Two Cups of Water – Nasso – May 30

Torah Portion Reading: Numbers 4:21 – Numbers 7:89 

When I was a child, I remember trying to figure out life.  I had lots of questions, although, I never really voiced them to anyone else.  Who is God and how can I know Him?  What is the purpose of life?  What is the true path to God?  These questions and others often came to my mind.

I’ve had the unique opportunity to spend a great deal of time with Christians, Muslims, and Jews during my years.  I’m not the expert on these religions but I have studied each in depth and have talked for hundreds of hours with people from each of these three religions.  My conclusion is simply this, I hate religion!  The older I get and the more I see in this world, I can honestly say that I hate religion.  Before anyone picks up a stone to stone me, let me explain.

Defining Religion

Religion, as I understand it, is man’s way of trying to define God and the spiritual side of life.  Religion generally involves rules of behavior and ceremonial ritual.  Religion is often a vehicle to control people and dictate how they should live.  In every culture there are religious expectations and ways of life that are socially acceptable and others that are not acceptable.  This can be a good thing.  For the most part religion can bring a cohesiveness to a culture that can be very unifying, however, religion can also provide a structure that locks a person in with no door of escape.  Religion itself is just man-made rules.  Religion without love and relationship is empty, condemning, and harmful to others.

On the other side of religion is faith that is expressed through belief in God and girded by absolute truth.  Some would call this religion but I believe that this is exactly what set’s itself apart from religion.  This spiritual tension between truth and love is spoken of in the Bible in this way: “Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10).

A faith that is grounded in truth and wrapped in love will produce a righteousness and peace that is truly from heaven.  I recently viewed a video that illustrates this point well and I highly encourage my readers to view it.  It is called “A Girl’s Message to All Christians” and you can view it by clicking on this link:  A Girl’s Message

The Bible is Not a Book of Religion

The Book called the Bible is the most amazing book ever written.  Its diversity and unity are unparalleled and its inspired nature pierces the human heart.  Many who open the pages of this amazing book never get past the account of creation and the mystery of the Garden of Eden.  Others, who believe in God and call themselves people of faith, often miss the true intent of the Divine authorship.  There is a great example of this in this week’s Torah reading that I’d like to take a look at.

This week’s Torah Portion contains a particular teaching that at first glance seems like a strange religious teaching to keep women in their place.  Most courts in the modern world would want to put God on trial, if they could, for putting this particular law in the Bible.  The subject of this law is the test of jealousy of a husband for his wife, whom he suspects of cheating on him.

The Adultery Test

In the Law, God gave Moses instructions on how to deal with various life situations.  One of the life situations that is brought up in this week’s Torah Portion reading is the test of the unfaithfulness of a woman toward her husband (Num. 5:11-31).  This particular situation specifies that there were no witnesses and it is not known whether or not the wife has committed adultery.  It may just be a case of a jealous husband or it may be a case of actual adultery (Num. 5:11-15).  The truth would be revealed through a test that God prescribed.

The test for a woman who is suspected of committing adultery is initiated by her husband who was to bring his wife to the priest with a grain offering (Num. 5:15).  The priest was to take an earthenware cup of some sort with “holy water” and add some dust from the floor of the Tabernacle.  This was called the cup of bitter water that brings a curse.  The woman was to stand before the LORD with her hair hanging loose and the grain offering in her hands.  The priest would then explain to the woman what was about to happen.  He was going to give her this cup of bitter water that brings a curse.  If she had been unfaithful her body would be cursed and she would be unable to bear children.  If she had not been unfaithful then the bitter water would not affect her and she would continue to be able to bear children (Num. 5:16-22).

A Cup of Water

The priest was to write the words of the curse on a scroll and wash them off with the water into the earthenware cup.  The woman was to swear an oath in agreement to the curse by saying, “Amen.  Amen!” and then the woman was to drink the water.  If she had committed adultery then she would be cursed and have a swollen belly and her thigh would waste away.  If the woman had not defiled herself she would be clean and would be free to bear children.  There was a curse on her reproductive system if she had sinned and a blessing if she had not (Num. 5:23-28).

This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, being under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself, or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he shall then make the woman stand before the Lord, and the priest shall apply all this law to her. Moreover, the man will be free from guilt, but that woman shall bear her guilt. (Num. 5:29-31).

This test of the law of jealousy of a man for his wife can seem like a mere religious ritual with unfair conditions for the woman.  It may seem empty and devoid of love and relationship.  Taken in context, however, it can be seen as a law that reveals sin in keeping with the seventh commandment (“Do not commit adultery!”) and the standard of holiness that God demanded.

Religion or Relationship?

In the verses preceding this law of the test of jealousy God commanded that no one impure be found in the camp of the sons of Israel because God was in their midst (Num. 5:1-4).  God is holy and cannot be in the presence of impurity.  God also commanded that anyone who sins against the LORD must confess their sin and make restitution (Num 5:5-10).  The holiness of God demands confession of sin and complete transparency before the One who is high and lifted up.  The holiness of God demands that we walk before Him in purity, including marital relations.  God wants to be our God and He wants us to be His people but there is a standard of holiness that He requires for us to walk in before Him.

Are you walking in holiness before God?  Are you living a life of purity according to God’s standard?  Are you living a life of confession and repentance before God or are you living a life of hidden sin?  How does this test of faithfulness toward a spouse by drinking a cup of water relate to your life today?

A Second Cup of Water

As we so often see in the New Testament, Yeshua was constantly living out the Torah (which means “teaching”) of the Old Testament in His life and by His words.  A perfect example of this, which corresponds to the cup of water and test for adultery above, is illustrated by a second cup of water, which Yeshua would use to teach another lesson.

Yeshua was traveling from Judea to Galilee and along the journey He and His disciples passed through Samaria.  They came to the well at Samaria, Jacob’s well, and Yeshua rested by the well while His disciples went to town to buy some food.  During the time that His disciples were away Yeshua would use a cup of water as a way to teach about the holiness and compassion of God.

Give Me This Water!

A Samaritan woman came to the well and when she arrived Yeshua asked her for a drink of water.  The woman was shocked as Jews had no relations with the Samaritans at this time and she asked Him how He could ask her for a drink.  Yeshua replied to the woman by turning the request for a cup of water into an offer for living water.  The woman was confused and asked how He would get this water since He had nothing with which to draw the water.  She then asked Yeshua if He was greater than her ancestor Jacob.  Yeshua responded with these words:

“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Yeshua was offering this Samaritan woman a cup of water that would forever change her life.  Yeshua was offering her a cup of water that was a blessing.  This cup of water would produce a well of water springing up to eternal life.  The woman wanted this water, however, this water had a cost.

 

The living water that Yeshua was offering this woman was a gift of God that was available to all that would come to Him in holiness.  The living water had a price of being in right relationship with God.  Yeshua was about to confront this woman with her past and her sin and she would have to choose whether or not to drink the cup, so to speak.

Yeshua asked the woman to call her husband and return (John 4:16).  The woman claimed to have no husband.  At this point Yeshua revealed to this woman that she has spoken correctly by saying that the man she is currently living with is not her husband but that she has had five husbands in the past.  The woman didn’t deny Yeshua’s claims but rather realized that God was speaking through Yeshua by revealing this information about her past (John 4:17-20).

Worship in Spirit and Truth

The conversation quickly turned to spiritual things as the Samaritan woman perceived that Yeshua was a prophet and asked Him about the proper place of worship.  Yeshua responded with these words:

Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. – John 4:21-24

The Samaritan woman was following the only religion she knew, the religion of her people.  She had faith in God and wanted to know the truth but her religion was a barrier to this truth. Yeshua declared to the Samaritan woman that religion is not the important thing, rather, it is worship of the Father in spirit and in truth.

The Samaritan woman’s heart must have been burning within her as Yeshua’s words pierced her own heart, however, she was still hesitant and declared that when the Messiah comes, He will declare the truth to us.  Yeshua replied, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:25-26).

The Samaritan woman was now convinced.  Everything Yeshua had spoken about her own life was true and now He is declaring Himself to be the Messiah.  She would later openly speak about her past and how Yeshua revealed this to her as she spoke with the people in her town (John 4:29).  This woman and many from her town came to faith in Yeshua as the Messiah because of her testimony about Him (John 4:39-42).  The Samaritan woman took the cup that Yeshua offered to her and the living waters began to flow from within.  Listen to a powerful song that illustrates well the waters that flow from within those who walk in this faith.  The song is called Rise by a group called Housefires.

This cup of water which produces eternal life is only available through confession of sin and a right focus on who God is (John 4:16-26).  Yeshua made sure that the Samaritan woman understood this.  God is holy and we as humans can only continue in relationship with Him through confession of our sin (Num. 5:5-7).  Confession of sin must have a focus of relationship on the Father in heaven and an understanding of the sacrifice of the Son of God (John 4:21-26).  Worship of the Father in heaven and the revelation of the Messiah bring life to our mortal bodies as we walk in holiness before Him.  God is holy and perfect and He demands the same standard from us.  Our perfection and holiness is only attainable through confession of our sin and dependence on Him.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

(Prov. 28:13)

Religion always focuses on the striving of human beings to somehow become righteous by their own good works.  Faith in the God of the Bible centers on knowing the Father in heaven through confession of our sin and failures and complete dependence on His love and compassion as found in the Messiah Yeshua who came to take away the guilt of our sin.  Let us continually drink from the source of living waters and walk in right relationship with our Father in heaven.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Num. 4:21 – Num. 7:89

Hafatara: Judges 13:2-25

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