all
their offerings, all their grain offerings and all their sin offerings and all
their guilt offerings which they render to Me, are most set-apart for you and
your sons.
Num 18:10
“Eat it in the most set-apart place – every male eats it. It is
set-apart to you.
Num 18:11
“This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, with all the wave
offerings of the children of Yisra’ĕl. I have given them to you, and your sons
and daughters with you, as a law
forever. Everyone who is clean in your house eats it.
Num 18:12
“All the best of the oil, and all the best of the new wine and the grain
– their first-fruits which they give to יהוה – I have given
them to you.
Num 18:13 “The
first-fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to יהוה, are yours. Everyone who is clean in your house eats it.
Num 18:14
“All that is dedicated in Yisra’ĕl is yours.
Num
18:15 “Everyone opening a womb of all
flesh, which they bring to יהוה, whether man or beast, is yours. But the
first-born of man you shall certainly ransom, and the first-born of the unclean
beast you ransom.
Num 18:16
“And ransom their ransomed ones when one month old, according to your
valuation, five sheqels of silver, according to the sheqel of the set-apart
place, which is twenty gĕrahs.
Num 18:17
“But the first-born of a cow, or the first-born of a sheep, or the
first-born of a goat you do not ransom, they are set-apart. Sprinkle their
blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet
fragrance to יהוה.
Num 18:18
“And their flesh is yours, as the wave breast and as the right thigh, it
is yours.
Num 18:19
“All the contributions of the set-apart gifts, which the children
of Yisra’ĕl present to יהוה, I have given to you and your sons and
daughters with you as a law forever. It is a covenant of salt forever
before יהוה with you and your seed with you.”
Num 18:20
And יהוה said to Aharon, “You are not to have an inheritance in their
land, nor have any portion in their midst. I am your portion and your
inheritance among the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Aliyah Sheviee 18:21-32
Num 18:21 “And see, I have given the children of Lĕwi
all the tithes in Yisra’ĕl as an inheritance in return for the service which
they are serving, the service of the Tent of Meeting.
Num 18:22 “And let the children of Yisra’ĕl no more
come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin and die,
Num 18:23
because the Lĕwites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, so they
themselves bear their crookedness. A law forever, throughout your generations:
that among the children of Yisra’ĕl they are to have no inheritance,
Num 18:24
but the tithes of the children of Yisra’ĕl, which they present as a
contribution to יהוה, I have given to the Lĕwites as an
inheritance. That is why I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Yisra’ĕl
they have no inheritance.”
Num 18:25
And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num
18:26 “Speak to the Lĕwites and say to
them, ‘When you take from the children of Yisra’ĕl the tithes which I have
given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution
of it to יהוה, a tenth of the tithe.
Num
18:27 ‘And your contribution shall be
reckoned to you as grain from the threshing-floor and as filling from the
winepress.
Num
18:28 ‘Thus you also present a
contribution unto יהוה from all your tithes which you receive
from the children of Yisra’ĕl. And you shall give from it the contribution to יהוה to Aharon the priest.
Num 18:29
‘From all your gifts you present every contribution due to יהוה, from all the best of them, the set-apart part of them.’
Num 18:30
“And you shall say to them, ‘When you have presented the best of it,
then the rest shall be reckoned to the Lĕwites as the yield of the
threshing-floor and as the yield of the winepress.
Num 18:31
‘And you shall eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is
your reward for your service in the Tent of Meeting,
Num
18:32 and bear no sin because of it,
when you have presented the best of it, and do not profane the set-apart gifts
of the children of Yisra’ĕl, lest you die.’ ”
Jer 33:19 And the
word of יהוה came to Yirmeyahu, saying,
Jer 33:20 “Thus
said יהוה, ‘If you could break My covenant with the
day and My covenant with the night, so that there be not day and night in their
season,
Jer 33:21 then My
covenant could also be broken with Dawiḏ My servant – so that he shall not have
a son to reign upon his throne – and with the Lěwites, the priests, My
attendants.
Jer 33:22 As the
host of the heavens is not counted, nor the sand of the sea measured, so I
increase the descendants of Dawiḏ My servant and the Lěwites who attend upon Me.’ ”
Only the Set Apart
Spirit can bring an understanding of these matters to those whose hearts are
tender towards YHVH.
2Co 3:5 Not that
we are competent in ourselves to reckon any matter as from ourselves,
but our competence is from Elohim,
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.
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.
Obedience comes with a price:
Quotes:
There are two spirits abroad in the earth: the spirit that works in the
children of disobedience and the Spirit of God. These two can never be
reconciled in time or in eternity.
Always
remember: you cannot carry a cross in company. Though a man were surrounded by
a vast crowd, his cross is his alone and his carrying of it marks him as a man
apart. Society has turned against him; otherwise, he would have no cross. No
one is a friend to the man with a cross. “They all forsook him and fled.”
A call to radical discipleship.
