Bamidbar

Bamidbar

Bamidbar (In the Wilderness)

Torah: Numbers 1:1-4:20 Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22 Brit Chadasha: Luke 2:25-38

Service that means something

This week’s portion gives us the census of the congregation of the children of Yisrael and also lays out the place where each tribe will be around the Mishkan (Tabernacle in the wilderness). I want to focus on something this week that has recently happened.

There was a Costa Rican friend of mine that recently was called in front of a council in the Constatinian ‘church’ that he went to. This friend of mine recently started his relationship with Yahweh and decided to go to this particular building. He actually began to read his Bible not from Matthew but from Genesis to Revelation. He began to tell me that each week at this Constatinian church the Sheppard would always be talking about receiving more money or how he needed people from the congregation to step up and clean the building which he refers to as the ‘temple’. Oh, I left out one thing. This Sheppard also refers to himself as a ‘spiritual’ Levite. I am going somewhere with this so just hang in there.

I guess it was a few weeks ago when my friend was reading this current portion in Numbers when he ran across some interesting verses in the first chapter.[i] So what would any student do but go and ask the teacher what they mean. Well that is what my friend did and boy was he in for a surprise. He began by asking the Sheppard to clarify one more time that the building was the temple and that the Sheppard considered himself to be a spiritual Levite. The Sheppard confirmed both of these with a yes. My friend then proceeded to ask him to read these previous verses that I mentioned above. These verses give us a clear picture that the Levites had the duty of taking care or tending to the Mishkan and all the furnishings inside it. He said the Sheppard began to make all sorts of excuses and finally my friend asked him why he was not obeying the Word. Well to make a long story short my friend was told in this council that he was causing problems and that he could come to the services but special events and other events he was not welcome. So much for echad/yachad and brotherly love, huh?

The reason why I shared this story was to show you how far ministers have fallen from their true responsibility to serve. I am not saying all ministers are like this but over time many ministers get some fame and notoriety to their name and think that they are the ones that should be waited on hand and foot. Messiah laid it out for us very well not only in words but in deeds as well. So I guess I could end with this question that is a bit off subject but then again not really. If we are a royal priesthood and claim this then how is the temple doing? What kind of shape is the temple in?

Thought of the Week

But Yeshua called them unto him, and said, ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:25-28