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Chukat-Balak
This is
a long Sedra. It starts off with the chukah -
the statute, the requirement for the sacrifice
and usage of the Parah Adumah - the Red Heifer.
A unblemished,
red female cow, without any defect, which had
never been used for work, on which a yoke had
never been placed, was brought outside the camp.
It was killed, and then burned, along with clean
smelling cedar wood; hyssop, which was used for
cleansing and atonement; and scarlet material,
the color of atonement. The ashes were kept and
then mixed with water when needed.
If an
Israeli became defiled by coming into contact
with a dead body, or a human bone, or was in a
tent when a man died, or if he even touched a
grave, he needed to be sprinkled with these ashes
which were mixed with water, both on the third
day, and on the seventh day. Then he washed his
clothes and bathed. After that, he was clean.
Jewish
people couldn’t help becoming defiled occasionally,
and so this cleansing mixture was readily available,
and any undefiled person could sprinkle it on
the one who was defiled. It didn’t have to be
a priest (Charles Ryrie’s note on 19:16-19, Ryrie
Study Bible).
But if
he didn’t de-sin himself by this process, and
that’s what the Hebrew says - “de-sin;” and if,
without purifying himself, he dared to come near
the Mishkan, where the Holy God manifested His
presence on Earth in the most powerful way, he
would defile God’s Holy Place, which was a terrible
thing to do, and that person was to be cut off
from Israel.
The lesson?
Ritual uncleanness is like sin. Sin, disobeying
God’s commands, defiles us. It makes us dirty.
It interferes with us drawing near to God. It
spreads to others. It’s destructive. It’s terrible.
It must be dealt with by admitting that we have
sinned, by believing in Yeshua, and by asking
God to apply the death of the Messiah to our lives.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful fair and
merciful, and will cleanse us from our sins, and
all the wrong things we have done!
Sin can
be atoned for, and forgiveness can be granted,
but there are also real consequences that result
from our sins. That will happen to Moses in chapter
20, which reveals to us the sin of Moses. If you
are familiar with history, you will know that
many of the early histories of other nations were
not accurate. The good deeds and accomplishments
of their leaders were made up or exaggerated;
their sins and misdeeds were not mentioned. Not
so the history of the Jewish people. Our Torah
is accurate. It is real. It’s true. It tells us
the failings of our leaders, so we can learn from
them. This is true history that can be relied
upon.
So what
happened? It’s now forty years after the Exodus
from Egypt. Most of that unbelieving, faithless
generation had died in the wilderness - but not
all. A new generation, a more faithful generation,
is alive. They come to the wilderness of Zin,
south and west of the Dead Sea. Miriam, one of
the greatest Jewish women of all time, and around
120 years old, died there and was buried.
There
was little water in the Wilderness of Zin. What
should the people do? Pray? Seek the Lord? Consider
that the same God who was still providing miraculous
food for them every day; the same God who had
miraculously brought water from the rock that
Moses struck with his rod, could be trusted to
provide water for them once again? Or, should
they gather against Moses and Aaron, blame them
for their predicament, and claim that they would
prefer to be dead, thereby fighting against God?
The Lord
appears, tells Moses to assemble the congregation,
and take his special rod, a symbol of his authority,
and God’s power, and Moses and Aaron are to speak
to a rock, which will miraculously bring forth
enough water for all the people and their animals
to drink.
Moses
and Aaron gather the assembly, but Moses, in anger,
and honoring himself, says, “Listen now, you
rebels; shall we bring forth water for
you out of this rock?” We, Moses? Not God,
but we, associating yourself too closely with
the Holy God, who is absolutely separate from
all others?
Then,
instead of simply speaking to the rock, as the
Lord had instructed him, Moses struck the rock
twice with his rod. The miracle happened - water
did indeed pour forth, but the Lord was displeased.
Moses and Aaron had not been faithful to Him.
Through their actions and words they had not honored
Him before the Chosen People, and not treated
Him as kadosh - with holy, reverential respect.
Their
punishment was that after all their many labors,
after all their suffering, after all their hoping,
they were going to die in the wilderness, and
not enter the long-promised Land of Israel.
“But Rabbi
Loren, such a harsh penalty, just for saying one
word - we - instead of God, and striking the
rock instead of speaking to it? I mean, it worked,
didn’t it?” Yes, something can work - a miracle
can occur, and good can happen, and God can still
be dishonored in the process. Let’s also remember
God holds leaders to a higher standard. You whom
much is given, much is required, and trust violated
is punished more severely.
Another
lesson to be learned is that we have be especially
careful when we are angry. When we are in the
heat of our anger, we don’t want to lose control,
and say something foolish, or do something stupid,
that we will regret when we calm down. We need
to learn how to be angry, but not sin. It’s not
easy to do, but it is possible, with the self-control
that comes from the Spirit of God who dwells in
us.
Verses
14-22 tell us that Moses asked the king of Edom,
who were relatives of ours, permission to pass
through his land, to get to the Land of Israel.
We would be careful, and stay on the highway,
and not do any damage to crops or fields, and
even pay for the water; but the king of Edom refused,
and threatened war against us.
Our relatives,
the Edomites were not gracious; they didn’t show
us hospitality, which they should have; they didn’t
bless us, which they should have. In fact, quite
the opposite - they were hostile toward us, which
revealed their real hostility toward the Living
God.
Israel
is like a litmus test - how people react toward
us reveals where they really are in relationship
to God.
That also
true of the Sons and Daughters of God - how someone
relates to Believers in God and Messiah - if they
love us, treat us with respect, offer us a cup
of cool water on a hot day because they know we
follow Yeshua, reveals a heart that is being drawing
closer to God. If someone dishonors us, and shows
contempt for God’s holy ones, or persecutes us,
they reveal that they are far from the One True
God.
The rest
of chapter 20 (23-29) describes the death of our
first High Priest, Aaron, at age 123. Moses, Aaron
and Eleazar climb Mount Hor. The clothing of the
High Priest is removed from Aaron, and transferred
to Eleazar. Aaron dies on the mountain, and all
of Israel mourned Israel’s first High Priest,
not for the normal period of seven days, but for
an entire month - 30 days, which is a great honor.
Now it is time to adjust to the new High Priest.
Will he continue to be faithful? Will he be able
to stand in the gap for us? Will he be able to
truly represent us before a Holy God, and enable
us to draw near to Him?
I am reminded
of the glorious words found in the book written
to the Messianic Jews, comparing the priests that
come from Aaron, under the Sinai Covenant, with
the eternal and superior priesthood of the Messiah:
The former priests, on the one hand, existed
in greater numbers because they were prevented
by death from continuing, but Yeshua, on the other
hand, because He continues forever, holds His
priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also
to save forever those who draw near to God through
Him, since He always lives to make intercession
for them. For it was fitting for us to have such
a High Priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated
from sinners and exalted above the Heavens; who
does not need daily, like those high priests,
to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins
and then for the sins of the people, because this
He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
For the Law appoints men as high priests who are
weak, but the word of the oath (The Lord has sworn,
and will not change His mind, “You are a priest
forever”), which came after the Law, appoints
a Son, made perfect forever.
Thanks
be to God for our High Priest, vastly superior
in character and nature, bringing to God an infinitely
superior sacrifice, infinitely more powerful and
effective; forever alive, forever interceding
for us, forever saving us, eternally drawing us
near to God!
My friends,
we are too unholy to come before an infinitely
Holy God. We desperately need a High Priest to
be our mediator, and bring us to God. Is Yeshua
your High Priest? Can you say, “Yes, I know that
for sure that the Son of God is my High Priest,
who is alive, and helping me right now?”
Chapter
21 starts off with the first battle of the new
generation for their inheritance in the Land of
Israel. The people of Arad, who were Canaanites,
living about 10 miles west of the Dead Sea, fought
against us, and after we prayed, they were utterly
destroyed! By relying on God, and with His help,
Israel was victorious! And we will be too!
We leave
that area, and go around the land of Edom, but
once again the people started complaining against
Moses and God” “You have brought us here to die
in the wilderness. There isn’t enough food, there
isn’t enough water, and we hate this miserable
manna.”
If we
have food, clothing and shelter, we should be
grateful, and not complain. When we do complain,
we insult the Lord.
The Lord
was displeased, and didn’t appreciate their faithless,
ungrateful, rebellious attitude, and so He sent
many poisonous snakes among us, who bit many of
the people, who then died. But when the people
were sufficiently chastened, they came to Moses,
and apologized. Then the Lord offered a remedy
- if we would make the image of a poisonous nachash
- a poisonous snake, and put it on a pole, anyone
who was bitten, but who had the faith to come
and see the snake made out of brass on that pole,
would be miraculously healed. Their lives would
be saved! And Moses records that it actually happened.
If a poisonous snake bit anyone, if they came
and saw the brass snake, they lived.
1500 years
later, the Son of God, speaking to Rabbi Nicodemus,
used this event to illustrate how any human being
can undergo the new birth, a spiritual transformation
that enables a human being to enter God’s glorious
and real and everlasting government over humanity
and the universe, and be reconciled to God, and
be saved, and live forever.
He told
Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the snake in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him
have eternal life. Nicodemus, the solution
must be related to the problem! The cure must
be related to the disease. Poisonous snakes bit
the people, and so the people had to look at a
snake. Now here’s the point, Nicodemus. Every
human being has been bitten by the great Nachash
- Serpent, Satan, and deadly spiritual poison
is flowing in each one of us. If human beings
do nothing, they will surely die. They will miss
out on eternal life with God! But I have come,
and I have become a Man, to save sinful men and
women. If anyone comes to Me, and sees Me, and
believes that I am the Messiah and Savior sent
by God, they will not die - they will surely live!
And Nicodemus,
here’s a hint how I will accomplish this - it’s
going to cost Me a lot. What is going to happen
is that I am going to be lifted up, like the bronze
snake was lifted up on a pole. I am going to die.
I already know what kind of death - a horrible,
painful death by crucifixion. I know that it’s
coming, but I am willing to give up My life and
die that way and to make atonement possible for
the world. Remember this, and trust God and believe
in Me when it happens, just like I said.”
My friends,
you have been bitten by the great Serpent, our
ancient enemy. You will die. The only remedy is
looking at Messiah with the eyes of faith, seeing
Him, understanding that He is the Messiah, and
the Son of God, who died, and came back to life,
and has overcome Satan, sin and death; mankind’s
only source of help, the one and only Savior.
We are
on the east side of the Dead Sea, heading north,
and we wanted to pass through the territory of
the Amorites, some of the people who lived in
Canaan. The Amorites were very corrupt, and their
cup of iniquity was full. Their king Sihon refused
our request to pass through the territory, and
a war ensued, in which we were completely victorious,
and conquered their part of the Land that God
had promised us, back in the time of Abraham (see
Genesis 15:15-21).
We continued
heading north, and Og, the king of Bashan, and
his army, came out to attack us. They too were
utterly defeated, and we took possession of their
land.
We continued
our journey, heading back south, near the territory
of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan river,
near the Dead Sea. Now the Moabites knew all about
us - how our God had been blessing us, and helping
us, bringing us out of Egypt, taking care of us
in the wilderness for 40 years, and granting us
great victories over the Amorites, and that we
were numerous, and they were afraid of us.
So the
Moabites allied themselves with the Midianites,
to fight against us. But they were smart - they
didn’t want to take us on directly - in open battle.
The Amorites, and the kingdoms of Arad and Bashan
had tried that and failed. Since our God was blessing
us, if they were going to defeat us, they would
have to overcome us in a spiritual battle. And
so, Balak, the king of Moab tried to hire a man
who had experience in the realm of spiritual things
- Bilam the prophet, because he believed that
the one who Bilam blessed, was blessed, and the
one Bilam cursed, was cursed, and if Bilam cursed
Israel, then they could be defeated.
It’s a
great story. The elders of Moab and Midian come
to Bilam with money to pay for Bilam’s divination.
God Himself comes to Bilam that night, and tells
him not to go with the elders of Moab and Midian,
and so he sends the elders away, and doesn’t go
with them.
But Balak
doesn’t give up. He ups the ante, and sends even
more leaders, even more distinguished men, promising
even more money, if Bilam will come and curse
Israel. Initially he refuses to go with them,
but he really wants their money, and so he seeks
the Lord, who appears to him once again. It seems
that if Bilam wanted to go so much, that the Lord
reluctantly agreed, and allowed Bilam to go. But
the Lord really didn’t want him to go. But He
did allow Him to go.
God was
angry with this wilful prophet, who was disobeying
Him, and an angel was sent as a satan - an opposer,
an adversary, against him, whose intent was to
punish the erring prophet. The donkey saw the
angel, turns aside, and gets hit by Bilam for
her good deed.
The angel
takes a new place, and stands in a narrow path,
in between two walls. The donkey once again sees
the angel, who is going to harm Bilam, and presses
against the wall to avoid the angel, and also
presses against Bilam’s foot, for which he strikes
her again.
The angel
went ahead, and repositioned himself to a place
where there was nowhere for Bilam to go to avoid
him and the punishment he would inflict. Once
again, the donkey, who was more perceptive than
Bilam, saw the angel, sensed the great danger,
and laid down under Bilam. Bilam, angry, for the
third time hits the donkey.
God does
a miracle, and enables the donkey to speak to
Bilam. After that, the Lord enables Bilam to see
the angel, who tells Bilam that if the donkey
had not seen him and avoided him, the angel would
have killed Bilam, but spared the good donkey.
Bilam
continues, and comes to Balak the king. Balak
takes Bilam, and they go up on a high place, where
they can see some of the Jewish people camped
below. Bilam tells the Moabites to build seven
altars, seven being the number of completion,
and sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams on them.
After they did this, Bilam seeks the Lord, and
prays, and the Lord met Bilam, and gave a message
to Bilam. It wasn’t a curse; it is a true and
inspired message from the Lord about the Jewish
people:
The
Lord has not cursed us, so Bilam won’t. We are
a special people, meant to dwell apart from
the other nations, and be different, special,
holy, pure, not considered to be an ordinary
nation like all the other nations, meant to
show the other nations the truth about the One
God who alone can really help all of us. We
are meant to be a numerous people, who will
have a wonderful and good ending.
Balak
is of course, very unhappy. This is a blessing,
not a curse! So, he convinces Bilam to try again.
Maybe if they try another location, that will
change the outcome. So they climb another high
place, build seven more altars, and sacrifice
another seven bulls and seven rams on them. Bilam
goes off by himself to seek the Lord, and again,
the Living God meets him, and gives him another
message, full of great truths:
God
is not a man, that he should lie. Human beings
are fallen, and don’t always speak the true,
and are often liars, but not God! When He says
something, He carries through, and does it.
God has blessed the Jewish people, and will
never change His mind about that. Israel will
ultimately be a blessed nation.
God
is with Israel.
God
is protecting Israel.
No
omens or divinations will work against Israel.
Israel
will be victorious.
Balak
is furious, but doesn’t give up! Maybe if we try
this from another location, that will change the
outcome. So for the third time they climb another
mountain, build seven more altars, and sacrifice
another seven bulls and seven rams on them. Bilam
goes off by himself to seek the Lord, and the
Spirit of God comes upon him, and gives him another
message, full of beautiful truths:
The
Jewish people are beautiful in God’s sight.
“How fair are your tents O Jacob, and your dwellings,
O Israel!”
The
Jewish people will be successful, fruitful,
powerful, and blessed. God will protect us,
and give us victory over our enemies. Blessed
is everyone who blesses us, and cursed is everyone
who curses us.
Balak
is absolutely furious. Instead of cursing us,
Bilam has done the opposite and blessed us three
times! Before Bilam leaves, he gives one final
prophecy, which includes one of the only Messianic
prophecies found in the Torah:
The
Messiah will come from the Jewish people. He
is like a star. He comes Heaven. He is like
a Heavenly body - high and pure, which radiates
its own light in the vast darkness of the universe.
His light shines in the darkness of this world,
pointing us to God, and to salvation, victory
and life! As the stars declare God's intelligence,
power and glory, so does Messiah!
Messiah
is like a scepter. He is destined to rule over
Israel, and crush all the nations that oppose
Israel, and the God of Israel.
The Moabites,
the Edomites, the Amalekites, the Kenites and
the Assyrians will all be defeated.
Before
Bilam left, knowing that he couldn't curse Israel,
and still wanting to get that money that was promised
to him, Bilam instructed Balak to set a trap for
the Jewish people. If we could be corrupted by
engaging in sexual immorality and idolatry, God
Himself would judge us. So, Bilam devised a plan
whereby the daughters of Moab would seduce the
Jewish people, and have sex with our men, and
then lead us to sacrifice to Baal.
Sure enough,
the plan worked, and God's judgment fell on Israel
because many of us engaged in sexual immorality
and idolatry. 24,000 were killed by a plague,
and the leaders who engaged in this were executed.
Pinchas, the son of Eliezar the High Priest, was
particularly zealous, and took a spear, and killed
a Jewish man and a Midianite woman, for which
he was commended.
What can
we learn from the life of Bilam? Bilam is a model
of all greedy, false prophets who lead God's people
into false religion and immorality.
He was
a prophet, who had a lot of knowledge about God,
and some genuine prophetic gifts, but he also
used occult techniques. 24:1 mentions his use
of n’cha-sheem - enchantments, divinations, sorceries,
omens, from the Hebrew word “nachash” - snake
- using snakes for enchantment or trying and see
into the future. True prophets must only rely
on God, and not use human techniques, for their
knowledge of the future.
Bilam
loved money and earthly success and was willing
to pursue them more than faithfulness to God.
He was greedy, and he preached and prophesied
for profit. He was a prophet for hire. He was
willing to bless God’s Chosen and Holy people
or curse us, as long as the money was right. False
prophets who have left the right way and have
followed the way of Bilam are marked by mercenary
greed, prostituting their ministry and message
for money and earthly success.
Who are
our modern equivalents, who have chosen the way
of Bilam? “Prosperity teachers,” who try to manipulate
God’s people and appeal to their greed with promises
of money, wealth and earthly success. They can
expect the same thing that Bilam received - supernatural
rebuke.
Bilam
also counseled the enemies of Israel that if the
Jewish people couldn't be cursed outright, then
we could be sexually tempted by pagan women. Then
the Jewish men would wind up worshiping other
gods, so that God Himself would curse us. He was
an advocate of immorality for God's people. True
prophets must be pure. False prophets and sexual
immorality often go hand in hand.
Let’s
learn about God, and try to peer into the future,
using only God-appointed means, like the prophetic
Word of God.
Let’s
reject greed and materialism.
Let’s
avoid sexuality immorality, which angers God,
and reserve our devotion only for the Living God.
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