Some preliminary thoughts… by Raphael ben Levi
As usual, the goings on in Israel is on the radar throughout the world —for good or for bad, but few people ever question why? Yet God clearly stated in Scripture that in the last days it would be like this. Israel is the epicentre of the world literally and metaphorically rooted in God’s eternal purposes with Jerusalem being the “city of the great King.” Who does Jerusalem belong to? Not, the muslims, the Gentiles or even the Jews – it belongs to God Himself (Ps.48). Those who come against it are warned in Zech. 2:8, that “…any nation who harms you harms the apple of My eye” (lit: the pupil). Zech. 12 lays things out in plain sight to reveal to us exactly how things stand now and will end:
“2 Watch what I’m about to do! I’m going to make Jerusalem like a cup of strong alcohol to confuse all her neighbouring peoples. When they lay siege to Jerusalem, Judah will also be in the fight. 3 On that day, when the enemies begin the attack, I will make Jerusalem a solid stone which cannot be moved; any who try to lift her will only be weighed down and seriously hurt themselves. All the nations on earth will come together to oppose her. 4 And on that day I promise I, the Eternal One, will confound every horse and drive every rider to madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the people of Judah even as I blind every war horse from every enemy nation. 5 Every clan of Judah will see what I am doing and believe, “The people of Jerusalem cannot be beaten because the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies and their True God, leads them.” 6 On that day, I will make the clans of Judah unstoppable against their enemies, a blazing pot igniting a pile of tinder, a flaming torch consuming dry bundles of wheat. They will devour all the surrounding peoples, those to the right and those to the left, but Jerusalem will remain safe and secure, bustling with citizens. 7 The Eternal will ensure that victory comes first to the tents of Judah, so that the respect due the family of David and the citizens of Jerusalem will not outstrip the respect owed to Judah as a whole. So Jerusalem need not boast, but neither should it fear. 8 When that day comes, the Eternal will protect her citizens as a shield does. He will make the weak who stumble become like David, brave in battle; the royal line of David will be like God, like the Special Messenger of the Eternal One who goes before them in travels and in battle.
9 On that day, rest assured, I will set out to destroy all the nations who attack Jerusalem. 10 And I pledge that I will pour out a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy on the family of David and the citizens of Jerusalem. As a result, they will look upon Me whom they pierced, they will grieve over Him as one grieves for an only child, and they will moan and weep for Him as one weeps for a firstborn son. 11 On that day, the grieving in Jerusalem will be as great as the pagans’ grieving ritual honouring Hadadrimmon on the plain of Megiddo each year. 12-14 The land itself will seem to mourn as family after family begins to grieve privately: the family of David and their wives, the family of Nathan’s descendants and their wives, the family of Levi and their wives, the family of Shimei and their wives, and all the families that are left and their wives. They will all mourn, a profound and private grief.”
If only the nations would read this chapter in Scripture and take heed, God’s wrath on so many would be spared!
One thing we are aware of whilst we actively pray for Israel’s leaders, is that unless one has personal friends in power, there are limitations to gaining access to relevant knowledge of the minutiae not least because of the unreliability and fake news of social media and that’s why we need always to refer to Scripture for accurate information and spiritual discernment and guard ourselves on being so easily deceived by fake news. In all of this whilst taking heed to the times we are living in, we must not neglect to occupy our lives as God’s children in this world while there still is time.
And this is something we can take control of that can impact directly and powerfully our influence upon our immediate surroundings— at home with our close friends and families. I believe that there is no force more powerful than a family being used by God in any generation and so it’s not surprising that the family is a prime target of Satan.
Here is my point. I believe that a nation can prosper with healthy families even if the government is problematic. But it will have a much harder time succeeding with an incredible government and a nation of broken, dysfunctional and hurting families. And in the spiritual sense I want to highlight the importance, as mishpocha, to cherish the love and unity that God has given us. Never take it for granted and guard it with your lives for not only will it strengthen and nurture us, it provides a declaration to the unseen realm that God’s Kingdom is alive and well, and furthermore within the surrounding community they will be provoked to jealousy to receive Yeshua as their personal Saviour. This is a powerful form of evangelism that goes beyond words because it is a lifestyle and something that we are all called to be.
PARSHAT SHALACH LECHA by Raphael ben Levi
Num. 13:1 – 15:41
God spoke to Moses, telling him to instruct the Israelites to make fringes on the corners of their garments as a permanent regulation: “Let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe: look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord and observe them, so that you do not stray after your heart and eyes which in the past have led you to immorality. “
And so we see several things here. First, it was something tangible to recall the entire 613 commandments of the Law and this in itself was no easy task, let alone to implement them! The Talmud divides them up into 248, “Thou shalts” and 365, ‘Thou shalt nots.’ Most people could never commit all 613 to memory. And also, a significant number would be impossible to keep following the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70AD. Interestingly, the human body also has 248 limbs (and organs), that correspond to the 248 positive commandments of the Torah, and 365 connecting tissues, veins or sinews, corresponding to the 365 “thou shalt nots”of the Torah.
There is a curious passage in the Talmud stating that Moses gave 613 commands in total to the Israelites, but as these commands might prove too numerous to commit to memory, King David brought them down to just 11 in Ps.15 where he opens with a question, “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?” Isaiah reduced these to 6 in Is.33:15. Then the prophet Micah (6:8) further reduced them to 3 (“He has shown you o man what is good…To act justly; to love kindness and mercy; to walk humbly with the Lord.”) and the prophet Isaiah again reduced them to 2 (56:1). These 2 (to maintain justice and observe righteousness) were reduced to 1 by the prophet, Amos 5:4 – “to seek the Lord wholeheartedly and live.” However, in case people were trapped into mistakenly thinking that God can only be found through keeping the Law perfectly, the prophet Habbakuk said in 2:4, “The just shall live by His faith,” a statement the apostle Paul made strongly that led to a spiritual revelation in the 16th century forming the basis of the Protestant Reformation.
Faith is defined in the Book of Hebrews as “the substance of things hoped for and the reality of things not seen.” The chapter continues by presenting a list of a widely diverse group of people who the writer describes as “heroes of faith” who though imperfect took God at His word and lived their lives in accordance with this and it was accounted to them as righteousness.
So in view of these things, have the OT commandments become obsolete since no person can keep them perfectly and anyway doesn’t the New Covenant now make the old covenant obsolete? By no means! It still defines the reality and quality of our faith. Yeshua Himself emphasised this consistently throughout His earthly ministry, perhaps summarising things most succinctly when quoting from the Shema and the also the Book of Lev.19:18 in response to those who sought to test Him. (Matt. 22:35-40). Yeshua also clearly stated in Matt 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” I know I may be preaching to the converted but the majority of the church worldwide throughout history until now still embraces replacement theology which denies that the Jewish nation and people have any part in God’s eternal plan.
So, back to the parsha! Moses said, “Let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe: look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord and observe them……. so that you do not stray after your heart and eyes which in the past have led you to immorality.”
(Why specifically ‘immorality’ and not a more generic description such as “disobedience” or “rebellion”? I believe it is because immorality above all other sins has been the doorway employed by Satan throughout history to corrupt and bring the downfall of people throughout the ages – of individuals, communities and even civilisations – on many occasions this has included (to our shame as the Church of God) godly people, pastors and leaders included).
Moses urged the Israelites to remember and keep all the commandments and be “holy to your God.” (15:37-41) (We cannot be selective in what commands we decide to keep and those we neglect or ignore).
The curious instruction given to the Israelites to wear tzitzit comes at the tail end of this parsha in a short last paragraph, yet one regarded as so important that it became embedded in the Shema, the cornerstone of Jewish faith for godly living.
God wanted to protect them from falling victim to sin and unbelief and it was here reflected in the tzitzit (or fringes) worn on the bottom edges of an outer garment. It provided the Israelites as an aid-memoire to keep them walking in close fellowship with Him but in itself it was no more than an ornament that carried no power. The purpose of the tzit-tzit was to assist the Israelites to apply God’s commands steadfastly and unconditionally. And for us too, we must also carry God’s word foremost in our hearts and apply it faithfully in our lives, without substituting it or giving higher priority on external substitutes however legitimate they may be.
The gematria of ‘tzitzit’ is 600. Each of the fringes contains 8 threads and 5 knots making a total of 613 corresponding to the 613 commands contained in the Torah. It rdemonstrates God’s desire to bring healing and restoration for those who choose to follow Him wholeheartedly and unreservedly. Mal.4:2: “… for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” This is why the psalmist could say in Ps.17:8: “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings” something so much needed especially in these days we live in.
In Mark 6 is the story of a woman suffering from chronic bleeding who was healed when she touched the hem, or fringed corner of Yeshua’s garment. And, “Wherever (Yehsua) went, in towns, cities or country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the tzit-zit on his robe, and all who touched it were healed.” (vs.25-34)
The message of the tzit-tzit is in stark contrast to the tragic message of unbelief that tainted the Israelites. The 10 leaders told the Israelites, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we . . . The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.” Num.13:31-32
In fact, as we later discover in the book of Joshua, the inhabitants of the land were terrified of the Israelites. When Joshua sent spies to Jericho, Rahab told them “A great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.” When the people heard what God had done for the Israelites, “our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you” (Josh.2:9-11)
The 12 leaders should have considered the song they had sung at the Red Sea led by Miriam with dancing and tambourines as they sang, “The people of Canaan melted away; terror and dread fell upon them.” But instead, 10 of them had selectively forgotten. Through the fear of man, 10 were overwhelmed and bound to unbelief in a God who they believed was unable to deliver them from situations that were too big to handle. Does that resonate? But Joshua and Caleb chose to put their full trust in God as they would have been reminded of through the tzit-tzit.
When we place our full trust in the Lord even what Satan succeeds against us will ultimately be used by God for His glory because He always has the last word and in this sense there is no such thing as failure in the Kingdom of God and He never views us as failures. No, but we do need to learn to fail well knowing that in Him “all things work together for good for those in Messiah Yeshua…” (Rom. 8:28). So failing well actually means we give God permission to take full control of our lives and allow Him to steer us through every crisis and challenge for His glory! “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31)
The outer garment worn by the Israelites was known as the “tallit” (the prayer shawl worn by Jews for prayer) at the bottom of which the tzit-tzit were attached. The tradition for observant Jews to wrap their heads in their prayer shawls is linked to their belief in the resurrection. In veiling their faces in death, it reflected their hope in the next life. And in this sense, to be wrapped in one’s prayer shawl also symbolised the belief that even in death a true believer is “hiding under the shadow of the Almighty’s wings,” (Ps.91:1) the only place where we can find full security against all evil.
We read in John.11:44 in the story of Lazarus’ resurrection that “…The man (Lazarus) who had been dead came out, his hands and feet wrapped in strips of linen and his face covered with a cloth (tallit). Yeshua said to them, “Unwrap him, and let him go!” Also in John 20:3-7 concerning Yeshua’s burial. And in Acts 19:11-12 “…God did extraordinary miracles through Sha’ul. For instance, handkerchiefs and aprons (Tallit) that had touched him were brought to sick people; they would recover from their ailments; and the evil spirits would leave them.”
In biblical times, tzit-tzit became a symbol of a person’s authority. When David spared Saul’s life in the cave at En Gedi, he cut off the comer of Saul’s robe, symbolically demonstrating that the king’s authority would be cut off. (1Sam.24:20)
Even as the colour blue of the tallit symbolises royalty, the white fabric of the fringed garment stands for priestly holiness. In Deut. 22:11 and Lev.19:19, an Israelite was forbidden to wear a garment of mixed wool and linen, a combination called sha’tnez for the very reason that the priestly garments were made of that blend. Sha’tnez was a “holy” combination of wool and linen, which simply marked a person as being separated for God’s service. The blue cord was wool, the other threads were linen.
There is much symbolism and shadows and types contained in the tallit but the emphasis for the early believers was upon the inner condition of our hearts. “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. “ (1Pet.3:3-4)
Outer beauty is subjective but inner beauty can be seen by everyone. Outer beauty is largely beyond our control, inner beauty can be cultivated. Outer beauty changes over time, inner beauty is eternal. We are not forbidden to wear outer adornments but our primary obligation is always to first cultivate our relationship with God in and through relationship lest we descend into forms of legalistic expressions of faith.
We can all too easily focus upon the gifts rather than the Giver, become immersed in spiritual pride, and measure our spirituality by the manifestation of them apart from the depth of our relationship with God. This error can lead to false images and renegade spirituality.
There has never been a greater urgency for the fire of God to consume our lives than in these current days. Caleb was a mighty warrior who entered into his full inheritance because he fully embraced the promises spoken over his life. Why did he believe whilst so many other of his contemporaries walked in unbelief? It was the fire of God that consumed him and kept his focus clear, the flame enclosed in the lamp, representing theTorah of God.
