Three Strikes, You’re Out
- Posted on JulpmSat, 23 Jul 2016 19:46:01 -05002016-07-23T19:46:01-05:0007 17, 2016
- in Bible, Chukat, God, Messiah, Torah, Yeshua
- by Hallelujah Girl
The Torah portion Chukat (Statute) comes from the book of Bamidbar (Numbers) 19:1-22:1 and begins with the prescribed cleansing orders of the Red Heifer who’s ashes purified from the defilement of death. Immediately after explaining all the details of this Divine Ordinance, Moses’ sister Miriam dies in Kadesh. The rock at Horeb, which Moses struck in Exodus 17:6, the same rock that followed the Children of Israel for forty years, stopped flowing. So while Moses and Aaron underwent the orders of purification, seven days, the entire congregation had no water. To say the least the people were discontent. Numbers 20:2-5 explains, “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!”
What a challenge it is to look into someone’s face and remain calm when they are accusing you. Here, Moses and Aaron are faced with an entire assembly criticizing and blaming them for their suffering. What happens next? They went to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and the fell on their faces. They prayed.
The instructions were clear:
“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.”-Numbers 20:8
There are five verbs in this verse. 1) take the staff, 2) Gather the assembly along with Aaron, 3) Speak to the rock, 4) Bring forth water, and 5) Drink.
Moses instead added to G-d’s instructions. According to verses 9-11, Moses took the staff, gathered the assembly along with Aaron, spoke to the people referring to them as “You rebels”, lifted the staff, struck the rock, struck it again, then drank.
The price that was paid was severe. The rock that was stricken in Exodus was a picture of our Messiah Yeshua who was stricken for His people. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our pains. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted. -Isaiah 53:4. The second striking suggests that Messiah would need to be stricken a second time to provide the needs of the people. The rock was now to be spoken to as the “living rock”. …and all drank the same spiritual drink—for they were drinking from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the Rock was Messiah. -1 Corinthians 10:4
Moses conveys the wrong message to the people. Therefore, Joshua would now lead the people into the land flowing with milk and honey. Still today, those who attempt to add to the work of the L-rd by affecting works of their own righteousness will likewise be disqualified from entering the Promised land. Our justification and sanctification comes solely through the grace and love of the Holy One ~ Not by our own righteousness. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves—it is the gift of God. It is not based on deeds, so that no one may boast. -Ephesians 2:8-9
Shalom, Happy Day!
Hallelujah Girl
Tags: #ReadYourBible #ItsAllAboutYeshua #TorahIsTruth, Chukat