Parashat B'haAloth'cha

2. "Speak to Aharon, and tell him, ‘When you set the lamps in order [b'haAloth'cha], the seven lamps must give light toward the face of the menorah.'"

Since the menorah is really the central "trunk" and has six branches, and the highest central lamp is called "the servant", it represents our relationship to Y'shua, who is the Real Vine, as we are the branches. The phrase could also read, "In your elevating the lamps..." This suggests making it more than just a luminary, but a picture of YHWH's presence as well. They are elevated by turning them toward the central trunk, which represents our "keeping our eyes on Y'shua, the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2) and "pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of YHWH in Y'shua the Messiah" (Phil. 3:14). Yochanan the Immerser is called a “shining lamp” (Yoch. 5:35), and He pointed people to Y’shua. When Y’shua was transfigured and His clothes shone, Moshe and Eliyahu appeared as witnesses, because Moshe’s face had glowed in YHWH’s presence and Eliyahu was ushered away by a shining flame. But after YHWH revealed that Y’shua was the one to listen to, the disciples saw only Y’shua—the central lamp. As we gaze upon Him, we too become shining ones. (2 Qorinthians 3:18) The priest himself would also "ascend" by steps to be in a place where he could reach the wicks, because the menorah was about 6 feet/2 meters tall. The branches also extended forward in what would look like a "V" if viewed from above, so he was actually "inside" the menorah when trimming the wicks. Lev. 24:4 speaks literally of Aharon arranging the lamps in battle formation. But the word for "front" here is rooted in a word meaning "circumcision". The Hebrew term for “lamps” means “shining”, and it shares the same root word with “light”. The root meaning of “seven” is “to swear an oath”. So the whole command, when read mystically at this more ancient level, says, “When you cause the shining ones to ascend, the shining ones who have sworn an oath on account of being circumcised are in the presence of the lampstand.” What the lampstands represent we find in Rev. 1:20-2:5. They are gatherings of the lost sheep of the House of Israel while in exile. Y’shua is in their midst. This passage reminds us to return to the former ways, or our menorah will be removed. But if we do return, What oath have we taken? The oath our ancestors swore on our behalf was to obey all that YHWH said. (Ex. 19:7-8) Many today would tell us that this is bondage, when in fact it is our freedom, because it not only defines our task but brings many rewards as well, though this is not our motivation. Those same skeptics of the Torah tell us that we should give in order to receive. But Y’shua warns us to make sure the light within us is not darkness. This is in context of saying the body’s lamp is the eye, and if our eye is sound, our whole body will be full of light. (Luke 11:33ff) A “sound eye” is a Hebrew idiom for generosity. If our generosity has selfish motivation, it is a “dark light” indeed. Our King also said that letting our light shine means letting men see our beneficial works (the works of Torah), to our heavenly Father's glory. (Matt. 5:16) The purpose is so that those who enter the house (not just anyone out on the street) may see, and that every secret may be revealed. (Luke 8:16) Proverbs 25:2 tells us it is the prerogative of kings to search out what YHWH has concealed. (And all of Israel are called kings in Rev. 1:6.) But how does the circumcision figure into this? It is the sign of the continuation of the covenant that was made with Avraham and his descendants. It is also symbolic of the deeper circumcision--the exposing of the motives of the heart and having the "flesh" (as Paul uses it) removed. Skin was added because in our exile from Eden, it was no longer fitting that we be covered with light. Only our eyes and our fingernails were left as reminders of what we once were. To wash our clothes, we have to expose ourselves to YHWH again, but this allows us a preview of what we can again be—unashamed in His presence—if we keep our clothes clean, just as we have to maintain a child’s circumcision until the flesh stops trying to grow back. Trimming the wicks of the lamps was part of setting them in order--a perpetual maintenance required of the lamps which were to be kept burning at all times. This, too, represents our constant need to get rid of the things in our lives which do not support the efficient burning of the fire, which represents YHWH's presence.

Toward the face of: At the front. LXX, "one one side, opposite". Opposite the menorah is the Table of the Bread of the Faces (or Presence). There were twelve loaves (representing the twelve tribes of Israel) baked with the ends turned inward to approximate the shape of the two kh’ruvim on the Ark of the Covenant--facing each other. So they represent the whole community of Israel in its most unified form. YHWH has no covenant with Efrayim per se, only promises specifically for Efrayim (or Yehudah). His covenant is with Israel--the whole community together, and His promises will not be fulfilled until we are all back together.

Blossoms: or buds. Hammered: YHWH’s people have to be beaten into shape because of our crookedness, in order to become the “light to the nations” that He called us to be.

6. "Bring the Levites [out] from among the descendants of Israel, and ceremonially cleanse them.

Bring: The word can mean "sever". Even among the holy nation, they were set apart even further. Other Israelites had a choice of how holy they wished to be; the Levites were "drafted" to a holy task.

Water for purification: from the sin offering. Pass a razor over: though what is being removed is the hair, it is really the flesh that is being dealt with. This is much like the rules for both the Nazir and the leper, so there is a link between them all. The beard is a man's glory (symbol of authority and importance), and hair is the symbol of pride or dignity (remember Avshalom). Though they have been cleansed with the water, they are still not guiltless enough to be fit to serve. Having even their eyebrows shaved off humbles them completely; it is an equaling like when one arrives at military boot camp. Their former glory is gone, and they are beginning a new life. Indeed, they look like infants again, perhaps because they have been selected instead of the firstborn. All that grows back now belongs to YHWH. They are given over completely to servanthood, having no authority of their own anymore. Launder: connotes “by treading on them”. White garments are our righteous acts (Rev. 19:8), and we make them white by washing them in His blood. (7:14) Have them launder: Y’shua also says we need to buy the white garments from Him. (Rev. 3:18) We have some responsibility, then, just as the Levites had to purify themselves (v. 21). We “buy” from Him by taking up our own crosses and following Him.

This is very solemn, because normally bulls are only offered for personal sin or for idolatry, except at the festivals. They are set apart to an extraordinarily high degree of holiness.

10. "then bring the Levites near before YHWH, and the sons of Israel shall lean their hands on the Levites,

The laying on of hands normally symbolizes confession or transference of sin, or identification with another. It was done by leaning one’s weight on them, for the weightiness of their task must be felt. The whole congregation made the Levites a "sacrifice", much like an "offering"--as representatives, they are dedicated as something very precious to the congregation, for they are taking the place of the firstborn of each family. It is a rite of passage that visibly separates the actual firstborn from their obligation and places the Levites in their position.

Present: literally, "wave them" or "move them back and forth"; the exact dynamics of this are uncertain, though Israeli dance steps do preserve a small fraction of it.. Hirsch says it symbolizes dedicating them (inaugurating them) for a special mission.

I.e., to cover their sins so that they could perform holy duties, though they were as human as the rest.

14. "This is how you shall differentiate the Levites from [the rest of] the descendants of Israel, and the Levites shall become Mine.

Become Mine: in lieu of the firstborn of each family, which YHWH says belong to Him. (3:12; Ex. 13:12ff)

16. "because they are given completely to Me from among the descendants of Israel; I have selected them for Myself in place of every one from the descendants of Israel who first opens the womb,

17. "because every firstborn of the descendants of Israel belongs to Me--both man and animal; I set them apart for Myself on the day that I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt.

Later Efrayim is called YHWH's firstborn, so in a special way those who are being called out to a higher degree of holiness from Efrayim today bear some association with the Levites. Yeshayahu/Isa. 66:21 appears to say YHWH will take some from among the nations who are returning to Him to be "Levites". These may be the 144,000 from twelve tribes mentioned in Revelation 7.

19. "and I am giving the Levites as gifts to Aharon and his sons from among the descendants of Israel, in order to carry out the service of the sons of Israel in the Tent of Appointment and to make atonement for the descendants of Israel so that no plague will strike down the descendants of Israel when they approach the Sanctuary."

Gifts: Ephesians 4 is highly reminiscent of this. Y'shua is said to have given each of us as gifts to the whole assembly. Plague: No one may enter in a nonchalant way or in the wrong order. One of the priests named Pinkhas stopped one such plague through his jealousy for YHWH’s being treated with due respect. (Ch. 25.)

21. So the Levites were purified [from sin] and washed their clothes, and Aharon presented them as a [wave] offering before YHWH; Aharon [was the one who] made atonement for them in order to ceremonially cleanse them.

They both accepted their responsibility and acknowledged their need of further cleansing.

23. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,

24. "This is what applies to the Levites: From 25 years old and up they shall go in to perform [the equivalent of their military] service in the work of the Tent of Appointment.

It was only the actual priests, a subset of the Levites, who did not begin their active duty until age 30.

26. "but they shall wait on their brothers in the Tent of Appointment, to oversee the ceremonial functions, instead of doing the servile work. This is how you shall deal with the Levites in regard to their responsibilities."

Wait on: apparently to train the novices and help them avoid the pitfalls of which they have become aware. Oversee: or safeguard: those with thirty years' experience could more easily see potential breaches in the keeping of the Torah.

CHAPTER 9

This is a flashback to a month prior to the events in chapter 1, which began in the following month. The reason for the flashback will become evident by v. 15. Month: The actual Hebrew word means “renewal”, so this renewal had to take place before the renewal described in chapters 1-8 could take place.

The Passover is not the feast, but the slaughtered offering from which we must partake (v. 7). It is not a day, but an event that inaugurates the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for it must be eaten with matzah. Appointed time: If we show up at a different time when it is convenient for us, we will not find YHWH there. While calculations based on science were the best we could do when all of Israel was exiled from the Land, now that one of the Two Houses of Israel has access to the Land again, man is not authorized to appoint the time. It is the sighting of the readiness of the barley crop for harvest and the precise time of the appearance of the next new moon thereafter that set the date for Passover.

Appointed time: this is stated twice, so it is very important. Between the evenings: "Between" comes from a word meaning "to perceive" or "distinguish", and evening" literally means "transition" or "mixture"--between the time the light begins to noticeably dim until the time the darkness begins to visibly overtake the light, so that it can be "distinguished" as "night"--i.e., between the "mixing (of darkness) with day" and the "mixing (of the remaining light) with night". See also note on v. 11. Prescribed rituals: or rulings. Procedures: or judgments. These may be where human decisions fit in. The Mishnah and Talmud describe the specific ways the procedures were carried out in a way that the Torah never specifies. Yet many of the traditions foreshadowed Y’shua’s death on Passover in astoundingly accurate ways—from the Passover lamb “crowned” with its own intestines and spread open for slow-roasting on a skewer resembling His cross to the “buried” and “resurrected” afikomen to the leaven-burning ritual that incorporates symbolism of the Holy Spirit placing on our sin onto a piece of wood by the light of the Torah, then doing away with it.

5. And they did perform the Passover [sacrifice] on the fourteenth day of the first month in the Sinai desert; the descendants of Israel carried out what YHWH had commanded Moshe in every [respect].

This was the first annual commemoration of YHWH’s deliverance from Egypt, but the last they would observe in the wilderness (Y’hoshua 5:7ff), probably because after hope was gone of the parents entering the Land because of their unbelief, they did not prepare their children to enter the Land or even keep the Passover, because they left them uncircumcised. This is a prophecy that there would be another time when parents who had no inkling of their children returning to being Israelites would leave us with little knowledge of our heritage until the time approached for another Y’hoshua to lead us back to the Land.

Who would have died before YHWH’s decree that the first generation would not see the Promised Land due to their unbelief? Perhaps an enemy attacked and they struck him down, and it was his body that defiled them.

What they were concerned about was not the feast, but the offering. This being the Passover lamb, Yochanan's call to "behold the Lamb of Elohim" resonates with this description. Being ritually impure, they were a picture of selfishness, but these particular people were not at all selfish, but concerned that they would not defile the rest of the camp, or they might not have admitted to their uncleanness, but just gone ahead and eaten. They came to the proper authorities and the first thing out of their mouths was a confession, and they clearly wanted to draw near, but were unable to do it at the set time. They would only be affected by corpse uncleanness for one day, but they were not so careless as to think it would not matter if they did it only one day late, as so many do today for the sake of convenience. Others might regard this as an excuse to not "have to" participate, but they were looking for any loophole by which they might be able to. They were eager, and were upset that they apparently could not because it was through no fault of their own that they had to fulfill what was probably a familial obligation.

Wait: literally, stand. They were in the presence of elders, and were thus under the order to rise in their presence. (Lev. 19:32)

10. "Inform the sons of Israel that even if any of you or your descendants shall become ceremonially unclean for the sake of a [dead] person or are far away on a journey, he may still perform the Passover unto YHWH;

This was a rare occurrence, because usually Moshe was alone or with only Y'hoshua or Aharon when YHWH spoke to him, but these people had pure motives, so they were privileged to be on the spot when He told Moshe what they should do. The exception was carried even further by King Hizqiyahu, who prayed for a reprieve for those whose heart was prepared, though they could not keep the Passover according to the letter. (2 Chron. 30:17-20) Paul's teachings about "not the letter but the spirit" must be taken in such a context of realizing that the exception is YHWH's mercy, not an excuse for slackness.

Between the evenings: the time of the mussaf ("additional") offering, right around 3:00 p.m.--the very time Y'shua committed his spirit into the Father's hands. The lamb was slain in the afternoon, but it took time to cook, so it was not eaten until after sundown, by which time it was the 15th. (See Deut. 16)

One complete lunar cycle later: this is a picture of a new beginning, a rebirth (as the new moon always symbolizes), and repentance. But they had to have everything back in place and be sure they did not become defiled again, because there was no further extension granted. Y'shua was not left on the cross until the next day, nor was any bone of his body broken. But the sacrifice is identified with the giver. There was only one sin offering at Passover (and it was a goat), but hundreds of thousands of Passover lambs, so they chiefly picture Y'shua--but Y'shua as us, his Body. As a seed must die, but then it must break open and bear fruit, so we have to die to self and become part of the new, whole "Man" before the Omer can be counted.

Failed: or "neglected his duty". On a journey: Literally, "on a distant road". Note that it does not say " in a distant city", suggesting not just a poorly-timed trip that lacked the foresight to be sure to get back to Yerushalayim for the feast, but rather being unavoidably detained while trying their best to get there. And these were the only two exceptions allowed. As with jury duty, there is a penal;ty for not showing up if the exception has not been validated in advance. This shows both YHWH’s mercy and the fact that He does not accept excuses, because this feast in particular defines who we are as a people. He hears our prayers at any time if our heart is right (Yeshayahu 59:2), but concerning the intimate relationship He wants with us, He wants to have special “dates” with His betrothed when there are no other distractions. Cut off: no longer considered part of Israel, just as the whole Northern Kingdom ceased to be the nation of Israel. (Hoshea 1:9)

Prescribed ritual: including being circumcised. Newcomer: to the faith as well. There is no allowance made for one’s not having been part of the community all along, for Israel is always receiving outsiders to be part of it, but once Israelites, they must behave as Israelites.

The flashback is now over, and we pick up where chapter 8 left off. (See note on v. 20.) Because of the two “renewals” represented by all that preceded this point in the book, Israel could now live constantly in YHWH’s presence. This “appearance of fire” is reminiscent of Adam's yet-unfallen body and the burning bush, and foreshadows the tongues of fire at Shavuoth (Pentecost) in Acts 2 (when the living tabernacle--YHWH's truer Dwelling Place--was re-established). It may have even occurred on that day of the year early in the third month).

Conceal: so no unauthorized person would see the temple furniture while it was being taken down and set up.

Now that they were "in season", they were able to follow, and indeed they did obey. They didn't build a temple where the cloud had been, because it had moved on. Like the churches built over the sites of important biblical events and thus obscuring their actual context, too often we enshrine what was once a true move of the Spirit, and thus take its life from it. Denominations are the result of people forgetting to move when the cloud did, and remaining camped at a “historical site” where YHWH once was, but no longer is. At the Temple, there were 32 steps outside and 32 additional half-cubits to ascend inside, all of them of different sizes and shapes, and this symbolizes YHWH's desire that we continue growing closer and closer to Him, ever advancing in holiness. He does not want us to be where we were a year ago. They also all moved together; none had a head start, and none lagged behind, saying they would catch up later. Neither could predict where the cloud would move. From our standpoint, the pattern of movement was erratic and arbitrary, but they stayed for however long it took to learn each lesson. They did not have to be afraid they would be called to move right before a festival, so there was no reason to run ahead at what seemed to be a convenient time to move.

19. Even if the cloud lingered over the Tabernacle for many days, the descendants of Israel followed YHWH's directive, and did not set out.

20. It was the same, however many days the cloud was over the Tabernacle: at YHWH's word they would pitch their tents, and at YHWH's word they would travel.

At YHWH’s word: This is inconvenient for the modern, Greek mindset which wants everything known in advance so we can plan, but it is the way a well-oiled military machine works, and Israel’s camp was set up like a war camp. A soldier does not make plans of his own, or he is serving two masters. But once we make the transition, this infinitely simplifies things, for nothing else needs to be taken into consideration. Y’shua said He did nothing except when He saw or heard the Father doing the same. (Yochanan 5:19, 30) The key to understanding why this chapter began with a flashback is in verse 6. The men were impeded by having been defiled by a dead man’s body. But the Hebrew actually says, “defiled by the soul of Adam”. Looking at this on a deeper level explains why the flashback is juxtaposed with this account of the moving of the cloud, and why it was at Passover that Y’shua renewed the Covenant. The serpent knew that Adam’s soul (or motivation) included a desire to be able to tell right from wrong on his own without having to go to YHWH at every fork in the road. But this led him to trust his wife instead of YHWH, then to not take responsibility for his actions. Wanting his own way resulted in selfishness. To walk in our own authority removes us from His. Believing the same lie that we did not have to obey YHWH’s instruction (Torah), though He said we must, led us to again dump responsibility for our sin on Y’shua instead of truly repenting for our guilt. So Paul contrasted Adam, the “living soul” with the second Adam, who is instead a “life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45), acting on behalf of others, not just self. Y’shua Himself said, “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” (Yochanan 6:63) By returning to His pattern of doing only what YHWH says, we can be on the way to restoring the simplicity of the Garden of Eden. Israel’s obedience to the cloud’s seemingly-erratic movements represented the first step back. (The cloud was not something solid, but moved like the wind, which in Hebrew is the same as “spirit”. Compare 2 Cor. 4:18.)

Normally the cloud would lift by night and be replaced by the fire-like appearance, but if it remained a cloud all night (carrying something from the daytime all the way through the night), it appears to have been a signal that they would move the next day. A possible alternate reading would be, "It was the same even if the cloud [only] set down [the previous] evening; if it lifted the next morning, they pulled up [stakes]." This fits with the next verse:

Sometimes it seemed that they had only just arrived and they were leaving again already, but they had still made progress.

Mouth of YHWH, under the direction of Moshe: This is how we can tell when the cloud is moving or standing still today. Does Moshe (the Torah) support it? Yeshayahu 8:20 tells us that anyone who does not speak in agreement with the Torah has no light in them. Also, as our understanding increases, the bar is raised, and we are responsible to advance in ways that we were not obligated to at this time last year.

CHAPTER 10

2. "Make for yourself two silver trumpets (make them of hammered work, beaten out of one piece) so you will have them to call together the assembly and to [signal] the breaking of the encampments.

For yourself: Silver: a symbol of blood, and thus redemption, but also of our souls, which reside in the blood (Lev. 17:11). In the Tabernacle, silver was in a transitional position between bronze things which bespoke our sin-prone earthliness and those of gold that depicted the eternal. The trumpets were given to prepare our souls to participate in the “golden” things. Assembly: The Hebrew term stems from the word for witness, which is in turn rooted in a term meaning to duplicate, repeat, or restore. Israel is indeed called to bear witness to the fact that YHWH is restoring His Kingdom through the repetition of His appointed times year by year until the fellowship Adam had with Him is duplicated. It has been lost over and over—the price we pay for leaving our gates unguarded. Hammered work: like the menorah and the kh’ruvim atop the Ark of the Covenant. The technique has been lost, but all three are symbols of the unification of more than one individual. The Hebrew term for “trumpets” stems from a term for surrounding like a stockade or enclosing like a sheepfold, where the entire flock is gathered together—which is the purpose of these trumpets:

They: as opposed to "you" in v. 2. Moshe himself gave the word to sound (v. 13), then the designated priests gave the individual blasts that signaled the component groups to start marching. Two-toned: rising on the second note. The entry to the Tent of Appointment is where war is waged (Ex. 38:8), since sin crouches at the door. (Gen. 4:7) What attacks any Israelite affects all of Israel. The shofar, therefore, calls Israel to physical warfare, and the silver trumpets to spiritual warfare to rout the forces that drive our enemies.

4. "But if they give a [two-toned] blast with [only] one [of them], then the captains who are heads of thousands in Israel shall gather themselves to you.

Only one: In a camp this large, to give clarity, they probably blew one after the other in the first case (v. 3) to distinguish this latter situation from that one. In our day leaders are being called out first who can then cause the rest of the congregation of Israel to gather together when the time is fully right.

Pull up: The cloud must have lifted first (v. 34), but no one was to move until Moshe gave the signal. We are often called to leave behind the places or customs we are comfortable with in order to move on to higher knowledge, maturity, or physically, to a place where we can have fuller fellowship and accountability. The way of Avraham’s descendants is to, like him, leave the familiar place when YHWH calls us to, and find out where we are going when He tells us to stop again. We do not need to know every detail in advance, or we would make plans to do things our own way. He calls us one by one out of our Babylonian associations, but when we end our exile it will again be as an entire people, which He is now beginning to assemble.

The rest of the order has been detailed before this.

One had to listen carefully once the first blast was sounded, to see whether anything else would follow to determine which type of call was being given. In all likelihood they had two different tones as well, because a trumpet call has to communicate a clear signal one way or the other. (1 Cor. 14:8)

9. "And when you go to war in your Land against the adversary who is troubling you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you shall be remembered before the face of YHWH your Elohim, and you shall be delivered from your enemies.

In your Land: These movings-out were rehearsals for the days when they (or as it turned out, their children) would be in the Land. Note that He does not say to conquer outside the Land He was allotting to Israel; when it is time for Y’shua to rule the world, all nations will be assembled at Yerushalayim, where He has every right to defeat them. Remember the way He said to do it, and He will remember you. The term for “remember” means “to mark”; when we obey this command, He puts a special mark on us that exempts us like the blood on the doorways in Egypt from the plagues those with the other “mark” (Rev. 13) will receive. (Compare v. 35.)

At the beginnings of your months: i.e., at the new moon. Note that He says to do this at any time we have cause to rejoice together, not just times He has prescribed.

This places it four or five weeks into the counting of the omer, depending when the Passover fell in relation to the Sabbath that year. But it is only nineteen days after the preceding events, so YHWH tested them immediately with an actual move rather than just a drill. He usually tests us soon after we learn something, because our maturity is not measured by what we know but by how well we respond when tested. They did well on their test:

Pa'aran means "beautiful caverns".

Word: literally, “mouth”. Direction: literally, "hand". They had been at Mt. Sinai for over a year, and knew YHWH had been there. It was a leap of faith to trust Moshe’s judgment that it was time to move on. But this time they did.

Exodus 6:23 tells us that Aharon took Elisheva, daughter of Amminadav, as his wife. She was thus Nachshon's sister, meaning that in this case the High Priest married a Jewess (i.e., she was from a different tribe than he). It was only after this that the priests were limited to marrying within their tribe. (Lev. 21:14)

Those over the “armies” of the tribes turn out to be the same as the “heads of the fathers’ [households]” of chapter 7. YHWH is the master psychologist. Today in Israel the soldiers are well-motivated in the same way, since those they are fighting to protect are all their own relatives, not strangers.

17. Then the Tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari traveled forward carrying the Tabernacle.

If all the divisions ended up moving out in a straight line, the Tabernacle's moving second (after the three tribes headed by Yehudah on the east), it gave space for the southern, western, and finally northern divisions to move into formation.

19. And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Shim'on was Sh'lumiel the son of Tzurishaddai.

20. Then over the army of the tribe of the sons of Gad was Elyasaf the son of De'u-El.

21. Then the Q'hathites moved forward, carrying the Sanctuary, so that the Dwelling-place might be set up prior to their arrival.

The entire congregation would string out for miles when they were traveling, so there was time for those only fourth in the order (the Gershonites and Merarites) to set up before the Q’hathites (seventh in line-up) arrived.

23. Over the army of the tribe of the sons of Menashe was Gamli'El the son of Pedah-tzur.

24. And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Binyamin was Avidan the son of Gid'oni.

25. Then the standard of the camp of the descendants of Dan, who were the rear guard of all the camps, departed by their companies. And over his army was Achiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

Rear guard: literally, "gatherer", or "remover"--and Dan is the tribe that is removed from the list in Rev. 7, from which none of the 144,000 come. We know that Amaleq attacked the weak who straggled at the back. Was this because Dan neglected their duty to protect them?

27. And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Nafthali was Achira the son of Eynan.

28. These were the marching order of the descendants of Israel by their companies when they set out [to travel].

29. Then Moshe said to Hovav the son of Re'u-El the Midyanite (Moshe's in-law), "We are traveling to the place of which YHWH said, ‘I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will do right to you, because YHWH has promised beneficial [things] concerning Israel."

Hovav means "beloved".

31. So he said, "Please don't abandon us, because since you know how we camp in the desert, you can be like a pair of eyes for us.

Be like eyes for us: It appears that Hovav had stayed with the Israelites long enough to see them break camp and set up again, and he knew how much space they needed for the whole camp. Being a desert-dweller himself and familiar with the region, he could be a scout for them.

33. Then they traveled on from the mountain of YHWH three days' journey, and the Ark of YHWH's Covenant went three days' journey ahead of them in order to seek out a resting place for them,

The Ark, as the counterpart of the Sabbath (both being a sign of the covenant), goes ahead to find a resting place--just as Y'shua said he would do for us (Yochanan 14:6), as the firstfruits of the resurrection. Where we go next in our return to the Promised Land is to be determined only by where YHWH’s presence is and where His covenant is established. Once YHWH left Mt. Sinai, it was nothing more than a historical site, for it was not the final goal; to stay there would be of no benefit, and would only leave any who remained as an easy target for their enemies. It is the same with denominations today that are built around where His presence once rested but no longer does. While YHWH blessed the places the ark rested when David was afraid to have it near him because of YHWH’s wrath on the unauthorized man who touched it (1 Chron. 13), even when they did not belong to Israel, the man who hosted it had no claim once David came back to retrieve it. His name was Oved-Edom—“the servant of Edom (Esau)”. Rabbinic scholars say Edom’s scepter has been passed to Rome (the seat of the Church). Today YHWH is calling Israel to recall from the Church the things that belong to Israel. This is not accomplished by demanding them from the Vatican, but by living out the practices delineated here and throughout the Torah, for the Church is not obeying them. Those who do obey are those who will have a right to the accompanying blessings. The text never says whether Hovav honored Moshe’s request after he asked the second time (v. 32). Was he like the “nearer kinsman” of Ruth who declined his option, therefore leaving the Ark itself to be the scout in his stead?

It may have concealed their movements from their enemies’ spies.

This may have been linked with the blowing of trumpets as in v. 9.

CHAPTER 11

Complain: this term in Hebrew has no other word as its root, suggesting that complaining is groundless. It is the way of our flesh, but there is no excuse for it. It does not even tell us what they complained about, teaching us to just stay away from every sort of grumbling. We can complain in many ways, even with a sigh or body language. Whispering our complaints is a form of witchcraft. Once one takes up the practice of complaining, any reason seems enough; they may have been grasping for any reason to grumble about Moshe. But the word has the nuance of mourning, suggesting that they were complaining about what they once had but now lacked, or because of having to move again and again. (Compare v. 5, which may be an elaboration on this or a separate event.) Fringes of the camp: closer to the areas designated for relieving oneself, and some may have chosen to be there because it was more convenient, but it put them farther from the place of greatest holiness. Those on the edge picture the uncommitted. But doing things our own way is still rebellion. Those who feel sorry for themselves cannot draw near, because they are, even if subconsciously, blaming YHWH for the way things are, feeling that He is part of the problem. The word for "fringe" here also often means the part that is cut off--or frayed, being close to coming off already anyway. Nostrils became hot: a picturesque Hebrew idiom for anger, as exemplified by a bull that is ready to charge.

Only when they knew they were in trouble did they turn back to Moshe. They had memorized what to do in such crises, but had not really learned the attitudes behind the right things to do.

“The fire of YHWH” is usually a positive term, but as with any fire, you do not want to be on the wrong side of it. If you are not serious about YHWH, it is a scary thing, but it is scarier to be without His fire on the altar.

Rabble: "borderline people" or "riffraff"--those who are not fully "in" with the community. In their midst: Their influence spread to those in the heart of the camp as well. The Hebrew term for meat also means “glad news”, so they are asking for a Gospel they can stomach"--the opposite of Y'shua's call to take up one's cross and die to oneself. Meat to eat: See note on v. 22. Wish with greedy desire: could be read as saying they wanted something--anything --to crave, having nothing to look forward to but the same thing every day. (v. 6) They've had no excitement for a while--none of the former miracles, and are bored with YHWH's generous provision. They have everything they need, so they want to have something new to want! The same pattern persists: "All you ever talk about is Torah! You relate everything in the Torah to Y'shua! I need something else!" Ephesians 4:17ff tells us some of the ways we can be just like these people of old. Paul reminds us there that though we may not have what we used to have or what others now have, those are not the important things at all. They focused more on what they did not have, forgetting that they were living in the midst of a miracle. Today, a great move of YHWH has begun again, and going along with it may mean giving up earthly securities, family, friends, and amusements. We no longer have all the programs the Church had, but we do have a fuller revelation of the truth and a knowledge of who we are. The repair for complaining is to give thanks, and as with other forms of stealing, we should give back substantially more than we robbed YHWH of.

Nothing that grows high in trees is listed here; they preferred things that grow close to the ground—earthly things. Herbs: or possibly, leeks. The particular things they lusted for were not evil, but they disregarded the better things YHWH was giving and thought they knew better than He what they needed. These were the things of Egypt—the place they had left behind, and that is why their longing for them angered Him so much.

Y’shua said He is the true bread that came down from heaven--that which the manna foreshadowed. (Yochanan 6:31-33) So rejecting it is a picture of rejecting Him. Do we want Him to taste just like earthly ideas that do not require us to die to self daily? (Mat. 16:24)

8. and the people would go to and fro gathering it, and would grind it with millstones or beat it in a mortar, and boil it in pans, then make it into [baked] cakes, and its taste was like the taste of fresh [cakes baked with] oil.

Its taste: This seems to emphasize how delicious it was, to show how foolish their complaining was--as if they were "forced" to eat doughnuts every day! Were they upset about having to go pick it up? Fresh cakes baked with oil: a picture of being fully mature and anointed by the Spirit of being set-apart. They did not eat it raw; there was still preparation involved. YHWH's provision of Y'shua as our way of escape from paganism and back into the covenant does not mean it will happen automatically or by magic. We still have to make what he did a part of us by studying, ruminating on it, practicing it.

10. When Moshe heard the people complaining in their families, every man at the door of his tent, YHWH's nostrils became very hot, and it was also displeasing in Moshe's eyes.

His tent: ambiguous. Was it it each one’s own tent that he stood outside of, so that they dwelt separately, thinking of their own interests rather than The Tent--the community's interests? Or were they all gathered outside Moshe's tent? This is the first time he does not take their part and defend them from YHWH's wrath. Before they had made honest mistakes, but now they are complaining about YHWH's provision. Yaaqov (James) says the tongue is a wild fire that quickly gets out of control. This time he really feels that they deserve their punishment. He treats this as worse than idolatry, and we should take this to heart.

12. "Did I conceive this whole people? Did I labor to give birth to them, that You tell me, ‘Carry them on your lap like a foster father carries a nursing child' to the Land which You swore unto their fathers?

13. "From where will I get meat to feed all these people? Because they're complaining to me, saying, "Give us meat to eat!"

14. "I'm not able to bear this whole people alone, because it's too massive for me!

15. "If You [are going to] treat me this way, then [just go ahead and] kill me, if I have found favor in Your sight, and don't let me see my misery."

Misery: with the connotation of a worsening condition or calamity. Moshe asked why all of these people should be his responsibility, when he never asked to be their leader. But he wanted what was right for them, even if he could no longer be the one to lead them, and did not want to see the final failure of the venture he was told to carry out. At least he vents his complaint against YHWH openly, rather than covertly to someone else, and YHWH respected the point he made:

Mature: literally, elders. When the Torah is widely available and taught, there should be a one-to-one correspondence between age and wisdom or the ability to rule, but when all else is not equal, it is those who prove themselves most committed and experienced who should act as elders in Israel, whether grey-headed or not. The number 70 usually hints at Israel's priesthood for all the nations (based on Gen. 10)--a link with Shavuoth, when "devout men out of every nation" among whom the spirit was poured out in Yerushalayim responded to the Messiah’s call. (Acts/Envoys 2:5) These 70 represent the firstfruits from among the nations being gathered again today to rule Israel with the spirit of Moshe (the Torah).

He got some relief, but at a price: he would not personally be as unique as before. But he took this in stride (see v. 29). He was glad to share it. Considering 12:6-8, there was apparently enough to go around. What spirit was upon him? The spirit of a shepherd, and it had been developed over forty years once he accepted his lot and committed himself to doing his assigned task well. He was also to choose men able to rule. They were already proven leaders, having made themselves into the right kind of containers for the additional responsibility YHWH wanted to pour into them. The term for “rule” is based on a root meaning to write, so it suggests that Israel’s later leaders need to be well-versed in the Torah.

Set yourselves apart: addressed to those who were complaining. YHWH used this technique of separating the guilty from the rest of the camp again in chapter 16.

20. "but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and nauseates you, because you have rejected [despised] YHWH who was among you, and have complained in His face, saying, ‘Why did we [ever even] leave Egypt?'"

Nostrils: a word play on the Hebrew way to describe YHWH's anger (e.g., vv. 1, 10) so they would remember how it made Him feel when they complained. He threatened to give them what they asked for, hinting that it would really end up being a punishment. They did not like the wonderful provision He had made for them, so He would “stick them with the bill” for what they wanted instead. They essentially rejected His offer of a wedding ring, and reminded Him of the gifts their “former boyfriend” used to give them—forgetting that the grass had not been greener there at all, since he had beaten them and stolen from them. Our specific situation may be different, but human nature does not change. If He offered to give us all the financial security we wished for at the expense of having the time to serve Him and the need to trust Him directly, would we take Him up on it?

22. "Shall the flocks and herds be slaughtered to satisfy them? Or shall the fish of the sea all be gathered together for them, in order to be enough for them?"

Flocks and herds: This raises the question, why didn't they slaughter them? They had told Pharaoh that they needed to take all their flocks because they did not know what YHWH would require of them. (Ex. 10:26) This still held true. They would also want to save enough to start larger flocks and herds once they arrived in the Land. But perhaps they envied the priests and Levites who DID get to eat meat. Fish of the sea: this and verse 31 support the theory that they were camped on the eastern side of the east fork of the red Sea near Midyan (present-day Saudi Arabia or southern Jordan) rather than the traditional site of Sinai.

24. So Moshe went out and told the people all that YHWH had said, and gathered seventy of the most mature men in the nation, and had them stand all around the Tent.

Now that they had been counted he knew exactly what he was up against, and honestly did not know how YHWH could do this, but had enough confidence in Him to go ahead and do what He said. Y’shua did the same thing in Gath Sh’maney, “arguing” that He could not raise Himself from the dead to be Israel’s king, but submitted to the Father’s will because He trusted Him.

26. However, two [of the] men remained in the camp when the spirit rested on them. The name of one was Eldad [Elohim has loved] and the other's name was Medad [loving]. Now they were among those who had been enrolled [among the seventy], but they did not go out to the Tent; rather, they prophesied inside the camp.

These may correlate prophetically with the two witnesses who remain on earth while the other "elders" surround the heavenly throne throughout the book of Revelation, though there the number is 24. The number 70 would also suggest seven complete congregations, which also appear in the early chapters of Revelation.

28. Then Y'hoshua the son of Nun, who had waited on Moshe since his youth, responded and said, "Moshe, my master, restrain them!"

29. But Moshe asked him, "Are you jealous for me? I'd rather [that it were possible] for all the people to be prophets, so YHWH would put His spirit on them!"

Compare Paul's desire that everyone could prophesy. (1 Cor. 14:5, 39) But while they both wished their fellows well, YHWH did not choose to make everyone prophesy. Only 73 out of 600,000 did. Not everyone is given the same rights, but each is given some gift to share with the whole congregation.

This would be the pattern of the Levites in the Land, who would come up to the Temple to learn the ways of YHWH, then go back out into all Israel to teach them. Being set-apart is not an end in itself, but for the purpose of concentrating the leaders’ efforts to prepare themselves to serve the people in the fullest way.

They were easy to catch; the Hebrew word for quail itself comes from a word meaning "sluggish", and they were only about one yard or one meter above the ground, and thus easy to catch. The strong wind had apparently weakened or dazed them as well. Here…and there: i.e., on both sides of the camp.

They indeed had enough for a month. Since one omer is how much manna each was supposed to gather, and a homer is ten omers, they really had to be greedy and obsessive to gather ten homers--a hundred times as much as they should eat in a day! And how were they to preserve them for a whole month? They spent all their time focusing on this, like the modern worship of “security” which takes us away from the present day’s tasks to make guarantees for tomorrow, and reflects no trust in YHWH. Spread them out: LXX, "refreshed themselves". Spread them out: so that the dew could not fall, and there could thus be no manna there either. They precluded the provision YHWH wanted to make for them.

He had given them time to weigh out the logical results of upholding their own desires rather than what He said was best for them, and admit they asked for something foolish, but instead they were still excited about the prospect of having something they’d had in Egypt again. They thought it could not really be that bad, and strengthened their inclination toward evil instead of their inclination toward what was right, as they were very capable of after He warned them of the consequences. The Torah is given to us to strengthen our better inclinations. By walking in it, we prepare ourselves to be vessels for further righteousness.

Only those who were greedy died, because they had separated themselves from the rest of the camp. (v. 18) The quails were around the camp, not in it. (v. 32) Those who remained within the camp (e.g., v. 30) were spared.

Hatzeroth means “enclosures” or “settlements”, suggesting a sheepfold where they could find rest after such ordeals.

CHAPTER 12

Kushites include some Mesopotamians as well as Ethiopians, but the term is based on a word meaning "dark-skinned". It may only refer to his Midyanite wife Tzipporah, who was a shepherdess and therefore often in the sun, and now that Moshe’s family were tantamount to nobility, this may have seemed an unwise match. But Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, II:X:1-2) wrote that Moshe had married an Ethiopian princess as part of the treaty to end hostilities after he led an Egyptian army in a victorious campaign to shake their oppressive reign over Egypt (as he neared forty years of age).

They: The events that unfold suggest that only Miryan did the talking, but Aharon had a tendency to stand by when other sinned instead of acting to put a stop to it (Ex. 32; Num. 25:10ff), and passivity about the sin of those connected to us is participation in it. Do we fear confrontation with other people more than we fear YHWH? Israelites cannot allow ourselves to be bothered by whether or not we offend others (e.g., Matt. 15:12ff), because the inherent nature of being a chosen people who do not do things the way the other nations do will always offend someone, especially in today’s political climate. The Kushite wife turns out to not have been the real issue, but a pretext to let this deeper sentiment about Moshe come out. This may have been a choice he made 40 years earlier! What really bothered them was Moshe's being given more authority than they, possibly because they were his elders, and had not been chosen as among the 70 most mature in Israel. They were already a priest and a prophet; did they want a higher calling still? They committed no action; their sin was only with their mouth—the easiest way to sin. (Yaaqov/James 3)

Humble: He had not been boasting about his position. How could he write like this about himself if he was so humble? Because humility is not self-degradation, but simply knowing the objective facts about who one is—and is not—and acting accordingly. Men: Heb., Adam. Earth: better, ground. The fits with the form of their complaint in v. 2: “Hasn’t He indeed spoken…?” This is the same pattern the serpent in Eden used to bring about Adam’s fall and the curse of the ground. (Gen. 3:1ff)

Immediately: before this sentiment had time to spread. You three: This implies that Moshe was present when Miryam criticized him to Aharon. So she could not use the excuse that since the criticism was not in public and not behind his back, it was a less serious offense. The Torah, priesthood, and prophets were meant to be a threefold cord, for all are pictures of Y’shua, but the cord was fraying. YHWH honors the Torah above the other two positions, because prophecy and ritual that are not based on the Torah carry no weight. (Yeshayahu 8:20)

6. and He said, "Pay attention to My words: If there is to be a prophet of YHWH among you, I will make Myself known to him in a [mirrored] vision; I will speak to him in a dream.

7. "Not so [with] My servant Moshe, who is established in all of My household.

Established: or supported, confirmed, counted trustworthy. The word translated "foster father" in 11:12 comes from the same root—one who upholds, carries, or nourishes. Thus YHWH confirms that this humble man (v. 3) is doing well at the work he found himself inadequate to do.

Directly: literally, mouth to mouth. Similarly, Y'shua told his closest disciples, "To the crowds I speak in parables, but to you I speak plainly." (Mat. 13) Behold the image of YHWH: Moshe would one day speak face to face (Luk. 9) with Y'shua the Messiah, who is the “exact representation of [YHWH]’s actual nature”. (Heb. 1:3) The idea that YHWH loves everyone equally is clearly thus unscriptural. He has favorites (compare 1 Shmuel 13:14), and we should aim to be among them. His attitude toward anyone who questions His choice and calling is evident from this chapter.

10. and the cloud was removed from above the Tent, and here, Miryam [was] as leprous as snow; and Aharon turned [to look] toward Miryam, lo and behold, [she was] leprous!

As if in response to her hostility toward a black woman (v. 1), her punishment was to become as white as a ghost! Aharon may have been spared the same only because of his position and the holiness it represented, since Y'shua, whose high priesthood he foreshadowed, never sinned. No one else could fulfill his role, and the covenant required that the lights he lit be lit.

Now Moshe is suddenly called "master"! He recognizes that if Moshe does not forgive them, neither will YHWH, for the sin was really against Moshe; only he could release them to be forgiven. Going anywhere but to the one wronged will not repair the breach. (Mat. 18:15) Foolishly: literally, in our slackness. Ironically, Israel is a people both stiff-necked and slack. It was Aharon’s failure to tighten the reins on the people once before that had resulted in their lack of restraint (Ex. 32:25), and the shame fell on YHWH. A three-fold cord that is slack still accomplishes little, nor can one hit the target with a loose bowstring, and missing the target is the precise meaning of the word “sin”. Y’shua would not put up with anyone loosening the standard of His Father’s commandments (Mat. 5:18-19), and teaching others to be slcak about them is what resulted in His called-out congregation getting so far off course that it no longer resembled Israel, when that it what it was meant to target all along. Teaching is done through both the teacher’s example and by holding the learners accountable.

This must be what this type of skin affliction looked like. She looked dead, reminding her of what she had been spared from. Mother’s womb: Moshe and Aharon had come from the same womb, so what applied to her would make them lose face as well. He also did not want the nation that was just being born to be a miscarriage as well. (See note on v. 16.)

14. But YHWH told Moshe, "If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she bear the shame for seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp for seven days, and after that, let her be brought back into association."

15. So Miryam was shut out from the camp for seven days, and the people did not travel again until Miryam was brought back in.

This suggests that on other occasions, the camp may have indeed moved on while some lepers remained outside the camp--one motivator to avoid doing what Miryam did. Coveting someone else's position is the only overt reason in Scripture that we see people deliberately struck with "leprosy" (tzara'ath; compare 2 Chron. 26:17-19; 2 Kings 5:20ff).

Wilderness of Pa’aran: This is where they had just come from (10:12), but they had not yet learned their lesson about complaining, as evidenced by the fact that the leaders themselves were now beginning to complain, so YHWH sent them back to a former stage of their journey. If we do not all make the grade, none of us can move on, because Israel is one entity.