Parashat
Chukat.
The sages say that the commandment of the Red Heifer (para
aduma) is “beyond human understanding” The “chukat” or “statutes” of this portion
can only begin to make sense when view them in the light of Messianic redemption. These “chukat” unravel
some of the deepest mysteries of our Messiah’s deep love and desire to be
united with his bride, so that we can all one day be united to the Father. The
meaning of the word “chukat” comes from the Hebrew verb “chukak” and means to
cut upon, engrave or inscribe.
Some believe that Yahshua will always bear the scars of
his nail pierced hands, evidence that will remind us forever of the Fathers
love for us.
After his resurrection Yahshua invited Thomas to examine
the scars on his body caused by his execution.
Joh 20:27 Then He said to T’oma, “Bring your finger
here, and see My hands. And bring your hand and put it into My side – and do
not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Joh 20:28 And T’oma answered and said to Him, “My
Master and my Elohim!”1 Footnote: 1See Heb. 1:8-9.
Joh 20:29 יהושע said to him,
“T’oma, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have
not seen and have believed.”
Joh 20:30 There
were indeed many other signs that יהושע did in the
presence of His taught ones, which are not written in this book,
Joh 21:25 Now there is much else that יהושע did. If every
one of them were written down, I think that the world itself would not contain
the written books. Amĕn.
Talking of the Messiah the prophet speaks:
Isa 49:16 “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My
hands; your walls are always before Me.
הֵן עַל-כַּפַּיִם,
חַקֹּתִיךְ; חוֹמֹתַיִךְ נֶגְדִּי, תָּמִיד
This verse is very misleading
in the English translation.
The verse starts off by
saying – behold – “hen” or pay careful attention. Then it says “al Kapaim
chakotich” which literally means “on palms I have inscribed you” Please note it
does not say that YHVH has inscribed our names on His hands. The question then
remains “on whose palms then have we been inscribed?”
I believe we were
inscribed in Messiah’s palms -Yesh/Is 49 is a Messianic prophecy.
The palms of Messiah have been “inscribed” the Hebrew root comes from
the title of this parashah – “chukat’
The “chakikot” or engravings in
the palms in Yahshua’s palms indicate that so far Yahshua has been the only man
to fully obey YHVH perfectly without any question or any form of disobedience.
Psa 40:7 Then I said, “See, I have come; In the scroll
of the Book it is prescribed for me.
Psa 40:8 I have delighted to do Your pleasure, O my
Elohim, And Your Torah is within my heart1.” Footnote: 1Ps.
37:31, Ps. 119:11, Isa. 51:7, Heb. 10:7-9.
In modern Hebrew a “chukah” is
a constitution. “The phrase in B’Midbar 19:2 “zot chuckat ha torah” this is the chukat
of the Torah” appears only twice in the Torah (see also 31:21) This could be interpreted to mean “
this is the whole essence of the Torah” or “this is the constitution found in the
Word of YHVH.”
Midrash:
We must
not say we are saved because we are obedient. We should rather say we are
obedient because we are saved.
Eph 2:8 For by favour you have been saved, through
belief,(noun) and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of Elohim, (the verb
–“saving” is an act of YHVH)
Eph
2:9 it is not by works,(actions you have
taken) so that no one should boast.
It
is important to know that we did initiate our salvation, YHVH did. If we have been called and chosen by YHVH
then works and fruitfulness will follow our lives as a confirmation of our
calling.
Joh
15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your
fruit should remain…
Joh 15:9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also
loved you. Stay in My love.
Joh 15:10 “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in
My love,1 even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in
His love. Footnote: 1See 14:15.
Sadly in the last days
there seems to be only a remnant that will guard His commands.
Rev
12:17 And the dragon was enraged with
the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding
the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah.
Joh 6:44 “No one is able to come to Me unless the
Father who sent Me draws him. And I shall raise him up in the last day.
So
then who does the Father chose to come to the true Yahshua?
Those
that Father knows will obey Him. So once again we are not saved and called by
YHVH because we are obedient – we are obedient because He has chosen and saved
us – even before the foundation of the world.
Eph 1:4 even as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be set-apart and blameless before Him
in love,1 Footnote: 12 Thess. 2:13.
That doesn’t mean we sit
back and do nothing. We are not saved and chosen to do nothing.
2Pe 1:10 For this reason, brothers, all the more do
your utmost to make firm your calling and choosing,1 for if you are
doing these matters you shall never stumble at all, Footnote: 1Mt.
20:16, Mt. 22:14, Rev. 17:14.
What do we do? Read the previous verses and you will know.
2Pe 1:2 Favour and peace be increased to you in the
knowledge of Elohim and of יהושע our Master,
2Pe 1:3 as His
Mighty-like power has given to us all we need for life and reverence, through
the knowledge of Him who called us to esteem and uprightness.
2Pe 1:4 Through
these there have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so
that through these you might be partakers of the Mighty-like nature, having
escaped from the corruption in the world, caused by lust.
2Pe 1:5 And for
this reason do your utmost to add to your belief uprightness, to uprightness
knowledge,
2Pe 1:6 to
knowledge self-control, to self-control endurance, to endurance reverence,
2Pe 1:7 to
reverence brotherly affection, and to brotherly affection love.
2Pe 1:8 For if
these are in you and increase, they cause you to be neither inactive nor without
fruit in the knowledge of our Master יהושע Messiah.
2Pe 1:9 For he in
whom these are not present is blind, being shortsighted, and has forgotten that
he has been cleansed from his old sins. (Even though they had been called and
chosen they didn’t do what was proper and right according to the Word)
2Pe 1:10 For this
reason, brothers, all the more do your utmost to make firm your calling and
choosing,1 for if you are doing these matters you shall never
stumble at all, Footnote: 1Mt. 20:16, Mt. 22:14, Rev. 17:14.
So once again our parashah not only points us to Messiah
it reminds us that we too must become like him in all things even to the
obedience of laying down our lives.
Php 2:5 For, let this mind be in you which was also
in Messiah יהושע, Php 2:6
who, being in the nature of
Elohim, did not regard equality with Elohim a matter to be grasped,
Php 2:7 but
emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness
of men. Php 2:8 And having been found in
fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, death even
of a stake.
Gal 2:20 “I have
been impaled with Messiah, and I no longer live, but Messiah lives in me.1
And that which I now live in the flesh I live by belief in the Son of Elohim, who
loved me and gave Himself for me. Footnote: 1Rom. 8:10, 2 Cor. 6:16,
2 Cor. 13:5, Eph. 3:17, Col. 1:27, 1 John 4:4.
Gal 2:21 “I do not
set aside the favour of Elohim, for if righteousness is through Torah, then Messiah died for
naught.”
Aliyah Rishon 19:1-17
Bemidbar/Num 19:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying,
Num 19:2 “This is a law of the Torah(zot chukat ha
Torah) which יהוה has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, that
they bring you a red heifer, a perfect one, in which there is no blemish and on
which a yoke has never come.
It is believed that there have been nine perfect red
heifers offered for the service of the Temple so far in history of the two
temples that have stood in Yerushalyim.
Rabban
Maimonides, who codified the Torah, prophesied that the Messiah would sacrifice
the tenth Parah Adumah in human history [at his coming].
There are conflicting reports as to the present day
existence of a Red Hefer (female cow). She is to have no blemish- if two hairs
on her body are not red then she is considered to have a blemish.
“No yoke”
could imply that there was no burden on this animal which implies our messianic
redemption did not come as a result of the effort of a man but as the result of
the perfect obedience of one sinless man – Yahshua, by the will and initiative of YHVH.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He
did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth.
