All flesh will come to worship before Me, says HaShem

As I read through Parsha Bamidbar I was intrigued by the poetic way the portion described the counting of bnei Yisrael (the children of Israel). It was obviously written in poetic form. Now the poetic form is much more evident in the Hebrew than it is in the English, but it is nevertheless still very noticeable. After reading these few verses from the Parsha I am sure you will see what I mean:

Bamidbar {1:22} Of the Bnei Shimon, their generations, by their families, by their avot' (fathers') houses, those who were numbered of it, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war; {1:23} those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Shimon, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred. {1:24} Of the Bnei Gad, their generations, by their families, by their avot' houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;

You can read on because the more you read, the more the poetic structure becomes evident. Does this have any significance? I do not think so, or at least I have not discerned any significance, but the fact that it is written this way does tell us that we have a G-d who loves to speak to us poetically, and that is significant in and of itself. In fact you will find poetic form throughout the Torah. Now to my commentary!

Bamidbar {1:1} HaShem spoke to Moshe in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Mizrayim (Egypt), saying, {1:2} Take the sum of all the Edat (congregation) of bnei Yisrael, by their families, by their avot' houses, according to the number of the names, every male, by their polls; {1:3} from twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth to war in Yisrael, you and Aharon (Aaron) shall number them by their hosts.

Yisrael was about to enter the Promise Land and this was going to be the first of many major military expeditions for them, so HaShem was preparing them for war. Many times I am asked why; if G-d created all humans and in essence we are all descended from Adam and Chava (Eve) why is war necessary. How can a loving G-d sanction war where soldiers and civilians alike suffer and die? The truth of the matter is, I believe, G-d does not sanction war; however, war is a result of the fallen state of man. Man's heart is wicked and deprived, by choice, of the power of G-d. In fact man's hearts are not only at war with others but they are also at war with themselves.

So how do we know that HaShem does not want war? Because He has promised to give us new hearts, to remove our hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh upon which His Torah will be written. This process began with the coming of Mashiach (Messiah) Yeshua and has continued and grown over the past two thousand years to encompass millions of believers worldwide. Ultimately Mashiach will return and the Ruach HaKodesh will finally inhabit all flesh. When we read about the Olam HaBa (the world to come), when Mashiach Yeshua comes back and the world returns to its Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) state, then we learn there will be no more war.

War was not instituted by G-d; it is a physical manifestation of the greed, pride and selfishness of carnal man. So long as there is carnality there will be war. Therefore, it cannot be said that war is sanctioned by G-d; it is rather a by-product, a result of the fallen state of man, which dates back to Cain and Avel (Abel). This rivalry which resulted in a murder, I believe, is history's first recorded war, even though it was between two brothers. It did however, demonstrate the result of the flesh ruling the spirit.

It is my opinion that HaShem hates war and that it is certainly not a part of His original creation. However, man chose war and he is still choosing it when he chooses the natural over the spiritual. You might say that not all countries choose war and you will be right. However, until all countries choose to serve the one true G-d, the G-d of Yisrael and no other, man's heart will be deprived and at war.

Today carnal man is trying to create a world of negotiated peace. We are hearing slogans such as "Peace is being prepared for war." Therefore, countries are clamouring to develop new and more powerful weapons of destruction, while criss-crossing the globe in search of negotiated peace. Political leaders are looking for peace when there will be no peace, that is not until Mashiach Yeshua returns and converts the hearts of all flesh from hearts at war to hearts at peace.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) to another, and from one Shabbat to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says HaShem.

Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber is the spiritual leader of Congregation Melech Yisrael in Toronto, Canada.

Copyright 2005