Bmidbar Ministries Re'eh Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

8/22/2019 Bmidbar Ministries Re'eh Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

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Israel is poised to cross The JordanYeshua Himself was baptized

over a thousand years later in this Jordan River, symbolizing what He was

about to do in His flesh andwhat Hed already done thousands of years

prior in The Spirit. Baptism is a figure of spiritual identification with

Yeshuas death and resurrection. So, what we see in the crossing over theJordan is Israels confirmation of His covenant, their identification with

YHVHs character, and a putting away those childish worldly ways of

bickering and strife that kept them from entering in the fullness of YHVHs

promises, and embracing the new life given by The Father.

The name of this weeks parasha isReeh, or raw-aw'from Strongs

#7200 meaning See, also to advise self, to appear, approve, behold,

consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed etc.

Since YHVH made creation He has created His handiwork with theopportunity to take heed, understand and enjoy Him. We however tend to

become distracted by seeds of doubt, defilement and despair strewn across

our path and it can come at us in many forms, butif you are obedient to His

Torah, then you will have the ability to discern those things that touch us as

opportunities to shine brighterfor and to draw nearer to Him, Ahmein?


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Last week we took a look at the word

Shema, and in light of that parsha we saw

that a direct result of giving heed to, doing,

and keeping YHVHs Mishpatim, or

judgments that He would bless the fruit of

our womb, our ground, our grain, new

wine and oil, while increasing our herd1. The word literally means to hear

& obey. Its special in that it is two-fold; first you listen, but because of

what youve heardyou make the choice to obey based off of what you

have heard. In the

there remains an even more primal meaning as

well thoughits rooted in a name. The 2-letter root Shin-Mem, or Shemmeans name, but it

also means Breath.

The breath of a man

is his character, what

makes one what he is.

The name of an individ-

ual is more than an identifier but descriptive of his character or breath;

Aroma: A sweet aroma that is carried on the wind or breath2If its foul,

maybe its time for a spiritual gut-check. Ask yourself, what am I feeding

on? What am I Giving Heedto, Gazing Upon, or Considering [Seeing]?

1Deut.7:13

2Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, Jeff A. Benner, A.H.L. #1473, p.278


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It comes down to choices right?See, very early on YHVH has been

blowing His Holybreathover us3 so that we would equate reverence with

that familiar, righteous and holy aroma; to put it in the heartof our camp,

our tents, to recognize it as that beautiful aroma hearkening our mind to a

place of protection, of trust, refuge, and of Holiness. When we speak orexhale breath, we consider the incense burned twice a day upon the golden

altar in the Holy place. R. Hirsch comments that the incense symbolized

Israels duty to make all its actions pleasing to God4.

Concerning the continual Elevation-offering burned

upon the Bronze Altar God does not benefit from the

aroma of burning flesh. Rather, the aroma of the

burning offering is pleasing to God because it

represents the culmination of our performance of Hiswill. In the words of the Sages, God is pleased, for I

have spoken, and My will has been done5. Remember, the incense offering

is symbolic of the prayers of the saints6. It was also what Aaron, the first

High priest, held up between the dead and the living to stay the plague that

had broken out because the breath of the entire camp had turned tofoul

(Shem) murmuring in defense of Korach, who was the foulest of them all7!

We should realize our prayers not only symbolize the offerings upon the

altar, but they should direct our heart and mind to the eternal Passover

Lamb who offered His life once for and for all!

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling

those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how

much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered

Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works

to serve the living God8?

3And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col 1:17 NAS)

4The Complete ArtScroll Siddur by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, footnote, ISBN# 10:0-89906-658-5, p.36

5The Complete ArtScroll Siddur by Rabbi Nosson Scherman, footnote, ISBN# 10:0-89906-658-5, p.37

6Rev.5:8

7Num.16:46-50

8Heb 9:13-14 NAS; Read verses 11 through 26.


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Seewhen our character is bentour ability to discern becomes

compromised. We think were right, but we dont really know. We become

quick to explain based on loose assumptions, but is that the character of our

Eternal Father? In 1 John chapter 4 we read,

YYoouu,, cchhiillddrreenn,, aarree ffrroomm GGooddaannddhhaavvee oovveerrccoommee tthhee ffaallssee pprroopphheettss,, bbeeccaauussee hhee

wwhhoo iiss iinn yyoouu iiss ggrreeaatteerr tthhaann hhee wwhhoo iiss iinn tthhee wwoorrlldd.. TThheeyy aarree ffrroomm tthhee wwoorrlldd;;

tthheerreeffoorree,, tthheeyy ssppeeaakk ffrroomm tthhee wwoorrllddss vviieewwppooiinntt;; aannddtthhee wwoorrllddlliisstteennss ttoo tthheemm.. WWee

aarree ffrroomm GGoodd.. WWhhooeevveerr kknnoowwss GGooddlliisstteennss ttoo uuss;;wwhhooeevveerr iiss nnoottffrroomm GGooddddooeessnnttlliisstteenn ttoo uuss.. TThhiiss iiss hhooww wwee ddiissttiinngguuiisshh tthhee SSppiirriittooffTTrruutthh ffrroomm tthhee ssppiirriittooffeerrrroorr99..

So, YHVH sets before us a blessing and

a curse. We already have a firm grasp onwhat a blessing is because he describes so

many of them to us as a direct result of

obedience to His Torah. But the cursethe

curse, as I believe it will for you too, gave me

renewed perspective. First, why would our Abba

add to our punishment? Not only opening to find an

empty hand, but we find something in there that

could hurt us? I submit to you the real

question is not Why wouldYHVH?,ratherWhy wouldwe? The bottom line

equates to the motivation behind

everything we do.

Shema, closelyour breath we inhale

and exhale gives us life.Wasnt it Rav Shaul

who submitted that for in Him we live and move

and exist.' Indeed, as some of the poets among you have

said, 'We are actually his children10. Now, YHVH has given us breath,

designed to fill our lungs with oxygen to be used to

power our bodies to glorify Him and His

91Jn.4:4-6

10Act 17:28 CJB


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character, but then for us to go and waste it on something frivolouscould

that, possibly, bea curse? Curse, as used in Devarim chapter eleven is

taken from the root word kaw-lal'Strongs #7043; AKuf, a Lamed, & a

Lamed. By definition it means to be (causatively make) light, literally

(swift, small, sharp, etc.) or figuratively (easy, trifling, vile, etc.): - abate[lessen], make bright, bring into contempt. If we consult Websters

dictionary and look up the word trifling, it means

acting or talking with levity, or without

seriousness or being in earnest. 1. a. Being of all

value or importance; trivial; as a trifling debt; a

trifling affair. TRI'FLING, n. Employment about things

of no importance.

A curse then, in large partis making something trifling, or trivial. Lets

continue. If examined in the

we witness the 3-letter root word kaw-lal'. The

2-letter Kuf-Lamed root means Gather to the staffand it also means

Voice.Lamedby itself carries with it several

meanings including to lead, teach, yoke,

control, & tongueinteresting that

both tongue, and control are part of

the make-up of the word in Hebrew

for a curse. But whose voice are we

specifically referring to here? The

Shepherd; Strung together picto-

graphically it can then be translated to

mean to gather under the authority of The

Shepherds Voice! My question then becomes, what then is being lessenedor made light of? The Shepherds Voice and Authority!YHVH is not saying

so much thatHe is going to place a curse on you for your disobedience, but

YOUplace a curse on yourselfwhen you choose to lessen His

characterby making light of the set-apart breath He has put in you!

Because He has created you to operate at your full potential only when you


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are fully submitted to Him, walking in His Torah is how you can truly be of

service to Him. Can YHVH use clumsy cracked vessels? Every single day, of

which I am one! Butwhat He cant use is someone who has forgotten that

Holy fear is truly the beginning of Wisdom. When we have that holy aroma,

YHVHs Ruach, or breath can empower us! Didnt He tell us Not by mightnor by power, but by My Spirit [Breath],' says the LORD of hosts11. If we

are ever going to conquer the enemies from without and within, we have to

make up our mind to follow His Torahperiod.

Mount Evil"And it shall come about, when theLORD your God brings you into the

land where you are entering to

possess it, that you shall place the

blessing on Mount Gerizim and the

curse on Mount Ebal12. So HaShem

instructs our ancestors after they

cross over the Jordan to conduct a

ceremony to solidify their obedienceto His Torah by using two

mountains, Mount Gerizim and Mount

Ebal. It so happens that this valley, created by these two mountains, is a

well known path to Israel; and herein lays a town called Shechem. From

previous studies weve learned that Shechem means shoulders. We find a

vague reference to Shechems location in Joel where we read Multitudes,

multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the

valley of decision13. Our shoulders are what we often times especially in

the case of physical labor use to carry burdens. But we decide what we yokeourselves to, whether it is to a cell phone contract or a commitment to seek

YHVH by reading a chapter a night in Scripture, we choose. Located

11Zec 4:6 NAS

12Deu 11:29 NAS

13Joe 3:14 NAS


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between our shoulders though is the mechanism

that decidesour head. We use our mind to

discern and to decide what direction and what

burden we will carryhence The Valley of

Decision.

Abba lays it out there for us. I just love how

YHVH uses the natural to drive home the

spiritual, and He has no problem repeating it in

many different ways. For instance, this weekas

we prepare for Shoftim, next weeks parasha, your

homework after youve read the portion is to read chapter 34 of Beresheit.

There you will read a story about a daughter of Jacob named Justice who

was defiled in the Valley of DecisionatShechem. These portions are veryconnected, and we will pursue this in detail next week, but take the time to

read it and I promise it will add immensely to your understanding.

Here we are entering into Canaan, and to convey the

point by have a blessing/curse ceremony on these two

mountains. Are you familiar with the word mountainin

Hebrew? Its Har. Im not talking about what you rake

back when youre getting ready for work in the morning,

but in Hebrew a mountain is called Har; Comprised of

a Heh and a Resh.Heh means to behold, to look, to

reveal, and to show.Resh means head, and first. So

often, and this I believe could be the case here also,

teaches us that a mountain can often refer to what we

put first in our lives by choice, or what consumes our attention14. Heh-

Reshto behold, first.

Gerizim, as studied out means cut up. In the singular it comes fromStrongs #1629 or gaw-raz', and means to store, to hide, a holding, to

gather, a treasury15. YHVH is revealing that the blessing, as represented by

Mount Gerizim reflects the result of our obedience brings a storehouse and

14Mt.17:20

15Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew Based on the Commentaries of Samuel Raphael Hirsch, p.41


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a treasury of blessing, and is a safe place to gather for refuge. In the sense of

being cut up it speaks of the covenant. What do we call the covenant in

Hebrew? Abritlike the circumcision performed on a newborn baby boy

on the eighth day as an outward sign of The Covenant as it was first

appointed unto Abraham.

Upon mount Ebal we learn, which means bare or bald, grew little to

no vegetation, another outward symbol of the result of a life lived under a

curse. The result of living under a curse, if we examine Rabbi Hirschs

explanation and commentary, reveals Ebal to mean lacking wholeness,

mourning, grieving, destroying, or opposing a previous supposition. [It also

possesses] a derivative variant [meaning] to decay, or a lump, [and several

cognate meanings of] to restrain, to darken, vacillate, lack value, restrain

movement, bind, and misuse power16. When we rebel against Gods Wordwe vacillatebeing a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways17.

Have you ever met an individualin the body of Messiah that

darkened truth by breathing out things that made light or lessened the

Word of God? I dont have to look far, a mirror will do fine. We all have

fallen short, and there are times even with the best of intentions we utter

some of the most destructive things to our brothers and sisters and family

that cause untold hurt. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians to Remove the wicked

man from among yourselves18. Now we can parse this all day long, and I

dont want to create a list because if we want to make our character like that

sweet aroma, pleasing unto YHVHthen we need to extend the same grace

that Yeshua extended to us when prayed for us to His Father on the cross,

praying Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do19. Yes, if we

have a person so brazen to live an immoral life within the body of Messiah

they should be escorted to the door if they refuse a heart of repentance. But

in my personal opinion, I think the weightier matter here is the harshness

should strike a chord in our own heartstirring within us a desire to

SSEEEE&&GGIIVVEEHHEEEEDD TTOO GGooddss CCOOMMMMAANNDDMMEENNTTSS.

16Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew Based on the Commentaries of Samson Raphael Hirsch, p.1

17Jam 1:8 NAS

181Co 5:13 NAS

19Lk.23:34


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His Dwelling PlaceIn Deuteronomy 12 verse 11 we read that YHVH will choose the place

where His Name will dwell, and where we are to bring our sacrifices and

offerings. The crux of this is to understand that Adonai designates muchlike certain utensils as holy and some commoncertain spaces and places

are more holy. Like Gerizim, this mountain was a figurative representation

of the principle of God causing His Name to dwellon a specific location and

that we will share in those blessings as we are willing to move towards

those places. The entire 40 year journey was about moving Israel from a

common place, a place of bondage, to a place ofreverence, ofholinessbut

before that could happen Israel had to become transformed from a heart

and mind of bondagethe profane, to one of freedomof holiness,reverence and unity. We read in Exodus

Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine

inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell

in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established20.

The word sanctuary in Hebrew is the mik-dawsh'and it means a holy

place. The root of that word comes from sanctuary is the word kaw-dash'and it means to be (causativelymake,pronounce or observe as) clean

(ceremonially or morally): - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, hallow, (be,

keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify.

YHVH says But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all

manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy21

because 19 Or don't you know that your body is a temple for theRuach

HaKodeshwho lives inside you, whom you received from God? The fact is,

you don't belong to yourselves; for you were bought at a price. So use your

bodies to glorify God22.

20Exo 15:17 KJV

211Pe 1:15-16 KJV

221Co 6:19-20 CJB


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"You are to keep the festival ofSukkotfor seven days after you havegathered the produce of your threshing-floor and winepress.14 Rejoice at your festival- you, your sons and daughters, your male and

female slaves, theL'vi'im, and the foreigners, orphans and widows livingamong you.15 Seven days you are to keep the festival forADONAIyour God in the place

ADONAIyour God will choose, becauseADONAIyour God will bless you inall your crops and in all your work, so you are to be full of joy!16 "Three times a year all your men are to appear in the presence of

ADONAIyour God in the place which he will choose- at the festival ofmatzah, at the festival ofShavu'otand at the festival ofSukkot. They arenot to show up beforeADONAIempty-handed,17 but every man is to give what he can, in accordance with the blessing

ADONAIyour God has given you. (Deu 16:13-17 CJB)

Them That Need A CoveringThis is the closing to our parasha. Interestingly we opened with See

and we close with See. All throughout this parasha our focus has beenupon how to offer our offerings and sacrifices, where to offer them, and

when to how to offer them. He says we are to rejoice, but He tells us to Seesomething else. Two things as we draw to a close today:

The children, the servants, the stranger, the Levite, the orphan, and

the widow. Children depend upon parents, just like the orphan who hasnone. The widow has given her life to serving her husband who has nowpassed on from this life, she is alone, and without the care of children whohave gone on to pursue lives absent of her. The stranger is the guest, whoonce had a home, but lost their way and needs someone to point them backto Yeshua, the Living Torah. Those enslaved need help. They have done

wickedly or foolishly and now regret what they have done and seekredemption behind walls meant for them who choose to embrace a life ofrebellion, but they would choose different given the opportunity. You SEE

we have all experienced these on some level; Loneliness, abandonment,

disrespect, regret and inability to change our past, despair and confusion,hopelessness. But YHVH says [you] shall not appear before the LORDempty-handed. (Deu 16:16 NAS) How do we accomplish this?

The word for empty-handed in Hebrew comes from Strongs #7387and is the word ray-kawm'. It means emptily; figuratively (objectively)ineffectually, (subjectively) undeservedly: -without cause, empty, in vain,void. Here we are again, reiterating it seems the concept of making light,


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trifling, making less than something was meant to be. What is it? Beloved,what is the greatest gift ever? "Greater love has no one than this, that onelay down his life for his friends23.

God doesnt need your money, He doesnt need your pantry, He doesntneed your boat, your plane, or yourpossessionsHe needs Youto GiveYourselfTo HimbyGiving Yourselfto thosewho are in need.W H O Q U A L I F I E S ?The children, the servant(enslaved, in bondage),

the stranger (the guest), the

Levite(descendant of Levi), theorphan(bereaved, lonely), the

widow(alone in a desolate placean empty house). Thereare people who literally fit thesecategories, but all of us can finda place in one of these.

Especially one:And you shall remember that

you were a slave in the land ofEgypt, and the LORD your

God brought you out ofthere by a mighty handand by an outstretchedarm;24So how do we celebrate the feasts of YHVH

without being empty-handed? Bring these folks intoyour gates, and show them the love of The Father.Yeshua said, 'ForIwas hungry, and you gave Mesomething to eat;Iwas thirsty, and you gave Medrink;Iwas a stranger, and you invited Me in;

naked, and you clothedMe;Iwas sick, and youvisited Me;Iwas in prison, and you came to Me.'"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord,

when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty,and give You drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in,

23Joh 15:13 NAS

24Deu 5:15 NAS


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or naked, and clothe You? 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, andcome to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you,to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the leastof them, you did it to Me.' (Mat 25:35-40 NAS).

See, beloved, this is how we enter in to YHVHs promises. Blessings.

Bmidbar Ministries Re'eh Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

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