PARASHAH B’HA’ALOTCHA
(Numbers 8:1-12:16) Week 36
B’HA’ALOTKHA: When you set up. “When you mount the lamps…”
MENORAH: The Golden Lampstand (66 pounds of pure hand-forged gold)
Six Candlesticks on each side, leaning in, three per side, toward the MIDDLE 7th CANDLE. The Almighty fashioned the Menorah Himself, which was tended 2 X per day, always burning, lit with the purest hand-crushed olive oil.
The hand-crushing signifies the crushing of Yeshua for us!
YESHUA IS THE HEART OF TORAH!
NER TAMID: Eternal Light…Adonai is the source of ALL light!
KODESH: Holy (Kodesh, Kodesh, Kodesh, Adonai ~ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord!)
RUACH: Wind
RUACH HA KODESH: Wind or Breath of God!
AVODAH: Holy Service unto Adonai
MIKVEH: The Ritual Cleansing Bath for the Priesthood
KORBONAT: All sacrifice made unto Adonai
MIKHAH: The ‘laying on of hands” … The great transference of sin!
SHEKHINAH: The GLORY of the LORD (Over the Ark between the Cherubim)
PESUKIM: Verses in the Torah Scroll
SHOFAR: The Ram’s HORN of alarm! This was the Priestly Sound of Alarm!
In Hebrew the word Shofar means “To Bring Beauty”
When the Shofar is blown, it brings LIFE! WAKE UP SLEEPER AND LIVE!
YOVEL: Ram’s Horn
NISAN 14: This is the APPOINTED TIME by Adonai and the START of the Jewish spiritual New Year which coincides with Passover.
It began with the beginning of the establishment of The Nation of Israel on the first Passover night.
Israel as a Nation was BORN at the SAME time as the 10th Plague of the DEATH of the FIRSTBORN!
PESACH SHENI: (Iyyar 14) This is a SECOND Pesach, reserved for those who were ‘unclean’ on the day of the Festival of Passover on Nisan 14!
They were given, one month later, the opportunity to observe PASSOVER, according to Adonai and His command to observe Pesach for all generations.
THIS WAS MERCIFUL OF THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, TO INCLUDE THOSE WHO SERVED OTHERS WITH THE DEATHS AND BURIALS OF ISRAEL.
Those who did not observe Pesach out of rebellion were cut off from the people!
Please consider this:
Adonai in His mercy HONORS the physical nature of our lives here on earth and makes provision for times when LIFE takes us away from WORSHIP.
Yet, Adonai MAKES A WAY for the faithful! Glorious Lord!
The Priests used the SHOFAR only to sound the alarms for the Nation of Israel.
Two silver trumpets were ordered by Adonai to be used by the Leaders of the Nation to CALL TO ARMS or ATTENTION the Tribes during the migration of the Nation of Israel!
- TEKIAH: (2 TRUMPETS) FOR THE gathering OF ALL ISRAEL
- TERUAH: (1 TRUMPET) TO GATHER THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL
- TEKIAH-TERUAH-TEKIAH: THIS WAS THE SIGNAL FOR THE DEPARTURE FROM CAMP
THE SOUND OF THE HORN OF THE RAPTURE: WILL WE HEAR Tekiah Teruah Tekiah?
BLOWN BY THE LIPS OF YESHUA, AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE AND RAPTURE WITH HIM IN THE AIR?
Teruah: The sound of ALARM to signal the camp is about to MOVE OUT!
Trumpet blasts were used to signal to the Israelites to REMEMBER the LORD during battle and during the Moed’im, or appointed feasts of the LORD.
The Mount Sinai Experience:
As a Torah leader, I refer to the Mount Sinai of our LIVES as Basic Training Camp, in God’s Army. I too have been in BOOT CAMP!
This is ordained by the Spirit.
May we be SET APART for God’s army…taught and trained for His duty and filled with the fruits of the Spirit so we may STAND, WALK, AND WAR until that DAY.
The moving of the protective ‘Cloud’ brought prayer to the lips of Moses who led the people: Num 10:35
“Arise O Lord and let your enemies be scattered and let those who hate you flee before you!”
The hovering of the protective cloud brought prayer to the lips of Moses who led the people. Num 10:36
“Return Oh Lord to the ten thousand / thousands of Israel!”
THREE days of FAITH!
After only 3 days journey from Mt. Sinai toward the promised land, the Nation began to COMPLAIN and MURMUR of their hardships in the desert.
The Lord sent FIRE to the edge of the camp to consume the fray of complainers who comprised “The Mixed Multitude” who were part of the 2 million people.
The people dwelling on the OUTSKIRTS of the Nation of Israel were contaminating God’s chosen Nation.
EIREV RAV: The Mixed Multitude
ASAFSUF: The Rabble or Riffraff; the survivors of the people living on the FRINGES of the Nation of Israel…
They began to clamor and complain; “Who will give us meat to eat?”
Their complaining spread DISCONTENT!
Why would the Nation of Israel be clamoring for meat to eat, when they were herding masses of animals on their journey?
Is it possible that even God’s ELECT will be tempted by a negative mind-set?
It is easier to go ALONG with the FRINGES of SOCIETY rather than EXERCISE the birthright of the Spirit, and praise the King of Kings in all things!
TORAH reveals how the nation missed their onions, spices, cucumbers and melons…in spite of the Manna from Heaven which freely fell from heaven to fill them and nourish them!
EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THIS MIRACLE…THEY WERE DISCONTENT AND SOUGHT THE THINGS OF THE OLD LIFE OF BONDAGE…
“Serve the Lord your God with joy for the ABUNDANCE, lest your life be CURSED!” (Deut. 28:47)
We curse OUR own lives when we set our eyes on WHAT WE DO NOT HAVE…INSTEAD OF THE ABUNDANCE OF HIS PROVISION FOR US!
There is an abundance we may CLAIM when we are in unity with ADONAI!
Moses pleads with ADONAI that he cannot serve ALL THESE PEOPLE in their discontent!
Adonai commands Moses to appoint 70 ELDERS to replace the ones burned up.
WHY were the 70 ELDERS living on the FRINGES of the CAMP a source of anger for ADONAI?
Did the ‘LASHON HARA’ of Miriam and Aaron spread out into the fringes?
Did the discontent of the FRINGES spread into the LEADERS?
Both assessments are possibilities!
Did the leaders lose their FIRST LOVE OF ADONAI?
Why fraternize with the mixed multitudes living on the FRINGE of the chosen Nation?
There was (and still is) a consequence for the CHOICE to live in concert with “the culture of the DAY” instead of within the boundaries of Adonai’s instruction!
Do we do this?
The New Elders: Moses chose 6 men from each of the 12 tribes to be the new leaders of Israel: The 2 extras had to be dismissed (Eldad and Medad).
ADONAI honored them by ‘PUTTING THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY UPON THEM!’
The Lesson of the Manna ~ The Lesson of the Quail
MANNA: Gather just enough… not too much… for 6 days… but rest in the provision of Adonai for the 7th day!
BELIEVE IN THE DOUBLE PORTION OF THE SABBATH! BELIEVE, REST, TRUST!
QUAIL: In our NEFESH we are discontent with life down to the smallest onion or clove of garlic!
What we clamor for, apart from God’s plans for us, may bring death!
What we clamor for may make us SICK!
ADONAI will give us what we CLAMOR for…
Consider:
- What is causing discontent in your life today? It may be something very difficult, so how do we stay UNSHAKEN? This is the lesson of the MANNA!
- What is causing you to murmur, complain, express fearful thoughts? It might be something which brings fearful thoughts and the desire to FIX the problem OUR way!
Adonai KNOWS our human side! He still loves us in these moments, but LONGS to train us to be VICTORIOUS WARRIORS in times of spiritual warfare!
Can you step BACK into the RANKS of the Warriors and STAND STRONG?
- What is ‘growing out of your discontent’ may turn into your greatest plague and spill over onto your family.
Consider this in the light of His truth. Take this area of your desires CAPTIVE as if this is the ENEMY!
KIBROTH-HATTAAVAH: The Graves of those who CRAVED!
May all that we desire bring light life and unity!
This is HIS WILL for you.
Lashon Hara /Evil tongue in the Desert Wilderness:
Moses left his wife Zipporah because of his service to the Lord. This is all we know. His sister Miriam complained to Aaron, their brother, that Moses was sinning for having put Zipporah away.
She then complained, murmured, that God had ALSO chosen she and Aaron to be prophets to the people during this time for the Nation, thereby discrediting Moses’ leadership.
This is a perfect EXAMPLE of Lashon Hara! We say, “Well this is the truth of the matter, so it is acceptable to talk about this person in this negative way which discredits them, after all, it is TRUE!” Miriam was afflicted by her own WORDS!
For this reason, Miriam was afflicted with Tza’arat, the punishment for Lashon Hara. She was put outside the camp as Moses and Aaron prayed for her during the 7 days of banishment from the camp. Adonai held the Cloud by day and Pillar of Fire by night until Miriam was healed! (MERCIFUL GOD!)
Adonai clarified to Moses, Aaron and Miriam together, that only Moses was spoken to face-to-face by Adonai, as the prophet of Israel! (Panim El Panim)
HAFTARAH (Old Covenant) READING: Zech 2:4-4:7
This is the account of the Prophet Zechariah delivering his prophecy to Joshua and Zerubbabel during a return to Yerushalem to rebuild the Temple.
It seems Joshua was being accused by Satan in a dream!
“Hear now Joshua, High Priest, behold I am bringing my servant Tzemach (Branch) the Mashiach who is an offshoot of King David. “Behold the Man” who is a priest on his throne, a ruler, a counselor of peace, whose name is Tzemach.
This is the prophetic image of YESHUA THE MASHIACH!
Zechariah was shown a vision of a Menorah with two olive trees standing on either side of the Menorah.
YESHUA: Branch of Righteousness! Light of the world!
BRIT CHADASHAH: (New Covenant) READING: 1 Cor 10:6-13; Revelation 11:1-19
How do the stories of the nation of Israel teach and train us? CAN WE SEE OURSELVES IN THEIR FAILINGS?
If not, we have not SEEN with eyes to see; nor HEARD with ears that HEAR!
“Remember…Kibroth-Hattaavah: The Graves of those who CRAVED!
Do we SEE Adonai’s mercy?
Revelation 11:1-19: The two olive trees and the two menorahs are symbols of the two witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, who for 42 months during the Tribulation will perform miracles BEFORE the wrath of the LORD is unleashed.
THIS IS MERCY up to the LAST MOMENT!