|
Beha'alotecha (When You Kindle)
(Sefer Bamidbar) Numbers 8:1 – 12:16
8:2-
“Speak unto Aharon, and say unto him, When thou
kindle the lamps, toward the face of the Menorah
shall
the seven lamps cast light.
3- And Aharon did so; toward the face of the Menorah
he kindled the lamps, as YHVH commanded Moshe.
9:15- And on the day the Tabernacle was set up, the
cloud covered the Tabernacle, namely, the tent of
the
Testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle
as it were the appearance of fire until the morning.
16- So it would always be : the cloud covered it by
day, and the appearance of fire by night.
10:8- And the sons of Aharon, the kohanim, shall
blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for
an
ordinance forever throughout your generations.
13- And they first took their journey according to
the commandment of YHVH by the hand of Moshe.
35- And it came to pass, when the ark set forward,
that Moshe said, Arise, YHVH, and let Thine enemies
be
scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee from Thy
face.
36- And when it rested, he said, Return, O YHVH,
unto the many thousands of Yisrael.
11:11- And Moshe said unto YHVH, Why has Thou
afflicted Thy servant? And why have I not found
favor in
Thy sight, that Thou lays the burden of all this
people upon me?
14- I am not able to bear all this people alone,
because it is too heavy for me.
25- And YHVH came down in a cloud, and spoke unto
him and took of the spirit that was upon him, and
gave
it unto the seventy elders: and when the spirit
rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not
cease.
29- And Moshe said unto him, Do you envy for my
sake? Would Elohim that all YHVH’s people were
prophets,
and that YHVH would put His spirit upon them!
12:1- And Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe
because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married:
for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
2- And they said, Has YHVH spoken only by Moshe? Has
he not spoken also by us? And YHVH heard it.
3- (Now the man Moshe was very meek, above all the
men which were upon the face of the earth.)
6- And he said, Hear now My words: If there be a
prophet among you, I YHVH will make Myself known
unto
him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
7- My servant Moshe is not so, who is faithful in
all Mine house.
8- With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even
apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the
similitude of
YHVH shall he behold: Why then were ye not afraid to
speak against my servant Moshe?”
“And YHVH spoke unto Moshe face to
face, as a man speaks unto his friend…”
(Exodus 33:11)
“When thou said, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto
thee, Thy face, YHVH, will I seek.”
(Psalms 27:8)
“Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me
for thy mercies' sake.”
(Psalms 31:16)
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the
people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city,
and YHVH has not done it? Surely, Adonai YHVH will
do nothing, but he reveal his secret unto
His servants, the prophets. The lion has roared, who
will not fear? Adonai YHVH has spoken,
Who can but prophesy?”
(Amos 3:6-8)
“…I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy;
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men
shall see visions.”
(Joel 2:28)
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory
of YHVH is risen upon thee. For, behold, the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness
the people: but YHVH shall arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”
(Isaiah 60:1-2)
“Turn us again, O Elohim, and cause thy face to
shine; and we shall be saved.”
(Psalms 80:7)
“And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of Elohim moved
upon the face of the waters.
And Elohim said, Let there be
light: and there was light.”
(Genesis 1:2-3)
Beha’alotecha Summary:
1. Remembering the Seventy, An Invitation to
Ascend:
Similar to the time the seventy elders approached
and saw the Elohim of Yisrael in Exodus 24:9, once
again these men received the call to represent the
people and enjoy the power of His presence. Though
the people had demonstrated discontent with the
Heavenly manna and craved after flesh, HaShem
prepared to a feast yet unfamiliar, the spirit of
prophecy, as it is written in Deuteronomy 8:3:
“…that He might make thee know that man does not
live by bread only, but by every word
that proceeds out of the mouth of YHVH does man
live.”
Though Moshe words would be esteemed for generations
to come, parasha Beha’alotecha, opening with the
Menorah’s seven branches kindled to cast light,
sheds further light pertaining to YHVH’s intent for
all to hear and speak His Word. Job 22:23, 26, & 28
lend a pattern for entering the prophetic realm:
“If thou return to the Almighty, thou shall be built
up, thou shall put away iniquity far from thy
tabernacles...then shall thou take delight in the
Almighty and shall lift up thy face unto Elohim...
Thou shall decree a thing, and it shall be
established unto thee: and the light shine on thy
ways.”
2.
Time to Rise and Shine…and Face the Truth:
As the river daily wears its path into the yet
adamant rock, so is a soul susceptible to yielding
to the characteristics of a constant companion. In
the life of Moshe is a telling hope of what we all
may become upon an encounter and persistent
fellowship with the Most High Elohim. Parallel to
Moshe’s first ascent to the hill of YHVH and the
dreadful realization of His glory as Exodus 3:6
records,
“Moreover He said, I am the Elohim of thy father,
the Elohim of Avraham, the Elohim of Yitzchak,
and the Elohim of Yaakov. And Moshe hid his face;
for he was afraid to look upon Elohim,”
Exodus 34:30 reveals the transforming power as one
celebrates HaShem’s presence, as it is written:
“And when Aharon and all the children of Yisrael saw
Moshe, behold, the skin of his face
shone; and they were afraid to come near him.”
Last week’s parasha, Numbers 6:25 confirms this sign
of a truly blessed life:
“YHVH make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious
unto thee.”
This week reveals the conflict which occurs when one
fails to acknowledge such signs and instead contests
the calling of him who has faithfully served to
reflect the Glory of the One, Who dwells on high.
Forgetful of the torch that was kindled on Sinai,
Miriam, illustrating the words of Job 38:2, namely:
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without
knowledge?”
models the severity of mistaking Moshe’s light for
darkness by her darkness for light. This behavior
continues unto this day. Many say within their
hearts, “Has HaShem spoke only through Moshe?” By
minimizing the authority of Moshe and Torah, it is
clear that Elohim has not spoken to all. The prophet
Yishayahu speaks today of the gross darkness that
persistently attempts to cover the whole earth.
While regarding real evidence of the radiance within
a true messenger, we remember Isaiah 8:20:
“To the Torah and to the Testimony: if they speak
not according to this word, it is because
there is no light in them.”
For those who have not yet ascended to the hill of
YHVH and stood in His Holy place, ibid 50:10 says,
“Who is among you that fears YHVH, that obeys the
voice of His servant, that walks in
darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the
name of YHVH, and stay upon his Elohim.”
The words of King David in Psalms 17:15 tell of the
time when transformation turns to total tranquility:
“I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be
satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.”
|
