“‘Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.”‘” (Luke 14:27–30 NASB)
This week’s Torah reading שְׁלַח Shelakh (“send,” Numbers 13–15) is a lesson in hope and human imagination. It is also a difficult lesson about how God often gives us a brief window of opportunity to take possession of what He wants for us. If we shirk away in unbelief (Heb. 10:26–31; Hab. 2:3–4), the opportunity and the blessing that goes with it are lost. God will give that blessing to someone who has the faith to receive them.
Numbers 13: Twelve Jews, two opinions
From a military point of view, I can understand why one would want to spy out the land before entering in, but God had already told them the land was a good land. What more did they really need to know?
The spies who were sent to check out the land of Israel were not random people. They were all leaders in their own right, leaders of each of the 12 tribes.
The majority of the spies returned from their scouting trip and slandered the land of Israel and God Himself. When God tells us to go somewhere, it’s for our own good but 10 of the 12 spies didn’t believe. They preferred their own judgement over God’s.
The 10 spies were full of doubt and fear and that colored their view of the land. Joshua and Caleb were full of faith. All 12 of the spies entered into the land with a bias and what they saw and heard simply reinforced it.
What is the difference between a spy and a tourist? If you are a spy in the city, you are not looking for the good things, you are looking for the weak points and how to destroy it. If you are a tourist, you are looking for the good things, the beautiful things. We should live our life as a tourist, not a spy. It is all for our good.
“’There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’” (Numbers 13:33 NASB)
I find it interesting that the 10 spies considered themselves as grasshopper rather than ants. Grasshoppers are solitary insects. They only come together to destroy. Ants, on the other hand, are unified. They are able to perform great feats of engineering because of their unity.
God’s judgement on unbelief
It appears the tribe of Levi escaped the judgement that the rest of the tribes reaped. The Levite leaders did not die in the plague as the leaders of the 10 tribes did.
We also see later that Aaron’s two sons, who both were over the age of 20 at this time, were allowed to enter the Promised Land along with the next generation.
This parashat is a lesson in hope and human imagination. If you see the phrase “They raised their voices and shouted…” in Hebrew, it is used in Genesis and other parts of Torah to express hopelessness.
- Hagar said it when she was in the wilderness with Ishmael after they were cast out of Abraham’s home.
- Esau said the same thing when he learned that Jacob had taken his blessing.
- Jacob did the same when he saw Rachel for the first time.
The children of Israel were given a brief window of opportunity to take possession of what God had for them. When they rejected it, their time was up and it was given to another.
The generation that left Egypt were not much different from the Egyptians themselves and God did not want to bring Egypt into the Promised Land.
There are many parallels between Numbers 14 and what God did in Egypt during the 10 plagues.
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.’” (Numbers 14:11–12 NASB)
God said the same thing about Pharaoh, that he would attack him and Egypt with pestilence to reveal His power.
- 10 plagues vs. 10 tests against God
- Pestilences
- Appearance of the destroyer
Numbers 15:21: Don’t eat this dough
“From the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD an offering throughout your generations.” (Numbers 15:21 NASB)
Just as an aside, challah is not synonymous with “Sabbath bread.” One makes challah by setting aside a small lump — traditionally, about the size of an olive — of the dough. In the times of the Temple, that bread was given to the local priest or levite for part of their daily substance. Today, the challah is set aside and then burnt like a burnt offering.
Numbers 15:32–36: Sticks and stones can break your bones, but gathering logs on Shabbat…
Many people, believers and non-believers alike, have a hard time with this story. However, when you read deeply, rather than just skimming the surface, you understand that this man was not just carrying kindling or small sticks. He was carrying logs and branches, based on the Hebrew version of this text.
God had already told the children of Israel that they were to rest on the Shabbat. This is how seriously God takes the admonition not to work on Shabbat. This man was performing serious strenuous manual labor.
Just as we care about the birthdays, anniversaries and appointments with our own families, we should care even more about the memorials, anniversaries and appointments our dear Heavenly Father has for us.
Summary: Tammy