Your Daily Bread for May 19-25, 2024 by Rev Apelu Poe, Ph.D.
Welcome to Your Daily Bread for May 19-25, 2024, by Apelu Poe, Ph.D!
Key Torah Code for this Last Week of the Fellowship Season:
“Balak” (Balaak): Number 22:2-25:9
Basic Principle of Our Judaic-Christian Faith:
Our God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it?
“The Bible says very much the same thing. Moses in his last words to the ancient Israelites before he died, said it plainly: “It is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it? Nor is it beyond the sea that you should say, who shall go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart that you may do it.” The Bible Codes: The Countdown I’ll get to the point in a minute.
But, first, let me say Talofa, Welcome, and Shabbat Shalom to you, my friends in the name of “Yeshua HaMashiach” Jesus the Messiah! And through the power of God’s Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). As they say in Samoan, Malo le soifua manuia! Faafetai fo’i le fai tatalo! Congratulations on your good health! Thanks also for the prayers. May our God always grant us his lovingkindness!
Getting back to the point. If you have followed God’s calendar, which dictates and foretells the events of our lives to which the above quote refers, you will know that from May 19-25, we will enter the last week of the Fellowship Season.
What is the Fellowship Season? Following immediately after the Holy Week, the Fellowship Season is the eighth season of God’s calendar for 2023-2024 with Pentecost (May 19) as its festival. Just as the name suggests, the Fellowship Season is a time in which we are called to enjoy a warm fellowship with our fellow brothers and sisters worldwide in Christ’s name. The biblical basis that supports this can be found in Psalms 133:1, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity,”
Before we take a look at the Torah portion for this last week of the Fellowship season, let me also say “thank you” to all of you, my regular readers. You’re a fantastic community of believers made up of Jews, Christians, Muslims, as well as people of other faiths. You are amazing because you take the time to access my Torah-Bible Codes teaching on Facebook and LinkedIn which has now become a top-performing weekly post on social media.
It is, indeed, a great inspiration for me to see that so many of you around the world have been following my teaching on social media from week to week. I call my Torah gift for you this last week of the Fellowship Season “Your Daily Bread for May 19-25, 2024.”
Why am I saying this? Well, for those of you who have been following my teaching, I’m saying this because, as you might have noticed, I have been using this same gift that God has given me for the past 40 years to help guide the destiny of those whose spiritual welfare God has entrusted to me. And now that I have retired from the ordained ministry in July 2021, I want you to have free access to it.
My pastoral desire is simply this: For you to be the person God has created you to be. My prayer, then, is that you would be able to live according to God’s time so that you may discern God’s Divine path for your life and how it is that God wants you to live to best receive his blessing and shine his holy light.
Your Benefits from My Torah Gift I Can Give You This Week
So what exactly can you expect from the Torah gift I’m giving you this last week of the Fellowship season that sets the stage for the Pentecost celebration? Well, the first and foremost is self-consciousness.
Why self-consciousness at such a precarious time for all of us, a time fraught with disagreements about what our values mean to us as members of God’s global family? Because, as we’ve been saying all this time, life transformation will never happen without self-consciousness.
You see, it all comes down to the flow of information from the universe (God), the dynamic of your brain's plank field, and the feedforward and feedback process that is involved in it.
The physics behind all this is not hard to understand. You’re receiving the information from the universe (God), and you are feeding that information forward into your brain’s plank field through a process scientists call quantum oscillation of all your protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Remember, everything that you see in God’s universe (metaphysics), from people to planets, from planets to stars, from stars to galaxies…etc. etc. at their quantum or sib-atomic level is composed of these 3 sub-atomic particles: protons (positive electrically charged particles, electrons (negative electrically charged particles, and neutrons which help stabilize the flow of these metaphysical entities in God’s universe.
The same thing is true with us, human beings. We are each made up of numerous cells. Each one of those cells at its quantum or sub-atomic level is made up of hundreds of protons, neutrons, and electrons. So you are receiving the information from the universe (God), and you forward it into your brain’s plank field through this process called quantum oscillation of all your protons, neutrons, and electrons. Your brain plank field will interpret it and will feed it back to you in such a way that will enable you to say, Aha, I now see it with my naked eyes. Now I know. That’s what self-consciousness simply is.
Here’s the point. Until we are made aware of who we are: men-God, or women-God, (refer to Genesis 4), and what we need to do to help make this world a better place for all of us, we will never be able to get out of this geo-political, socio-economic turmoil that we now find ourselves in, no matter where we are in the world today.
So the Torah gift I’m giving you this last week of the Fellowship season will help you become conscious of the purpose for which God dispatched our souls from their spiritual birthplace in heaven to the earth. To help make a home or a house for God in this world.
Please note that this home or house could refer to a:
• house of government (politics), or
• house of Business (economics), or
• house of learning (education), or
• house of prayer (religion), or even
• house of personal residence (family).
What, then, does this mean for us, Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths? It means that God wants us to build Him a house, a home, which on a large scale we can call God’s kingdom so that He may dwell in our midst. More importantly, this clearly implies that God did not give us the freedom to destroy or to do what we lust for, given our greed for power and money, at the expense of the poor. But instead, God only gave us the right to be held responsible for the welfare of each other.
Perhaps it is for this reason that on Thursday, May 9, we saw an abrupt turning point in the United States’ support of Israel’s war against Hamas.
The message was not getting through. Not through the phone calls, the emissaries, the public statements, or the joint committee meetings. And so, frustrated that he was being ignored, the U.S. President, Joe Biden chose a more dramatic way of making himself clear to Israeli leaders. He stopped sending the bombs.
Biden’s decision to pause the delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel was meant to convey a powerful signal that his patience has limits.
While insisting that his support for the Jewish state remains “ironclad,” Biden for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last fall opted to use his power as Israel’s chief arms supplier to demonstrate his discontent.
The hold on the bombs represents a significant turning point in the 76-year-old relationship between the United States and Israel, which historically speaking, is one of the closest security partnerships in the world.
Biden hopes the selective pause will prompt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to forgo a long-threatened invasion of Rafah. In this southern Gaza Strip city, more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge.
The president has objected to such an operation out of fear that American bombs could cause widespread civilian casualties. He said Wednesday that he would also block the delivery of artillery shells that could be fired into the urban neighbourhoods of Rafah.
Listen again to President Biden’s words, “I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war Cabinet, they’re not going to get our support if they go on these population centres,” the president said in an interview with CNN Erin Burnett on Wednesday, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “We’re not walking away from Israel’s security; we’re walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas.”
He acknowledged in a way that he has rarely done that American bombs have killed innocent Palestinians. “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centres,” Biden said.
Why am I sharing this with you on this last week of the Fellowship season? Because it highlights the importance of being clear that God did not give us the freedom to destroy people’s homes. But rather, only the right to be held responsible for the welfare of each other.
It’s no wonder, why the apostle Paul cautioned us, saying, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).
The second benefit that my Torah gift will give you this last week of the Fellowship season is change and adaptability. It’ll help you adapt to, or bring about new changes. In other words, it’ll help you alter, or modify something to make it better. As the saying, “Both parties voted against proposals to change the law.”
Change and adaptability will also help you replace something with something else, especially something of the same kind that is newer or better. That is, substituting one thing for another. Like the saying, “She decided to change her name.”
Here’s the bottom line. Any time we try to change something, for example, from a nomadic life to an agricultural society, it is not an easy thing to do. Many people do not usually like changes.
Why, because changing something requires us to have the ability to adapt to something new. It is a skill that helps us quickly and successfully embrace doing things effectively in a new and better way. It's about accepting change not just in the workplace but in every facet of your life.
Why is this important? Because in today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, the ability to adapt is crucial for success and well-being. Whether it is adjusting to new technologies, navigating shifting job roles, or adapting to changes in personal relationships, being adaptable is a skill that can make all the difference in the world.
We can talk about what needs to be done to help make this world a better place until we get blue in the face, but if we don’t take the right action necessary to do it, nothing will ever happen.
So the Torah gift I’m giving you this last week of the Fellowship season will help you understand the necessity of having the boldness of the heart to bring about new changes to help save innocent lives.
Perhaps it is for this reason that on Thursday, May 9, U.S. President Joe Biden publicly threatened Israel, saying, “We would need to make changes.”
After watching Israel flatten much of Gaza, President Joe Biden decided to draw the line at the city of Rafah. Now, he has to decide what to do if Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu crosses it.
The president quietly directed his team last week to halt shipments of massive bombs to Israel to deliver a message to Netanyahu that no operation should move forward without a civilian protection plan in place.
Then, after Netanyahu moved forward with a push into Rafah, Biden gave a primetime interview Wednesday in which he vowed not to send Israel more of the large bombs and artillery shells it would likely use for a major assault on a city with more than a million Palestinians.
The administration is hoping that the threat is enough to stop a large-scale invasion of Rafah from happening, even as it continues to struggle to explain what, exactly, crosses their red line.
U. S. officials say they don't want Israel to launch an operation that could further destroy infrastructure and send more civilians fleeing for safety, but they’ve consistently referenced being open to smaller, more targeted missions in the southern Gaza City.
Netanyahu, who faces mounting domestic pressure to destroy Hamas and bring hostages home, appears poised to escalate the campaign, even without the U.S. president by his side as he has been since the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas that started the war.
Listen again to the words of a second U.S. official, one of three granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive hinge point in the war.
“If that happens, we would need to make choices. It hasn’t happened, and it may well not happen. That’s what we’re working on.”
Question: Why am I bringing this to your attention? Because it emphasises the importance of having the boldness of the heart to be able to bring about new changes to save innocent lives.
It is no wonder why the apostle Paul cautioned us, saying, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
The third benefit that my Torah gift will give you this last week of the Fellowship season is a deeper sense of enlightened leadership. It’ll help you develop a deeper sense of enlightened leadership knowing that the evil that we see in the world today can be brought to an end only through the supremacy of God’s Spirit over one’s desires.
Why is this important for us Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths at this critically important juncture in history?
Because faithful obedience to God’s word is a belief system or trust in action for the betterment of all. Faithful obedience to God’s word is believing that God is who God says He is and that God did not put us in positions of leadership or management for no reason. God put us in positions of leadership and management to help make this world a better place so that God may dwell in our midst.
So the Torah gift I’m giving you this last week of the Fellowship season will help you understand the fact that we are now living in a world characterized by the forces of spiritual darkness.
A classic example that illustrates the truth of this statement, one can see, on Saturday, May 11, when Russia kept dropping bombs on its people in Belgorod as it struggled to hit intended targets in its war against Ukraine.
The truth is that this is not the first time Russian forces have done such an outrageous act. UK intelligence said such instances highlight Russia's struggles to employ munitions on intended targets.
There have been numerous reports over the last year of incidents of Russian aircraft accidentally dropping bombs and missiles on Russian civilian areas around border regions with Ukraine.
Earlier this month, reports circulated that a Russian 1,100-lb FAB-500 bomb fell on a civilian area of Belgorod on May 4. Thirty houses were damaged, and five people were injured.
In April, the Russian independent Telegram channel Astra reported that a Russian Kh-59 missile was dropped on Belgorod city centre after it "abnormally" fell around 57 miles from the border with Ukraine.
Such incidents appear to become increasingly common, with Astra reporting that "at least 21 aerial bombs" had accidentally been dropped by Russian forces on Russian or Russian-occupied territory between March and April 2024.
In an update on the conflict on Saturday, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the instances highlighted "Russia's continued inability to successfully employ their munitions on intended targets." Such errors have destructive and lethal consequences for the Russian population.
The MoD has previously said that such mistakes were likely due to a combination of poor procedures when arming the aircraft before sorties and poor execution by aircrew during missions.
Why am I sharing this with you on this last week of the Fellowship season? Because it highlights the need for enlightened leadership.
It is no wonder why the apostle Paul challenged us, saying, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phillippians 2: 3-4).
The Historical Proof that Supports our Need for Your Daily Bread that Sustains Us Spiritually
Does it surprise you, then, that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, did not forget to remind us about these things? That is why last week you heard Jesus speaking to us, saying, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything that is written about me in the Law of Moses [Torah] and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled…” (Luke 24:44). ).
Jesus, then, did something which I thought was quite remarkable and quite extraordinary. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:45-49).
Overview Summary of this Week’s Torah Portion
With this in mind, let us now look at this week’s Torah portion, Numbers 22:2-25:9 to see the answer to our million-dollar question: What’s in it for me (WIIFM)?
Remember our Lord’s Prayer where you hear Jesus asking Father God, “Our Father who art in heaven…Give us this day our daily bread.” That means every week, God gives us our daily bread, our weekly Torah portion that sustains us spiritually.
So, in the Hebrew language (God’s sacred tongue) from which our English Bible translation was taken, the Torah portion for this last week of the Fellowship season is called, “Balak” translated as “Balaak,” see Numbers 22:2.
To understand this, one has to, first of all, identify the double references in the text. On a superficial linguistic level intended primarily for the Jewish audience, the reading focuses on the code “Balak,” the king of Moab. Thus, in the opening part of the reading, we see that the Israelites have just conquered the Emorites and the Bashanites. The effect of the Israelite conquest on Balak was such that he was overwhelmed with fear.
In the central part of the reading, we see Balak sending a messenger to Balaam to come and curse these Israelites. Balaam told Balak’s messenger that God does not permit him to go with him. Balak sent more messengers to Balaam, promising him great riches in return for his service.
Eventually, Balaam gets to go, and on the way, Balaam is berated by his donkey, who sees, before Balaam does, the angel that God sends to block their way.
Three times, from three different vantage points, Balaam attempts to pronounce his curses; each time, blessings are issued forth instead. Balaam also prophesies about the end of the days and the coming of the Messiah. The people fall prey to the charms of the daughters of Moab and are enticed to worship the idol Peor.
The reading ends with Phinehas killing a Jewish leader named Zimri who publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent, thus stopping the plague that rages among the people.
Indeed, on a profound theological level, this week’s Torah portion, “Balak” has an important and timely message to us Christians and the Body of Christ.
This message is evident when the portion is interpreted in the context of this last week of the Fellowship season. That is, great leaders have the awesome but daunting responsibility of putting the people they are called to lead before themselves, whatever the circumstances. For example, the look in the eyes of the nation reflects the look in the eyes of its leader. Their tone of voice reflects their leader’s tone of voice.
You see, Moab was in great dread of the people of Israel. Why? Because Balak, its leader, was overcome with fear. That is why Balak summons Balaam, the curse specialist from Midian, to come and curse the people of Israel. But here’s the most surprising thing. Whenever Balaam opens his mouth to curse the people of Israel, God transforms the curse into a blessing.
What does this teach us? This teaches us that when the Spirit of God comes upon us, it will transform the most fearful situation into a fearless witness of what we can do when the Spirit of God empowers us.
How do we know that? Listen, again, to what Balaam said to Balak, “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it? Behold I received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it,” (Numbers 23:19-20).
We marvel at how Jesus was able to go about building the Kingdom of God in the face of those who rejected him.
How, on earth, was Jesus able to fulfil this insurmountable task amid all these challenges? Where did he get his inner strength from? From the power of the Spirit of God.
The prophet Isaiah testified, saying, “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord”(Isaiah 11:1-2).
It is no wonder David begged God, saying, “Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:11-12).
Jesus, therefore, summarized it, saying, “But you shall receive power when the Spirit of God has come upon you. And you will be my witness in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to all corners of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
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