Shelach “Send”
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.
Shelach is the Hebrew title for “send” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Numbers starting in chapter 13 and going through chapter 15 verse 41.
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 Joshua in chapter 2 with verses 1 through 24.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 10 with verses 1 through 14.
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-
The portion called Shelach is an imperative verb meaning “send out.” Numbers 13:2 includes this in the first few words of the chapter. Shelach is the Torah portion that includes the well-known story of the spies who had returned from the promised land with a bad report. It was this defining moment that set forth the difference in spirits between Joshua and Caleb versus the spirits of the other ten spies. The negative report of the ten spies influenced the congregation of Israel to rebel against the Lord and His promised land. As a result of this rebellion and lack of trust in the promises of the Lord, God consigned the generation who left Egypt with Moses to wander in the wilderness for forty years.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Numbers 13:1 The Spies were sent to Canaan
Numbers 13:25 The Spies report their findings
Numbers 14:1 The rebellion and reaction of the people
Numbers 14:13 Moses foreshadows Jesus through Interceding
Numbers 14:26 The repulsion of the attempted invasion
Numbers 15:1 The different offerings
Numbers 15:32 The violation and punishment of the Sabbath
Numbers 15:37 The garments and fringes (tallit)
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Joshua 2:1 The spies are sent into Jericho
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Matthew 10:1 The calling and authority of the disciples
Matthew 10:5 The disciples share the Gospel in Israel
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
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