Road to Zion

Haftorah Reading: Judges 13:2-25 

Messianic Writings Acts 21:17-26

1.The name of this Torah portion is Naso. This is an interesting word. In Hebrew it can mean take and it also can mean to lift. This word is found in the beginning of this portion where in English it reads, “take a census…” In Hebrew that verse reads, “naso the head of the sons…”  Do you think the meaning of this verses changes depending on whether you say, lift the heads of the sons or take a census of the sons? The same word, naso, is used in Exodus 30:11-12 and Numbers 1:1-2. Also, in I Chronicles 21 King David counted the people. Why was King David’s counting different?

Naso is usually translated as take in English

Such as take into account. 

Does it change the meaning If we translate this word as lift up? 

When G-d told Moshe to lift the heads of the people what impression does that give you?

To lift up implies each person was important. 

They were not just a number in a mass of people. 

Each person mattered. 

Each person was important to G-d. 

This same word is in Psalms 121:1

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from?

I Chronicles 21:1-17 tells the counting done by King David where 70,000 people died. 

Why was this count different? 

I Chronicles 21:1 says, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.”

David was not directed by G-d to take a census. 

He wanted to know how much power he had, 

how many people could be used to fight for him. 

He was not interested in each person. 

The task was not to build up, or lift up the people 

70,000 died because of David’s sin. 

This was a very serious task and had to be done only at G-d’s direction.

G-d’s purpose in counting Israel was different. 

Nothing to do with power but everything to do with each person. 

Each person was precious to Him. 

Each person was created in His image

Each person was an object of His love. 

G-d’s counting of the people was a gesture of endearment. 

“Lift the head,” gives each person the true feeling of the Father. 

In Psalms 147:4 G-d even counted the stars and knew the name of each one. 

How much more for us, created in His image. 

Each person is looked at as an individual. 

He knows our name. 

As it says in Jeremiah 1:5, He knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb. 

Usually only those things we value do we name. 

G-d knows us by our name and He knows the days of our life.

In the Holocaust the Nazis’ tattooed a number on each person’s forearm. 

They were never called by their name. 

G-d calls us by our name for we are precious in His sight. 

That is the point of Naso – lift their heads. 

We can rest in the fact that G-d knows us by name

He has a role only we can fill.

2. The reading this week from the Messianic scripture is from Acts 21:17-26. First see if you can tell me what connection this passage has to the Torah portion. Next, I would like us to discuss the implications of verse 20. Do you see any significance in this verse?

What is the connection to this Torah portion?

Look at  Acts 21:23-24 and verse 26

Paul agreed to join four men who had made a Nazarite vow

He paid their expenses to show he was still living in obedience to the law. 

Verse 26 it says he purified himself along with them.

Verse 20 says thousands of Jews were coming to faith and they were all zealous for the law. Why is this verse important to us?
It is telling us Jewish people coming to faith had no issue with keeping the law

They were zealous for the law

This is Information that has been ignored by many since the early 4th Century of the Common Era. 

It can’t be deleted from scripture but it has been basically ignored by many.

The implications of this text are very far-reaching for Christian history. 

This verse is evidence that the historical post-Constantinian church by design and premeditation, twisted the Word of G-d.

Acts 21:17-26: 17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what G-d had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20 When they heard this, they praised G-d. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.”

3.Our Haftarah portion this week is Judges 13:2-25.  In verses 3-5 an angel of the L-rd told Samson’s mother that she would give birth to a son. This is the only story in Torah where the mother was told her son was specifically to be a Nazarite.  There are two other stories with similar vows or instructions that sounds like it could be a Nazarite vow but not as clearly stated as with Samson.  Who were these other two?

How was Samson’s story different from others that chose to take the Nazarite vow? Why do you think his story was different? What is this telling us? 

Hannah, Samuel’s Mother, made a vow to G-d 

I Sam 1:11 And she made a vow, saying, “L-rd Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the L-rd for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

An angel appeared to John the Baptist’s father Zechariah

Luke 1:13-16 “But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,  for he will be great in the sight of the L-rd. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the L-rd their G-d.” 

Samson lived a chaotic life. 

The purpose of the Nazarite vow was to dedicate Samson’s life to serving G-d. 

G-d had a task for Samson to do. 

But many times Samson was living by his fleshly desires and that got him into trouble.

Judges 13:23 it says the Spirit of the L-rd began to move upon Samson. 

The very next two verses Judges 14:1-2 says Samson went down to Timnah and saw a Philistine woman and told his parents to get her for him to be his wife.

The term “went down” gives us a clue

Samson was venturing to areas he should not be. 

He had no guardrails in his life. 

Only when G-d miraculously worked through Samson did he fulfill his calling. 

Other times he lived by his flesh. 

Sadly he never reached his full potential of what he could have done if he had walked in obedience to the Father.

This story reminds us of a few things.  

G-d may place a calling on our lives. But it is up to us to walk in that calling

It is up to us to be obedient to His direction. 

We may stumble through that calling causing harm along the way if we are not willing to live within G-d’s framework.  

But even after all that happened in his life Samson, in his last day of life, called on the name of G-d and G-d heard him, proving again what a loving, merciful G-d we serve.