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Torah readings

Parashot Matot/Massei (מטות/מסעי): Numbers 30–36

“As God is my witness, I will do that.” Such words can roll off our tongues easily, but we can forget that One is witnessing such a vow and watching to see whether we respect the Creator enough to follow through. That’s why Moshe (Moses), Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ) and His apostle Ya’akob (James) warned us against dragging the LORD in to co-sign on our promises. That’s a key lesson in the dual Torah reading מַּטּוֹת Mattot and מַסְעֵי Massei (Numbers 30–36).

Note: Because of special Bible readings during God’s appointed times, the readings Mattot and Massei are combined into one week this year.SaveSaveSaveSave

Matot/Mattot

Yisrael’s promise to remain faithful to the One Who delivered the people out of bondage in Mitsraim (Egypt) eroded under the temptation of a flesh-friendly religion. So a former ally of 40 years ago became an existential enemy and had to be defeated. The wisdom of being very careful in making promises and seeking the strength to keep them is the subtext of the Torah reading מַּטּוֹת Matot (“tribes”).

Readings

  • Numbers 30:2–32:42
  • Jeremiah 1:1–2:3
  • Acts 9:1–22

Mattot studies

Why God makes such a big deal out of vows and oaths (Deuteronomy 30-36). A black bailiff swears in a white woman wearing a white shirt and brown skirt while holding up her right hand and placing her left hand on a Bible. (Image from Adobe Stock Photos)

Why God makes such a big deal out of vows and oaths (Numbers 30–36)

The Torah double portion מַּטּוֹת מַסְעֵי Matot-Massei (Numbers 30–36) focuses on vows. The theme of this section, echoed by Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) and His apostle Ya’akov (James), is say what you mean and mean what you say. This is true whether we are engaging with our equals, our leaders or those who are in a more vulnerable and marginalized position in our society. We should also communicate honesty and forthrightly with God, because no idle word will be forgotten by our God. Every comment, every joke, every insult will be noted and accounted in His book.
Read More
Individual strength through unity: Why it was so important for Israel to have 12 distinct tribes (Numbers 32 and 36). Six people clasp their left hands to the left wrist of the person to the right in a circle to form a Star of David of connected hands and wrists.

Individual strength through unity: Why it was so important for Israel to have 12 distinct tribes (Numbers 32 & 36)

Paul, an apostle of Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ), wrote in Romans 9–11 that it was necessary for believers from the nations (“gentiles”) to be “grafted in” to Israel so “all Israel will be saved.” The dual Torah reading מטות Matot (“tribes”) and מסעי Massei (“journeys of”) (Numbers 30–36) goes through great detail on how the 12 tribes (plus Levi) must be kept together yet distinct. From this and Paul’s writings we learn the key Bible lesson of strength in the whole — Israel — when it is made of up parts defined by their integrity of mission and morals.
Read More
Why promises to Heaven are a big deal (Numbers 30-36)

Why promises to Heaven are a big deal (Numbers 30–36)

When we make a vow to God, we must be willing to keep it even if it’s hard. Yet God also extends grace and forgiveness when we make vows rashly without informed consent. We also learn that although God’s law protects women who make rash vows through the agency of their fathers or husband’s but when they act with evil intent, their deeds will not go unpunished. We also learn from the prophet Jeremiah that when a nation is evil and rotten at the top, at the people follow their leaders on the path of evil, not only does the nation suffer…
Read More
Why did You make me this way? Bible lessons on Potter and clay from Numbers 30, Isaiah and Romans.

God, why did You make me this way? (Numbers 30)

Why wasn’t I born tall? Athletic? In a prosperous country? To wealthy parents? In a loving, stable home? There are so many ways popular culture, our peers and we ourselves can tell us that we are less than valuable. We might glean from a cursory pass through the Torah readings מטות Matot (“tribes”) and מסעי Massei/Mase’y (“journeys of”), covering Numbers 30–36, a few more points of discrimination against us: born a woman, born in the wrong family. Yet we will discover in this Bible study after lifting the hood on the full message from Heaven, rather than pulling soundbites convenient to…
Read More
No matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell.

Numbers 33: Travelogue of Egypt to the Promised Land teaches faith in the LORD

The LORD makes a big deal about fulfilling our promises, because He wants us to count on His promises of our transformation of character and world made new through the Messiah. That’s an important lesson in the Torah double reading מטות Matot (“tribes”) and מסעי Massei (“journeys of”), covering Numbers 30:2–36:13. covering Numbers 30-36. But easy to miss in seemingly unending list of 40-plus place names in Numbers 33 are the critical lessons learned by the Exodus generations and each one to our current day about temptations “common to man” (1Cor. 10:13). Apostle Paul riffs on the incidents behind the Egypt-to-Promised Land travelogue to…
Read More

Numbers 30-36: We want Messiah to give us rest from our dumb oaths and vows

Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) emphasized that vows and oaths are not to be taken lightly (Matthew 5:33-37). Why then did the Holy One of Israel give instructions about vows and oaths? Part of it is our distance from the original language and meanings of these words. Another part is we aren’t seeing the lessons from Heaven in these instructions, namely, that just as the LORD promises to give a land of rest to Israel, so too, should those who make promises be as faithful to them. The dual Torah reading מטות Matot (“tribes,” Numbers 30-32) and מסעי Massei/Mase’y…
Read More

Numbers 30–36: ‘Be angry, and yet do not sin’

The men of Midian used their wives to seduce the Israelites. In the dual Torah readings מטות Matot and מסעי Massei, we learn that Midian did this under the belief that they had to conquer Israel for their own long-term survival, for the sake of their sons. At some point in our lives, we have all unintentionally “murdered” someone in our hearts. If you hate someone, you are guilty. We should repent, but we still have to deal with that murder guilt. That guilt was paid by the High Priest, our High Priest is Yeshua. It is only the death of…
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Massei

When life or our trust in the LORD seems to get too tough for too long, it’s tempting to give up. Yet we should look back on how far we have come in our new life in the Kingdom of Heaven through the mercy given us on the name of Yeshua.

Our journey from our old life is much like Israel’s journey from bondage in Mitsraim to freedom at Sinai and rest in the Promised Land, a trek recounted for the second generation in the Torah passage מַסְעֵי Massei (“stages”).

Readings

  • Numbers 33–36
  • Jeremiah 2:4–28
  • James 4:1–12

Massei studies

Why God makes such a big deal out of vows and oaths (Deuteronomy 30-36). A black bailiff swears in a white woman wearing a white shirt and brown skirt while holding up her right hand and placing her left hand on a Bible. (Image from Adobe Stock Photos)

Why God makes such a big deal out of vows and oaths (Numbers 30–36)

The Torah double portion מַּטּוֹת מַסְעֵי Matot-Massei (Numbers 30–36) focuses on vows. The theme of this section, echoed by Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) and His apostle Ya’akov (James), is say what you mean and mean what you say. This is true whether we are engaging with our equals, our leaders or those who are in a more vulnerable and marginalized position in our society. We should also communicate honesty and forthrightly with God, because no idle word will be forgotten by our God. Every comment, every joke, every insult will be noted and accounted in His book.
Read More
Individual strength through unity: Why it was so important for Israel to have 12 distinct tribes (Numbers 32 and 36). Six people clasp their left hands to the left wrist of the person to the right in a circle to form a Star of David of connected hands and wrists.

Individual strength through unity: Why it was so important for Israel to have 12 distinct tribes (Numbers 32 & 36)

Paul, an apostle of Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ), wrote in Romans 9–11 that it was necessary for believers from the nations (“gentiles”) to be “grafted in” to Israel so “all Israel will be saved.” The dual Torah reading מטות Matot (“tribes”) and מסעי Massei (“journeys of”) (Numbers 30–36) goes through great detail on how the 12 tribes (plus Levi) must be kept together yet distinct. From this and Paul’s writings we learn the key Bible lesson of strength in the whole — Israel — when it is made of up parts defined by their integrity of mission and morals.
Read More
Why promises to Heaven are a big deal (Numbers 30-36)

Why promises to Heaven are a big deal (Numbers 30–36)

When we make a vow to God, we must be willing to keep it even if it’s hard. Yet God also extends grace and forgiveness when we make vows rashly without informed consent. We also learn that although God’s law protects women who make rash vows through the agency of their fathers or husband’s but when they act with evil intent, their deeds will not go unpunished. We also learn from the prophet Jeremiah that when a nation is evil and rotten at the top, at the people follow their leaders on the path of evil, not only does the nation suffer…
Read More
Why did You make me this way? Bible lessons on Potter and clay from Numbers 30, Isaiah and Romans.

God, why did You make me this way? (Numbers 30)

Why wasn’t I born tall? Athletic? In a prosperous country? To wealthy parents? In a loving, stable home? There are so many ways popular culture, our peers and we ourselves can tell us that we are less than valuable. We might glean from a cursory pass through the Torah readings מטות Matot (“tribes”) and מסעי Massei/Mase’y (“journeys of”), covering Numbers 30–36, a few more points of discrimination against us: born a woman, born in the wrong family. Yet we will discover in this Bible study after lifting the hood on the full message from Heaven, rather than pulling soundbites convenient to…
Read More
No matter what happens, travel gives you a story to tell.

Numbers 33: Travelogue of Egypt to the Promised Land teaches faith in the LORD

The LORD makes a big deal about fulfilling our promises, because He wants us to count on His promises of our transformation of character and world made new through the Messiah. That’s an important lesson in the Torah double reading מטות Matot (“tribes”) and מסעי Massei (“journeys of”), covering Numbers 30:2–36:13. covering Numbers 30-36. But easy to miss in seemingly unending list of 40-plus place names in Numbers 33 are the critical lessons learned by the Exodus generations and each one to our current day about temptations “common to man” (1Cor. 10:13). Apostle Paul riffs on the incidents behind the Egypt-to-Promised Land travelogue to…
Read More

All cultures are not equal (Numbers 30–36)

Are we thankful that Heaven’s faithfulness isn’t like our faithlessness, making promises we can’t keep (out of hopefulness) and won’t keep (out of deception)? In the double-header Torah reading of מטות Matot (“tribes,” Numbers 30–32) and מסעי Massei (or Mase’y, “journeys of,” Numbers 33–36), we learn why Yeshua (Jesus) taught that vows and oaths were no flippant matter, why Heaven’s “new covenant” promise is dependable to remember our iniquities no more (Jeremiah 31:31–34) and how being “grafted in” to the people of God has been the plan (Romans 11).
Read More

Numbers 30-36: We want Messiah to give us rest from our dumb oaths and vows

Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) emphasized that vows and oaths are not to be taken lightly (Matthew 5:33-37). Why then did the Holy One of Israel give instructions about vows and oaths? Part of it is our distance from the original language and meanings of these words. Another part is we aren’t seeing the lessons from Heaven in these instructions, namely, that just as the LORD promises to give a land of rest to Israel, so too, should those who make promises be as faithful to them. The dual Torah reading מטות Matot (“tribes,” Numbers 30-32) and מסעי Massei/Mase’y…
Read More

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