 Ruminations on Numbers 35.
On the set of the western movie “Rust” on Thursday, October 21, Alec Baldwin was practicing removing his gun from the holster and pointing it at the camera in preparation for a scene in the movie. Suddenly the gun discharged, killing the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and wounding the director Joel Souza who was directly behind her. The gun had been certified as “cold” i.e. not containing real ammunition before being given to Mr. Baldwin. Horrifying, apparently accidental, but a wife and mother lost her life. In the Torah in B’midbar (Numbers) 35 God gave explicit instructions on how Israel was to respond to accidental killing. The Levites were allotted 48 cities spread throughout the land of Israel with some in each tribe as they were not given a tribal territory of their own. Six of these Levitical cities were specially designated as cities of refuge. Three of these were on the west side of the Jordan and three were on the east. This was to allow easy access for anyone who might need to flee to their protection. When a person killed someone they had to flee to a city of refuge where the congregation would be called to determine if the killing were intentional thus murder or accidental in what we might term manslaughter. If the congregation found the killer guilty of murder—intentional, planned and malicious—he was turned over to the avenger of blood who would kill him. If he was found innocent of intentional malfeasance he was sent back to the city of refuge where he would be safe. The killer was required to live in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest. If he ever ventured outside the city the avenger of blood could slay him with no repercussions. The killer could not pay a ransom to shorten his stay—for safety he had to live in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest. The killer, if designated a murderer, had to die, there was no recourse nor forgiveness. 35: 33 ‘So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.’ The only justice for murder is the slaying of the one who committed murder. We find this idea also in Genesis 9: 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. God makes plain in the text that this is a perpetual obligation. Numbers 35: 29 These things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Today, if the killing of Halyna Hutchins had taken place in ancient Israel Mr Baldwin would have been compelled to flee to a city of refuge. If found innocent of intentional harm he would then live in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. It is pretty easy to read this passage and pass it off as irrelevant. For at least two reasons: 1- most Christians don’t believe Yeshua (Jesus) when he said he didn’t come to destroy the law or the prophets 2- none of us would ever kill anyone and if we did accidentally, our culture assures us we did nothing wrong and deserve no punishment. The Bible does not hold to the view that intent determines guilt. Halyna Hutchins is dead regardless of Alec Baldwin’s intent. She is made in the image of her creator and her death carries vast importance with that creator. For those who follow Yeshua (Jesus) and accept him as their Redeemer and Savior this passage carries great weight. One of the things Yeshua did (any in many ways the ancient sages agree with him) was dig deep into the intent of the law (Torah) and how our behavior relates to it. In Matthew 5 he reminds his listeners that the Torah tells us that those who murder are subject to judgment. But, he goes on to say, that anyone who is angry with his brother is subject to judgment. Those who call their brother a fool are in danger of the fires of hell. In other words, Yeshua is linking anger, slander and hatred to murder. In 1 John 3:15 the apostle corroborates Yeshua’s point by affirming that whoever hates his brother is a murderer. In rabbinical tradition one who indulges in lashon hara (evil speech) murders three people—himself, his listener and the one being spoken of. We probably have all said something inadvertently that really injured someone. Off-the-cuff criticism, snide insults, angry retaliation often lead to angry words and damaged feelings that in Yeshua’s description render us subject to judgment. How do we run to the city of refuge? What does that mean today? Psalm 91 One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God in whom I trust!” Yeshua promises in John 6:37 “whoever comes to me I will never cast out!” So we come to the shelter of the “Most High” and surrender to his provision and enter His city. Hebrews 12: 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Yeshua, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. We discover two powerful truths as we enter our “city of refuge.” First our high priest has died. By coming to the city and accepting his sacrifice and atoning death we are set free to return home. Second the sprinkled blood does speak better than the blood of Abel. Abel’s blood cried out for justice. Justice can only come for Abel with the shedding of the blood of Cain, his murderer. The sprinkled blood of Yeshua satisfies our bloodguiltiness before the law. By shedding his blood he meets the demand of the law for the shedding of blood of the guilty party. When we accept his sacrifice in our behalf his blood purchases our freedom as expiation for the land has been made “by the blood of him who shed it.” Isaiah 53: 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. Thus we find that for the person who comes to the Lord with a truly repentant heart, provision has been made for the unintentional damage we do to each other and forgiveness when the hurt is intentional and malicious. Psalm 46: 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. May we all find our way to the city of refuge.
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 I have been struggling with insomnia the last while. This means I get up a little earlier. This morning when I left the house for a run it was before 5 am. It was dark and marvelously clear. Omnipresent smoke has suffocated our valley from California, Oregon and northern Utah fires. The sun sets as a flaming red ball resembling what one sees in smog shrouded cities. Our little valley which is world famous for its air quality now features a smoky atmosphere that burns your eyes and chokes your throat.
But this morning I could see the stars. The waning moon was beautiful but not so bright as to drown out the sparkling lights filling the heavens. As I ran past the trees in the windbreak I startled a couple of owls (I think) and they launched themselves into flight with considerable noise and fanfare. Two days ago when I ran, a surprised coyote shot across the road in front of me. All the nocturnal activity reminds me that just because I can't see it doesn't mean nothing is happening. Due east, Orion shone brilliantly as if reclining on his side. I couldn't see the Big Dipper at first. So I went backwards. I found Polaris and then tracked my way to the Big Dipper. It was in the northeastern sky and the end of the handle just concealed below the horizon. Often when I run I listen to music. A favorite group of mine is Casting Crowns. Two days ago I was listening and they sang a song titled "Wedding Day." It begins "There's a stirring in the throne room And all creation holds it's breath Waiting now to see the bride groom Wondering how the bride will dress And she wears white." The words almost stopped me. Knowing how screwed up I can be and also, all of mankind, I was curiously affected knowing the purity and righteousness of the bride depends on Him. The song goes on to say "When someone wins your heart And says you're beautiful When you don't know you are." It was a potent reminder that a true measure of spirituality is the ability to see people as they can be and not as they are. Today the lyrics "caught between the God we want and the God who is" captured my attention. One of the 10 commands is to have "no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath." One of the greatest temptations of humans is to form God into their own image or, at least, make Him someone they can make peace with or accept. We even find good Christians trying to bend reality to fit their concept of the Bible. In essence they work extremely hard to shove God into their box trumpeting this is how God has to be because that is how they perceive Him. I have found a great deal of peace by realizing that I will never discover a "truth" that disagrees with who God is. Yeshua (Jesus) said "I am the way, the truth and the life" and also "everyone on the side of truth listens to me." This is why I will never see a chasm between the revelation of God and science. Paul says in Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Oddly Paul doesn't say here that we will see "His eternal power and divine nature" from a book--he says we will see it in what he has made. This means you can relax. As Paul also says "we can do nothing against the truth." A natural example would be a group getting together and voting that they are no longer under the laws of gravity. When they step off a cliff they will quickly discover that we truly can do nothing against the truth. It is important to remember that collisions with the truth can be painful. This got rather long. But it has been percolating inside of me for some time. I know I take myself way too seriously at times. Remember that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. I hope you find something to watch, read, listen to, and share that brings you joy. Among the ten commandments, "you shall not bear false witness" is often quoted. In the Bible no conflict could be decided on the testimony of one witness, it required at least two. Also, if it were determined that two of you got together to lie about someone else the penalty you sought for them was brought down on your head.
It is important to realize that a witness has to have seen the event. It can't be hearsay, it can't be something someone told you. When John sees the prophetic bride of the Messiah, the New Jerusalem, it is built in a perfect cube resembling the Most Holy Place and has 12 foundations and 12 gates. The 12 gates are each made of a single pearl and have the names of the 12 tribes of Israel inscribed on them. The 12 foundation stones are 12 different types of stones and have the names of the 12 apostles written on them. Each stone is unique but each furnishes essential strength to the foundation of the city. Remember even the apostle Paul was not part of this foundation. No discredit to him but to be part of the foundation, one had to be chosen and have the qualification of being a witness of Yeshua's (Jesus) ministry from his baptism to his resurrection. Just hearing about it wasn't enough to make you a witness. John stresses this in 1 John 1:1 "...what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life--" We do tremendous disservice to our King and to each other when we pass on information based upon hearsay and gossip. Just this past week I read a quote from a Brazilian politician asserting the ancient blood libel against Jews. How can someone believe something that has been shown to be false thousands of times? By living in echo chambers and believing whatever appeals to our biases without taking the time to really ascertain its truth. This absolutely insane accusation is responsible for hundreds of thousands of Jews losing their lives over the past centuries. Bearing false witness against people and institutions you don't like is just as sinful as bearing false witness against your friends and the groups you do like. If you don't know the truth of an accusation best to just let it die with you. I find myself wanting to comment on hundreds of FB memes and quotes but I don't realizing I would just generate more heat than light. Some of the most wicked and evil plots have been successful because people were primed by repeated slander and falsehood until they acted out of "righteous" wrath and committed unbelievable infamy because they couldn't be bothered to "love the truth." Think about the foundation of the New Jerusalem and see if we can't make that our pattern. I post this in the hope of passing on information. What you do with it is up to you. Because I consider myself Messianic or Hebrew Roots, I see a lot of memes and information floating around FB concerning the time of year.
We observed the Passover Seder last evening as laid out in Exodus 12 on the evening of the 14th day of the 1st month of Nisan (Aviv). This is the time of the crucifixion of Yeshua (Jesus) as detailed in the synoptic gospels with some slightly confusing corroboration in the gospel of John which some interpret as being the day before. Jews continue to celebrate the Passover Seder on the 14th day as they determine it on their calendar and have done so continuously for thousands of years. It is followed by one week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzah) where no leaven is eaten and the home is kept completely free of it. We do our best to follow this practice as detailed in Exodus. On the day after the Sabbath during Unleavened Bread, a ritual called the Waving of the Sheaf and/or Firstfruits celebrates the new barley crop and no new grain is eaten until this offering is made. This was the day Yeshua (Jesus) was resurrected and, in fact, 1 Corinthians 15 does identify him as the Firstfruits of the Resurrection. Yeshua's early followers continued to celebrate Passover with their Jewish families and friends. Over time believers (later called Christians) for various reasons separated their observances from their Jewish peers. (This is a huge subject and too big to tackle here.) The emphasis shifted from the Passover Seder and Unleavened Bread to the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua. At first these observances appear to have been held on the 14th of Nisan but because the resurrection occurred on Sunday a division grew within the Christian ranks over whether the resurrection should be celebrated on the 14th of Nisan or on the Sunday following. Those who held to the 14th of Nisan were called Quartodecimans. The martyr Polycarp held to the Quartodeciman position and claimed that the apostle John was the authority who passed this truth on to him. The group pushing for Sunday observance claimed that their apostolic justification came from Peter and Paul. Even while leaders of the factions could not settle their difference, they set an example by taking communion together publicly so that their congregations would not become enemies. (Polycarp and Anicetus did this in the late 2nd century.) The celebration of the resurrection in the church emphasized the communion, stations of the cross and both the crucifixion and the resurrection. The original dictates laid out in Exodus were forgotten. Later after the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity he grew tired of all the bickering between the different bishops and he convened the Council of Nicea to try to bring some unity to the burgeoning faith. The doctrine of the Trinity began to take form and a new formula for dating the resurrection celebration was put forth. This change was not implemented until after Constantine died. The new dating involved the Spring equinox and did not depend upon the Biblical system of months. Growing anti-Semitism convinced the early Christians they did not want the dating of their most important day to depend upon Rabbinical councils and calendars. I have given this long history with huge amounts of detail left out just to show how the Christian Church and Judaism diverged so greatly in their celebration. What didn't diverge is the terminology. In our Greek New Testament Passover is always referred to as "Pascha" a term of Aramaic derivation. To this day Pascha is the term that refers to the celebration of Yeshua's resurrection in Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, i.e. all the ancient Biblical languages. In the Catholic and Orthodox liturgies the term to describe this event is Pascha which is the Aramaic equivalent of Pesach in Hebrew referring to the sacrificial Lamb offered at Passover. In English a new term shows up about 600 years after the Messiah, "Easter." This term of uncertain derivation, possibly from the Germanic goddess Eostre or possibly simply the direction East where the sun comes up, became the term to describe the resurrection in English, German and Dutch. The term has no relationship to any Middle Eastern Language and has no Semitic origin. It became so entrenched in English that the fast associated with Passover celebrated by English Jews in the 13th century was called "oesterfesten." When Tyndale did his landmark translation of the Bible into English he reserved the term Easter to describe the resurrection but refused to use that term to translate the Hebrew Pesach. So he invented the word "Passover" to be the English equivalent of Pesach. Contrary to the many "scholars" on FB, Easter is an older word than Passover and neither word has ever been used in the historic church. Neither of these terms is in the Hebrew Tanach or the Greek New Testament. The objectionable things many find in Easter, bunnies, colored Easter egg hunts, etc. have nothing to do with the name and became a part of the celebration hundreds of years after the term became part of the English language. All of this to say make sure you know what you are fighting and also make sure you have accurately defined the enemy. As so many trends currently seen in our society we have ended up becoming each other's enemies instead of opposing evil and those things actually destroying our society. This is just my plea--take the time to understand those who see things differently from you and actually find out what are the essential differences. And make sure that you fire your artillery at things you want destroyed.  In 1 Corinthians 7: 1 the apostle Paul states "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman." This is a bizarre statement especially if it is shorn of its context and not viewed within the entire corpus of the Bible. And yet entire theological systems have been built upon the concept and the idea of love between man and woman condemned or at least disparaged. St. Jerome was reputed to have stated that the form of a woman was repulsive and disgusting. The fact that this point of view does not fit the Biblical narrative at all is discounted or ignored.
I offer this example as representative of something we call "cherry picking." Finding a statement and pulling it out of context to either discredit someone or to substantiate our belief system. If you find a statement shared and repeated over and over by people who oppose the one who made the statement be aware that you may be viewing an example of this very "cherry picking." We are most vulnerable to the toxicity of "cherry picking" when we don't know the field or have a scant knowledge of the topic. Ignorance is fertile soil for planting the seeds of slander and character assassination. This tendency is also seen in the fervent search for damning material regardless of date, context or accuracy. Something that follows the "cherry picking" is the willingness to believe scandalous purported statements without checking to see if they are true. I don't know how many quotes I have seen recently on FB that the person never said. It is so easy to check up on it and verify whether there is any chance the person said it. What is so horrifying about all this, is that the body of believers, who are called to "cast down the accuser of the brethren," have become his greatest fighting force. Our biggest enemy right now is not Trump, Bill Gates or Dr. Fauci. The gifts of the Spirit were given so that we could edify, exhort and comfort. I have to remind myself of this all the time. |
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