Lesson date: 2/18/5857AA

As I mentioned last week Bemidbar 19, 20 and 21 leap off the pages as undeniable proof of Yeshu’a as our Messiah and are singled out as such in the B’rit Hadasha: 1Co 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed, and the Rock was Messiah.

Verses 1-4 – We immediately see that Miryam dies in Qadesh during the month of Aviv in The Wilderness of Tsin. Remember, during this time Tsin is the Moon god and considered much more powerful than the Sun god in pagan religions of the area. No sooner than arriving there we also see that they people once again assemble before Mosheh and Aharon and contend with Mosheh. Once again they ask why Mosheh did not let them die somewhere else. This time everyone makes a mistake.The people make a huge mistake. The messenger in the column of cloud/fire has brought them there but they immediately begin complaining about a place YHVH has chosen form them and call it evil even though it is named Qadesh: H6946 – sanctuary, set-apart.

Isa_5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

YHVH chose to reveal Himself to the Children of Yisra’el in a special way but they immediately shose to call it evil because they only thought of their lust and desires rather than waiting on YHVH. I do not think it a coincidence that a woman named Miryam died here because Miryam – H4813 means Bitterness, Rebellion.

This is not all, Genesis 14 gives us more insight into Qadesh: Gen 14:7 And they turned back and came to Ěn Mishpat, that is Qaḏěsh, and struck all the country of the Amalěqites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Ḥatsetson Tamar.

Another name for Qadesh is En Mishpat: Spring of Judgement. The letter ‘ayin besides meaning “eye” also means spring of water or fountain. So, it truly was Set-Apart it just didn’t meet the approval of the Children of Yisra’el. Because of the events that will now unfold it will truly be a Spring of Judgement.

Let’s give the Children of Yisra’el the benefit of the doubt; maybe the spring had dried up or, maybe it had become contaminated or, perhaps the spring was still there but it just sufficient to meet the demands of 2+ million people and all their livestock. Still, they only moved when the pillar of cloud and fire moved and they only stopped when and where it stopped: Psa 23:3 He turns back my being; He leads me in paths of righteousness For His Name’s sake.

Many times I am just as guilty as they were. Many times I have asked the Father, “Why am I here?” “What am I supposed to do here?” What makes this place or job so special?” Why didn’t I get that job in ….?” I am doubting that He Led me to that place, at that time, for a special purpose to reveal Himself to me in a special way. “If only…” I know others haven’t done it but I have. I make it about my gratification and not about Him. What would have happened if after Philip had been caught up by the spirit and brought into the wilderness to witness to one Ethiopian eunuch he had done what I have done in the past, “Father, if only you had let me take that job in Jerk Water USA I could have made so much money and done so many things for you but no, instead you brought me to this wilderness to witness to one guy.” That one guy brought back the Besorot back to Ethiopia and Ethiopia became a nation of believers because of Philip being obedient to the Ruach Hakodesh. Philip didn’t call good, evil. Philip didn’t complain that he could have done more good at a mega-church in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas or somewhere else. Philip was just obedient enough to take that opportunity, on the side of the road in the wilderness to share the Good News and it changed an entire nation.

I could say, “Wow! Nothing like that happens to me.” How do I know. Maybe that guy that was so desperate for help on the side of I-40, holding a Mr. Coffee coffee pot, hoping someone would stop and give him gas so, he could get back to Las Vegas Nevada didn’t return to Las Vegas and begin spreading the Truth there because we stopped and helped him? I don’t know. Maybe he did. Anyway.

Good = H2896 – טוב – good, pleasant, agreeable

U         Tet       clay vessel, wicker basket
F         Vav      peg, tent peg, to secure, fasten
B         Beyt    tent, floor plan of a tent

Clay vessels (us’ns) secured to the Tent (of  YHVH)

((For those of you not from Texas us’ns means all of us.))

Ezra 9:8 “But now, for a short while, favour has been shown from יהוה our Elohim, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His set-apart place, that our Elohim might enlighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage.”

Isa 22:22 And I shall place the key of the house of Dawiḏ on his shoulder. And he shall open, and no one shuts; and shall shut, and no one opens.

Isa 22:23 And I shall fasten him like a peg in a steadfast place, and he shall become a throne of esteem to his father’s house.

Isa 22:24 And they shall hang on him all the weight of his father’s house, the offspring and the offshoots, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the jars.

Verse 5 – First they wanted onions, leeks and garlic, now they want grain, figs, grapes and pomegranates. I’ve heard this before. “You guys can’t eat pork chops, catfish, shrimp and oysters?” Yes, we can but, we choose not to because our Father asked us to refrain from those foods so we could have a better relationship with Him. Everything they asked for is clean food but that desire for food was getting between themselves and their Redeemer.

Verses 6-9 – Mosheh and Aharon went directly to the Tent of Appointment and humbled themselves before our Creator and asked for His Guidance. Moshe is commanded to speak to the Rock but, put yourself in Moshe’s sandals. Here, this same group of people, for the umpteenth time, has bellyached about everything every time they stop. I know what I would have done. I would have taken that rod and beat about 50 of them senseless with it and then dared 50 more. I’m serious. Have you ever had someone come to you, oh, for the hundredth time and ask for advice and then turn right around and do something totally opposite to what you told them? Of course you have, you are a parent it is your job.

Verse 10 – There is a very neat phrase in this verse VYQHLV AT HQHL (These are the consonants. Sorry, don’t have the Hebrew script on the computer right now) What is means is to assemble the assembly but right in the middle of that is the (H853) Aleph Tav. Just thought it was neat.

“Hear now, you rebels,

The word for rebel is Marah – H4784 – מרה – Rebellious, contentious. (That is just the root word.)

I have waited until this verse instead of mentioning it in Verse 8 that the word for Rock here is H5553 = sela’ – a crag, a cliff, a rock

Stop and think back almost 40 years, right after coming out of Mitsrayim YHVH told Mosheh to strike the rock but it is not the same rock: Exo 17:6 “See, I am standing before you there on the rock in Ḥorěḇ. And you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people shall drink.” And Mosheh did so before the eyes of the elders of Yisra’ěl.

Here, rock = H6697 – צר / צוּר (Aramaic) – tsûr – BDB Definition: 1) rock, cliff (noun masculine)

The difference is that Sela’ carries with it the connotation of “The stronghold of YHVH”.

Psa 18:2 יהוה is my rock(H5553) and my stronghold and my deliverer; My Ěl is my rock(H6697), I take refuge in Him; My shield and the horn of my deliverance, my high tower.

The first rock has the meaning of sanctuary or fortress and the second has the idea of Strength.

There is another word that sounds like sela’: Psa_3:8 Deliverance belongs to יהוה. Your blessing is on Your people. Selah.

This is a different word H5542 – סלה- selâh – it is spelled differently and means to exalt, lift up or suspend, pause or interruption. In other words a time to reflect on what was said.

Verses 11-13 – Mosheh was told to speak – debar – to the Rock. People would say, “Yeah, but Mohseh’s righteous anger was up.” No, there is no righteous anger in man: Jas 1:19 So then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,

Jas 1:20 for the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of Elohim.

The waters were named Meribah – strife, contention. Even though the people contended with YHVH and even though Mosheh disobeyed YHVH’s command YHVH gave them water in order that He might be Set-Apart. Amein.

Verses 14-21 – Moshe sends out messengers to go to Edom (red, descendants of Esau the brother Jacob) and requested safe passage through there land, along the King’s Highway. ((This verse is special to me now because the highway about 150 yards from my front door is OSR also called “The king’s Highway” of course that king was the king of Spain not the King of Creation.)) Anyway the promised not to take anything but to pay for everything but Edom said “No!”. In Greece there is a day commemorated as Oochi Day, Oochi means No!. Hitler asked Greece to join his alliance/axis and Greece refused. Just like that Oochi Day, Yisra’el never forgot Edom said “No!”

Verses 23-29 – We don’t see the construction of what is being said to Moshe and Aharon at Mount Hor because in English “you” can be either singular or plural but it stands out in Hebrew. In English it sounds as though YHVH is speaking directly to Mosheh when He says “Because you rebelled against my Mouth,” but the truth is YHVH is speaking to both of them not just Mosheh. YHVH is placing some of the responsibility upon Aharon’s shoulders because Aharon did not warn his brother of what he was about to do and so Aharaon has to die first.

Eze 3:18 “When I say to the wrong, ‘You shall certainly die,’ and you have not warned him, nor spoken to warn the wrong from his wrong way, to save his life, that same wrong man shall die in his crookedness, and his blood I require at your hand.

Jas 5:19 Brothers, if anyone among you goes astray from the truth, and someone turns him back,

Jas 5:20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the straying of his way shall save a life from death and cover a great number of sins.

Ahavah vberakhot