Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Why did Yahusha mikveh in the wilderness?

 I was asked this question by a brother yesterday:

 Matthew 3:6 And were baptized of him (Yahuchanan) in Yarden/Jordan, confessing their sins.

 Yahusha did not sin and why did he take it?

Firstly, baptism does not replace circumcision. Christianity has replaced it, that is another study which is in a video form. In this note I will only touch base on the ‘miqveh’ and its spiritual significance. The miqveh always existed, they used to miqveh inside the temple where the Bayth Chasda pool was, but since the temple was in apostasy, John (Yahuchanan) the son of the priest ZacharYah did the miqveh of repentance at Yarden (Jordan). John the immerser’s ministry was in the wilderness where people went out to him to hear him and to mikveh into repentance from dead works.

Miqveh H4723 means a gathering/collection of water. It comes from the root word H6960 ‘qavah’ which means to ‘to wait or eagerly for’

Mem in paleography is a picture of waters and the picture is of a ‘spiritual cleansing’ in the waters. The first time the words ‘qavah’ and ‘miqveh’ are used is in Gen 1:9,10 

Yahuah first divided the waters from the waters and then gathered the waters below the expanse in one place.

Gen 1:7 And Elohim made the expanse and separated between the waters which were below the expanse and between the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

Gen1:8 And Elohim called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Gen 1:9 Then Elohim said, Let the waters below the heavens be gathered/qavah H6960 into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so.

Gen1:10 And Elohim called the dry land earth, and the gathering/miqveh H4723 of the waters He called seas; and Elohim saw that it was good. 

The Torah came with instructions stating any dead swarming/creeping things which fall into earthen vessel, clothing, skins or sack shall be unclean, including anyone touching the dead carcass but the spring or a cistern collecting/miqveh water shall be clean. 

Lev 11:36 But a spring or a cistern collecting/miqveh H4723 water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. 

The Yahudites call this ritual cleansing in fresh spring water as ‘miqveh’. The Pool of Siloam בריכת השילוח, Breikhat Hashiloah was a rock-cut pool on the southern slope of the City of Daud, the original site of Yerushalayim, located outside the walls of the Old City to the southeast. The pool was fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, carried there by two aqueducts. This aqueduct was very vulnerable to attackers, so, under threat from the Assyrian king Sennacherib, Hezekiah sealed up the old outlet of the Gihon Spring and the Upper Pool, and built the underground Siloam tunnel in place of the aqueduct (2 Chronicles 32:2-4).

According to the basarah of Yahuchanan, Yahusha sent "a man blind from birth" in order to complete his healing. As a freshwater reservoir, the pool would have been a major gathering place for Yahudites making religious pilgrimages to the city. Some scholars, influenced by Yahusha commanding the blind man to wash in the pool, suggest that it was probably used as a miqveh (ritual bath).

John 9:7 He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloach” (which means, sent). He went and washed and came back with seeing eyes.

 Joh 5:1 After this there was a festival of the Yehuḏim, and יהושע went up to Yerushalayim.

Joh 5:2 And in Yerushalayim at the Sheep Gate there is a pool, which is called in Heḇrew, Bĕyth Chasda (house of mercy), having five porches.

Joh 5:3 In these were lying a great number of those who were sick, blind, crippled, paralysed, waiting for the stirring of the water.

Joh 5:4 For a messenger was going down at a certain time into the pool and was stirring the water. Whoever stepped in first, then, after the stirring of the water, became well of whatever disease he had. 

There was a pool in Beyth Chasda H2617 (בית חסד/חסדא), meaning either house of mercy or house of grace. In Hebrew the word could also mean "shame, disgrace" (H2616 as used in Proverbs 25:10). This dual meaning may have been thought appropriate, since the location was seen as a place of disgrace due to the presence of invalids, and as a place of grace due to the washing of the sacrificial sheep’s pointing to Yahusha the Lamb. Like the pool of Shiloach this pool of Beyth Chasda also was constructed in the eighth century BC during the reign of King Hezekiah, and an upper pool in the area of Beyth Chasda is the one mentioned in the 2 Kings 18:17; Isaiah 36:2. These were a pair of pools (pool of Shiloach and Beyth Chasda), an upper and a lower division of one large pool except that the pool of Shiloach was fed by the Gihon Spring while the water supply at Beyth Chasda was provided by rain. This pool of Beyth Chasda system was constructed in order to collect water for the washing of the sacrificial sheep as Yahuchanan mentions Sheep and Nehemiah mentions the rebuilding of the Sheep Gate. The word ‘Gate’ in John 5 was added by the translators to make sense because Nehemiah records of the Sheep Gate being repaired/rebuilt. The association with the washing of the sacrificial sheep could also be the origin of the sheep pool references. 

Neh 3:1 And Elyashiḇ the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate. They set it apart and set up its doors, even as far as the Tower of Ḥanan’ĕl they set it apart, as far as the Tower of Hanane’ĕl.  

Nehemiah doesn't record of this pool named as Beyth Chasda but it surely would have been there as Yahuchanan/John records it. 

Joh 5:2 And in Yerushalayim at the Sheep Gate there is a pool, which is called in Heḇrew, Bĕyth Chasda, having five porches. 

Now with this understanding lets view Gen 1:2:

Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form/tohu H8414 and void/bohu H922, and darkness was over the surface of the deep/tahum, and the Spirit of Elohim was fluttering /rachapah H7363 over the face of the waters.

The mention of waters without collection/miqveh of them here is an indication of formlessness and void without Yahusha ha Mashiyach’s intervention. This can be seen by the two words ‘tohu’ & ‘bohu’

Tohu H8414 is a state of waste

Bohu H922 is an empty space with a need to be filled.

The Ruach was fluttering over the face of the waters is a picture we will see in a bit as to when this was literally fulfilled.

The next thing we read is Gen 1:3

Gen 1:3 Then Elohim said, Let there be light; and there was light.

And Shaul the emissary tells us who the LIGHT is

2 Cor4:6 For the Elohim, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of the Elohim which is in the face of the Mashiyach.

And this LIGHT was not created but existed and was manifested. This LIGHT was testified by Yahuchanan the Immerser

John 1:4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light for the sons of men.

John 1:5 The Light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from the Elohim whose name was Yahuchanan.

John 1:7 He came as a testimony, to testify about the Light, so that all may believe through His hand.

John 1:8 He was not the Light, but he was to testify about the Light.

Gen 1:3 way’hiy-`ereb way’hiy-boqer yom ‘echad.

The Hebrew phrase ‘way’hiy’ is correctly translated as ‘And it came to pass’ and is used in each day of creation. Hence, the phrase itself holds a spiritual significance of what was going to come to pass. The first day in Hebrew is ‘yom echad’ where ‘echad’ is a plurality of whatever is in view.

Gen 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become into one/echad H259 flesh.

In the word ‘echad’ Yahuah would bind the eternal in the physical in Him.

Deut 6:4 Deut6:4 Hear, O Yisra’El! Yahuah our El, Yahuahis one/echad H259!

Hence, echad is ordinal ONE in two equal shares. Yahuah in creation face to face in a form and Yahuah eternal beyond creation, but in equal share of duality of powers.

In the man and his wife, they are dual in equal share but ONE flesh.

Hence, yom echad is a measure Kepha says ‘One day with Yahuah is as a thousand years and thousand years as One day’

Speaking of the flood, Kepha says the created things is hidden from the scoffers as they only see a ‘beginning of creation’ but not the deep things of creation or else they would not say “Where is the promise of His coming?”

2Pe 3:4 Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2Pe 3:5 And they were hidden from their knowledge for their willingness that the heavens were made by the Word of Elohim and the earth standing out of waters and by his hands/yaday in the water,

2Pe 3:6 by His hands/yadayam the world was destroyed, which has since that been deluged with water of the flood.

This was hidden from their knowledge for their willingness. Kepha then goes on to say that the earth was standing out of the waters and by his hands submerged in the water when he destroyed it with the water of the flood. He likens the deluge of flood to the ‘yom echad’ where the waters were not seen in a collection/miqveh for cleansing but destruction and judgement.

2 Pe3:8 But this is the one should not be forgotten of them, beloved ones, that one /echad day/yom is with the eyes of Yahuah as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one/echad day/yom.

Hence, post the 40 days and 40 nights of the flood it was very important for the waters to be collected/miqveh in one place and can be seen through the significance of Noah sending doves out to see whether the dove finds a place for the sole of her feet.

Gen 8:8 Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land

Gen 8:9 but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark to himself.

Then he waited for yet another 7 days and again sent the yonah/dove from the ark who now came with a freshly picked olive leaf. The olive/zayith represents hope for Yasharal, remember Shaul the emissary speaks of we as wild olive branches/offshoots were grafted back in the natural olive tree as branches/offshoots (Rom 11). ZacharYah prophecy also tells us about the 2 olive branches which emptied out the golden oil by itself.

Gen 8:10 So he waited yet another seven days; and again, he sent out the dove from the ark.

Gen 8:11 The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noach knew that the water was abated from the earth. 

Zec 4:12 And I answered the second time and said to him, what are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?

Zec 4:13 So he spoke to me, saying, do you not know what these are? And I said, no, my master.

Zec 4:14 Then he said, these are the two anointed sons who are standing by the Adon of the whole earth.

The two olive branches are the two houses of Yasharal, Ephraim representing the 10 tribes as Yasharal and Yahudah representing the 2 tribes, themselves and Binyamin.

Noah knew the waters were being mikveh/gathered as a cleansing after the destruction of the earth. The 7 days is significant of Noah’s waiting to send the yonah/dove again as the whole earth was created in 7 days and Yahusha stands with his legs one on the land and one in waters to keep the waters gathered in one place (miqveh) and not overrun their boundary again into chaos and it says He rested on the 7th day from all His works as He Himself did the mikveh completing our transition in Himself when He created everything to fall into His purpose which is denoted by Kepha as ‘One day as thousand years and thousand years as One day’. The ‘yom echad’ is ‘alaph shanah’ (thousand years) written as אלפ שנא or אלפ שנה

Shanah/shana H8141 also means ‘two’. It’s a witness with a marker as the word shaniy H8144 שני translated as ‘scarlet thread’ is rooted in shanah. The scarlet thread of redemption, as scarlet is red in color.

Alaph H505 is the first alphabet in Hebrew and means an ox. The picture is of an experienced ox with a heavenly supremacy.

In alaph shanah/thousand years we see the Alaph Yahuah in equal share & duality of powers in two realms. 1. Beyond creation and 2. Face to face with creation as Yahusha (we saw this in 2 Corn 4:6)

Rev 10:1 And I saw another strong messenger coming down out of the heavens, and he was clothed with a cloud, and upon his head like the appearance of the rainbow which was in the cloud, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.

Rev 10:2 and he had in his hand a little scroll opened. And he placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land;

This Messenger Yahuchanan sees is Yahusha ha Mashiyach as upon his head like the appearance of a rainbow in the cloud which shows He is mindful of the covenant i.e.., he zakar’s/remembers His covenant. Remember, Yahuah made a covenant with Noah that He will not bring the flood of waters upon the earth again and signified it by the rainbow in the cloud.

Gen 9:13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

Gen 9:14 It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,

This further gets amazing when we understand about the transition from chaos to order:

Luk 3:2 anan and Qayapha being high priests, the word of Elohim came to Yoanan the son of Zearyah (Levite priest) in the wilderness.

 Luk 3:3 And he went into all the neighbourhood of the Yarděn, proclaiming an immersion of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

 Luk 3:4 as it has been written in the book of the words of Yeshayahu the prophet, saying, “A voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of יהוה, make His paths straight.

Yahuah had given Yasharal His Torah in the wilderness, the one crying in the wilderness is to show where Yahuah is and is prophetic that He will scatter and gather His people in the wilderness. Not in any physical assembly as His people in the wilderness are called ‘assembly in the wilderness’.

Act 7:38 “This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the Messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living Words to give to us,

Act 7:44 “The Tent of Witness was with our fathers in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Mosheh to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,

Act 7:47 but Shelomoh built Him a house.

Act 7:48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in dwellings made with hands, as the prophet says:

 Act 7:49 ‘The heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house shall you build for Me? says יהוה, or what is the place of My rest?

Act 7:50 ‘Has My hand not made all these?’

Isa 66:1-2. As Yahuah doesn’t dwell in physical temple ( which stood as to make way for the spiritual house in Him) , Similarly, the mikveh and the circumcision are outward signs of the heart being regenerated by the Ruach ha Qodesh.

Tit 3:5 He saved us, not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His compassion, through the washing of rebirth, and renewal by the Set-apart Spirit (Ruach ha Qodesh),

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Yehui who is so outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

Rom 2:29 But a Yehui is he who is so inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in Spirit(Ruach), not literally, whose praise is not from men but from Elohim.

Torah of sin and death said “Do this and live” Torah of life says “ Live and now do” The Torah is upheld and not abolished. It’s the Torah of life which is upheld and not the Torah of sin and death which Shaul speaks of.

Rom 3:27 Where, then, is the boasting? It is shut out. By what torah? Of works? No, but by the torah of belief.

Rom 3:28 For we reckon that a man is declared right by belief without works of Torah.

Rom 3:29 Or is He the Elohim of the Yehuim only, and not also of the nations? Yes, of the nations also,

Rom 3:30 since it is one Elohim who shall declare right the circumcised by belief and the uncircumcised through belief.

Rom 3:31 Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.

Yahusha took it in the wilderness to fulfil righteousness, i.e... To show He is Yahuah who would meet them in mikveh of repentance in a priesthood not tied to a physical temple and its rituals but the washing of the regeneration of the Spirit/Ruach in the heart (not in the letter). Also, the meeting would be in the wilderness where the Torah is renewed as the voice came from the heaven “This is My Beloved Son in whom my Soul is well pleased” and the Ruach / Spirit came in the form of a dove/yonah.

John 1:31 “I did not know Him, but that He might be revealed to Yisra’El, therefore I have come to immerse in water.”

John 1:32 Yahuchanan testified and said, “I beheld the Spirit/Ruach in the likeness of a dove/yonah descending from the heavens and resting upon Him.”

John 1:33 I did not know Him, but the One who sent me to immerse in water said to me, “The One on whom you see the Spirit descending and resting upon Him, Behold, this is the One that shall immerse with the Holy Spirit.”

The Hebrew word for dove is Yonah, the Psalms says,

Psa 55:6 And I said, “Who would give me wings like a dove/yonah! I would fly away and be at rest.

Psa 55:7 “See, I would wander far off, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.

The desire of the elect of Yahuah was to flee to the wilderness as the same Psalm says, “For I saw violence and strife in the city.”

Psa 55:9 Confuse, O יהוה, divide their tongues, For I saw violence and strife in the city.

Yahuchanan was sent to prepare His way in the wilderness while he himself was qualified to be a Levite priest in place of his father ZacharYah who served in the temple (Remember the birth of John the Baptist was given to him at the incense hour in the temple). Now since the temple was being overrun with Levites corrupting Torah, the elect went to the wilderness in repentance to mikveh from Yahuchanan/John. And that is how the Psalmist says that he would like to have the wings of a dove to be at rest in the wilderness. Yahusha went there to mikveh i.e., now to get immersed in the gathering of waters to fulfil the transition from Levitical priesthood to the Malchitsedek priesthood, a transition from chaos to order.

Heb 7:17 For he testified of Him, You are a priest forever after the order/dabar of Malkitsedeq.

John had transitioned to the Malchitsedek priesthood, and He was setting His seal on the transition to show Yahusha is the one prophesied of as “You are a priest forever after the order of Malchitsedek.'' It was told to him that whom He saw the Ruach descending upon as a dove/yonah will be the one doing the mikveh in the Ruach Ha Qodesh. Hence, when we tie this to Gen 1:2 the chaos of tohu i.e., is a state of waste or chaos and bohu i.e., a need to be filled, we see Yahusha as the Mediator and in equal share of Yahuah, in the form of a dove fluttered/rachapah over the chaotic waters and came face to face with creation in a bodily form (Gen 1:3, 2 Corn 4:6) and gathered/mikveh the waters in one place by His hands/yaday (2 Peter 3:5-6) and stood between the waters and the dry land in keeping the order (Rev 10:2),  in order to fulfil all righteousness i.e. gathers/mikveh the waters in one place & goes through the immersion in ‘mikveh’ as the firstborn, to transition many unto Himself from the chaotic blood of bulls and goats sacrifices which never could take away sins & the literal divers washing which was interprested by the Levites as mikveh in pool of Siloach & Bayth Chasda which never washes the filth of the flesh.

Matt 3:15 But Yahusha answering said to him, “Permit it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.

Series of thoughts connecting scriptures came to my mind this morning which I am adding in this note:

Joh 3:3  יהושע answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he is unable to see the reign of Elohim.” 

Joh 3:4  Naḵdimon said to Him, “How is a man able to be born when he is old? Is he able to enter into his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

Joh 3:5  יהושע answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he is unable to enter into the reign of Elohim.

Yahusha told Nakdimon that unless one is born of the water and Ruach (being born from above) , he is unable to enter into the reign of Aluahym. Nakdimon carnally was trying to place the adult man in the mothers womb where the elements of the womb are water and blood. 

1Jn 5:6  This is the One that came by water and blood: יהושע Messiah, not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the Truth. 

It’s the path the One from above already took for us in an earthly womb, the Ruach of truth testifies that He came ‘not only by water’ 

If we refer to what Yahusha told Nakdimon that unless one is born of water and the Ruach, he is unable to enter the reign of Aluahym. 

Hence there are two testimonies 

1. Internal : Water and Ruach which speak of regeneration and is a mikveh through this regeneration 

Tit 3:5  He saved us, not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His compassion, through the washing of rebirth, and renewal by the Set-apart Spirit, 

The birth of the heavenly body in its clearness is what we will se a bit later through the imagery mentioned.

2. External: Water and blood which speak of the Son of Aluahym who came through the womb (water and blood are elements of the womb) in an earthly mikveh for us.

Psa 110:3  Your people volunteer in the day of Your might, In the splendours of set-apartness! From the womb/racham of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth! 

Psa 110:4  יהוה has sworn and does not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order/dabar of Malkitseḏeq.”

Psalms 110 is about Mashiyach who is Yahuah, who occupies the office of mediatorship as the right hand who also laid the path mikveh for us in Himself.

From the order/ dabar of the heavenly priesthood as we read in YashaYahu 6:1 …and His shul/ hem of the garment filled the temple/haykal, He came after the order in the earthly realm to make all of us fall in line of the order of the heavenly. Remember, the earthly pattern was replica of the heavenly, while heaven and earth pass away, the Dabar of Yahuah will never pass away, it’s firmly established forever. 

‘ Not only came by water ‘ is terminology best understood from Gen 1:9 where the word for gathering is qavah which also means ‘expectation / eagerness’

Gen 1:2 says the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the Face of the deep, 

there was an expectation/qavah of mikveh and this can be seen as it says the Ruach was fluttering/ rachapah over the waters. 

Yahuah didn’t gather the waters immediately, He first brought an order in creation when He spoke His substance over His Word or Order (Dabar) with a decree “Let there be Light and there was Light” Gen 1:3 and Shaul the emissary says in 2Cor 4:6 that the Light of the knowledge of the esteem of Aluahym in our hearts shone, enlightening us is through the face of Yahusha ha Mashiyach. 

Hence, the body prepared for Him was manifest before even the collection of the waters / mikveh and He is the bone of heaven and as Psalms 110:3 says 

From the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth! 

The word for womb is racham which also means ‘compassion’ in Hebrew. The word for morning there is mishchar which means ‘breaking of dawn’ Hence, the womb of the morning is a womb of compassion where the darkness/ night is broken. In an earthly womb the baby in the womb is in the warmth of the water and blood but is in darkness. When the baby comes out, it first encounters Light. 

Yahusha is said to be ‘in the beauties of set apartness from the womb of the morning’ 

He breaks forth as Light shining forth out of darkness but the darkness doesn’t overcome it.

Joh 1:5  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

Yahuchanan/John introduces this heavenly order and LIGHT in John 1 who is Aluahym. 

Hence first the expectation/ qavah, then the LIGHT shone forth through the womb of the morning first breaking the darkness/mishchar and dividing the light from the darkness. The light he called Day and the darkness He called Night. 

He then separated the waters below from above 

He then gathered the waters under the heavens and called it a mikveh. 

Every baby born into this world is mikveh into an earthly womb of darkness, hence, it was necessary to break this chain of darkness which Yahusha ha Mashiyach Himself who came forth from the womb of the morning before the worlds was (in a form or body of heaven in its clearness) being mikveh in the division of the waters above which were separated from waters below, and then came forth in time born under the Torah of a woman in the earthly womb by water and blood to put all of us born of the order of darkness into His heavenly order of womb of the morning.

The mish/mash in shachar is drawing out. It’s rooted in Masha(Moses) as He was drawn out of waters. Shachar is dawn and Mishchar is being drawn out of the dawn darkness into Light.

That’s why we who believe in Yahusha are called children of the Day. Yasharal is Yahuah’s firstborn, and Yasharal is firstborn after the order of Yahusha the only yachyid. 

Out of Egypt I called my Son. 

Why would Yahuah cause Yasharal to go through the depths of the Red Sea with waters standing as heaps on both the sides , just as in Genesis 1 He divided the waters from the waters, the depths were uncovered and Yasharal walked on dry land in those depths which is a type of mikveh in both orders. ie. Waters from waters. 

Yasharal fell into the order of the heavenly figuratively as Shaul says they were all immersed into Mosheh (Moses) which is figurative for Torah.

1Co 10:1   For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 

1Co 10:2  and all were immersed into Mosheh in the cloud and in the sea,

We who are in expectation/qavah and have even taken a mikveh in the collection of waters from below, we are in expectation of being transformed into His body which is heavenly.

May Yahuah open the eyes of our understanding to obey His Torah of life and that we walk in it so that those seeing us would see the Malchitsedek priesthood in us and the washing of regeneration & circumcision within us being called a true Yahudi. The outward form comes as signs in obedience of what transition has already happened within us! Shalum in Yahusha ha Mashiyach!

 

Monday, April 24, 2023

Understanding the scattering of Shimeon and Levi in Yasharal

 Gen 49:5 Shimeon and Lewi are brothers; their weapons are instruments of violence.

Gen 49:6 Let my soul not enter into their council; let not my glory be united with their assembly; because in their anger they slew men, and in their self they lamed an ox.

Gen 49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel. I shall disperse them in Ya’aqob, and scatter them in Yasharal 

All of Yaaqob’s sons are brothers, but he calls Shimeon and Levi “brothers” explicitly since the sword binds them together in ways they are not bound to their other brothers (49:5)

In the blessings which will befall them in the last days Yaaqob repeats one statement in a different way and is essentially saying the same thing. It’s a juxtaposition where the same thing said is placed side by side to show a contrast or compare them. Kindly see the color-coding matching words.

1.        Their weapons, instruments of violence

2.       My soul, my glory

3.       Not enter into, be united

4.       Their council, their assembly

5.       In their anger, in their self

6.       They slew men, they lamed an ox

7.       Cursed be their anger, and their wrath

8.       For it is fierce, it is cruel

9.       Disperse them, scatter them

10.    In Yaaqob, In Yasharal

Their cruelty is defined 10 times as juxtaposes where number 10 in scripture speaks of completeness and this completeness is in dividing them from each other.





The attached image is of the 12 sons of Yaaqob from Leah, Leah's maid Zilpah, Rachel & Rachel's maid Bilhah. Shimeon is number 2 son and Levi is number 3 son of Leah and among the hierarchy in Yaaqob's sons. 


Rueben lost his birthright:

Gen 49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn; my might and the beginning of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

Gen 49:4 Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it--he went up to my couch.

Gen 35:22 It came about while Yisra’El was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Yisra’El heard of it. Now there were twelve sons of Ya’aqob 

Bilhah was Rachel's maid. Masha before his death blessed the 12 tribes and for Reuben he said in Deut 33:6 

Deut 33:6 May Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.

Hence, Shimeon was number 2 son expecting the firstborn berekah (blessing) given to him before even the blessings were allotted, he had an expectation and Levi joined him in his pursuit and hence they are termed as 'brothers', brothers separated from other brothers. But the birthright went to Yoseph and hence, he was a key brother who they wanted to kill him but with influence of other brothers instead, they sell him to the Midianites for 20 pieces of silver, a valuation lesser than of a slave. We can see this when Yoseph sends for his brothers to get his brother Binyamin who was son number 12, he binds Shimon and keeps him as a guarantee until they bring Binyamin to him.

From here the priestly blessing jumps straight to Yahudah who is Leah's son number 4 and the firstborn blessing went to Rachel's firstborn son & number 11 in the hierarchy among brothers.

Yahudah is number 4 among the brothers, it speaks of Mashiyach who would be brought to his people and was the one who became great with his hands being impaled on the tree, helping Yahudah's enemies.

Deut 33:7 And this regarding Yahudah; so he said, Hear, O Yahuah the voice of Yahudah, and bring him to his people. With his hands he became great, and may You be a help against his adversaries.

'yadah' in Yahudah also means hands lifted up in praise. From Yahudah would spring forth a Priest which Masha never spoke about.

Heb 7:14 For it is evident to all that our Adon has sprung out of Yahudah, from the tribe of which Mosheh spoke nothing of Him concerning the priesthood. 

Number 4 also shows an embrace of Yahusha to gather everyone unto Himself in His Malchitsedek priesthood, the tribe from where He sprang from to show He is Yahuah. If you drop the dalet in Yahudah we get Yahuah.

Number 11 in scripture:

Disorder, chaos & judgment. This could be one of the reasons why his brothers hated Yoseph without understanding that the number 11 was Reuben who lost his birthright to Yoseph. Hence, Yoseph was actually number 1.

Yaaqob was separated from his son Yoseph for a very long duration and in his mind he was fed that his son number 11 is dead. 

He fled from Esau his brother's presence to his homeland along with his wives and 11 sons, the 12th Binyamin was not yet born. The birth of Binyamin is recorded in Gen 35 after Yaaqob returned to his homeland and built an altar to Yahuah who had appeared to him in Bethel.

Gen 32:22 Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Yabboq. 

Deuteronomy 1:2-3 – Normally it takes only 11 days to travel from Mount Sinai/Choreb to Kadesh-Barnea, going by way of Mount Seir.  But forty years after the Yasharalites left Mitsrayim they moved in circles in the wilderness back and forth the same mountain.

Deut 1:1 These are the words which Mosheh spoke to all Yisra’El across the Yarden in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel and Laban and Chazeroth and Dizahab.

Deut 1:2 It is eleven days journey from Choreb by the way of Mount Seir to Qadesh-Barnea.

Mount Sinai and Mount Choreb are the same mountain.

Ex 19:1 In the third month after the sons of Yisra’El had gone out of the land of Mitsrayim, on this day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 

Ex 19:2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Yisra’El camped in front of the mountain. 

Two of the last kings of Yahudah reigned for 11 years. Yehoiakim, the one who burned the scroll of YarmeYahu/Jeremiah, reigned when Nebuchadnezzar came up against him and began his work of destroying Yerushalayim (2 Ch 36: 5-6). 

TsadaqYah/Zedekiah, the king who did not want to hear the word of Aluahym through YarmeYahu/Jeremiah, was the one in whom Nebuchadnezzar completed his task of dominion over Yerushalayim (2 Chron. 36:11; Jer 52: 1) because “in the eleventh year … a breach was made in the wall of the city “(Jer 39: 2). Here began “the times of the Gentiles.” We see how the number 11 is associated with the destruction and desolation of Yerushalayim.

2Chr36:5 Yahuyaqim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Yerushalam; and he did evil in the sight of Yahuah his El. 

2Chr36:5 Yahuyaqim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Yerushalam; and he did evil in the sight of Yahuah his El. 

Jer 39:2 in the eleventh year of TsideqiYahu, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was breached.

Shimeon and Levi were divided by the same sword they measured their cruelty:

Phineas (Levite) killed Zimri the Shimeonite and the Midianite woman by thrusting them through and the plague stopped. 

Num 25:8 and he went after the man of Yisrael into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Yisra’El and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Yisra’El was checked. 

Num 25:14 Now the name of the slain man of Yisra’El who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Shimeonites.

Pre & post plague census of men of war: Numbers 1 men of war was a pre plague census & Numbers 26 was a men of war post plague census. Shimeon was the most affected tribe in the plague in numbers. The brothers in cruelty were divided by the sword of the Levite and scattered in Yasharal as prophesied by Yaaqob. We already saw that the Levites & their cattle always fell short when compared to every firstborn male in Yasharal even though Levites were numbered from a month old and above with no exit age in Numbers 3.

Num 3:39 All the numbered men of the Lewiim, whom Mosheh and Aharon numbered at the command of Yahuah by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand. 

Num 3:43 and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were twenty-two thousand and two hundred seventy-three. 

And for these additional 273, 5 shekels per head was collected as atonement tax. This number would have increased as the firstborn of Yasharal outnumbered the Levites. Hence, the Levites fell short in standing for every firstborn male in Yasharal to bear their guilt in the Tent of Appointment.

Now for the numbers pre and post the plague among men of war: Shimeon was the most affected tribe in the plague in numbers.

1. Reuben pre was 46,500 (Num 1:21), post was 43,730 (Num 26:7)

2. Shimeon pre was 59,300 (Num 1:23), post was 22, 200)

Num 1:23 Their number of men of the tribe of Shimeon were fifty-nine thousand and three hundred.

Num 26:14 These are the families of the Shimeonites, twenty-two thousand and two hundred.

3. Gad pre was 45,650 (Num 1:25), post was 40,500 (Num 26:18)

4. Yahudah pre was 74,600 (Num 1:27, post was 76,500 (Num 26:22)

5. Yissakar pre was 54,400 (Num 1: 29), post was 64,300 (Num 26:25)

6. Zebulun pre was 57,400 (Num 1:31), post was 60,500 (Num 26:27)

7. Sons of Yoseph:

A. Ephraim pre was 40,500 (Num 1:33), post was 32,500 (Num 26:37)

B. Manasseh pre was 32,200 (Num 1:35), post was 52,700 (Num 26:34)

8. Binyamin pre was 35,400 (Num 1:37), post was 45,600 (Num 26:41)

9. Dan pre was 62,700 (Num 1:39), post was 64,400 (Num 26:43)

10. Asher pre was 41,500 (Num 1: 41), post was 53,400 (Num 26:47)

11. Napthali pre was 53,400 (Num 1:43), post was 45,400 (Num 26: 50)

12. Levi-remember Levi is never numbered among men of war

Shimeon got his inheritance with Yahudah (Joshua 19:1-9) and Levi got an interim priesthood with no inheritance in Yasharal except for 48 cities to dwell in among all Yasharal, and they would eventually would make way to the Malchitsedek priesthood in Mashiyach who would spring out of Yahudah.

Jos 19:9 the inheritance of the sons of Shimeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Yahudah, for the part of the sons of Yahudah was too much for them; so the sons of Shimeon received an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.

Thus we see Shimeon was scattered in Yaaqob in Yahudah.

Jos13:33 But to the tribe of Levi, Mosheh did not give an inheritance; Yahuah, the El of Yisra’El, is their inheritance, as He had promised to them.

Jos 21:41 All the cities of the Lewiim in the midst of the possession of the sons of Yisra’El were forty-eight cities with their suburbs.

The priestly blessing went to Yahudah and the firstborn blessing went to Yoseph.

1Chr 5:1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Yisra’El (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Yoseph the son of Yisra’El; and the genealogy is not to be counted according to the birthright.

1Chr 5:2 For Yahudah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the chief ruler, but the birthright was to Yoseph.

Zec 12:10 I shall pour out on the house of Dawid and on the inhabitants of Yerushalam, the Spirit of favor and of supplication, so that they shall look on Me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they shall be bitter over Him as one that is in bitterness over a firstborn.

Zec 12:11 “In that day the mourning in Yerushalayim is going to be great, like the mourning at Haḏaḏ Rimmon in the valley of Meḡiddo.
Zec 12:12 “And the land shall mourn, every tclan by itself: the tribe of the house of Dawiḏ by itself, and their women by themselves; the clan of the house of Nathan by itself, and their women by themselves;
Zec 12:13 the clan of the house of Lĕwi by itself, and their women by themselves; the clan of Shimʽi/Shimeon (LXX & Aramaic translation) by itself, and their women by themselves;
Zec 12:14 all the rest of the clans, every clan by itself, and their women by themselves.

Shimeon and Levi are both listed in Zechariah's prophecy as mourning for Yahuah who was pierced as a remnant of these tribes believed in Yahusha ha Mashiyach.

 They lamed an ox:

 Deut 25:4 You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing

1Cor 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Mosheh, You shall not muzzle the ox in his threshing. Is the Elohim concerned about the oxen?

1Cor 9:10 Or does He speak just for us? Indeed, it is written for us, that he who plows should plow in hope, and the thresher should return in hope to take his share in hope.

Speaking of those serving Him in sincierity, the Torah likens the one serving Yahuah as an ox/shur. But the mad ox is one who is not walking in Torah and gores His servants.

Hence, we see 2 shur/oxen here 1. chief priests,scribes and priests-the Levites who became the mad oxen & 2. Yahusha -the Malchitsedek priest, the true ox that treads the grain

Remember, shur means watcher as well as enemy.

The Levites were serving Yahuah in the haykal/temple were jealous of him and handed Yahusha to be tried and killed.

The Torah portion:

Ex 21:28 If an ox/shur gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be unpunished.

Ex 21:29 If he was an ox apt to gore from yesterday and the third day before and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 

Here the mad oxen that was goring were the chief priests, scribes and the priests who had a high priest over them. If we understand Torah, the high priest their owner was warned/alerted on the betrayal of the man the ox/oxen were to gore. Yahusha was betrayed to be sold more than 3 days before his death. Matt 26:2 confirms this.

 Matt 26:14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Yahudah Ish Qariyoth, went to the chief priests.

Matt 26:15 He said, “What would you give me to hand Him over to you?” They counted out thirty pieces of silver for him,

Matt 26:16 and from that moment on, he sought an opportunity to betray Him. 

Matt 26:2 “You know that there are another two days and the Pesach is coming, and the Son of Adam shall handed over to be crucified.” 

Both the oxen that gore and the owner of the ox consipired to gore Yahusha.

Levi and Shimon lamed an 🐂 ox in their cruelty. When the carnal Torah came , the Levites were given tasks that occupied with sacrifices of blood of bulls, goats ox sheep etc which never take away sins. And they even went to shed the blood of Mashiyach as they smote Him out of their jealousy and cruelty

But they couldn’t lame Him, remember the soldiers broke the legs of the two zealots impaled along with Mashiyach but when they saw Mashiyach already dead they pierced his side so that scripture is not broken which said Not one of His bones will be broken

John 19:31 The Yahudim said, the corpses should not remain on the crucifixion on the day of Shabbat, since it was the evening of Shabbat, and that day of Shabbat was significiant. So they requested for Pilatos to break their legs and to taken them down.
John 19:32 The military men came and broke the legs of the first one and then the legs of the second who was crucified with Him.
John 19:33 They came to Yahusha and saw and beheld that He was dead, so they did not break His legs.
John 19:34 One of the military men thrust Him through with a spear in His side and blood and water came forth. 
John 19:36 For this was to fulfill the Scripture, “A bone shall not be broken of Him.” 

Since, Yahuah Himself set up the Levitical priesthood, He takes full responsibility of allowing Himself to be gored to death, In Matthew 26:2 He knew in another 2 days He would be killed but yet went to the stake. 

Gen 49:6 Let my soul not enter into their council; let not my glory be united with their assembly; because in their anger they slew men, and in their self they lamed an ox.

They were scattered in Yasharal for their remnant to be gathered in Mashiyach.

Thursday, April 20, 2023

What is the minimum age of service for Levites: 25 OR 30 OR 20? (Num 4:2-3 4:22-23, 4:29-30 vs Num 8:24 & 1 Chr 23:27)

 The first blush reading of scriptures seem to show a contradiction in the entry level ages for the Levite priests. This is because carnal mind doesn't understand the context of the various census spoken of in scriptures. There is also a misunderstanding on the half a sheqel atonement price which had to be paid which is also called the Temple tax. If we understand the various census taken with evidence, we will be able to identify as to when this atonement price had to be collected. We will see this with the example of David's sin. We will also see the norm for an entry age vs a census age for a Levite. This note shows a distinction of the census taken to clear the understanding and to show there is no contradiction in Yahuah's dabar.

25 years or 30 years or 20 years entry age for Levites:

To understand the entry level ages mentioned we must understand the various census taken in its correct perspective. 


There is a difference between the census of Numbers 1,3 & 4. 

1. Numbers 1 census: 20 years and above, all that are able to go out to war in Yasharal. The Levites were not accounted in this census.

In Numbers 1, the census was for all who are able to go out to war in Yasharal, this didn't require half a sheqel ransom money because its associated with the Levites vs every firstborn in Yasharal which we will see in point number 2.

Num 1:2 Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Yisra’El, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male by their heads. 
Num1:3 from twenty years old and upwardall are able to go out to war in Yisra’El, you and Aharon shall number them by their armies. 

As stated, in this census the Levites were not numbered.

Num 1:47 But the Lĕwites were not counted among them by their fathers’ tribe,

Num 1:48 because יהוה had spoken to Mosheh, saying,

Num 1:49 “Only the tribe of Lĕwi you do not count, nor take a census of them among the children of Yisra’ĕl.

2. The atonement for firstborn census: every male of a Levite from a month old and upward you shall number vs every firstborn of Yasharal.

The Torah came with instructions that when a census is to be conducted for every male that crosses over (abar), it had to be done along with a ransom of half a shekel of the sanctuary for those who are 20 years old and above so that there is no plague among the tribes.

Ex 30:11 ¶ And the YAHUAH spake unto Moses, saying,

Ex 30:12 When thou takest the sum/rosh ראש H7218 of the children of  Yasharal after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the YAHUAH, when you number them; that there be no plague among them, when you number them.

Ex 30:13 This they shall give, everyone that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs) a half shekel shall be the offering of the YAHUAH.

Ex 30:14 Everyone passing over/abar עבר to be counted, from twenty years old and over, shall give a heave offering/tarumah to Yahuah.

In 2 Sam 24:1-25 we read David numbering Yasharal, the census command was to count those ready for war in all tribes under each commander as well as count everyone from each tribe 20 years and above.

1Chr 21:5 And Yoab gave the number of the census of the people to Dawid. And all Yisra’El were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men who drew the sword; and Yahudah was four hundred seventy thousand men who drew the sword.  

1Chr 21:6 But he did not number Lewi and Benyamin in midst of them, for the king’s word was abominable to Yoab.

1 Chr 27 lists down the number from each tribe numbered who were ready for war. 

It also lists the head of each tribe who helped Yoab to number the rest of the firstborn men in each tribe and the heads who helped from Levi was ChashabYah and Tsadoq for Aharon.

1Chr27:17 Of Lewi, ChashabYah the son of Qemu’El; for Aharon, Tsadoq; 

But didn't we read Yoab didn't number Levi and Benyamin among them? Firstly, we must understand that there are 2 censuses clubbed together here. 1} men of war 2} every firstborn male from each tribe.

Hence, Yoab didn't number Levi and Binyamin in men of war for it was abominable to him as he knew the Torah of Masha partly i.e. when compared to Numbers 1 census Binyamin could be numbered but no Levi, as Levites were not supposed to go out to war.

Num 1:36  From the children of Binyamin, their genealogies by their clans, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, everyone going out to the army,

In the second census he numbered them, every male from each tribe and that is how 1 Chr 27:17 & 21 records of the heads who helped him in the census.

v 17 of Lewi, ChashabYah the son of Qemu’El; for Aharon, Tsadoq

v 21 Of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Yiddo the son of ZekarYahu; of Benyamin, Yaasi’El the son of Abner; 

In 1Ch 27:23 we read But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because YAHUAH had said he would increase Yasharal like to the stars of the heavens.

Didn't we read Yoab gave the count of the census to David in 1Chr 21:5

1Chr 21:5 And Yoab gave the number of the census of the people to Dawid. And all Yisra’El were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men who drew the sword; and Yahudah was four hundred seventy thousand men who drew the sword. 

v 24 of 1 Chr 27 records Yoab the son of TseruYah began to number, but did not finish;

1Chr- 27:24 Yoab the son of TseruYah began to number, but did not finish; and because of this, wrath came upon Yisra’El, and the number did not go up in the account of the words of the days of King Dawid.

Hence, there were 2 censuses out of which he completed one i.e., the men of war but he couldn't finish the second one i.e., every firstborn male from each tribe, because of this census, wrath came upon Yasharal. So, we see the wrath came because of the second census as every firstborn male in Yasharal were being numbered vs Levi which required half a sheqel offering for each of those counted in this census which became a sin for him.

If you notice in the 12 months census for men of war, there was no plague on Yasharal, the plague came when Yoab started numbering every firstborn male in Yasharal vs Levi and couldn't finish the numbering due to the plague. Moreover, the census for every firstborn male were to be done by sons of Aharon and not a commander of an army.

Whenever an instruction to number Yasharal and its tribes, it had to come from Yahuah as Masha was instructed by Yahuah. David tried to imitate by not measuring those twenty years old and below (only those above) but not with a purpose of every man giving a ransom unto the Yahuah. 

Yahusha is the One who measures:

Eze 40:3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.(in Chapter 42 we see can read about him measuring the temple)

Zechariah also saw Messiah with a measuring line: Zec 2:1 ¶ I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.

In David's measuring there was no ransom paid. Later when he repented on instruction of Gad the seer he offered the ransom as per Aluahym's measuring line.

2Sa 24:17 And David spake unto the YAHUAH when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house. 18 ¶ And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the YAHUAH in the threshing floor of Araunah the Yebusite.19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the YAHUAH commanded.

The Angel who revealed to Yahuchanan/John the revelation of Messiah had the golden reed to measure the city. This angel unfolding these revelations to Yahuchanan is sent by to show that Messiah is the one who alone measures the temple with his dividing line (ransom).

Re 21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

The language is symbolic, and we read Yahuchanan/John is given a reed like unto a rod to measure but there is no record of John doing the measuring.

Re 11:1 ¶ And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of Aluahym, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

The Exo 30 passages is aligned to the Numbers 3 census. In Numbers 3 all male Levites from a month old and upward (with no limit of age 50) were numbered vs every male firstborn in Yasharal. In Numbers 3 census, the half a sheqel was collected for a Levite vs a firstborn of Yasharal as Levites would bear their guilt before Yahuah when serving in the tabernacle. 

Numbers 3:39 records that the count of the Levites in the census was 22,000 when they were numbered.

Num 3:39 All the numbered men of the Lewiim, whom Mosheh and Aharon numbered at the command of Yahuah by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.

The first-born of the children of Yasharal were 22,273 (Numbers 3:43) 

Num 3:43 and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were twenty-two thousand and two hundred seventy-three. 

And for the extra 273 first-born of Yasharal five shekels for head-to-head were to be taken which amounts to 1,365 shekels (273 x 5) (Numbers 3:46-50).  This excess ransom money of 1,365 sheqels were given to Aharon and his sons (Numbers 3:51) as their portion.

Num 3:45 Take the Lewiim instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Yisra’El and the cattle of the Lewiim instead of their cattle. And the Lewiim shall be Mine; I am Yahuah. 

Num 3:46 For the ransom of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborns of the sons of Yisra’El who are in excess beyond the Lewiim,

Num 3:47 you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them by the shekel of the sanctuary the shekel is twenty gerahs,

Num 3:48 and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aharon and to his sons. 

Num 3:49 So Mosheh took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Lewiim;

Num 3:50 from the firstborn of the sons of Yisra’El he took the money by the shekel of the sanctuary, a thousand and three hundred sixty-five.  

Num 3:51 Then Mosheh gave the money of those ransomed to Aharon and to his sons, at the command of Yahuah, just as Yahuah had commanded Mosheh.

The Hebrew word to look at in collection of the ransom money is the word ‘tarmah’ H8641 which KJV translates it as ‘offering’ and ISR 1998 translates it as ‘contribution’ which dilutes the meaning in English because the word ‘tarmah’ H8641 means ‘heave offering’. I have corrected the word to render the correct meaning in English because the ‘half a sheqel’ that is asked is from from both the rich and the poor alike as a ‘HEAVE OFFERING’ from the children of Yasharal.

Exo 30:15 “The rich does not give more, and the poor does not give less than half a sheqel, when you give a heave offering/tarmah H8641 to יהוה, to make atonement for your souls.

This census of Numbers 3 has a spiritual significance as it points to our Savior Mashiyach who would pay the ransom price for every head of the children of Yasharal at Galgatha. We saw the Levites fell short for every male firstborn in Yasharal, and hence for the additional 273, five shekels apiece, per head were taken where number 5 speaks of Torah. The verse further says the shekel of the sanctuary is 20 gerahs, hence, 5 sheqel's would be 100 gerah's where 100 is a complete number.

Num 3:47 you shall take five shekels apiece, per head/gul’goleth; you shall take them by the shekel of the sanctuary the shekel is twenty gerahs,

Joh 19:17 And bearing His stake, He went out to the so-called Place of a Skull/HEADwhich is called in Heḇrew, Galgatha,
Joh 19:18  where they impaled Him, and two others with Him, one on this side and one on that side, and יהושע in the middle.

The question that needs to be asked is, is the ‘half a sheqel’ an atonement for the soul? The answer lies in understanding the heave offering but before that this census sanctuary/temple tax was made a business during Yahusha's time as it was collected yearly (as post captivity) without the counting of the heads/census.

Matt 17:24 When they came to Kephar Nachumthose who collected the machatsyath/strike or pierce tax came to Kepha and said, does your teacher not pay the machatsyath/strike or pierce tax
Matt 17:25 He said, Yes. And when he came into the house, Yahusha spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” 
Matt 17:26 When Kepha said, From strangers, Yahusha said to him again, “Then the sons are exempt.”
Matt 17:27 “However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you shall find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”

This was the same tax of 'half a sheqel' as stated in Exodus 30:11-16 we are discussing about. Matthew records this as the 'machatsyath' tax and machats in Abary means 'strike/pierce'. The temple was in Yerushalayim, but the Temple tax was collected by tax collectors appointed by the chief priests and scribes. The verses begin by saying those who collected the machatsyath tax came to Kepha and asked whether his Teacher pays the machatsyath tax and he said yes. Yahusha in the house where they were gathered asks Kepha about the customs/poll tax the kings of the earth collect from strangers and not from citizens to make a point that as a Son of the land he had already paid the temple tax but so as not to offend them asks Kepha to hook in a fish in which he will find a sheqel and with it he asks Kepha to pay it for himself and him (half sheqel for each of them).

This was probably called the machatsyath/strike or pierce tax because the half a sheqel was paid to the Levites who would do the service of the Tent of the Meeting (now the Temple) and they bore the crookedness of anything that would go wrong in the service in the Temple.

Num 18:1 So Yahuah said to Aharon, You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the guilt of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt of your priesthood.

Num 18:22 “And let the children of Yisra’ĕl not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin and die,
Num 18:23 because the Lĕwites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, so they themselves bear their crookedness. A law forever, throughout your generations: that among the children of Yisra’ĕl they are to have no inheritance,

Exo 38:26 a beqa H1235, that is half a sheqel for a head/galgalath H1538, according to the sheqel of the set-apart place, for everyone passing over/abar to those counted, from twenty years old and above, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men.

The Abary word 'beqa' H1235 is a weight and a coin, and the word also means (H1234) make a breach, break forth (into, out, in pieces, through, up), be ready to burst, cleave (asunder), cut out, divide, hatch, rend (asunder), rip up, tear, win. The breaking of the one sheqel into two halves...a picture of the price being paid for every head/galgalath being part of the Temple.

The 'half a sheqel' called the 'machatsyath tax' was significant of the blood sacrifice of Mashiyach in a price paid full as a sheqel of the sanctuary and it was not a bloodless payment. Those who say it was bloodless do not understand the Torah and ruach hidden in it.

3. Numbers 4 census: Only for the Levites from all 3 verticals of Levi's sons i.e. Qahath, Gershom and Merrari. Those numbered were from 30 years upward unto 50 years.

Numbers 4:2-3, 4:22-23, 4:29-30 is elaborative of the three lines within Levites i.e., Gershonites, Qohathites & Merrarites with their duties. (Levi had 3 sons Gershom, Qohath and Merrari and these were their descendants).

Numbers 4 records Yahuah asking Masha to take a CENSUS of these 3 lineages from 30 years and above while Numbers 8 is the normal age for the entry level age requirement for a Levite i.e., 25 years and above.

census/rosh ראש H7218 is the head/captain/chief/the top/beginning or first of something.

Yahuah tells Masha to take the first of the heads count of the three verticals of Levites.

A. Qehathites: 

Num 4:34 So Mosheh and Aharon and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Qehathites by their families and by their father’s houses,

Num 4:36 Their numbered men by their families were two thousand and seven hundred and fifty. 

B. Gershomites:

Num 4:38 The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their father’s houses,

Num 4:40 Their numbered men by their families, by their father’s households, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 

C. Merarites:

Num 4:42 The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their father’s households, 

Num 4:44 Their numbered men by their families were three thousand and two hundred.

Since, this was not a Levite vs firstborn of Yasharal census, this went without half a sheqel ransom money. 

4. The census done by David for Levites post the ark coming to rest: 20 years and above males.

 Looking at the passages closely this census was for the lineage of  Qahathites (Not the priests serving inside the tabernacle), Gershomites and Merarites as the ark had come to a rest and there was no longer a need for the descendants of  Qahathithes, Gershomites and Merarites as per Masha's Torah to carry the tabernacle, curtains, pillars, sockets, utensils of the tabernacle, altars etc. the work which was given to the Qahathites, Gershomites as well as Merrarites.

In the Torah of Moses which we will see a bit later in Numbers 8 (which is not a census) required an entry age of 25 years and exit age of 50 years for all three verticals of Levi i.e. The Qahatithes, the Gershomites and the Merarites. Notice the words in 1 Chr 23:28 'Because their office was at the hand of the sons of Aharon.' David did this census of the Levites from 20 years and above in his last days.

1Chr 23:24 These were the sons of Lewi according to the house of their fathers, even the heads of the fathers, as they were counted by the number of names by their census, doing the work for the service of the house of Yahuah, from twenty years old and upward.
1Chr 23:25 For Dawid said, Yahuah the El of Yisra’El has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Yerushalam forever. 
1Chr 23:26 And also unto the Lewiim there was no need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service.
1Chr 23:27 For by the last words of Dawid they were the sons of Lewi numbered from twenty years old and upward.
1Chr 23:28 Because their office was at the hand of the sons of Aharon with the service of the house of Yahuah, in the courts and in the chambers and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of the Elohim,
1Chr 23:29 and for the showbread, and for the fine flour for a grain offering, and for unleavened wafers, and for what is baked in the pan and for what is fried, and for every measure and size. 
1Chr 23:30 And to stand morning by morning to thank and to praise Yahuah, and likewise at evening, 
1Chr 23:31 and to offer all burnt offerings to Yahuah, in the Shabbats, in the Chadashim (new months) and on the appointed times, by number, according to the order commanded to them, continually before Yahuah.
1Chr 23:32 And that they should keep the charge of the tent of appointment, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aharon their brothers, for the service of the house of Yahuah.
 
The rest of these verticals of Qahath, Gershom and Merari were aligned by David to be gatekeepers, music players, supporting the sons of Aharon who were priest's descendants of Qahath etc.

1Chr 15:16 And Dawid spoke to the chiefs of the Lewiim to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of song, psalteries, harps, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
1Chr 15:17 So the Lewiim appointed Heyman the son of Yo’El, and from his brothers, Asaph the son of BerekYahu; and from the sons of Merari their brothers, Eythan the son of QushaYahu,
1Chr 15:18 and with them their brothers of the second rank, ZekarYahu, Ben, and Yaazi’El, and Shemiramoth, and Yechi’El, and Unni, Eliab, and BenaYahu, and MaaseYahu, and MattithYahu, and Eliphelehu, and MiqneYahu, and Obed-edom and Yei’El, the gatekeepers. 
1Chr 15:19 And the singers, Heyman, Asaph and Eythan were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze;
1Chr 15:20 and ZekarYah, and Azi’El, and Shemiramoth, and Yechi’El, and Unni, and Eliab, and MaaseYahu and BenaYahu, with harps tuned to Alamoth;
1Chr15:21 and MattithYahu, and Eliphelehu, and MiqneYahu, and Obed-edom, and Yei’El and AzazYahu, with lyres on the Sheminith to excel.
 1Chr15:22 And KenanYahu, chief of the Lewiim, was in charge of the singing; he gave instruction in singing because he was skillful.
1Chr15:23 And BerekYah and Elqanah were gatekeepers for the ark.
1Chr15:24 And ShebanYahu, and Yoshaphat, and Nethan’El, and Amasay, and ZekarYahu, and BenaYahu and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before the ark of the Elohim. Obed-edom and YechYah also were gatekeepers for the ark.
1Chr15:25 So it was Dawid, with the elders of Yisra’El and the captains over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahuah  from the house of Obed-edom with joy.

Twenty-four sons of the three chief musicians were chosen to head up divisions to correspond with the courses of priests. These three were originally chosen by the tribal leader to be the musicians when the ark was moved to Yerushalayim (see 1 Chronicles 15:16-24). The sons of Asaph, of the Levitical sub-tribe of Gershom (Gershom, Kohath and Merari being the three sons of Levi), had four of the divisions. Asaph had been the chief musician assigned to minister before the Ark of the Covenant in Yerushalayim (see 1 Chronicles 16:4-7, 37). He, too, composed psalms, with 12 of them bearing his name (Psalms 50; 73-83). The sons of Yeduthun, of the sub-tribe of Merari, had six divisions. Yeduthun is known as Ethan in many scriptures and, along with Heman, served at the tabernacle in Gibeon while the ark was in Yerushalayim (see 1 Chronicles 16:39-42). The sons of Heman, of the sub-tribe of Qahath, made up the remaining 14 divisions. Heman was the grandson of the prophet Samuel, and descendant of Korah. One psalm is attributed to Heman (Psalm 88), but 10 others (42; 44-49; 84-85; 87) are attributed to the sons of Korah, which would include Heman and his descendants. Additional information can be found in 1 Chronicles 6:31-48.

Not all Qahathites were chosen as priests who would offer sacrifices, incense etc. The descendants of Aharon who was also son of Qahath were given this charge. The other Qahathites were subject to service for work relating to the Tent of Meeting. They camped along the south side of the Tabernacle and were in charge of the most sacred objects, the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sacred utensils, and the screen, all of which they carried on their shoulders. The sons of Qahath were granted a privilege greater than that awarded to the other clans of the Levites, the Gershonites and the Merarites, in that they bore their burden on staves, unlike others who carried them on ox wagons (Num 7:8–9)

Num 7:6 So Mosheh took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Lewiim. 
Num 7:7 Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service,
Num 7:8 and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aharon the priest.
Num 7:9 But he did not give any to the sons of Qehath because the service of the holy objects belonged to them, which they carried on the shoulder.

There were more hands required now that the ark was at rest in Yerushalayim, hence, the census taken for these Levites who now were appointed as supporting the sons of Aharon, singers, gatekeepers etc. 

To understand this better we must see Numbers 8 where the age for Levites mentioned.
The entry age mentioned in Numbers 4 for all 3 verticals of Levites mentioned is 30 years and the exit age mentioned is 50 years. David in his final census of the Levites numbered 20 years and above but doesn't put an exit age for them in the census.

Num 8:23 Now Yahuah spoke to Mosheh, saying
Num 8:24 This is that what pertains to the Lewiim: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of appointment. 
Num8:25 But at the age of fifty years they shall return from service in the work and not work anymore.
 Num8:26 They shall minister their brothers in the tent of appointment, to keep an obligation/mishmereth H4931, but they shall do no work. Thus, you shall deal with the Lewiim concerning their obligation/mishmereth H4931.

משמרת mishmereth H4931 is from משמר H4929 which means guard/charge/keep/safeguard/custodian and also has the root word shamar שמר which also means to keep/guard.

Those above 50 had an option to return back home or continue to be guardians to the other priests in their respective ministry to teach them the right way if they would error in their priestly duties. They were placed as guardians. Hence, David now understood Torah and didn't put an exit age for them. However, he probably did a check for readiness for males from 20 and above instead of 25 to be put under these guardians for learning Torah. If you remember, when he himself as well as the priests were ignorant and carried the ark on the oxen cart, and when the oxen had stumbled, Uzzah put out his hand to hold the ark and was killed by Yahuah there. David was frightened and instead of taking the ark of the covenant to Yerushalayim, he kept it at the house of Obed Edom. And when he learnt that Yahuah had blessed the household of Obed Edom, he moved the ark to Yerushalayim in the correct manner with the Levites carrying the ark on their shoulder. 
He himself also had erred in conducting the firstborn males vs Levi census for which the plague came which we saw.

To rule out such ignorance, David would have done a readiness check for the entry age to priesthood, for priests to be under these retired guardians.

Numbers 3, 4 & 1 Chr 23:27 records a census for Levites but Numbers 8 is not a census but a norm for an age for a priest. Remember Numbers 1 was census for men of war and Levites were not numbered in them.

Hence, we see there is no contradiction in Yahuah's dabar once we understand the correct perspective of the census.


30 sheqel's of silver: 

Exo 21:32 “If the ox/shur H7794 gores a servant/abad or female servant/amah, he is to give to their adonayu/Master thirty sheqels of silver, and the ox is stoned.

Shur H7790 also means 'watcher/enemy'

The basarah/gospel is hidden in the Torah passage:

When the ox/shur which also means 'watcher/enemy' gores a servant/abad (Adam and Qayin were tillers H5647) and a maidservant/amah (amah was also a measure 'cubit' H520) the master/baal H1167 (see context Exo 21:28) of the shur had to pay 30 sheqels of silver to the adonayu/Master (referring to Mashiyach) and the shur had to to stoned.

Putting the above sentence without the brackets: When the watcher comes against the servants in the measures of Torah, the baal/master is required to pay the Adonayu/Master the price of 30 sheqel's of silver and the shur/watcher had to be stoned.

Hos 2:16  “And it shall be, in that day,” declares יהוה, “that you call Me ‘My Husband/ayash H376,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Baal.’ 

Through the watching through the Torah he gored/thrust himself to any form of disobedience to Torah

Zech 11:8  Then I cut off the three shepherds in one month/yarach (lunar month), for my being despised them, and their being also loathed me.
 9  So I said, “I am not shepherding you. Let the dying die, and the straying stray, and let those who are left eat each other’s flesh.”
 10  And I took my staff, Pleasantness, and cut it in two, to break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
 11  So it was broken on that day. And the poor of the flock, who were guarding/shamar H8104 me, knew that it was the word of יהוה.
 12  And I said to them, “If it is good in your eyes, give me my wages. And if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

 13  And יהוה said to me, “Throw it to the potter,/yatsar H3335” the splendid price at which I was valued by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the House of יהוה for the potter.

Psalms 2: 1  Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate emptiness?

 2  The sovereigns of the earth take their stand, And the rulers take counsel together, Against יהוה and against His Messiah, and say,

The three shepherds spoken of in Zechariah 11:8 who are cut off who stood against Yahuah and the Mashiyach were scribes, elders and priests

The poor of the flock who were guarding/shamar Me (Yahuah) knew it was the word of Yahuah (Zech 11:11)

Psalms 2:9  Break them with a rod of iron, Dash them to pieces like a potter’s/yatsar H3335 vessel.’ ”

'yatsar' also means form/fashion. In verse 13 Yahuah says to throw the thirty pieces of silver to the potter. He is the potter. 

Isa 64:8  And now, O יהוה, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You our potter/yatsar H3335. And we are all the work of Your hand. 

The price with which he was valued at he calls it a splendid price. Splendid price is a figure of speech. It was the price of selling a slave. Yoseph was sold by his brothers to Yishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver,  Yahudah Iscariot with the scribes, elders and priests valued Mashiyach at thirty pieces of silver (a price of a slave in his day).

Gen 37:28 And men, Miḏyanite traders passed by, so they pulled Yosĕph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Yishmaʽĕlites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Yosĕph to Mitsrayim.

Matt 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Yehuḏah from Qerioth, went to the chief priests,
 15 and said, “What would you give me to deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.

Matt 27:3 Then Yehuḏah – he who delivered Him up – having seen that He had been condemned, repented, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and to the elders,
 4 saying, “I have sinned in delivering up innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver in the Dwelling Place he left, and went and hanged himself.
 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not right to put them into the treasury, seeing they are the price of blood.”

 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field, for the burial of strangers/hagaryam.

The picture is of Yahuah who was called 'baali/master' by Yasharal is the one evaluating Himself with a price of a slave, the 'watcher/shur' is ha shatan who accused the brethren through Torah, who came through Torah laws goring the servants/abad who were disobeying his measures/amah and in his mercy paying the price for the goring the servant as dying on the stake as Yahusha. 

He paid the price for goring... It says the ox/watcher shall be stoned i.e., killed.

Rev12:10 And I heard a loud voice in the heavens, saying, Now the salvation of our El and His power and His kingdom and the authority of His Mashiyach have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down and stands to accuse them before our El day and night. 

 The master of the shur and the master of the servant spiritually is ONE i.e. Yahuah who is the ADON.
It was the price of blood and Yahudah (Judas) Iscariot threw the 30 pieces of silver in the Temple and went and hanged himself, and the chief priests took the 30 silver pieces and since it was the price of blood they didn't put it into the Temple treasury but bought the potter's field for the burial of strangers/hagaryam (Hagar is the bondwoman with her children (yam) hidden in this word). The ruach is hidden in the letter.

The half a sheqel tax went into the temple treasury as the sheqel of the sanctuary (Exo 30:13) for the atonement for the soul while the 30 pieces of silver at which He was valued at by carnal men went into buying a potter's field where Hagar the bondwoman and her children in bondage were buried. Out of these children in bondage, the price at which He was valued at would release His lost sheep from Hagar.
If the value of a slave is 30 shekels of silver as seen that if an ox gores a slave, the owner has to give the master of the slave 30 pieces of silver. No Hebrew was to ever be sold as a slave to a non Yahudite. The Talmud states the penalty for selling a Hebrew slave to a non-Yahudite is ten times the sale price, what is the total penalty?  30 x 10 brothers as in the case of Yahusaph representing the 10 tribes of Yasharal = 300 shekels of silver. It was considered a great evil to sell a Hebrew as a slave for the Torah commanded not to treat a Hebrew as a slave but a hired servant and every 7 years or at yobel/jubilee he went out free unless he chose to stay with his master. You may read these laws in Exo 21 and Lev 25.

Banyaman was not involved in the selling of his brother, hence the price a slave is valued at x 10 times restoration was made to the son of the right hand, that's what the name Banyaman means. He was even given 5 changes of garments, the completeness of Torah. Now why Banyaman was given this and not the other 10 brothers?

A little rewind to the account shows that Yahusaph called his brothers spies and his brothers replied to him as stated in Gen 42:13

Gen 42:13  And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Kenaʽan. And see, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.” 

Yahusaph pretended harshness on his brothers and asked them to bring their youngest brother Banyaman to him and put them 3 days in prison. Then they kept Shimon as a guarantee until they would return with Banyaman

Gen 42:16  “Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you are kept in prison. So let your words be proven to see whether there is any truth in you, or else, by the life of Pharaoh, you are spies!” 
Gen 42:17  And he put them all together in prison for three days. 
Gen 42:18  Now Yosĕph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear Elohim: 
Gen 42:19  “If you are trustworthy, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house, and you, go, bring grain for the scarcity of food of your houses. 
Gen 42:20  “And bring your youngest brother to me, and let your words be confirmed, and you do not die.” And so they did. 

Gen 42:24  And he turned himself away from them and wept, but came back to them and spoke to them. And he took Shimʽon from them and bound him before their eyes. 

Gen 42:36  And Yaʽaqoḇ their father said to them, “You have bereaved me – Yosĕph is no more, and Shimʽon is no more, and you would take Binyamin! All this is against me.” 

When the brothers returned with Banyaman, Yahusaph had his cup put in Banyaman's sack and when they were arrested and brought back to him, Yahusaph told them "The man in whose hand the cup was found, he becomes my slave"

Gen 44:17  But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose hand the cup was found, he becomes my slave. And you, go up in peace to your father.” 

And when Yahusaph couldn't restrain himself from his brothers, he made a full restoration of 300 pieces of silver and 5 changes of garments for his word to keep his brother as slave.

Gen 45:22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments, but to Binyamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

Five changes of garments show the completeness of Turah where number 5 refers to the 5 Torah books. What about the three hundred pieces of silver?

Similarly, the 10 tribes who are the lost sheep of the house of Yasharal, for which Yahusha came to seek and save, impaled Him on the stake. The Gentiles spoken of are from the 10 tribes of the house of Yasharal.

Act 4:26  ‘The sovereigns of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against יהוה and against His Messiah.
Act 4:27  “For truly, in this city there were gathered together against Your set-apart Servant יהושע, whom You anointed, both Herodes and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles and the people of Yisra’ĕl 

The restoration for selling Yahusha would also be 10 times as he was valued at 30 pieces of silver and the basarah is hidden in the Yahusaph's account with his brothers.

Jer 30:11 ‘For I am with you,’ declares יהוה, ‘to save you. Though I make a complete end of all gentiles where I have scattered you, yet I do not make a complete end of you. But I shall reprove you in judgment, and by no means leave you unpunished.’

Mariyam took a costly perfume of nard, anointed the feet of יהושע, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. When Yahudah from Qerioth who was to sell Yahusha for 30 pieces of silver along with others in the house of Shimon  valued the perfume at 300 pieces of silver, Yahusha told them to leave her alone and said she has done this to anoint My body for the burial. 

Mar 14:3  And while He was in Bĕyth Anyah in the house of Shimʽon the leper, and sitting at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of perfume, genuine nard, very costly. And breaking the flask she poured it on His head. 
Mar 14:4  But there were some who were much displeased among themselves, and said, “Why was this perfume wasted? 
Mar 14:5  “For it could have been sold for more than three hundred pieces of silver and given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 
Mar 14:6  But יהושע said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 
Mar 14:7  “For you have the poor with you always, and you are able do good to them, whenever you wish. But you do not always have Me. 
Mar 14:8  “What she had, she used. She took it beforehand to anoint My body for the burial. 
Mar 14:9  “Truly, I say to you, wherever this Good News is proclaimed in all the world, what this woman did shall also be spoken of, to her remembrance.”

Joh 12:3  Then Miryam took a pound of costly perfume of nard, anointed the feet of יהושע, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 
Joh 12:4  Then one of His taught ones, Yehuḏah from Qerioth, son of Shimʽon, who was about to deliver Him up, said, 
Joh 12:5  “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred pieces of silver and given to the poor?” 
Joh 12:6  And he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and he used to take what was put in it. 

This basharah when preached in all the world will be preached to her rememberance/zakar. The Hebrew name 'Maryam' means "sea of bitterness" or "sea of sorrow." The lost sheep of the house of Yasharal are in dispersion of nations away from their ethnicity in a pagan land as being in the 'sea of sorrow'. They shall look on Me whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as a yachid/only begotten is the picture.

Yahusaph was sold into slavery by his 10 brothers to the Midyanites who in turn sold him to the Yishmaelites who are non Yahudim for 20 pieces of silver, a value lesser than a slave.
Hence, the sin of his brothers were grevious because:

1. They were never to sell a Hebrew to Non Yahudite
2. The price valued for a servant was 30 pieces of silver, but His brothers sold him into slavery for 20 pieces of silver, a lesser value.
3. Being in slavery the hope of release after every 7 years or at yobel/jubilee was lost

Yet, we see Yoseph, Mashiyach likeness restoring the 300 pieces of silver for his 10 brothers who would be the 10 tribes of Yasharal with a correct price restoration but given to the 'Son of the Right Hand' i.e. Banyaman.

We saw in the ransom money of half a sheqel for every firstborn male in Yasharal, the Levites bearing the guilt of the tabernacle on their behalf fell short by 273 and hence 5 sheqel's or 100 gerah's had to be collected for each head/galgalath amounting to 1365 sheqel's. (Numbers 3:46-51). This number would increase as later there is no record of the ransom/atonement money being collected, but we see tax collectors placed by the Sanhedrin to collect the temple tax from the people. Hence, the Levitical priesthood fell short in bearing the guilt for every firstborn male of Yasharal. Hence, we see Yahusha the Malchitsedek paying the ransom for our guilt as He is the yachyid/firstborn.

Luke 3:23 And Yahusha began His work, and He was about thirty years old. He was considered the son of Yoseph, the son of Eli,

It is written Yahusha began His work when He was about thirty years old and as per census Yahuah Himself shows in scripture, He was considerd the son of Yoseph, the son of Eli. His entire genealogy is listed in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. He has no exit age i.e. He doesn't retire as He lives forever.

Heb 7:8 And here it is the sons of men who die that receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed about him that he lives.

Heb 7:11 If therefore perfection were through the priesthood of the sons of Lewi, in which is under it the people were given the Law), why is this still necessary to rise another priest after the order of Melkitsedeq, and not be called after the order of Aharon? 

Heb 7:12 For when the priesthood is changed, there is a necessity that a change is made to the Torah also. 

Why is a census recorded by Luke? 

The Greek says taxed instead of census and the Greek word used is G583 apographo which means 'enroll/tax/write'

The Aramaic uses the word nethkatheb {written, i.e. registered in a census}.

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days a decree went out from Qeysar Ogustos, that a census be taken of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Luke 2:2 This was the first census taken while Quirinios was the leader of Surya.

Luke 2:3 And everyone went to be counted, each to his own city.

Luke 2:4 Yoseph also went up from the Galil, from the city of Natsereth, to Yahudah, to the city of Dawid called Beyth lechem, because he was from the house and from his family,

Luke 2:5 to be counted with Miryam, who was betrothed to him, being pregnant.

Miryam here is counted as she was pregnant. And later when He was born, Shimon and Anna prophesied of His death for His people.

The Romans were ruling over Yahudah and all taxes had to be paid to Ceasar. The Yerushalayim council had no right to conduct a census as per Torah of Masha, but they continued to collect the temple tax as we saw through tax collectors which was not lawful, and it was time for their end. Yahuah is showing us that His lost sheep are scattered to the ends of the earth and a pagan ruler is conducting a census, but for the sake of His elect to gather them, he shows us this census of His firstborn vs all firstborn in Yasharal (as all his elect would receive the firstborn berekah) through the lineage of Yahudah.

Why did Qayapha prophesy that the death of one man on behalf of the nation is better for us than the destruction of the entire people? He said this unknowingly, but He prophesied of Yahusha the Malchitsedek priest who would die for His people to give them the firstborn berekah as He was the one who received the atonement tax for His people. He is the firstborn/yachyid.

John 11:49 One of them, Qayapha, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You do not know anything.” 

John 11:50 “You do not even understand that the death of one man on the behalf of the nation is better for us than the destruction of the entire people.”

 John 11:51 He did not speak this word of His own heart. For he was the high priest that year and was prophesying that Yahusha would die on the behalf of the people.