RSEA.D. Week 123

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Week 123

Read
Aloud together to hear the Word (Leviticus 23:1-3; Nehemiah 8:1-4; Luke 4:16-17)

  • Torah (T): Bemidbar (Numbers) 33:1-56
  • Prophets (P): Isaiah 1:16 – 2:6
  • Apostolic (A): Acts 1:1-26
  • Additional (ADD): Jubilees 9:14-15; Jubilees 10:28-36

Summary
Context and coherence (Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. Numbers 33:1-49 detail the journeys of the sons of Israel according to their starting points from Rameses the day after Pesach to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab.
      1. Israel had approximately 44 encampments during their 40 year journey from leaving Egypt to their final encampment at Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab before crossing the Jordan into Jericho.
        1. The Torah says the journeys were by the commandment of YHWH. Often called “wanderings” but these journeys were determined by the cloud.
          1. Numbers 9:17 “Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the sons of Israel traveled; and in the place where the cloud remained, there the sons of Israel encamped. 18 At the commandment of YHWH, the sons of Israel traveled, and at the commandment of YHWH they encamped. As long as the cloud remained on the tabernacle they remained encamped. 19 When the cloud stayed on the tabernacle many days, then the sons of Israel guarded [Elohim’s](LXX) command, and didn’t travel. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days on the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of YHWH they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of YHWH they traveled. 21 Sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they traveled; or by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they traveled. :22 Whether it was two days, or a new moon, or a year that the cloud stayed on the tabernacle, remaining on it, the sons of Israel remained encamped, and didn’t travel; but when it was taken up, they traveled. 23 At the mouth of YHWH they encamped, and at the mouth of YHWH they traveled. They guarded YHWH’s command, at the mouth of YHWH by Moses.”
          2. “cloud,” עָנָן anan (H6051) comes from the root עַן an which means “to watch or observe” because clouds are watched and observed to tell the weather as in the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc. In Leviticus 19:26, sorcery, fortune-telling, soothsaying, augury, or practicing magic is forbidden where the phrase תְעוֹנֵֽנוּ te’onenu (from H6049) literally means to “observe the clouds”
          3. The following map “The Rand-McNally Bible Atlas,” by Jesse L. Hurlbut uses the incorrect Sinai Peninsula location for Mt. Sinai. Mt. Sinai is actually in the land of Midian (cf. Exodus 3:1) which was known as the land of Arabia byt the 1st Century (cf. Galatians 4:25). However, the map gives us a great picture of the journeys.
    1. 33:50 YHWH spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51 Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them, “When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you will drive out [the inhabitants](DSS) of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.
    2. 33:53 You will take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for I have given the land to you to possess it.
    3. 33:54 You will inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger groups you will give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you will give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to any man, that will be his. You will inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.
      1. Acts 1:23 They put forward two: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthiah. 24 They prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take part in this service and office of emissary from which Judah fell away, that he might go to his own place.” 26 They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthiah; and he was counted with the Eleven emissaries.
    4. 33:55-56 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be like pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land in which you dwell. 56 It will happen that as I thought to do to them, so I will do to you.” (Vow)
    5. Joshua 11:15, 23; As YHWH commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua. Joshua did so. He left nothing undone of all that YHWH commanded Moses…23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that YHWH spoke to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.
    6. Judges 2:7, 10-11-23;
      1. 2:7 The people served YHWH all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of YHWH that he had worked for Israel.
      2. 2:10 After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know YHWH, nor the work which he had done for Israel. 11 The sons of Israel did that which was evil in YHWH’s sight, and served the Ba’alim. 12 They abandoned YHWH, the Elohim of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other elohim, of the elohim of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; and they provoked YHWH to anger. 13 They abandoned YHWH, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14 YHWH’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, YHWH’s hand was against them for evil, as YHWH had spoken, and as YHWH had sworn to them; and they were very distressed. 16 YHWH raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they didn’t listen to their judges; for they prostituted themselves to other elohim, and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying YHWH’s commandments. They didn’t do so. 18 When YHWH raised up judges for them, then YHWH was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it grieved YHWH because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them. 19 But when the judge was dead, they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other elohim to serve them and to bow down to them. They didn’t cease what they were doing, or give up their stubborn ways. 20 YHWH’s anger burned against Israel; and he said, “Because this nation transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out any of the nations that Joshua left when he died from before them; 22 that by them I may test Israel, to see if they will keep YHWH’s way to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.” 23 So YHWH left those nations, without driving them out hastily. He didn’t deliver them into Joshua’s hand.
    7. Some History (Ancient Jewish History: Roman Rule (63 B.C. – 70 A.D.) from the Jewish Virtual Library
      1. When the Romans replaced the Seleucids as the great power in the region (Seleucid rule began in 198 B.C.E under Antiochus III), they granted the Hasmonean king, Hyrcanus II, limited authority under the Roman governor of Damascus. The Jews were hostile to the new regime, and the following years witnessed frequent insurrections. A last attempt to restore the former glory of the Hasmonean dynasty was made by Mattathias Antigonus (the Maccabees were later known as the Hasmonean dynasty), whose defeat and death brought Hasmonean rule to an end (40 B.C.E), and the Land became a province of the Roman Empire. In 37 B.C.E, Herod, a son-in-law of Hyrcanus II, was appointed King of Judea by the Romans (Matthew 2:12-16). Granted almost unlimited autonomy in the country’s internal affairs, he became one of the most powerful monarchs in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. A great admirer of Greco-Roman culture, Herod launched a massive construction program, which included the cities of Caesarea and Sebaste and the fortresses at Herodium and Masada. He also remodeled the Temple into one of the most magnificent buildings of its time. But despite his many achievements, Herod failed to win the trust and support of his Jewish subjects. Ten years after Herod’s death (4 B.C.E), Judea came under direct Roman administration. Growing anger against increased Roman suppression of Jewish life resulted in sporadic violence which escalated into a full-scale revolt in 66 A.D.. Superior Roman forces led by Titus were finally victorious, razing Jerusalem to the ground (70 A.D.) and defeating the last Jewish outpost at Masada (73 A.D.). The total destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was catastrophic for the Jewish people. According to the contemporary historian Josephus Flavius, hundreds of thousands of Jews perished in the siege of Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country, and many thousands more were sold into slavery.

Exhortation
Counsel, comfort, and encouragement (Acts 13:14-15)

Acts 1:1 The first book of words I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Yeshua began both to do and to teach, 2 until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the emissaries whom he had chosen. 3 To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about Elohim’s Reign. 4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. 5 For John indeed immersed in water, but you will be immersed in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the reign to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be [my](mss) witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the land.”

    1. Acts 2:38-42 Peter said to them, “Repent and be immersed, every one of you, in the name of Yeshua the Messiah for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40 With many other words he witnessed and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were immersed. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
      1. 2:42 They continued steadfastly in the emissaries’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and the prayers.
    2. Ephesians 4:11-14; He gave some to be emissaries; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; 12 for the perfecting of the holy ones, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Messiah, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah,
      1. 4:14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error.

Application
Living the Word and following Yeshua (Acts 2:37; Romans 2:13)

Romans 2:13 For it isn’t the hearers of the Torah who are righteous before Elohim, but the doers of the Torah will be justified.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

  1. What questions or comments came up during your family’s discussion of this week’s study?
  2. “What other related Scriptures did you find during your study of this week’s portion?”
  3. Have you ever experienced something from this study or something related to it?
  4. “What changes do you need to make in your life to align with what you learned during this week’s Torah Study?”

Discussion
Questions, input, and sharpening (Proverbs 27:17; Luke 2:46)

  1. How are we raising up a generation that knows YHWH? (Judges 2:10)
  2. Are we supposed to be Yeshua’s witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the land? (Acts 1:8)
  3. Are we supposed to continue steadfastly in the emissaries’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and the prayers? (Acts 2:42)
  4. How are we working to attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God? (Ephesians 4:13)
  5. What can we do to not be tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine? (Ephesians 4:14)