Tzemach Institute for Biblical Studies

Understanding the Scriptures for Times Such as These

Bible Study: Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

Torah

In this Torah section, Moses rehearses the encounter between God and Israel at Mt. Sinai. Here we learn about the intent of God concerning the commandments. If Israel obeyed His commandments, it would make them “wise”. They would prosper and live long lives in the land that He was giving to them.

God declared,

“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

It appears to me that both Israel and the Church have ignored this commandment. In Israel, the Oral Tradition evolved as an interpretative body of work of the commandments. This was eventually written in the form of the Mishnah. Commentaries were added to the Mishnah to form the Talmud. For all practical purposes, these added to the commandments by being more restrictive than the original commandments. 

In Christianity, it is acceptable to simply ignore any commandment which does not fit into Christian theology. One of the best examples of this is Shabbat. The Shabbat as well as others of the Lord’s festivals (Leviticus 23:37) are ignored and new festivals have been developed in their place.

The commandments define a lifestyle which is pleasing to the Lord. We might call it a “Biblical Lifestyle”. In Israel this would be seen as a “Torah Lifestyle”. Christianity denies the use of the word “Torah”, so it would be called a “Biblical Lifestyle”. God declared that this is wisdom. 

“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” (Deuteronomy 4:6) 

In the animal kingdom, the creatures act for their own survival and well-being. This is classified as instinct. I believe what we call instinct is God speaking directly to animals. This process is confused in mankind due to the confusion introduced at the time of the fall. This confusing communication comes from the evil one who challenges every commandment given by God. The Torah becomes our “instinct”. As we live lives in the pattern of Torah, we appear to be wise because we are following the pattern defined by God consistent with His original design for human existence. There is a multiplication of knowledge today, but wisdom is a rare commodity.

At Mt. Sinai, Israel was fearful due to the awesome presence of the Lord on the mountain. Each heard God speak what we call the “ten commandments”. I believe that they each experienced the same phenomena later experienced by Elijah at this same place – the small, silent voice of the Lord. As a result, they feared for their survival and asked Moses to interact directly with the Lord on their behalf. Moses assumed the position of Messiah, effectively interacting with God on behalf of the people. He was a Messiah.

All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” (Exodus 20:18-19)

God heard their request and declared that they had done well.

“The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.” (Deuteronomy 5:28)

Finally, one of my favorite activities is to speculate about the nature of heaven. 

“And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens; darkness, cloud and thick gloom. Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form – only a voice.” (Deuteronomy 4:11-12) 

“Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire.” (Deuteronomy 4:36)

If we think of heaven as a multi-dimensional universe distinct from the space-time continuum, then this event reveals a coupling of these two universes at Mt. Sinai. Note the term, “to the very heart of heaven”. This means something like “deep within the region of heaven”. Israel experienced this at Mt. Sinai and recorded it. Please see my book “Israel – God’s Interdimensional Portal” (available at Amazon) for more development of this subject.

Bible Study: Deuteronomy 1:1-3

Torah

The Book of Deuteronomy (Hebrew “Devarim”) was recited to Israel on Mt. Nebo just before Israel entered the land. Moses’ work in this age has been completed. Joshua would lead Israel into the Promised Land. Since the specific date was given, the first day of the 11th month of the 40th year, it would be only 70 days before Israel crossed the Jordan River and began the conquest.

The land that God would give to Israel is defined once again.

“The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and set your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.’” (Deuteronomy 1:6-8)

This land can roughly be described as the land from the desert in the south (Sinai) to the Euphrates River (the great river) in the north and from the sea in the west (the Mediterranean) to the desert to the east. This is the land bridge between the two ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia.

God commanded Israel to “go in and possess” the land. To do this they would have to dispossess the Canaanites who were already there. This would entail bold spiritual as well as physical battles. They would have to forcibly take the land from the Canaanites. Moses declared, “Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.” God would do this by,

“This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.” (Deuteronomy 2:25).

God would also harden the hearts of the Canaanites as He had done to Sihon, king of Heshbon (Deuteronomy 2:30). When God “hardens the heart” of an enemy, He makes him foolishly aggressive. God used both fear and the hardening of their hearts to undermine the Canaanites. Whenever Israel believed God and boldly advanced against their enemies, their enemies could not stand in battle and were defeated. The opposite occurred when Israel disobeyed the Lord and attempted to avoid the conflict. Their enemies were emboldened and defeated Israel. Finally, we know from the book of Joshua that God entered the battle directly as needed. I believe that these commands are as applicable today as they were when Moses spoke them.

In the account presented in the book of Numbers, it sounds as if God wanted Israel to send spies into the promised land to assess the difficulty of conquering the land.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” (Numbers 13:1-2)
It is not often that a clarification occurs in the Bible. This is one such case.

“Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter. The thing pleased me and I took of your men, one man for each tribe…”. (Deuteronomy 1:22-23)

So we may conclude that spying out the land was not God’s idea, it was a result of the apprehension of the people. After the spies returned, two men, Caleb ben Jephunneh and Joshua ben Nun, encouraged Israel to advance in the conquest of the land because they knew that the Lord was with them. The other spies only saw the challenge in terms of their perceived natural strength. This speaks to the faith process. Whenever we have a sure word of faith concerning any endeavor, we know that the Lord is with us; therefore, we will be able to accomplish the endeavor. Making an assessment of our physical capability is counter-productive to our faith. We are admonished to “count the cost” but that only means that we must be able to endure whatever consequences comes with our faith assignment.

Throughout the life of Joshua and beyond, Israel would be engaged in possessing the land that God had promised them. Fulfilling a faith assignment – both then and now – involves believing a word from God and stepping out to act on it. As James writes, “I will show you faith by my works.”

Bible Study: Numbers 30-36

Torah

At the close of the account given in Numbers, Israel has spent 38 ½ years wandering about in the wilderness. This resulted from their unbelief in response to the majority report brought by the spies which had entered the land. That generation had died off and a new generation was prepared to enter the Promised Land. Moses was nearing the end of his ministry and gave his parting exhortation in what we know as the book of Deuteronomy.

As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, God instructed Moses saying,

Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places;…” (Numbers 33:51-52)

And,

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land in which you live. And it shall come about that as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.” (Numbers 33:55-56)

Of course, Israel failed in this commandment and God’s judgment fell upon them. This dominated Israel’s history for about 800 years during the First Kingdom Era (~ 1447 – 586 BC/BCE). Do you suppose that this could still be a problem in Israel?

Representatives of the tribes of Reuben and Gad (and evidently a portion of the tribe of Manasseh) sought Moses and requested to receive their inheritance on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Moses interpreted their petition as rebellion in the likeness of that of the spies that had brought an evil report earlier in the journey. It appears that Moses reluctantly agreed to their request with the provision that the armed men from these tribes cross over the river with the others and participate in the battle to conquer the land.

The conduct of these tribes demonstrates an important truth that we need to comprehend. Reuben, Gad and portions of the tribe of Manasseh saw what they wanted and went for it. They obviously were not seeing themselves in terms of God’s greater plan. They could find everything that they thought they needed on the East Bank of the Jordan but God’s plan was for all the tribes to conquer and inhabit the land between the Jordan and the western sea. This was the land that God had chosen for His redemptive purposes and was first identified as such to Abraham some 600 years earlier. (Note! Please see my book – “Israel: God’s Interdimensional Portal” for a discussion of why this area is so important to God’s plan – available at Amazon.) Israel, at least these tribes, had little understanding of a greater plan or they simply didn’t care.

Many believers today have done the same thing. Sometimes they are referred to as “carnal Christians”. I don’t believe this is a Biblical concept; nevertheless, I hear the expression used today. I believe that God has a specific plan for each believer who confesses that Jesus is Lord and for each local congregation that makes the same confession. Unfortunately, many are grazing their cattle on the hills of Gilead rather than living a bold, fruitful life on the mountains of Israel. They can see God’s will from a distance but are not really entering into it. This is also true of many of our Jewish brethren. The settlements of Reuben, Gad and portions of the tribe of Manasseh are in America today. Israel can be seen at a distance through Arutz Sheva or the Jerusalem Post yet most are not fully engaged in the redemption process that is taking place in the land of Israel.

Over hundreds of years, the tribes who received their inheritance on the East Bank of the Jordan appear to have become less and less significant in terms of Biblical revelation. The main prophetic, priestly and royal lines would come through their brethren to the West specifically from the tribes of Judah and Levi. In other words, Reuben, Gad and portions of the tribe of Manasseh had an opportunity to be participants in the most important events in human history but settled for something far less significant.

Are we doing the same thing today? Are we just looking for plush pastures for our cattle or are we seeking to understand and do God’s will? A famous rabbi once said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34b).

Bible Study: Numbers 25-29

Torah

The portion for this week includes the account of Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron.  Balaam had been unable to put a curse on Israel by means of divination.  He recognized that Israel could only be cursed by means of judgment due to their own sin.  He advised Balak to tempt the Israelis by sending Moabite women into the camp of Israel (Numbers 31:8 and 16).  Obviously, many Israelis sinned in this fashion which brought quick judgment by the hand of G-d. 24,000 men of Israel died. Pinchas intervened by killing an Israeli man, Zimri, and a Midianite woman, Cozbi.  Because of the zeal exhibited by Pinchas, the plague was stopped.  G-d rewarded Pinchas with a covenant of peace due to his zeal which he exhibited.  An important lesson to be learned from this event is that an elect person functioning in G-d’s purpose cannot be cursed by means of divination. Personal sin will bring judgment but no one should embrace fear due the perceived threat of curses being exercised  .

 I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the account of the prophet Elijah and his encounter with G-d at Mount Sinai.  Elijah was fleeing from Jezebel the wife of Ahab, king of Israel.  He fled to Mount Sinai.  We think of Elijah as an awesome and fearless prophet, but we see that he possessed very common human traits.  After the powerful confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, he was threatened by Jezebel.  Now we tend to expect our hero to stand up to this threat, but, instead, he ran for his life.  Later James would write that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (James 5:17).  This we understand all too well.  Indeed, Elijah ran about 200 miles south to Mt. Sinai.  We recall the Word of the L-rd to Joshua ben Nun saying; “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the L-rd your G-d is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Evidently, Elijah had forgotten this exhortation.  Nevertheless, Elijah was sustained by angels along the way, so we know that the L-rd had not deserted him.

Eventually, Elijah arrived at Mt. Sinai.  At this point, the Word of G-d came to the mighty prophet; words that I’m sure he did not want to hear.  G-d asked His prophet, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  Elijah’s excuses did not satisfy the L-rd, yet, we see that G-d’s grace was still extended to him. He commanded him to “Go forth and stand on the mountain”.  G-d would reveal Himself to Elijah in a very important way.

We know the account concerning the “great and strong wind”.  After the wind, an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire.   These are some of the manifestations which had occurred at Mt. Sinai some 700 years earlier when G-d revealed Himself to Israel in the days of Moses. Yet now, G-d was not in any of these manifestations.  At this point Elijah heard what is translated as a “sound of a gentle blowing”.  Another version translated it as a “still small voice”.  The Hebrew expression is still more instructive – “kol demamah dekah” or a “small, silent voice”. This was the Word of G-d in the heart of Elijah.  Again, G-d asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah’s career in this space-time frame was ending.  He was commanded to anoint the next generation of leadership; Hazael in Damascus, Jehu ben Nimshi in Israel and Elisha as a prophet in his place.  But his earthly ministry was ending.  We are not told if this was due to his fear of Jezebel or perhaps his incorrect assessment of his countrymen in that he thought he was the sole remaining man faithful to G-d in Israel.  Whatever the case, his career was ending.

Yet, G-d had a place for Him in the future.  G-d declared to Malachi, “Behold, I am going to send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the L-rd.”  (Malachi 4:5)   We read in the Gospels that Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus and revealed G-d’s plan for His death in Jerusalem.  I expect to see Elijah functioning in an awesome way when the Kingdom of G-d is finally established.  

This should bring hope to each of us who are aware of our human shortcomings.  G-d’s mercy still prevails in spite of our weaknesses.  We have hope for the future.  Paul wrote, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied”  (I Corinthians 15:19).   The Psalmist wrote, “Before the L-rd, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth, He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psalm 96:13).  G-d will yet rule (judge) over the “unruly” human community.  

Bible Study: Numbers 22-25

Torah

The story of Balaam is one of the most unusual in the Bible. Evidently, like Job of an earlier age, Balaam was not a part of the covenant people of Israel; nevertheless, he enjoyed a relationship with God. That relationship is reflected by the fact that he knew (yadah) God. This means that his relationship was based on a very real interactive experience with God that went far beyond just knowing about God. Indeed, Balaam possessed a very unique God-given gift.

The shame of Balaam is that he chose to use his God-given gift to his own advantage rather than dedicating that gift to the purposes of God. After Balak requested his services to pronounce a curse upon Israel, he inquired of God and was told not to participate. A second request was made by Balak with a substantial increased promised reward. Balaam again inquired of God seeking permission to respond positively to Balak’s offer. This time God permitted it with certain restrictions. The first answer that God gave Balaam was crystal clear; he should not have asked again.

Balaam obeyed God in word but not in spirit. Repeatedly, he could only speak blessing concerning Israel. This enraged Balak who eventually denied Balaam his coveted reward and sent him home. But Balaam did not go home. He instead advised Balak on how he could cause Israel to bring a curse upon themselves. Following Balaam advice, Balak sent Moabite women to entice the men of Israel to sin. This they readily did which brought about an immediate judgment from God. In this way Balak’s desired end was accomplished. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, intervened to stop the judgment.

There are several lessons to be learned from the experience of Balaam. First, we can say “whom God has blessed, no one can curse”. This should be a great comfort to every true believer. The enemy continually attempts to bring a curse on every true follower of God, but he is unable to do so. We may face many difficulties such as opposition, intimidation and slander but we must not accept nor fear the black art of witchcraft or divination. God is well-able to protect us.

A second lesson is that we alone can bring a curse upon ourselves through sin. This is what Israel did by entering into harlotry at Peor.

Finally, every God-given gift should be dedicated to God’s purpose and not used for our own personal advantage. Balaam expected the wages of divination but lost his life as a result (Numbers 31:7-8). Consider Balaam’s position as he stands before God in judgment when God asked the question, “What have you done with the talent that I gave you?”

One more note of interest in this portion of the Bible. On the way to join Balak, Balaam’s mule spoke audibly to him. Balaam should have stopped there and set up a “talking mule” tent. He could have gotten rich on that phenomenon alone. Instead, he threatened to kill the mule. When the angel of the Lord intervened, he threatened to kill Balaam instead. In other words, he reversed the threat that Balaam had made to his donkey. This should be an encouragement to all animal lovers. It reflects how God looks upon the animals around us that we tend to take for granted.

Bible Study: Numbers 19 – 21

Torah

Israel wandered in the desert for about 38 ½ years as a result of the judgment passed upon them.  They had failed to trust that God would be able to bring them into the land of Canaan.   Soon they forgot the reason for their distress and blamed both God and Moses for their dilemma.  They murmured along the way.

Moses is one of the most “positive” characters portrayed in the Bible.  He repeatedly interceded for Israel even when God proposed eliminating them and starting over with him and his descendants.  However, during the wandering in the desert, even Moses became critical of the people.  At Meribah, he was instructed by God to bring forth water for the people in a very specific way.  Moses disobeyed and, in addition, demonstrated his disgust for the people by calling them “rebels” or, perhaps, “fools”.  Even though Moses disobeyed God before the people, God was merciful and provided water.  As a result of this seemingly “minor” incident (if we place it in the context of 40 years of consistently faithful service before God) Moses was judged with the rest of that generation and was not allowed to enter the land.  

Sometimes we have difficulty understanding God’s judgments.   This incident with Moses is one such case.  Was God too harsh on His servant?  Who is in a position to judge what God does?  Now, with the advantage of a long, historical perspective, we suspect that this was fully in accordance with God’s plan of redemption.  This is especially true, when taken together with the account of the bronze serpent which is recorded as closely following these events.  Moses, God’s instrument of deliverance from Egypt, would not lead Israel into the Promised Land.  This would be accomplished by Joshua ben Nun.  Note also that earlier, Moses had changed Joshua’s name from Hoshea (Numbers 13:16).  Joshua would be the name given to the ultimate “goel – redeemer” (Luke 1: 31). 

As Israel continued to complain during the journey, God again judged them by sending serpents among the people.  To me and to Indiana Jones, this would represent a terrifying situation.  Many were bitten and died.  The people confessed their sin and petitioned Moses to pray to God to remove the serpents.  We presume that Moses repeated this petition to the Lord.  God’s answer provides much insight into His interaction with His people.  He instructed Moses to craft a “bronze serpent” and to place it on a staff and set it in the midst of the camp.  If a person was bitten, then he had a choice (a) to ignore God’s provision and die, or (b) to humble himself and exercise faith by looking to God’s provision, the bronze serpent, and live.

Almost 1500 years later, Joshua’s namesake Yehoshua or Jesus would compare His ministry to that of the “bronze serpent”.  He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life”  (John 3:14-15).  Jesus became an object of faith.  He said that He was not sent to further judge man who was already in trouble (snake bitten), but was sent as an object of faith, i.e., an object of life.

When we face difficulties we pray and request that the difficulties be removed.  Sometimes God’s answer is not the removal of the difficulty but a means to overcome that difficulty.  We must be in a position to utilize what God provides. 

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