Lesson date: 2/11/5854AA
Num 30:1 And Mosheh spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “This is the word which יהוה has commanded:
From this first verse of scripture I want to look at 2 words; tribes and commanded.
The Hebrew word for tribes is – ‘ha-mattoth’ – which is the plural of the word (‘ha’ just means ‘the’) מַּטָּּה mattah – Strong’s H4294 meaning, ‘a staff, rod, branch, a tribe, a branch of a vine’ which comes from the primitive root נָּטָּה natah – Strong’s H5186 meaning, ‘to stretch out, spread out, extend, incline’. This word is for all the ‘tribes’ (branches) of Yisra’ĕl – all who have ‘spread out’. Why is this important?
Look to John 15:1-5.
Joh 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.
Joh 15:2 “Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit He prunes, so that it bears more fruit.
Joh 15:3 “You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.
Joh 15:4 “Stay in Me, and I stay in you. As the branch is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the vine, so neither you, unless you stay in Me.
Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught!
Joh 15:6 “If anyone does not stay in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
And Sha’ul says:
Rom 11:16 Now if the first-fruit is set-apart, the lump is also. And if the root is set-apart, so are the branches.
Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, have been grafted in among them, and came to share the root and fatness of the olive tree,
Rom 11:18 do not boast against the branches. And if you boast, remember: you do not bear the root, but the root bears you!
Here we see Yeshua and Sha’ul reference branches. Don’t think this was not immediately understood as a reference to “mattoth”.
We have discussed ‘commanded’ before: H6680 – tsavah and it is a military type term as from the Commander to His Army. Remember our discussion on “Take a census” has the implication of “register for the draft” or more appropriately “enlist in the army”.
Now verse 2: ‘Vow’ – נֶדֶר neḏer – Strong’s H5088 meaning, ‘vow’ and ‘to make a vow’ is the word נָּדַּר naḏar – Strong’s H5087; and to “naḏar a neḏer” is to swear to Elohim with an ‘oath’, and therefore bind oneself with what proceeds from one’s mouth. A neder is something promised to Elohim verbally, and anyone who makes a vow is obliged to fulfil/do his promise! In Scripture a vow is always to Elohim and not to man. And the understanding behind a ‘vow’ carries the meaning, ‘to bind or imprison, or to dedicate a specific object or creature to ’יהוה ‘.
Tehillah/Psalm 61:8 “So I sing praise to Your Name forever, when I pay my vows day by day.”
Tehillah/Psalm 116:14 “I pay my vows to יהוה now in the presence of all His people.”
Yonah/Jonah 2:9 “But I offer to You with the voice of thanksgiving, I pay what I have vowed. Deliverance is of ”.יהוה
Mattithyahu/Matthew 5:33 “Again, you heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to יהוה
‘Oath’ – שְׁבֻעָּה sheḇuah – Strong’s H7621 meaning, ‘oath, curse, swear, sworn’ and comes from the root שֶבַּע sheḇa
– Strong’s H7651 meaning, ‘seven’, and from this word we get the denominative verb – שָּבַּע shaḇa – Strong’s H7650 which means, ‘to swear, exchange oaths, take an oath, vow’.
An ‘oath’ is typically and obligation taken upon yourself rather than that which is imposed upon you.
To “swear”, in Scripture (which is also the root word שָּבַּע shaḇa), was to give one’s sure and promised unbreakable word in testimony, that the one swearing would faithfully perform some promised deed, or that he would faithfully refrain from some evil act. Occasionally we see in Scripture that one ‘swore’ that he freely acknowledged a truth and would continue to acknowledge it in the future by sticking to what he has heard.
Please, please, think of the implications contained in this word: shaba/shebuah. Each week on shabbat we reafirm our “oath” to הוה when we keep His Sabbath, not man’s. I have used this example many times to illustrate how important His Sabbath really is. If you call your doctor’s office for an appointment and they give you one on Tuesday at 10a.m. And you don’t show up until Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Will you still get to see your doctor? Probably not.That is why His Sabbath is so important because it is His appointed time. The very word Sabbath comes from the word for seven or sevening ‘shaba’ : Lev 23:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Lev 23:2 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘The appointed times of יהוה, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings, My appointed times, are these:
Lev 23:3 ‘Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to יהוה in all your dwellings.
This is why the Sabbath is the first of His mo’edim(appointments), because it is when we “re-seven” ourselves to Him. It is also why Yeshua said: Mat 12:8 “For the Son of Adam is Master of the Sabbath.”
In ancient times people would cut themselves and allow the blood of each person to comingle and this was known as “sevening” oneself. The image below is a perfect example of covenanting or sevening oneself.
Another way of “sevening” oneself is Abraham’s example when he made a covenant with Abimelek: Gen 21:23 “And now, swear to me by Elohim, not to be untrue to me, to my offspring, or to my descendants. Do to me according to the kindness that I have done to you and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
Gen 21:24 And Aḇraham said, “I swear.”
Gen 21:25 And Aḇraham reproved Aḇimeleḵ because of a well of water which Aḇimeleḵ’s servants had seized.
Gen 21:26 And Aḇimeleḵ said, “I do not know who has done this deed. Neither did you inform me, nor did I hear until today.”
Gen 21:27 So Aḇraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Aḇimeleḵ, and the two of them made a covenant.
Gen 21:28 And Aḇraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
Gen 21:29 And Aḇimeleḵ asked Aḇraham, “What are these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
Gen 21:30 And he said, “Take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, to be my witness that I have dug this well.”
Gen 21:31 So he called that place Be’ĕrsheḇa, because the two of them swore an oath there.
Gen 21:32 Thus they made a covenant at Be’ĕrsheḇa. And Aḇimeleḵ rose with Piḵol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
Be’ersheba, the well of the “oath”. Please notice, when you enter into a covenant or oath something must die. There must be blood to confirm, or as Abraham said “witness” a covenant. The covenant between Abraham and הוה was confirmed with blood: Gen 15:10 And he took all these to Him and cut them in the middle, and placed each half opposite the other, but he did not cut the birds.
Gen 15:11 And the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
Gen 15:12 And it came to be, when the sun was going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Aḇram, that see, a frightening great darkness fell upon him.
Gen 15:13 And He said to Abram, “Know for certain that your seed are to be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years.
Gen 15:14 “But the nation whom they serve I am going to judge, and afterward let them come out with great possessions.
Gen 15:15 “Now as for you, you are to go to your fathers in peace, you are to be buried at a good old age.
Gen 15:16 “Then, in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the crookedness of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
Gen 15:17 And it came to be, when the sun went down and it was dark, that see, a smoking oven and a burning torch passing between those pieces.
Gen 15:18 On the same day יהוה made a covenant with Abram,
To confirm this covenant יהוה walked through the blood of the animals that Abraham had slain. Now, our covenant withיהוה is sealed with Yeshua’s blood.
The word used for ‘bind’ in Bemiḏbar/Numbers 30:2 is אָּסַּר asar – Strong’s H631 meaning, ‘to tie, bind, imprison, yoke, hitch’, and in fact it also carries the meaning of being ‘joined in battle’, hence the understanding of a vow or oath that we make is a ‘binding/imprisoning’ us to another. The word ‘himself’ is the Hebrew root word נֶפֶש nephesh – Strong’s H5315 meaning, ‘soul, living being, life, person, desire, appetite, passion, emotion’.
And here we see that the vow or oath is binding on our soul – binding on our life, and to not carry it out can have serious ramifications for our ‘life, being soul’: Mat 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the being. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both being and body in Gehenna.
Consider the idea of being “joined in battle” as Sha’ul intended: Eph 6:12 Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual matters of wickedness in the heavenlies.
That is why Sha’ul talks of putting on the full armor of Elohim. Because of our covenant with יהוה we are at battle with armies of wickedness, darkness. This is why we are warned over and over: Shemoth/Exodus 23:32 “Do not make a covenant with them nor with their mighty ones.”
And, it is why Yeshua said: Mat 5:33 “Again, you heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to יהוה.’
Mat 5:34 “But I say to you, do not swear at all, neither by the heaven, because it is Elohim’s throne;
Mat 5:35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Yerushalayim, for it is the city of the great Sovereign;
Mat 5:36 nor swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 “But let your word ‘Yea’ be ‘Yea,’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ And what goes beyond these is from the wicked one.
“What goes beyond these is from the wicked one” or, in other words don’t make a deal with the devil.
Next, the word for break is: ḥalal (chalal – with a ch.. sound as in loch) – Strong’s H2490 which means, ‘profane, bore to pieces, kill, wound, defile, pollute, violate’. You have to be very careful with this word because it is so similar to halal (with a soft sound as in ha)– Strong’s H1984, which means, ‘to shine, be boastful, praise, sing praise’.
Lev_18:21 ‘And do not give any of your offspring to pass through to Moleḵ. And do not profane the Name of your Elohim. I am יהוה.
Lev_19:12 ‘And do not swear falsely by My Name and so profane the Name of your Elohim. I am יהוה.
After both of these uses of profane in Hebrew is the prophetic marker H853 ‘ayth’ or ‘eth’, something we do not see in English. In pictographic Hebrew it is represented as: ta which has the meaning of ‘El goes to the cross’ and is also which Yeshua said He was the Aleph and the Tav in Revelation 1:8 and also it reminds us of the (A)Urrim and Thumin, the Light and the Truth.
Compare the two words below:
We have to be very careful when we swear. The scripture is full of cautions about breaking our vows but also cautioning us to not sear falsely. Remember, Yiphtah who swore to יהוה in Judges 11. Don’t forget Hananiyah and Shaphirah in Acts 5 who swore falsely, grieved the Ruach and died because of it.
Starting in verse 3-15 talks about women making vows and keeping them. Remember too, that women did serve at the Tent of Appointment and also the temple and it was not uncommon for a woman to make a vow in order to have a child (I Sam. 1:11)
Exo 38:8 And he made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who did service at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
1Sa 2:22 And Ěli was very old, and had heard all that his sons were doing to all Yisra’ĕl, and how they lay with the women who were assembling at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Luk 2:36 And there was Hannah, a prophetess, a daughter of Penu’ĕl, of the tribe of Ashĕr. She was advanced in years, and had lived with a husband seven years from her maidenhood,
Luk 2:37 and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the Set-apart Place, but served Elohim with fastings and prayers night and day.
Please notice that Hannah was a widow and that she served, not just in the Temple, but in the Set-Apart Place. This is why Sha’ul tells Timothy: 1Ti 5:9 Do not enrol a widow unless she is over sixty years of age, having been the wife of one man,
1Ti 5:10 well reported for good works, if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the feet of the set-apart ones, if she has assisted the afflicted, if she has closely followed every good work.
Notice in Numbers 30:4-8 that the husband or father has a responsibility to nullify or forbid the vow if they deem it necessary “if” they hear it. In 1 Samuel Hannah made a vow but her husband did not hear it, in fact it says that she “spoke in her heart, only her lips moved”. That is why she named him Shemu’el or H8085 + H410.
I want to look at a “picture” or “type and shadow” of our Messiah verses 14 and 15:
Num 30:14 “But if her husband is altogether silent at her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind her – he confirms them, because he kept silent towards her on the day that he heard.
Num 30:15 “But if he nullifies them after he has heard, then he shall bear her crookedness.”
We have talked many times about why Yeshua had to die, because of our adultery for following other gods. But, how did He do it? Here you see exactly how. We followed other gods, we made vows to them and Yeshua is our Husband and we are His Bride.
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth.”
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 53:11 “He would see the result of the suffering of His life and be satisfied. Through His knowledge My righteous Servant makes many righteous, and He bears their crookednesses.”
and we see it again here:
Mat 27:14 And He did not answer him, not one word, so that the governor wondered much.
Marqos/Mark 15:15 “But יהושע still gave no answer, so that Pilate marveled.”
Luk 23:9 and was questioning Him with many words, but He gave him no answer.
Kěpha Aleph/1 Peter 2:24 “who Himself bore our sins in His body on the timber, so that we, having died to sins, might live unto righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.”
What were we healed from? Adultery. That is why the prophets talk about Israel chasing after other gods like a harlot. That is why יהוה divorced Israel: Isa_50:1 Thus says יהוה, “Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Look, you were sold for your crookednesses, and your mother was put away for your transgressions.
Jer_3:8 “And I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Yisra’ĕl had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Yehuḏah did not fear, but went and committed whoring too.
Committed whoring by chasing after other gods. That is why Yeshua had to die as an unfaithful wife because He heard our oaths and had the power to nullify and had to bear our crookednesses. The Wife (Israel) Who Commits Adultery:
- Write curses in a book: Number 5:23 (Exodus 32:19-20)
- Must drink bitter water: Numbers 5:24 (Exodus 32:19-20)
- Slain with a sword (blade): Ezekiel 16:38-40; 23:47; (Exodus 32:26-28)
- Forsaken by husband: Deuteronomy 31:16-17
- Husband hides his face from wife: Deu. 31:18; Isa. 8:17; 54:8
- Stripped naked: Hosea 2:2-3; Ezekiel 23:22,26
- Slain with thirst: Hosea 2:2-3
- Laughed to scorn: Ezekiel 23:32
- Mocked: 2 Kings 19:21; Isaiah 37:22
- Cast lots: Joel 3:3; Obadiah 1:11
Yeshua Taking On the Sin of the Unfaithful Wife:
- Blotting out curses: Col. 2:14; Gal.3:13
- Drink the bitter cup: Matt. 26:42; 27:48
- Pierced with a blade (spear) John 19:34
- Forsaken: Matt. 27:46
- Hid His Face: Matt. 27:45 (Darkness representing YHVH turning His Face)
- Stripped naked: Matt. 27:28
- Thirst: John 19:28
- Laughed to scorn: Matt. 9:24; Mark 5:40; Luke 8:53
- Mocked: Matt. 27:31; Luke 23:36
- Cast lots: Matt. 27:35; Luke 23:34: John 19:24
Everything in scripture has a meaning we just have to search for that meaning: Pro 25:2 It is the esteem of Elohim to hide a matter, And the esteem of sovereigns to search out a matter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Sha’ul tells us that we are more than conquerors/sovereigns, so we should search the matter out.
Ahavah vberakhot
CahalTx 