Shelach (send)
Numbers 13:1 - 15:41

    We tend to be a self centered people. I don’t mean “we” as in Jewish people or believers in Yeshua or Americans - I mean we as the human condition.  Generally speaking, we interpret the world around us in the context of how things affect us. When it comes to the spiritual world, we interpret God’s activity in light of how it affects us.  For example, much emphasis is placed on a “personal” relationship with God. How does my prayer life affect me? How does God’s activity in my life affect me? What is God doing in MY life? Am I growing in the Lord? What are the blessings associated with being the chosen people?  The fact is that in the “big picture”, God calls out faithful people - not to bless simply for the sake of blessing but rather primarily to make His Name holy. In judaism there is the concept of Kiddush HaShem, “Sanctifying the Name”.  Although the term is most associated with martyrdom, it applies to any act of sanctifying the Name of God.  The opposite of Kiddush HaShem  is  Chillul HaShem or profaning the Name.  Lev. 22:32 says You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel ; I am the LORD who sanctifies you….
   This week’s Torah portion is about the spies who were sent into the land to “check it out”. Their negative report and the people’s reaction angered God because they were not trusting Him - they were Chillul HaShem, profaning the name of God. They were thinking about how the immediate situation would affect them rather than how they were called to serve a bigger purpose. Just as in the case of the golden calf, Moses intercedes and explains that if the people were to be destroyed, the nations would not understand and the Name of God would be profaned.  Our portion for this week serves as a reminder to us that we are called to make God’s name holy in the world around us. We are called to a greater purpose than our own life. Rather than being so concerned about what God is doing for me, the greater concern is how my life reflects the character and nature of God. If we constantly complaining about  our lot in life, we are profaning the name of God. After all, do we not trust God for our very lives? Is it not true that our lives belong  to Him?    If our speech and/or our conduct does not match up to our calling, we profane the name of God. If we are not living a life that reflects the character of God - i.e. a life of obedience to the Word of God. If we do not believe the promises of God we profane His name. We practice Kiddush HaShem when we act in accordance with the Torah, with the Word of God in our belief and actions.  The good news is that God sent Yeshua into this world to make us Kiddush HaShem. As a result of believing in the Messiah we become Kiddush HaShem. However practically speaking, we need to constantly be trusting God for his provision and living the right way so that the name of God would be sanctified in  the world around us. We practice Kiddush HaShem when our speech serves as a reminder of the character of God. We practice Kiddush Hashem when we recognize that God is at work in our lives - even if we do not understand how that can be. We practice Kiddush HaShem when we stop grumbling and start praising!  So let’s be like Caleb and Joshua in our portion for this week. Let us trust God and be a visible manifestation of His nature and character. Shabbat shalom!