Torah Portion "Chukat" (ordinances, decrees) Numbers 19:1-22:1
A decree is a type of commandment which we might not understand. To us, it may not make much sense, but since it is from the LORD, we just do and obey. When we look at ordinances and decrees with a fine comb, we might see symbolism that points to the LORD Jesus/Yeshua. So, from chapters 19 to the end of 2, we read about three different subjects and/or incidents that can make us think. How does Messiah Yeshua/Jesus reflect in these?
The first theme in this Bible/Torah study is "the “Red Heifer.” This was for the children of Israel who came into contact with the dead. We need to be reasonable since death was a common experience with Israel as with all of us, it is part of life. Death is the twilight of our existence. If death is our twilight, then our “sunrise” will be in the “World of Come” the “Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. If Yeshua is our Messiah, LORD, and Savior, death is just a passage to eternal life with our king, Master, LORD, friend, husband, and Redeemer. Since the congregation numbered in the millions, there were deaths every day! The dead had to be pulled out of their tents and quickly buried.
The priest had to sacrifice and burn up a cow completely, converting it to ashes. With this sacrifice, there were very important ingredients to be mixed with the ashes; Cedarwood, hyssop, and crimson. So, we now have cow ashes, cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson. These would be mixed with water and this mixture would be applied to a person who had to touch a dead person, (for reason of preparation and burial). After that, the person would be “tahor” (clean) and could re-enter the camp, since the person had to be outside for seven days. It is interesting to note that the priest applying the mixture would be considered “Tamei” (unclean) until the evening! How does this illustrate Yeshua HaMashiach? (Jesus our Messiah)
We have the animal sacrifice, which always symbolizes our Messiah who was the "sacrifice lamb", then the cedarwood symbolizing the cross of Calvary, HE was our sacrifice for sin and was nailed to a wooden cross. The hyssop reminds us of the first Passover when lamb’s blood was applied on the doorposts of Israel’s Egyptian dwellings. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin. The “crimson stuff” reminds us of the blood, that was shed on the cross, His sinless blood was applied to our sins. There was an exchange, our “unrighteousness” for His “righteousness” Just as the priest remained “unclean” until the evening, so our Messiah became “unclean” for those few hours on the cross because He bore our sins, past, present, and future. Our “uncleanness” was exchanged for “cleanness” through Yeshua.
Chapter 20 deals with the death of Miriam. A leader, some say, can only take so much until tempers explode. He (Moshe) has lost his beloved sister, the people are complaining “again” that they want water. Understandably, we all need water to live. Adonai understands and speaks to Moshe “Take Aaron and your staff, go to “The” Rock and speak to it, and it shall bring forth water.” Seems like it was not just any rock, it was “THE” Rock. Oral tradition says that this rock followed the congregation wherever they went and water flowed from “The Rock”
It is interesting that the Hebrew word is not the usual word “Tzur” or “Aven” used for “Rock” or “stone” but the word “Selah” is used, this word means a “large stone or rock fortress or stronghold”. It also means a “rock that contains water. In the original Hebrew spelling of the word "Selah" using the letters "S" "L" and "A" if you were to spell out each letter (which can only be done in Hebrew) within that spelling, you would find two "M"s and one "Y". Those letters point to MaYiM (Mayim) which is the Hebrew word for "Water."
In the area of Mt Sinai, in North East Saudi Arabia, one can see a “large strong, rugged Rock” with a crack down the middle of it. It seems like it is at least 30 feet tall. It is believed that “This” is “The Rock” (HaSelah) Moshe, however, in his anger, did NOT obey the voice of HaShem. Instead, he said to the people;
” Listen you rebels, shall WE get water for you out of this rock?” Then he struck the rock TWICE, with his staff. Water still came out, and God still had compassion for His people, YET…Moshe and Aaron were in deep trouble! This outburst of anger cost Moshe his entrance into the promised land. The ROCK symbolized YESHUA who is our SOLID ROCK, our FORTRESS! (Selah) who was struck only ONCE, for our sins. He died ONCE, was crucified ONCE! For ALL of our sins, past, present, and future. Moshe misrepresented YHVH, he said, “Are WE to get water for you…” The people saw “Moshe and Aaron” so, they probably thought’ ‘Moshe and Aaron got water for us’ Let’s hear it for Moshe and Aaron, nice going guys!” so they got the glory instead of Adonai.
The other imagery we see here is that the ROCK can symbolize the WORD of God. In order to understand the Torah we need to "Speak" to God and ask that the Holy Spirit guide us. That way, the Torah can instruct us with HIS living water. It can NOT be done by force. So, don't hit the Bible with your fist and expect understanding. Zechariah 4:6 tells us: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the LORD" Allow God's Holy Spirit to guide us in all understanding of HIS Word.
God DID show compassion on Moses and allowed him to enter the promised land, 1500 years later, at the Mt. of Transfiguration. He appeared with Eliyahu, Moshe represented the Torah, and Eliyahu HaNavi” (The Prophets), and of course, Yeshua represented the New Covenant, all three symbolize the “Whole complete WORD of God” with nothing lacking!
Chapter 21 talks about the “fiery serpents” in the desert, that were sent as punishment by God to bite the people who were “again” complaining. (Oi vey, when will they stop already?!) As soon as the people repented, God told Moshe to make a “bronze serpent” and place it on a pole and erect it so that ALL could see. In all places in scripture, the “serpent” symbolizes HaSatan, with the exception of this ONE time, this time, the bronze or copper serpent (seraph) symbolizes Yeshua, as he said in John; “As the serpent was lifted up in the desert, so the Son of Man will be lifted up” He was both “lifted up” on the Cross of Calvary, and “lifted up” into the Heavenlies in his ascension.
It is interesting that the word for “fiery serpent” is “Nachash Seraph” probably because on biting a person, the bite burned like fire. The “Seraphim” are angels that are related to “fire”. The Torah tells us that YHVH sent “N’chashim” (serpents) to bite the people. could it be that God sent his "Angels of Fire" (seraphim) to drive the serpents towards the camp of the Israelites? Possible.
In the Saudi Arabian desert, the common poisonous snakes that exist today as before are the; Cobra, and the common, the horned, and black vipers.
But during this fierce judgment, the people repent and plead to Moshe, “Tell YHVH to take away the “Nachash!” (21:7) in English and Spanish, the word “serpent” is written in the plural “serpents” but NOT in the original Hebrew, in the Hebrew, the word is singular, “Serpent” this is interesting, why singular” were there not many snakes around biting the people? Yes, but the singular word and phrase, “intercede with YHVH that He removes the “serpent” from us” points us to the symbolism of “HaSatan” who is “The Serpent” the same that was in the Garden of Eden. The people repent and in a way are saying, “Remove Satan from our midst”
This is what happened at Calvary when our Messiah took upon himself all the “Bites of HaSatan, the “Nachash” to heal us so that we might have eternal life. The image of the serpent (its venom) that caused death was also the source of life! Yeshua became death so that we might have life. Today there are serpent milking centers where expert herpetologists extract venom from poisonous snakes and use the venom to make serum to heal those who have been bitten. Same concept, or almost.
It is interesting to note that probably not all of the Congregation of Israel could visibly “see” the serpent, being the encampment perhaps 4 or 5 miles square due to the number of people and cattle, so, even “looking in the direction “ of the serpent would have served the purpose of receiving healing from the snake bites (my thought). Today, our faith is our “healing” to receive salvation through trusting in Yeshua/Jesus who was “lifted up” and bore our sins.
Jesus mentioned this in John 3:14,15: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That statement is well said. We don't have to fear physical death, we have been promised eternal life after physical death.
A decree is a type of commandment which we might not understand. To us, it may not make much sense, but since it is from the LORD, we just do and obey. When we look at ordinances and decrees with a fine comb, we might see symbolism that points to the LORD Jesus/Yeshua. So, from chapters 19 to the end of 2, we read about three different subjects and/or incidents that can make us think. How does Messiah Yeshua/Jesus reflect in these?
The first theme in this Bible/Torah study is "the “Red Heifer.” This was for the children of Israel who came into contact with the dead. We need to be reasonable since death was a common experience with Israel as with all of us, it is part of life. Death is the twilight of our existence. If death is our twilight, then our “sunrise” will be in the “World of Come” the “Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. If Yeshua is our Messiah, LORD, and Savior, death is just a passage to eternal life with our king, Master, LORD, friend, husband, and Redeemer. Since the congregation numbered in the millions, there were deaths every day! The dead had to be pulled out of their tents and quickly buried.
The priest had to sacrifice and burn up a cow completely, converting it to ashes. With this sacrifice, there were very important ingredients to be mixed with the ashes; Cedarwood, hyssop, and crimson. So, we now have cow ashes, cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson. These would be mixed with water and this mixture would be applied to a person who had to touch a dead person, (for reason of preparation and burial). After that, the person would be “tahor” (clean) and could re-enter the camp, since the person had to be outside for seven days. It is interesting to note that the priest applying the mixture would be considered “Tamei” (unclean) until the evening! How does this illustrate Yeshua HaMashiach? (Jesus our Messiah)
We have the animal sacrifice, which always symbolizes our Messiah who was the "sacrifice lamb", then the cedarwood symbolizing the cross of Calvary, HE was our sacrifice for sin and was nailed to a wooden cross. The hyssop reminds us of the first Passover when lamb’s blood was applied on the doorposts of Israel’s Egyptian dwellings. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin. The “crimson stuff” reminds us of the blood, that was shed on the cross, His sinless blood was applied to our sins. There was an exchange, our “unrighteousness” for His “righteousness” Just as the priest remained “unclean” until the evening, so our Messiah became “unclean” for those few hours on the cross because He bore our sins, past, present, and future. Our “uncleanness” was exchanged for “cleanness” through Yeshua.
Chapter 20 deals with the death of Miriam. A leader, some say, can only take so much until tempers explode. He (Moshe) has lost his beloved sister, the people are complaining “again” that they want water. Understandably, we all need water to live. Adonai understands and speaks to Moshe “Take Aaron and your staff, go to “The” Rock and speak to it, and it shall bring forth water.” Seems like it was not just any rock, it was “THE” Rock. Oral tradition says that this rock followed the congregation wherever they went and water flowed from “The Rock”
It is interesting that the Hebrew word is not the usual word “Tzur” or “Aven” used for “Rock” or “stone” but the word “Selah” is used, this word means a “large stone or rock fortress or stronghold”. It also means a “rock that contains water. In the original Hebrew spelling of the word "Selah" using the letters "S" "L" and "A" if you were to spell out each letter (which can only be done in Hebrew) within that spelling, you would find two "M"s and one "Y". Those letters point to MaYiM (Mayim) which is the Hebrew word for "Water."
In the area of Mt Sinai, in North East Saudi Arabia, one can see a “large strong, rugged Rock” with a crack down the middle of it. It seems like it is at least 30 feet tall. It is believed that “This” is “The Rock” (HaSelah) Moshe, however, in his anger, did NOT obey the voice of HaShem. Instead, he said to the people;
” Listen you rebels, shall WE get water for you out of this rock?” Then he struck the rock TWICE, with his staff. Water still came out, and God still had compassion for His people, YET…Moshe and Aaron were in deep trouble! This outburst of anger cost Moshe his entrance into the promised land. The ROCK symbolized YESHUA who is our SOLID ROCK, our FORTRESS! (Selah) who was struck only ONCE, for our sins. He died ONCE, was crucified ONCE! For ALL of our sins, past, present, and future. Moshe misrepresented YHVH, he said, “Are WE to get water for you…” The people saw “Moshe and Aaron” so, they probably thought’ ‘Moshe and Aaron got water for us’ Let’s hear it for Moshe and Aaron, nice going guys!” so they got the glory instead of Adonai.
The other imagery we see here is that the ROCK can symbolize the WORD of God. In order to understand the Torah we need to "Speak" to God and ask that the Holy Spirit guide us. That way, the Torah can instruct us with HIS living water. It can NOT be done by force. So, don't hit the Bible with your fist and expect understanding. Zechariah 4:6 tells us: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the LORD" Allow God's Holy Spirit to guide us in all understanding of HIS Word.
God DID show compassion on Moses and allowed him to enter the promised land, 1500 years later, at the Mt. of Transfiguration. He appeared with Eliyahu, Moshe represented the Torah, and Eliyahu HaNavi” (The Prophets), and of course, Yeshua represented the New Covenant, all three symbolize the “Whole complete WORD of God” with nothing lacking!
Chapter 21 talks about the “fiery serpents” in the desert, that were sent as punishment by God to bite the people who were “again” complaining. (Oi vey, when will they stop already?!) As soon as the people repented, God told Moshe to make a “bronze serpent” and place it on a pole and erect it so that ALL could see. In all places in scripture, the “serpent” symbolizes HaSatan, with the exception of this ONE time, this time, the bronze or copper serpent (seraph) symbolizes Yeshua, as he said in John; “As the serpent was lifted up in the desert, so the Son of Man will be lifted up” He was both “lifted up” on the Cross of Calvary, and “lifted up” into the Heavenlies in his ascension.
It is interesting that the word for “fiery serpent” is “Nachash Seraph” probably because on biting a person, the bite burned like fire. The “Seraphim” are angels that are related to “fire”. The Torah tells us that YHVH sent “N’chashim” (serpents) to bite the people. could it be that God sent his "Angels of Fire" (seraphim) to drive the serpents towards the camp of the Israelites? Possible.
In the Saudi Arabian desert, the common poisonous snakes that exist today as before are the; Cobra, and the common, the horned, and black vipers.
But during this fierce judgment, the people repent and plead to Moshe, “Tell YHVH to take away the “Nachash!” (21:7) in English and Spanish, the word “serpent” is written in the plural “serpents” but NOT in the original Hebrew, in the Hebrew, the word is singular, “Serpent” this is interesting, why singular” were there not many snakes around biting the people? Yes, but the singular word and phrase, “intercede with YHVH that He removes the “serpent” from us” points us to the symbolism of “HaSatan” who is “The Serpent” the same that was in the Garden of Eden. The people repent and in a way are saying, “Remove Satan from our midst”
This is what happened at Calvary when our Messiah took upon himself all the “Bites of HaSatan, the “Nachash” to heal us so that we might have eternal life. The image of the serpent (its venom) that caused death was also the source of life! Yeshua became death so that we might have life. Today there are serpent milking centers where expert herpetologists extract venom from poisonous snakes and use the venom to make serum to heal those who have been bitten. Same concept, or almost.
It is interesting to note that probably not all of the Congregation of Israel could visibly “see” the serpent, being the encampment perhaps 4 or 5 miles square due to the number of people and cattle, so, even “looking in the direction “ of the serpent would have served the purpose of receiving healing from the snake bites (my thought). Today, our faith is our “healing” to receive salvation through trusting in Yeshua/Jesus who was “lifted up” and bore our sins.
Jesus mentioned this in John 3:14,15: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That statement is well said. We don't have to fear physical death, we have been promised eternal life after physical death.