B’midbar (Numbers) 25:10 – 30:1
Melekim Aleph (I Kings) 18:46 – 19:21
Yochanan (John) 2:13-22
How did Israel go so fast from the blessing of Ma Tovu (how goodly) to the defiling sin and fatal tragedy of Ba’al-Pe’or? Why did the javelin of a zealous Phineas have to come so quickly?
The Teaching of Balaam Today
Balak failed to curse Israel from a distance, so the adversary tried another strategy – to get into the heads of the men through their flesh – so they would curse themselves.
How did the men of Israel ever get to the point of lusting after foreign women and breaking covenant with their God?
What did Balaam teach Balak that was so effective in bringing Israel to curse themselves? They both had found out the hard way that trying to word-curse the children of Israel just backfired on them – Balaam blessed Israel instead. That didn’t work – but what did?
One of the enemy’s most effective strategies is to deceive us into thinking it’s all right and even normal to desire forbidden fruit. Bring in another culture’s pagan norms into a people’s thought lives and the adversary gains a foothold.
Adonai Yeshua gives us insight into this incident in the Torah when He said:
“But I have a few things against you, that you have there those holding the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol sacrifices, and to commit fornication.” Revelation 2:14
Balaam taught Balak and the men of Israel to accept false doctrine to change their minds on what’s forbidden. It starts with a subtle question: ‘Did God say?’ Does Yah mean what He said? Can’t it be explained away to allow what the flesh wants?
False doctrines always have elements of truth, or they’re not believable. False doctrines promise short-lived liberty but result in bondage to the sins of the flesh.
Balaam taught Balak to bring in the stumbling blocks of loose, enticing women. Bala’am knew that Yah was jealous over His people – that He would not tolerate adultery or idolatry.
Music, Innuendos, and Pretty Little Lies
We have clues to what Balaam had taught in the names of the Simeonite ‘Zimri’ who took the Midianite woman ‘Cosbi’. Substituting the meaning of their names – the man who heard ‘my music’ took on ‘my lie’, a woman of ‘strife’. Music that appeals to the lust of the flesh, along with pretty little lies, took hold in Zimri’s head and his heart.
Hey, I fell into the sins of sex, drugs, and rock & roll myself as a young man. My sins brought curses into my life, but my Savior Yeshua saved me from them – praise Yah!
The devil floods our culture and the internet with music videos, music with sex scenes, music with sexual innuendos, music in the marketplace, on the streets, big events, etc.
Music is a specialty of the former music-maker and worship leader, Lucifer (Ezekiel 28:13), to get us to defile and curse ourselves with sexual sin. Ha’satan knows YHWH is a jealous God and what it takes for His nostrils to flare up with anger against His people!
What Went Wrong with Zimri?
Somehow Zimri was led to believe that it was okay for men to bring in foreign women and consume them upon their lusts. He liked his ears tickled with that false doctrine. Somehow, other men of Israel must have liked the norm of the pagan nations and accepted it for what they would like for their enjoyment. Somehow they came to think that because everybody else does it in the world, then it must be all right.
Somehow they ignored all the strife that that kind of lifestyle produces. I’m sure Balaam didn’t teach the devastating consequences of sexual sin, and neither does our culture.
Moses knew it from his youth and taught it often. Moses did not identify and embrace the culture of Egypt. Listen to this commentary that has helped me overcome temptation:
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of the Messiah greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26
It is worth it to restrain the flesh! YHWH rewards His people who do! Enjoying sins, like sex outside of marriage, has short-term pleasures, but eventually results in devastation.
Balak (meaning ‘devastator’) got into the thought life of many men in Israel through the false doctrine that permitted stumbling blocks of the lust of the flesh. Sound familiar America?
Thoughts have their sources, or seeds, in either one of two realms: the Kingdom of Elohim, or the Kingdom of Ha’satan. Each individual has a choice to allow and to identify with either realm to become a normal part of thought patterns and even lifestyle.
The War on the Soul
The inconvenient truth, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, is that every one of us is in the midst of a war for the mind. Paul explained it this way and gave us the answer:
But I say, if you walk in the Spirit, the lust of the flesh will not overtake you.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are opposed to one another; so you are not able to do as you desire.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under (the penalty of breaking) the Torah.
Now the works of the flesh are revealed, which are: adultery, impurity, uncleanness, lustfulness… Galatians 5:16-19
The flesh and the spirit are at war on the inside of every one of us, whether we acknowledge it, or not. The battlefield between the two is the mind and the heart, where the will and emotions are seated in every soul. The war is always on, people!
So in what way can we win the battle against sexual perversion? Should we make sure everyone’s modestly dressed and completely covered? If everyone would just comply with a strict dress code! Islam and other religions do that, but does it curb the lust of the flesh? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against modest dress, but how can we walk in the Spirit, so that as Paul says, the lust of the flesh would not consume our thoughts?
Winning the Battle for the Soul
But the ones belonging to Messiah crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. Let us therefore live by the Spirit, and surrender to the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25
Of all people, Messianic, Hebrew Roots believers ought to have the ‘crucifying the flesh’ thing down. We study the sacrificial system over and over again in the Torah. The lesson is illustrated time and time again – flesh must die and the fire of the Spirit must consume the sacrifice of our carnal desires! Flesh must not just die, but be completely consumed with zeal and turned into ash where ‘the flesh’ can’t even be recognized again!
Yet, we still don’t seem to get it. Guys will talk about struggles with sexual temptation, but rarely, if ever, refer to crucifixion with the Messiah as the answer. Do we believe in Adonai Yeshua as our personal Savior from sin, day by day, or do we not?
Could it be that the preaching of the Gospel sounds so foolish compared to midrashing the Torah? Talking about being crucified with Christ doesn’t stimulate the intellect much, but it sure can mortify the deeds and lusts of the flesh in a way that talking Torah can’t!
Hey guys, when do you get snake bit? When our eyes are not on the Savior, but distracted by the enticing things of the world? What are we doing watching FOX News, going to the gym, or watching sporting events with half-naked people? Why even look at magazine covers in the checkout line? Why are our eyes so easily captivated?
How does knowing the Torah work out for a guy being tempted by the world? We better have the Word and our Savior on our minds! Here are Words that the Holy Spirit has spoken to me many, many times when temptation comes to my mind:
For I decided not to know about anything among you except Yeshua the Messiah –and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2
Paul was zealously admonishing the carnal Corinthians, where sexual immorality was the elephant in the room, to not go by excellent speech or wisdom. Get this in your head and heart carnal people – fill your minds with Yeshua the Messiah – and Him crucified!
And she caught him by his (Joseph’s) robe, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his robe in her hand and fled, and went outside. Genesis 39:12
But flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. 2 Timothy 2:22
If my eyes catch a glimpse of an enticing sexual image, my eyes flee and I go as far outside of that view as I need to go; that is if I have Christ and Him crucified on my mind.
I made a covenant with my eyes not to pay attention to a virgin. Job 31:1
If we are in a covenant relationship with YHWH, we will not violate His terms by paying attention to young, attractive ladies with eyes on them, if our eyes are on Yeshua.
I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11
What Word of Yah have you hidden in your heart, ready for recall, to tell the tempter “It is written!”? Even Adonai Yeshua did that after 40 days of fasting when tempted by the devil. How much more should we have His Word hidden in our hearts?
The Gospel - the Solution for Sexual Sin
Ouch! I stumbled! There are times when every one of us stumbles and gets bit by the snake. When the snake bit an Israelite in the outer barrenness of the wilderness, he looked up to one source of salvation and healing – the brazen serpent that Moses lifted up on a staff. The serpent represents the curse, for Elohim cursed it to crawl on its belly from the day he deceived Adam and Eve.
Yeshua took the curse of the fallen, sinful nature upon Himself, to crucify the lust of the flesh for forbidden fruit. He hung on the tree that whosoever would look upon the cross and put his faith in Him could be saved from their sin, and better yet – be healed!
The reason I keep bringing up the Gospel is because I often wonder if crucifixion with Messiah is a part of our normal thought patterns in Hebrew Roots, especially when dealing with temptation. You know the cross is more than just a ticket to heaven. If the Messiah and Him crucified is what we should know by experience, where are all the testimonies of how we ‘overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb’ (Revelation 12:11)?
Surrender. Surrender to the cross. Surrender to the Spirit. Oh, sweet surrender…
I have decided, to follow Yeshua. The cross before me, the world behind me, no turning back, no turning back! Whatever happened to Gospel songs like that among us?
In this regard, what does it mean to “choose this day whom you will serve”?
If I wouldn’t have made it a habit in my thought life to be crucified with the Messiah, my marriage would have been a train wreck a long time ago. To win the war where the devil has no place in my heart through my flesh or in my thought life, I must identify with my Messiah hanging on the tree. I’m not here just to keep the Torah. I must pick up my cross daily and follow Him, as my Master commands, on a habitual basis.
But if I do stumble, and I sometimes do, I repent and look to the cross for His cleansing blood – because I am not a slave to sin! I am no longer a slave to sexually immoral thoughts. Paul midrashed about our walk in no uncertain terms in this – the Way:
Dead to Sin, Alive to God
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?
Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Messiah Yeshua were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him through baptism to death, that just like Messiah was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4
How do we not continue in sin? Immerse your heart and mind in the Messiah Yeshua and His crucifixion, to be raised a new person of the Spirit. I must drown out sin, and be raised to walk in the newness of Life in the Messiah, not in the old Adam’s sinful nature.
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, we will also be part of His Resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. Romans 6:5-6
Noticed Paul didn’t write about ’knowing Torah,’ but said ‘knowing crucifixion with Him.’ We can experience liberty from sex addictions or any other bondage to sins of the flesh.
For he who has died has been freed from sin.
But if we died with Messiah, we believe that we will also live with Him; knowing that Messiah, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him! For the death that He died, He died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to Elohim.
Thus consider yourselves (in your thought life) also to be dead to sin, but alive to Elohim in Messiah Yeshua our Lord. Romans 6:7-11
Maybe the message of the cross sounds too much like corny Christianity to some Hebrews. If so, we ought to read and ponder Romans Chapter 6 again. With all our knowledge in the Scriptures, maybe we’ve become too wise and sophisticated for the foolishness of the cross. Is that why we hear so little of the Gospel’s relevance in our thought lives in our circles? Is that a reason why some would rather have psychologists, counselors, rabbis, or even theologians teach them? Beware! The intellect can become a god, but foolishness to YHWH! Listen to the Spirit of Truth Yeshua promised!
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of Elohim. 1 Corinthians 1:18
The power of the cross is for what purpose? The power to overcome false teaching and the power to save us from the lust of the flesh is a big part of the power of the cross.
When I first received the Gospel message of the cross in my heart over 30 years ago, the lust of my flesh died with Him. I never felt so alive! I was born-again, resurrected, a new creation in Christ Jesus! No longer did I have the desire to smoke pot, get drunk, lust after women, or even think anything that would defile my relationship with my Savior.
When I immersed my thinking in the Word, He renewed my mind and began to give me new thought patterns of righteousness. But when I did stray into sin again, I knew how to repent and find my way back to the straight and narrow path following my Messiah, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. Why would I want to hurt Him again?
Yes, it’s time to go back to our first love, to the greatest act of love ever demonstrated to mankind, and to never, ever forget it again. Adonai Yeshua died for the adulterous Bride.
The lusts of the flesh are crucified in Him. He never gave into the temptations of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, nor the pride of life. Abiding in Him and His love for us is the answer to overcoming any temptation that comes through the flesh!
Be Baptized in Yeshua’s Name!
What teaching should we be listening to – of Balaam, or of baptism? Being baptized in water in the Name of Yeshua HaMashiyach is part of identifying ourselves with our Messiah in His death and resurrection and His deep love for us. Baptism is an act or statement of faith that the believer belongs to Him, is crucified with Him, and is resurrected in the newness of His Life. In Him, we are free from having to sin, even in our thought lives! By His saving Word, we can be renewed in our minds to consider ourselves dead to sin, but alive in Messiah, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
On this Shabbat, we have an opportunity to immerse ourselves in mayim chayyim, living water, in the North Santiam River. Come testify about how the Gospel has changed you.
Let’s think of this every time the new moon emerges out of darkness into a sliver of light when Jews are saying when sighting the sliver – “born again!” By the way, I believe that’s one of the many sayings Paul said of the Jews to be ‘of God.’ (Romans 3:1-2)
When we read and discuss the Torah portion Phineas / Pinchas, what can we find in the types and shadows of our Messiah saving us from the lust of the flesh?
Pinchas, meaning ‘the mouth of the brazen serpent’, put a stop to adultery breaking out in the camp. Yeshua became a curse for us and took on the likeness of the serpent when He hung on the cruel execution stake.
Look up to the Savior hanging upon the cross, confessing sin, and with the mouth, call upon the Name that Yah is Salvation (Rom 10:10). Those who put their trust in Him are crucified with Him; and they rise up with Him in the resurrection power of the Spirit. Thank Abba He grants us the gift of eternal life by grace through faith by which we are saved. Praise His Name!
BaShem Adonai Yeshua, Savior from sin!
David Klug