Two Keys for a Successful Journey

Audio Teaching

Notes

Introduction

In our closing double portion of the Book of Numbers, we will examine five sections and begin with a summary of the tenth portion from the Kehot Chumash.

“The tenth and final section of the Book of Numbers begins with a [review] of Israel’s journeys from Egypt until the threshold of the Land of Israel. The remainder of [the portion] deals with specific instructions pertaining to the conquest of the land: driving out its idolatrous inhabitants, delineating its borders, designating who will divide it up, specifying where the Levites will live and the special role their cities will play, and detailing additional laws of inheritance.

In order to understand how the itinerary is at least relevant to what is to come as it is to what was, let us recall that the Hebrew name for Egypt means “limits” and “boundaries.” The Exodus from Egypt is thus the archetype for transcending limits in the spiritual life. But here we find an instructive nuance in the way the Israelites’ itinerary is introduced: “These are the journeys of the Israelites who left the Land of Egypt.” This phrase seems to imply that all the journeys were from the Land of Egypt, while technically only the first journey was from Egypt.

By introducing the entire itinerary this way, the Torah teaches us that whenever we transcend one level of life, we should consider our new, expanded level of consciousness (my note: growth in sanctification) a new “Egypt” (my note: we are constantly being conformed into the image of holiness found in Yeshua). [A] level of constricted awareness relative to where we want to go next. In this way we are constantly going out of Egypt (my note: gaining mastery over our fleshly desires). In this context, it is particularly instructive to realize that not everything that happened along this journey to the threshold of the Promised Land was altogether positive. At quite a few stops, the Israelites fell backwards, even retreated, and learned the lessons of Divine living the hardway. Nonetheless they are all called “journeys”; in the long run they all contributed to the final arrival. This teaches us that in order to progress in life, we must learn how to see every regression as a lesson in how to progress further, and thereby turn every failure into a success.

This is possible because, despite the imperative to progress continually, there are certain things that should not change. This is the lesson we learned in the previous portion. These basic constants – our fundamental beliefs and our resistance to evil – are the bedrock of our spiritual lives, and give us the stability on which we can base our continuous ascent. In particular, we can survive our falls when we realize that they are all orchestrated by Divine providence: we fall specifically in those areas of life where God sees we need to ascend; the rest of our life remains intact, providing the framework we need to put ourselves back together. (my note: God tests us in our trust of Him but He does not tempt us to sin).

By ascending the ladder of spiritual growth ourselves and helping others make the same climb, we actualize the lessons we learned in the desert and successfully meet the challenge of making the world into God’s home.”

Text: Num. 25:1-18 ESV

Holiness Among You

• Num. 31:1-11
• Num. 25:16-18
• Num. 33:50-56
• We must drive out and subdue the desire to sin.
• Matt. 5:27-30
• We are not to tolerate things that will cause us to stumble.

Holiness In You

Giving, Praying, and Fasting cultivate holiness in us (Matt. 6).

• Num. 31:13-18
• There is no in-between; we either walk in holiness or lawlessness.
• Ezek. 22:23-28

Holiness Through You

Num. 31:19-24

Matt. 16:24-27

Standing with Israel

• God dwells in Zion (Jerusalem)
  • Psa. 24 (ref.)
  • Deut. 12:10-11
  • Psa. 76:1-2

Israel fought to enter the land: Num. 32:17

“He has made known to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of nations (Psa. 111:6). If the peoples of the world ever say to the Jews, “You are robbers illegally occupying a land that belongs to [other] nations.” Israel can reply, “The whole world belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He. He created it and can give it to whoever He wants. It was His will to give it to the Canaanites, and it was His will to take it away from them and give it to us.” – Rashi on Gen. 1:1. Referenced from Unrolling the Scroll, Book 4, pg. 717, by First Fruits of Zion.

Israel, the Nations, and the End of Days:

Isa. 49:22-23; 66:15-24