Numbers 34 sketches out the borders for the land of Israel, which Joshua was to distribute among the nine and a half tribes that remained to be settled. The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh had already made claim to territories east of the Jordan. The Levites were not to receive tribal territory. Joshua and Eleazar were to cast lots to parcel out the land among the remaining tribes. Numbers 34:19-29 gives a list of the tribal leaders responsible for dividing the parcel among the clans and families of the tribe.
It is easy for believers in Messiah to read about geographical Israel with little interest. Descriptions of the land seem inconsequential to us. After all, Christianity provides a spiritual inheritance in heaven, not an earthly inheritance. Why should believers care about the land of Israel?
One reason we should take an interest in the land of Israel is that God does. The Bible is filled with details about this particular piece of real estate. The land of Israel is the stage on which the majority of the Bible is played out. In God's Book, the land of Israel is a central concern. If it matters to God, it should matter to His children.
When Christian believers first visit the land of Israel, they typically say things like, “The Bible has become so real to me now,” or, “I never realized how much I was missing,” or “I feel like I've come home.” All believers have a special relationship to the land of Israel. It is the cradle of our faith. Our Master's feet tread upon its soil and stones. It is God's holy land in which He placed His city (Jerusalem) and His Temple and caused His presence to dwell.
For a Jewish believer the connection is even more relevant. Not only is the land of Israel the place of his spiritual origin, it is his literal inheritance in this world.
Christians have been making pilgrimages to the Holy Land since the first century. At FFOZ, we encourage all believers in Messiah to make at least one visit to Israel. In a spiritual sense, the land of Israel is the homeland of all believers. The presence of God permeates the land. It is “a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12). The prophets say that when the Messiah comes, He will gather all the people of Israel back to the land of Israel.
Massei – מסעי : “Journeys” Torah : Numbers 33:1-36:13 Haftarah : Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4; 4:1-2 Gospel : John 20-21
JULY 23, 2022 Numbers 9:14 And if a stranger dwells among you, and would keep the Lord’s Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land. In the beginning of this chapter, the people of Israel […]
JULY 22, 2022 Numbers 8:24 This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting. Believe it or not, there is an interesting and important concept alluded to in this verse. According to this, a young man from the tribe of Levi entered […]
JULY 21, 2022 Numbers 8:10 So you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites. Most everyone reading this understands the symbolism and purpose of the “laying on of hands.” It is an action intended to impart a spiritual benefit to one person from another. For […]
JULY 20, 2022 Numbers 8:6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. In the Scripture we see there are times when people are tested and then there are times when they are proven — and I do believe there is an important difference. Think of it this way: when we […]
JULY 19, 2022 Numbers 8:3 And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lamp stand, as the Lord commanded Moses. As was mentioned in the previous devotion, Messiah — the Light of the world — said that we, His people, are the light of the world and are to shine […]
JULY 18, 2022 Numbers 8:1-2 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’ ” As this chapter begins it speaks, once again, of kindling the lamps of the menorah (it is mentioned previously in Exodus 25 & 27). […]
JULY 17, 2022 Numbers 7:89 Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him. It is possible, I think, to consider that Moses, having […]
Why did Moses pray, “God of all Spirits of all flesh” when requesting a new leader for Israel? Rashi explains that Moses said to the LORD, “Master of the Universe! The personality of every human is revealed before you, and you know that no two are exactly alike. Appoint a leader over them that will bear with each one according to his personality.”
The LORD answered Moses' prayer for a successor by appointing Joshua, the servant of Moses, as the next leader of Israel. Joshua was a man in whom the Spirit of God resided.
How did Joshua become such a great and worthy leader? He learned the art of leadership by being a careful disciple and faithful servant of Moses. If a person desires to develop in wisdom, he should spend time with the wise. If a person desires to develop in righteousness, he should spend time with righteous people. If a person desires to become a good leader, he should stay close to good leaders. Likewise, as we become better disciples of our teacher Yeshua of Nazareth, we will become more and more like Him. The Gospel of Luke says, “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).
The LORD told Moses to lay his hands on Joshua, symbolizing a transfer of authority and spiritual prowess. The laying-on-of-hands ritual signifies an investment of identity. For example, when a person bringing a sacrifice laid his hands on the animal's head, he was investing the animal with his own identity so the animal could represent him before God:
He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. (Leviticus 1:4)
Moses laid his hands on Joshua in front of all Israel so there would not be any question about who was designated to succeed him. He endowed Joshua with his authority so the Israelites would obey him. Rashi says that, just as Moses' face shone like the sun because of his encounters with the presence of God, Joshua's face glowed like the moon after Moses laid hands upon him. The Midrash Rabbah, an ancient collection of rabbinic commentary on the Torah, likens Moses' laying his hands on Joshua to one candle lighting another:
Like one who lights one candle with another, [the leaders of Israel] were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Holy Spirit taken from the spirit of Moses, but the Spirit of Moses was not diminished. This is like the case of a man who lights one candle with another. The one candle ignites but the flame on the other candle is not diminished. (Numbers Rabbah 21:15; 13:20)
The transfer of the Holy Spirit from Moses to his disciple Joshua enables us to better understand why the disciples of Yeshua were invested with the Holy Spirit after His ascension. In the same way that Joshua was to take on the mantle of Moses after his departure, the disciples of Yeshua are responsible for carrying on His work.
Pinchas – ×¤×™× ×—×¡ : “Phinehas” Torah : Numbers 25:10-30:1 Haftarah : 1 Kings 18:46-19:21 Gospel : Mark 11:27-12:37
JULY 16, 2022 Numbers 7:2-3 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the leaders of the tribes and over those who were numbered, made an offering. And they brought their offering before the Lord. According to the text, as soon as Moses had set up the Sanctuary and consecrated it, the leaders of the twelve […]
