This passage describes the miracle of the manna, a heavenly form of sustenance God provides for the Israelites during their forty years in the wilderness.
Manna was a small, round substance (see Exod. 16:14)
Manna appeared like a hoar (white) frost on the ground (see Exod. 16:14)
Manna looked like a coriander seed (see Num. 11:7)
Manna was the color of bdellium, similar to the color of a pearl (see Num. 11:7)
Manna tasted like fresh oil (see Num. 11:8)
Manna also tasted like wafers made with honey (see Exod. 16:31)
Manna was called “angels’ food” (see Ps. 78:25)
Manna was called the “corn of heaven” (see Ps. 78:24)
Christ says He is the “living bread which came down from heaven,” comparing Himself to the manna in the wilderness (see John 6:23-51). The manna represented salvation, as it nourished the people of Israel in the wilder- ness; without it they would have perished. Manna was crushed and beaten before it was eaten (see Num. 11:8), just as the body of Christ was beaten and bruised for man’s redemption (see Isa. 53:4-5).
The phrase hoar frost (v. 14) is unique. The root word for hoar frost in Hebrew is kephowr, a word akin to the word kippur. Yom Kippur is the Hebrew phrase meaning “Day of Atonement,” the sixth appointed season of Israel’s seven feasts. It was the day when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant to “atone” for himself, the priests, and the people. The word atone- ment is mentioned eighty times in the English Bible; the Hebrew word is kaphar, meaning “to cover, to appease and to purge,” is used seventy-five of those eighty times. It is a word used to describe what happened once a sacrifice was offered before God. When the Lord saw the blood being poured out, the sacrificial blood was cover- ing the sin and purging the conscience of the offender. Many blood offerings were atonement offerings for sins and transgressions.
How unique that manna fell from heaven, covering the ground like a frost. It was as though God was looking ahead in time when the true bread from heaven, Christ, would come down and spill His blood on the ground to atone for all mankind, providing the eternal covering for all who would receive this eternal Bread of Life.
Balaam makes four major predictions called “parables” (see Num. 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15, 21, 23), which are actually prophecies concerning Israel.
The First Prophecy (23:9-10)
Balaam’s first prophecy predicts that Jacob (Israel) will become a countless multitude as plentiful as dust. God gave Abram (Abraham) a similar prediction when He said Abram’s seed would be numerous as dust (see Gen. 13:16). Balaam says Israel will “dwell alone” and not be “reckoned among the nations.” From AD 70 to 1948, Israel did not exist as a nation; thus, other nations did not recognize her. Since 1948, the Jewish state has often stood alone as enemies have risen from within and without, and Israel has conducted six major wars. The “fourth part of Israel” may allude to the division of the camps into four sections around the tabernacle. From the mountain, Balaam could not even count one-fourth of the number of people in one section of the camp.
The Second Prophecy (23:21-24)
Balaam states that Israel has maintained its spiritual integrity, avoided perverseness, and is destined to become a ruling nation. He mentions a great lion and a young lion, a statement similar to Jacob’s final words of blessing to his son Judah. Jacob predicted Judah would be as a lion and that the ruler would come from Judah (see Gen. 49:9-10).
The Third Prophecy (24:5-9)
The promise of blessing on those who bless and cursing on those who curse Israel (v. 9) is the same promise given to Abram (Abraham) at the beginning of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen. 12:3). The phrase his seed shall be in many waters (v. 7) may allude to the Jewish people who will eventually dwell throughout the world. As in the second prophecy, the lion emblem represents Judah, the tribe of David, and Jesus Christ.
The Fourth Prophecy (24:17)
The prophecy “a Star out of Jacob” is believed to be what the wise men allude to when they search for the infant Christ Child and report, “We have seen his star in the east” (Matt. 2:2). The word Sceptre used in Numbers 24:17 relates to rulership; Jacob used the word when he predicted that the sceptre would not depart from Judah until Shiloh (a name used to identify the Messiah) comes (see Gen. 49:10). Christ’s birth, accompanied by a unique cosmic sign, occurred in Bethlehem of Judea (see Matt. 2:1).
OCTOBER 14, 2021 Exodus 25:10-11 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it.” Of all the furnishings that […]
OCTOBER 15, 2021 Exodus 25:10-11 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it.” As I mentioned in yesterday’s […]
Rabbis have taught of two Messiahs: a suffering Messiah, the Messiah son of Joseph, and a conquering Messiah, the Messiah son of David. Rachel was near Bethlehem (Ephrath), the very area where both King David and Jesus would be born. Christ’s first appear- ing was as the son of “sorrows” (Isa. 53:4), but when He appears again He will be the Son of God’s “right hand” (Luke 22:69; Acts 7:56). Just as Benjamin was first called a “son of sorrow” and became the son of his father’s right hand, Christ the Lamb of God came to suffer, yet He will return as the Lion of Judah to rule from the right hand of power (see Rev. 5:5).
These chapters detail the various types of offerings God requires the Israelites to present to Him at the tabernacle. Five major types of offerings were offered at the tabernacle and later at the temple in Jerusalem. In the New Testament Jesus speaks of Korban (see Mark 7:11). The original Hebrew meaning of the word Korban was “sacrifice.” The English word sacrifice is found 194 times in the English Old Testament and is translated as zaback or “to slaughter an animal” (see Exod. 3:18), and as olah, meaning to “go up,” referring to the smoke of the offering ascending to God (see Lev. 1:3). Most believers perceive a sacrifice as something they must “give up” as an offering to God. The Hebrew meaning, however, is far from this. Below is a Hebrew commentary on the meaning of Korban:
“It is most regrettable that we have no word that really reproduces the idea that lies in the expression ‘Korban.’ The unfortunate use of the term ‘sacrifice’ implies giving up something of value to oneself for the benefit of another, or having to do without something of value, ideas not only entirely absent from the nature of ‘Korban’ but diametrically opposed to it. In addition, the idea of an ‘offering’ presupposes a wish on the part of the one to whom it is brought . . . But the idea of ‘Korban’ is far away from all this. It is used exclusively with reference with human- ity’s relationship with God, and can only be understood from the meaning that lies in its root, ‘K.R.V.’—to approach, to come near, to enter into a relationship. Korban implies closeness (the root is K.R.V.—near); bringing things together . . . it engenders compassion, never harshness. That is why it is Korban L’Hashem, a gift to the name of Hashem.” (Source: R. Shimshon Refael Hirsch, opening to Sefer Vayikra, The Pentateuch Judaica Press, 1962).
Thus, the true meaning of a Korban is not to give up something, but to draw near to God through a sacrifice.
These numerous offerings and sacrifices were intended to bring a person closer to God, not for a person to give up something of value and feel a sense of loss.
The Torah commands the Jews to place “fringes in the borders of their garments” (Num. 15:38). The Jewish tallit, or prayer shawl, is a white rectangular mantle-type garment worn by devout Jews during weekday morning services, on the Sabbath and during festivals. The standard Jewish tallit is made of lamb’s wool, cotton or silk, although no tallit will ever have wool and linen mixed, as this combination is forbidden in the Torah (see Lev. 19:19). Each tallit has special knotted fringes on the four corners called arba kanof. The four corner fringes are called the tzitzit and are knots tied a certain way, each knot holding a certain meaning.
For many years the stripes on the tallit were black in color, since for many years the dye used for the blue thread was unknown. However, Jewish research has uncovered that the blue dye was obtained from the shell of a Mediterranean mussel, the Helix ianthina, which provided a hue called cerulean purple. It is also defined as a violet color, a shade between blue and purple. Traditionally, a tzitzit has 613 knots as a reminder of the 613 command- ments comprising the entire code of law. The fringes themselves—knotted or not—were commanded as a reminder not to wander from God’s commandments (see Num. 15:39). A tallit can vary in size, from thirty-six by fifty-four inches to seventy-two by ninety-six inches.
A band is sown on the top called the atarah, or the crown, and often is embroidered in silver Hebrew letters with a special prayer: “Blessed are You, our God, Creator of time and space, who enriches our lives with holiness, commanding us to wrap ourselves in the tallit.”
Among more Orthodox communities, men wear the tallit but women do not. This is because the tallit is consid- ered a man’s garment and the Torah forbids women from wearing men’s apparel (see Deut. 22:5). Observant Jews are often buried in their tallit, with two exceptions: the neckband is removed, and one corner fringe is cut off, indi- cating that the deceased person is no longer required to follow the Torah obligations.
Today, observant Jews conduct a ceremony for their firstborn sons, called the Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the Son), based on Numbers 18:15-18. Rabbis can explain why five shekels were selected as the redemption amount (v. 16). Joseph, Rachel’s firstborn son, was sold by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver, the equivalent of five shekels (see Gen. 37:28). Therefore, five shekels are given to the priest to redeem the son back. The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is Hei, and was the letter God inserted into Abram’s name, changing it to Abraham (see Gen. 17:5). In Christian theology the number five represents the grace of God.
The Jewish custom of the redemption of the firstborn son begins when the infant is at least thirty-one days old. God wanted all men in Israel to be a nation of priests (see Exod. 19:6). After Israel sinned with the golden calf, God selects Levi as the single priestly tribe. By providing the five shekels to the priest, the father could redeem his first- born son from entering the priesthood. It also reminds the Jews that God preserved the firstborn sons of the Hebrew family on the night the destroying angel entered Egypt (see Exod. 12).
The Silver Tray, Jewelry, and Coins
Normally, ten men are present for the ceremony. The priest (rabbi) asks the father if he would prefer the child or the five shekels he must pay. The father says, “the child,” recites a blessing, and gives the silver coins to the priest. Holding the coins over the infant, the priest declares the redemption is paid. He blesses the child, then returns him to the parents. He usually returns the coins to the child as a gift. A festive meal follows the ceremony, sometimes including the distribution of sugar cubes and garlic cloves.
At times the child is placed on a blanket on a silver tray and surrounded by jewelry borrowed from women in attendance. This could allude to the time when the Hebrews left Egypt and borrowed jewelry from their Egyptian neighbors (see Exod. 12:35-36).
Girls are not excluded from experiencing their own naming ceremony, called Zeved HaBat among the Sephardic Jews and Simchat Bat among the Ashkenazi sect. These ceremonies often occur within the first month of a girl’s birth and can be celebrated privately in the synagogue or at a party at home. A rabbi and a cantor often participate.
The various Jewish traditions and customs involving children are too numerous to elaborate. However, some customs include lighting seven candles—representing the seven days of creation—while the infant is held or wrapped in the four corners of a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl). Other customs involve lifting the baby and touching its hands to the Torah Scroll. These detailed rituals stem from the command to redeem the firstborn found in Numbers 18.
Three main colors were used in the fabric of the tabernacle. The first color, blue, is mentioned thirty-four times in Exodus and represents the color of heaven. It alludes to how the Son of God would descend from heaven and dwell (tabernacle) among men (see John 1:14).
The second color is purple. The dye for this color is believed to have come from a small snail (the Murex). This color is mentioned twenty-six times in Exodus and is a color alluding to royalty. It speaks of the fact that Christ has come, not only in the flesh to dwell among men, but that He is also the future King of kings, or a combination of a priest and king after the order of Melchizedek (see Rev. 19:16; Heb. 7:17).
The third color is scarlet, also known as crimson. Crimson comes from the Persian word kermes, meaning “worm.” The scarlet dye is believed to have come from a worm that affixes itself to certain plants. These worms would have been collected, dried, and crushed into a powder that produced the colored dye needed for the scarlet curtains. This color speaks of Christ’s sufferings. During Christ’s trial, a scarlet robe was placed over His shoulders in a mocking gesture (see Matt. 27:28). Scarlet-colored strips of wool were also used to mark the two goats on the Day of Atonement, and a scarlet thread was placed in the window of Rahab’s house at Jericho as a token (sign) of divine protection for her household (see Josh. 2:18). Isaiah wrote, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18).
If the dye for the scarlet color came from a worm, and scarlet represents Christ’s suffering, how interesting that in Psalm 22, which predicts several events that occurred at the crucifixion of Christ, we read, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people” (Ps. 22:6).
Gold, Silver, and Brass
The gold, silver, and jewels used in the tabernacle came from the precious metals and jewelry the Israelites seized from the Egyptians prior to their departure from Egypt (see Exod. 12:35-36). Gold was used to cover the Ark, the golden altar, and the table of showbread. Gold was also used to construct the candlestick (the menorah) and to make certain shovels and smaller vessels. The silver came from silver half-shekels collected from the Hebrews and was used to form the sockets for the tabernacle planks (see Exod. 38:26). An annual half-shekel of silver was collected to fund the purchase of communal offerings for the tabernacle, and optional gifts of silver were used to make silver vessels.
Jeremiah predicted a “time of Jacob’s trouble” for Israel (Jer. 30:7). Many scholars believe this term alludes to the seven-year Tribulation referred to as “Daniel’s last seven years (called Daniel’s seventieth week) in Daniel 9:27. Jacob works for seven years and when he finishes, his father-in-law deceives him and forces him to marry Leah instead of his beloved Rachel. Laban instructs Jacob to “fulfill Rachel’s week” (Gen. 29:27). The Hebrew word for week is shabuwa, and is literally a week of years, not days. This word is found four times: in Genesis 29:27 and 28, and twice in Daniel 9:27. The word week in Daniel 9:27 is a prediction of a seven-year covenant that the future Antichrist will sign.
Jacob’s trouble is actually two periods of seven years. He works the first seven years only to be deceived by Laban. He works seven more years and receives the wife of his choice. Some rabbis believe that the Jewish holocaust, from 1938 to 1945—a period of seven years—was the fulfillment of Jacob’s trouble. However, there were two “sevens” in Jacob’s life. If the Holocaust is the “first” seven, the future seven-year Tribulation will be the second and final seven years of Jacob’s (Israel’s) time of trouble.
After the second seven-year period, Jacob receives Rachel as his wife and later returns to the Promised Land. He reveals himself to Esau and sees his father, Isaac. Following the future seven-year Tribulation, Christ the Messiah will return to Israel and reveal Himself as the suffering Messiah to the sons of Esau and the sons of Isaac (see Zech. 13:6).
