Haftarah: Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 1:1 – 2:3 "How are we doing with storing up treasures in heaven?" This Parashah comes after the 17th of Tamuz - Tzom Tamuz, the fast of the fourth month, commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem by Roman in 70AD. This week's Parashah starts with God rewarding a good deed done by Pinchas, a righteous man zealous for God. The nation fell into immorality and Pinchas' action put an end to a plague that had taken the lives of 24,000 Israelis. Pinchas was awarded the covenant of peace and an eternal priesthood. At this moment in time, the Israelis are standing by the Jordan river near Jericho ready, after 40 years, to enter into the Land. God tells Moshe to take another census after the generation of the Exodus died. The new number of people came to be only 1,820 fewer than that at the beginning of Exodus, an amazing result given the adverse conditions of life in the wilderness and how many have died in various rebellions. Only by God's grace their number did not decrease far more. Also, God tells Moshe to take Joshua, the son of Nun, and install him as their new leader. Joshua was also a righteous man whom God rewards for his faithfulness. But God, in His mercy, wants to teach the entire nation - every one of them, not just a few righteous ones - how to also be faithful. He shows them how to channel their desire to come close to Him and to do good deeds through the symbolism of bringing offerings to Him. In Bamidbar (Numbers) chapters 28 and 29, God instructs Moshe to tell the people how to exercise this godly character of giving through the daily offerings and the mussaf - additional - offerings of the Holy Days: "Yehovah spoke to Moshe, saying, 'Command the people of Israel, and say to them, "My offering, and My bread for My sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savor to Me, you shall be scrupulous to offer to Me in their appointed time:
”These things you shall do to Yehovah in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, for your meal offerings, for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.” Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:1 — 29:39 God asked the Israelis to exercise giving by bringing daily offerings and, in addition to these daily offerings, weekly offerings on Shabbat, monthly offerings on Rosh Chodesh, and yearly offerings on Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. Just take a moment and calculate how many animals had to be sacrificed and think about who provided these animals for them in the first place, notice the phrases, My offerings, My bread, My sacrifices. The Israelis were scrupulous and eager to bring these offerings to Yehovah. By doing that, not only they exercised their generosity, but they showed their trust in God to provide for them. In this age that we live in, in which the Temple does not stand, we know that all these offerings were a symbol of the sacrificial offering of Yeshua on the Roman execution stake, the cross. We know this because Yeshua's words. In praying to the Father He said: “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me,” Hebrews 10:5 These words were recorded in the letter to the Hebrew believers as a fulfilment of the prophetic words spoken by God through David in the Tehilim, Psalms 40. God provided teachings through practical imagery of sacrificing animals to exemplify the roll would be played by the coming of Messiah. But, if Messiah fulfilled all of them, does that mean that we no longer bring an offering to Yehovah? Does that mean that we are expecting only to receive from God and not to give to Him? We have received God’s greatest gift, Yeshua – salvation - we have received His grace, mercy, and love. God loved us so much that He gave, not from the surplus, not from the leftovers, or from the last, but the best, His beloved Son, and through Him, He gave us salvation. The expression of God’s love is giving, and He gives not because we deserve, but because He loves. The talmid that Yeshua loved the most wrote down in his Gospel: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 How are our hearts responding to such a love that went to such terrible and heartbreaking depths to redeem us from our sins? If we are truly to become the disciples of Yeshua, shouldn't His love cause an appropriate response from our hearts? Shouldn’t we, the believers, then, be people characterized by love, and thereby be people who give? We want to reflect God’s character – to be holy because He is Holy. Giving is for our own benefit. We exercise this characteristic to become more God-like in our character (not to become gods) - we were created in His image after all, the potential is there. When we exercise giving, we show love, we become people who are sensitive and carrying, people who reflect mercy and compassion. Your giving reflects your character, your faith, and your blessings. Your giving is about your character and your heart overflowing with joy. We are born in sin and being selfish, but we can learn. Exercise giving and you will experience a divine reversal. Exercise giving and the Ruach haKodesh, the Holy Spirit, will fill your heart with joy. The wisest man that ever lived asked the question: “What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” Koheleth (Ecclesiastes) 1:3 His conclusion was: "The end of the matter, when all has been heard, is: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every deed into judgment, every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil." Koheleth (Ecclesiastes) 12:13 But Yeshua took the answer a step further: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.” Matthew 6:19-20 And how do we do that? By giving. By giving from our talents, time, and treasures to the work of spreading the good news of the Gospel. Yeshua's answer for the work of man done under the sun is: work for the sake of heaven. How are we doing with storing up treasures in heaven? We, as Messianic believers, should have as our permanent goal to make known Yeshua to the Jewish community. We can do it individually and we can do it together because we have been given different gifts, so take courage “the harvest is plentiful.” Please consider where your heart is and search how you can actively participate in reaching the Jewish people. Where can you use your time, talents, and treasures? What is your ministry? God gave you a gift, do not hide it, use it for His glory. Pinchas and Joshua not only received the reward for their good deeds on this earth, but I am sure they were also received by Yehovah into heaven with the words: “Well done good and faithful servant.” What a testimony of people hungering for God's righteousness. May we all follow their example and hunger for God's righteousness. “He humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn't know, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yehovah does man live.” Devarim (Deuteronomy) 8:3 If we dedicate our lives for the spiritual world, if we hunger and thirst for God’s wisdom and righteousness, for His words in the Torah, and help our family, neighbors, and acquaintances do the same, God will take care of our material needs. Shabbat Shalom! |
|