Korach “Korah”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma.
While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Korach is the Hebrew title for “Korah” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Numbers starting in chapter 16 and going through chapter 18 verse 32.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah reading comes from the book of 1 Samuel in chapter 11 verse 14 through chapter 12 verse 22.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 26 with verses 13 through 24.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
Korah (Korach) was a well-known and influential Levite. The Torah Portion Korach is the thirty-eighth reading in the weekly Torah Portion reading cycle. “No Korah the son of Izhar…. took action” (Number 16:1) is the start of the Torah Portion reading. In this week’s Torah portion readings, we see the story of how Korah attempted to lead an unsuccessful rebellion against the authority of Moses and Aaron. After the insurrection and power grab were thwarted, God confirms the role of Aaron in the Levitical priesthood and provides additional instructions how the responsibility, rules, and guidelines for the Levitical priesthood.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Numbers 16:1 Revolt of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
Numbers 17:1 The Budding of Aaron’s Rod
Numbers 18:1 Responsibility of Priests and Levities
Numbers 18:8 The Priests’ Portion
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
1 Samuel 11:1 Saul Defeats the Ammonites
1 Samuel 12:1 Samuel’s Farewell Address
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Matthew 26:14 Judas Betrays Jesus
Matthew 26:17 The Last Supper
The Book of Numbers “Bamidbar” which means “In the Wilderness.”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the fourth book of the Bible (Numbers) is Bamidbar. The name “Bamidbar” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Numbers which means “In the Wilderness,”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Bamidbar” called “Numbers.”
In the Book of Numbers, we see the recounting of the story of Israel’s quest through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. It is a journey that could have been negated if it weren’t for the bad report of the ten spies. It also outlines how the generation who came out of Egypt would die in the wilderness and give way to the triumph of the second generation in leading their way into taking the promised land as their inheritance.
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Numbers and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
