JULY 29, 2022 Numbers 11:1 Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. As we begin today, let’s take note of the fact that God hears our conversations; He hears our praise and our grumbling. As to the latter, […]
JULY 28, 2022 Numbers 10:33 So they departed from the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. When the children of Israel finally left “the mountain of the LORD,” they traveled these […]
JULY 27, 2022 Numbers 10:29 Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.” As is evident in this verse, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, was also […]
JULY 26, 2022 Numbers 10:10 Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God. In our local congregation, […]
JULY 25, 2022 Numbers 10:1-2 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.” Distinguished from the shofar, or ram’s horn, these two silver trumpets were used for different functions such as […]
JULY 24, 2022 Numbers 9:18 At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. When the tabernacle was raised up, a cloud that had the appearance of fire hovered over the Sanctuary. It served as a […]
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 […]
