Tag Archives: Joshua

Natan’s Commentary on Joshua 22 to 24

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Joshua 22

Joshua 22:24, For fear. The eastern tribes of Israel constructed the altars along the banks of the Jordan River out of a fear of Elohim, and not because of idolatry. If everything that we do is based on our reverential as well as our dread fear for Elohim (these are the two aspects of the true biblical fear of Elohim), then we will be less likely to commit sin, that is, to stray from his commanded ways. This is because, as the Scripture elsewhere teaches us, the fear of Elohim is basis or beginning of both wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is the revelation of YHVH’s divinely revealed Truth, and wisdom is the proper and use and application of that knowledge in our daily life.

Joshua 23

Joshua 23:7, Make mention. Here Joshua forbids the mention of the names of pagan deities by the Israelites, yet, ironically, the translators of the Bible, in the same verse, mention two names that were applied to pagan deities long before being used in reference to the Elohim of the Bible. They are: Lord and God.

Joshua 23:10, One man of you shall chase a thousand. See notes at Lev 26:8.

Joshua 23:12, Make marriages with them. In the Torah, and elsewhere in Scripture, we find many such warnings against the saints intermarrying with unbelievers. For example, Paul warns the saints in Corinth (and us), “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Messiah with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of Elohim with idols? For you are the temple of the living Elohim. As Elohim has said: ‘I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR Elohim, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.’ Therefore ‘COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE, SAYS THE LORD. DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU,”’ (2 Cor 6:15–17). In this present generation of general lukewarmness and a Laodicean attitude among most Christians, where a watered down gospel is being preached, coziness with the world is now acceptable. The problem is that in a marriage situation, being unequally yoked with an unbeliever, or even being married to someone who is not as zealous as you are can result in untold friction and conflict in a marriage—something that a wise person will avoid at all cost. The continual bad influences of an ungodly spouse may even corrupt the righteous spouse and cause them eventually to fall away spiritually. As Paul warned elsewhere, “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits,” (1 Cor 15:33). 

Joshua 24

Joshua 24:15, As for me and my house. This is one of the most popular verses in the Bible, and many people have posted this passage from Joshua on placards near the doors to their houses. But what does it mean to serve YHVH Elohim? Many people claim Yeshua (Jesus) as their Savior, but when it comes to him being their Master (or Lord), well, that is another thing. To a large degree, many if not most Christians are still the lord of their own lives serving themselves. If the Bible (the Word of Elohim of whom Yeshua became the Living Word) commands them to do this or that, they filter it through their own thinking (as Adam and Eve did when tempted to disobey Elohim and eat of the forbidden fruit, thus committing the first sin), and they decide whether they want to obey or not. In many cases, they refuse to obey the Word of Elohim because they decide, for one reason or another, that it does not suit them. In this case, Yeshua is not the Master of their life and they are, in reality, not serving him but are serving their own carnal natures.

Joshua 24:19, You cannot serve YHVH. The carnal, non-Spirit filled, individual (e.g. the children of Israel) cannot serve or obey Elohim in their own strength and power. The children of Israel demonstrably proved this point while wandering in the wilderness for forty years. But since Yeshua sent his Set-Apart (or Holy) Spirit to live inside of this disciples (that is you and me), we are now without excuse, for it is the Spirit that empowers us to obey Elohim, when it writes his laws on our hearts.

He is a holy El. What is YHVH Elohim’s chief attribute? Most Christians have been taught that it is love, for Scripture tells us that Elohim is love (1 John 4:16). But while love is an important attribute of Elohim’s character, it is not his chief attribute. Holiness is. This we know because the spirit beings in heaven who surround Elohim’s throne are continually shouting, “Holy, holy, holy” (Isa 6:3 and Rev 4:8). 

Holy is the Hebrew word kadosh meaning “pure, undefiled, separate and set apart.” Pure and undefiled from what? From the pollution and defilement of the world, the flesh and devil; Elohim is totally without sin. 

Moreover, the Bible declares that without holiness, no one will see Elohim or come into his presence (Heb 12:14). What is the biblical definition of holiness? It is much more than just what many churches teach it is: not swearing, not drinking, not going to movies or dancing, and the like. Holiness involves obeying the commandments of Elohim (Num 15:40; Deut 28:9). 

From the beginning of the Bible to the end and in many ways, YHVH commands his people to become holy as he is holy (Lev 11:44–45; 19:2). Being holy by obeying YHVH’s Word is whole lot more than simply following the man-made dictums of ones religious organization. The rules and regulations of most churches are more like the entrance requirements to join and maintain membership in an exclusive country club, not the requirements for entrance into the family and kingdom of YHVH Elohim! This is not a popular message in most churches. This is because, as Yeshua declared, “[N]arrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:14).

Joshua 24:21, No but we will serve him. Many people want to serve Elohim, and even claim to do so, but do not. Similarly, many Christians claim to serve or obey Yeshua, but in reality do not or only do so partially or only to the degree that they want to. They operate under self-delusion. Their words  say one thing, while their actions paint a completely different picture. No one obey’s Elohim perfectly, which is why we need his grace and the imputed righteousness of Yeshua to be credited to our spiritual bank account, so to speak. But this is no excuse  not to obey his commandments as best we can with our whole hearts. This issue of obedience will come to a critical head  at the judgment seat of Yeshua when the actions of all humans, including the saints, will be judged, for everyone must pass be judged before being granted either eternal life or eternal death (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27). The Torah-law of Elohim will be the standard by which all will be judged (Matt 5:19; John 12:48 cp. 2 Cor 5:10). This will be a day of great revelation, for in that day, many Christians will think that their religiosity will have guaranteed them a place in the kingdom of Elohim will be deemed insufficient in the eyes of Elohim because of their lack of obedience to his Word which will judge them (see Matt 7:21–23 and Rev 3:14–21).

Joshua 24:22–24, You are witnesses against yourself. Many humans are well-meaning in their desire to serve Elohim, but when the pressures of temptation and persecution from the world, the flesh and the devil come their way, their resolve to be faithful to Elohim eventually crumbles and they give in. Joshua knew that because of man’s innate, downward-bent carnal nature, it is difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to remain faithful to Elohim and his Word for very long. Moreover, Joshua knew the Israelites better than they knew themselves. After all, he was only one of two individuals from the generation that was born in Egypt to make it into the Promised Land. The rest perished in the wilderness because of their doubt, unbelief in Elohim and their general sinfulness. The sad truth is that Joshua correctly and the people’s inability to remain faithful to Elohim when he prophetically predicted, “You cannot serve YHVH,” despite the people’s objections to the contrary (vv. 21–22). Biblical history records that the Israelites only ever remained faithful to YHVH for brief periods of time usually lasting no more than 30 or 40 years. For example, some of the most righteous Jewish kings produced some of the most wicked and pagan sons, who completely turned their backs on Elohim and led Israel into total apostasy and evil practices that were often worse than the heathen nations around them. This is a warning to us all: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall!” (1 Cor 10:12). 

Joshua 24:27–28, Joshua let the people depart…inheritance. At the end of his or her life, all that a righteous and faithful leader of Elohim (whether they are a parent, pastor or in some other position of spiritual power and influence) can do is to is to encourage those people over which he has influence to obey Elohim and to warn them of the consequences if they do not. After that, he must leave the people as he departs the scene. The proverbial ball is now in people’s court, and it is up to them whether they will follow the leader’s wise counsel or not; each individual has to make his or her own choice in such matters. From that point on, each person will reap what he or she sows, and they will inherit the fruits of their actions whether good or bad.

 

Natan’s Commentary on Joshua 15–21

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Joshua 15

Joshua 15:63, Jerusalem…the children of Judah. The city of Jerusalem was located in such a place as to be easily defended and nearly impossible to capture, even for the powerful and venerable armies of Israel. It was only by stealth and creativity that David finally captured it some four hundred years later (2 Sam 5:6–7). Much later, both the Babylonians and finally the Romans captured it but only with great effort and difficulty.

Joshua 18

Joshua 18:1, Shiloh…tabernacle of meeting. Shiloh became the center of Israel’s spiritual activity some four hundred years before David captured Jerusalem and made it the center Israel’s spiritual and political life.

Joshua 18:3, How long will you neglect. The children of Israel had grown weary and lax in fulfilling the mission that YHVH had given them to conquer and possess the Promised Land. They had become content to accept only half the victory and half the promise YHVH had made to them. When YHVH gives his people a mission, they must be faithful to complete it to the end all the while trusting him to give them the strength and resources to do so. Sometimes, one generation will start the work of YHVH, but the next generation becomes complacent with the successes of the previous generation the looses the passion to pick up the mantle and to continue the vision forward to completion. This is not the fault of YHVH, nor necessarily that of the first generation, but that of the subsequent generation.

Joshua 18:18, Arabah. This Hebrew word literally means “desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness,” and derives from the Hebrew word arab meaning “to become evening, grow dark.” Often arabah is translated in the KJV as “in the plains of” and relates to the desert area adjacent to Moab, by the Red Sea (probably referring to the Gulf of Aqaba), as well as the desert near Jordan, Jericho, Gilgal. The specific area in these references is referring to the rift valley area running along the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee and all the way past the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is believed that King Solomon mined copper in the Timna Valley where to this day there exist some 9000 ancient copper mines and hundreds of smelting sites. This area was also home to the Edomites and Nabateans.

Joshua 19

Joshua 19:9, Simeon. The tribal allotment of Simeon was contained within the tribe of Judah. Some Jewish sages suggest that this is because of Simeon’s vengeful spirit when avenging the rape of his sister, Dinah, in Genesis 34. This assumes that this the descendants of Simeon had inherited a similar disposition to wreck vengeance upon the enemies. Contained with in Judah, they would be less likely to take matters into their own hands and to break out recklessly and to take matters into their own hands in avenging themselves against Israel’s enemies.

Joshua 21

Joshua 21:43, All the land. This is another example where the word all in the Bible does not necessarily mean “all” in the sense that it means in English. Here all means “all that the land that the Israelites were to possess at that point in time,” but not all the land that Elohim had ultimately promised to the patriarchs from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers. That promise is yet to be fulfilled, and will not be so until the return of Yeshua when he establishes his millennial kingdom.

 

Numbers 13 and 14—Joshua and Caleb Vs. the Rebels

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Numbers 13

Numbers 13:6, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 

Caleb—A Man Full of Love for YHVH and His People

The name Caleb in Hebrew means “dog.”

Although Caleb is listed here as being from the tribe of Judah, he nevertheless was of Canaanite heritage having become part of Judah when the Israelites conquered the land of Caleb’s ancestors. 

Elsewhere, the Torah lists Caleb as the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite (Num 32:12, also Josh 14:6, 14). Who were the Kenizzites (also Kenezite)? They were among the original inhabitants of Canaan (Gen 15:19), that Israel eventually dispossessed when taking the Promised Land. This people originated from Eliphaz, the oldest son of Esau. Thus, Caleb was an Edomite who accepted the Elohim of Israel and became grafted into the tribe of Judah (Josh 15:13). Throughout the Tanakh, Edom (a nickname for Esau) remains a sworn enemy of Israel maintaining a perpetual hatred for YHVH’s people and constantly covetous of their land even into modern times. In fact, the case could be made that the modern day Palestinians, if not descendants of Edom, at least manifest the same hatred for Israel as did the ancient Edomites. It is out of this people that Caleb comes.

The Hebrew name Caleb literally means “dog,” although it can have the favorable connotation of faithful, loving and tenacious like a dog. Some Bible students have noted that the Hebrew name Caleb or Kalev can also mean “all heart” since this name is comprised of two Hebrew word: kol meaning “all” and lev meaning “heart.” Indeed, in his life, Caleb exemplified his name’s meaning in his faithfulness to the Elohim of Israel, in his faith and tenacious zeal to go up and to conquer the Promised Land as YHVH commanded as well as his love for YHVH, YHVH’s people, YHVH’s Torah and the land of Israel.

Evidently Caleb defected from his own tribal peoples and joined the Israelites, while they were wandering in wilderness and before they came up to take the Promised Land. This speaks volumes about Caleb’s character in that he was willing to forsake his pagan heritage and align himself with the Elohim and people of Israel years before they actually dispossessed his people of their ancestral land. Caleb remained aligned with those who took that land and killed his heathen family. 

Indeed, Caleb was a unique individual in that he chose a spiritual path less traveled and one that was unpopular, and he clung ardently to that path despite, at times, vicious opposition. The Torah records that he had a different spirit and that he fully followed Elohim (Num 14:24). For this, YHVH promised him an inheritance in the Promised Land (ibid.). May we be like Caleb!

Numbers 13:16, Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Yehoshua.Prior to sending the spies forth, Moses renames his assistant Hoshea(whose name means “salvation”) to Yehoshua(or Joshua,meaning “Yah [short for Yehovah] Saves”) by adding the Hebrew letter yud /H to Hoshea’s name so that his name would now begin with the first letter of YHVH’s name—the English letter “Y”. What was the prophetic significance of this name change? Who is it that will lead us into our spiritual Promised Land or our spiritual and eternal rest? (See Heb 4:8 and 11, especially verse 8, where the author shows that Yehoshua was the foreshadow of Yeshua.) Do you possess a vibrant and active faith in Yeshua? Is he the Chief Cornerstone of your spiritual house, the Author and Finisher of your faith and the Captain of your salvation to lead you into the spiritual rest of his eternal kingdom? Are you faithfully following him as the Israelites followed Yehoshua/Joshua into the Promised Land?

Numbers 13:32, It is a land which devours its inhabitants.The Jewish commentators in The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash cogently observe, “Such misinterpretations are typical of people who choose not to have faith. Invariably they interpret events in a way that will conform to their own notions” (p. 803). Having faith in YHVH is a conscious choice that one has to make. Faith does not come automatically. Fear, doubt and unbelief do, however, and are part of the fallen nature or evil inclination that all men possess. 

Paul talks about leaving behind the fallen, faithless, sin-bent nature (Rom 7) and moving into a walk of faith in the Spirit of Elohim when in Romans 8:1–2 he contrasts the “law of sin and death” with “the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua.” Through Yeshua we become more than conquerors (Rom 8:37). Moreover, 1 John 5:4 tells us, “For whatever is born of Elohim overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith[i.e. faith in Yeshua who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, the One who gives us the gift of faith, the One in whom we have faith, and on whose words and promises believers stand firm and secure as a house built on a rock].” 

The fear of death is the mother of all fears and is what plagued the disbelieving Israelites. Through identification with Yeshua’s death, burial and resurrection at baptism (Rom 6:3–6) we too (through Yeshua) can be victorious over the sting of death and the grave, which is the death sentence upon all Torah-lawbreaking mortals (read 1 Cor 15:47–58 and rejoice!).

Numbers 14

Numbers 14:20–24, I have pardoned.YHVH’s general pardon versus salvational pardon of sin. This Bible passages teaches us that there is a general pardon of sin of which all humans are the recipient, and a salvational pardon of sin that only a few receive. 

YHVH pardoned Israel for the sin of disobedient unbelief, but forgiveness in this case only meant that YHVH’s judgment would not come upon them for this particular sin. This pardon did not expiate them of all their sin resulting in eternal life of which entering into the Promised Land was a prophetic antetype. 

This is the same genre of pardon that YHVH extended to Adam and Eve after they sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit. They did not die immediately, but were able to live out their lives under that pardon, but it did not guarantee them eternal life.

Later we read that in verse 23 that YHVH would not allow this unbelieving generation of Israelites to see the Promised Land because they had rejected Elohim and refused to obey him. This was in contradistinction to Joshua and Caleb who had a different spirit in them and fully obeyed YHVH (v. 24). 

Joshua and Caleb

What can we learn from this? In general sense, YHVH pardons all humans for the sins they commit. If he did not, his judgment would come upon them immediately, for the wages of sin is death, and they would be no more. But humans keep sinning, rejecting Elohim, and yet he graciously, in most cases, allows them to live out their physical lives, but this does not mean that they will have eternal life. This is YHVH pardoning them momentarily, but not saving them or granting them eternal life. 

Only those, like Caleb and Joshua, who have a different spirit (i.e. the Holy Spirit) and a personal spirit or heart that is inclined to fully obey him will be rewarded with eternal life in the Promised Land of YHVH’s eternal kingdom.

Numbers 14:22, Have tempted me now these ten times. Israel, while in the wilderness, tested YHVH ten times and refused to heed his voice. According to the Jewish sages, these ten times were: Exodus 14:11; 15:24; 16:3; 16:20; 16:27; 17:2; 32:4; Numbers 11:1; 11:4; and here (i.e. believing the spies’ evil report). Look at each of these incidents where Israel “tested” YHVH and preferred to walk in doubt and unbelief rather than to trust YHVH’s Word. These are examples for us to learn from (1 Cor 10:11). Be blatantly honest with yourself: how many times have you tested your Heavenly Father in the same areas Israel did?

Numbers 14:40–45, We…will go up. Here we see the Israelites preparing to go and to possess Canaan in their own strength and against the will of YHVH. Where did this carnally-driven endeavor lead them?

Matthew Henry discusses how this act demonstrates how the carnal mind is enmity against YHVH (Rom 8:7), for when he bade them to go, they would not, and when he forbade the children of Israel from going, that is when they decided to go. They distrusted his strength, and trusted in their own. What was the result of their expedition? Failure! 

Let us take warning from the fate of Israel, lest we perish after the same example of their unbelief. Let us go forth, depending on YHVH’s mercy, power, promise and truth. Do you think that the Israelites were rationally aware of what they were doing? We can easily look back in 20/20 hindsight and see the folly of their ways, but let us pray that YHVH gives us the discernment to see when each of us is guilty of the same in our own lives.

From Psalm 37,

Delight yourself also in YHVH, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to YHVH, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.…Rest in YHVH, and wait patiently for Him…The steps of a good man are ordered by YHVH, and He delights in his way.

 

Caleb and Joshua—Men of Faith

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Numbers 13:6, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.Although Caleb is listed here as being from the tribe of Judah, he nevertheless was of Canaanite heritage having become part of Judah when they conquered the land of Caleb’s ancestors. Elsewhere, the Torah lists Caleb as the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite (Num 32:12, also Josh 14:6, 14). Who were the Kenizzites (also Kenezite)? They were among the original inhabitants of Canaan (Gen 15:19), that Israel eventually dispossessed when taking the Promised Land. This people originated from Eliphaz, the oldest son of Esau. Thus, Caleb was an Edomite who accepted the Elohim of Israel and became grafted into the tribe of Judah (Josh 15:13). Throughout the Tanakh, Edom (a nickname for Esau) remains a sworn enemy of Israel maintaining a perpetual hatred for YHVH’s people and constantly covetous of their land even into modern times. In fact, the case could be made that the modern day Palestinians, if not descendants of Edom, at least manifest the same hatred for Israel as did the ancient Edomites. It is out of this people that Caleb comes.

The name Caleb means “dog,” although it can have the favorable connotation of faithful, loving and tenacious like a dog. Indeed, in his life, Caleb exemplified his name’s meaning in his faithfulness to the Elohim of Israel, in his faith and tenacious zeal to go up and to conquer the Promised Land as YHVH commanded.

Evidently Caleb defected from his own tribal peoples and joined the Israelites, while they were wandering in wilderness and before they came up to take the Promised Land. This speaks volumes about Caleb’s character in that he was willing to forsake his pagan heritage and align himself with the Elohim and people of Israel years before they actually dispossessed his people of their ancestral land. Caleb remained aligned with those who took that land and killed his heathen family. 

Indeed, Caleb was a unique individual in that he chose a spiritual path less traveled and one that was unpopular, and he clung ardently to that path despite, at times, vicious opposition. The Torah records that he had a different spirit and that he fully followed Elohim (Num 14:24). For this, YHVH promised him an inheritance in the Promised Land (ibid.). May we be like Caleb!

Numbers 13:16, Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Yehoshua. Prior to sending the spies forth, Moses renames his assistant Hoshea (whose name means “salvation”) to Yehoshua (or Joshua,meaning “Yah [short for Yehovah] Saves”) by adding the Hebrew letter yud to Hoshea’s name so that his name would now begin with the first letter of YHVH’s name—the English letter “Y”.

What was the prophetic significance of this name change? Who is it that will lead us into our spiritual Promised Land or our spiritual and eternal rest? (See Heb 4:8 and 11, especially verse 8, where the author shows that Yehoshua was the foreshadow of Yeshua.)

Do you possess a vibrant and active faith in Yeshua? Is he the Chief Cornerstone of your spiritual house, the Author and Finisher of your faith and the Captain of your salvation to lead you into the spiritual rest of his eternal kingdom? Are you faithfully following him as the Israelites followed Yehoshua/Joshua into the Promised Land?

 

Rahab is a prophetic picture of you and me

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Joshua 2:1, Rahab. Rahab, the non-Israelite innkeeper and inhabitant of Jericho, was a woman of faith who became a sincere convert to the Israelites’ religion, and ended up becoming an ancestor of David and Yeshua. Throughout Scripture, there are examples of righteous non-Israelites confessing their faith in the Elohim of Israel, choosing to leave behind their pagan cultures and being grafted into the nation of Israel. Who are some other examples of this in Scripture? (See Gen 41:45; Exod 12:38,48–49; Lev 18:26; Num 15:16; Deut 10:19; 31:12; Ruth 1:16.) Rahab was a stranger or alien seeking to be grafted into Israel. What does Scripture say about this class of people?

Stranger (Foreigner or Alien; Heb. nekar). Rahab was a stranger or foreigner to Israel. She is a prophetic picture of Gentiles who come to faith in the Elohim of Israel and are grafted into that nation.

Scripturally the Hebrew word nekar (Strong’s H5236/TWOT 1368b) is used in reference to anything or anyone that is foreign to the religion or people of Israel (Exod 12:43; Deut 31:16; 32:16; Judg 10:16; Neh 9:2; Isa 60:10; Ezek 44:7).

Nekar can also refer to people who forsake their foreign or alien ways and join themselves to the people and to Elohim, the God of Israel, and who take hold of the covenants of Israel (Isa 56:3–6; cp. Eph 2:11–14). In Exodus 12:43 and 48, the KJV uses the word stranger, though in each verse they are two different Hebrew words. In the former, the word nekar is used in reference to those who are not allowed to partake in Passover. In the latter verse, the Hebrew word for stranger is ger (Strong’s H1616/TWOT 330a) meaning “a temporary inhabitant, or a newcomer.”

This word is also translated in the KJV as stranger, or alien, but also carries with it the connotation of “a sojourner.” The TWOT defines a ger as follows: “The root means to live among people who are not blood relatives; thus, rather than enjoying native civil rights, the ger was dependent on the hospitality that played an important role in the ancient near east.… The ger in Israel was largely regarded as a proselyte. He was to be present for the solemn reading of the [Torah] Law (Deut 31:12) showing that he was exposed to its demands. The law concerning unleavened bread applied to him as well as the native (Exod 12:19) and a circumcised ger could keep Passover (Exod 12:48f.; Num 9:14).” He was also included in the celebration of the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29), the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Deut 16:14), like the native he was forbidden from worshipping foreign gods (Lev 17:8), and was forbidden from eating blood (Lev 17:10, 12, 13). The laws of sexual chastity applied to him as well as to the native (Lev 18:26) along with the Sabbath laws (Exod 20:10; 23:12). He experienced the same legal and civil rights as a native Israelite (Deut 1:16; 24:17; 27:19) and Israel was to not oppress the ger (Exod 22:21; Deut 10:19) but to love him as themselves (Lev 19:34) (The TWOT, vol. 1, pp. 155–156)

In brief, Israel’s treatment of the ger was a means of evangelizing the world with the message of YHVH’s Torah-truth. All could come into a spiritual relationship with the Elohim of Israel without respect to ethnicity and there was one Torah (i.e., YHVH’s instructions, teachings or precepts in righteousness) for both Israelite and non-Israelite. Indeed, this was the driving force behind Paul’s passion for the Gentiles (or people of the nations).

Realizing the basis of evangelism from the Tanakh and the command to make proselytes by bringing aliens and strangers into the covenants and commonwealth of Israel and into a righteous relationship with the Elohim of Israel may help us to understand Paul’s statements in Ephesians 2:11–19 (cp. 1 Pet 2:8–11).

As we study the concept of the stranger’s relationship to Elohim, to the people and Torah covenants of Israel, it is interesting to note that Scripture nowhere indicates that YHVH would ever make a new or different covenant with the Gentiles or have different standards of righteousness for them than for Israel. Rather, the Gentiles were expected to assimilate into Israel, become Israel, follow the laws of Israel and be treated as Israel. This rule of law for the people of El never changed even through the apostolic age despite what most Christian biblicists teach to the contrary. Remember, YHVH stated clearly that he does not change (Mal 3:6), and Yeshua taught that any religious tradition of men that nullifies the Word of YHVH should be ignored (Mark 7:7–9).

 

Are You a Shepherdless Sheep?

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Lone Sheep

Deuteronomy 31:23, He gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge. YHVH is the author of godly leadership. He prepares and trains leaders and then raises them up to lead his people in the paths of righteousness leading to the spiritual Promised Land. Beware of leaders who raise themselves up and promote themselves.

What is the purpose of righteous leadership? (See Eph 4:11–12.) What are the qualifications for leadership ? (See 1 Tim 3:1–13.) What is the premise of true, Spirit-ordained leadership? (See Matt 23:11.)

Many believers have been hurt by kingdom-building, money-grubbing and self-seeking leaders in the church world and now trust no one. They pride themselves on being “independent.” Is this good?

Did Yeshua ever speak of his sheep as being “lone rangers” or did he refer to them as “a flock?” Does he ever speak of his flock as being shepherdless? Of course, Yeshua is the Chief Shepherd, but does he speaks of undershepherds as well? (Read John 10:1–18.) Is a flock that is under the guidance of a servant shepherd a place of safety or harm? Is being outside the flock a place of safety or harm? (See Matt 18:12.)

Yeshua says that those who are outside are “lost” and have “gone astray” and are in danger of perishing (Matt 18:11–14).

Are you part of a literal flock of believers, or have you spiritualized this passage away to justify your independent (rebellious?) spirit against YHVH-ordained authority?

 

Do you have faith or fear?

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"Promised Land" Road Sign with dramatic clouds and sky.

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 to simply 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?” (Read 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 Continue reading →