Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, You have set us apart by Your commandments and have commanded us to actively study Your Torah. Please YHVH, our Elohim, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of all Your people Israel. May You open our eyes to see marvellous truths from Your Torah. Thank You for calling us who were once gentiles excluded from the citizenship of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no expectation and without Elohim- but now through the blood of Messiah we have gained access into the covenants and have obtained citizenship into the commonwealth of Israel. Blessed are You, YHVH, Who teaches Torah to His people Israel. Amein
זאת חקת התורה
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 we view them in the light of Messianic redemption. These “chukat” unravel some of the deepest mysteries of our Messiah’s redemption and deep love and desire to be united with his people. The meaning of the word “chukat” comes from the Hebrew verb “chukak” and means to cut upon, engrave or inscribe. These are instructions were meant to be deeply engraved in our minds and hearts and were meant to be fully obeyed – forever – while the present heaven and earth remain. Even if we don’t fully understand them.
In modern Hebrew a “chukah” is a constitution. The Torah is also the written covenant and ‘ketubah’’ or marriage agreement between YHVH and His people “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” We could say that this Torah portion is the Romans 10:4 Torah portion.
Rom 10:4 For Messiah is the goal[b] of the ‘Torah unto righteousness’ to everyone who believes. Footnote: b Or end purpose; not termination.
Rejection of the Torah as the only legitimate Constitution for all believers – both Jew and Gentile - leads to self- righteousness, deception and ultimate and total destruction.
Rom
10:3 For not knowing the righteousness of Elohim, and seeking to
establish their own righteousness, they did not subject themselves toa the
righteousness of Elohim. Footnote: aOr did not obey.
Rom 10:4 For Messiah is the goal[b] of the ‘Torah unto righteousness’ to everyone who believes. Footnote: bOr end purpose; not termination.
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 Tabernacle and the two Temples. Rabban Maimonides, who codified the Torah, prophesied that the Messiah would sacrifice the tenth Red Heifer at his coming.
There
are conflicting reports as to the present-day existence of a Red Heifer (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 placed on this animal implying our messianic redemption did not come as
a result of the effort of men but as the result of the desire of YHVH and the
perfect obedience of one sinless man – Yahshua - Eph 2:8 For by favour you have
been saved, through belief, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
Elohim, Eph 2:9 it is not by works, so that no one should
boast.
Num 19:3 ‘And you shall give it to El’azar the priest,
and he shall bring it outside the camp, and shall slaughter it before him – see
Heb 13:10 We have a
slaughter-place from which those serving the Tent have no authority to
eat. Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought
into the Set-apart Place by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the
camp.
Heb 13:12 And so יהושע also suffered outside the gate, to set apart the people
with His own blood.
Heb 13:13 Let us,
then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
Heb 13:14 For we have no lasting city here, but we seek the one coming.
Everything about this red heifer was red – red reminds us
of blood. This points us to the fact that only by blood can death be overcome.
This is at the very heart of the mystery of the chukat of the red heifer –
death will be overturned by death. Also, the Hebrew word for man is ‘’adam’’
and can also mean ‘’red’’.
The purpose of YHVH is to conform us into the image of Messiah. The Hebrew word for “image” is “damut” “dam” is the Hebrew word which means blood. Rom 8:29
Num 19:4 ‘And El’azar the priest shall take some of
its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times toward
the front of the Tent of Meeting.
Seven
times could be pointing to the 7000
years YHVH provides His atonement to mankind in order to bring him to
perfection to enter into the eighth day or eternity. This causes us to face the
fact that for a period of seven thousand years we will be confronted with the
contamination of death. Modern religion avoids this stark reality and try to
avoid its implications.
Even during the
millennium there will be death, but not for those who are part of the bride of
Messiah.
Isa 65:20 “No
more is an infant from there going to live but a few days, nor an old man who
does not complete his days, for the youth dies one hundred years old, but the
sinner being one hundred years old shall be lightly esteemed. Isa 65:21
“And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and eat
their fruit. (For 1000 years)
Num 19:5 ‘And the heifer shall be burned before his
eyes – he burns its hide, and its flesh, and its blood, and its dung.
Num 19:6 ‘And the priest shall take cedar wood and
hyssop and scarlet, and throw them into the midst of the fire burning the
heifer.
“The hyssop was used in connection
with the Messiah’s death, (Jn 19:29) which was also used when Israel was
delivered from Mitzrayim - hyssop was used to sprinkle the blood on the
doorposts. Hyssop was also used in the
cleansing process from “tzaraat” (“leprosy”Lev 14) which symbolizes sin. In
this parashah hyssop was used in the cleansing from ritual uncleanness caused
by contact with death
Psa 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop,
and I am clean; Wash me, and I am whiter than snow.
The scarlet red wool yarn reminds us
of how we too are bound with Messiah in his death. In the commentary on
Leviticus 14:4 in Parashah 28, Metzorah, there are several details about the
significance of the three elements used in this cleansing.” The cedar reminds
us of the execution beam upon which our Messiah was executed.
Num 19:7 ‘The priest shall then wash his garments, and
shall bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest
is unclean until evening.
Num 19:8 ‘And he who is burning it washes his garments
in water, and shall bathe his body in water, and is unclean until evening.
Num 19:9 ‘And a clean man shall gather up the ashes of
the heifer, and shall place them outside the camp in a clean place. And they
shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl for the water for uncleanness, (mei niddah) it is for cleansing from sin.
“Water of uncleanness” in Hebrew “mei niddah”
The verb “niddah” is a
piel verb which means to exclude or expel.
The noun “niddah” refers
to a woman having her monthly cycle.
Lev 15:19
‘And when a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her flesh is
blood, she has to be in her separation for seven days. And whoever touches her
is unclean until evening.
Some describe a woman’s
monthly period as a time when her womb “weeps” because it has not produced
life.
This in some mysterious
way can be compared to the seven thousand years man on earth experiences a kind
of mourning or weeping because he or she struggles with their imperfections and
are not able to create or produce righteous life of themselves.
We cannot make ourselves
clean or righteous. The only righteousness we will have in this life is the
righteousness of YHVH in Messiah – 2Co 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might
become the righteousness of Elohim.
Isa 64:6
And all of us have become as one unclean, and all our righteousnesses
are as soiled rags(woman’s menstrual cloth- Strongs 5708 עדים ) And all of us fade like a leaf, and our crookednesses, like the wind,
have taken us away.
We don’t have
intercourse with our wives during niddah, not because they are ‘’defiled’’, but
because this a “chock” or instruction we are to strictly observe. We need to
remind ourselves that for “seven days” (figurative of 7000 years) we are unable
to produce the kind of life that will be given on the “eighth day.”
This brings us to one of the most important spiritual lessons we can ever
learn in these 7000 years – our knowledge of Messiah is initially very much
just ‘’in part’’ but grows as we see the unfolding revelation of Messiah as it
is revealed in the Torah and the rest of all other scripture – all scripture is
given to us is meant to bring us into the fullness of the Torah in Messiah.
Mat 5:18 “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth
pass away, one yod or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all
be done.[f] Footnote: f Luk_16:17.
Mat 5:19 “Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commands,
and teaches men so, shall be called least in the reign of the heavens; but
whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the
heavens.
Every time this law of the red heifer was applied – it
was a reminder that we too need to be continually sprinkled with the knowledge
of how Messiah will ultimately cleanse and present us perfect to the Father.
Let us remind ourselves
that this “chock” of the red heifer will be reinstated when Messiah returns –
Mat 5:17-19.
Why? Because this
obedience will lead to a deeper understanding and love for Messiah – BECAUSE
THEN AND NOW OUR KNOWLEDGE OF MESSIAH IS STILL INCOMPLETE – THERE IS MUCH, MUCH
MORE WE STILL NEED TO LEARN AND UNDERSTAND ABOUT YAHSHUA.
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.
Aměn.
Num 19:10 ‘And he who gathers the ashes of the heifer
shall wash his garments, and is unclean
until evening. And it shall be a law
forever to the children of Yisra’ĕl and to the stranger who sojourns in their
midst.
Num 19:11 ‘He who touches the dead of any human being
is unclean for seven days.
Dealing with death is at
the very heart of YHVH’s redemptive mission. His ultimate purpose is to
overcome death by death and in so doing give eternal life.
Num 19:12 ‘He is to cleanse himself with the water on
the third day, and on the seventh day he is clean. But if he does not cleanse
himself on the third day, then on the seventh day he is not clean.
This too, is a hidden
reference to Yahshua who arose from the grave on the third day and in so doing
conquered both death and sin. If we do not receive this cleansing of the third
day we will not be clean on the seventh day - “…because
the water of purification was not received as a scattering on him.”
Num 19:13 ‘Anyone who touches the
dead of a human being, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the Dwelling Place
of יהוה. And that being shall be cut off from Yisra’ĕl. He is unclean,
for the water for uncleanness was not sprinkled on him, his uncleanness is
still upon him. (law forever)
Num 19:14 ‘This is
the Torah when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent
are unclean for seven days,
Num 19:15 and every open vessel which has no cover
fastened on it, is unclean.
Num 19:16 ‘Anyone in the open field who touches someone
slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, is unclean
for seven days.
Num 19:17 ‘And for the unclean being they shall take
some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for cleansing from sin, and running water
shall be put on them in a vessel.
“In Yezekel/Ezekiel 36:24-30, it is written,
“For I will take you from among the nations,
and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your
filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will
I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put
my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, (chock) and you
shall keep my ordinances, (mishpatim) and do them. You shall dwell in the land
that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your
Eloha. I will save you from all your uncleanness(tamei) and I will call for the
grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine on you. I will multiply the
fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you may receive no more
the reproach of famine among the nations.”
Aliyah Sheni 19:18-20:6
Num 19:18 ‘And a clean man shall
take hyssop and dip it in the water, and shall sprinkle it on the tent, and on
all the vessels, and on the beings who were there, or on the one who touched a
bone, or the slain, or the dead, or a grave.
Num 19:19 ‘And the clean one
shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. And on the
seventh day he shall cleanse himself, and shall wash his garments and bathe in
water, and shall be clean in the evening.
Num 19:20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not
cleanse himself, that being shall be cut off from among the assembly, because
he has defiled the set-apart place of יהוה – water for uncleanness (mei niddah) has
not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean.
Num 19:21 ‘And it
shall be a law for them forever. And
the one who sprinkles the water for uncleanness (mei niddah) washes his
garments. And the one who touches the water for uncleanness is unclean until
evening.
Num 19:22 ‘And whatever the unclean being touches is
unclean. And the being who touches it is unclean until evening.’ ”
Num 20:1 And the children of Yisra’ĕl,
all the congregation, came into the Wilderness of Tsin in the first month, and
the people stayed in Qaḏĕsh. And
Miryam died there and was buried there.
Num 20:2 Now
there was no water for the congregation and they assembled against Mosheh and
against Aharon.
Num 20:3 And
the people contended with Mosheh and spoke, saying, “If only we had died when
our brothers died before יהוה!
Num 20:4 “Why have you brought up the assembly of יהוה into this
wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?
Num 20:5 “And why have you brought us up out of
Mitsrayim, to bring us to this evil place? – not a place of grain or figs or
vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
Num 20:6 Then Mosheh and Aharon went from the presence
of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and they fell on their
faces. And the esteem of יהוה appeared to them.
Aliyah Shlishi 20:7-13
Num 20:7 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Num 20:8 “Take the rod and assemble the congregation,
you and your brother Aharon. And you
shall speak to the rock before their eyes, and it shall give its water. And
you shall bring water for them out of the rock and give drink to the
congregation and their livestock.”
Num 20:9 And Mosheh took the rod from before יהוה as He
commanded him.
Num 20:10 And Mosheh and Aharon assembled the assembly
before the rock. And he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels, shall we bring
water for you out of this rock?”
Num 20:11 Then Mosheh lifted his hand and struck the
rock twice with his rod. And much water came out, and the congregation and
their livestock drank.
The Messiah was only struck once (execution 2000 years ago) Now there is
no more “striking” only talking with great respect and honour.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Chosen,[b] lest He be enraged, And you perish in the way,
For soon His wrath is to be kindled. Blessed are all those taking refuge in
Him. Footnote: bHebrew, Nashqu ḇar. Ḇar - Chosen in Hebrew but Son in
Aramaic.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,
and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Set-apart
Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the powers of
the age to come,
Heb 6:6 and fall away, to renew them again to repentance – having
impaled for themselves the Son of Elohim again, and put Him to open shame.b
Footnote: bSee Heb_10:26-31.
Num 20:12 But יהוה spoke to
Mosheh and to Aharon, “Because you did not believe Me, to set Me apart in the
eyes of the children of Yisra’ĕl, therefore you do not bring this assembly into
the land which I have given them.”
Num 20:13 These were the waters of Meriḇah,(strife and
contention) because the children of Yisra’ĕl contended with יהוה, and He was
set apart among (Heb ‘’in’’)them.
1Ti 3:16 And,
beyond all question, the secret of reverence (Gk – devotion) is great – who was
revealed in the flesh, declared right in Spirit, was seen by messengers, was
proclaimed among nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in
esteem.
This parashah is about this mystery. Flesh and blood cannot reveal this to you – Mt 16:17
Blessed are you YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Amein.
The Red Heifer Prophecy: Jerusalem's End
Of Days Mystery
