Climb Higher

Portion for Reading: Duet 1-3
Msg : Duet 2:3
Deuteronomy 2:3 sums it up well: "You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north." At the time, the Israelites were encamped south of the Promised Land. In order to be where God intended them to enter the Promised Land, they needed to move in a northerly direction. He gave them very specific directions about who they were to encounter and who they were to avoid encountering. The important matter for them was to "decide to turn north." They could further rebel against God's leadership and suffer the consequences or they could decide to trust God's leadership. They had a choice.

What a lesson for both individual Christians and churches. When we take a personal inventory of our own lives, we too probably will find those times when we have chosen our own path instead of God's way. We wandered in our own wilderness for a while. Then one day, we were awakened spiritually. Although we were ashamed of our rebellion, we discovered the Lord was giving us another opportunity to turn north. Churches have found themselves in the same situation. The Israelites didn't have a monopoly on rebellion. Most of the rebellion of churches has been of a subtle nature. They have drifted over the years far from their spiritual moorings. Many have forgotten what they were called to do; to be a witness for the Lord and an instrument of blessing to all.

We find in verses 14-15 a reminder that the Lord will "fulfill his purposes according to his conditions and timing." These verses remind us that during the years of wandering, all the fighting men except Caleb and Joshua perished. God's judgment of their unbelief was fulfilled. Let us be reminded of three things: God is sovereign

God wants us to climb high in life, and not stay at one place like the Israelites.

The Boundaries of Palestine and Israel - Past Present and Future

The Boundaries of Palestine and Israel - Past Present and Future
Gideon Biger
Boundaries of Canaan As Per Num 34:1-12
The LORD said to Moses, "Command the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance will have these boundaries: " 'Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern boundary will start from the end of the Salt Sea, cross south of Scorpion [b] Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Sea.

" 'Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This will be your boundary on the west.

" 'For your northern boundary, run a line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north.

" 'For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Kinnereth. Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea.

" 'This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.' "

The boundaries of Palestine and Israel were created in three main stages : 1er- Outside and international involvement 1906-1947 2e- Boundaries of Wars. 1948-1974. 3e- Boundaries of peace. 1979- onward...
The boundaries of Palestine and Israel were created in three main stages :

1er- Outside and international involvement 1906-1947 2e- Boundaries of Wars. 1948-1974. 3e- Boundaries of peace. 1979- onward.
1er. The first stage had three sub stages in it : 1. The first one began during the Ottoman period, when the area known today by the name of Palestine, Philistine or Eretz Israel, was part of the Ottoman empire without any formal boundary lines, even administrative lines. There was no administrative unit by that name, which was an abstract phenomenon, rather then a territorial unit. The first line established in that the British, who enforced in 1906 the Ottoman Empire to accept a line, which run from the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Although the line was administrative separated line it fixed the southwestern line of the future area of Palestine. The Turco-British agreement never named the area east of the line as Palestine.

2. Later on, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the British got in 1920 the Mandate for Palestine, the first time this name appeared in the international agreements. Palestine had no boundaries so the British established the first international boundaries of Palestine. The northern line was established after long negotiations with the French Authorities which ruled Lebanon and Syria. The Eastern line was established by the British Administration, which placed the line along the Jordan River and the Arava valley, thus separated between western and eastern Palestine. The British adopted the 1906 line as the southwestern line of British Palestine.

3. During the 1930's and the 1940's the British (in 1937) and the United Nations (1947) suggested the partition of British Palestine between the Jews and the Arabs (with British and later International enclaves around Jerusalem). The Jews accepted the partitions but the Arabs refused to accept it.

2e - The War boundaries - 1948 -1974
In late 1947 a civil war was conducted in Palestine between the Arabs and the Jews. The Arab lost the war and an Arab state never comes to excite in Palestine. The Jewish population established the State of Israel in May 1948, without any definitive boundary lines. Five Arab independence states (Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon declared war against Israel. The war lasted for about a year, ended with the armistice agreements between Israel and its surrounding countries. Egypt occupied the Gaza strip, Transjordan occupied the West Bank and Israel occupied its United Nation area and some areas designated for the Arab State by the United Nation. Thus, in 1949 Israel had its armistice lines, Transjordan became Jordan (after taking the West Bank and the Palestinian Arabs, who lost their war, got nothing. In 1967 another war broke out, in which Israel managed to bit three Arab armies, occupying Sinai from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Height from Syria. Israel line was then along the Suez Canal, along the British line between Palestine and Transjordan and along the Roqad River in the Golan Height. Another war, that of 1973, changed those line in some parts, mainly in the Golan Height.

3e. The Peace boundaries 1979-0nward.
In 1979 Israel and Egypt signed the Peace agreement in which the 1906 line was established as the international boundary between Israel and Egypt. Gaza Strip was left for future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. In 1996 Israel and Jordan signed the Peace agreement in which the Mandatory line, with some small changes, was adopted as the international boundary between the two countries. Peace talks that took place between Israel and Syria in early 2000 never brought any agreement and the 1974 line still exist. The Oslo agreement and its continuations placed some areas of the West Bank and Gaza under the authority of A Palestinian Authority regime but the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, held in 2000, never came the a successful end.

The prospect future
One can assume that Israel and Syria will come to a peace agreement, which will place the boundary line along the Syria-Palestine line of 1923 with some small changes. As for the situation inside Palestine, it is desired that the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with some modifications, based on the population dispersion, will become the Palestinian State, after accepting the existence of the State of Israel, without any armed activities against its population. There are many suggestions concerning the location of the future line between the two states, based on many criteria - defense' water resources, population dispersions, holy site etc. but this will be established after a long but fruitful peace discussions.

Deal With It Now

Num 31-33
Num 33:55 (NIV) 55 "'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.

Moses warned the Children of Israel. He told them they needed to drive out all the inhabitants of the land God had given them. We know from archeology that the people that lived there practiced some very dark religions that included the burning of live babies and lewd sexual fertility practices. God was establishing a nation that represented Him at the crossroads of the world. If the impression the world received was mixed with evil then the message too would be mixed and unclear.

Unfortunately they did not endure to see God's will done in this matter. It caused them many problems, and they were tempted to incorporate the religion of those people into Judaism. It was easier at the time of taking the Promised Land to leave those areas that were the most difficult to conquer. It was harder for later generations to deal with the descendants of those people.

That principle carries on to this day. If we will deal with the difficult issues in our lives when we are made aware of them, we will save ourselves and our children problems in the future. If we compromise and do not allow the Lord to take full possession of our hearts, our children and we will pay the price later. When the Lord makes you aware of an unsurrendered area in your heart, don't compromise. Deal with it. Make it His. You can justify anything if you want, but you and your children will pay the price. That thing will be barbs in your eyes - skewing the way you see the world. It will be thorns in your sides, causing you to move in directions you would not otherwise.

Consider: They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. Deal with it now.

Daily, Weekly, Monthly Offerings

Num28-30
Msg: Num: 28
Days and Weeks
During creation week, Yahweh defined a day as beginning and ending with sundown and that is how Jews view a day today. There was darkness and then light. First there was chaos, and then there was order. We were dead in our sins, but raised to life in Yeshua. In six days He created and on the seventh He rested, so seven days completed a week. The seventh day, the Shabbat,or Sabbath, is a day set apart, and is a day of rest. Sacrifices were to be offered to Yahweh in the morning and evening each day (Num. 28:1-8) and additional sacrifices were to be made on the Sabbath.

Overview of the Seven Feasts: Leviticus 23, Exodus 12:37a, Numbers 28:16-29:40
Here we finally get to outlining the feasts! They are broken up naturally into two groups: four spring feasts and three fall feasts.
“These are the feasts (appointed times) of the Lord, holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” (Lev. 23:4, KJV)

Spring:
Pesach (Passover): Nisan 14
Hag HaMatzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread): Nisan 15 - 21
Sfirat HaOmer (First Fruits): Day after Sabbath after Passover
Shavuot (Feast of Weeks / Pentecost): 50th day after First Fruits

Fall:
Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets): Tishri 1
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement): Tishri 10
Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles / Ingathering): Tishri 15 - 22

Other:
Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication) Kislev 25 – Tebeth 3
Purim (Feast of Lots): Adar 14
Tisha B'Av (Ninth of Av) Av 9

The seven feasts are the only holidays that Yahweh commanded His people to celebrate. Since He instituted them, they hold deep significance. They form a type of prophetic calendar for His redemptive plan, as we will see over the next several weeks. Again, seven speaks of completion. Very briefly, the spring feasts have found fulfillment with Yeshua's first coming and the fall feasts will find their fulfillment in His second coming. The Shabbat is also closely linked with them in that there is a Sabbath theme that ties them all together. For instance, the Shabbat is a day that is set apart from the rest and is a holy day. Likewise these appointed times are sanctified by Yahweh and are set apart as holy convocations for His people, and His people only, who He has Himself set apart from the rest of the world (Deut. 32:8-9)

A couple other themes associated to them are agricultural. First Fruits marked the early spring harvest of barley and Shavuot marked the latter spring harvest of wheat. Likewise, the Feast of Tabernacles was a time for giving thanks for the final (fall) harvest. The Puritans likely modeled Thanksgiving after this feast.

As Gentile believers, we are grafted into the nation of Israel (Romans 11) and are “equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree” (Romans 11:17, CJB). Therefore we are invited to observe these feasts as they are part of the roots of (spiritual) Israel. Since Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah, I believe we should celebrate these feasts (without sacrificing lambs, rams, goats, calves, and bulls of course), and that they will be a source of blessing. It is a little unfair to say that we should observe the feasts before we actually find out what they are and symbolize. We can have a more intelligent discussion on that later, but what are your thoughts on this idea?

Months and Years
This part gets tricky. There is evidence that the number of days in a month and year have changed at least twice in the past. Once was during the Flood and the next was during Isaiah's day (Is. 38:8) in the 8th century BC, when the sun reversed ten degrees. Details are in [1]. Between these two events it is believed that a month (moon) was exactly 30 days and a year was exactly 360 days. As a result there is a lunar aspect to measuring time. There are two ways of doing this that we will discuss. There is the Biblical or prophetic way of measuring time and the practical way that Jews use to this day.

The Biblical or prophetic model has 30 days per month and 12 months governing a year, making 360 days per year. If Cramer is right, this was the Jewish measure of time for centuries. Today, though, there is a more complicated system since a lunar month is about 29.53 days and a solar year is about 365.24 days.

The Hebrew word for month, hodesh, is the same as the word for moon. In the Jewish calendar a new moon begins a new month, which is either 29 or 30 days. Since twelve months fall short of a solar year, there are occasional leap years in which there are thirteen months. The modern Jewish calendar is based on a 19-year cycle in which the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years are leap (pregnant) years. The twelve months are:

1. Nisan (March-April)
2. Iyyar (April-May)
3. Sivan (May-June)
4. Tammuz (June-July)
5. Ab (July-August)
6. Elul (August-September)
7. Tishri (September-October)
8. Marchesvan (October-November)
9. Chisleu (Kislev) (November-December)
10. Tebeth (December-January)
11. Shebat (January-February)
12. Adar I (in leap years)
13. Adar (II) (February-March)

Before the Exodus, the first month of the year was Tishri, and even to today, that day marks the beginning of the civic year. On the 1st of Tishri, the number of the year is incremented. Currently we are in year 5766. Jewish tradition (Talmud) says that on the 1st of Tishri in year 1, Yahweh created Adam.

In Biblical times two witnesses were required to view the crescent of the new moon before the new month could be announced by the Sanhedrin. The first day of the month, Rosh Hodesh, literally “Head of the Month,” was declared a holy day. You may recall New Moon festivals mentioned in Scripture. See Psalm 81:1-5, Numbers 10:10. Special sacrifices were to be offered on this day (Num. 28: 11-15). During the Millenial reign of Yeshua, King David will rank belowYeshua as prince and will lead the Shabbat and Rosh Hodesh services (Ez. 34:23-24, 37:24-25, 46: 1-8).

Balaam: the Light that was Darkness

Portion for Reading Num 24-27

Numbers 22:1-25:18
Here we encounter this man Balaam, who is said to come from the land of the great River the Euphrates, from the city of Pethor. The Hebrew word "pethor" means "to interpret dreams". Evidently this was a community of wizards, or sorcerers, astrologers, people who were occultists, who worshiped demons. These were the magi who lived in Mesopotamia. Balaam apparently was a very powerful wizard - his name means "the devourer of people." He had a reputation for strength and power. His father's name, Beor, means "one who burns up," so Balaam may have come from a long line of powerful sorcerers. And Balak felt that if he could bring Balaam down to cast a spell over the nation of Israel, given the kind of power that this man had, then Israel would be impotent.

It is interesting, as we look at the account, that though Balaam was a sorcerer, a wizard, he also knew about the God of Israel. He refers to him by his covenant name, Jehovah. He was a man who had an immense amount of truth about the true God. He came from the same area as did Abraham, and perhaps there was a great deal of truth about God available to men there at this time. And yet he drew from occult sources, from demonic sources, as well.

But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I shall tell you." So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
The following chapters give us the account of a number of oracles which Balaam delivered regarding the nation of Israel. He was sent to curse, but he couldn't curse. He could only bless them, Notice verse 41 of chapter 22:

Then it came about in the morning that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to the high places of Baal; and he saw from there a portion of the people.
Then Balaam has Balak build seven altars and offer sacrifices on these altars, and, in verses 5 through 10 of chapter 23:

Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus." So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. And he took up his discourse and said,"From Aram Balak has brought me, Moab's king from the mountains of the East, 'Come curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!' How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And how can I denounce,whom the Lord has not denounced?As I see him from the top of the rocks,And I look at him from the hills;Behold, a people who dwells apartAnd shall not be reckoned among the nations.Who can count the dust of Jacob,

[He brings back the memory of the Lord's statement to Abraham: "Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth."]
Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, And let my end be like his!"

In this amazing, prophetic discourse he points out the absolute uniqueness of the nation of Israel. They were separated from all the other nations. There is no other nation like them. Isn't that true? What nation has endured like the nation of Israel? All the great empires of the ancient Middle East have passed, and yet the nation of Israel endures. They are a unique people, separated unto God. This is amazing truth for Balaam to know. Not many men knew that fact. But Balaam knew.

In verse 22 Balak is understandably upset. He says, "I asked you to curse them, and here you've actually blessed them!" So he takes Balaam to the top of Pisgah, where he could only see a small portion of the people. There Balaam utters another oracles, beginning inverse 18:
"Arise, O Balak, and hear; Give ear to me, 0 son of Zippor!"God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will he not make it good? "Behold, I have received a command to bless; "When he has blessed, then I cannot revoke it. "He has not observed iniquity in Jacob; Nor has He seen trouble in Israel . . . "

And he goes on to speak of God's perfect justification of the nation of Israel. God has declared them to be righteous. Interestingly enough, at the time Balaam was delivering this discourse, the nation of Israel, encamped below him in the plains of Moab, were murmuring and complaining and crying out against Moses and the other leaders. Yet God did not see them in those terms. God saw them as perfectly justified, declared righteous in his sight. And so Balaam sees the nation of Israel in a way that no man could see them. He sees them from God's point of view: as a people who are justified. God sees no sin in his people.

Then in chapter 24 you have the third oracle of Balaam, beginning with verse 2:
And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. ; and the Spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his discourse and said,"The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;The oracle of him who hears the words of God,Who sees the vision of the Almighty,Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered . . ."
Then he goes on to portray in a very vivid way the ultimate victory of the nation of Israel over all of their enemies, right down to the time when Jesus reigns as Messiah. Again, who could predict this of this small, seemingly impotent nation? Yet Balaam, looking down through history, sees them as a great nation over which no one can prevail. By this time Balak is thoroughly disgusted. He says, "Balaam, if you can't curse them, then go home!" And so Balaam's final oracle comes in verses 14 and following:

"And now behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come."

And he took up his discourse and said,"The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,The oracle of him who bears the words of God,And knows the knowledge of the Most High,Who sees the vision of the Almighty,Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered."I see him, but not now;I behold him, but not near:A star shall come forth from Jacob,And a scepter shall rise from Israel,And shall crush through the forehead of Moab . . ."
Do you see what Balaam actually sees? Balaam says, "I see the Lord, but not here--off in the future. I see him as a star that comes forth from Jacob, and a scepter that rises from Israel." To whom is he referring? To Jesus the Messiah. Isn't that amazing? This, I believe, is the promise which eventually brought the magi to look for Jesus after his birth. Do you remember what they said when they arrived in Jerusalem and sought out Herod? "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? ['A scepter shall rise from Israel.'] For we have seen his star in the east . . ." That is what brought the magi. Evidently this discourse found its way into the literature of the East, and the magi accepted it as a promise of the coming Redeemer, and they went to search him out. So, how much did Balaam know? He saw the Lord Jesus Christ. He saw things that none of his contemporaries saw. He had an amazing amount of truth available to him.

But what did he do with it? Well, as the rest of the story unfolds, you have in chapter 25 an account of a great apostasy which swept through the nation of Israel. They turned away from the Lord and worshiped Baal and other idols, and they were involved in all sorts of immoral practices with the Midianites and the Moabites who were living around them, committing fornication with the Midianite and Moabite women. And the Scriptures tell us, in Numbers 31, that it was Balaam who counseled Balak and the kings of Midian to seduce the nation of Israel in this way. He could not curse them, he could only bless them, because God would not let him curse them. But he sold out in another way. He evidently received the rewards of divination that he was looking for by counseling the Moabites to seduce the Israelites in this way. And Jesus picks this up in Revelation 2. He says through John that there are some in Perganum who, like Balaam, have seduced the people to immorality.

And in chapter 31 there is an account of the invasion of Midian and the destruction of the Midianites by the nation of Israel, and it says in verse 8 that "they also killed Balaam the son of Beer with the sword." So Balaam died the death of the wicked, in contrast to the death of the righteous which he said he would like to have died in his first oracle. He died separated from God. He died not only physically but spiritually.

Now, what can we learn from Balaam? Well, he was a man who had an amazing amount of truth. He knew the truth about God. He knew the truth about God's people. He even saw the Lord Jesus Christ, prophetically. And yet he had another love, a greater love: he loved Mammon. He loved things, he loved gold and silver. And whenever there was a conflict of wills--between his love for the Lord and his love for money it was his love for money which won out, because way down deep inside he was committed to that love. Whenever there was a conflict of wills it revealed, by contrast, that inner commitment.

Let me point out one thing: Balaam never lost his salvation. He never lost his relationship with the Lord, because he never had a relationship with the Lord. He trafficked in unlived truth. He knew about God, and he knew his truth, but he never responded to it at the deepest level. He looked good on the outside, but way down deep inside there was a rock-hard area of rebellion. He would never let the Lord rule in that area. Jesus said, "If the eye is single, the whole body will be full of light. But if the eye is evil, the body will be filled with darkness, And if that light is darkness, how great is that darkness." Balaam was a man who had light But that light became darkness because he spurned the truth of God. And so he died, separated from God.

Do you know what this says to me? It says that I need to take truth seriously. God wants me to respond to the truth, not half-heartedly, but with a heart which is committed. We must have a willingness to say, "Lord, I'll do anything you want me to do, go anywhere you want me to go, be whatever you want me to be." We must come to the place where we're willing to say, "Lord, I want you to be Lord in every area of my life." It is at that point that we are born again. We may struggle and fail afterward. We may reject truth temporarily. But we cannot ultimately reject the truth, because of the ultimate commitment of our hearts, because our lives have been changed.

The proper response to the truth is such an important issue. For there may be some, like Balaam, who look good on the surface, who know the truth of God, yet down deep inside there is one area that they have walled off and reserved for themselves, and they say, "God, you will not have that area of my life." Now, I want you to make a careful distinction here I am not talking about the person who may be failing miserably in some area of his life, yet whose commitment to the Lord is genuine - he wants God to rule. I am talking about the one who deliberately, stubbornly resists the lordship of Jesus Christ in some area of his life. The Scriptures tell us that if we do that, the result will be servitude to sin. Sin will become our master, and there will be no end to the evil that we will do.

And the result is death - that slow and certain disintegration of life until eventually that decision is rendered permanent by physical death itself, and then there is ultimate separation from God, because that is what we have chosen.

Now, it may be that the Lord is speaking to you, and He wants you to acknowledge Him as Lord in every area of your life. Please know that he will draw nigh to you. He will come in truly to change you and to empower you to be a new man or woman. Those who come to him he will not cast out. Will you trust Him with all of your life?

By David H. Roper

The Bronze Snake

Portion for Reading Num 21-24
Msg: Num 21:4-9
(Num. 21) 4-9They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea…But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Let us think about this amazing story. Why did God send venomous snakes among the Israelites? He sent the snakes because of their sin. We heard how they spoke against God and Moses, and despised the food which God sent down to them. That is why God sent venomous snakes to bite them, causing many to die.

What could the Israelites do to escape death? Could they save themselves from the plague of snakes? Could they heal themselves of the deadly poison? Impossible! What could they do then? They could cry out to God! And that is what they did. We saw how the Israelites repented and went to Moses, saying to him, "We have sinned! We have transgressed against you and against God! Pray to the Lord for us that He might have mercy on us and take away these snakes!"
Did God take the snakes away from them? He did something even better than that! God told Moses to make a bronze snake and raise it up on a pole so that "anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." This was God's remedy. If a snake bit someone, all that a person had to do was to look at the bronze snake which was hung on the pole and he would be healed! This was the way of deliverance that God arranged: Look and live!

God promised to heal whoever looked at the bronze snake which Moses suspended on the pole. What happened then to those who refused to look? They died a painful death. But whoever believed God and looked at the bronze snake was delivered from death, because God had promised them, saying, "Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."

Truly, this is a fascinating story, but it is more than fascinating. It was written to instruct us. God wants to show us that we all are like the Israelites. We too are sinners, which is why we often grumble against God and man, and offend God in our thoughts, in our words and in our deeds. Satan is like the venomous snakes that were biting the Israelites. And sin is like the poison that was killing them. Satan has bitten all of the children of Adam and the poison of sin will cause us to perish forever, unless God provides for us a remedy! The payment of sin is to perish in the eternal fire and, in ourselves, we have no means of escape! However, we praise God, because just as He designed a plan to save the Israelites from the poison of the snakes, so also He has designed a plan to save the children of Adam from the poison of sin!

You who are listening today, do you know what God has done to save you from the curse which sin has brought? Listen to what the holy Redeemer said about fifteen hundred years after Moses raised the bronze snake in the wilderness. He said, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man (the Redeemer of the world), must be lifted up…that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life!" (John 3:14,16)

From this verse in the holy Gospel {Injil}, we learn that the bronze snake, which Moses raised up in the desert, was an illustration {shadow, picture, symbol} of the Redeemer who was to come and die on a cross so that He might defeat the devil who holds the power of death. (Heb. 2:14) Oh, how wonderful this message is! As we will discover in coming lessons, through the death and resurrection of the Redeemer, God has opened for the children of Adam a door of salvation, peace and joy forever! All God wants is for you to admit that you cannot save yourself from the power of sin, and believe in your heart what God has testified concerning the Savior who died on the cross to pay for you your debt of sin. God says: Look to the Redeemer and you will live! Believe on Him and God will heal you, save you from the poison of sin and reserve for you an eternal dwelling place in His presence in heaven!

Old and young, men and women, rich and poor, God is saying to everyone: Look and live! Look to the mighty Redeemer whom God has sent and you will be saved! But God is also saying: If you refuse to look, if you do not believe in the Savior through whom God has provided the only cure for sin, then "you will die in your sins!" (John 8:24) God's righteous law declares that whoever does not accept the remedy that He has provided will perish. God has no other remedy by which the sons of Adam can be cured from the poison of sin. Have you looked to the Redeemer of whom all the prophets have written? He will cleanse you and give you eternal life if you will simply put your trust in Him alone. Listen again to what the Scripture says: "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man (the Redeemer of the world), must be lifted up…that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life!" (John 3:14,16)

Security with God

Security with God: When we fail or sin God does not reject us - there may be correction but not rejection!

Lets consider the life and ministry of Moses. He outshines even David and Elijah. The events of Moses' life are too many to even cover. Moses interacts with God and angels in such a way that he leads a slave nation (Israelites) out of Egypt, confronts Pharaoh, executes the 12 plagues on Egypt (Nile water to blood, plague of frogs, hail mixed with fire, angel of death ... etc ), he parts the red sea, provides water from a rock twice and on it goes! Moses' ministry was nothing short of spectacular and transcends every other prophet's work's. However, Moses had struggles too.

The worst of which seems to be his failure to trust God while procuring water from a rock the second time. (Numbers 20. The first time he asked God to bring water from a rock was Exodus 17). The first time God tells Moses to take his staff and strike the rock. Water then comes out for the Israelites to drink. The second time God tells Moses to take his staff, but to only speak to the rock and water will come out. However when Moses arrived before the grumbling and angry Israelites perhaps his anger or frustration gets the best of him? Moses addresses the whole community as rebels and then hits the rock with his staff twice! I don't understand everything that is occurring here. However, Moses and Aaron have rebelled against the Lord. Somehow they have failed to trust God and 'honor [Him] as holy':

"Listen you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." (Num 20:10-12)

"... because both of you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah." Numbers 20:24b

"This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold My holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel." Deuteronomy 32:51

The upshot of this is that Moses does not get to lead the Israelites into the long awaited promised land. Some how he has radically failed to honor God or trust God in front of the watching eyes of the Israelite community. The discipline for this is intense. However, let's quickly realize that Moses was not rejected personally by God. He lost his public ministry but His relationship with God was still intact. When we fail or sin we may be disqualified from particular arenas of public ministry and prominence but we still have our greatest treasure ... we are still sons and daughters of God! We still have relationship with Him!

Now let's conclude with something very intriguing. Consider Jesus' earthly ministry. At one point Jesus climbs a mountain with Peter, James and John. All of Jewish history is culminating at the arrival of God Himself in human form. The Messiah has finally come. 2,000 years of prophesy are being fulfilled. While the 3 disciples are with Jesus He is transformed into His true appearance. His face shines like the sun! His clothes become dazzling white! The radiance, glory and power are truly eternal and overwhelming! Right in the middle of this Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus! Wow, what is happening here? I am not sure that I know, but isn't it absolutely wonderful that Moses and Elijah who have had such intense and disappointing failures and sin are the ones chosen to appear and talk with Jesus? How God has honored them, not only in their own time, but more than 1,000 years later!

Conclusion
Isn't it incredibly wonderful to know that you can fail in tremendous ways and that God still wants us to partner with Him and work with Him? Isn't is great to know that we don't loose relationship with Him? There may be correction but not rejection!

By Chris Sarris

Korah, Dathan And Abiram

Portion for Reading Num 15-17

Msg Num 16:1-50

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"

Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?"

Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come! Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of [b] these men? No, we will not come!"

Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them."

Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. 17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also." 18 So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire assembly. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once."

But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "

Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He warned the assembly, "Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins." So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, [c] then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."

As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too!"

And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy- the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites."

So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.

The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said. But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD said to Moses, "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.

Rom 13:1-5Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

Exploring Canaan

Portion for Reading- Num:11-14
Suppose we imagine we have an invitation to visit Caleb today (Numbers 13:30; Joshua 14:6-14), and we embrace the opportunity.

We should expect to find the old warrior at home on such a day because it is bright and fair; he did the most of his fighting in bad weather. It is not far to Hebron, where he makes his home. See, we are there now! Isn’t the prospect from here beautiful and inspiring! To the north along the ridge is Bethlehem and Jerusalem; to the east the silvery waters of the Dead Sea glitter in the sun; westward is Gath, where Goliath the giant came from; and to the south is Beersheba.
Tell us, Caleb, some of your experiences in Canaan.

“Forty and five years ago I first saw Hebron. It was when Moses had sent twelve spies, of whom I was one, to determine the character of the people and land of Canaan. Long ago our father Abraham trod this soil, and God Almighty promised to give it to him and his seed for an everlasting inheritance. When I first heard of Canaan, down in Egypt, my faith was strong that it was a good land, flowing with milk and honey, as God said, and I longed to set foot upon it.

“When we twelve first left Kadesh-barnea for Canaan [Numbers 13:1-3,17-33], I noticed that ten of the spies kept close together; but Joshua and I were eager to see all that we could of the land, and we ranged as far and wide as we could. Not far from where your feet rest now we got our first sight of the Anakims, giants of Canaan. They were giants indeed. Their legs looked like tree-trunks, and covering their faces was a dense growth of beard out of which their eyes gleamed like crystals in a haystack. The sight of them set my heart all aflutter, because I knew at once that they were very dangerous foes, not easily reckoned with. We were very cautious that they should not see us, and I must say that part of our company trembled violently with fear and, as soon as we got away a little distance, they ran with all their might.
“But something in my heart said that if God gave this land to Israel, then God would give us power over the Anakims, no matter how many or how strong they were.

“By and by we came to the walled cities. Joshua and I talked over the matter of taking them. While we could not see just how we were to do it, we decided that, since God had unmistakably promised the land to Abraham, and since He had already marvelously delivered us from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and his dark bondage, and since He had helped us along through the wilderness and now had brought us to the very borders of the land, surely He expected us to have Canaan. And this I told to the others.“

‘We can never take it,’ they said, ‘never in the world. Let us get out of here and back into Egypt as quickly as we can. We feel so faint. We cannot conquer such a country. Why, see those giants, we are no bigger than grasshoppers by the side of them! And look at those walls, reaching almost to the sky! Let us get back.’

“ ‘But if God said we should inherit this land, shall He not help us?’ said Joshua and I.
“ ‘We thought surely God promised us the land,’ the ten replied. ‘But we did not expect to have to fight for it. We supposed God would just give it to us without any fighting or trouble on our part.’ “ ‘Oh, no, God never promised Canaan without a battle,’ we replied. ‘But He will help us fight, then we shall properly appreciate both God and Canaan and the fighting will make us stronger.’

“Well, we could not convince them, and our arguments fell upon very impervious minds, hardened as they were by unbelief and doubting [Numbers 14].
“Then for forty years we wandered in the black wilderness.

“Five years ago we crossed the Jordan, blessed be God. Those were great days in Canaan! God was very near us, and our foes trembled. Jericho fell down, Ai was taken, kings of darkness and giants of iniquity melted before the army of the Lord, until the land was in our possession.
“Then I went to Joshua and made known my request for Hebron, my home in Canaan. There were several giants making Hebron their home, and I was eager to dispossess them; for I liked the situation. Joshua gave me permission, and I marched toward it fully confident that our God would help me.

“There is no use to tell you the rest. Here am I, by God’s help, at home in my possession. The giants are dead, and I hold peaceable possession by right of divine promise, the oath that God swore to our father Abraham that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life [Luke 1:73-75]. Thanks be to God for His great gift!”

The Cloud Above the Tabernacle

There are different kinds of clouds, which are mentioned as below :

High- Level Clouds: High-level clouds form above 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) and since the temperatures are so cold at such high elevations, these clouds are primarily composed of ice crystals. High-level clouds are typically thin and white in appearance, but can appear in a magnificent array of colors when the sun is low on the horizon.

Mid- Level Clouds: The bases of mid-level clouds typically appear between 6,500 to 20,000 feet (2,000 to 6,000 meters). Because of their lower altitudes, they are composed primarily of water droplets, however, they can also be composed of ice crystals when temperatures are cold enough

Low Clouds: Low clouds are of mostly composed of water droplets since their bases generally lie below 6,500 feet (2,000 meters). However, when temperatures are cold enough, these clouds may also contain ice particles and snow.

Vertically Deveolped Clouds: Probably the most familiar of the classified clouds is the cumulus cloud. Generated most commonly through either thermal convection or frontal lifting, these clouds can grow to heights in excess of 39,000 feet (12,000 meters), releasing incredible amounts of energy through the condensation of water vapor within the cloud itself.

But the cloud that covered the Tabernacle was different from the others clouds, the bible says it look like FIRE.

Numbers 9:15-23 - On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening until morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire...Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; whenever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at His command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle they remained in camp...Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they would set out...They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with His command through Moses.

Exodus 13:21 - By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or by night.

This was no ordinary cloud--this cloud was the evidence of God's presence in the midst of His people! (See Exodus 33:9-10 and Psalm 99:7.) We first read of the cloud in Exodus 13, when the people of Israel were hurriedly departing from Egypt. Pharaoh changed his mind about allowing the people to leave, and pursued them to the shores of the Red Sea. Humanly speaking, it looked as though Israel's escape from slavery in Egypt would be short-lived. The barrier of the Red Sea was in front of them and Pharaoh's army was behind them. (Talk about being between a rock and a hard place!) But there was no need to worry! We read in Exodus 13:21 that, "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light." God did not intend to leave His people stranded or overrun by their enemy, the Egyptians. He planned to guide and protect Israel both by day and by night with the visible evidence of His presence.

We read that God used the cloud to keep His people safe and secure from the Egyptian army throughout the night before the crossing of the Red Sea. "Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side, so that neither went near the other all night long" (Exodus 14:19-20). And when the Egyptians chased after the Israeli people into the Red Sea, "the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion" (Exodus 14:24).

Normally we think of Israel's 40-year period between Egypt and Canaan as the "wilderness wanderings" --and rightly so. God had declared that the people could not enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief and that the entire generation would wander in the wilderness.

"The Lord's anger burned against Israel and He made them wander in the desert forty years..." (Numbers 32:13). But forty years later, when Israel was finally ready to enter the Land, Moses reminded them that God had led them all the way in the wilderness. "And you shall remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and test you..." (Deuteronomy 8:2). Is this a contradiction in the Bible? Did Israel wander, or did God lead them? Answer: Both! Even though Israel was wandering and not moving forward into the Land of Promise, from God's point of view their travels were not aimless or random. God was disciplining His people and teaching them valuable lessons all along the way. God knew exactly what location and length of time would best serve His purposes for teaching them these lessons. He led them accordingly, as we see in Numbers chapter 9. What wonderful cloud control!

Numbers 33 is one of those chapters in the Bible that we tend to skim over in our devotional reading because it's primarily a list of hard-to-pronounce place names. But let's not skip over the implications of this "travel log" too quickly. Every single one of those locations was hand-picked by God Himself for His wandering people. His cloud led them to each place, and it led them away at God's appointment. The exact amount of time the people spent in each place was precisely determined by the Lord--even down to the exact number of days and hours. "Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they would set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with His command through Moses" (Numbers 9:21-23). From the human perspective, the people wandered. From the divine perspective, it was "cloud control" all the way!

Just as the Lord led His people step by step in the Sinai wilderness, so He leads us step by step through the wilderness of life. He places us in just the right place, and for just the right period of time, so He can accomplish His purposes for us there. From our perspective our lives may seem random and even aimless at times, but from God's viewpoint everything is appointed! From our perspective our lives may seem ordinary or even negligible, but God is working through all our situations and circumstances to make us more Christlike. He is more interested in us and who we are becoming, than in the earthly accomplishments that we humans regard as important.

Nazirite

Portion For Reading Num 4-6

Num 6:1-8 The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. "

'During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body. Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the LORD.

(from Hebrew nazar, “to abstain from,” or “to consecrate oneself to”), among the ancient Hebrews, a sacred person whose separation was most commonly marked by his uncut hair and his abstinence from wine.

The biblical Nazirite did not lead a monastic existence apart but, to the contrary, was an active participant in all his familiar and communal affairs. What set him apart from his fellows was his meticulous observance of three prohibitions: he was forbidden to cut his hair, to drink wine, and to come in contact with a corpse.

The uncut hair of the Nazirite was truly his distinction.[2] In this respect, he differed from the priest who, though forbidden to shave his hair, was compelled to trim it.[3] Thus the Nazirite could always be recognized by his appearance and it is no wonder that the term for Nazirite can also refer to his hair.[4] The possibility exists that during Israel's early wars to conquer the land of Canaan, whole armies would vow not to cut their hair until victory was won. This would explain Samson's lifelong dedication to battle the Philistines, the association of Nazirites (and prophets) with the conquest in Amos 2:10-11, and the possible Nazirite vow taken by Deborah's soldiers.[5]

The offering of hair is also attested in later times in ancient Babylonia, Syria, Greece, and Arabia. The Syrian Lucian's comment merits quotation: "The young men make an offering of their beards, while the young women let their 'sacred locks' grow from birth and when they finally come to the temple, they cut them. When they have placed them in containers, some of silver and many of gold, they nail them up to the temple, and they depart after each inscribes his name. When I was still a youth I, too, performed this ceremony and even now my locks and name are in the sanctuary."

The word Nazirene comes from the biblical term Nazir, which denotes one who is under a vow. Thus, the Commandment of the Lord reads: "The LORD said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body. Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the LORD" (Num 6:1-8 NIV).

A Nazir or Nazirene, is one who takes a vow to abstain from the things of this world, and consecrate himself to God. A Nazirene has always been used in reference to a Holy Man who possessed the gift of spiritual vision, knowledge, prophesy, psychic perception and ecstatic insight into man's higher reality.

What is the difference between a Nazarene and a Nazirene?
Historically, the Nazarenes were known as a sect of Jews practicing a Messianic form of Karaite Judaism as given in Torah. The early believers in Yashua including the Apostles were Nazarene Jews. The Apostle Paul is referred to as a ringleader of the Nazarene Jews. "For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5 NKJ)

Nazirites, on the other hand, are those who have taken the vow of the Nazirite, a vow of separation (Numbers 6:1-21). Nazirites start the vow by shaving their head and then let their hair grow long, they do not cut the hair on their head and they do not eat anything from the grape vine, and neither do they come into contact with anything that is dead. The Apostle Paul was not only a Nazarene, he was also a Nazirite: "And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow" (Acts 18:18 KJV). "Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law" (Acts 21:23-24 KJV).

The word Nazarene also shares the same root as Nazirite and Nazirene, which means that they share something in common. It is believed that it was a common practice for many, if not all new Male believers in Yeshua, to take the vow of the Nazirite. After all Yeshua himself was a Nazirite and the Scripture says that we ought to live as he did: "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6 NKJ).The vow of the Nazirite is a vow of separation -- separation unto G-d -- separation from the world and its ways. The literal meaning of the word Nazirite is set-apart and the word 'holy' also means set-apart. The very idea of being a Nazirite is to live a 'holy' life. Nazirites are highly revered by the Father and are named with the Prophets: "I raised up some of your sons as prophets, and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is it not so, O you children of Israel? Says the LORD" (Amos 2:11 NKJ).

The Levites

The Role of the Levites

1. The tribe of Levi was elevated to perform holy service, in the Tabernacle of the desert and in the Temple. Hence, it is a affirmative command for all Levites to be available and prepared for Temple Service, as stated in the Torah, "The Levites shall be for Me" (Numbers 18:14), indicating that the special relationship with the tribe of Levi is permanent. The prophet Jeremiah relates God's promise that there will always be Kohanim and Levites fit to serve: "As I will never renege on My covenant with day and night, so is my covenant with...the Levites, the Kohanim, My servants" (Jeremiah 33:21).

2. The choice of the tribe of Levi for the highest spiritual service was due to their ability to channel their strong character in the service of God. Levi, the son of Jacob, was chastised for his anger by his father: "Cursed is their zealousness for it is brazen and their wrath for it is hard. I will separate them in Ya'akov and scatter them throughout Israel" (Genesis 49:6-7).

Four generations later, Moses blessed the same tribe of Levi: "Your righteous men...keeper of Your word and covenant; He shall teach Your judgment in Ya'akov and Your Torah in Israel...Blessed of God is his valor and his actions are pleasing..." (Deuteronomy 33:8-11). The Levites were able to apply their physical and spiritual strength to the fulfillment of God's will and gain forever the role of God's trusted servants.

3. The name Levi is derived from the words "he shall accompany". This name was given to the third son of Jacob and Leah to indicate that he was to bring a strengthening of relationship between his parents, for now with three children, Jacob would need to accompany his wife Leah.

It was a natural development, therefore, that the task of the Levite became to accompany the Divine Presence and serve in the Temple. His role as teacher and spiritual example is to lead and, thereby, accompany others back to their spiritual purpose. The Midrash relates that in the future, Levites will lead the people of Israel back to their Father in Heaven.

4. Levi ben Ya'akov, the father of the tribe of Levites, lived 137 years, the longest of all of the sons of Jacob. He had a particularly strong influence on the spiritual development of his progeny, and lived to see his great-grandsons Moshe and Aharon.

The tribe of Levi developed separately from the other tribes of Israel. During the period of the Egyptian bondage, the Levites avoided the slavery suffered by the others, by maintaining their separateness in the land of Goshen immersed in the tents of learning, and maintaining the spiritual tradition of the Fathers.

5. The loyal nature of the Levites was most clearly demonstrated at the episode of the Golden Calf. The general population was influenced by the evil promptings of the mixed multitude. The Levites rallied to the side of Moshe to avenge God's honor. They were rewarded with the spiritual service lost at that time by the firstborn of the other tribes. The Levites were tested and proved themselves able, thereby earning their elevated spiritual status.

The Levites were constantly willing to risk their lives for God's service. They carried the sanctified vessels of the Tabernacle, which if mishandled, resulted in death.

6. The independent nature of the Levite was balanced by his role of Temple functionary. The Levites carried the Tabernacle and its vessels on its wanderings in the desert. Levites served as the honor guard, gatekeepers and musicians of the Temple. They also assisted the Kohanim in preparing toe offerings and in other aspects of the Temple's functioning.

7. The economics of the tribe of Levi were unique among the tribes of Israel. In contrast to the other tribes, Levites had no inherited portion in the Land of Israel. Forty-two cities scattered throughout the portions of the other tribes were set aside as cities of Levites. In these cities, the Levites served as spiritual teachers to the people of Israel. These cities also served as shelters for those guilty of accidentally causing a person's death. Whereas the other tribes worked the land, the Levite was dependent on the tithes and food gifts of others. Levites were made to be economically dependent on others for their income. In exchange for his life's service, the Levite received God's ordained sustenance through the required tithing of the nation. There was a mitzva upon the people of Israel not to abandon the Levi.

8. Levites were exempt from general military service. They were not counted in the census of the army in time of Moses or the Judge Deborah. Though relieved of the specific mitzva of waging war, they are required to take part in the mitzva of saving lives in times of direct threat.

The service of the Levite is the service of the spirit. Thus the tribe originally chastised for its warlike behavior became the tribe which exemplified peace, blessing and fraternal harmony. Yet the Levites throughout history were able to rise to the occasion to fight for values when necessary, as in the case of Channuka where they led the Jewish struggle against Greek influence.

An interesting contrast to the general army exemption of the tribe of Levi was the office of the "Kohen Anointed fir War". This Kohen, whose position was an honored one in the hierarchy of Kohanim, was appointed to inspire and spiritually prepare the army of Israel before battle.

9. God's special relationship with the tribe of Levi is promised to last forever. No other family is allowed to perform the Temple Service. Levites have been among the spiritual leaders of the nation from earliest times and continue to fulfill leadership roles until today. The true fulfillment of the soul of a son of the tribe of Levi is to once again serve God in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

10.Num 3: 11-13 The LORD also said to Moses, "I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD."

BLASPHEME

Portion to Read: Lev 24-27

Msg: Lev 24:10-23 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

Then the LORD said to Moses: "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

Blasphemer: to speak impiously or irreverently of (God or sacred things).

a.. Then let all who heard him lay their hands on his head: In accord with the principle of Deuteronomy 17:6-7. Two or three of the witnesses publicly laid hands on the accused, as a sure testimony to his guilt - and so the accused would know his accuser.

b. And let all the congregation stone him: God commanded execution by stoning for several reasons. First, stones were and are plentiful in Israel, so it was a ready means of execution. As well, it was so that the community could participate in the execution, for both a deterrent and a means of proclaiming, "This man has not only sinned against God, he has sinned against the community."

c. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death: To keep themselves from blaspheming the name of the Lord, the Jews, in their traditions, went to extreme lengths to avoid saying or writing the name of God - because, in their thinking, you could not blaspheme God's name if you never said it.

So, only the High Priest was allowed to pronounce the holy name of God (Yahweh), and only once a year - on the day of atonement. The proper pronunciation of the name would be passed on from the high priest to his successor, with the former's last breath. This is why where was confusion for many years about the exact pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), some mistakenly pronouncing the name "Jehovah" instead of "Yahweh" or "Yah-veh."

The Jews also did not write the name of God, because if that paper were destroyed, it might be considered blasphemy or taking the name of the Lord in vain. So, they would write Adonai ("Lord") instead of Yahweh, and instead of "God" write "G-d" and refer to God with names like "the Name" instead of saying "God."

What does blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means?

He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness. - Mark 3:29
And by him that believe are justified from all things. - Acts 13:39

There's been a ton of concern by various parties over this verse in Mark, with some wondering if they have committed this "unpardonable sin" of blaspheming the Holy Ghost, and this is held against the Acts verse by skeptics. But the discussion really warrants no consternation by the believer because the "unpardonable sin" is this and nothing more: UNBELIEF. Thus, there is no contradiction with Acts 13:39 at all, for it sets as a pre-condition, "those who believe" -- and once you believe, you are of course "justified" from your unbelief!

Since this is an important issue, I'd like to explain this a bit further. The Holy Spirit is God's active principle in the world, as the Son (Word, Logos) is the Father's command and direction. By "active principle" we mean that the Holy Spirit is the personified effect of God in the lives of people and in the world. (See our essay here.) By "blaspheming" the Holy Spirit, Jesus therefore refers to one who denies the divine authority and activity of the Spirit -- as did those who attributed the exorcisms of the story to Beelzebul. Dunn, in Vol. 2 of Christ and the Spirit, puts it this way:

...the beneficial effect of [Jesus'] exorcisms was so self-evidently of God and wrought by his Spirit, that to attribute it to Satan was the worse kind of perversity -- deliberately to confuse the Spirit of God with the power of Satan was to turn one's back on God and his forgiveness (Mark 3:29).

In terms of the post-resurrection scenario, this also applies to those who refuse the prodding of the Holy Spirit to believe the Gospel. They deny the activity of the Holy Spirit in prodding them to believe, and thus blaspheme the Holy Spirit by putting his activity down to guilt feelings, intestinal gas, etc. This is why we are also told that "whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him" -- the Son of man, God's Word and Wisdom, is the message of God; it is not that part of the Godhead which convicts us.

Dear God, I love You so much with all my heart and soul. I've been scared and horrified, worrying whether or not I committed the blasphemy against the precious Holy Ghost. I am horribly sorry for [whatever I did.] I may have felt it at the time, or maybe it was just an accidental thought, but I know that you know my heart better than I know mine. I will no longer fear demonic words that I committed the unpardonable sin. I did not blaspheme the Holy Spirit in my heart at all. I may have said some evil with my tongue, or with my brain, but not with my heart! I love You more than anything, and I want to know the Holy Ghost and be His best friend! Thank You for forgiving me, for you are the most merciful in all existance. Thank You so much, dear Father, in Jesus's Name. Amen.

Hallelujah! You're back!

Profane

Lev 22:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the LORD.

Word profane in Hebrew is Chalal, which means to bore, wound, dissolve, break one’s word, defile, pollute, slay. In English is means to vulgar, blasphemous, godless, irreligious, unholy, wicked.

Examples of Profaning:

1. Israel profaning the Sabbaths (Neh. 13:17; Ez. 22: 8, 26; 23:38)

2. Prophets and priests profaning God (Jer. 23:11-15; Ez. 22:25-26)

3. Zedekiah is called the profane wicked prince of Israel (Ez. 21:25)

4. Profaning the sanctuary (Ez. 25:3)

5. Profaning God’s holy name (Ez. 36:20-23; Amos 2:7; Mal. 1:12)

6. Profaning the holiness of God (Mal. 2: 11)

7. Profaning the holy covenant (Mal. 2: 10)

8. Lucifer was cast out as profane when he sinned (Ez. 28:16)

9. Priest profaning the temple (Mt. 12:5)

10. Esau was profane person, a fornicator (Heb. 12:16)

5 Commands to Priests:

1. A Priest shall not profane himself (Lev. 21:4)

2. He shall not profane the name of God (Lev 21:6)

3. A Priest shall not marry a profane woman (Lev. 21: 7, 14)

4. He shall not profane the sanctuary (Lev. 21: 12, 23)

5. Priests shall not profane the holy things (Lev. 22:15)

A priest profaned himself when he became back slid den in heart, irreverent, ungodly, unholy, defiled, unclean, wicked or worldly more interested in secular things than in his duty to God
In Exodus 3:13-15, G-d revealed His Name and commanded it be known and used by the people:

"Moshe said to God, "Behold, when I come to the children of Yisra'el, and tell them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you;' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?" God said to Moshe, "I AM WHO I AM," and he said, "You shall tell the children of Yisra'el this: "I AM has sent me to you." God said moreover to Moshe, "You shall tell the children of Yisra'el this, 'YHVH, the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitzchak, and the God of Ya`akov, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations."

By the time of Yeshua, Jewish tradition banned use of the Holy Name, only the high priests could use the Name in the temple. Our bible translations reflect this ban; instead of translating His Name (YHVH -- Hebrew letters: "yud-hey-vav-hey"), the practice is to instead use the Tetragrammaton, "LORD" in place of the Name. But even a cursory glance through the TaNaKh shows His Sacred Name was widely used and known by those who recorded G-d's Word for us. I believe His Name, YHVH, should be known and used today. "G-d," "L-rd," and "Father" are titles -- they are NOT His Sacred Name. Judaism usually just refers to 'The Name' by saying 'HaShem' (which means, 'The Name'). But we know G-d revealed His Name so we *could* know and use it. I believe it a grave disgrace that early leaders banned use of His Name (even considering it a sin to pronounce it).

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Exodus 20:7

This commandment is against all false swearing, blasphemy, and all profane, vain, trivial, light, and irreverent use of God’s name in ordinary life. It also refers to using God’s in false religion, witchcraft, conjuring—any abuse of the sacred and holy name whatsoever (7). The right use of his name is confined to which is sacred- prayer, praise, prophesy, teaching, worship and communion with God and saints (Mal 3:16)

So, let’s not take the LORD name in profane.

Leveticus 18

Portion for reading lev 17-19

Leviticus 18

Unlawful Sexual Relations

1 The LORD said to Moses,

2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God.

3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.

4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God.

5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.

6 " 'No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.

7 " 'Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

8 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.

9 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

10 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you.

11 " 'Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

12 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.

13 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.

14 " 'Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.

15 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her.

16 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother.

17 " 'Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

18 " 'Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

19 " 'Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

20 " 'Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.

21 " 'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed [a] to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

23 " 'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

24 " 'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.

25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.

26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things,

27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled.

28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

29 " 'Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people.

30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.' "

The Ten Healed of Leprosy

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well (Luke 17 11-19).

As we read in the passage above we can see that one out of the ten lepers who was healed came back and threw himself at Jesus’ feet and praised him in a loud voice. And Jesus asked him weren’t all ten healed then how come only one returned to praise God.

A. Were there not ten cleansed? Jesus missed the nine who did not return to give thanks. He wondered where they were. Jesus also notices our lack of gratitude.

i. We would think that everyone who would pray would also praise God; but this is sadly not always the case. What possible excuse is there for this?

ii. We can always find reason for gratitude before God. Matthew Henry, the famous Bible commentator, was robbed of his wallet once. He wrote in his diary that night all the things he was thankful about:

First, that he had never been robbed before.
Second, that though they took his wallet, they did not take his life.
Third, because even though they took it all, it wasn’t very much.
Finally, because he was the one who was robbed and not the one who was robbing

B. Two Doves: In the Old Testament also we can see that if a skin diseased person was healed he has to go through a cleansing ceremony or diagnose conducted by the priests. So Jesus asks all of them to show to the Priest, “In Leviticus 14:2-7 “These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields.”

So when Jesus healed the lepers and asked them to go show themselves to the priest, the priest had to put them through the cleansing ceremony. While the ceremony was happening one out of the ten realized the reason behind it. He understood that Jesus was the bird that was going to be crucified for him to be set free. He finally understood the tremendous sacrifice that Jesus was about to give for the mankind and for him. Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. And he just couldn’t hold it in, he could not keep it quiet that he had to return and fall at his feet for he understood; he finally found the truth and the truth set him free.

If we can put ourselves in the shoes or life of that leper we can see that our lives were once effected with a deadly diseases that was destroying us the “SIN”. But we were forgiven and healed, it was only when we met Jesus that our sins were forgiven. And if you are an individual who heard Jesus but has not accepted him into your life, we urge you to do so. Examine the life you are leading and ask Jesus to come into your heart and life. Make him the savior of your life and see how he will transform you. The leper was cleansed outwardly as well inwardly. Come lets shout of praise to God for he has given a victory over our a health, and our soul. So, Fly freely, but praise God.

By: SS