Ma’asei (Journeys) Num 33:1–36:13; Jer 2:4–28, 3:4, 4:1–2; Matt 24:1–25:46
“These are the journeys of [masa’ei] the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.” (Num 33:1)
We are currently in the middle of the 3-week period in the Hebrew calendar known as ‘Bein ha Metzorim’ (Between the straits) between 17th Tammuz and the 9th Av (16th July – 6th August) where Jewish people reflect upon their history and reflect upon the consequences of walking in rebellion to the commandments of God and forsaking Him in place of every conceivable evil adopted from the surrounding pagan nations. The Jewish people have experienced many horrific journeys throughout history, of which many have been of their own doing due to spiritual rebellion and unfaithfulness.
This period is, therefore, a very dark time of mourning and repentance. Whilst we celebrate the awesome character of God’s love, compassions and mercy we should never forget that it is a fearful (or dreadful) thing to fall under the judgment of the living God.(Heb.10:31)
It is interesting that the most awful calamities in Jewish history occurred between the dates between Bein ha Metzorim, in particular on the 9th Av. For example:
- Destruction of the 1st Temple in 586 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar, where over 100,000 people were slaughtered and millions were exiled;
• the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 AD foretold by Yeshua. Over 2 million Jews died and another million were exiled;
- Crushing of the Jewish uprising against the Roman Empire in 136 AD by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered and the remaining Jews scattered throughout the four corners of the earth.
- 1095 AD —Saw the commencement of the Crusades where countless thousands of innocent Jews were slaughtered and whole Jewish communities obliterated
- 1492 AD —At Tisha B’Av, an edict was given by King Ferdinand and Isobella of Spain to expel all its Jewish citizens and many were slaughtered
- 1914 AD —(Tisha B’Av was August 1)—The commencement of World War 1, that led to the economic conditions in Germany to provide Hitler with the necessary influence to implement his attempted ‘Final Solution’—the extermination of the 6 million Jewish people.
At Tisha B’Av and throughout the 3-week period of ‘Bein ha Metzorim’ observant Jews reflect upon the stark consequences of spiritual rebellion which led to many of the things mentioned (immorality, idolatry murder, baseless hatred, in particular) but we must distinguish between God’s judgment and His faithfulness because if it was not for the covenant promises He made to His covenant people, or His covenant promises to us through the shed blood of Yeshua, none of us would make it!
So the 4th and 5th months in the Hebrew calendar lead on to the 6th month of Elul which is also a period of intense introspection in preparation for Rosh ha Shanah and Yom Kippur in the 7th month. This means that from the 4th month of Tammuz through to the 7th month of Tishrei – a four-month period, is immersed in deep reflection and repentance for sins committed in our history. But the key question we must ask is how to find the solution to the pollution – the dilemma of sin – because there are no short cuts.
This week’s Torah portion links with journeys made by the children of Israel whilst they were in the wilderness. All of their stops were chronicled from their exit from Egypt up to this point. It was like keeping a photo album of memories and it is here that we gain a glimpse of the purpose why God instructed the Israelites to be mindful of this. It was to enable future generations to reflect upon and learn from the experiences of their forefathers so that they could both celebrate their victories and avoid mistakes made never to be repeated. And in fact the next generation who entered Cannan did well in this regard under the leadership of Joshua. And furthermore, they would remember and retell important events that were celebrated known as Moedim (rehearsals) or ‘Feasts’ that the Israelites were commanded to keep forever as detailed in Lev 23 – the 7 feasts of Israel celebrated annually and observing faithfully Shabbat.
In this parasha, we read that during the Israelites 40-year period of desert wanderings, Moses kept a desert itinerary that consisted of 42 journeys. On reading it can appear really monotonous and something we may just want to skip over. We read,“So the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth. And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. And they set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.…” (Num 33:5–7)
On and on continues the list of places, with a length of stay from less than 24 hours to days, months, and even years. But it is often in the seemingly least interesting parts of the Bible which hold the greatest significance. As with the Israelites, God maintains a spiritual photo album of our lives with every detail carefully chronicled in the minutest detail that will be revealed in full and for all of Heaven to celebrate in eternity. All the bad parts will be left out. Why?
The incredible grace of God is revealed here for believers because all our failures and shortcomings are covered by the shed blood of Yeshua who stated, “I (God) will remember their sins no more.” (Heb 8:12 quoted from Isai 43:25) and “As far as the East is from the West, so has He removed our transgressions from us!” (Ps.103:12)
As we reflect upon our personal life experiences we grow in faith and wisdom as we bear witness to the absolute faithfulness of God in every circumstance we face. And so, every thought and intention, every action however small that contributes to our journey will bear witness before the throne of God on the Day of Judgement where each person will have to give an account For believers, this will be a moment of incredible joy but for the unbeliever, it will be a moment of eternal regret. Yeshua describes this powerfully in Matt 25 that brings these things to the fore.
“31 “When the Son of Man appears in his majestic glory, with all his angels by his side, he will take his seat on his throne of splendor, 32 and all the nations will be gathered together before him.[j] And like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats, he will separate all the people. 33 The ‘sheep’ he will put on his right side and the ‘goats’ on his left. 34 Then the King will turn to those on his right and say, ‘You have a special place in my Father’s heart. Come and experience the full inheritance of the kingdom realm that has been destined for you from before the foundation[k] of the world! 35 For when you saw me hungry, you fed me. When you found me thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I had no place to stay, you invited me in, 36 and when I was poorly clothed, you covered me. When I was sick, you tenderly cared for me, and when I was in prison you visited me.’
37 “Then the godly will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty and give you food and something to drink? 38 When did we see you with no place to stay and invite you in? When did we see you poorly clothed and cover you? 39 When did we see you sick and tenderly care for you, or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you cared for one of the least important of these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me.’
41 “Then to those on his left the King will say, ‘Leave me! For you are under the curse of eternal fire that has been destined for the devil and all his demons. 42 For when you saw me hungry, you refused to give me food, and when you saw me thirsty, you refused to give me something to drink. 43 I had no place to stay, and you refused to take me in as your guest. When you saw me poorly clothed, you closed your hearts and would not cover me. When you saw that I was sick, you didn’t lift a finger to help me, and when I was imprisoned, you never came to visit me.’
44 “And then those on his left will say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty and not give you food and something to drink? When did we see you homeless, or poorly clothed? When did we see you sick and not help you, or in prison and not visit you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you refused to help one of the least important among these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you refused to help and honor me.’ 46 And they will depart from his presence and go into eternal punishment. But the godly and beloved ‘sheep’ will enter into eternal bliss.”
Good deeds only hold merit in context to relationship with the living God. The pathway to Hell is paved with good works. There are many good people who do not know God who will spend eternity in Hell because they refused His offer of eternal life available to the whosoever through the shedding of HIs blood for our sins. He couldn’t have demonstrated His love for us in any greater way and each one of us will have to face up to the consequences of our choices in life.
Maybe today you are going through a time in the wilderness or disappointment, or just feel you have lost your way in life? But there is hope and a promise for each and every person who places their trust in the living God through our Saviour and Redeemer, Yeshua Ha Mashiach who alone can make our paths straight and guide us through life safely.
In all of this, the Israelites somehow lost their way and failed to apprehend lessons from their journey that God had mapped out for them.
Our God is described as ‘The Fountain of Living Water’ (Makor Mayim Chayim) in this week’s Haftarah portion in the opening chapters of Jeremiah. God called His people to recall and reflect how they walked away from Him their Source of Life.
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the Spring of Living Water [Makor Mayim Chayim], and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)
On the last day of the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles), on Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood up and boldly proclaimed that He Himself is the source of Living Water:
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures have said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive…” (John 7:37–39)
Do we thirst for more of God in our lives, because He is longing to make His habitation with us? He alone can refresh and provide us with His living water and through Him we can have victory in Yeshua through every journey in life we face:
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. … to give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” (Isai 43:18–21)
Raphael ben Levi
