Shalom!

 

This week our Torah portion covers a story we know well. Twelve spies, leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel, enter the Promised Land. They find the Land to be flowing with milk and honey, producing amazing fruit…yet ten of them spread fear and doubt the promise YHWH had given them:

 

Shemot/Exodus 23:20 " Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ "Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. ²² "But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ²³ "For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

 

Scripture calls the leaders' words an "evil report":

 

Bemidbar/Numbers 13:32 And they gave the children of Israel an evil report of the Land which they had spied out, saying, "The Land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.

 

Yet the other two spies, Joshua and Caleb, encouraged the Israelites to dismiss the evil report of the ten and trust in the promises of their faithful Deliverer.

 

Bemidbar/Numbers 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moshe, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."

 

But the people persisted in their rebellion to the point of being willing to abandon their inheritance:

 

Bemidbar/Numbers 14:1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. ² And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! ³ "Why has YHWH brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?"

 

We know that only Joshua and Caleb and the children of the unfaithful would be allowed to enter the Land promised to them as an inheritance. And here is what YHWH says about Caleb:

 

Bemidbar/Numbers 14:24 "But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

 

From the above verse we notice two things about Caleb who has a "different spirit":

 

· He has followed YHWH fully (obedient)

· He will inherit the Land

 

Do you desire to also have the "different Spirit" that Caleb had? Are you able to go against the flow and believe YHWH in the same way that Caleb and our father Avraham did? Caleb's life was guided by the spirit of truth and he lived an obedient lifestyle. The "contrasting spirit" to Caleb's is described in Ephesians:

 

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

 

Notice that the one walking by this contrary spirit:

 

· Is disobedient

· Walks according to the ways of the world

· Fulfills the lusts of the flesh

 

There is a Psalm written by King David in which five times it speaks of those who will "inherit the Land". Just for a moment, read through the Psalm and pretend that it was spoken by Caleb as an encouragement to the Israelites in their moment of fear from the "evil report":

 

Psalm 37:1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. ³ Trust in YHWH, and do good; Dwell in the Land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself also in YHWH, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to YHWH, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. ⁷ Rest in YHWH, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret -- it only causes harm. ⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on YHWH, They shall inherit the Land. ¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the Land, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. ¹² The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. ¹³ Adonai laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. ¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. ¹⁵ Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. ¹⁶ A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. ¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But YHWH upholds the righteous. ¹⁸ YHWH knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. ¹⁹ They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. ²⁰ But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of YHWH, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. ²¹ The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. ²² For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. ²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by YHWH, And He delights in his way. ²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For YHWH upholds him with His hand. ²⁵ I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. ²⁶ He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. ²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. ²⁸ For YHWH loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. ²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the Land, And dwell in it forever. ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. ³¹ The Torah of his Elohim is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. ³² The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. ³³ YHWH will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. ³⁴ Wait on YHWH, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the Land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. ³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. ³⁶ Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. ³⁷ Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. ³⁸ But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. ³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from YHWH; He is their strength in the time of trouble. ⁴⁰ And YHWH shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

 

What do we learn from Psalm 37 in the five times it mentions inheriting the Land?

 

1. Those who wait (implies hoping with sure confidence) on YHWH shall inherit the Land

2. The meek shall inherit the Land

3. Those blessed by Him shall inherit the Land

4. The righteous shall inherit the Land

5. Those who keep His way shall be exalted to inherit the Land

 

A couple of years ago, Moshe Kempinski, an orthodox Jew from Jerusalem (and friend to many believers who pass through His store - Shorashim), posted a commentary entitled - Rejecting the Land of Israel. In the commentary, he relates the Sabbath discussion at a prominent rabbi's house in Jerusalem, not long after World War II. Here is the story…

 

One participant at the Sabbath table had brought up a disturbing topic: the phenomenon of visitors touring Eretz Yisrael and then criticizing the country after returning to their homes. These visitors complain about everything: the heat, the poverty, the backwardness, the political situation - and discourage other Jews from moving here, he lamented.

 

Rav Tzvi Yehudah responded by telling the following parable, one he had heard in the name of Rabbi Samuel Mohilever, the rabbi of Bialystok.

 

The Failed Match

 

There was once a wealthy man who sought the hand of a certain young lady. She was the most beautiful girl in town, and was blessed with many talents and a truly refined character. Her family was not well-off, so they were eager about a possible match with the prosperous fellow.

 

The young woman, however, was not interested in the match. Rich or not, the prospective suitor was known to be coarse and ill-mannered. She refused to meet with him. The father asked her to at least meet with the young man in their home, so as not to embarrass him. After all, one meeting doesn't obligate you to marry him! To please her father, the young woman agreed.

 

The following Sabbath afternoon, the fellow arrived at the house as arranged, and was warmly received by the father. Shortly afterwards, his daughter made her entrance. But her hair was uncombed, and she word a faded, crumpled dress and shabby house slippers. Appalled at her disheveled appearance, it did not take long before the young man excused himself and made a hurried exit.

 

What everyone says about this girl - it's not true, exclaimed the astonished young man to his friends. She's hideous!

 

Rav Tzvi Yehudah stopped briefly, surveying the guests seated around the table. Superficially, it would appear that the brash young fellow had rejected the young woman. But in fact, it was she who had rejected him.

 

The same is true regarding the Land of Israel, the rabbi explained. Eretz Yisrael is a special land, only ready to accept those who are receptive to its unique spiritual qualities. The Land does not reveal its inner beauty to all who visit. Not everyone can perceive its special holiness.

 

It may appear as if the dissatisfied visitors are the ones who reject the Land of Israel, he concluded. But in fact, it is the Land that rejects them!

 

A thoughtful silence pervaded the room. Those present were stunned by the parable and the rabbi's impassioned delivery.

 

Seeing the Goodness of Jerusalem

 

When visitors from outside the country would approach the Chief Rabbi for a blessing, Rav Kook would quote from the Book of Psalms, "May God bless you from Zion" (128:5).

 

Then he would ask: What exactly is this blessing from Zion? In fact, the content of the blessing is described in the continuation of the verse: "May you see the goodness of Jerusalem." The rabbi would explain: The verse does not say that one should merit seeing Jerusalem; but that one should merit seeing "the goodness of Jerusalem". Many people visit Jerusalem. But how many of them merit seeing the inner goodness hidden in the holy city?

 

And that, he concluded, is God's special blessing from Zion. (end of Moshe's commentary)

 

One last thing here. Let's look at some prophetic verses from Isaiah, connecting the precious, future Jerusalem/Zion with those who will "inherit the Land":

 

Isaiah 60:14 Also the sons of those who afflicted you Shall come bowing to you, And all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet; And they shall call you The City of YHWH, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁵ " Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, So that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, A joy of many generations. ¹⁶ You shall drink the milk of the nations, And milk the breast of kings; You shall know that I, YHWH, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. ¹⁷ " Instead of bronze I will bring gold, Instead of iron I will bring silver, Instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. I will also make your officers peace, And your magistrates righteousness. ¹⁸ Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, Neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, And your gates Praise. ¹⁹ " The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But YHWH will be to you an everlasting light, And your Elohim your glory. ²⁰ Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For YHWH will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. ²¹ Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the Land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.

 

Did you notice the last line? The inheritance of the Land and the work He does in bringing His people there are all for His glory! This is a promise and it is "yes and amen"!!
 

Shabbat Shalom!

Ardelle