Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Torah Portion

This Torah Portion goes from Numbers 30:1-36:13

Matot= tribes (מַּטּוֹת‎) and Masei= journeys (מַסְעֵי‎)

Overall view of the Torah portion for this week:

Numbers 30: Vows

Numbers 31: Vengeance

Numbers 32: Vulnerability

Numbers 33: View the Past

Numbers 34: View Future

Numbers 35: Vindication

Numbers 36: Value

Content in each Torah Portion

CHAPTER Numbers 30

VOWS

GOD’S WAY: COVENANT

MAN’S WAY: CONTRACT

CHAPTER Numbers 31

VENGEANCE

GOD’S WAY: GIVE UP TO GOD

MAN’S WAY: TAKE FROM GOD

CHAPTER Numbers 32

VULNERABILITY

GOD’S WAY: TRUST GOD

MAN’S WAY: TRUST SELF

CHAPTER Numbers 33

VIEW OF THE PAST

GOD’S WAY: SEE HOW GOD LEADS

MAN’S WAY: SEE SELF LEAD

CHAPTER Numbers 34

VIEW OF THE FUTURE

GOD’S WAY: LOOKING AT GOD

MAN’S WAY: SELF-SEEKING GRATIFICATION

CHAPTER Numbers 35

VINDICATION

GOD’S WAY: ACCIDENTS

MAN’S WAY: INTENTIONAL MURDER

CHAPTER Numbers 36

VALUE

GOD’S WAY: CARE FOR INHERITANCE

MAN’S WAY: NOT CARE FOR HERITAGE

In this Torah portion we will take a general view of the content in all the chapters, but we will alter the order to focus on 2 key chapters

Key Chapters

CHAPTER Numbers 30

VOWS

GOD’S WAY: COVENANT

MAN’S WAY: CONTRACT

CHAPTER Numbers 35

VINDICATION

GOD’S WAY: ACCIDENTS

MAN’S WAY: INTENTIONAL MURDER

We will focus in on more extensively on these two important chapters, in light of their application to the end times, and the practicality of our time, but will start with a short reading of the first chapter for context only

Presentation

The heads of the tribes - name of Torah portion

Journeys is the second Torah portion

In chapter 30, God commands Israel to make vows in correlation to the appointed feasts in chapter 29

God also explains the possible outcomes of keeping and not keeping the vows.

We will discuss this in more detail later in our study.

Chapter 31

CHAPTER Numbers 31 VENGEANCE

GOD’S WAY: GIVE UP TO GOD

MAN’S WAY: TAKE FROM GOD

Numbers 31:1–3 (NKJV)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel.

Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian.

It is their responsibility to take, as they compromised by taking Moebite women and worshiping Baal.

to wreak the Lord’s vengeance on Rather, “to exact the Lord’s retribution on.”

For the exact idiom, see Ezekiel 25:14, 17.

Whereas the Israelites seek redress or compensation from the Midianites for causing the devastating plague of Baal-peor, the Lord desires to exact retribution from them for the sacrilege they committed (v.

16) by seducing the Israelites into worshiping Baal-peor.

Jacob Milgrom, Numbers, The JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1990), 256.

Ezekiel 25:14 (NKJV)

I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.

Rashi:

Whoever attacks Israel attacks the Lord.

There were now 12 tribes plus Manasseh.

They exclude the Levites since they did not serve in the armed forces.

They would do spiritual war fare

Jacob Milgrom, Numbers, The JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1990), 256.

They procured vengeance for God; giving something to God, and sacrificing their own men in war

But took something in return: all the spoil and booty

Again

Chapter 31

CHAPTER Numbers 31 VENGEANCE

GOD’S WAY: GIVE UP TO GOD

MAN’S WAY: TAKE FROM GOD

Let’s move on to chapter 32

Chapter 32

CHAPTER Numbers 32

VULNERABILITY

GOD’S WAY: TRUST GOD

MAN’S WAY: TRUST SELF

They also took half the children of Manasseh

Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh trusted in themselves more than trusting God

Numbers 32:11–13 (NKJV)

‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,

except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’

So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.