Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue

WEEKLY PARASHA

B’rit Hadashah: 2 Kefa (Peter) 2: 1-22; Y'hudah (Jude) 11; Revelation 2: 14-15

This week's Parsha begins with Balak the king of Moav sending messengers to Bilam requesting he curse B'nai Yisrael. Bilam at first acts correctly, and asks YHVH Elohim for permission before taking on such a mission. YHVH's reply is not difficult to anticipate. Bilam is denied permission and told not to go with the messengers sent to him. Balak, a very good example of the insidious nature of evil does not give up so easily. He then sends more important messengers with greater gifts to try and persuade Bilam to consent to his desires. You too when confronted by temptation will be assaulted by greater and greater reasons as to why you should consent to hasatan's urgings. This Parsha is a remarkable example of how hasatan works. Temptation becomes more attractive, more lucrative to the point you ask yourself, "How can I turn this down?" You finally rationalize that it really isn't so bad, and YHVH Elohim if anyone can, will understand. After all you're only human! However, there's one problem. Not only is YHVH an understanding G-d who extends to us His grace through Yahshua, but He is also an Elohim of justice. Once we have been reconciled to Him by Yahshua's sacrifice; YHVH now expects us to be adults, resisting evil and choosing the good as given to us in His Torah, which by the way is incorruptible and non-negotiable. We as mature believers cannot choose to follow what we like and discard what we do not like. It just doesn't work that way. That's moral relativism!

Bilam is persistent and it is very interesting to note, that this time, YHVH gives him permission to go, but tells him he will have to say whatever YHVH Elohim instructs him to. Sometimes, when a door opens that we know or suspect is contrary to YHVH's Torah, we are tempted to think that YHVH has acceded to our wish to defy His Torah, but it sounds to me like YHVH is just giving us enough rope to hang ourselves, as was the case with Bilam. If we are mature Believers we have to ask, why do we concern ourselves with the pros and cons of every spiritual decision, when, if we follow Torah, the answer is there before us, and certainly not open to debate. When will we realize that when we take one step further toward disobedience, it just makes the journey shorter to complete ruin? Unfortunately, as felled human beings we think we can control our passions, and get just one step closer, but inevitably we find that our passions have a way of controlling us.

Bilam's story illustrates a dilemma we are all faced with at times. If YHVH doesn't want Bilam to go, why doesn't He tell to do and "about face" and go home? If on the other hand, YHVH doesn't care if Bilam goes, why does the angle block Bilam's path? What is the purpose of these conflicting messages? What should we do when faced with conflicting messages?

It's clear that YHVH doesn't want Bilam to curse Israel. That much is certain. Yet, just as Balak persisted in sending messages, so Bilam persists in asking YHVH for permission to go.

The answer is that a person is led on the path he wishes to go. YHVH knew that just as Balak would take "no" for an answer, Bilam wasn't taking "no" for and answer either. So YHVH let him go with a warning. Bilam like you and I sometimes think we can outsmart YHVH, and that we can find a way to satisfy our desire as Bilam thought he would find a way to curse Yisrael. Bilam wanted the material wealth he'd receive for this act more than he wanted YHVH's blessing.

Then the angel comes as a warning to Bilam that YHVH knows the thoughts of man, and nothing is hidden from Him. Afterwards Bilam being duly warned is allowed to continue his journey. Even so, Bilam accompanying Balak goes from place to place trying to find an angle from which to curse Yisrael. Finally, Bilam realizes that there is no tricking YHVH Elohim. We should impress that truth on our minds for we may go to extremes, but we cannot change the will of YHVH. If we internalized this truth we could escape a lot of heartache along the way.

Our sages say, "He who wishes to purify himself, is helped along." Had Bilam gone with the messengers in order to be a willing vehicle for YHVH he would have reaped rewards, but instead he went to get fame and wealth and lost everything.

That's the lesson for all of us! We have choices in our lives and when we make choices in accord with His Torah then YHVH will help us along the way becoming successful in our endeavors. Don’t be like Bilam and squander your opportunities and let them pass by, instead use these opportunities to make YHVH's goals our own and reap the rewards.

B'rit Chadasha: 2 Kefa (Peter) 2: 1-22; Y'hudah (Jude) 11' Revelation 2: 14-15

In 2 Peter the Apostle is addressing "false prophets." The word-translated prophet most commonly means "preacher" here, (one who proclaims the word of YHVH). He writes that they will fabricate doctrine and lead people away from the truth. Antinomian (anti-law) is a prominent feature of this teaching. The bible clearly teaches that YHVH's Torah is truth and eternal. Teaching that YHVH's Torah is dead, done away or only for the Jews are untruths, and the bible identifies the father of untruth as hasatan. So we have to ask ourselves, those that preach this; who is their father, the YHVH of truth or hasatan the father of lies?

Some other interesting topics addressed here by Peter is the nefilim, (fallen ones, of Genesis 6:4. These are the angels b'nei-ha'elohim ("sons of Elohim" or "sons of angels" (6:2), who fell from heaven which was their proper sphere and "came in to the daughters of men." But now because of their sin they are imprisoned spirits being held in limbo in dungeons lower than Sheol for Judgment day. Kefa and Jude are not giving vent to their imaginations but are drawing on earlier commentary found in Jewish writing such as 1 Enoch. In verses 15-16 we see a reference to Bilam and to the Messianic promise (Numbers 24:17) referred to as the "star of Jacob." As to Bilam the Mishna, describes him and his disciples as having the "wicked or an evil eye," which even in the Messianic Scriptures at Mathew 6:22, 23 means "stinginess or greedy."

In verse 17 we see described how these preachers pray on our gullibility, promising us everything, depending on the desires of the old nature to entrap us. Not giving us the liberty of Torah, but enslaving us to license, in the name of freedom from YHVH's Torah, which was given for our protection, blessings, and well being.

In verse 22 Peter addresses the believer who has turned back from Torah as one who is like a "dog who returns to his own vomit." He also renders a proverb that would have been very familiar to his Jewish readers, "The pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud." The Jewish expression sums this up well. "To enter the Mikvah (Immersion-Baptism) while still touching the corpse," means that though the ritual bath can cleanse ceremonial impurity, immersion is ineffective if one continues to hold onto the source of defilement.

Jude 11 addresses some of the same problems with false teachers. He has already spoken on how some teachers turn liberty into license to practice immorality and disobey YHVH's Torah, and he warns that YHVH who once delivered Israel from Egypt destroyed them when they rebelled against Him. Verse 11 speaks specifically of Kayin (Gen 4:1-16) who would not accede to YHVH's instructions, and who had even been afforded five or six opportunities to repent but did not. Cain was shut out of YHVH's presence, as all who rebel against Him shall be. Cain's road led him to murder his brother Abel, but it was not the primary road to ruination itself, for Jude says they Cain like Korach had given themselves over to the error of Bilam (greed and stinginess). Could it be that Cain knew he should have offered a blood sacrifice, but did not want to part with the value of an animal, and tried to make a cheaper substitute offering? How many of us give YHVH our best, but instead offer only our second best even if that? Are we following the example of Cain? How will a little pleasure now substitute for an eternity of being put out of His presence? How few of us, right now, have a real fear of YHVH Elohim. YHVH promises that someday we will all recognize His Glory and majesty, but for some of us it will be too late.

Halftarah: Micha 5:6-6:8

In the Parsha Balak hires Bilam to curse B'nai Yisrael but every time he tries to curse them he ends up blessing them instead. In the Halftarah, the prophet Micha, reprimands B'nai Yisrael for forgetting what happened with Bilam and Balak. B'nai Yisrael has to remember that Bilam was sending a message to all generations as we do. This is a warning that we far removed from that time should not forget either. Micha reminds them that as long as they do the mitzvoth, dwell together in peace, and pay homage to YHVH Elohim they are unconquerable. YHVH is not looking for mindless sacrifices (mechanical offerings without truthful intent), but He wants them to: "to do justice, love kindness, and walk modestly with YHVH Elohim." (6:8)

Things to think about:

1. Why did YHVH ask Bilam to tell Him who the messengers of Balak were?

2. When Bilam fails to curse B'nai Yisrael, he decides to try to change of location. Why did he think that this new view would make a difference in his ability to curse Israel?

3. Pinhas, being a zealot, felt that he had to kill the two people who sinned in public. Is one ever permitted, even with the purest of intentions, to take the law into his own hand, or must the zealot be punished for his actions?

Sages Wisdom:

Bilam was a great prophet among the other nations as Moshe was for B'nai Yisrael. Why did YHVH give the other nations such a great prophet? The Sages say that YHVH didn't want the other nations to complain, saying, "If you had given us Moshe we would have been great too!" So YHVH gave them Bilam, but unlike Moshe, he squandered his gift, spending his time trying to figure out hot to outsmart YHVH and gain wealth.

“And Yisrael settled in Shittim…and the nation began to sin with the daughters of Moav." (25:1)

The Tractate Sanhedrin (106a) states that the word "settled" denotes sadness. The Torat Haim explains that whenever B'nai Yisrael lives outside Israel, and put down roots in foreign soil, sadness is always bound to follow, for they forget that the Land of Israel is their home. From this we too can determine that we will not be totally happy until we come into the kingdom in Israel with Yahshua HaMashiach ruling over Jerusalem in the world to come.

Gematria:

Hayn am l'vadad yishkon," "They are a nation that dwells in solitude." (23:9)

Bilam blesses Israel that they will dwell by themselves. When will this happen? The numeric value of this phrase is 420., the same as the phrase B'ymay Mashiah, which means, during the days of Messiah. Only then will B'nai Yisrael be left alone to live undisturbed by its enemies.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Phil Davis