Torah Portion: Numbers 8:1-12:16

Beha’alotcha (‘When you raise…’)

Imagine how despondent you would have been as part of the remnant of Jewish exiles who had returned from Babylon, led by Zerubbabel to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, only to have the work stopped by strong local opposition. It was another 16 years until Darius confirmed Cyrus’ original decree allowing the Jews to finish the rebuild.

Both Zechariah and Haggai were concerned with the work on the Temple. Haggai admonished the returned exiles for their apathy, while Zechariah motivated the people to finish the Temple with a mixture of visions and messages, looking to the coming Messiah, foretelling both rejection at Yeshua’s first coming, and his victory at the end of the age.

Zechariah 2:10-11 (part of this week’s Haftarah portion) tells how Adonai had scattered Judah, but later warned her to flee back to the Land of Israel, escaping from the “daughter of Babel”. This was Persia, another Antichrist-type empire that followed the Babylonians. Like Egypt before them, these were satanic empires bent upon destroying God’s people.

New Nation

Just over 900 years earlier, the ancestors of this Jewish remnant had been fleeing Egypt. Against apparently insurmountable opposition, God had showed himself to be supreme, bringing the people of Israel out from slavery with incredible signs and wonders. Then, having made the people into a nation, giving them instructions and teachings to live by, two years after escaping Egypt God led Israel on the first leg of their journey as a new nation, towards the Promised Land.

Numbers 10:11-36 gives a stirring picture of Israel setting out in trusting obedience on their inaugural journey. I can imagine a sense of pride and excitement, the adrenaline rush within God’s new nation as the trumpets blew and each company set off following its banner, the Ark of the Covenant in the lead, with Adonai’s cloud overhead.

Trust Tested

However, in Numbers 11 we are told that Israel’s first camp was ‘Graves of Greed’ (Kibroth-hattaavah), where the people complained about the lack of variety of food. They craved meat to accompany the manna that God was providing. Moses complained as well, because the burden of leading such discouragingly negative people was getting too much. God listened, providing Moses with 70 men to help lead and administrate, and providing Israel with abundant quail. But their greed led to a terrible plague with many deaths.

At Hazeroth, Israel’s second camp, Myriam and Aaron by criticising Moses, criticised God. Myriam was punished with leprosy for seven days, further delaying the journey to Paran Desert, from where Israel should have gone on to take the Promised Land.

Ultimate Goal

At both of these times in Israel’s history, things started well, but then adversity of one form or another hindered God’s community. But we know from the Book of Joshua that God did in fact bring Israel into the Promised Land. We also know from the records of Ezra and Nehemiah that the words of Haggai and Zechariah did encourage God’s people to get both Temple and city walls rebuilt. The author of Hebrews tells us why:

All of these had their merit attested because of their trusting. Nevertheless, they did not receive what had been promised, because God had planned something better that would involve us [including you and me], so that only with us would they be brought to the goal... (Hebrews 11:39-40, see also vv29-34)

…to the mediator of a new covenant, Yeshua! (Hebrews 12:24)

Author: John Quinlan

Scripture quotes from the Complete Jewish Bible.