Numbers 13:2, Send forth men, if you please (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash).The implication here is that Elohim gave Moses permission to send out the spies, but left the final decision up to him. This idea is confirmed in Deuteronomy 1:22 where Moses states that the idea to spy out the land came from the Israelites, not from YHVH. By allowing them to do this, it appears that YHVH was deliberately putting them to the test to see if they would trust him when he had already told them that Canaan was a good land and theirs for the taking with his help. Would they walk by faith in his word and promises or would they have to see the actual land before believing YHVH’s word?
When YHVH gives you a promise, do you have to see it come to pass before believing it, or are you able simply to begin taking steps of faith toward the fulfillment of the promises without actually seeing any tangible evidence of the end goal? What has YHVH promised you and what steps of faith have you taken toward possessing your spiritual “promised inheritance?” (Note the scriptural definition of faith in Heb 11:1.)
YHVH did not choose the twelve spies, the people did; hence, the name of this parashah, “Send for Yourselves.” When people choose their own leaders the failure rate is high—in this case ten of twelve leaders were faithless duds. Man-inspired and initiated efforts seldom produce lasting spiritual benefits. This effort ended in the faithless leaders shouting down those who had courage and faith. In the spiritual destiny that YHVH has called you to pursue, do you act like Caleb and Joshua or one of the other ten spies? Are you running upward and onward toward your spiritual inheritance, or are you holding back? Are you hearing the voice of YHVH’s Spirit so that you know what your personal spiritual marching orders are? Do you know how to hear his voice? If not, why not? Most of us sometimes act as Joshuas and Calebs and at times like the other ten spies. We tend to be inconsistent in our spiritual walk. What are you doing to become more like Joshua and Caleb?
Eighteenth-century Christian Bible commentator, Matthew Henry, in his comments on this passage, discusses the demerits of the people’s choice to search out the land of Canaan. He then compares the unbelief of the ten carnal spies with the doubt and unbelief in the walk of the believer. He notes that the motion to search out the land appears to have come from the people (see Deut 1:22). They had a better opinion of their own policy than of Elohim’s wisdom. Thus we ruin ourselves, he says, by believing the reports and representations of sense rather than of divine revelation. We walk by sight, not by faith (pp. 130–131, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Moody Press).
What is “divine revelation?” One does not hear this concept often discussed. What is it and how does a born-again believer receive it? Henry continues, Difficulties that are in the way of salvation dwindle and vanish before a lively, active faith in the power and promise of Elohim. All things are possible, if they are promised, to him that believes, but carnal sense and carnal professors are not to be trusted. Unbelief overlooks the promises and power of Elohim, magnifies every danger and difficulty, and fills the heart with discouragement. May YHVH help us to believe! We shall then find that all things are possible through him who strengthens us (Ibid.)
No need to post if you rather not as I am off topic. I appreciated this writing very much. Thanks so much. I am also thrilled to see someone using the Name YHVH and speaking of a Biblical approach to the commandments of Elohim. I stumbled onto your site and am glad to find it. It causes problems to read the scriptures and then begin to see that what the Church has been teaching is not quite what YHVH has said. I am encouraged that maybe my thinking is not off after all. But I have questions that I don’t know where to get answers and my dear husband, a Bible teacher himself, is very opposed to hearing that YHVH (Yehovah) is as much for the NT as in the OT. But when I got the Aramaic English New Testament by Andrew Gabriel Roth, I saw that Yeshua/Messiah is also called YHVH. This has changed everything for me. I know you have written a lot, but navigating your articles is not as easy on my phone., but you write as if you have done a lot of study in the Hebrew, and I feel like I could benefit much from what you are teaching.
My first exposure to YHVH was from Nehemia Gordon, and then I began to see that the Title LORD in my Bible was ‘hiding’ the Name of Yehovah from me. My mind is feeling Topsy- Turvy from seeing all these different things in the Bible, but yet having it so opposed by the traditional teaching of Christian scholars. We are strong Christian believers from a Bible church. Ed was born into a Roman Catholic home, but converted in mid 20’s to the Christan faith.
Can you help me (us). This difficulty did not start until after about 15 years of writing through the Old and New T. Writing made me slow down in absorbing the words of YHVH, and eventually with an Interlinear and the original language, it is creating problems over what is to be believed, especially as the better half believes that Yehovah was only a Name for the nation of Israel, but the Name Yehovah is not for the Church…and the word ‘Messiah’ is also only for the nation of Israel but not for the church. Jesus is the Name now and Christ also the title for the church (regardless of the fact that it means Messiah). Has the church developed another religion?
Thanks so much for the help.
In answer to your question: “Has the church developed another religion?” Yes and no. To me, it’s over simplistic and unbiblical when people categorically say either yes or no. In so doing, it usually supports their biases and arrogant thinking.
To be sure, the mainstream church is spiritual Babylon. Babylon means “confusion or mixture.” It’s a mixture of truth and error, good and evil, precious or holy and profane or polluted. Since post-apostolic times, the church to one degree has been feeding from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet the people caught up in it are still YHVH’s (Yehovah’s) people. He says so in Rev 18:4, when he urges, if not commands, his people to come out of spiritual Babylon. He calls them “my people.” So to parse this thing a bit further, the corporate, harlot church system is corrupt to one degree or another. Both good and evil have come from it, and YHVH’s people have been caught up on it, and now he is urging them to come out of it.
Coming out is a process. None of us are out completely. Do we really even understand what it means to be “out”? For example, the Israelites came out of Egypt in a day, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of them and for YHVH to get them ready for the Promised Land. Similarly, we can can come out of the world, and even out the the harlot, corporate, mainstream, Christo-pagan (or whatever other term you choose) Babylonian church system, but it will doubtless take a while to get all of its leavening out of us. We’re all still a work in progress, and there for his grace go each of us.
We should never look disparagingly upon the people caught up in the church system. We were there once too, but YHVH called us out of it. Now he’s cleansing us and preparing us to be the bride of Yeshua. We should only be thankful that he has called us and is long-suffering toward us. There is no room here for pride on our part, or for looking down on those who haven’t been called out yet. Only thankfulness, gratitude and humility!
Wow! This needs some time to chew on for it is deep! Thanks so much for your answer!
Natan,
Perhaps this is the right spot to ask a question in regard to faith. I have been pondering a lot lately whether it is a lack of faith in the Lord to have a house insurance. It is very expensive and I would love to give it up. But then I wonder whether I would be putting Adonai our Elohim to the test? Is there anywhere in Scripture where God makes a promise in regard to the protection for our homes? What are your thoughts on this issue?
Sonja
I would answer your question by asking a series of questions:
Is it a lack of faith to:
carry a spare tire in your car?
to carry a first aid kit when you go camping or hiking in the mountains?
to wear a life preserver or have lifesaving equipment when on a boat?
to have locks on your home and car?
to have a fire extinguisher?
to wear a seat belt when driving in a car?
to take vitamins and supplements when sickness is going around?
I could go on, but you get the point.
I can’t answer your question directly yes or no. Faith is a personal matter, and each person has to make those decisions based on their faith.
Scripture says that we’re not to tempt Elohim by doing stupid or fool-hardy things.
In my view, there is often a fine line between “living by faith” and “tempting YHVH,” which is foolishness. I cannot tell a person where that line is for them. YHVH may be telling a person to do something that another person with less faith may find to be fool-hardy or tempting YHVH. Samson did a lot of things that could have been considered tempting Elohim by some people’s standards, yet YHVH was with him, and his glowing example of obedient faith is recorded in Hebrews 11.
One more thing. If one can afford to have insurance, door locks, seat belts, spare tires, take vitamins and supplements, and so on, then it seems to me that we should do so. If, however, one is in a place where we either can’t afford it, or such it is just not available to us (we’re living way out in jungle or something), then at that point, I know that YHVH will take care of us.