Shlach Lecha

Parasha Shlach Lecha

Numbers 13:1 – 15:41V

Please Pray this

Prayer, before reading

Prayer

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah,

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit pf Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

That the Truth of Torah may

Come forth. Amen

This is the thirty seven Torah Portion. Shlach Lecha which begins with the verb saying: And YAHVEH spoke to Moses saying “Shlach Lecha,” Send men that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I gave to the Children of Yisrael; of every tribe of their fathers shall you send a man, everyone a prince among them.

In this Torah Portion Moses was told to schlach, or send out a scout from every tribe. When they return, they reported all kind of difficulties, which frightened the camp. The negative report of the ten scouts resulting in the death of most of them, as well as the forty years of additional wondering in the wilderness.

In order to void the same spiritual mistake today, every believer need to understand where the scouts went wrong. From studying this text, we need to ask, what did they  did wrong? If Moses did indeed told them to go spy out the land and the spies did what was ask of them truthfully, then what did they do wrong?

The first important consideration we can take from this Torah Portion, is the danger of being right! Everything the scout said was accurate, according to how they saw it. But what they forget in their accurate assumption, they did not leave an room for the Will of the CREATOR, they lack the consciousness.

When Missiyah came into the world the first time He like these spies came to spy out the Land spiritually, when the people wanted to crown Him King He refused. They like the spies were only seeing from the physical point of view. Messiyah came first to defeate the Devil spiritually before He would do it physically. The goal of the first set of spies were to establish a spiritual ownership over the Land of canaan, so that when they enter the land the land would welcome them. They would not have to fight their way to their inheritance.

The spiritual disconnection between what the spies though their job was and the job itself, on the physical level, they were right, but their job had a deeper spiritual dimension, which they neglect. Because the spies thought they were right, their minds was closed to any other possibilities and they were wrong.

In this Torah Portion of Shlach Lecha, the Land of Yisrael is referred to as the Land of Canaan. Indeed, this is not often the case in the Torah. The gift of both the spiritual and physical land of Yisrael is to awaken a level of humility unheard off anywhere else.

In Hebrew, the word Canaan, Kena’an Is similar to the word lehikana’an, which means to surrender. So Moses told the  spies then, as he is telling us today that on this Sabbath, we need to enter the domain of humility and we need to surrender. Those who have spiritually enter the land of Canaan are those who, even if they have achieved the first few days of Creation, will view it as nothing until we enter into the Sabbath rest, full maturity.

As the Nation of Yisrael stood at the threshold of the Land of Yisrael, Moses told them that it was time for them to go and conquer it. However, a pivotal incident took place. Twelve of the leaders of the nations, one from each tribe, were sent to survey the land, and bring back a report. However, the report they brought back caused the people to lose faith in their ability to occupy their Divinely ordained inheritance.

A window of opportunity was open for them to achieve their spiritual goal, but because of unbeliever that opportunity was not available for another 40 years.

As a result the entire generation was condemned to death in the Wilderness and Yisrael’s entry into the Land was delayed for nearly thirty-nine years. The actions of the spies present many questions. Why was it necessary to send spies, as if EL יהוה YAHVEH’S promise was not sufficient?

After the disastrous outcome of this mission, why did Moses and Joshua themselves send similar expeditions to Jerico? Why did EL YAHVEH allow Moses to send spies? If Moses was in favor of the stratagem, why did he blame the people for having made the decision they made? Since Moses gave the spies a detail list of questions about the Land, why were they condemned for making accurate statement, as they perceived it? Many years later in Deuteronomy, Moses himself, gave an equally frightening pictures of the awesome power of the Canaanite nations that were waiting to fight the Hebrews; why, then, were the spies punished for saying essentially the same thing?

Such questions will be discussed in the following comment. The illustration of the spies follows the incident of Miriam’s criticism of Moses and her punishment. Although the spying mission took place some time after, the experience did not taught the nation the gravity of malicious gossip, nevertheless, the wicked spies did not learn their lesson and were not deterred from slandering the possibility of entering the Land (Full Maturity). On this Sabbath let us pray for the spiritual eyes to see the window of opportunity given to us to enter into our spiritual rest.

Num 13:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, -  

Num 13:2 “Send men if you please and let them spy out the land of Kenaʽan, which I am giving to the children of Yisra’ĕl. Send one man from each tribe of their fathers, every one a leader among them.” - These men were not the leaders of the various tribes, they were obviously prominent men. If I may say so, except of Joshua and Caleb, the rest were not mature believers. This shed light even on today’s church, not everyone who says that they are leaders, they themselves are not mature individual. They had eyes to see but did not see.

Notice in this chapter the term Children of Yisrael was used to describe the people; meaning immature people. The implication is that EL YAHVEH gave Moses permission to send spies, but left the decision up to him. In Deuteronomy 1:21-23, the Torah provides further information on the sequence of events leading up to the mission.

These leaders were not the one listed earlier, the one who were given the spirit of Moses. Here Moses chose highly popular leaders, as is indicated by the inclusion of such great men as Joshua and Caleb. Distinguished men, indicates that when they began their journey, all of the men were equally righteous.

Num 13:3 And by the command of יהוה Mosheh sent them from the Wilderness of Paran, all of them men who were leaders of the children of Yisra’ĕl. – The mere fact that they were leaders one would have assumes that they were also mature believers. This was to be proven not to be so.

To clarify this historic event, the names: of the leaders were all given, in the following verses. The leaders were listed in the order of the personal greatness. That Caleb is listed third and Joshua fifth implies that two spies were probably greater than either of them, and is eloquent testimony to the stature of the group. The tribe of Levites was not represented because the tribe of Levi was not to receive a share of the Land.

Num 13:4 And these were their names. From the tribe of Re’uḇĕn: Shammua, son of Zakkur. -

Num 13:5 From the tribe of Shimʽon: Shaphat, son of Ḥori. -

Num 13:6 From the tribe of Yehuḏah: Kalĕḇ, son of Yephunneh.

Num 13:7 From the tribe of Yissasḵar: Yiḡ’al, son of Yosĕph.

Num 13:8 From the tribe of Ephrayim: Hoshĕa, son of Nun.

Num 13:9 From the tribe of Binyamin: Palti, son of Raphu.

Num 13:10 From the tribe of Zeḇulun: Gaddi’ĕl, son of Soḏi. –

Num 13:11 From the tribe of Yosĕph, from the tribe of Menashsheh: Gaddi, son of Susi. -  Only Manasseh, not Ephraim, is specifically identified with Joseph because the representative of Manasseh was more similar to his ancestor Joseph than was the one of Ephraim.

Just as Joseph reported gossip against his brother, so Gaddi of Manasseh reported slander against the Land of Yisrael.

Num 13:12 From the tribe of Dan: Ammi’ĕl, son of Gemalli.

Num 13:13 From the tribe of Ashĕr: Shĕthur, son of Miḵa’ĕl.

Num 13:14 From the tribe of Naphtali: Naḥbi, son of Wophsi.

Num 13:15 From the tribe of Gaḏ: Geu’ĕl, son of Maḵi. –

Num 13:16 These are the names of the men whom Mosheh sent to spy out the land. And Mosheh called Hoshĕa the son of Nun, Yehoshua. – Moses was preparing Joshua for the position of leadership. Why then would he have sent him on a journey such as this? Suppose something would have happen to Joshua? We can go forward and look at the life of Job, what did he do to deserve the things that would later experience. Joshua like Job had to prove themselves as leaders, prove themselves worthy of wearing the mantle of leadership.

Num 13:17 And Mosheh sent them to spy out the land of Kenaʽan, and said to them, “Go up here into the South, and go up to the mountains, -  Leadership lead even when they were not there. This is where you should start and this is the limit of your operation.

Num 13:18 and see what the land is like, and the people who dwell in it, whether strong or weak, whether few or many, - Moses asked the spies to look closely into the nature of the lands and its inhabitants. The climate and terrain of some lands are conducive to healthy, vigorous people, while other countries tend to enfeeble their inhabitants. Moses asked them to look into the nature of the people themselves. Asked if it is good or bad, in the sense that, does the land consume the people, or is it a fertile land of good rainfall. 

Num 13:19 and whether the land they dwell in is good or evil, whether the cities they inhabit are in camps or strongholds, - It is a land with good natural defenses, or is the cities fortified. It is essential to know who our enemies are, in order to make plans to overcome them, as it is essential to know our own strengthen and weakness and how best to apply them. The spies mist the Mark, what could ABBA YAHVEH do with this Land.

This Torah Portion of Shlach Lecha awakens those with the desire to see the window of opportunity, and the awareness that whatever we consider our job in this world to be, may have nothing to do with our spiritual mission. If we allow ourselves to become identified with what we think we are meant to do, if we decide for ourselves that we are always right, it will take us longer to figure out the truth, and in the meantime, we could be wondering in a spiritual wilderness.  

Num 13:20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are forests there or not. And you shall be strong, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first fruits of grapes. -  Are there tree? Moses was alluding to righteousness of the people. If the Land had a righteous person in whose merit the inhabitants would be sheltered from attack. Also, the condition of the land would be shown in the fruits it produces.

Similar when we choose a wife, we should spend the same amount of time investigating her family background and her character, that was why in the olden days a matchmaker was employed to do the job, this matchmaker carry the same responsibility as a spy.

Num 13:21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Tsin as far as Reḥoḇ, near the entrance of Ḥamath. - From the Wilderness of Zin to the expanse at the approach to Hamath. They traversed the entire land, from south to north. The southwestern shore of the dead-sea, Hamath is the Syrian city of Hama, and the expanse at the approach is the Bekaa Valley.

Num 13:22 And they went up through the South and came to Ḥeḇron. And Aḥiman, Shĕshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anaq, were there. Now Ḥeḇron had been built seven years before Tsoʽan in Mitsrayim. -  They ascended and he arrived at Hebron. The change from plural to singular implies that only one of them went to Hebron, to spy out the land. One of the reasons why we are given the Torah is very clear; when I get to Heavens, I will not be surprise with what I will face. If we think that we have seen fruit of the Spirit yet, just wait until we get to the Heavens.

Num 13:23 And they came to the wadi Eshkol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes. And they bore it on a double pole, also of the pomegranates and of the figs. - The land of Yisrael is comparable to the Heavenly Kingdom. The fruits of that Kingdom are seen in the quality of the produce the land produces.

I have notice that all through the mission, there is no mention of them ever stop to pray or to bless the Land. Could it be that they were in too great a rush to see the blessing for the Land, and not the Land for the blessing. We can sometime waste so much time gathering information on the richness of the land and the strength of its inhabitants and not see out blessing in the Land.

By focusing on the letter of their mission, they missed its spirit. Today we are still paying for the same mistake.

Num 13:24 That place was called the wadi Eshkol, because of the cluster which the men of Yisra’ĕl cut down from there. – Probably they furnished themselves with these fruits when they were leaving the country and returning. The cluster of grapes was so large and so heavy that they hung it upon a bar, and carried it between two of them. The place where they took it from was, was called the valley of the cluster, that famous cluster which was to Yisrael both the earnest and the specimen of all the fruits of Canaan. Such are the present comforts which we have in communion with YAHVEH, foretastes of the fullness of joy we expect in the heavenly Canaan. We may see by them what heaven is.

Num 13:25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. -  Forty is a time of trial, probation, or testing. These forty days was a test for the leaders who were chosen by the people. It was the people request for this expedition. When the people request anything, our Heavenly Father will always give us the type of teacher or leaders we ought to have.

When the spies came back from their extensive forth day tour of the land, they should have reported to Moses, who had sent them; instead they made their report in a public declaration.

In view of the account in Deuteronomy that the entire people demanded stridently of Moses that he send spies to see the land; it is understandable why the report was made in such a public forum. The people had demanded the mission and they felt entitled to hear the result.

Today, the church send their teachers to bible school, instead of asking them to go through the sixth days of Creation, to full maturity, the report of the Kingdom would not be the same. When I try to teach the people that we should come to maturity while in the flesh, I have been told that man cannot reach maturity until Messiyah returns. This is the type of false report that people have been given, and they believe it. There are not many people today teaching the people to remember to come to maturity. I get numerous requests from Africa for information on how to reach full maturity in this life. I spend May 12 to the 26 in Kenya  2010 doing just that. Yes I experience a lot of obstacles, but it was worth it.

Num 13:26 And they went and came to Mosheh and Aharon and all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl in the Wilderness of Paran, at Qaḏĕsh. And they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. – This verse speaks volume concerning the decrements and perceptions of leaders. The spies who went to the land brought back their interpretation of how they perceive what they saw. This brings into question, the spiritual maturity of these so-called leaders. They saw the fruit of the land! They knew that the land was productive! They knew that the land would be friendly to the people! Yet they brought back a negative view about it. Is the glass half empty or is it half full.

Today, we are admonish by Torah to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is Perfect. Yet, how many leaders teach their congregation that it is impossible to attained perfection in this life. This particular story, illustrate a type of leadership who will show you the fruit of the spirit, but cannot tell anyone how to build their Menorah.

Num 13:27 and they reported to him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent us. And truly, it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. -  They went to the land! They saw it flowing with milk and honey, yet it became only a head knowledge, not a heart condition.

Num 13:28 “But the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, very great. And we saw the descendants of Anaq there too. -  Here is the BUTT of the matter. When someone only posses a head knowledge, he or she has no substance behind their conviction. When a person achieves a certain heart condition, their very essence is indwelling in their purpose.

There is a difference between a person who is talented and a person with a mission. The talented person does it because he or she is good at it. However, a person on a mission, act with a purpose. Victory by any means necessary! Who are the descendants of Amalek in our lives? Those small, yet powerful voices, which keep on telling us we can never make it, we are not good enough.

These so-called leaders were advising the nation not even to attempt an assault on Canaan. They compounded the frightening effect of their comments, by mentioning the dreaded Amalekites and the equally powerful nations that would never surrender their land easily.

These dreaded Amalekites are who we are fighting even as we speak, they are the enemy of our Soul, the ones who are trying to stop us from reaching our spiritual Canaan. These Amalekites are the fallen angel who has been defeated by our leader El Yahushua at Calvary. All we have to do is to go in and occupied the land. That land has been given to us as EL YAHVEH as our inheritance gave it to the Nation of Yisrael.

What then is the issue! Like a lot of believer, we tend to listen to negative report about the Kingdom, but never someone who keep reminding us to build our Menorah, learn Torah, so we can go in an occupied our land.

Num 13:29 “The Amalĕqites dwell in the land of the South, while the Ḥittites and the Yeḇusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains. And the Kenaʽanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Yardĕn.” – Job 1:6 “Now there was a day when the sons of YAHVEH came to present themselves before there King, and Satan came also among them” These sons are apart of the Heavenly counsel. One of the mighty men of Heavens or the land.

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Their rebellion have cause them to become unfit for that position. The Creation of Planet Earth is to create faithful sons, to replace those who were deemed unworthy for the Kingdom. 

Why then were they not kicked out as yet? It is because we who have been given the Word did not benefit from it, as Hebrew 4:1-5 elucidate to us. Exo 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. 30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. The inhabitant who are still in Heavens will not be driven out until those of us, who have the desire to be become a mature believer decided to achieve full maturity, like El Yahushua “Jesus Christ”, so we can go and take our seat in the Throne room with the rest of the Mighty Sons. Revelations 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Messiyanic Assembly. Those of us who overcome the desire of the Body are the ones who will achieve this lofty position. This is what this ministry teaches.