This week’s Torah Portion is called חוקת – Chukat and is found in Numbers 19-21. The Hebrew word חוקת – Chukat means statute or ordinance. The Torah, the first five books of the Bible, is filled with various laws, statutes, and ordinances and it is for this reason that we often refer to these first five books as The Law.
As important and central as the Law was for the nation of Israel, it was always to be understood, taught, and lived out in relationship with God Himself:
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. – Deut. 6:4-5
To this day, the Jewish people recite these verses daily as a reminder of who the LORD is and how we are to relate to Him. Without a proper understanding of who the LORD is and our relationship to Him, the Law becomes meaningless. Within a focused perspective of loving the LORD, the Law establishes holy boundaries in connection to the living God.
It is vital to keep this perspective in mind in our daily walk with God. Our relationship with God is based on His love for us together with our love for Him and not simply a list of laws and regulations. Organized religion can be a tool to help people focus in worship and prayer to God but it can also be a distraction to real relationship with God if we shift our focus from relationship with Him to simply following the rules as prescribed in the Law. This week’s Torah Portion provides a good reminder of why it is important to keep our relationship with God at the center of our service and worship of Him.
Complaining In The Camp
We again read about a dire situation in the desert when the Israelites were without water and blamed the situation on Moses and Aaron. The forty years of wandering in the desert were coming to an end but it seems like the Israelites still had not learned to fully trust the LORD or His appointed leaders, Moses and Aaron:
There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD! Why then have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. – Num. 20:2-6
The people were still looking back to Egypt and were continually blaming Moses for leading them through the desert with all of the hardships of life in a dry and thirsty land. Moses and Aaron responded by casting themselves before the LORD.
The LORD answered the cry of the Israelites for water by providing very specific instructions to Moses and Aaron regarding how to provide water for the people and their animals:
Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them; and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.” So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. – Num. 20:7-11
Moses and Aaron provided water for the people with the end result being that the people and their animals were satisfied, however, Moses and Aaron did not fully obey the LORD in this matter.
God had instructed Moses and Aaron to take the rod, assemble the people, and then to speak to the rock so that water may gush forth. Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses struck the rock twice. The LORD was not pleased by these actions:
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them. – Num. 20:12-13
As a result of their disobedience, the LORD punished both Moses and Aaron by not permitting them to lead the people into the Promised Land. It was a stern rebuke for not obeying the LORD.
How Did Moses & Aaron Disobey?
God’s instructions to Moses and Aaron were clear and simple; take the rod, gather the people, and speak to the rock so that water would gush forth. For whatever reason, Moses added his own short commentary to the situation before striking the rock:
…and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. – Num. 20:10-11
It appears that Moses was angry with the people as he called them rebels and then used the rod to strike the rock instead of speaking to it. It is natural to respond in an emotional manner when we are falsely accused and those whom we are serving show no appreciation, however, these reasons do not justify one’s actions of disobedience, as we see in this example.
The rod that Moses used to strike the rock was the same rod that God had caused to blossom and bring forth fruit in order to show the Israelites whom God had chosen to lead His people (Num. 17). The rod represented the approval of God’s authority. The authority of God as displayed in human leadership comes with great responsibility and leaders need to take great care to honor the LORD in every act and decision. The main accusation of the LORD against Moses and Aaron was that of unbelief in Him:
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” – Num. 20:12-13
The word for “believe” in the above verse comes from the Hebrew word “אמן” – Aman which literally means to confirm, be faithful or to believe. It is the same word from which we get the English word “amen” which expresses belief or agreement. Moses and Aaron showed disbelief in the LORD by not fully obeying His words.
The LORD also stated that their unbelief showed a lack of reverence for God’s holiness “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel,…” This lack of respect and reverence for the holiness of the LORD brought about this swift punishment from the LORD.
Do Not Imitate Acts Of The Past
It is important to remember that when the nation of Israel was in a similar situation of needing water approximately 40 years earlier, the LORD had commanded Moses to strike the rock so that water would gush forth (Ex. 17:1-7). Unfortunately, Moses seems to have imitated how he had previously supplied water for the children of Israel by striking the rock. We need to remember to always listen to the voice of the LORD in each situation and to not simply act according to what we have heard or done in the past.
The laws and statutes of the LORD were given to the nation of Israel in the context of relationship with Him and were to always be followed and obeyed with a sensitivity to listening to His voice. When the Israelites were newly set free from Egypt and were in the Sinai Desert, the LORD spoke these words to the people through Moses His prophet:
Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” – Ex. 19:3-6
These words were spoken before the giving of the Ten Commandments and before the Covenant at Sinai (also known as the Old Covenant) was instituted. First and foremost, God asked His people to listen to His voice.
Obeying The First Commandment
In a sense, we can say that the first commandment given at Mount Sinai was to listen to the voice of God. We actually know this to be true because the LORD Himself confirmed this when He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah:
For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. – Jeremiah 7:22-24
God required the ceremonial law with offerings and sacrifices as a means of providing right worship to the true God of heaven and earth, however, the first commandment for the people of Israel at Sinai was to listen and obey the voice of the LORD.
In essence, Moses and Aaron actually broke the first commandment of God when they brought the water from the rock through their own method rather than following the instructions of the LORD. By not listening to the voice of the LORD they conveyed unbelief in God’s words to them and did not treat God as holy before the eyes of the people. Do we not do the same thing when we fail to listen to the voice of the LORD today?
God’s Word is filled with truth and we can know the right thing to do in most everyday situations just from knowing His holy laws. There are also times in life when we seek the LORD for direction or for a certain answer and God speaks to us whether through His Word, another person, or some other means. When God speaks to us we need to listen to His voice and obey.
Listen To His Voice
It was at the forefront of God’s relationship with the people of Israel that He commanded them to listen to His voice; before the Ten Commandments were given and before the institution of the Covenant at Sinai. In a similar manner, the disciples of Yeshua were commanded to listen to His voice before the New Covenant was instituted:
Six days later Yeshua took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” – Matthew 17:1-5
Peter became overwhelmed at the sight of Moses and Elijah talking with Yeshua and wanted to establish a place for everyone to lodge so that they could sit and talk for a while. Many of us probably would have done the same thing. To sit and learn together with two of the greatest prophets who walked this earth together with the Messiah! Amazing! Glorious! Wonderful! However, the Father in heaven simply declared that Yeshua is His beloved Son and that they were to Listen to Him!
The message of the Bible is actually quite simple: There is one God (the Creator of everything), His Word is truth, and His Son is the Messiah who came to deliver us from sin and will return to rule and reign on His throne. Along life’s journey God desires for every person to know Him, walk according to His truth, and listen to His voice. Organized religion can potentially lead us in the right direction but we must never substitute religious practices for listening to His voice.
When God commanded Moses to speak to the rock it was an invitation to listen to His voice and bring honor to His holy name. The lesson to be learned from this week’s reading is not to speak to inanimate objects like a rock, but rather to always have ears ready to hear what God is speaking to us. God is a master communicator and He loves to speak to His people if we are willing to listen.
Shabbat Shalom!
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Torah Portion: Num. 19:1 – Num. 22:1
Haftara: Judges 11:1-33
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