And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
Numbers 15:32 (KJV)
The man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day was never explicitly identified in the Torah. He has no name here, but is used as an example for what it means to break the Sabbath. He is stoned to death.
Continue reading “Stoned for gathering sticks”And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they.
Numbers 1:54 (KJV)
Commanded – This word in Hebrew is tsavah ( צִוָּה ) which is the primitive root of mitzvah (commandment). It is used about 500 times in the Old Testament. Commands are given from a father to a son (1 Samuel 17:20), a farmer to his laborers (Ruth 2:9), a king to his subjects (2 Samuel 21:14). YHVH commands His people by issuing kingship and instructing obedience to His rules.
Continue reading “Everything is a Commandment”And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Numbers 20:10 (KJV)
Rebels – There
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
Numbers 15:38 (KJV)
Fringes – Next time you’re out and about, stop and look around. How different do you appear from the people surrounding you? Whether you’re at Target, Walmart, a school, wherever… do you look any different from the people around? “Certainly”, you might respond. “The light of Christ shines through me and people will see that!” But we know the light of Christ isn’t necessarily a visual light shining forth, but rather a visual through the works one does. So what about those times when you’re standing in line at the DMV, or when you’re sitting in the doctor’s office, or when you’re shopping for shampoo at Target? These are times when nothing particularly exemplary is being performed. There’s no special denotation in your actions that might reveal you as a child of God. How do you stand out from the world at those times? Maybe we don’t stand out. Being a Christian is much more than just looking different, right? Continue reading “A Fringe Case”
And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
Numbers 11:4 (KJV)
Fell a lusting – The translations of this verse vary from lusting, to cravings, to desires, and even more specific, craving other food. But the Hebrew here says something rather different. Continue reading “When You Have It All”
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Numbers 6:26 (KJV)
Lift up his countenance – Here we are again, back to the word “face”, although this time translated as “countenance”. As we discovered before paniym is the Hebrew word for “face”, but is always used in the plural – “faces”. In verse 25 we read that this priestly blessing calls for YHWH’s faces to shine upon you, but in this verse the call is made for YHWH to “lift up” His faces upon you. Why is this short and reverent blessing focusing on His face to the point of mentioning it twice? Continue reading “Focusing on His Face”
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
Numbers 6:25 (KJV)
Gracious – Weren’t we taught that the idea of grace is a new testament teaching? The new testament which records the new covenant is all about the new concept of grace. Well we were taught wrong. The grace of YHWH has been around since the beginning. It’s found in His actions with Adam and Eve, it’s found in the story of Noah, it’s found in the law, and here in the priestly blessing from Numbers 6. Continue reading “Grace is Nothing New”
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
Numbers 6:25 (KJV)
Shine – We are in the spotlight. The world is watching our every move, and the grand finalé is almost here. Did you remember your lines? Have you practiced your steps? Did you study the performance of the historical greats? It’s all extremely important. Continue reading “In the Spotlight”
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
Numbers 6:25 (KJV)
Face – An idiom says a lot about a culture. In America, we have the idiom “two faced” when describing someone’s hypocrisy. If a person said different things to different people in order to win favor, we’d consider them to be two faced. We recognize that they are showing one face to one person and another face to the other. But in the Hebrew, our God has two faces. Continue reading “The Faces of God”
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee;
Numbers 6:24 (KJV)
Keep – The priestly blessing upon the children of Israel is one of the most powerful blessings I’ve encountered in the Bible. My eyes well up with tears upon hearing these words. I have to pause after each verse and take it all in. When I hear this verse, my first thought ventures to Yeshua’s words about all those who are in His hand, no man can remove. Yes, may YHWH keep me! So willing am I to hold Him to this, but then I read this word in Hebrew – shamar. Continue reading “Keep Yourself in Check”
