Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Chukat) begins with the words: zot chukat ha-Torah (זאת חקת התורה), “this is the decree of Torah” (Num. 19:2). The language here is both striking and unique, suggesting that what follows, namely, the sacrifice of the parah adumah or “red heifer,” is nothing less than “the seminal decree” of the entire Torah… However if we think about the meaning of the mysterious decree of the red heifer, we will realize that its ashes were used to create the “waters of separation” (i.e., mei niddah: מֵי נִדָּה) to cleanse people from contact with death (i.e., separation). To fulfill God’s vital decree, however, required sacrificial love, since the priest who offered this service would become defiled (separated) for the sake of the healing of others… The Hebrew word for love is ahavah (אַהֲבָה), from a root verb (יָהַב) that means “to give.” Love means giving of yourself to benefit another person (John 15:13). The central decree of Torah, then, beyond our ability to rationally understand, is that God’s love is so great that it is willing to become dust and ashes on our behalf so that we might find blessing and life.
Hebrew Lesson:
Yeshua willingly became unclean on our behalf – through contact with our sin and death – so that we could become clean (Isa. 53:3-6, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:3, Eph. 5:2, Titus 2:14). The pure became impure through His sacrificial offering. Because of Him, we have been cleansed from our sins “by a better sprinkling” than that which the Tabernacle of Moses could afford (Matt. 26:28, Heb. 9:14, 12:24, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:2,18-19, Rom. 5:9; Col. 1:14, 1 John 1:7, etc.).
The ashes of the red heifer represented the death and sacrifice of something extremely rare, valuable, and precious. The ashes were mixed with “living water” (מַיִם חַיִּים) to reveal the truth that though the end of all flesh is but dust and ashes, the Spirit gives cleansing and life. Indeed the word ashes (אֵפֶר) may be rearranged to spell both cure (רַפֵא) and beauty (פְאֵר). The author of the book of Hebrews argues kal va’chomer (i.e., קַל וְחמר, “light and weighty”), that is, “from the lesser case to the greater.” If the sprinkling of water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer purified the flesh from contamination with physical death, how much more does the blood of Messiah purify the soul from that which causes spiritual death? (Heb. 9:13-14). Indeed, because of Yeshua’s sacrifice we are given “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,” that we may be called “trees of righteousness (אֵילֵי הַצֶּדֶק), the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Isa. 61:3). Amen. Yehi shem Adonai mevorakh!
The sages say the verse, “Blessed is the person who fears always” (Prov. 28:14), means that whenever you want to do something, you should first soberly consider the consequences… If you do not think clearly, you will not fear, and such carelessness invariably leads to sin. The sacred is bound up with care; it sets boundaries between the profane and the holy. The “fear of the LORD” is expressed as vigilance against the lusts of the lower nature (yetzer ha’ra)… We “tremble” before God when we are awake to His holiness and wonder (Phil. 2:12). The Temple was destroyed because of our forefathers did not think about their actions; they first exiled themselves from the Divine Presence and then they “caught up with” the pain of their exile for themselves.
“Grass withers, a flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8). This verse sets up a great contrast between olam ha-zeh and olam haba – between this present world and the heavenly realm. King David states, “Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you (וְחֶלְדִּי כְאַיִן נֶגְדֶּךָ). Surely all mankind stands as a mere vanity” (Psalm 39:5). Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God, the Eternal, the abiding, and true: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). To the extent that we regard this world as our “home” we will find the transience of life to be tragic; but when we regard ourselves as strangers here, merely passing through, our transience becomes a passageway to the heavenly places…
It is common to encounter people today who refuse to believe that God exists, not because there are compelling reasons to do so, but simply because they do not want God to exist, and therefore they willfully suppress the intuitions of logic, the apprehension of value, the awareness of glory in creation, and the sentiments of conscience, since all these experiences point to the realm of moral and spiritual reality. As it is stated in our Scriptures: “For that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has revealed it to them. For the invisible attributes of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divinity; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20). Indeed, atheists and agnostics arrogantly preach that there is no transcendental “moral law” or Moral Lawgiver before whom all people will give account, again, not because reason indicates that this is so, but on the contrary, merely because they wish to be “free” to do whatever they want and to pursue their own selfish desires. In this regard the atheist merely chooses to close his mind because he does not want to see. As Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (בש”ט) once said, “The world is full of wonders and miracles but man takes his little hand and covers his eyes and sees nothing.” Indeed the deification of the self makes the soul a stranger to God and blind to moral and spiritual reality. The modern man will split hairs and fastidiously object to questions of truth and meaning all for the sake of living life as he pleases, on his own terms, without recognizing any moral authority beyond himself….
“Wherever you go, there you are…” You can’t escape from yourself; you can’t run away from who you are, and therefore your relationship with yourself is as inescapably eternal as your relationship with God. Indeed how you relate to yourself expresses your relationship with God (Luke 15:17). If you are self-abusive, if your life is a “living hell,” you must first of all face yourself and quit denying the condition of your heart. The LORD delivers through the wound; he does not offer you “Nirvana” to extinguish who you really are… If you have a critical spirit, if you cast eyes of suspicion upon others, then understand this reveals your own self-rejection and leads to the hell of never accepting yourself…
Yeshua forewarned of the alienation and moral sickness that would pervade mankind just before the time of his return: “Because lawlessness (i.e., ἀνομία, from -α (‘not’) + νομος, ‘torah’) will be increased,” he said, “the love of many will grow cold (i.e., ψύχομαι, ‘be extinguished’)” (Matt. 24:12). Note the link between Torah and love: true love requires respect for God’s authority, for without that the divine image is disfigured and desecrated. Likewise the Apostle Paul foresaw that the “End of Days” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) would be a time of peril (καιροὶ χαλεποί) because people would become increasingly narcissistic, self-absorbed, infatuated with their own sense of self-importance, abusive toward others, disrespectful to elders, ungrateful, heartless, unforgiving, without self-control, brutal, treacherous, and so on (2 Tim. 3:1-4). Therefore, in light of the spiritual war that rages all around us, it is vital that we remain firmly rooted in what is real by taking hold of our identity and provision as children of God. “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power (גְּבוּרָה / δύναμις) and of love (ἀγάπη), and of a “sound mind” (σωφρονισμός), i.e., a “delivered” mind — centered and “healed” from inner chaos (2 Tim. 1:7). The name of the LORD (יהוה) means “Presence,” and in Him “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). He is as close as our heart and our very breath (Rom. 10:8). We are not to be troubled like the world that lives in terror of man, nor are we to crave security from the vain devices of mere men. No – we must look to God Almighty, the Master of the Universe. He alone is our Refuge and Defense, the One who gives us steadfast love in the midst of these storms. “Let not your heart be troubled” – God is in control of the whirlwind, friends…
Though we are optimistic about the purpose and end of reality, and though we believe that God “works all things together for good” (Rom. 8:28), we are not therefore monistic idealists, that is, those who falsely say that evil is not real or who claim that it is “part of God.” We are given “exceedingly great and precious promises,” yet in this world we suffer and experience real pain, heartache, and troubles. Yeshua said “in this world you will have tribulation,” though that is not the end of the story, of course, for there is the cheer of God’s’ victory, even if we must repeatedly ask God for grace to endure our troubles without murmuring (John 16:33; Heb. 4:16). I realize that is often difficult, and some of you might be within the fiery furnace even now. You might be asking, “Where are you, Lord, in all of this? Why don’t you bring me out of these troubles?” In such testing you need endurance (ὑπομονή) to hold on to hope, believing that God uses affliction to refine you for good. As Paul said, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces refined character, and refined character produces hope” (Rom. 5:3-4). Each of us is still upon the “Potter’s wheel,” and God’s hand continues to shape us into vessels that one day will reveal his glory and honor. “The LORD will give strength to his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).
False teachers tend to be “people pleasers.” They desire the esteem of the crowd, the praises of men, and therefore appeal to the murmurings of the unregenerate heart: “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isa. 30:10). They flatter people by “tickling their ears”; they offer either platitudes or “new revelation” based on their own imagination. Consequently, they tend to be grandiose and quick to disparage God’s faithful servants. Thus Korah accused Moses of wanting to exalt himself, when this only disclosed the evil lurking within his own heart (Num. 16:3). False teachers speak in their own name and presume to be something when they are nothing (Gal. 6:3). “The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not… they are prophesying to you a lying vision, the deceit of their own minds” (Jer. 14:14). They secretly deny that Yeshua is LORD (יהוה), though they may offer “lip service” about his importance (2 Pet. 2:1). Instead of focusing on the message of the gospel and the greatness of salvation found in Messiah, they “major in minors,” passing over the weightier matters for the sake of various divisive doctrines (Matt. 23:23). They desire to be teachers of the law, but they have no idea what they are talking about (1 Tim. 1:7). Often such deceivers have natural charisma, charm, “good hair,” and an ability to bewitch people through buttery oratory or clever presentation (Col. 2:4,8). Often they focus on the truth of the head rather than the truth of the heart; they are more concerned with being vindicated than healing broken hearts. Finally, they tend to exploit people to promote their own self-serving agenda (1 Pet. 2:1-3). They make “merchandise” out of the gullible, regarding them as the means to support their “ministry” rather than as precious souls in need of God’s love and care…
Yeshua taught that we discover the truth about spiritual reality by way of revelation from heaven, not by way of human reasoning. He said that we can come to know God only through Him: “No one has ever seen God; the only God (μονογενὴς θεὸς), who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). He presents himself as “the way, the truth, and the life – the true Bridge to divine life and eternal reality….