Post by Mark on May 31, 2008 6:47:22 GMT -8
We are starting to look at the Book of "Numbers". In Hebrew the title of the Book is Bamidbar, which means, "In the wilderness." There are some rabbinical speculations as to why this is an important distinction. Rava Amora said that we must open ourselves up like the wilderness in order to receive the 
. That statement has a ring to it that sounds good; but the wilderness of Sinai is not a flat sandy place. It is not open or revealing. It is simply not good for anything, as in, not capable of sustaining any population.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yockai gave a very different perspective. He was asked, "Why was the given in the wilderness?" He responded, "so that no one person or people group could claim ownership of it." Were it given in Egypt, the Levites who’s father, Moses led them out would be able to say, "The is ours." Were the given at the Holy City, the tribe of Judah could say, "It is ours." Any place within the boarders of the Promised Land would declare ownership of as it’s home source. Adonai, in His abundant wisdom, gave the in the wilderness.
There is a rabbinical teaching that is not helpful to this perspective either. It is said that, one by one, Adonai offered the to every nation of the world and none accepted except Israel. This teaching would suggest that any nation of the world could have claimed ownership of His had they accepted, in their own land. Israel was given in the wilderness, in a place that was ownerless. This teaches us that is not so much the possession of the people of Israel; but rather Israel is the possession of the . was given in the wilderness so that it cannot be claimed by one but is given to everyone.
This idea is supported in the way the tribes were set around the Tabernacle in the wilderness encampment. Each tribe was given place next to the wall. It was not surrounded by one in rings of hierarchy. Birth order, size nor status gave them proximity to the entrance. The, the design of worship, is given for all of us. Yet, at the same time it is not insignificant that the Tribe of Judah was placed just before the gate of the Tabernacle on the Eastern side. Messiah Yeshua, of the Tribe of Judah, may have been making some reference to this when He stated, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Me." (John 14:6).
The truth is that without, we are like a wilderness: not the desert, not flat and lifeless sand; but grassy, rocky crags that look pretty much the same in every direction you look. There are steep hills and sharp valleys. There are shady places and places with no shelter. There are easy, wide trails and there are narrow and treacherous ones: all of them leading, basically nowhere. When we receive , if we receive it as our own possession, something that we can say that it is ours and we rule over it, then our condition does not change, we simply have a possession of great value, hidden away… with nowhere to spend it. Yet, if we receive as coming under the Covenant of God, we become His possession. We become, in fact, a Holy People. Suddenly we are not the people in the wilderness. We become the people of the Book. Why was the given to us in the wilderness? It was not so that it could become ours but so that we could become His. is not the possession of the genetic descendants of Yaakov ben Yitzak v’ebre. It is the citizenship of all who will take hold on it… in whatever wilderness we have found ourselves.
. That statement has a ring to it that sounds good; but the wilderness of Sinai is not a flat sandy place. It is not open or revealing. It is simply not good for anything, as in, not capable of sustaining any population. Rabbi Shimon bar Yockai gave a very different perspective. He was asked, "Why was the
given in the wilderness?" He responded, "so that no one person or people group could claim ownership of it." Were it given in Egypt, the Levites who’s father, Moses led them out would be able to say, "The is ours." Were the given at the Holy City, the tribe of Judah could say, "It is ours." Any place within the boarders of the Promised Land would declare ownership of as it’s home source. Adonai, in His abundant wisdom, gave the in the wilderness.There is a rabbinical teaching that is not helpful to this perspective either. It is said that, one by one, Adonai offered the
to every nation of the world and none accepted except Israel. This teaching would suggest that any nation of the world could have claimed ownership of His had they accepted, in their own land. Israel was given in the wilderness, in a place that was ownerless. This teaches us that is not so much the possession of the people of Israel; but rather Israel is the possession of the . was given in the wilderness so that it cannot be claimed by one but is given to everyone.This idea is supported in the way the tribes were set around the Tabernacle in the wilderness encampment. Each tribe was given place next to the wall. It was not surrounded by one in rings of hierarchy. Birth order, size nor status gave them proximity to the entrance. The
, the design of worship, is given for all of us. Yet, at the same time it is not insignificant that the Tribe of Judah was placed just before the gate of the Tabernacle on the Eastern side. Messiah Yeshua, of the Tribe of Judah, may have been making some reference to this when He stated, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Me." (John 14:6). The truth is that without
, we are like a wilderness: not the desert, not flat and lifeless sand; but grassy, rocky crags that look pretty much the same in every direction you look. There are steep hills and sharp valleys. There are shady places and places with no shelter. There are easy, wide trails and there are narrow and treacherous ones: all of them leading, basically nowhere. When we receive , if we receive it as our own possession, something that we can say that it is ours and we rule over it, then our condition does not change, we simply have a possession of great value, hidden away… with nowhere to spend it. Yet, if we receive as coming under the Covenant of God, we become His possession. We become, in fact, a Holy People. Suddenly we are not the people in the wilderness. We become the people of the Book. Why was the given to us in the wilderness? It was not so that it could become ours but so that we could become His. is not the possession of the genetic descendants of Yaakov ben Yitzak v’ebre. It is the citizenship of all who will take hold on it… in whatever wilderness we have found ourselves. 
