by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
Over-all, Israel continues to fight a multi-front war against Hamas in Gaza, Judea and Samaria (West Bank), Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran-backed Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq and Houthis in Yemen while waiting for Iran’s expected direct retaliatory move which seems to have been postponed.
Fighting continues in Jabalia and some other areas of northern Gaza, while negotiations for an Israel-Hamas temporary ceasefire with hostage-prisoner exchange seem to be still at a standstill.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to launch rockets and drones at northern and central Israel while the IDF continues with its ground offensives in southern Lebanon near Israel’s northern border with intense airstrikes on other Hezbollah sites, including their stronghold in the Dahieh suburb in Beirut. Negotiations are still ongoing for a ceasefire that would entail a Hezbollah retreat to north of the Litani River as per UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and withdrawal of the IDF from southern Lebanon. This will enable the internally displaced Israeli and Lebanese civilians to go back to their respective abandoned homes in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Enforcement of any agreement by a 3rd party is still being discussed. Also, both sides want explicit guarantees that they can conduct appropriate military responses to any ceasefire violation.
Let us continue to pray for the release of all the remaining 101 Israeli hostages (alive or dead) and for a just end to the wars against the Jewish nation. Let us continue to stand with Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-9).
The Book of Numbers continues the story of the Israelite nation as they make their way towards Canaan, the land promised to them by the LORD. Numbers 10:33 narrated that with the Ark of the Covenant before them, the people left Sinai and journeyed for 3 days. They travelled with the cloud of the LORD over them when they set out. Chapters 11 tells us of the people complaining and craving for meat. This chapter narrates Moses asking for help as he leads the complaining people to their destination. Numbers 11:12 has Moses asking the LORD for help this way (Hebrew verse read right to left, top down):
הֶאָנֹכִ֣י הָרִ֗יתִי אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אִם־אָנֹכִ֖י יְלִדְתִּ֑יהוּ כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֨ר אֵלַ֜י שָׂאֵ֣הוּ בְחֵיקֶ֗ךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשָּׂ֤א הָאֹמֵן֙ אֶת־הַיֹּנֵ֔ק עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתָּ לַאֲבֹתָֽיו׃
The New King James Version (NKJV) Bible translation follows:
12Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers?
In the phrase “to the land which you swore to their fathers” another word for land is used: אֲדָמָה “adamah” meaning ground, land, earth, soil with a prefixed definite article. The name “Adam” is derived from this word. It is the same word used in Genesis 12:3 when the LORD asked Abram to go to the land he would be given and that in him all families of the earth would be blessed.
Moses then proceeds to ask the LORD where he can get enough meat to feed all the people. The LORD then appointed 70 elders to help Moses by taking some of the LORD’s Spirit that is upon Moses and giving it to the elders to enable them to help bear Moses’ burden. The text in the succeeding verses say that these elders prophesied for some time but did not continue doing it, unlike Moses. The LORD then sent them a very great number of quails and punished them with a plague. Then the people continued their journey and stayed at Hazeroth. While there an episode of opposition by Miriam and Aaron is recorded in chapter 12 and Miriam is punished by the LORD with “leprosy” (not necessarily Hansen’s disease) and had to stay out of the camp for 7 days. By this, the LORD made it very clear to all that Moses’ stature was higher than anyone else.
After the 2 rebellious events recorded in chapters 11 and 12 the Israelites next move on to the wilderness of Paran (identified later as near Kadesh). Numbers 13 then records a pivotal event: the LORD instructs Moses to send out 12 chiefs from the tribes to spy out the land of Canaan. The Hebrew verse of Numbers 13:2 is given below (read right to left, top down):
שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֖ן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִ֣ישׁ אֶחָד֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד לְמַטֵּ֤ה אֲבֹתָיו֙ תִּשְׁלָ֔חוּ כֹּ֖ל נָשִׂ֥יא בָהֶֽם׃
The NKJV Bible translation follows:
2“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”
The very familiar Hebrew word אֶרֶץ “erets” for land is used here again. Despite the rebellions of the Israelites (recorded since the Exodus) the LORD remained faithful to his promise of giving them land of Canaan to possess as an inheritance. Moses repeats the LORD’s instructions to the designated spies in verse 17, saying “the land of Canaan” is to be reconnoitered and specifically mentioning various places. The Hebrew terms for land, hill/mountain (country), cities, camps, strongholds, tree lands, fruit of the land and other geographical features are used in verses 17 – 21, 25 – 29, and 32. Moses even asked the men to bring back some פְּרִ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ meaning “fruit of the land.”
For 40 days the spies went out and saw the south, Negev and up north, all the way to Rehob which is about 76 km north of Damascus. The spies saw a very rich and fruitful land, occupied by fortified cities and saw Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Canaanites and the Anakim (who came from the Nephilim). They returned and even brought back a single rich cluster of grapes. All except Joshua and Caleb were afraid and doubted their capability to conquer Canaan despite the LORD’s promise. These 10 men therefore gave a bad report of the land as Numbers 13:32 records (Hebrew verse read right to left, top down):
וַיֹּוצִ֜יאוּ דִּבַּ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֡רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ עָבַ֨רְנוּ בָ֜הּ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֗הּ אֶ֣רֶץ אֹכֶ֤לֶת יֹושְׁבֶ֙יהָ֙ הִ֔וא וְכָל־הָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֥ינוּ בְתֹוכָ֖הּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י מִדֹּֽות׃
The NKJV Bible translation is given below:
32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
The Hebrew word אֶרֶץ “erets” for land is used multiple times here (with the first 2 instances prefixed with the definite article). The words “bad report” can also be rendered as a slanderous, defamatory or negative, even evil report. They also probably added in an exaggeration that “all the people” they saw “are men of great stature.” Bottom line, the land promised by God is not a good land for them. This sets the stage for another rebellion against the LORD that would have dire consequences.
We will continue next time.
God bless us all.