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Torah: Bmidbar 13:1-15:41

Haftarah: Joshua 2:1-24
Brit Chadasha: Hebrews 3:7-19
William R. Spires June 9
th
, 2012

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Shlach lecha:
Send on Your Behalf
nd the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying, Send thou
men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the
children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man,
every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent
them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of
Israel. (Num 13:1-3 KJV)
What some may not realize is this parasha is tied to the previous portion.
Bha alotkha (When you kindle) was an object lesson in Gods dealing with those
who bring uncleanness into the camp and the direct consequence of a flagrant foul
conversation demonstrated in Miriams contracting of Leprosy. The entire nation
of Israel stayed put for 7 days on account of her words, and in this weeks portion
we see the power of bringing a wicked report continues to have lasting that will
disturb Israels narrative, resonating throughout the ages even into recent history
like so many ripples created from a casually cast stone on once serene waters
(Think Creation & His Spirit hovering over the chaotic waters. What did The Spirit
do?(Gen.1:1-3/Obeyed The WORD of GOD)).
So Moshe sends out the 12 spies to check out the land. They traverse the
land by way of the Negev, or Southern border and up through the terrain collecting
information on the land, the people, the cities, the crops for 40 days. After 40 days
they returned as Torah says where they brought back word (Nu.13:26) to Aharon
and Moshe and the entire congregation of Israel back to Kadesh in the Paran
Desert. 40 is significant because as Bullinger pointed out it speaks of a period of
trial, evident probation and chastisement...[and] to enlarged dominion, or to
renewed or extended rule (Bullingers Numbers, p. 230). The number 12 referring
specifically to the spies was significant because twelve referred not only to the 12
tribes, but also by calling one leader from each of the twelve tribes it symbolized
the perfection of government.

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YHVH Arranges Names to Serve His Purpose
Quite interestingly, a quick study of the names of each tribe, the leader of each
tribe and their fathers name reveal His-Story as it is being made:

Behold The Son (Reuven) of Renown(Shammua) who has been mindful(Zaccur) to
take heed(Simeon) of the judgments(Shaphat) upon the serpent's dwelling(Hori),
& praised(Yehudah) the submitted hearts(Caleb), who will face (Jephunneh) a
recompense(Issachar) with redemption (Igal), causing fruitfulness(Ephraim) in the
form of salvation, rescue & preservation(Oshea) passed on even to their
heirs(Nun). The Son of the Right Hand(Binyamin) has come to deliver(Palti)
healing(Raphu) to those who dwell(Zebulun) with The God of their daily
bread(Gaddiel) & who confide in Him(Sodi). Joseph who would be caused to
forget(Mannasseh) God's Daily Bread(Gaddi) because they traded it for the
strength of horses(Susi), these people of God(Ammiel) were judged(Dan) and
recompensed for their misdeeds(Gemalli), but are again made happy(Asher), these
hidden ones(Sether) who are like God (Michael), through their continued
struggles(Naphtali) & who cherish(Nahbi) the riches of God(Vophsi) by pressing
into(Gad) the Majesty, which is the lifting up of God(Geuel) as they humble
themselves in submission to Him(Machi).

It should be clarified that although verse 3 says Moshe sent out the 12 spies
as Adonai ordered, the name of the parasha reaffirms, shlah lkha, Send for
yourself. That is, for your own purposes (not Mine). God seems to be saying, I
have told you already that the land is good and that I will give it to you. If you
need human confirmation of that, go ahead and send scouts(Hayyim Comm.,
p.840) You see, HaShem had already made it clear to Israel that He had given them
The Promised Landthey just had to have the courage to go in and take it. Moshe
even echoes Gods promise prior to the scout mission by renaming the team leader
Hoshea, to YHoshuameaning GOD WILL SAVE!

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And yet, the book of Hebrews continues to echo what the heart of the problem was
for Israel, still

Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving
heart, in falling away from the living God. And so we see that they were not able
to enter because of unbelief. (Heb 3:12, 19 NAS)

Mans Nevertheless & The Power of the Tongue
But the spies return after this 40 period of probation. Gods already
promised them the land. The leaders return, and rather than stop at revealing the
fruit of the land theyve recovered, they bring this report.
Numbers 13:28 Nevertheless
In the KJV it reads Nevertheless, in the CJB its However, and simply put,
plants the seed of a defeatist negative spirit!
H657 'ephes eh'-fes
From H656; cessation, that is, an end (especially of the earth); often used
adverbially no further; also (like H6466) the ankle (in the dual), as being the
extremity of the leg or foot: - ankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing.
H656 'aphes aw-face': A primitive root; to disappear, that is, cease: - be
clean gone (at an end, brought to nought), fail.

The end, finality, the end of the linesymbolically referred to in the paleo Hebrew
as the wrist, or ankles. The 10 spies spoke of a finality that left them in a chain;
their report breathed a glimpse of hope only to be swallowed in the poison of
disbelief. Imprisoned by eyes blind to Gods Word, hearts hardened by pride and
fear, and circumstances that attempt to prevail upon us during a moment of
suffering, how encouraging would it be to have the likes of a Caleb and Joshua

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under our roof! The debilitating results of such a negative report are designed to
focus our attention on the shackle at the end of
our arm around our wrists, and the chains
fettered about the ends of our legs at our ankles.
But where mans way sabotages hope by
focusing ever upon the chain-clamped wrist,
God says Nevertheless Is My Arm too short
to redeem?(Isa.59:1) Is anything too hard for
The LORD?(Jer.32:17) Where man would
become mired in the powerlessness of his
physical circumstances, God calls for us to trace
with an eye of faith beyond the shackled wrist, beyond mans feeble way, and find
hope in turning our hearts and our eyes to where mans prayerful finger points!
But we read in Bmidbar 13:25-26 that they returned from reconnoitering
the land and went to Moshe, Aharon and the entire community of the people of
Isra'el at Kadesh in the Pa'ran Desert. Paran comes from Strongs# 6286 or paw-
ar' and it means to boast self. Kadesh means sanctuary or refuge. The issue I find
of particular interest is that these people had settled into a land that was identified
as an area where one boasts about themselves. Well come back to this in a
moment, but consider our ancestors were residing in an area that tells us something
about the character of them. Moving on.

Numbers 13:32 almost sounds like a large iron
door slamming shut! It reads And they brought up an
evil report of the land which they had searched unto
the children of Israel (Num 13:32 KJV). The word
there for Evil Report is taken from Strongs#H1681
dibbah, dib-baw' from H1680 (in the sense of furtive
motion); slander: - defaming, evil report, infamy,
slander. The very first time we observe this word used
is in Bresheit 37:2
where Joseph, at 17
years of age brings

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back a slanderous report of his brothers back to his father Yakov. Recall what
happened to Joseph shortly thereafter.
Murmuring Hinders God to Move in Your Life
Now we fast forward to Israel in the land of Boasting Self, and they are
murmuring against Aharon and Moshe. The Hebraic meaning of murmur means to
stay, to be obstinate, to not move. Is this not what occurs when we become
obstinate and begin focusing upon ourselves? Beloved, our Heavenly Father was
ever so lovingly and still today is trying to awaken us to the truth that we cannot
take the Land if our hearts are obstinate, murmuring against His appointed
leadership, and unwilling to receive His precious Word which He echoes in the
Brit Chadasha is able to save your souls(James 1:21)
Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of
wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able
to save your souls. (Jam 1:21 NAS)
Must we too bear the curse of repeating our ancestors mistakes over and over as
well?
The 9
th
of Av
Allow me to share with you an article adapted from Chabad.org that so
succinctly illustrates this same old sin we continue to see rearing its ugly head not
within the ranks of the world, but of GODs Chosen and Set-Apart People!
Picture this: The year is 1313 BCE. The Israelites are in the desert, recently
having experienced the miraculous Exodus, and are now poised to enter the
Promised Land. But first they dispatch a reconnaissance mission to assist in
formulating a prudent battle strategy. The spies return on the eighth day of Av and
report that the land is unconquerable. That night, the 9th of Av, the people cry.
They insist that they'd rather go back to Egypt than be slaughtered by the
Canaanites. Gd is highly displeased by this public demonstration of distrust in His
power, and consequently that generation of Israelites never enters the Holy Land.
Only their children have that privilege, after wandering in the desert for another 38
years. The First Temple was also destroyed on the 9th of Av (423 BCE). Five

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centuries later (in 69 CE), as the Romans drew closer to the Second Temple, ready
to torch it, the Jews were shocked to realize that their Second Temple was
destroyed the same day as the first.
When the Jews rebelled against Roman rule, they believed that their leader,
Simon bar Kochba, would fulfill their messianic longings. But their hopes were
cruelly dashed in 133 CE as the Jewish rebels were brutally butchered in the final
battle at Betar. The date of the massacre? Of coursethe 9th of Av! One year after
their conquest of Betar, the Romans plowed over the Temple Mount, our nation's
holiest site. The Jews were expelled from England in 1290 CE on, you guessed it,
Tisha b'Av.
In 1492, the Golden Age of Spain came to a close when Queen Isabella and
her husband Ferdinand ordered that the Jews be banished from the land. The edict
of expulsion was signed on March 31, 1492, and the Jews were given exactly four
months to put their affairs in order and leave the country. The Hebrew date on
which no Jew was allowed any longer to remain in the land where he had enjoyed
welcome and prosperity? Oh, by now you know itthe 9th of Av.
Ready for just one more? World War II and the Holocaust, historians conclude,
was actually the long drawn-out conclusion of World War I that began in 1914.
And yes, amazingly enough, the First World War also began, on the Hebrew
calendar, on the 9th of Av, Tisha b'Av. What do you make of all this? Jews see this
as another confirmation of the deeply held conviction that history isn't haphazard;
events even terrible ones are part of a Divine plan and have spiritual meaning.
The message of time is that everything has a rational purpose, even though we
don't understand it. (The 9th of Av - Tisha B'Av chabad.org/library/article_cdo/print/true/aid/
946703/jewish/What-happened-on-the-Ninth-of-Av.htm)
GODs HOWEVER Trumps mans however
Taken from Strongs#H199 'ulam, oo-lawm. Apparently a variation of
H194; however or on the contrary: - as for, but, howbeit, in very deed, surely,
truly, wherefore. The 10 spies had their opportunity for life! But
rather than seize the opportunity to stand up and demonstrate a
committed heart of faith to their Creator, they balked at the

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opportunity for God to once again prove Himself, and instead cowered in fear
while spreading an evil report that brought murmering within the camp! Now after
entreating The LORD, Moshe has asked GOD to not wipe out Israel and to
continue with them. Being the forebearing and longsuffering Father He is, He
agrees, but now its Gods turn. In chapter 14, verse 21 He says However, truly as
I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Because all those
men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the
wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to
my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers,
neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: (Num 14:21-23 KJV).
How do you follow God?
Interestingly, the two tribal leaders who did get
to go in and possess the land were none other than
who? Calebfrom the tribe of? Yehudah, and
Yhoshuafrom the tribe of? Ephraim. Because it
says these two followed Me fully(chap.14, vs.24).
But the two things I want to drive home is that the
people of GOD, who had been delivered from
Pharaoh, seen the signs, experienced the wilderness
miracles upon receiving an evil report were quick to
murmur and all but decided to abandon their covenant
with God, assign a new head and begin marching
back to Egypt. Beloved, do we if not in big ways perhaps in small ways
demonstrate traces of similar behavior at times? Consider your current living
conditions, work situation, family dynamic with your spouse and/or children or the
lack thereof. Do you allow your eyes to determine your faith, or do you allow
Gods Word to prevail upon your heart and circumstances?
ADONAI said to Moshe, "How much longer is this people going to treat me with
contempt? How much longer will they not trust me, especially considering all the
signs I have performed among them? (Num 14:11 CJB)


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In Chapter 15 we read how Adonai is continuing to instruct the nation of
Israel how they are to offer heave offerings unto Him, which is instruction upon
how to properly serve YHVH in The Land of Promise. However, didnt we already
read that none of these would enter in save Yhoshua and Caleb? Yes. So what
gives? After the fiasco with demonstrating a heart of unbelief, God is
demonstrating His love and forgiveness by continuing to instruct them because
they must be responsible to teach and pass down the teaching to their children so
they will know how to serve HaShem properly once in the Land.
In the end of chapter 15 we read the tragic stoning of a man who refused to
obey and to rest on Shabbat. He was
observed picking up sticks to use for
some constructive usenevertheless,
God has repeatedly instructed Israel to
abide in His Sabbaths. In the commentary
on the New Testament by Dr. Stern he
confirms that not only observing Shabbat
significant in that it is a shadow of
things to come, but that in our resting,
or ceasing from our own self-works we demonstrate the trust and obedience and
faithfulness that our Israelite ancestors failed to demonstrate miserably when it
came time to trust GOD and take the hill-country He had already promised them.
The Tzit-tzit, or fringes in Hebrew means floral or wing-like hair or tassel,
and was to be worn on the kanaph, or corner or wing of your garment. The Tzit-tzit
was to be a visual reminder of GODs commandments that we are commanded to
obey, but also designed to remind us not to let our heart and eyes stray to
prostitute ourselves. The significance here is that we are to remember the
commandments which remind us of our covenant with YHVH so that we not
replace Him with something observed with our eyes, or thought upon in our heart.
Hope, Courage & Confidence
Beloved, God is searching, restoring and calling His Redeemed people, a
people who until now have been concealed in the nations, but now are revealed by

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demonstrating a heart of belief and obedience! He says, that we will cherish the
struggle to seek Gods Majesty as we are brought low. And as we are brought to
the end of ourselves, He can then take us back to the Land of Promise. Do you trust
Him at His Promise? God keeps His promises. God is looking for a people who are
willing to hold firmly to the courage and the confidence inspired by the Hope Hes
provided through His Word. Heres Hope.
But the Messiah, as Son, was faithful over God's house. And
we are that house of his, provided we hold firmly to the
courage and confidence inspired by what we hope for.
Therefore, as the Ruach HaKodesh says, "Today, if you hear
God's voice don't harden your hearts, as you did in the Bitter
Quarrel on that day in the Wilderness when you put God to
the test. (Heb 3:6-8 CJB)

There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested
from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent
to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the
same example of disobedience. (Heb 4:9-11 NAS)

How do we enter into His rest? Abiding in His Sabbath!