Parasha Chukat 5782

Me

Anybody every try the Couch to 5K app before? I did years ago, maybe 8 or 9 years ago… For those that are not familiar with Couch to 5K and are trying desperately to figure out what in the world I’m talking about… Couch to 5K is a fitness app that you can download on your smartphone and it’s been around for years now. Basically, it is a fitness app that helps you go from not running at all (hence couch in the name) to running a 5K supposedly in as little as three months.

I decided years ago I needed to start exercising more… So why not try to do so by using an app specifically designed to get me from one of my favorite activities (i.e. being lazy on the couch) to one of my least favorite activities (i.e. running) in a somewhat smooth-like transition period.

So I downloaded the app on my phone, I got one of those arm band phone holster things, strapped my phone around my bicep, grabbed a pair of headphones and began to strive to become a 5K runner.

Now, the app is pretty cool in that it doesn’t just throw you into running when you can barely walk to the kitchen without running out of breath. Instead, you open the app, turn on music you want to listen to, and start walking… And in specific intervals a voice will pop up over your music saying, “start running” and then when a specific amount of time goes by the same voice pops up and says, “start walking.” And it goes back and forth through this repetition of intervals. It starts out with something like 30 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking or something along those lines, and as you continue to use the app over time the intervals shift until you can run a 5K without walking at all (or at least that’s the goal).

But, there’s one thing that the marketing materials don’t relay, and I found this out the hard way… You will never actually get to running a 5K if you simply return to the couch phase after a couple of weeks.

And this was my experience… I used the app consistently for two or three weeks, I definitely never gained anymore enjoyment for running during that period than I began with, but I was consistent… Until I wasn’t, and then I was back to the couch again...

We

Now, I know this sounds funny… And I’m sure some of you are trying to picture my big ole self moving down the road with an iPhone strapped to my arm doing seemingly random intervals of walking and running… And probably some of you now have the visual brazened in your mind and wish you didn’t…

But the truth is, we’ve probably all done something like this before… Maybe not Couch to 5K and maybe not even a health journey…

But odds are we’ve all decided to take up a new hobby and then a few weeks (or maybe just days) and a chunk of change later we decided it really wasn’t for us before we gave it an honest chance.

How about a new career? Maybe we’ve dipped our foot in a new career field and decided it just really wasn’t the right fit without giving it an honest go…

Or maybe a new TV or book series? We start a new series that really catches our eye and after only an episode or two we’ve decided it is too slow, or too weird, or whatever else and never actually finish the series, never giving it a real shot.

Or, and I am pretty confident this is probably true for far more believers than would like to admit… Maybe we decided that this was the year we were going to finally actually read the whole Bible, we were going to finally make reading the Word of God a daily priority… But after a week or two, or more than likely somewhere around Leviticus 8, 9 or 10 we tossed in the towel because it got boring or monotonous or we are just too busy to fit it into our schedule or a thousand other possible excuses.

See the thing we learn pretty quickly is that we have a tendency to find plenty of reasons not to finish something we’ve started… Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse…

God

This week we read Parasha Chukat, Numbers 19:1-22:1, and the name for the Parasha is from the second word of the second verse in Hebrew, Chukat, which means decree or statute. It is from the root word Chok and is a divine decree or statute that is supra-rational, in other words it is a command from HaShem that Israel is to honor and uphold whether they understand the reasoning or not.

The Parasha begins with the discussion of the Parah Adumah (the Red Heifer), which is the supra-rational decree. In fact, paraphrasing Midrash Rabbah, Moses asked God, “how in the world can the Parah Adumah be a purification?” And God responded, “It is Chok, a decree that I have decreed that no human can fully comprehend, so it is a purification simply because I said it is a purification.” And considering that 14,700 people had just died in the camps of Israel, the purification of the Parah Adumah is of great importance at this point.

Moses and Aaron are commanded to take a spotless and unblemished Red Heifer that has never been yoked and to slaughter it outside the camp. The blood is to be sprinkled toward the Mishkan then every bit of the Para Adumah is to be burned up. The Kohen is to take some cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool and toss them in the fire with the heifer. Then the ashes are to be kept in a clean place and as needed will be mixed with fresh water in order to create the Mayim Chayim that would cleanse one who had come into contact with a dead body. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Parah Adumah and Mayim Chayim made from it is that every single person who participates in the process of producing the Mayim Chayim becomes unclean until sundown in order for the one who is unclean to become clean.

Then the first part chapter 20 opens with Miriam’s death, about which Talmud says, “Why does the account of Miriam’s death follow the [laws of the] red heifer? To teach us that just as the red heifer achieves atonement, so does the death of the righteous achieve atonement.” Which is extremely interesting to me as we think about the reality of the true atonement provided by the 100% spotless and righteous Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua. We also read about the second time Moses is instructed to bring water from the rock, however this time he is instructed by HaShem to simply speak to the rock and instead he strikes it again.

In the second half of chapter 20 Israel is denied passage through the land of Edom and Aaron dies on Mount Hor and the priesthood is passed down to Eleazar.

In chapter 21 Israel is attacked by the Canaanite king Arad and his army. Israel vowed to Adonai that if He delivered Arad and his army into their hand then they would put the cities under a complete ban of destruction. After this they journey on toward the Sea of Reeds again and become impatient and grumble against God.

Any of us here know anything about becoming impatient waiting on God’s plans?

Well, Adonai sends poisonous snakes into the camps of Israel and a bunch of people die. But, when Israel repents God commands Moses to fashion a bronze serpent on a pole and when anyone is bit by a snake if they look up at the Snake on a Stake they will be healed, and the plague is ended. (Which, by the way, at some point Israel ends up making the snake on a stake an idol, as we see with King Hezekiah destroying it in 2 Kings 18.)

Then Sihon and Og attack Israel and Israel conquers all of their territory.

However, today we’re going to focus on one specific part of Parasha Chukat, and one that I believe opens our eyes both to a necessary reality for us as followers of Yeshua today, and also shows us a specific area of weakness in humanity that we must allow the Ruach to guard our hearts with regards to so we do not fail in this. As we dig into the Word of God today, I’d like us to keep this principle in mind…

As a disciple of Yeshua, it is vital that we continue to endure the race set before us all the way to the finish line.

(Repeat)

So let’s dig into the text together…

Numbers 20:2–5 TLV

Now there was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses saying, “If only we had died when our brothers died before Adonai! Now why have you brought the community of Adonai into this wilderness, for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you brought us from Egypt to bring us to this evil place—a place without grain, fig, grapevine or pomegranate—and there’s no water to drink!”

I know, I know… It’s a tremendous shocker… But, here we see, once again, Israel complaining on their journey to the Promised Land… But, what’s worse, is that this is a repeat scenario…

We see Israel grumble about not having water to drink in Exodus 17:1-7…

Exodus 17:1–7 TLV

All the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael journeyed from the wilderness of Sin in stages, according to the command of Adonai, and camped in Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Adonai?” But the people thirsted for water there, and they complained against Moses and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To kill us with thirst, along with our children and cattle?” So Moses cried out to Adonai saying, “What am I to do for these people? They are about ready to stone me.” Adonai said to Moses, “Walk before the people, and take of the elders of Israel with you, along with your staff with which you struck the river. Take it in your hand and go. Behold, I will stand before you, there upon the rock in Horeb. You are to strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people can drink.” Then Moses did just so in the eyes of the elders of Israel. The name of the place was called Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of Bnei-Yisrael, and because they tested Adonai saying, “Is Adonai among us, or not?”

Yet, clearly Israel didn’t quite learn the lesson the first time around… You’d think that after all the miracles that God has performed to this point, after all the grumbling and conflicts, after everything Israel has been through thus far on their journey, that maybe, just maybe instead of griping and complaining we would have simply asked Moses to ask God to provide us with some water. Or, and this is a novel idea, maybe Israel could have just followed the example Moses put before them time and time again and just prayed to God themselves in faith for His provision.

But, that isn’t how it went down… Israel yet again griped and complained about Moses… about dragging the community out into the wilderness to die… about how much better off they’d be if they had just died with everyone else that had fallen in the wilderness so far… All because they were thirsty…

But, what is Moses’ and Aaron’s initial reaction?

Numbers 20:6 TLV

So Moses and Aaron went from before the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of Adonai appeared to them.

Now, I can kind of feel Moses’ pain a bit here… Especially as a father. It is not at all uncommon that as a parent I have to deal with my kids making the same mistake or breaking the same rule over and over again. And I can promise you, it is an extremely annoying situation when I have to repeat myself for the thousandth time, or when I have to punish my kids for doing something that they not only know better than to do, but that they have already been in trouble over several times before.

And Adonai responds to Moses…

Numbers 20:7–8 TLV

Adonai spoke to Moses saying, “Take the staff and gather the assembly, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give out its water. You will bring out water from the rock, and you will give the community something to drink, along with their livestock.”

Notice how simple God’s command is now? Parasha Chukat just relayed to us about the Parah Adumah and all the complicated procedures that goes along with the Mayim Chayim to be made from it. A series of commands that make absolutely no rational sense… How in the world does a cleansing process, which makes everyone involved unclean, make the person seeking cleansing clean, and why is it done in such an awkward and difficult way? But the “why” is far less important than the follow through. Moses didn’t bat an eye at the Chok of the Parah Adumah, he just followed through as prescribed.

In Exodus 17 Adonai commands Moses to strike the rock and water will come out and he doesn’t bat an eye… He just follows through and does what God commands.

But here in Numbers 20, Adonai simply says for Moses to speak to the rock in front of the Nation and water will come forth miraculously. Just speak, open your mouth and talk, and God will take care of the rest.

We continue to read and learn about how Moses then reacts…

Numbers 20:9–13 TLV

So Moses took the staff from before the presence of Adonai, just as He had commanded him. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock. He said, “Listen now, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with the staff. Water gushed out and the community and its livestock drank. But Adonai said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in Me so as to esteem Me as holy in the eyes of Bnei-Yisrael, therefore you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given to them.” These are the waters of Meribah where Bnei-Yisrael contended with Moses, and where Adonai showed Himself holy among them.

So Moses grabs his staff, just as Adonai said… So far so good…

He gathers the people together in front of the rock, just as Adonai said. Still so far so good...

Moses is rocking along pretty good to this point, he is two for two out of three steps, and he’s going for gold.

Then all of the sudden he goes off script… He cries out to the people of Israel “You rebels! Must WE bring you water from this rock?” He’s veered a bit off script, but he can still save it if he simply speaks to the rock… Just one more step, one more step...

And then Moses fumbles the ball at the two yard line and the clock runs out… Instead of speaking to the rock he lets his anger and annoyance with Israel get the best of him and he hauls off and, I imagine, beats the snot out of the rock with his staff.

Now, it is important to understand that though Numbers isn’t written in chronological order, there has always been debate among the rabbis and sages over where exactly in Israel’s journey these events are taking place. The overwhelming opinion is that it is in the 40th year in the wilderness, and part of this opinion is because Aaron’s death is just a few verses later.

And it is because of Moses striking the rock that Moses and Aaron are not able to bring the assembly of Israel into the Promise Land.

More specifically, God says:

Numbers 20:12 TLV

But Adonai said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in Me so as to esteem Me as holy in the eyes of Bnei-Yisrael, therefore you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given to them.”

Midrash Rabbah says:

But had not Moses previously said something that was worse than this? For he said (Numbers 11:22): “If flocks and herds be slain for them, will they suffice them? Or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, will they suffice them?” Faith surely was wanting there too, and to a greater degree than in the present instance. Why then did God not make the decree against him on that occasion?

Midrash Rabbah continues:

To what may this be compared? To the case of a king who had a friend. Now this friend displayed arrogance towards the king privately, using harsh words. The king, however, did not lose his temper with him. After a time he arose and displayed his arrogance in the presence of his legions, and the king passed a sentence of death upon him. So also the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: “The first offence that you committed was a private matter between you and Me. Now, however, that it is done in the presence of the public, it is impossible to overlook it.” Thus it says: “[Because you did not believe in Me] in the eyes of the children of Israel.”

This is like a very important leadership rule I learned years and years ago: Praise in public, correct in private.

As a disciple of Yeshua, it is vital that we continue to endure the race set before us all the way to the finish line.

Moses and Aaron had been leading Israel for 39 years to this point, through all the ups and downs, through all the idiotic shenanigans, through all the rebellions, through all the failures, through all the rejection… But, to this point, Moses had always been faithful… Moses had always followed through exactly as Adonai prescribed, no matter the situation.

Heck, even Aaron can’t make such a claim… Aaron was the one responsible for the Egel Hazahav (Golden Calf). But, Aaron had the opportunity up to this point to ride the coattails of Moses (so to speak) and could have still entered the Promised Land. But no, in the final lap around the track Moses trips up and falls just short of the finish line.

There is much debate over what sin Moses committed here that failed to esteem HaShem as holy before B’nei Yisrael. If you ask me, I think it was arrogance through anger, or maybe arrogant anger from a misused zeal… He humbly interceded on behalf of Israel and God gave him a very simple plan of action: gather the people and talk to the rock. But instead of giving God the glory, Moses says, “Must WE bring water from this rock?” Then he proceeds to hit the rock instead of simply speaking to it as instructed.

Albeit I highly doubt his reaction was intentional or even premeditated, but rather was likely emotionally charged and performed without a clear mind because of his being fed up and angry. His actions still took the attention and focus off of God and made it about him… Israel was grumbling against Moses, but their real beef was with God, and Moses attempted to take the matter into his own hands as though God really needed a man to fight His battle for Him.

Had he simply listened to and followed through on what God commanded he could have crossed the finish line of the race set before him. But instead, he found himself never seeing the fullness of God’s promises to Israel, he found himself in the same boat as the rest of the first generation out of Egypt.

But, interestingly enough, despite Moses’ actions not glorifying God before Israel, Adonai still provided water as soon as Moses hit the rock. Even though Moses failed, God made shore His glory was shown and known, and He still came through for Israel, but their were consequences to be paid.

Listen folks, we are only blessed with life on this earth for a finite period of time, and in that finite period of time our lives should be lived in such a manner that our lives are always glorifying God before the world around us. More so, just like Moses was called out specifically to lead Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, as followers of Yeshua we have a primary objective in this finite period of time that we are called to follow through on. An objective in the here and now that has eternal ramifications...

Matthew 28:16–20 TLV

Now the eleven disciples went to the Galilee, to the mountain Yeshua had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped; but some wavered. And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Ruach ha-Kodesh, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

As followers of Messiah we have been washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb, we have been restored and renewed, and we have been equipped with the Ruach HaKodesh for this distinct purpose. Our race laid before us is to make disciples of all nations… And here’s the thing folks, I don’t care what you do for a living, I don’t care what tax bracket you find yourself in, I don’t care if you are in an official congregational or para-congregational ministry role, or whatever else… No matter where we find ourselves, God has placed us exactly where He desires to use us, moment by moment, day by day, to speak to the Rock that Mayim Chayim may flow out and hearts and lives may be changed.

And notice Yeshua’s words in Matthew 28:20

Matthew 28:20 (TLV)

And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Our call has not changed, we have a race set before us all the way until the finish line… And no matter what happens as we draw closer to the return of Messiah this call does not change.

And listen to me here… I don’t care if you believe in pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, no-trib… Whatever… Until the moment the breath of life leaves our lungs for good or we are standing around the literal Throne of God, we have a command from God to speak to the Rock so that the lives of those around us may experience the Mayim Chayim that will never run dry!!! We can’t beat it into them (though I’m sure sometimes we wish we could)…

First we model it, then we speak it, then we follow through on making disciples. And this is the race that is set before us. And there is no greater responsibility.

As a disciple of Yeshua, it is vital that we continue to endure the race set before us all the way to the finish line.

The author of Hebrews so powerfully says this:

Hebrews 12:1–3 TLV

Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and lose heart.

“Let us run with endurance the race set before us, focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith.”

We have two perfect examples biblically before us today… First, we have Moses who ran a strong race, he pushed through some serious difficulties, some cramps and muscle fatigue along the way, but he ran with all his might. He was faithful all the way till… Well, just before the end… He fell short of the finish line and took his focus off of the initiator and perfecter of faith.

Then we have Yeshua, who had a much more difficult race ahead of Him than Moses could have ever imagined. A race in which the finish line was literally His death upon the cross. And though in His final hours He cried out in the garden for His Heavenly Father to allow the cup of suffering to pass, He put the Father’s will before His own physical desire to not die. He crossed the finish line of faith that He not only initiated, but He perfected… And He has called us to pick up our crosses and run the race behind Him, keeping our focus upon Him, the one who endured the cross, disregarding its shame, so that we could be restored through salvation and renewed through the Mayim Chayim that will never run dry—His Ruach HaKodesh.

And our race is to make disciples, to speak the Words of Truth with love and gentleness, to speak to the Rock so that the Mayim Chayim that has changed our hearts and lives can change the lives of those He has put in our paths.

And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 TLV

Don’t you know that in a stadium the runners all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win! Every competitor exercises self-control in all respects. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we do it to receive an imperishable one. So I run in this way—not aimlessly. So I box in this way—not beating the air. Rather, I punish my body and bring it into submission, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

So, as the world around us grows more dark and more cold… As the enemy ramps up his attack on the Body of Messiah… As the walk of faith becomes more and more difficult because the world around us has shifted so dramatically… It is all the more important that we stand firm, that we continue to run our race to receive an imperishable crown… Let us follow after Paul’s example in running our race, let us punish our bodies and bring them into submission to the will and desire of God, to the direction of His Word, so that after we have preached to others, we will not be disqualified.

Moses was faithful, and almost all the way to the end… But he tripped up in the final lap and was disqualified from crossing the finish line. And a significant part of what caused his disqualification was the weight of the world around him, particularly the weight of the grumbling, angst, and rejection he experienced with Israel time and time again.

We experience these same sorts of pains from the world around us today as we preach the Good News of Yeshua and strive to further the Kingdom. But we must continue to stand tall, we must continue to push on, and we must never throw in the towel… Our faithfulness has eternal ramifications.

As a disciple of Yeshua, it is vital that we continue to endure the race set before us all the way to the finish line.

You

How faithful have you been to further the Kingdom of Messiah? How faithful have you been in running the race set before you? How faithful have you been in continuing to train for the race that is set before you, to develop your endurance, to build your spiritual muscles, to bolster the tough skin that is needed to face a world that hates you because Messiah Yeshua is in you?

We

If our worship team will make their way back up to the stage. (Unmute worship team)

Moses’ leadership of Israel was, like the author of Hebrews says about our faith, initiated by Hashem for the purpose of leading Israel into the Promises of God. In the same sense, we have been set free from sin and despair by the Blood of Messiah with a tremendous assignment before us. Each and every one of us has a role to play, each and every one of us are called to run this race and to further the Kingdom of Messiah.

This isn’t simply a rabbi’s or pastor’s job… It isn’t simply a youth leaders or worship leaders job… It isn’t simply an evangelist’s or missionary’s job… Each and every one of us bought by the Blood of Yeshua are filled with the same Ruach HaKodesh that empowered Moses, that empowered David, that empowered Elijah, that empowered Yeshua and the disciples… And we have been given the Ruach not solely to experience the Divine Presence in our own lives, but so that through it we can lead others into the Kingdom.

And I truly believe that this race, which is more like a 2000 year plus marathon at this point, is quickly coming to a close. All around us hearts are turning cold to one another, just as we see with Israel’s grumbling against Moses and Aaron… The world is becoming more and more hostile toward the People of God, but the responsibility is still upon us. The race may be getting more and more difficult to run, but we must still run the race with everything we’ve got, all the way to the finish line! And if we are faithful to esteem the Glory of God before the world around us, He will be faithful to strengthen us in His Ruach HaKodesh to run the race set before us all the way to the finish line.