24
June, 2017
Torah
Parashah - Korach ~ B’midbar (Numbers)
16:1- 18:32
an
article
Korach
- and a Rod... and standing...
I
want to read you a short article from a Christian prophecy email I get.... I know it is in “christianese”... but I think this is a breakthrough... at
least for the author....
“Every imperfect and normal family wants their kids to turn out
right. So, we establish goals for character development and try to create an
environment where our kids can mature.
Church, school, sports teams, family relationships ... each of
these provides a context where our kids can learn to "love your neighbor
as yourself."
Unfortunately, our "good" objectives might have
absolutely nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we inadvertently
end up raising pagans instead of Christians.
Too many times, (Christian) parents have it as their goal to
make their kids good and moral.
It is as if the entire purpose of their family's spiritual life
is to shape their children into law-abiding citizens who stay out of
trouble.
The only problem with this goal is that it runs in stark
contrast to what the Bible teaches. The
gospel is not about making bad people moral, but about making dead people
alive.
If we teach morality without the transforming power of the
gospel and the necessity of a life fully surrendered to God's will, we are
raising moral pagans.
We
end up teaching the wrong thing because we have the wrong objectives.
This sentiment was stirred in me afresh when I read an interview
with VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer. He was reflecting on how the
"Christian message" he was trying to teach wasn't Christianity at
all:
"I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had
spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually
teaching them Christianity. And that was a pretty serious conviction.
You can say, 'Hey kids, be more forgiving because the Bible says
so,'or 'Hey kids, be more kind because the Bible says so!' But that isn't
Christianity, it's morality...
"And that was such a huge shift for me from the American
Christian ideal. We're drinking a cocktail that's a mix of the Protestant work
ethic, the American dream and the gospel. And we've intertwined them so
completely that we can't tell them apart anymore.
Our
gospel has become a gospel of following your dreams and being good so God will
make all your dreams come true. It's the Oprah god."
So what is your objective?
Do you teach your kids "be good because the Bible tells you
to" or do you teach your kids that they will never be good without Christ's offer of grace? There is a huge
difference.
One leads to moralism; the other leads to brokenness.
One leads to self-righteousness; the other leads to a life that realizes that Christ is everything
and that nothing else matters.
I want my kids to be good. We all do. But as our kids grow up,
the truth of the gospel can easily get lost somewhere between salvation (where
we know we need Jesus) and living life (where we tend to say "I've got
this").
My experience is that the
vast majority of parents are encouraging moral behavior in their kids so that
God will bless their (usually self-centered) pursuits.
It's
the American dream plus Jesus. And it produces good, moral pagans.
Consider the key objectives you have for your kids.
Seriously, take a minute to think about what
would deem you a successful parent.
If your goals are focused on your kids' behavior, their
happiness or their accomplishments but
don't include a dependence upon Christ and a submission to His will and work,
you might want to make some adjustments.
Because the world has enough pagans. Even plenty of really nice
ones.
What
we need is kids who fully grasp the reality that they have nothing to offer but
who intimately know a God who has everything they need.”
---Barrett Johnson is the founder of I.N.F.O. for Families and the author of "The Young
Man's Guide to Awesomeness."
~~ end of article.
Interesting
about Veggie tales author….
I am not sure I agree with the last paragraph “they have nothing
to offer…” Because YHUH - created them amazing…. they have gifts and talents
and abilities. … They can do incredible things...
BUT — it doesn’t matter what they are able to do... or how
smart or funny .... or beautiful or nice they are... or even what gifts
and talents they have... None of it matters ... if they don’t have Messiah and
live a life the way HE has called you to live it.
**
Torah
Interestingly
enough... the Torah parashah talks about some people who didn’t live the way
they were called to live...
B’midbar
16 p 120
story
of Korach... and 249 other men....
-
Keep
in mind these were the “leaders of the
congregation... famous in the congregation, men of name recognition” (verse
16:2)
These
men and their families (Scripture says -
“and their little children”.... and their STUFF... got swallowed up by the earth ....
...
“and the earth opens her mouth and swallows them up with all that pertains to them,
and they go down quickly into Sheol.” 16:30.
And
... people are complaining that Moshe killed these leaders and their
families...
B’midbar
16: 44-50
p 121
Keporah
= blood atonement / sin covering
B’midbar
16:48
“And
he stood between the dead and the living : and the plague was stopped.”
I
know we have talked about this verse before but lets make sure we consider
something....
Korach
and his buddies were the 250 LEADERS of the congregation, they were FAMOUS,
people knew their NAMES....
and
the other’s that lived - well many of them... they were angry at Moshe... and YHUH got so angry he sent a plague to
wipe those people out....
This
is a large scale example of what having a person with a bad attitude on a team,
or in the company - is a poison to the rest of the group...
....the
rotten apple if you will...
and
YHUH is going to wipe out that poison...
I
also find it interesting... that Aharon has to make keporah - blood atonement,
a sin covering for them... and take
incense ...
....
and go stand in the face of death...
for
a bunch of people that were against Moshe, his leader, and what he, Aharon was
doing....
Now I invite you to think about when you have had to deal with people who - maybe
the angel of death isn’t sweeping over... but who just rub you the wrong way...
just get under your skin, so to speak, and are very irritating....
Notice
the big jobs... that Moshe and Aharon
seem to do - are about dealing with unhappy people... AND still doing the
life-giving thing for them!
So
when someone is very irritating to you - are you praying for them??
The
other thing is... imagine this
picture... people start dying ...
-
It is like “the wave” - at a baseball game....
only they don’t stand up - they just fall down - dead..... and the line
of those dying keeps moving ... and
Aharon takes the fire pan of incense and runs between ... those that have just
died... and those that were still alive.
I
want to say - it must have been frankincense - because we have some
understanding of how healing that is! :)
But
as I read this story - there doesn’t seem to be any sort of assurance that
Aharon won’t be killed...
and
for people that are irritating!
It’s
one thing to risk your life for someone you love and who loves you...I think it is a different thing - to risk your life to help someone who doesn’t
even like you.
Think
again about the irritating people in your life.
Think
again - about how much you are praying for that person. And maybe also how you
are interacting with them and your attitude toward them.
And
consider this...
I
don’t think....Aharon stood facing death in the face - between the living and
the dead... because he necessarily liked those people....
He
did it because YHUH called him to be the priest and intercede for those
people.
Standing holding incense facing death in the face. THAT is intercession.
But
maybe kneeling and facing death in the face... and praying YHUH’s life and
restoration for those irritating ones is
what HE calls priests to do.
You
might want to ponder on this a bit... I know I need to.
~~
In
the last 2 weeks, Kevin had the wonderful opportunity to tell a bit of his
story in a presentation to two different classes... about 110 people in all...
And
he told amazing stories...
stories
about his experiences being a coach and a teacher....
He
told funny stores and sad stories and joyful stories.
His
point was - to invite people to consider ... that when life is beautiful and
joyous and amazing... it is easy to be hopeful and faithful...
But
life is life... and there is some hard stuff.... and we better learn to handle
the “regular hard stuff”... so we will
be able to handle the really hard stuff when it comes.... because sooner or
later it will come...
AND
the big opportunity is... when the really awful stuff happens - to see that as
what Kevin says...
“Every
moment is an opportunity for greatness.”
Meaning
- in the tough stuff - that is when I have the greatest opportunity to do
things that make the biggest impact.
So
here is Moshe and Aharon... at a pretty big crisis for Yisra’el... and Moshe is
on his face... praying... and Aharon - stands facing death in the face... for
people that don’t even like them!
So
- my question to you is...
Are
you standing ... facing the irritation in the face - because there are two powers in the world, YHUH and the adversary. If it is not one, it's the other.
Irritation
is a distraction - calling you to focus on it and not on YHUH...
Do
you know what the battle really is?
Because
in many ways... those people - the Christians - that article I read you, was
talking about... they don’t even know
they are IN a battle... let alone do they know how to fight...to
STAND and face death in the face... and not be moved, not compromise, not cave
in, not give up, and not become depressed.
So I ask you, Priests - what is your “irritation”? How do you respond to
it?
******
ROD - “shebet” ... “mattah”
YHUH
does what I think is a chukim - something that doesn’t make sense....
in
order to stop the murmurings...
B’midbar
17:5, 10
His
plan is - have each tribe - and see
which one blossoms... that guy is the
leader...
And
we know it was Aharon’s rod
“ROD”
= Strong’s H4294 = Matteh = mem - tet -
hey = masculine noun
= staff, branch, tribe, vine,
figuratively a support of
life
Yirmeyahu
(Jeremiah) 1:11-12
p 349
“Moreover
the word of YHUH came to me, saying, Yirmeyahu, what do you see? And I said, Master I see a branch of an
almond eytz. 12 Then said YHUH to me, You have seen well: for I will hasten My word to perform it.”
Sh’mot
(Exodus 4:2, 17) p 51
Moshe’s
rod...
4:2 “And YHUH said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.”
4:17 “And you shall take this rod in
your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Oral
history says - Moshe’s rod became Aaron’s rod... and it was given by Yah, to
Ahadam from the Tree of Life... the Etz
chayim. - I have no idea if that is true... but it sure is interesting!
Miracles
through the Rod -
Sh’mot
7:9-12
p 53
B’midbar
17:10-11
p 121
“Before
the testimony” - means in front of the
Ark of the Covenant - or on the side... where the Instructions were placed from
the Book of the Law.
Sh’mot
(Exodus) 16:33-34 p 61
“And
Moshe said to Aharon, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna inside, and
store it up before YHUH to be kept for your future generations. 34 As
YHUH commanded Moshe , so Aharon stored it before the Testimony, to be kept.”
The
rod and the manna - kept as....
Signs
of authority, and provision and mercy.
B’midbar
20:6-9 p 123
Moshe
is told to take his rod and gather the congregation and speak to the Rock ...
and water came out.
Maybe
the rod was used...
B’midbar
21:5-9 p 124
This
is the scripture that says he put a serpent on a pole...
and
the people who were bitten by the serpents... could look at the “serpent” and
be healed.
-
remember
that the “serpent” here is a poor translation...it should be the Hebrew word
for seraph...
-
but
never the less - a rod/pole - was involved.
So
Aharon’s rod budded and had almonds on it.
B’midbar
17:8
p 121
The
Hebrew word for almond - Strong’s #8247 = Shaqed = which is derived from shaqad
(Strong’s 8245 - meaning “hurry, hasten, be alert, watch for, or be wakeful”)
-
isn’t
that interesting.. be be alert, watch for, and be wakeful...
-That compares with: “Sh’ma
Yisra’el”
-
Does
anybody find it interesting that YHUH’s leaders are carrying around a piece of
tree?! And does that matter?
The
almond tree is named for blossoming early in January “as if it were in
haste”
And
where else do we hear about almond blossoms?
Sh’mot
(Exodus) 25:31-40 = the lamp stand - has almond blossoms....
The one thing YHUH gave us to represent Him (besides Messiah and people)!
~
Tehillim
(Psalm) 74:2
p 521
“Remember
Your congregation, which You have purchased of old; the rod of Your inheritance, which you have
redeemed; this Har Tzion, where You have
lived.”
Some
believe that David’s staff he carried when he faced Goliath - was the same
rod.
Tehillim
(Psalm) 23:4 p
503
“Yes,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
for You are with me; Your rod and Your
staff they comfort me.”
“STAFF”= Strong’s H7626 - “tribe, rod, sceptre, staff
- Probably
a “scion”
7626
is Scepter in:
B’re’shiyt
(Genesis) 49:10 p
47
“The
scepter shall not depart from Yahudah nor a lawgiver from between His feet,
until to whom it belongs comes the
obedient people.”
The
Midrash says that the Jewish kings were entrusted with preserving Aharon’s rod.
But
let’s go back to Tehillim 23
“STAFF”= Strong’s H7626 - “tribe, rod, sceptre, staff
- Probably
a “scion”
We
know that everything in the Word has tremendous meaning - most we don’t
get yet.
Romans
11: 16-28
p 847
Matthew
Nolan, in his Romans 11 part 2 (Please listen to this teaching!) says:
“The
Church triumphant has become indistinguishable from the nations – trodden down
and soiled within the culture where it lays bare.”
(first of all - doesn’t this sound like the article we started
with today?!)
Romans 11:26
“And so kol Yisra’el shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of
Tzion the Deliverer, and shall turn away wickedness from Yaakov.”
Tzion = SION in Greek - this most often means a proper noun -
the whole city of Jerusalem....
But it has a Hebrew root
H6726 Tsiyown (“tse -yon”)
So if you Google “Scion” ....
= a young shoot or twig of a plant, especially one cut for
grafting or rooting.
= a descendant of a notable family.
~
Grafting and budding are horticultural techniques used to join
parts from two or more plants so that they appear to grow as a single plant. In
grafting, the upper part (scion) of one plant grows on the root system
(rootstock) of another plant. In the budding process, a bud is taken from one
plant and grown on another.
Do you see how
this fits in to the “grafting” and what an arborist does?
Google also told
me....
“If
you graft a wild olive onto a cultivated olive tree, will the wild branch
become like that of a cultivated branch!”
Matthew Nolan said:
(It is an) “Error: an olive tree with natural
branches of the Jewish people, a Jewish olive tree. To teach that the olive
tree of Romans chapter 11 is Jewish and that the branches that are grafted in
are gentiles, is false!”
Matthew Nolan:
“The two olive trees of Zechariah 4. The unsolved mystery
contained in Chapter 4 of Zechariah.
Zechariah
4:3 two olive-trees are by it, one on the right of the bowl, and one on its
left…..what are these? …..V.11 And I answer and say unto him, ‘What are these
two olive-trees, on the right of the candlestick, and on its left?’And I answer
a second time, and say unto him, ‘What are the two branches of the olive trees
that, by means of the two golden pipes, are emptying out of themselves the
oil?’And he speaketh unto me, saying, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I
say, ‘No, my lord.’And he saith, ‘These are my two anointed ones, who are
standing by the Master of the whole earth.’
Leviticus
7:36 Who’s YHWH’s anointed one that turned into two – two houses: Which YHWH commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he
anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.
The anointing is always over Israel.
The blind leading the blind. Asked what are the these, in regard
to the two houses of Israel, most answer, ‘I
don’t know’.
The heavenly vision never having been revealed to him.
The two olive trees are the Two Houses of Israel (Isaiah 8:14,
Jeremiah 31:31, Jeremiah 11:16-17), Two Nations (Ezekiel 35:10), Two Chosen
Families (Jeremiah 33:24), Two Backslidden Sisters (Ezekiel 23:2-4), Two Olive
Branches (Zechariah 4:11-14, Jeremiah 11:16-17), Two Sticks (Ezekiel 37:15-28),
Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-4), Two Lamp Stands (Revelation 11:3),Two Spies
from Efrayim and Judah (Numbers 13:6), Two Congregations (Revelation 1:20).”
The tree was planted :
B’re’shiyt
12:3
p 16
“And
I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you
shall all the mishpachot of the earth be blessed/mixed.”
And
throughout the book - there is talk of trees - 2 trees, and
talk of people carrying a part of a tree. It’s
all about the big picture. The
one tree - splitting in to two trees. And
the 2 sticks or trees in the hand of The Prophet Yechezkel.... becoming ONE -
again.
Interesting,
isn’t it - that something so simple as a stick... so much meaning.... and that a particular stick represents the
power of the living Alohiym, in order to teach people then and now.
And
isn’t it also interesting that trees are sometimes a metaphor for people in
Torah...
So
we are back to -some questions...
What
do you carry around?... There was a
quote about “speak softly but carry a big stick”....
A
stick with YHUH’s power would be a big stick!.... it represents His authority
and
if trees are a metaphor of people ...
let
me bend that around a bit and ask you...
What
power and authority do you carry?
Do
you know the battle you are in?
I
know, in that battle it is easy to get caught up and frustrated... and lose
focus from YHUH to becoming angry and focused on the “mess”....
is
that when you just stay angry...
or
is that when you understand this fight... and
drop
to your knees and - you - one who carries His power and authority... because
the same Spirit that raised Yahusha from the dead, lives in you.... and pray for those that are irritating ???
Do
you STAND and stare death (or the mess) in the face and refuse to be moved...
and then focus on YHUH....
Because
it is in those moments... when things aren’t what we had hoped.... in those
moments... THAT is where we were born to fight... and overcome.
This
kind of thinking... is what moves us from - having a nice faith in morality....
to
understanding... that I can not fight -
if “that same Spirit that raised Yahusha from the dead” - does not live in me.
It’s
all about Yahusha.... and if I am
looking to Him.
Baruch
hashem YHUH!
Sh’ma
Yisra’el.
Amein.
