Torah Portion Bamidbar – The Armies of Israel

The video version is available at https://youtu.be/7IgSqsWd7Xw

Reading – Numbers 1:1-19

 

By Dan and Brenda Cathcart

This Torah portion is the start of the book of Numbers. We call it Numbers in English because it opens with the numbering of the armies of Israel as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. In Hebrew, the book is called Bamidbar which means in the wilderness. God spoke to the children of Israel in the wilderness about preparing to take the Promised Land. Both names focus on these preparations. God’s instructions for beginning to take the land are given just one month after Moses erected the Tabernacle and God moved His dwelling place from Mt. Sinai to the Tabernacle.

Numbers 1:1 NKJV 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:

God and the camp of Israel were just about ready to move. However, moving more than two million people takes a lot of organization. God gave Moses these last instructions to bolster the confidence of the people and make sure everything went smoothly.

The children of Israel were heading for the land that God promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. While Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had all lived in the land, and even purchased some property in the land, the land itself did not yet belong to them. God promised that the entire land would be their inheritance, but they could not take it without a fight. In our modern world, we might ask what right the children of Israel had to take the land from the Canaanites. In this situation, God had originally given the land to the Canaanites, but their practices defiled the land. It was only after the fullness of their sin that God would give the land to the descendants of Abraham. This condition was spelled out by God in the covenant He made with Abraham.

Genesis 15:15-16 NKJV 15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

God had announced in His instructions to the children of Israel in Leviticus on how they could draw near to Him and remain near to Him, that the Promised Land had rejected the Canaanites.

Leviticus 18:26-28 NKJV 26 'You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 '(for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 'lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

Even though God and the land had both rejected the current residents of the Land, the Israelites would need to fight to take possession of the land. They would need a strong fighting force to accomplish this goal. The book of Numbers begins with the enumeration and commissioning of this army.

Numbers 1:2-3 NKJV 2 "Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, 3 "from twenty years old and above-all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

Armies don’t just come together by declaring they exist. It requires organization and training to build on army. The training of the children of Israel for the war ahead of them to take the land began as soon as they left Egypt. As they were leaving Egypt, the text tells us they went out in orderly ranks.

Exodus 13:18 NKJV 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

Although the children of Israel weren’t ready to take on the well-trained and armed Egyptian army, the children of Israel formed the rudiments of an organized force. The phrase “orderly ranks” is the Hebrew word “Khaw-moosh,” number 2571 in Strong’s Concordance meaning staunch, able-bodied soldiers, or armed men. The word “khaw-moosh” comes from the word “kho-mesh,” number 2570 having to do with the abdomen and the fifth rib which is associated with being armed or girt with swords or belts around the fifth rib. The word “khaw-moosh,” then has the connotation of not only being armed but being determined in their path. The seventeenth century theologian Matthew Poole comments on the organization of the flight of the children of Israel from Egypt.

Other render it, khaw-moosh, by fives, five and five in a rank, that is by usual - military order, not doubtfully and fearfully, but confidently and courageously; not confusedly, as men that steal or run away, but in good order, so as one might not hinder another. Which interpretation is strengthened by comparing Joshua 1:14.[i]

In Joshua, the fledging army of Israel had taken shape. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were to send their armed men to participate in taking the land. The word “khaw-moosh,” in this case, is translated as “armed.”

Joshua 1:14 NKJV 14 "Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them,

Along the way to Mt. Sinai, this fledging army fought against the Amalekites. Although their skill may have been lacking, their confidence was bolstered whenever they looked up and saw Moses on the hill with both arms raised.

Exodus 17:11-12 NKJV 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

One year later, as the children of Israel are getting ready to head for the Promised Land, they had a full year to train and prepare for war. This particular census of the people before leaving Mt. Sinai was only of those men who were able to fight. They were numbered according to their armies.

The census begins with the heads of each tribe who would stand with Moses.

Numbers 1:4-5 NKJV 4 "And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father's house. 5 "These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;

The list continues for each tribe in birth order according to the mother. The list begins with the tribes from the sons of Leah, then from the sons of Rachel, and lastly, from the sons of the handmaids. It leaves out the sons of Levi and splits the sons of Joseph into Ephraim and Manasseh. In the Bible, names have meanings. The Stone Edition Chumash comments on the placement and meaning of the first and last names of the list of the heads of the tribes.

The first name on the list was Elizur, which means my God is the Protector. The last name on the list, the father of Ahira, is Enan, which is synonymous with eye. These names recall the verse He protected them like the pupil of his eye (Deuteronomy 32:10), an allusion to the Clouds of Glory that surrounded the nation in the wilderness. Thus the order of the leaders alludes to the nation’s faith that God was and would remain its protector.[ii]

Each man introduces his tribe, lineage, and the number of men he was contributing to the overall army of Israel.

Numbers 1:17-18 NKJV 17 Then Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name, 18 and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they recited their ancestry by families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, each one individually.

When the roll call of the tribes was complete, there were a total of six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men who were able to fight in the army of Israel.

Numbers 1:45-46 NKJV 45 So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel- 46 all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.

To give an idea of the size of this army, the entire army of the British Empire in 1775 prior to the American revolution was forty-eight thousand. By the end of the war, that number had increased to one hundred twenty-one thousand.[iii] In addition to these regular troops, Britain added others from the Irish, other foreigners, and other militia which increased to total size of Britain’s forces to nearly two hundred thousand soldiers. At this time, the British were engaged in hostilities with France and Spain in addition to the war in the American colonies. The army of the children of Israel was three times the size of the entire British army of the 18^th century!

When God took the children of Israel out of Egypt, He visually joined them at Succoth in the form of a pillar of fire and cloud. When they arrived at Mt. Sinai, God’s presence settled over the mountain and remained there during the rest of the year. The children of Israel camped at the foot of the mountain, but the mountain itself was holy to the LORD. Moses was told to set boundaries around the mountain and not let the people approach because they would die.

Exodus 19:21-23 NKJV 21 And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish. 22 "Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." 23 But Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.'"

After the completion of the Tabernacle, God’s presence moved from the mountain to dwell in the Tabernacle. Like with the mountain, the children of Israel camped around the tabernacle, but God set boundaries around the tabernacle as well. The Levites were appointed as caretakers for the tabernacle.

Numbers 1:52-53 NKJV 52 "The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their armies; 53 "but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony."

The Levites were to camp around the tabernacle on all sides providing a barrier between the children of Israel and the tabernacle where the presence of God resided. In the book of Leviticus, God had provided a detailed explanation of how they were to approach Him. They could not just stroll up to the tabernacle and enter into God’s presence any time and in any way they chose. God is holy, and God desired that His people be holy as well. God desired that they be able to approach Him, but they had to go through the proper procedures so they wouldn’t be consumed by the fire of God.

The children of Israel were camped around the tabernacle with three tribes on each side. This arrangement of the camp is mirrored by the configuration of the new Jerusalem described in Revelation. The glory of the LORD and the light of the lamb are in the center of the city.

Revelation 21:23 NKJV 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

The wall of city had twelve foundations that set the city apart like the Levites surrounded the tabernacle in the wilderness setting it apart. These foundations are the twelve apostles who served Yeshua, our High priest.

Revelation 21:14 NKJV 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The gates of the city, with three on each side just like the encampment of Israel, have the names of the twelve tribes written on them.

Revelation 21:12-13 NKJV 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

At Mt. Sinai, in the wilderness, in Jerusalem, and again in the new Jerusalem, God chooses to dwell in the middle of His people.

The placement of the tribes around the tabernacle is mostly by birth order of each mother with Leah’s sons going first. However, since Reuben and Simeon were disqualified for the honor of the firstborn, and Levi had been taken in service to God and the priesthood, the firstborn honors of Leah’s sons go to Judah the fourth son. He is the leader of the eastern camp.

Numbers 2:3 NKJV 3 "On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah."

Judah’s two younger brothers camp with him on the east. They were the first to break camp and led the children of Israel on their journey.

Numbers 2:9 NKJV 9 "All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Judah, one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred-these shall break camp first.

These are probably the names of the gates on the eastern side of the New Jerusalem. Since names have meanings. Let’s look at the names associated with the tribes and captains on this eastern side. Nahshon is the captain of the tribe of Judah. His name, number 5172, is the most difficult one to understand. It can mean an enchanter. However, Hitchcock’s Bible names defines it as that which is foretold. The name Judah, number 3063, means celebrated. With him is Nethanel of the tribe of Issachar. Nethanel, number 5417 means given of God and Issachar, number 3485, means he will bring a reward. The third leader is Eliab of the tribe of Zebulan. Eliab, number 446, means God of his father, and Zebulon, number 2074, means habitation. We celebrate the coming of the one who is foretold. He comes with the reward given of God and the habitation of his father.

Next to break camp were those on the south side of the tabernacle. Leah’s two oldest sons were camped there along with Gad, the oldest son of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid. The leader of this group is the oldest son Reuben.

Numbers 2:16 NKJV 16 "All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Reuben, one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty-they shall be the second to break camp.

After those camped in the east and south headed out, the Levites carrying the Tabernacle and all its furnishings were next.

Numbers 2:17 NKJV 17 "And the tabernacle of meeting shall move out with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they shall move out, everyone in his place, by their standards.

The Levites and the Tabernacle camped in the middle of the encampment. They also marched in the middle of the procession. Six tribes went in front of them, and six tribes went behind them.

On the west, are the tribes descended from the sons of Rachel, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin. Ephraim is the captain of this camp.

Numbers 2:24 NKJV 24 "All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Ephraim, one hundred and eight thousand one hundred-they shall be the third to break camp.

Finally, the remaining sons of Jacob, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, were camped on the north side. Dan, as the oldest son of Rachel’s handmaid Bilhah, and arguably the oldest of Rachel’s household, is the captain of this camp.

Numbers 2:31 NKJV 31 "All who were numbered of the forces with Dan, one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred-they shall break camp last, with their standards."

The armies of Israel were almost ready to leave Mt. Sinai. The focus of the camp was no longer Mt. Sinai; it was the Tabernacle of God. God had moved His dwelling place to the movable tabernacle. The camps were established around the tabernacle while at Mount Sinai. And now, as they would be on the journey, the Tabernacle would be in the midst of the armies. The leaders and divisions of the armies were now set over their troops and they were now on the move. God had prepared the children of Israel to take the Promised Land.

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      If God promised the land to Abraham and his descendants, why was it necessary for them to raise an army to take the land by force? How does this relate to Yeshua’s return?

 

2.       Why was it important for each individual to be introduced by tribe and family?

 

3.      How are Mount Sinai, the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and Jerusalem alike? What doe this tell us about the Messianic Era and the World to Come?

 

General Portion Questions

 

4.      In what way did the Levites create a buffer zone around the Tabernacle? Why did the Levites need to protect the Tabernacle from the people? Why did they also need to protect the people from the Tabernacle?

 

5.      This Torah portion contains provisions regarding the redemption of the firstborn of Israel who came out of Egypt. How is this redemption accomplished and why was it done at this time, a year after they came out of Egypt?

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

 

© 2023 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] Matthew Poole. Commentary on the Holy Bible. 1683.

[ii] The Stone Edition Chumash. General Editors Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zolotowitz. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©1998, 2000. Pages 727-728.

[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army_during_the_American_Revolutionary_War

Torah Portion Behar/Bechukotai – When You Come into the Land

The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/c1eRCjo9EAM

Reading – Leviticus 25:1-34

 

By Dan and Brenda Cathcart

This week we conclude the study of the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus is all about how the children of Israel could approach a holy God. The Hebrew name for this book is Vayikra which means “And He called out” referring to God calling out from the tabernacle to give instructions on how the children of Israel could draw near to a holy God. Throughout the book, we learn that the children of Israel are to approach God through the Aaronic priesthood assisted by the tribe of Levi. The Greek name for this book, Leviticus comes from this theme of approaching God through the priesthood. How does the conclusion of Leviticus summarize this theme?

As God’s instructions about drawing near to Him are wrapped up, God gives further instructions about the land and those dwelling in the land. He includes a final warning. Those who choose not to follow God’s instructions that allow them to draw near to God will be cut off, not only from God but from the land and their people.

Even as these words recorded in Leviticus are concluding, the people are preparing to leave Mt. Sinai and travel a short eleven-day journey to enter the Promised Land. These particular instructions are given for when they enter the land.

Leviticus 25:1-2 NKJV 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD.

The first instruction about the land, like that given to the people, is that it is to observe a sabbath. Keeping the weekly sabbath was the first command God gave to the people right after Moses returned from Mt. Sinai carrying the second tablet of the Ten Words and before they began work on the tabernacle. The importance of keeping the sabbath is emphasized when God describes the feasts or appointed times that Israel is to keep once they enter the land. The Sabbath is the first appointed time that the children of Israel were told to observe in Leviticus 23. The sabbath year, like the weekly sabbath, is to be a time of rest and the cessation of work. During the sabbath year, the land is not to be worked. Just like the people are to rest on the weekly Sabbath, the land is to rest from its labor during the Sabbatical year.

Leviticus 25:3-4 NKJV 3 'Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 'but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

Although they could not sow and harvest, they could eat from what grew naturally in the land.

Leviticus 25:6-7 NKJV 6 'And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you, 7 'for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land-all its produce shall be for food.

Just like with the Sabbath in the wilderness when God provided extra manna on the sixth day to last through the Sabbath, God said He would provide a large harvest in the sixth year to last until the harvest at the end of the year after the sabbath year.

Leviticus 25:20-22 NKJV 20 'And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?" 21 'Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 'And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.

The pattern of their reliance on God which was established in the wilderness was to continue when they entered the land. It seems that the very first year that the children of Israel were in the land was a type of Sabbath year. Immediately after they entered the land, the manna ceased, and the people relied on the produce of the land.

Joshua 5:12 NKJV 12 Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.

In addition to the sabbath every seven years, there is a greater sabbath of the land after every forty-ninth year.

Leviticus 25:8-10 NAS95 8 'You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. 9 'You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. 10 'You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.

The word “Jubilee” is an interesting word. In English, it is defined as a special anniversary particularly a fiftieth anniversary. We can see that the definition comes from this usage in Leviticus to mark the fiftieth year. But what does the Hebrew word mean? The Hebrew word is “yo-bale,” number 3104 in Strong’s Concordance, meaning the blast of a horn. Although Strong’s Concordance associates it with the silver trumpets, the word is never used in that context. In fact, it is only used in conjunction with the shofar or ram’s horn! The first use of the word yo-bale is in relation to the sound coming from Mt. Sinai to call the children of Israel to the mountain to meet God and hear His commands.

Exodus 19:13b NKJV 13 When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain."

The word “trumpet” is actually the word “yo-bale.” Literally, this verse reads “when the blast sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.” In the description of the fulfillment of this event, the blast is that of the shofar. This original blast or “yo-bale” of the ram’s horn was at the appointed time of Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks in the third month of the year. The children of Israel drew near to God for the first time there at Mt. Sinai. The instruction that they are to come near is actually the Hebrew word “aw-law,” number 5927, meaning to ascend. They children of Israel actually ascended onto the lowest part of the mountain.

Exodus 19:17 KJV 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

The children of Israel were not to approach the mountain until they were called by the blast of the shofar! So, the yo-bale, the Jubilee, is associated with God calling the children of Israel onto the mountain and into His presence! The book of Leviticus opens with God telling the children of Israel how to draw near to Him. It ends with God telling them that on the year after the seventh sabbath year, God would call them into His presence again. They would draw near to God as they did when He first called them into His presence at Mt. Sinai. In the year of Jubilee, they were to proclaim release to all the inhabitants of the land. The word translated as “release,” is the Hebrew word “der-ore,” number 1865, meaning freedom. All the slaves were to be set free. Just like God freed the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, the children of Israel were to release their slaves in the year of Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:54-55 NKJV 54 'And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee-he and his children with him. 55 'For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Even the land was to be set free by returning it to its original owner. The sale or purchase of land was only in force until the year of Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:23-24 NKJV 23 'The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. 24 'And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land.

However, when the shofar is blown to mark the beginning of the Jubilee year, it is not blown at Shavuot the anniversary of when the yo-bale sounded from Mt. Sinai, nor is it blown at the beginning of the year in the month of Nisan during which the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread occurred, and which God declared in Exodus 12 was the beginning of months for them.

In fact, the year of Jubilee doesn’t begin on the first day of any month; it begins on the tenth day of the seventh month on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement just before the Feast of Sukkot or the Feast of Ingathering which is observed at the end of the year. These three times of year, Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, and Sukkot are described in Exodus 23.

Exodus 23:14-16 NKJV 14 "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16 "and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

So, when is the New Year according to God’s Word? It seems that we have at least three if not more times of the year that would be considered the beginning of the year—The first of Nisan which marks the beginning of God’s deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt, Yom Kippur which marks the beginning of the year of Jubilee, and the day after the conclusion of the Feast of Harvest or Sukkot which marks the beginning of a new agricultural year. The traditional Jewish new year, which numbers the years from creation, is the first day of the seventh month on the Feast of Trumpets. Each of these “new years” mark a different type of beginning, so each can be considered a “new year.”

In fact, the entire year of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt can be considered a “new year.” It marked their deliverance from Egypt and their new position as God’s covenant people. They spent the entire year getting ready to enter into the Promised Land. The year of Jubilee is also a “new year.” It concludes the previous cycle of forty-nine years and begins a new cycle.

Most Bible scholars agree that Yeshua’s ministry on Earth lasted three and a half years. Since He died at Passover in the first month of the year, His ministry would have begun in the seventh month of the year, the time of three of our “new years.” One of His first actions was to teach in the synagogues of Galilee. When he came to his hometown of Nazareth, He read from the scroll of Isaiah about the servant of the LORD announcing a year of Jubilee.

Luke 4:17-19 NKJV 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

When Yeshua concluded the reading, He declared that Isaiah’s prophecy had been fulfilled in their hearing. The conclusion from this statement was that He was the servant of the LORD Isaiah spoke about and,that very day was the beginning of the Jubilee. Remember, the Hebrew word “yo-bale” is the blast of a horn associated with the sound of the shofar and the voice of God calling His people into His presence. From the beginning of His ministry, Yeshua declared over and over that the Kingdom had drawn near.

Matthew 4:17 NKJV 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

The Greek word that is translated as “at hand” is the word “eng-id’-zo,” number 1448 in Strong’s Greek concordance, meaning “to make near.” Once again, we see that the Jubilee is the time when God calls His people to draw near to Him and enter into His presence. This, of course, takes us back to the beginning of Leviticus when God calls out from within the Tabernacle and instructs the children of Israel on how they can draw near to Him!

There is a warning hidden within the instructions on redemption of the land at the year of Jubilee. The instructions begin with selling the crop, progressing through selling a house within a walled city, borrowing money, and, finally, selling oneself into slavery. The Stone Edition Chumash quotes the sage Rashi’s comments on this sequence of events.

“By the progression of the commandments, the Torah implies that if one allows greed to keep him from observing the Shemittah and Jubilee prohibitions, he will eventually have to lose his money and be forced to sell his movable property (v. 14). If he still does not repent, he will be forced to sell his ancestral portion (v. 25-28) and his house (vs. 29-31), and, finally to borrow at interest. If this progression of punishment has no effect, he will eventually have to sell himself as a bondsman to a fellow Jew (vs. 37-43, and finally as a slave to a non-Jew. Finally, and worst of all, he will sell himself and become a servant of idols (vs. 47-55).”[i]

Notice that Rashi specifically mentions a sequence of seven progressively harsher punishments for not observing the Sabbath year and the Jubilee years. The Torah picks up in chapter 26 where Rashi left off declaring that the children of Israel shall not make idols for themselves, but should keep God’s Sabbaths and honor the God’s dwelling place.

Leviticus 26:1-2 NKJV 1 'You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God. 2 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.

In context, the Sabbaths referred to here would be the sabbaths of the land. If the children of Israel honor these sabbaths, God will bestow blessing on them through the produce the land.

Leviticus 26:3-4 NKJV 3 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

The Torah continues with a list of six statements beginning with God’s declaration “I will.” In the middle of these six statements there is one statement beginning with “you will.”

Leviticus 26:7-8 NKJV 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.

In addition to all the blessings from the land, Israel would have victory over all their enemies. In total, this list includes seven ways God said He would specifically bless His people if they kept His Sabbaths. However, if Israel does not obey God in regard to the Sabbaths and all of His other instructions, God describes four sets of seven punishments that would come on Israel. These punishments would ultimately result in exile from the land.

Leviticus 26:33-34 NKJV 33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. 34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths.

We would think that God would totally cast off His people as He declared to Moses that He would do when they built and worshipped the golden calf. At that time, Moses interceded for them based on the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, after forty days of repentance by the children of Israel and intercession by Moses, God accepted Moses’ atonement for them. God declared that the children of Israel were still His people. Here in Leviticus, God declared that He would never totally cast them away.

Leviticus 26:44 NKJV 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.

God’s acceptance of the atonement accomplished by Moses and realized by Yeshua will never be broken. The apostle John wrote about this connection.

John 1:16-17 YLT 16 and out of his fulness did we all receive, and grace over-against grace; 17 for the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth through Jesus Christ did come;

In order to receive mercy from God, all that the children of Israel need to do is confess their sins and repent of their iniquities.

Leviticus 26:40-42 NKJV 40 'But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt- 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land.

The book of Leviticus ends with one final means of drawing near to God and a last warning. One can draw near to God by a gift devoted to God. However, once a gift is given to God, it cannot be taken back. We, as God’s people have been exhorted to give our lives to God. Once given, they cannot be taken back; they belong to God. As His people, God wants us to draw near to Him. We draw near to Him by keeping ourselves separate from the world through following His instructions for our lives. We look forward to the Jubilee to come when God’s voice sounds long and loud calling us to enter into His kingdom and His presence.

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      Compare the Sabbath of the land and the weekly Sabbath. How are these sabbaths alike? How are they different? How is each a promise of God’s provision?

 

2.       The year of Jubilee is associated with three of God’s appointed times or feasts. What are these three appointed times and connections?

 

3.      Both Matthew (Matt. 4:15-16) and Luke (Luke 4:18-19) record Yeshua quoting from Isaiah as He begins His ministry.  How is His ministry like a year of Jubilee? How does His return connect to the Jubilee?

 

General Portion Questions

 

4.      What are the six “I will” statements in Leviticus 26:4-13? The “you will” statement in verse 7 is right in the middle. How do the six “I will” statements point to this center?

 

5.      The Torah portion ends with instructions about things devoted to God. How is this a means of drawing near to God?

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

 

Bonus: How does Yeshua associate Himself with the Servant of the LORD prophesied in Isaiah chapters 42 through 66?

 

© 2023 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] The Stone Edition Chumash. General Editors Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©1998, 2000. Page 699.

Torah Portion Emor – A Priesthood without Blemish

The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/rKCGMmoq7bE

Reading – Leviticus 21:16-24

 

By Dan and Brenda Cathcart

Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Itamar were the only priests serving before the LORD after the death of Nadab and Abihu. Eleazar and Itamar’s future sons would serve after them. However, not all of their descendants would be able to serve as priests. God requires that all the priests that serve Him be without blemish.

Leviticus 21:16-17 MKJV 16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 Speak to Aaron, saying, No man of your seed in their generations shall draw near to offer the bread of his God if there is a blemish in him.

Later on in the Torah portion, God instructs that the offering is also to be without blemish. So, both the priest coming before God and the offering he presents to God need to be physically perfect. What constitutes physical perfection? This passage goes on to explain the physical defects that would disqualify a priest from bringing the offerings of the children of Israel before God. As we examine these blemishes, we will see that God is using the physical characteristics of these blemishes to teach a spiritual lesson.

As we know, both the Aaronic priesthood and the offering system foreshadow Yeshua’s dual roles of high priest and all the offerings combined. As our offering, Peter states that He is the lamb without blemish.

1 Peter 1:18-19 MKJV 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot;

As our high priest, Yeshua is the perfect high priest.

Hebrews 7:26 MKJV 26 For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens,

However, not only does the priesthood and offering system foreshadow Yeshua’s role, but they also foreshadow our role. We are instructed to present ourselves as a living sacrifice acceptable to God. We are also called a royal priesthood. So, these spiritual lessons apply to us.

God, through Moses, outlines twelve blemishes that disqualify a priest from serving.

Leviticus 21:18-20 KJV 18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, 19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

The first blemish is that of blindness. Those who are spiritually blind cannot discern the spiritual. Paul was uniquely qualified to write about this. Because when Paul was on the road to Damascus to persecute the followers of Yeshua, God struck him with blindness. Yeshua spoke to him and instructed him to seek out Ananias who would open his physical eyes and teach him to spiritually see.

Acts 9:17-18 NKJV 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

Paul had a zeal for God even before this encounter with Yeshua and Ananias, but His mind was blind to the truth about the identity of Yeshua. Paul says the same thing about the children of Israel in the wilderness.

2 Corinthians 3:14-16 NKJV 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Those who try to discern the spiritual without Christ are blind. Only knowing Yeshua takes away the blindness of the mind and, afterwards, one is able to read the scriptures and see God.

Ephesians 4:17-18 NKJV 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

Peter lists the qualities of one who is not blind, concluding that anyone who lacks these qualities is blind.

2 Peter 1:5-9 NKJV 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Indulging in hatred, selfishness and an unforgiving attitude leads to spiritual blindness.

The second blemish is being lame. A person who is lame has an uneven gait; he doesn’t walk straight. As a figure of speech, it refers to one who lives foolishly dealing dishonestly with others.

Proverbs 26:7 MKJV 7 The legs of the lame are not equal; so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

When the legs are not equal, the body is out of balance. It is like a dishonest scale.

Deuteronomy 25:13 MKJV 13 You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a great stone and a small.

Paul warns us to walk wisely, living our lives with purpose.

Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

When Paul writes his second letter to the Thessalonians, there seems to be some gossip and slander going around about Paul. He reminds them that they are witnesses to how he and his companions behaved among them, finishing with the exhortation to walk worthy of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NKJV 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

The third blemish is that of a flat nose. What is wrong with a flat nose? The word flat nose is the Hebrew word “charam,” number 2763 in Strong’s Concordance, meaning devoted to religious use or set apart for destruction. It appears from this definition that we are looking at a form of religion but without substance or depth. To help us understand a flat nose, let’s look at the opposite of a flat nose, that of a long or pointed nose.

Song of Solomon 7:4 NKJV 4 Your neck is like an ivory tower, Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon By the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon Which looks toward Damascus.

The groom in the Song of Solomon describes a beautiful nose as being like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus. What is the purpose of such a tower? It looks on a potential enemy and keeps watch for danger. If we are to be watching as Yeshua instructed us, our noses need to be alert, sniffing for danger. The figure of speech “I smell a rat” indicates that the nose can smell an enemy coming. The writer of Hebrews says that those who are mature in faith use their senses to discern good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14 NKJV 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

We see in scripture that God has a discerning nose. An offering brought in sincerity and truth is a sweet aroma to God, but a false offering is a stench in God’s nostrils.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 NKJV 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

The fourth blemish is anything superfluous. The Hebrew word for superfluous is “sara`,” number 8311, meaning to be deformed by excess of members, to stretch out self. Paul tells us not to elevate ourselves in our own thinking thus “stretching out” our importance.

Romans 12:3 NKJV 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Yeshua tells us that those who proclaim their own importance receive their reward on earth with nothing in heaven.

Matthew 6:16 NIV 16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Not only can we stretch ourselves out, but we can also stretch out God’s Word. When we try to add to God’s perfection, we merely distort it. We are “stretching ourselves” to be more important than we are; we think we can edit God’s Word.

Deuteronomy 4:2 NKJV 2 "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Yeshua spoke against this “stretching out” of God’s word when he condemned the Pharisees for following tradition instead of God’s word.

Mark 7:8-9 NKJV 8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." 9 He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

Adding to God’s Word leads to confusion and false doctrine. Yeshua’s words to John in his vision recorded in the book of Revelation warn against adding to His words.

Revelation 22:18-19 NKJV 18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The fifth and sixth blemishes go together. They are a broken foot and a broken hand. Those with a broken foot either have stumbled and fallen or are walking in the wrong direction. The prophet Balaam was going in the wrong direction when his donkey slammed him against a wall and broke his foot because he did not walk in the path that God wanted him to go.

Numbers 22:34 NKJV 34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back."

Our foot is broken when we get off the path and stumble.

Proverbs 4:26-27 NKJV 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

We can avoid getting a broken foot like Balaam by walking in Messiah.

Colossians 2:5-7 NKJV 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. 6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

A broken hand refers to those who mishandle the word of God. Paul cautions the Corinthians not to walk in craftiness or to handle the word of God with deceit.

2 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV 2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

The seventh blemish is a crooked back. Those with a crooked back are weighed down with the cares of this world or the idols they carry on their backs. Isaiah warns against carrying the weight of worthless idols.

Isaiah 46:1-2 NKJV 1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity.

Yeshua instructs us to let Him bear our burdens.

Matthew 11:29-30 NKJV 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

The eighth blemish is described as being a dwarf. The Hebrew word translated dwarf is “daq,” number 1851, meaning small or thin, a very little thing. Those who are dwarfs in this sense have not matured in faith; they remain small. The writer of Hebrews says the milk is good, but we need to progress to solid food continuing to grow in the Word.

Hebrews 5:12-14 NKJV 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

We see that as we grow in the maturity of our faith, it is not only our stature that grows. We are more able to discern good and evil. Our nose grows more like the tower of Lebanon described by the bridegroom in the Song of Solomon!

The ninth blemish is a blemish in the eye. A blemish in the eye causes distorted vision. Yeshua warns us not to be too quick to judge the mote in our neighbor’s eye.

Matthew 7:2-5 NKJV 2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

When we have a blemish in our eye, we are unable to see clearly. One way that happens is that we look at only the outward appearance, especially that valued by the world. When God sent Samuel to anoint a son of Jesse as the future king of Israel, God warned him not to judge by appearance. Saul saw Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, and was impressed by his appearance.

1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Isiah tells us that Yeshua judges by what is in the heart.

Isaiah 11:3 NKJV 3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

Those with a blemish in the eye see everyone else’s faults and miss their own or they look only at the surface and value the superficial.

The tenth and eleventh blemishes are having scurvy or being scabbed. Scurvy is a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. Its symptoms are swollen bleeding gums and bleeding under the skin that causes red blotchiness of the skin. Being, like the symptoms of scurvy, affects the skin. Both have to do with an outward appearance of the skin. However, scurvy is caused by malnourishment. We need to follow the entire Word of God and not focus on just one part.

Acts 20:27-28 NKJV 27 "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

The last blemish is that of damaged or crushed testicles. A man with damaged testicles can’t reproduce. As Believers, we are to make disciples, that is, reproduce our faith in others. Paul looks on those he brings into the faith as his children.

Galatians 4:19-20 NKJV 19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

One of Yeshua’s last words to His disciples was to make more disciples throughout the entire earth.

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Paul tells us in Romans to present our entire bodies as a living sacrifice to God, one that is holy, pure, and perfect. He tells us that the way we can do this is to allow ourselves to be conformed to Yeshua’s image by allowing the water of the word to wash us and purify us. When we follow these instructions, we can be both the perfect priest in our service to God and the perfect sacrifice as we live for Him.

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      Compare Paul’s words to the assembly of Messiah in Ephesians 5:27 to the blemish free requirements for the priesthood.

 

2.      Paul says that the minds of the children of Israel were blinded in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 referring back to Moses and events at Mt. Sinai. What caused their blindness? What caused Paul’s spiritual blindness

 

3.      The list of blemishes begins with blindness and ends with crushed testicles or the inability to reproduce. How does these two encompass all of the blemishes?

 

General Portion Questions

 

4.      This Torah portion includes the instructions that offerings brought to the LORD also be without blemish in Leviticus 22:17-25. How does Malachi address this issue in Malachi 1:6-8? How does this apply to us?

 

5.      Who can eat the offerings that are holy to the LORD? Are there greater implications about this restriction?

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

 

© 2023 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.