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CHAPTER 19
1. Now YHWH said to Moshe and Aharon,
2. "This is the [irreversible] enactment [huqah] of the instruction which YHWH has ordained, saying, 'Tell the descendants of Israel to bring to you a completely red heifer—one in which there is no blemish, upon which no yoke has ever come.
Enactment: We include the word “irreversible” here, because the term connotes being engraved in stone. YHWH’s word is meant to be engraved in our hearts. (Yirmeyahu 31:33) This is not something that will suddenly come about by magic when the clock reaches a certain time, but as with memorization, something is engraved on our hearts due to frequent usage. This instruction is much more specific than most, leaving less room for the fluidity that most Torah commands require if they are to be applicable in many situations. Rabbinic writings often say that a huqah is a decree that one cannot understand, but must simply obey. There is some profit in this, for some think that if they understand the lesson being taught by the action, they no longer need to carry out the practice. But when we look at the components of these pronouncements that were made later than the revelation at Sinai (in response to particular situations), we can certainly understand some of them already, and expect to be able to understand the rest as we compare Scripture with Scripture. Traditionally no more than two or three hairs may be other than red, so this cow had to be examined very carefully. We may not be sure why it has to be red, or exactly what shade of red (though the Hebrew term suggests an earth-tone like that of red clay). But there is nothing here that we cannot learn from. This huqah is about purity—not so much physical hygiene, but being undefiled. Previously we have seen the “remedies” for lesser types of impurity, but recent events have demanded a more comprehensive solution, as detailed below. No yoke: The Mishnah says the hairs were also examined to see if they were bent, suggesting that a burden of some kind had been placed on her. The people must bring her to Moshe, or, later, to whomever is in charge in Israel. With millions of people in the camp, who brings it? Everyone would pay close attention as never before to who had a red cow, and come to inspect those that appeared to qualify. Everyone is looking for the same thing. This would bring a unity of mind about something positive, rather than the unity of complaint and rebellion that they have been exhibiting. This may explain why such a strange request is made. YHWH casts this command in the form of a treasure hunt that required communication between them all. Given a common quest, they would stop their bickering and work together. (v. 9, 12) This is a huge exercise that Israel really needs. If they were paying more attention to what YHWH wants, they would not have whined so much when they were really quite well-cared for. It would also build skill in attentiveness to detail.
3. "'And entrust her to El'azar the cohen, and he will bring her outside the camp, and [someone will] slaughter her in his presence.
This is the first time any individual besides Aharon is called the cohen. El’azar is the high priest-in-training. This ceremony will require that he become defiled, so the high priest himself is not given this job, as he must remain free from corpse-uncleanness, which is the purpose of this slaughter.
4. "'Then El'azar the cohen shall take some of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of her blood [directly] toward the front of the Tent of Appointment seven times.
His finger directed the people’s attention toward the veil. It may have also helped him keep his focus amid many complex motions. It was a ritual, but still not to be taken lightly or made common. The blood would stay on his finger and remind him that this ceremony was different from others he habitually performed.
5. "'And the heifer shall be burned in front of his eyes: her skin, her flesh, and her blood, in addition to her excrement, shall be burned.
In addition to: or, over, above. After all the searching for the perfect cow, only seven drops of its blood are used! Such a special cow would certainly be worth a lot; it would seem like a waste to burn it all if not for a very special purpose. But after the incident of the golden calf, the “sacred cow” is slaughtered, to remind people that it was not really about the cow, but about the work for which it is used. Ashes do not make very nice idols! Still, the ritual purification of the whole nation (so that anyone can enter YHWH’s presence) depends on this being done the right way. So El’azar supervises to make sure. This will teach him to be responsible for others from the start—something Aharon did not learn until much later in life. Ritual impurity is a picture of how motivated by self-interest one is. One cannot measure it as easily as we can measure purity in soap or gold. A tree is known by its fruit, but even that is only easy at a certain time of year. So he must follow this entire curious process until it is complete:
6. "'Then the cohen shall take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson-scarlet, and throw it into the middle of [where] the heifer [is] burning.
The traditional ceremony of burning leaven at Passover was probably based on this, and it is comparable to the painting of the lamb’s blood on the doorposts. (Ex. 12:22) It also reminds us of the cleansing of the leper. (Lev. 14) Hyssop is a natural antiseptic, so this particular mix of chemicals may have made the ideal medicinal remedy for the bacteria encountered when touching a dead body. (v.11)
7. "'Then the cohen must launder his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, then afterward he may enter into the camp. But the cohen will be ritually impure until the evening.
Ritually impure: prohibited from entering a holy place. This instance of uncleanneess is for the sake of the whole community—the precedent for Yeshua's "becoming sin" for us, though he had no sins of his own to die for. (2 Cor. 5:21)
8. "'Also, the one who burned her must launder his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and be ritually impure until the evening,
Everyone who has anything to do with the process of purifying the community in this chapter ends up being ritually unclean, because he makes compromises in order to reach out to those who are stuck in the mire, and what we touch rubs off on us. He is doing a righteous thing, and is involved in a Kingdom pursuit, but still he is affected by someone’s selfishness, for when we are dealing with another’s selfishness, the natural response is defensiveness of our own selves. Like baking soda or activated charcoal, these people “absorb” the impurity they are addressing and therefore become defiled, and cannot be kept among the people. Selfishness is not sin in itself, for we must have some measure of self-preservation or we will die needlessly. But selfishness sets us in the arena for sin. Yaaqov/James tells us the progression. (1:13-16) Our desires are the fertile soil for temptation to work on us until we actually do the wrong thing. They are like a pen full of pit bulls—harmless to us if we stay away from them, but bringing inevitable death if we enter their territory. Part of the enticement is being given permission by someone to do what the Torah says is not valid, as was done when people misinterpreted Paul and parts of the Gospels. The serpent claimed the authority to overrule YHWH’s command, and something within Chawwah (Eve) was ready to respond to it. That she is female suggests a reparation for Chawwah's sin, which brought impurity to our whole race. Adam in turn was ready to respond when Chawwah “validated” his desire for self-aggrandizement by her own compromise. This began a cycle of selfishness, sin, and death that the ashes of this red cow are designed to stop. Physically they cannot, but the ceremony must be carried out for the picture of the real remedy to be taught properly. “Red” (adumah) has the same root as Adam. It may not have been his eating of the fruit that got him ousted from the Garden, but his refusal to take responsibility for it by shifting the blame to his wife, and ultimately to YHWH. The symbolism in this cow is a remedy for this particular problem. After he was banished from the Garden of Eden, he was instructed to till the ground (adamah) outside the Garden (Gen. 3:23), for his “punishment” had a corrective purpose, as it does for anyone YHWH loves. By having this “yoke” now put on him for the first time--he was somehow being aimed back toward the Garden by the circuitous route that was now necessary. And the commandment regarding this cow actually carries that on. How? The Hebrew word for “heifer” (parah) stems from a root word meaning “to break up”, as with plowing, or “to frustrate” (parar). So the purpose of this command was, at root, to “break up the ground”. The way of the earth is “It was not my fault.” As Adam tilled the ground by the sweat of his brow year after year, he was meant to remember its etymological connection to his name, and see that ground as himself--to turn up the surface and see what had led to his downfall and banishment from Eden, and what it would take to get back. (Gibor) The more selfless we become, the more we can “frustrate the ways of earth”, i.e., overthrow the earthly order set in place by Adam’s shirking of responsibility and replace it with the way of the second Adam, who took responsibility for others even though he himself did nothing wrong.
9. "'while a man who is ritually pure shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a ceremonially pure place. Thus it shall be stored away safely to be water of separation [from] sin; it is for the descendants of Israel.
Outside the camp: This way no family or tribe can claim possession of it at their own house, as the pope has done. It is a common possession available to all. No one can say, “If you do not pay me, you cannot be purified.” What affects one affects all. Nothing in the Tabernacle can be considered ceremonially pure without this heifer's ashes. This has only needed to be done nine times throughout history. Preparations are underway for the next time; numerous kosher red heifers have already been identified in Israel, but the chosen one cannot be more than three years old when the time is right for priestly service to resume. A man who is ritually pure: Not necessarily a priest. Some aspects of the job can be done by others, representing the fact that anyone who is clean can bring cleanliness to others. If we are victorious over self in a given area, we need to pass it on to others. (For there to be someone ritually pure to render the high priest pure when inaugurated, as in ancient times, a group of children is being raised from birth in a place where they can avoid ritual defilement and learn what to watch out for. Some say this is not necessary, but that immersion in water is all that is necessary. But if the higher road is possible, undoubtedly it will be taken.) Stored away: There would be a substantial heap of ash from such a large animal. The Talmud says vessels containing some of it were sent to every town in Israel, because corpse-defilement would be a very common problem in a culture less sanitized than ours, so it was important that people have access to this water. We see evidence of this practice in Yochanan 2 where a very small town had six large stone jars—since stone cannot be ritually defiled—to be used for this ceremony. Tradition says that just in case the current red heifer has a blemish about which no one who inspected it is aware, the ashes of previous red heifers all the way back to the one slaughtered by El’azar would be mixed in with that of the new one as a sort of “insurance” that this water would indeed be qualified to render the nation pure. This helps us connect with those who were much closer to—and even present at—Sinai. But if the original ashes described here are not found—or if they are found and it cannot be proven that they are still pure—the Temple Institute has determined that there is nothing to prevent us from repeating the procedure done here and using these fresh ashes as commanded. The clean place where the healing water is stored is a picture of the community, for we can have no practical training in not putting self first if we live in isolation. Water represents YHWH’s word (Eph. 5:26) and Yeshua said the Torah is summarized by loving one another as we love self. (Mat. 22:37-40) Separation from sin: This term is used elsewhere only of a woman who is off-limits to a man, whether his wife in her monthly cycle, or a close relative he is forbidden to marry. So, like the garments worn by women during this time that warn men to keep their distance, this is the instruction for how to keep sin away: see yourself as off-limits to selfishness, the source of sin; deal with it, and you will be out of reach of the actual sin that crouches at the door, waiting to devour you. (Gen. 4:7)
10. "'Then the one who gathers up the heifer's ashes must launder his clothes, and be ritually impure until the evening; this shall be a prescribed custom forever for the descendants of Israel and the sojourner who is staying among them.
Even a non-Israelite can do this job.
11. "'Whoever touches any human body when it is dead will be ritually impure for seven days.
The practice of “sitting shiva’ (seven)” may have originated from the fact that those who prepared the body for burial (an honorable thing) would not wish to leave their homes during these seven days. People began to come to their homes to console them, though in choosing to do so, they would also take on the same restrictions—a positive example of being willing to defile ourselves if necessary in order to meet our neighbors’ needs. In the Torah, everything revolves around life. (Psalm 119) Death is a reality, but it is nearly ignored, because it is not what we serve, like the Egyptians, who put all of their energies into what comes after they die. YHWH did not bring this command forth until death had become overly prevalent in the camp, with the plague, the ground swallowing others up, and those who went to battle at the wrong time. Many people had very unnecessary deaths because they were cowards and rebels, and their families were probably trying to find some value in their deaths. So He brings forward a ritual so that they can move on from the death that they are thinking too much about and also be freed from some of the useless mystique the Egyptians invested in death. The word for “body” here means more than a corpse; it literally means “soul”—or “life”! A “dead life” is an oxymoron, but it highlights the fact that a living person who walks in selfishness is someone to keep our distance from, so that we will not receive any of the “living death” he exudes. We cannot avoid some contact, but keep your guard up in order to avoid investing energy in what is profane. Sometimes “dead lives” look beautiful or exciting, but they put so much energy into what is ultimately useless. The ashes alone cannot effect spiritual purity; only when mixed with the water can they give remedy. Community must be combined with Torah or it will not relieve us of our selfish ways. All the serving in the world is a waste of time if it is does not line up with Torah. There are plenty of examples of unity for the wrong purposes. But as we “break up the ground” through selflessness as YHWH defines it, we can plant something worth eating. We can return to the garden that existed before there was any plowing or tilling. (Gen. 2:5; 3:23) Thus this red cow and what it teaches us are what can elevate us from the ground back into YHWH’s presence. (Gibor) When we walk in Torah long enough, we start to realize that what YHWH asks of us is what we really want, after all; our selfishness stood in the way of true self-fulfillment.
12. "'He must purify himself from uncleanness with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be ceremonially pure. If he does not purify himself on the third day, he cannot be pure on the seventh day.
Purify himself from uncleanness: literally, "lose himself". Yeshua said whoever loses his own soul (life) for his sake will find it again. (Mat. 10:39) With it: i.e., with the water containing the ashes of the red heifer. (v. 9) This is a synopsis of the history of the earth after Adam. The third day foreshadows Yeshua's resurrection and by extension, ours (Hos. 6:2); the seventh day, the Messianic Kingdom. Both (faith and works) are necessary for the world to be an acceptable place for YHWH to make His dwelling place on the “eighth day”. (Rev. 21:3) But if one does not partake of the third day—using what Yeshua has made available to us to purify himself insofar as is possible at this stage—he will not have laid the foundation needed for the purity that can only come in its completeness on the seventh. If one is no longer even looking for the target, he certainly will not hit it! But on the “third day” of creation, dry land was brought forth. On the seventh day, the “heavens” were brought forth when YHWH rested. When we deal with self to the degree that heaven also recognizes us as selfless, we have accomplished something truly eternal. As we discipline ourselves to do what is right regardless of how we feel, it will become genuine.
13. "'Whoever touches the dead--that is, the body of any human being who has died--and does not purify himself from uncleanness will have rendered the Dwelling Place of YHWH unclean. That soul shall be cut off from Israel; if the water of separation is not tossed onto him, he will be [ceremonially] impure; his impurity remains upon him.
Those who are lawless (without Torah) are called "dead" in Scripture as well, so this is a picture of the person who does not receive the provision YHWH has made to return to the covenant; it is of no benefit to him. By being in the camp, even if he does not approach the sanctuary, he still defiles the camp, because YHWH's true dwelling place is His people when they are all gathered together "as one man". Ceremonially: the typical understanding, but this water with the ash mixture may be what heals his physically contamination as well. (See note on v. 6.)
14. "'This is the instruction in case a man dies inside a tent: Anyone who enters the tent, and anything that is in the tent will be ritually impure for seven days.
Tents symbolize places of learning (Gen. 9:27; 25:27), but a little death defiles the whole tent. When what is taught upholds self (such as prosperity doctrines that teach that the Kingdom is about personal wealth), there is death in the tent. It defiles anyone who enters it thereafter. Whenever any selfishness is brought in, or wherever anyone embraces the things of death, everyone pays a price. Right now there is no means of ritual purification. No ashes of the red heifer have been found or made again yet. But these commands are ultimately here to teach us how to fight selfishness in ourselves, and that we can do at any time.
15. "'Also, any vessel that has no cover-piece secured onto it will be ritually defiled.
Secured: threaded--i.e., either bound on with a cord, or screwed into place. An earthen vessel is a picture of our mortal bodies. (2 Cor. 4:7) If our defenses are not up by having our gates guarded by the Torah (Eph. 6)—as symbolized by tzitziyoth (Num. 15:38), beards, and leaving hair on the sides of our heads (Lev. 19:27)--the defilement of others’ selfishness can affect us as well. This tells us that if we must go into a “strange tent” (whether a stripper bar, a church, or a web site), we should “cover our vessels” since we could be defiled by what is there.
16. "'Anyone in the open field who touches one mortally wounded by a sword, or one who is dead, or a human bone, or a burial-site shall be ceremonially unclean for seven days.
None of these is intentional, but whether we are in battle or just out walking in the field, any contact with death has consequences. It does not seem fair that merely touching a bone should render us unfit to come into YHWH’s presence, but He is teaching us just how easily selfishness spreads. Having no checkpoints between our hearts and our mouths makes us like animals, so we must even overcome part of our survival instinct—the part that rose up when the serpent whispered and said, “This is your fault, not mine.” We must always have our guard up—not in a fearful way, but if we recognize where the selfishness gets a foothold most easily, we can take control of it by serving others more diligently and focusing on closing the gaps at our points of weakness. A burial-site: For this reason the practice began of, before each pilgrimage festival, whitewashing caves that contained dead men's bones so that no one would take shelter in them on their way to the Temple, for none of the feasts last more than seven days, and thus they would be disqualified from participating (except that an extra day was tacked onto Sukkoth--possibly for this very reason).
17. "'Now for the ceremonially unclean they shall take the ashes from where the sin offering was burnt, and put it into a vessel along with living water.
Living water: water collected from a source where it was running, not a stagnant pool.
18. "'And a ceremonially clean man shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and spatter it on the tent and on all the vessels, on all the souls that were there, as well as on whoever touched the bone or the one mortally wounded or the dead [body] or the burial site.
Clean man: If at least one person is not clean to start with, no one else can become clean. One reason the Temple was destroyed was that there were so few unselfish people left that there was no one to purify others. On the other hand, if others become selfless because of our example, heaven will reckon us worthy to enter YHWH’s presence on the seventh day. Hyssop: an absorbent plant that still readily gives up what it absorbs, used in applying the blood of the Passover lamb to one's doorposts (which is where we write YHWH's word, thus our hearts and the "gates" of our bodies). David showed that he understood what this pictured when he pleaded, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean... create in me a clean heart." (Psalm 51) Spatter: not just a light dash, but a strong spurt; the word is related to being startled. Since lye for soap is also made by mixing water with the ashes of animal fat and bone marrow, there were some antiseptic properties to this solution as well—very important when one is dealing with the bacteria surrounding decaying bodies. Grant Jeffrey writes, “This water of purification [see v. 6] contained 'cedar' oil that came from a kind of juniper tree that grew in both Israel and in the Sinai. This cedar oil would irritate the skin, encouraging the person to vigorously rub the solution into their hands. Most importantly, the hyssop tree-associated with mint, possibly marjoram-would produce hyssop oil. This hyssop oil is actually a very effective antiseptic and antibacterial agent. Hyssop oil contains 50 percent carvacrol which is an antifungal and antibacterial agent still used in medicine, according to the book None Of These Diseases [by S.I. McMillen]. When we note that the waters of purification from the Red Heifer Sacrifice were to be used to cleanse someone who had become defiled and unclean due to touching a dead body, we begin to understand that this law was an incredibly effective medical law as well as a spiritual law.” (The Signature of God) Many of YHWH’s commands have such secondary physical benefits. (Ex. 15:26) Both the physical disease potential and the potential for less ritual defilement are why Jews to this day try to get the body buried the day of death rather than embalming it. Yeshayahu 52:10-15 foretold that YHWH's servant would "sprinkle many nations”, and the same passage reminds us not to touch what is unclean.
19. "'And the clean person shall spatter it on the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh. Then on the seventh day, he shall purify him[self] from uncleanness, launder his clothes, and bathe himself in water. Then he shall be ceremonially pure at evening.
Because of the third day (Yeshua's resurrection), the citizens of the Kingdom to come can be regenerated and thus acceptable for that context, but salvation cannot fully come until the Kingdom (pictured by the seventh day), when we can complete the purification of this world so that the Father can indeed bring His dwelling place back here among us.
20. "'But a man who is ceremonially unclean but does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from being included in the assembly, because he has rendered YHWH's Dwelling Place impure. The water of separation has not been tossed onto him; he [remains] impure.
Purify himself: The water was available, but he had to avail himself of it. Like the one invited to the wedding feast who did not wear the garments with which he was provided (Matt. 22:11-12), this person has faith without works.
21. "'Now this shall be a prescribed custom for them forever. Also, the one who sprinkles the water of separation must launder his clothes, and whoever touches the water of separation shall be ceremonially unclean until the evening,
22. "'and anything that the ritually-impure person touches will become ritually impure, and the soul who touches it will be ritually impure until the evening.'"
In Haggai 2:12-14, YHWH applies this to the holy nation spreading its unclean condition to others, and asks rhetorically whether the converse is true, that anything holy that touches something common can make the latter holy as well, and he says this is not the case. Only when one contacts death does everything he touches become a means of transmitting uncleanness, rather than just what he sits or lies on, as with other types of uncleanness. But selfishness is always contagious. It also comes right back at you from the one against whom you show yourself preference. It is self-perpetuating. Our response must be to both point it out and work together to get rid of it. It is almost impossible to love YHWH with all we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves—but not quite. It takes a bigger commitment than most are willing to give. But when we come together with common goals, we can begin to engrave on our hearts and one another’s hearts what lines up with YHWH’s heart. A community that has Kingdom goals can deal even more fully with the selfishness that stands in the way. The water is there. No one is keeping it from you, but you must choose to come and be sprinkled.
CHAPTER 20
<c. Year 2477 from creation/1523 B.C.>
1. Now the descendants of Israel--the whole congregation--arrived in the wilderness of Tzin in the first month, and the people settled at Qadesh, and Miryam died there, and was buried there.
38 years have passed since the end of the last chapter, spent wandering around probably what is now Saudi Arabia. We have just lost the one who has served as the “mother of Israel” in this generation, the prophetess who led the song of victory after the Reed Sea crossing. But this sad story gives us a wonderful equation when read on a deeper level. The people have settled in the place of being “set apart” or “separate”, which is what Qadesh means. Miryam thus died only after having been set apart from the selfishness that had caused her leprosy. She made it back to Qadesh before she died, and remained there the rest of her life. The Hebrew word for congregation is based on the word for “witness”. Here, everyone is a witness--a picture of us all coming back into unity and all taking responsibility to make sure our fellow Israelites do the right thing. The first month is the anniversary of the Exodus. The Hebrew word for “month” is best translated as the “renewal”, so this is a time for new beginnings. So, in summary, the deeper translation of this verse would be, “…the entire witness was in unity in the place of the word at the first renewal, and settled at the place of separateness, wherein rebellion and bitterness died and were buried.” When we are committed to remaining set apart in “the place of the word”, the bitterness and rebellion (both meanings of Miryam’s name) can die; that which has caused the death of so many Israelites can itself be buried. So this verse can be fulfilled again, and can be a cause for great celebration. Bitterness cannot take root where we are unselfish, and if we stick to YHWH’s Torah rather than human doctrines and opinions, there is little to argue about. If we are dedicated to YHWH and His will, to Torah, and to one another, what are we separating FROM? When Scripture speaks of “the world” as our enemy, it is referring to the way of pagans--anything that goes against Torah. YHWH is jealous, and does not want His bride wasting time or energy bowing to or fearing anything that is not a part of His word. Yet thousands of “personal-sized” idols of Baal and Asherah were found in Yerushalayim in the strata belonging to the Israelite period of its history. Why? Unless these were a primitive version of Barbie dolls for their children to play with, they betray the fact that although these people were going to YHWH’s Temple and saying they trusted in Him, they also prayed to Asherah for fertility and Baal for rain. YHWH is “All in all”, except the areas this bull and this curvaceous woman take care of? Idolatry all boils down to selfishness—choosing “me” over YHWH, His people, and our covenant. Paganism is always about “What’s in it for me?” Instead we should ask what YHWH thinks about each aspect of life, and it is easy to know what He thinks, because He wrote it down for us. The Torah can easily dispel what is merely human opinion, so that we can be unified. If someone is wrong, it is our responsibility to help him become right—bandaging his wounds rather than gloating over his heresy. Taking care of one another is our witness, and it is how we get to know YHWH and how He sees things. If we see “separation” as walling ourselves off, then who will see our witness? If the reason we separate ourselves is anger or hatred, we are still being selfish. This is the beginning of the fortieth year—the time for a transition. All of the numbers are in place. But if we do not maintain our commitment to one another despite difficulties, our rebellion can come back to life:
2. But there came to be no water for the congregation, so they assembled against Moshe and Aharon,
The same Qadesh (near Edom, verse 16) is also called “Eyn Mishpat” (spring of judgment) in Gen. 14:7. But mishpat can also mean “customary”. They were used to water being there, so they expected it. But now it was not there, so they thought they had a right to complain. Now the woman who had ensured Moshe’s survival so there could be a Torah at all was missing from the earth. So one part of the perfect order is gone. The earth itself was mourning the loss. She is the first of the “big three” (now the oldest people in Israel) to die, and thus the threefold cord is unraveling. Soon her brothers will follow her, and a great era will have come to an end, despite the great hope that the impending entry into the Land held. It may be that the water ceased flowing because they did not mourn for her, for if they had, Moshe would have mentioned it. (Compare v. 29 re: Aharon and Gen. 23:2 where mourning for another great woman is recorded.) She deserved much more respect and honor than this, for she was a vessel YHWH had used greatly. If they had kept her memory alive, the water might have kept flowing. But they wasted the wonderful open door to the Kingdom, and focused on what they did not have. Yes, they assembled, but it was against Moshe and Aharon. If YHWH’s word endures forever (1 Kefa 1:25) and “what has been is what will be” (Qoheleth/Eccles. 1:9), does this therefore have to take place in the same way again? No; it wouldn’t have to mean exactly the same thing, for “they gathered against (‘al) Moshe and Aharon” could read, “They gathered as a congregation upon Moshe and Aharon.” That is, on the basis of Moshe and Aharon. Or, “about/in regard to Moshe and Aharon”. More often than anything, ‘al means “on top of”, because its root meaning is “to ascend”. Thus, “the congregation took a step upward, by standing on Moshe’s and Aharon’s shoulders.” Thus the wording itself allows for a different outcome. Which way it is taken depends on what they do or say next. Here they took it in the wrong direction, because they looked at the lack of water as a crisis rather than an adventure. YHWH had taken away the usual way of obtaining water, so they should have assumed that He intended to meet their needs in another way—a more unusual and maybe more exciting, memorable one. If natural supplies run out, will we use it as an excuse to turn against the Torah and the officiators of Israel—or will we have our eyes wide open, eager to see how YHWH will use this occasion to make those who climb up by way of Moshe and Aharon ascend even higher?
3. and the people began to lodge a complaint against Moshe, and said, "If only we had perished when our relatives perished before YHWH!
They make those who died seem like heroes or martyrs, when YHWH was in fact the One who had killed these people! Now they cast themselves in a righteous light, invoking YHWH’s name, while blaming the leader He chose. They showed their true colors when they called those destroyed for their rebellion their "brothers"--i.e., those with whom they were in agreement. Instead of thanking Him for the water they had been given freely for 38 years, like Yonah (4:6ff), they complained when their source of extra comfort ran out. But we can read the Hebrew word for “lodge a complaint” differently; the same phrase can also mean “they began to increase/multiply/grow along with Moshe”. So again, the outcome can be different.
4. "Now why have you brought the assembly of YHWH to this wilderness to die there--both us and our grazing [animals]?
The people chose not to live out the possibility promised to those who would take Him up on it, and went back to their favorite pastime of finding the dark cloud in every silver lining and a problem for every solution. Grazing animals: calling them this parallels the people's emphasis on having something to consume. You are risking our security! Shouldn't they say, "us and our children"? Then they might have had a valid argument, even if it would still have been the wrong approach. This generation has had manna all their lives; they have never had to work for what they eat or drink. They are united, but for the wrong reason; what they have in common is that they all look out for themselves!
5. "And why have you brought us up out of Egypt to bring us to this bad place? [It's] not a place of sown [fields], fig trees, vines, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!"
They conveniently forgot that they had been slaves in Egypt. They would not have starved without these things, for the manna was still falling. Why didn’t they look for another source when the usual one failed? They did not even ask; they demanded--as if Moshe would have refused to try to do something about it. They were so spoiled, used to having everything done for them. The smarter thing to do would have been to ask YHWH, because Moshe and Aharon did not have water either; it is not as if they were hoarding the supply. Instead they felt entitled, like arrogant children who boss their parents around. They should have instead been digging a well to make sure Moshe, the aged leader that they had begged to be their mediator, had enough to drink. With over 600,000 men, it should have taken no time to dig a new well—especially near a spring. We should only complain about a problem if we are helping to find the solution. They were not in the Promised Land yet, so they should not have expected the journey to be as perfect as its goal. And if YHWH had chosen to bring them there, how could it be bad?
6. So Moshe and Aharon went in, away from the eyes of the assembly, to the entrance to the Tent of Appointment, and fell on their faces. Then the [full] weight of YHWH appeared to them.
They were making war on YHWH Himself, and He does not lose. The people had not seen YHWH’s presence for a long time, since Moshe and Aharon have learned not to bring such matters before YHWH in public any longer, since the people would profane them.
7. And YHWH told Moshe,
8. "Take the rod, and you and Aharon your brother summon the congregation to assemble, then speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will deliver its water. You will bring water out of the rock; thus you shall provide the congregation and their animals with water."
9. So Moshe took the rod from before YHWH, as He had commanded Him,
10. and Moshe and Aharon summoned the congregation to assemble in front of the rock, and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring forth water for you from this rock?"
Rebels: contentious, refractory, provocational, or bitter ones. The Hebrew term is spelled exactly like Miryam’s name when the vowel points are not overt. It could also be read as a question: “Are you rebels?” He hopes they will ask it of themselves—and repent.
11. And Moshe raised his hand and struck the rock with his rod--twice--and abundant waters came out, and the congregation and their grazing [animals] drank.
Twice: or possibly, a second time, counting the time he was supposed to do so. (Ex. 17:6)
12. But YHWH told Moshe and Aharon, "Since you did not trust Me [enough] to treat Me as set apart for the eyes of the descendants of Israel, you will not bring this assembly into the Land which I have given them either!"
This specific rod was Aharon’s, which had blossomed and borne fruit (17:8), proving that he was YHWH’s choice of leader. That was the only reason He wanted them to take the rod; He did not intend for them to strike the rock again, so this was a test of how closely he would follow directions. Moshe was acting from his own anger, and he let his emotion blind him. This punishment seems rather severe, but there are several keys to understanding what YHWH was teaching. First, Moshe "raised his hand" (v. 11). One who sins with a "high hand" (the same terminology used here) will not be permitted to atone for his error. (15:30) YHWH does not do things the same way every time, or we would subtly start to trust the method rather than the real Provider. That is what Moshe did, for he assumed a “proven” method would work again. He may have thought speaking to a rock was just too far-fetched. He thus created the “doctrine of striking the rock”. And it worked; Moshe still had much favor, and YHWH provided for the people despite Moshe’s inattention to detail. But doctrines do not fit every season, and it was not his right to choose which tool YHWH wanted to use from His “toolbox” on this occasion. Being made in YHWH’s image, human minds love order, and try to create it even out of random information. But when we serve self, we breed disorder and chaos. So after all of his labor and love, Moshe does not get to go Home. He presumed to do what he did not have authority to do. Moshe pleaded for reconsideration in this regard, but was refused (Deut. 3:23-26) because he violated a picture of the Messiah. The rock had already been struck once (Ex. 17:6); now it was only to be asked to provide water. Messiah ben Yosef came for the sake of being struck, but the Messiah ben David is to come because of the request of the righteous. Moshe had tasted the powers of the age to come, but turned back to the natural understanding of what he was comfortable with. Trusting your own experience or understanding is just another form of selfishness. Treat Me as set apart: not doing things the way you have seen them work before, but the way I say to do them, so I can demonstrate that I can do what no one else can.
13. These are the Waters of Contention, because the descendants of Israel contended with YHWH, but He showed Himself to be set apart among them.
This showing Himself set apart was not the positive thing it was meant to be; in the circumstances it was more like the separation of a man and wife who do not see eye to eye. At this point, to Him, Israel was like the contentious woman who is as irritating as a constant dripping. (Prov. 27:15)
14. Then Moshe sent messengers from Qadesh to the King of Edom, [saying], "Thus says your brother Israel: 'You have become familiar with all the hardship which has come upon us--
Your brother: Israel (Yaaqov) was the twin brother of Edom (Esau).
15. "'how our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we remained in Egypt many days, and the Egyptians treated us wickedly as with our fathers,
Went down: by leaving the Land of Promise.
16. "'but when we cried out to YHWH for help, He listened to our voice and sent a messenger and brought us out of Egypt, and here we are in Qadesh, a city on the edge of your territory!
This messenger may have simply been Moshe. On the edge: This shows either that the traditional location of Qadesh Barnea is wrong or that Edom’s territory extended much further west at this time than its usual border at the Aravah.
17. "'Now please allow us to cut across your land.
We will not go through a field or vineyard, nor will
we drink water from a well. We will go by the
King's Highway, and not deviate to the right hand
or the left until we have passed beyond your border.'"
The King's Highway (pictured at right) still runs
through the land of Jordan along the ridge that forms
the eastern edge of the Aravah, the deep Rift Valley
south of the Dead Sea and the Yarden plain. To cross
from Saudi Arabia into this valley would given them much smoother passage to Y’rikho.
18. But Edom told him, "You may not pass through me, or I will come out and meet you with a sword!"
19. But the descendants of Israel told him, "We will go up by the raised highway, and if I or my livestock drink of your water, then I will pay [for] its cost. There will not be an incident; I will only go through by foot."
Raised highway: separate from their fields and wells and so not really encroaching. Water: a precious commodity in a desert land like Edom. There might not have been enough for both his congregation and Edom's residents. All they wanted to do was take a shortcut, but Moshe thought the profit might motivate the nations whose ancestor was a man of his belly.
20. Yet he said, "You may not cut across!" And Edom came out to meet them with a weighty [group of] people and a strong hand.
21. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned aside from him.
22. Then the descendants of Israel--the whole congregation--pulled up [stakes] from Qadesh and arrived at Mount Hor.
23. And YHWH spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the mountains of Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying,
Mt. Hor is right outside of Petra (also called Sela in Scripture), southeast of the Dead Sea (Salt Sea). Therefore Petra (pictured at left), though once an Edomite stronghold, must have been right on Edom’s edge—a border fortress. But they had had to go the long way around, through the desert—and this is pure desert here, not just wilderness—to get there.
24. "Aharon will be gathered to his ancestors, because he is not going to enter the Land that I have given to the descendants of Israel, because you were disobedient to My mouth at the Waters of Contention.
The "you" here is plural. But why is Aharon punished for Moshe's disobedience? Apparently because he did not love Moshe enough to stop him from striking the rock when YHWH had told him to speak to it. If he had, they both could have entered the Promised Land. He had time to do so when Moshe raised his hand before striking. This made him an accomplice, for he was “his brother’s keeper”. (Y’hezq’el/Ezekiel 3:18ff.) He did not hear YHWH say, “Strike the rock” either, and should therefore have interfered. Merely standing by was tantamount to approving of his act. Aharon must therefore die first. Of course, it had proven dangerous to rise up against Moshe, but he should have taken responsibility if Moshe was about to make a big mistake. His name was on that rod as well. (17:18)
25. "Bring Aharon and his son El'azar, and have them ascend Mount Hor,
26. "then have Aharon take off his garments and clothe El'azar, his son, with them; then Aharon shall be gathered [away] and shall die there."
His garments: the special high priestly ones he wore over the standard white robe which all priests wore, to visibly confer on El'azar the position of high priest. El’azar was well-trained by now (19:3-4), and he takes up his post. He is mostly mentioned in conjunction with Moshe or Y’hoshua from here on out, and he seems to never be in disagreement with either of them. His son also turned out very well (chapter 25), so there is nothing at all negative said about this man. He learned form his father’s mistakes, so it is fitting that he should be the high priest in office when Israel enters the Land.
27. So Moshe did as YHWH had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of the entire congregation.
28. Then Moshe had Aharon take off his garments and clothe El'azar, his son, with them. Then Aharon died there on the top of the mountain, and Moshe and El'azar came down from the mountain.
Thus the last time the people saw Aharon, he was wearing the glorious garments. Aharon was also shown favor in that he was permitted to see his son take up his role before he died.
29. When the congregation saw that Aharon had expired, the whole house of Israel mourned Aharon for thirty days.
He received the same honor Moshe would. (Deut. 34:8) The people, who were complaining a moment ago, now realize what they have lost, and show belated appreciation. Why did they not show it while he was living?
CHAPTER 21
1. When the Kanaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel had come by the way of Atharim, he waged war against Israel, and took some of them as captives.
Arad: a city on the plateau on the opposite side of the Great Rift Valley, about ten miles west of the (later) Matzada fortress. It was in the southernmost portion of the Promised Land according to the borders in that day. Its tel has been excavated over the past few decades. Kanaan was also the brother of Mitzraim, the ancestor of the Egyptians, who were obsessed with death. The key to understanding how is that “Kanaanite” was also an idiom for a merchant or trader. (Z’kharyah 14:21) They are always after profit, and some of Israel has again been taken captive by the commerce that dictates the lives of most people in the world, but is based on lies and cheating. Such a fantasy can only endure so long. No one can fix it until we go back to the equal weights and measures required by the Torah. That is one reason Israel was given the land of the Kanaanites. But while we await the full realization of that promise, we must not be lulled to sleep, thinking we cannot be taken captive again. We must be watchful and gather information about our enemy, “Security through Wealth”, making sure we are in a position to make war on it, but we must never let it make us panic. To the Kanaanite, everything is for sale—even one’s loyalty and commitment. But by this time, Israel had learned enough to know that this was intolerable:
2. Then Israel made a vow to YHWH and said, "If You will indeed deliver this nation into my hand, then I will totally destroy their cities."
Israel: speaking as one man. The nation was unified by the need to rescue their brothers, in the noble tradition of Avram. (Gen. 14:14ff) That is the best preparation for battle. Under Moshe, such times of unity were rare, but here they decided they were not going to serve commerce at all. They rise to the occasion and want nothing to do with the Kanaanites’ merchandising, as long as they can get their brothers back. Totally destroy: specifically, “place under the ban”, a custom by which Israel conquered a city but did not take any plunder, dedicating it all to YHWH—concentrating our focus on its total destruction because it was too offensive to keep any remnant of it intact lest the reproach continue to influence others. Whatever takes our brothers captive cannot be allowed to remain. Archaeology has proven that they did exactly this to many Kanaanite cities; it is easy to identify the Israelite era by the layer that was burnt and still had the gold and silver untouched. When you look at any bank account or security system, see them as fragile and temporary. Then they will be “under the ban”. Only YHWH is supposed to be the ruler over the merchandise of the world so that equitable weights and balances will be enforced. Dishonest scales make the rich richer, and we cannot serve both YHWH and Mammon (wealth). It is possible for the rich to enter the Kingdom, but there is only one way. To get a thick rope through the eye of a needle (Mat. 19:24), one must unravel it and pass it through strand by strand—i.e., dismantle the structure of one’s material security and love our fellows as ourselves—in this case, giving one’s possessions to those needier than we. The Torah is what trains us in how to rescue our brothers. To get our brothers (all of Yehudah and Efrayim) back today, we have to not only remove our brothers from this system that holds them captive but also remove its ability to recapture them. How? We start by keeping the Sabbath and YHWH’s festivals, which keeps the revenue from flowing to it for a substantial number of days. By building our schedule around the new moons, we cannot give much notice of when we will be unavailable, and this weakens the commercial infrastructure because it is now unpredictable and thus insecure. When enough of us stop sacrificing to its deities by buying Christmas gifts, its foundations will crack.
3. And YHWH listened to the voice of Israel, and granted [him] the Kanaanites, so they completely destroyed them and their cities, and he called the name of the place Hormah.
This YHWH heard, because their motive was right--to reunite their nation by rescuing their fellow Israelites. Moshe is not even mentioned, because the people he has trained are now acting maturely. They did not ask YHWH to return their captives without proving their sincerity by offering to do their part. He accepted their “deal”. YHWH already had a case against the Kanaanites. (Gen. 9:18ff) Hormah means "Place of Complete Destruction" or “Place Put Under the Ban”. It is in the same area where the twelve spies had begun their exploration of the Land, so this act was a reparation for the wicked decision that was made there nearly forty years earlier. Having their countrymen to rescue gave added motivation to conquer the first area that was considered unconquerable to their fathers' generation.
4. Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the Way of the Sea of Reeds, to skirt the land of Edom. But the soul of the people became impatient because of the journey.
They had to turn far to the south in order to get to the area east of the Yarden from which they would approach the Land. Why didn't they just keep going north from Arad? Because the Yarden River is a clear demarcation of the edge of the Promised Land and crossing over it held lessons of its own. But Y'hoshua's route also foreshadows the route the other Y'hoshua (the Messiah Yeshua) will take when he returns to his Land by way of Edom as conquering King. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 63) Impatient: literally, "cut short" because of something they could not tolerate. They were tired of such setbacks. The Sea of Reeds was right where they had started, so it seemed they had made no progress at all, but that was precisely where YHWH wanted them; they had to go back and make amends for what their parents had failed to do. It was as if they themselves had just come out of Egypt. We can be discouraged in the same way, thinking we might never get back to our Land. But we are told to wait on YHWH. (Psalm 27:14; 37:9, 34; Yeshayahu 40:31) This does not mean standing still or being nervous or moping about in depression, but walking in Torah and awaiting the result, instead of resorting to the Kanaanite, who is deceitful and loves to oppress. (Hoshea 12:6-14)
5. And the people spoke against Elohim and against Moshe: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? Because there is no bread and no water, and our soul is sick of this worthless bread!"
Against Elohim: Because they had “cut a deal” with Him, they thought He owed them more than this. Worthless bread: literally, "lightweight" food; after 38 years of the same thing day in and day out, they were bored of the manna, which YHWH fed them so generously, saying it did not amount to anything. Calling it worthless means rejecting Him. But to what were they comparing the manna? They did not need to sow or reap, and when traveling they could not. They did not realize how good they had it, because this generation had been eating of the manna all their lives. Their only alternative would be to raid other peoples for food; did they really want to do that? They may have seen the pastries that the Kanaanites had baked when destroying their cities and begun to lust for something more, though they lacked nothing essential and had a simpler life than anyone could reasonably ask for since Adam’s fall. They were not making the most of what they had, and tried to make their case look worse than it was. Their clothes and shoes did not wear out, they had the biggest functioning community anywhere, and a deliverer in their midst. They realized that they were not going to get there as quickly as they had expected, and were discouraged, because they seemed to have almost had it in hand. But since they thought YHWH’s provision was not enough, that was enough for Him, and this time He did not even give a warning that punishment was coming:
6. So YHWH sent the burning serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died.
After what became of Qorakh, how could anyone say such things to Moshe’s face? They must have been muttering under their breath to one another. So YHWH sent the same thing back upon them, for the word for “serpents” actually means “whisperers”. These are probably the “fiery flying serpents” of Isaiah 14:29, which may well have been the (nearly?) extinct pterosaur dragons (see images at left and link above). But the word for “bit” is also a Hebrew idiom for usury (lending at interest): it “takes a bite” out of the borrower. Until recently, moneylenders were abhorred; Jews were forced to take this role in Medieval Europe. Figuratively, YHWH sent them a finance company that provided them with a “credit card” so they could get what they wanted. But it came with a heavy toll. Like the snakes, this common ploy today numbs us by making us think we can have what we really cannot afford, so that we do not even realize we have been stung. They had destroyed these Kanaanites, but the merchants were back again anyway because of Israel’s proclivity to put herself in bondage after YHWH frees us. This is what we get if we take YHWH’s bread lightly. The serpent was the first particular animal mentioned in Scripture, and would remind the people of Adam and Chawwah, who likewise were not satisfied with what YHWH had given them.
7. So the people came to Moshe and said, "We have gone wrong because we have spoken against YHWH and yourself. Make yourself an intercessor to YHWH, that He may take the serpent away from us!" So Moshe interceded for the people.
In another rare occurrence, they recognize they have acted foolishly, sinning against both YHWH and Moshe, and deserve to be bitten. And this time it makes a difference, because this is where the dying stops. It could be that the last of the old generation had now all died off. The serpent: singular in Hebrew, though there were many here. They may have been alluding to the "old serpent" who was the root of all of these problems, and even if they were not, YHWH used their words to open a door to indeed take that serpent away from Israel, for the next thing He does is a foreshadowing of the solution to that root problem:
8. And YHWH told Moshe, "Make a burning [one] for yourself, and set it up on a standard, and what will occur is that whoever is bitten may [remain] alive if he looks at it.
Standard: a pole to support a banner. The snake on the pole has become the symbol of medicine, because it uses a little bit of poison to bring about a cure. YHWH did not take away the snakes or even stop them from biting, because they asked for this. The bites will still hurt, but they will not die from them. Until we take a hard look at what is afflicting us, and look to a higher place as a plea to ascend from where we are, He can hardly help us, because we would only repeat the error after He bailed us out. If we looked closely, we would probably see that we ourselves have opened the door to what is now punishing us. To continue the analogy, YHWH told us to escape the bite of the usurers by “establishing our own lending institution”—one in which His community takes care of each other when in need without charging interest, thereby subverting the commercial system’s hold on us through its promise of eventual security if we keep letting it take everything we have. Why should we not put our substance into the people we will travel home with, rather than those we will leave behind?
9. So Moshe made a serpent of bronze, and set it up on a standard, and it did turn out that if a serpent had bitten a man and he looked at the bronze serpent, he survived.
Bronze: from the same root as "serpent”, so the same thing that punished them was what turned out to heal them—as our exile was again intended to do. Yeshua compared himself to this serpent on a pole in Yochanan chapter 3, saying he had to be lifted up in the same way, so that anyone who puts his confidence in him would not perish, but have eternal life. “YHWH …by sending His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and on account of sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” (Rom. 8:3)
10. Then the descendants of Israel pulled up stakes and encamped [again] at Ovoth.
Of course they would want to leave such a place! But they had to wait until YHWH’s cloud moved. Ovoth means "water bottles made of animal skins or stomachs"—something very important in such a dry place, by which to draw water from a well.. It is in the Aravah northwest of Petra and south of the Dead Sea, at the site of the ruins of a place later called Eyn Hatzeva, also known as “Thamar in the wilderness”. (2 Chron. 8:4; Y’hezq’El 47:19; 48:28) . And the well (see photo below at left) is still there.
11. Then they set out from Ovoth, and encamped at Iyey-haAvarim in the wilderness that faces Moav from the rising of the sun.
Iyey-haAvarim: "Ruin-heap of the crossings-over". Might this have been the burial site of those who had tried to cross into the Land at the wrong time (chapter 14)?
12. From there they pulled up and encamped
at the Wadi Zared.
This stream bed is in Jordan, east of the Aravah
(called Wadi Hasa in Arabic), and when there is
water in it, it flows into the southern end of the
Dead Sea. Zared means "exuberant or luxurious
growth". (See why in the photo at right.)
13. They pulled up from there and encamped across [the] Arnon, which comes out from the territory of the Emorites, because [the] Arnon is Moav's border--the border between Moav and the Emorite.
The Arnon River flows through a deep gash that resembles the Grand Canyon of Arizona. (See photo.) It was probably formed during the S'dom and Amorah cataclysm. It makes a perfect natural border. The name means “super-overcomer” or “very loud sound that rings out”.
14. This is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of YHWH, "What was delivered up in the place of [the Sea of] Reeds and the Wadi of Arnon,
This book appears to have held the lyrics to songs that retold the stories of YHWH’s exploits in battle. Moshe might even have written it himself.
15. "and at the slope of the wadi that turns toward the site of Ar, and leans upon the border of Moav."
Wadi: an arroyo, or river bed that is dry most of the year but a rushing torrent when it rains. Leans upon the border of Moav: or "supports itself on the territory of Moav”.
16. Then from there they went to Be'er, that is, the well of which YHWH told Moshe, "Gather the people, and I will give them water."
17. Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! Answer it!
Answer it: or, "Sing to it!", probably in an antiphonal sense. This is only the second song that is recorded in the Torah, after the one sung after the Reed Sea crossing. There is therefore something very special going on here. What is it? After all their complaining about lack of water and food they were tired of, they are finally showing signs of being grateful when YHWH issues this invitation. As we are also awaiting the time when He fulfills His promise to bring all the tribes of Israel back to the Promised Land, and there are times when we do not get everything we want, have we learned to be content about this stage in the journey because we have been given what we need? Not that we should be satisfied with an incomplete journey, or even when we arrive, because there will always be new challenges; when Israel rests on its laurels, we tend to get fat and kick (Deut. 32:15). But retaining our sense of contentment even when times become more affluent may be the remedy that can prevent the downside of satisfaction, because when we know how much we really need and then turn out to have excess, we can be “rich toward Elohim” (see Luke 12:21) and provide for those who are worthy of help but lack resources rather than using it to build a buffer of security for ourselves that usually clouds our ability to tune in to who we are as Israel and tempts us to use that inborn urge to improve ourselves as an excuse to indulge in selfish pursuits just because we have the means to accomplish them.
18. "The well which the princes searched out [and located]; the willing ones among the nation dug it with their staffs at the enacting of the decree." Then from the wilderness, they went to Mattanah,
At the enacting of the decree: or, through the lawgiver--Moshe, that is. In verse 16, YHWH promised to give the people water. But those who had a mind to work went and dug a well and did not just wait or expect anything from Moshe this time. They did pray that it would spring up, but they took responsibility to obtain what YHWH said was available. Aharon had died because of their complaining, so maybe they had learned their lesson, and YHWH noticed that they were maturing; He took them next to a place called Mattanah , which means "a gift".
19. then from Mattanah to NachaliEl, then from NachaliEl to Bamoth,
Now after 38 years of aimless and slow wanderings, we see the speed picking up quickly. They had to keep moving, because their exile was almost up. They had no time to settle down, because each of these stops was meant to be very temporary.
20. then from Bamoth to the gorge that is in the Plain of Moav, the head of the peak which overlooks the face of the desert.
Peak: Heb., Pisgah-- translatable as "summit", but sometimes apparently synonymous with Mount Nevo, due east of Yerushalayim across the Yarden--in the land of Moav indeed. Desert: a truly desolate place, whereas a “wilderness” is simply undeveloped or uncultivated but may have much vegetation.
21. Then Israel sent messengers to Sikhon, king of the Emorites, saying,
Sikhon means "warrior", but it is rooted in the word for "a great sweeping (away?)".
22. "Let me cut across your land. We will not turn aside into a field or a vineyard; we will not drink water from a well. We will walk on the King's Highway until we have passed by your territory."
The protocol for crossing someone else’s tribal lands was to inform the king of one’s wish like this, so that he would not assume the travelers—especially such a large company--came with the intent of war.
23. But Sikhon would not allow Israel to cross his territory. Sikhon even gathered his nation together and went out to meet Israel in the wilderness. When he arrived at Yahatz, he engaged Israel in battle,
24. but Israel conquered him with the mouth of the sword, and took possession of his land, from Arnon to Yabboq, as far as the descendants of Ammon, because the border of the descendants of Ammon was formidable.
Same request, same answer, different response! Moshe had conceded to the Edomites' unwillingness to let them cross (20:17-21), since they were cousins. The Emorites were not, but were Kanaanites, cousins to those from Y’rikho, so Moshe had no patience when they did the same thing. Ammon: the half-brother of Moav, the other son of the incest of Lot and his daughters, but also relatives of Israel that we would not want to attack; besides, it was "formidable" (too strong, firm, or fierce to dare to attack) anyway. This already answers the accusation made in Judges chapter 11. And it focused their efforts on the more fruitful route. Yabboq: the river where Yaaqov had encountered the messenger of YHWH who "changed his walk" forever. So we were privileged to retrace our ancestor’s steps.
25. And Israel seized all these cities, and Israel inhabited the cities of the Emorites--in Heshbon and all [its] suburbs,
Because the Emorites attacked, Israel had a right to take their land, just as they did when the Jordanians, Syrians, and Egyptians attacked in the Six-Day War. They were now in land contiguous to what YHWH had promised them. But while it was wonderful that they defeated their enemies and used their strongholds, they were not yet in the Land. This may have been meant to be a buffer to keep enemies further from the actual Land. If we start settling in before all of us have gotten all the way home, it will slow our journey down even further. This is not our resting place! (Mikha 2:10) Heshbon: near Mount Nevo, about 15 miles due east of the northern end of the Dead Sea, and southwest of Rabbat-Ammon (the Ammonite capital, now called Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan). The name Heshbon is related to the word for calculation or devising complex combinations (used for the "ingeniously-imaginative" waistband of the efod that the high priest wore, Lev. 8:7.) Hence it appears that it was an especially difficult city to conquer due to its well-thought-out design. Suburbs: literally, daughters.
26. since Heshbon had been the city of Sikhon the king of the Emorites, and he had made war on the former Moavite king and taken all his land out of his hand as far as the Arnon
I.e., the Moavites had once inhabited Heshbon and this whole region, but Israel was not now taking Moav’s land, but what the Emorites had already taken from Moav. (See also Judges 11:13-26.)
27. That is why the poets say, "Come into Heshbon, and let the city of Sikhon be built and restored,
Poets: or those who make parables or proverbs.
28. “for a fire has gone forth from Heshbon—a flame from the city of Sikhon. It has consumed Ar of Moav and the lords of the high places of Arnon!”
Lords of the high places: Baaley-Bamoth, possibly the religious leaders who oversaw the pagan worship at these cultic platforms, or even the idols used there themselves.
29. "Woe to you, Moav! You are destroyed, O people of Khemosh! He has given over his sons to be fugitives, and his daughters to be captives to Sikhon, king of the Emorites!
Khemosh: the god of the Moavites, to which some Israelites later sacrificed adulterously. It means "subduer", which tells us something about the character of the Moavites' religion and war tactics. But their history proves he could not subdue everyone. These poets seem to be saying the idols of Moav are what had been defeated by Sikhon, because their gods were unable to protect them from another army. These poets therefore sound a lot like the Hebrew prophets, though they seem bent on rebuilding the city which has now been conquered by Israel.
30. "We have shot [arrows] at them; Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon, and we have devastated them as far as Nofakh, which [reaches] as far as Meydeba.
As far as Dibon: this is poetic as well, because the phrase means "to the point of wasting away". Dibon is a small Arabic village called "Dhibban" today. (The "dh" is pronounced like the "th" in "then".) Nofakh means "blast", and Meydeba (called Madaba today), "gently gliding waters". It is traditionally Ruth’s hometown, and an ancient Greek mosaic map of the entire region was found there, identifying the sites of some otherwise-difficult to locate Biblical sites.
31. So Israel inhabited the land of the Emorites.
32. Then Moshe sent [men] to go by foot to Yaazeyr, and they captured its suburbs and dispossessed the Emorites who were there.
Yaazeyr means "helped". Moshe finally stopped sending messengers and just attacked those who stood in their way, having seen the pattern of unwillingness to let them pass through.
33. Then they turned and went on the road [to] Bashan, and Og, king of Bashan, came out to meet them--he and all his people, to do battle at Edrey.
Bashan: the Golan Heights. Edrey: a major city on a southern branch of the Yarmuq River, on the present-day border between Jordan and Syria. Its name is from a word for "arm", possibly an allusion to the branch of the river.
34. But YHWH told Moshe, "Do not be afraid of him, because I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land, and you will do to him the same as you have done to Sikhon, king of the Emorites, who inhabited Heshbon."
Do not be afraid: If we study and know the truth, their armor will prove to be easily pierced, for they have no substance, though they present a façade of invulnerability. The reason Moshe might fear Og was because he was a giant; he slept in an iron bed some 9 cubits (13.5 feet or meters) long! (Deut. 3:11)
35. And they did attack him, his sons, and all of his people, until he did not have a remnant left, and they took possession of his land.
They were not in the Promised land yet, so why are they taking possession of these lands? Because these peoples tried to prevent them from attaining what YHWH had said was theirs, so they had to be taken out of the way. They were also Kanaanites, and Israel knew they were no longer deserving of mercy. Amos 9 says returning Israel at the end of our age will “possess the remnant of Edom”—that is, the people who inhabit that “land” need to be shown the way out of the Roman (a continuum from the Babylonian and Kanaanite) religious system, for it is to their own benefit to be thus “plundered”. An Edomite helped found Rome, so the traditional association of the two has a very literal aspect to it as well.
CHAPTER 22
1. Then the descendants of Israel pulled up [stakes] and encamped on the transitional land of Moav across the Yarden from Y’rikho.
Transitional land: mixture of grassland and desert, but specifically the Great Rift Valley, which itself forms a wide border zone. Now they were at the staging-point to enter that Land. Moshe had brought them as far as he could. The entire nation moved together, leaving behind lands they had taken in recent victories that had brought them closer to their goal, not getting stuck there, for they were still not in the Promised Land. Do the things we take possession of end up possessing us? Are we willing to pull our tent stakes out of them? A Hebrew (“one who crosses over”) must always be prepared—especially mentally—to move on to the next step toward our ultimate goal. We beautify each place we stop as much as we can, but must always be ready to walk away from it until we are Home. YHWH’s festivals teach us to both look to our past heritage and also continue to travel to the higher place He wants to take us. We must leave behind ideas that may have brought us closer to YHWH in the past if they now prove not to hold water when compared to the Torah.
TORAH PORTION
Huqath
(Numbers 19:1 - 22:1)
INTRODUCTION: Now that the tribe of Levi has been designated the keepers of the sanctuary, a way is given for them all—and anyone who after this point becomes defiled by a dead body—to be rendered ritually pure, for those who serve the people in this way, and anyone who wants to be restored to the fellowship of YHWH’s camp, must meet a higher standard than the whole world has known since Adam rendered us all defiled—“born already ruined”, in Bob Dylan’s words. The strange method by which it is accomplished does contain some antiseptic properties, but it runs deeper than that. The timing of when the ash-laden water is applied is also significant and holds some applications for us even though we do not have the active picture in place yet. It may be that all the facets of the ashes of this red heifer cannot be plumbed until the next instance of this enigmatic procedure becomes a reality and we get to see it in use, once again making an active priesthood possible. Much of what is needed for this to be activated again is already in place, waiting for the time to be right. Stay tuned.
With this matter taken care of, Israel starts to move quickly from campsite to campsite, heading with resolve toward the goal that has been deferred for the past forty years. But the “old guard” whom YHWH said could not enter the Land have not quite died off, and in this portion we have two very important actors in that drama removed from the scene, and the sentence handed down on a third—the key player, whose role is so crucial to the whole story that he is not allowed even one major error if he is to escape being part of the judgment on that generation. Indeed, he was not named among the exceptions to the verdict, and thus does indeed leave only the two who gave a good report about the Land as recipients of that prize. Why so harsh a sentence? He marred a picture YHWH wanted to give us of a means of accessing “living water” that this was meant to foreshadow. But his brother, who could have made a difference to the outcome but did not, was taken down with him.
But his loss seems to have made those who remained rise to the challenge, and the torch of the priesthood is passed in a dignified manner to a man about whom nothing bad is ever said in Scripture and whose reputation is enhanced even more by his son’s faithfulness even before it was his turn to serve in that capacity. So although our heroes are dropping quickly, the children who are not to be defeated by the giants in the Land, can feel that they are in good hands as they approach that momentous threshold.
There are still some deaths to be died before they get there—probably mainly the last of their doomed parents, but maybe not exclusively; they receive one more lesson in YHWH’s opinion about unnecessary complaining, even though it was occasioned by a “long haul” that could have been avoided had Israel’s relatives retained Avraham’s hospitable genes as well as Yaaqov’s line had. YHWH showed those Avrahamites more mercy than the descendants of Kanaan (already under a curse) who took the same stance about trespassers on their territory, but this negligence did have consequences later for any from among them who might later want to become part of the chosen people. (Deut. 23:3-8)
But YHWH, again merciful to His people, provides a way for the dying to stop. Not only that; He uses the people’s own words—the particular way they make the request—to open a door for a deeper kind of dying to stop once and for all, as He tells Moshe to build a remedy that bears the image of what it has come to fix—and thus also a picture of the “death to end all deaths” which would operate on the same principle.
There are thus many hints in this portion that can be very fruitful if we follow their trail.
A Fixation with Death?
Compared with other forms of ritual uncleanness (generally also associated with physical contamination), from which one remains ritually impure until evening, we see here (Numbers 19:11-16) that someone who touches a dead body remains unfit for the sanctuary for a whole week! When the rubber met the road in this regard was the festivals, which is why it became a practice to mark caves near the pilgrimage routes that had human bones in them (probably some of the “whitewashed tombs” Yeshua alluded to) before each festival, so no one would take shelter or lodge in them, because they would then have to miss the festival—or at least most of it. Maybe one reason YHWH made the 7th or 8th days of Unleavened Bread and Sukkoth high days was so those defiled en route could still have at least one day to join the festivity, since their “down time” would probably end just before it, as they would have arrived a day or two before the festival's start date.
We also see a contrast with other uncleanness in that usually the ritual (and possibly empirical hygienic) impurity is only transferred through objects one sits or lies on, but for someone who touches a dead body, anything he touches is defiled! Do you think YHWH has a stronger aversion to death than to mere bodily fluids?
Death, after all, was not part of the original design; it was the penalty, or at least the consequence, for breaking the pattern of YHWH’s authority. (Gen. 2:17) Everything has been out of balance since, but the Torah is given to give us shortcuts back to the point where we are again capable of choosing life rather than death. (Deut. 30:19) But still there are many steps to go through in order to get to that point.
The very unusual “first aid”—the ashes of a red cow—makes a little more sense when we realize that the elements of cedar and hyssop, if not also scarlet (19:6), have antiseptic qualities which would measurably mitigate the detrimental effects of contact with the kind of bacteria that that used to kill people who were brought to hospitals for healing before Jenner, Pasteur, Lister and others discovered the culprits. YHWH knew, and whether or not Moshe did, he passed on the rules that allowed the practice of quarantine to limit the contagion.
But there is a more subtle side of death: When Israel asked their long-lost cousins, Edom and Moav, for the simple kindness of allowing us to pass through their territory, bothering nothing on the way (20:14-17), we were met with death threats! These descendants of Yitzhaq and Lot, both righteous, had absorbed the morbid ways of the peoples around them, who treated Israel the same way (21:21-25), though we were relatives. The death had spread, because there was no “red cow” among them to stanch the toxic attitudes of their neighbors; the “red man” Esau had lost his ability to trust even those who truly were honest. The Emorites, who were not, reaped the very death that they had made their lifestyle; Moshe showed mercy to those fellow Hebrews (descendants of ‘Ever) who no longer deserved it because brotherly love is the Hebrew nature. He chose the way of life, when Esau and Moav had chosen death.
But when our complaints went past having Moshe as their object and became overtly against Elohim, He let us reap the death that such an attitude already evidenced. (21:5-6) Yet the Elohim who prefers life (Ezekiel 33:11) gave us a way to escape. However, He required that, unlike Esau, they exhibit some trust (21:7-9), foreshadowing another picture of death that would be lifted up (Yochanan 3:14) so that the already-dead Northern Kingdom, which had abandoned the Torah of Life, could nonetheless look upon this glaring example of undeserved mercy--and be brought back to life.
Study questions:
1. Why do you think the high priest to be rather than the incumbent high priest is put in charge of the ceremony of the red heifer? (Numbers 19:2ff; 19:7 may hold a clue)
2. What other ceremony are these same elements (19:6) used in?
3. Can this physical act magically solve a spiritual problem (“a purification from sin”, 19:9), or might this particular type of “missing the mark” (what “sin” actually means in Hebrew) be something that needs this particular chemical makeup to counteract? (Consider 19:11-19) Might the heifer’s coloration even have something to do with this?
4. Do you see any symbolism in there being no cleansing on the 7th day if one has not been cleansed on the 3rd day? (19:12)
5. How does Haggai 2:12-13 elaborate on Numbers 19:22?
6. If Moshe had obeyed YHWH in every detail (20:8), how would he have set YHWH apart in the eyes of the nation? (20:12) Why do you think the water came from the rock anyway? (20:11)
7. Can you think of any worse way to punish someone who has led the people for almost 40 years than with the very goal that is now denied Moshe? (20:12) Why was what he did worthy of such a severe judgment?
8. Could Israel’s request to Edom have been any more diplomatic than it was? (20:17-19) If so, why such a harsh reply? (20:20) Why do you think Moshe was so patient in his response? (20:21)
9. Though he was being punished for not correctly representing YHWH to the people, in what ways does YHWH show Aharon special favor even as he prepares to die? (20:24-26) How is the dignity of his office preserved intact in the midst of such a tragedy? How is he especially honored as a father in Israel who has normally done a very hard job extremely well? (20:28-29)
10. After so many times when He was perturbed with their actions, why do you think YHWH listened to Israel’s voice and did what they asked this time? (21:1-3)
11. How can the next event after such a vivid deliverance be a reversion to the typical complaining spirit? (21:4-5) What elements in their attitude justify such a serious penalty from YHWH? (21:6)
12. For the first time, the congregation’s response to YHWH’s judgment is one of remorse and humble petition rather than defiance. (21:7) They actually seem to be learning from His correction. What do you think made the difference? (Consider when in the chronology this took place and who now constitutes the nation as compared to previous occasions as one important factor.)
13. YHWH’s solution to the problem is rather unusual. (21:8) Why do you think He chose such an unconventional, surprising form of therapy? What common symbol, still used today, resulted from this incident? Yeshua draws an analogy between this and something YHWH would do through himself. (Yochanan 3:14-15) What parallels can you identify between the two events and the circumstances surrounding each?
14. What is the significance for Israel of now being on the border of the Emorite territory? (21:13) What sharp geographical feature forms this border and makes it a natural deterrent to boundary violations?
15. In contrast with previous occurrences, YHWH acts on behalf of Israel’s need for water before they even notice it this time, it seems. (21:16) How is Israel’s response to the need different this time, even if YHWH had not particularly intervened? (21:18) How is their response to His action different from all their other responses since the response to YHWH’s parting of the Reed Sea? (21:17) Why do you think it is so different this time?
16. The Emorites’ reply to Moshe’s petition (21:22-23) is the same as Edom’s (20:17-21). Why was Moshe’s response to it so different this time? (21:24-31)
17. For the first time, Israel encounters unprovoked attacks from peoples they meet along their route to the Promised Land. What are some reasons you can see that YHWH now let them see war (in contrast to Exodus 13:17)? Why did He now counsel such a different stance than Moshe exhibited as recently as 21:22?
18. How did these two successful victories help form Israel’s attitude toward what now lay just ahead of them? (22:1)
Companion Passage:
The Sidewalk
for Kids
Why do we have to read the same thing again and again—“the Israelites complained”? Haven’t our ancestors learned anything from the way YHWH responded the last times they complained? Don’t they ever get the point? But maybe the reason so many stories of this kind are in the Scriptures is to make sure that we get the point.
But this time it’s even worse. Once they started complaining about the leader YHWH had put in place, it was only a matter of time before they would complain about YHWH Himself—the only one who could keep certain things from taking place and who had chosen not to do that. He didn’t make the world the way they wanted it to be, and now they were blaming Him directly. Who do we think we are to say the Creator of the universe has made a mistake? As if we could do better!
But He does know what He is doing. He’s putting things in place for the way they need to be not only today, but way down the road where we can’t see—but He can. So He knows what needs to be done—and how. And His instructions may seem strange to us—like burning a red cow or talking to a rock—but He has reasons for each of them.
Even Moshe himself learned the hard way that when YHWH gives us directions, we need to follow them exactly the way He says, and not make changes that we think might not be a big deal. He lost a lot because of doing just one thing his own way, and he wasn’t the only one who suffered for it; his brother did too. We have to remember that when we don’t do things the right way, it hurts other people too.
It can hurt lots of people. YHWH still provided water because they needed it, but the whole nation of Israel missed seeing what YHWH could do because Moshe was afraid to take the risk of doing something new when he’d already proven it could work the other way. But YHWH doesn’t usually want to do things the same way every time because then we start trusting the way He does things or the tools He uses rather than trusting Him to do what He says He can do, even if we don’t understand how.
YHWH isn’t mean, and He doesn’t forget what we need; He only makes us realize our need so we can ask Him and see that it is definitely Him and not just some accident or coincidence that meets the need. If it wasn’t impossible, how would we know for sure that it was He who did it? So when we don’t have what we think we need, why don’t we instead look at it as an adventure—a time when we can see Him do things in a way that’s new to us?
Arad
The Arnon canyon.
Plenty of room to camp at Ovoth
The "Moshe Memorial" at the site where Moshe died confuses this incident with the aesclepius of Greco-Roman mythology.
A modern-day camp at the Wadi Zared
The Yabboq, further north in Jordan, where Yaaqov wrestled with the "man".
Mt. Nevo
The Renewal of HUQATH
The first thing YHWH told Moshe about the unusual ritual of the red heifer is, “Here are the [specific] directions for the instruction…” (Numbers 19:2) The method and details are important.
Mixed with the heifer’s ashes are “cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet” (19:6) –also components of the healing of a leper or a leprous house (Lev. 14). Together they have an antiseptic effect, as the dung, etc. is burned along with the body of the heifer. Did something in the chemical makeup of hairs that were only red add to the purifying effect? Or was it as simple as the tradition (based on a Roman eyewitness) that Yeshua had red hair like his ancestor David? After all, in several ways it foreshadows Yeshua.
The least is that they had to use a cow “upon which never came a yoke” (Numbers 19:2) Similarly, the donkey colt on which Yeshua rode the day he proclaimed he was king had never been ridden before. (Mat. 21:5, based on Zech. 9:9) Its first use of any kind was for a holy purpose, like a virgin bride.
Yeshua also used jars that stored this kind of “water of purification” (Num. 19:9) in his first miracle, turning water to wine. (Yochanan 2:6) The picture? Purity results in joy. But the prescribed protocol is that “if [the one who has touched a dead body] does not purify himself the third day and the seventh day, he will not be clean.” (Num. 19:12) This is one of the aspects that made the rabbis conclude that a huqah is an ordinance to simply obey and not try to understand. But understanding did come with Yeshua.
We have all inherited death from Adam (1 Cor. 15:22). The purification of the third day foreshadows Yeshua's resurrection and thereby, ours (Hos. 6:2); the seventh day (sabbath) is a picture of the Kingdom. If one does not partake of the third day—using what Yeshua has made available to us to purify oneself at this stage—he will not have the foundation needed for the purity that can only come in its completeness on the seventh. “He who does not have the Son does not have life.” (1 Yochanan 5:12)
Moshe was told to speak to the rock after it had once already been struck. Paul tells us that this rock (which by tradition followed the congregation throughout the wilderness wanderings) was a picture of the Messiah. (1 Corinthians 10:4) He had already been struck once, and this was enough. (Hebrews 9:28; 10:10) After that, we only need to ask for the water of life. Having once died, he will not die again (Rom. 6:9-10), but if we strike him again, it is like going back and crucifying him all over again:
“Where is it laid open that for those who were once enlightened…and tasted of the good word of our Elohim and the powers of the age to come, if they fall back to turn away, that they can be renewed by means of repentance, since they crucify to themselves the Son of Elohim a second [time] and mock him openly?” (Hebrews 6:4-6) This is one reason Moshe’s seemingly-minor act of unbelief was so serious. He broke a picture YHWH had made.
There is another foreshadowing of his death in this Torah portion (Numbers 21:4-9), this time pointed out by Yeshua himself just before one of the most famous verses in Scripture: “As Moshe lifted up the serpent in the desert, in the same way it is necessary for the Son of Adam to be lifted up, so that anyone who puts confidence in him may not perish...” (Yochanan 3:14-15)
The puzzling solution to how this is a parallel is explained in a Hebrew idiom: In Hebrew, “sin” and “an offering for sin” are the same word (Hatta’ah)—one substituting equally for the other. “He made him who knew no sin to become sin [i.e., a sin offering] for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:21) Yeshua appeared “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3) though without the actual poison from Adam’s blood that changed the genetic code in everyone not born of a virgin. (Custance) So he was a picture of sin, yet had no sin.
So as our griping ancestors were permitted to look up at a depiction of the very thing that had inflicted punishment on them and be healed, we too can look to the one every sin offering foreshadowed and be both healed and forgiven.
What Not to
Get Into Your Head
This passage starts with a very unusual directive: A special mixture of water and ashes (of the combined cedar-wood, red-haired cow, and scarlet-worm dye), applied by hyssop, seems to have antiseptic properties that physically get rid of the bacteria attracted to a dead body. (19:18)
YHWH does not give empty orders, though the symbolism they also carry may often outweigh their physical significance:
“Every open vessel, which has no covering tightly bound over it, is unclean.” (19:15)
Uncleanness gets into things that are not well-guarded, metaphorically as well as physically. “Open” here is related to Yafeth’s name, which means “open-minded, naïve, or easily-swayed”—sometimes leading one to be a simpleton or even a fool. An unguarded head--one without the “helmet of yeshuah” (Isaiah 59:17)--will be vulnerable to many impure thoughts, let alone demons, and thus incline its owner to unclean deeds.
Thankfully there is a remedy. But whoever does not properly purify himself on the third day will not be clean if he tries to do so on just the seventh day. (19:12) There is a prophetic significance to this (for one cannot enter “that Day”--the 7th-Millennium Kingdom--without appropriating what occurred the third day after Yeshua’s death). But consider the practical implication of not following YHWH’s orders concerning physical purity when interacting with His spiritual “valuables”, like His appointments with us:
2 Chronicles 30 tells how, just a few decades after our Northern-Kingdom ancestors were exiled by Assyria, King Hizqiyahu invited those whose whereabouts he still knew to come celebrate the Passover with Yehudah (now that no king of their own was preventing them any longer). He even held out a promise that if they returned in spirit, they and their descendants would also be able to return to the physical Land to settle therein again. Most laughed at his invitation, but some from Asher, M’nashe, and Z’vulun did humbly accept his offer. But they were not purified properly--the way the Torah said to do so. YHWH forgave them, but usually we don’t notice the fact that they had to be healed too, so apparently a plague was starting to affect them for this reason, until Hizqiyahu prayed for them.
Similarly, in this Torah portion some of our people who let complaining thoughts get into their heads (not guarding against the temptation they knew had killed many in their parents’ generation) were punished with a plague of deadly “fiery flying serpents” (compare Isaiah 14:29), and this did not stop until they confessed their sin and asked Moshe to pray for them. He did, but YHWH did not do as they asked and take away the serpents, but rather, “in the presence of their enemies”, gave them something positive to do to counteract their evil deed. What it was, though, was simply to “look and live”--a focal point for faith, to countervail their lack of trust as evidenced by their readiness to complain, which betrays an assumption that YHWH was not in control after all. Like the purification from death on the third day, it was another foreshadowing of Yeshua, this time by his own description. (Yochanan 3:14-15)
And for once they did get the point: The next time they did not have water, they did what Moshe was supposed to do and spoke to a dormant spring--or actually, better still, sang to it! (21:16) Admittedly, YHWH beat them to the punch by saying He would provide the water, but still there was not a word of complaint.
Maybe that’s how He knew they were now ready for the first conquest—a confidence-building practice run for what they were actually called to do across the river, and which ended up bringing them some bonus territory before they got to the Holy Land proper.
But the very first battle on the edge of the Land was haram—totally dedicated to YHWH because it was a thanks-offering for His restoring our captives; these conquered cities we did not keep. (21:1-3) An example worth emulating!
Israelite seal of a flying serpent
Precise Instructions
for a Reason
Things did not have to be the sad way they are. Death was never meant to be part of our world; it is solely the result of our straying from YHWH’s direct command, so anything connected with death is especially repulsive to Him and renders us unfit to be in His immediate presence. (19:11-16)
The distinction between ritual and physical impurity may be unnecessary, for the things that make one impure in Torah relate to touching things that contaminate one physically also. The particular bacteria contracted when we touch a dead body seem to be specifically neutralized by this combination of ashes from burned red hair, hyssop (a natural antiseptic), cedar wood (aromatic because of its chemical properties), crimson scarlet dye, and water. (Num. 19:6) But the details are important, because wood, hyssop, scarlet, blood and water all were featured at Yeshua’s death (Mat. 27:28; Yochanan 19:29), and secular descriptions even say Yeshua had reddish hair—as his ancestor David seems to have! (1 Sam. 16:12) Did any onlookers notice the configuration?
There are very particular instructions for the process here: “If he does not purify himself with it on the 3rd and the 7th day, he will not be clean…That soul will be cut off from Israel, since the water of purification was not applied to him; …his uncleanness is still on him.” (19:12-13) The third day reminds us of partaking of Yeshua’s resurrection, and the seventh day, the Kingdom into which one cannot enter unless his condition before YHWH has already been changed (Yoch. 3:3): “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life” (1 Yoch. 5:12), “but YHWH’s wrath remains on him.” (Yoch. 3:36) The parallel is just too similar.
Someone uninfected must administer the remedy (19:19), but then he too becomes unclean—an apt picture of the cleansing from sin (19:9) that we can only receive from one who is sinless, but who had to partake in death so we could be freed from it. This is why the details must be followed exactly as given. No substitutes.
Moshe himself did not follow the instructions completely, only partially (20:8-11), and though the people got what they needed, he not only lost an opening to boost the people’s faith in YHWH even further; he obscured a picture YHWH wanted us to see, and for this he paid a tremendous price—that of fulfilling his calling to bring Israel into the Land (20:12); he could now only bring them to its brink. Aharon suffered for it too. (20:24)
Is YHWH cruel and callous to hold us to such precise obedience? Well, why did it matter that Moshe speak to the rock and not strike it? Because they had already seen YHWH bring water from a rock that was struck. That was familiar, already-proven territory, and he played it safe. But if water flowed from simply speaking to it, it would clearly show that this was not of Moshe’s doing. Yet he did seem to be taking credit for it. He ruined a picture of Messiah being smitten only once and now only needing to be spoken to. (Hebrews 6:6) The bottom line is that, as King Sha’ul learned the hard way, mere partial obedience counts as disobedience. (1 Sam. 15:19-23) But if we remember the story the way it turned out, imagine what we’d be recounting if he had obeyed!
But what Moshe did obey next was a very unusual command—to actually make a graven image of something “in the heavens above or the earth beneath” (in this case, probably both). This was normally forbidden! The key difference is that we may not make images to worship (Exodus 20:4), and this one, when it did start to be worshipped, later had to be destroyed by righteous King Hizqiyahu. (2 Kings 18:4) But for now it was the principle of “look at the image of what is afflicting you, and be healed”, for Messiah came “in the likeness of sinful flesh and because of sin” (Rom. 8:3).
What it depicted may have been the “fiery flying serpent” of Isaiah 14:29. Numerous old illustrations do depict the serpent on the pole as winged, and the book of Enoch describes it as a fire-breathing dragon. Some think it was a pterosaur, which could bite from the air and thus be very formidable.
But the Hebrew numeric value of “serpent” (nakhash, the term used in 21:9) is the same as Messiah (mashiakh). So a snake on a pole is a picture of the Messiah on a pole! Yeshua validated the analogy. (Yochanan 3:14) Is it this equivalence that allowed the latter to cancel out the effect of the former in YHWH’s mathematics?
Again, He is the Elohim of precision.
Setting Him Apart
in Others’ Eyes
What exactly did Moshe do that was wrong enough to keep him from getting all the way to the Promised Land? What YHWH accused him of at the Waters of Merivah was “not trust[ing] Me [enough] to set Me apart in the eyes of the children of Israel”. (Num. 20:12) We often forget that Aharon was also included in this punishment too, since the elder brother did not make it almost to the border as the younger did. So we should not single just Moshe out.
But what does this judgment mean? He later also described them as “rebell[ing] against My word”. (20:24)
Does “rebelling” seem too harsh an accusation? After all, they were not turning completely away from following YHWH, were they? Even if what they did “worked”, and the people did get water, they did not do what He said. They may have assumed that since He told them to bring the rod, they were supposed to use it, but He never said to. He told them to speak to the rock, not hit it. And any deviation from His instructions, if deliberate, falls under the category of a trespass. If one continues to ignore reminders to get back on the path, it becomes outright rebellion. Since these two were held as an example in the public eye all the time, they could afford few warnings.
The other element in the verdict is that they did not trust, or believe, Him. How was that the case? He was asking them to do something they had never done before. They had seen Him bring water from the rock when they struck it in the past, so they did not have any problem believing He could do that. But speak to it? I mean, come on; that’s a little too much! Scientifically, a blow might jar something loose somewhere and open up an orifice that lets water flow out, but…a voice-activated spring? No one had heard of that before. It was a lot harder to imagine it working. So it seems they fell back on a method that was tried and true, already proven possible.
But the effect that had was to not “set [YHWH] apart in the eyes of the sons of Israel”. (20:12) He wanted to give them an even broader horizon on what He could do, but Moshe and Aharon kept them from growing their minds in this way. No, of course it was not likely to occur; that is why YHWH would have been “set apart” (“sanctified”)—i.e., put in a category all His own, since only He could do that. So I suspect Moshe made it even harder for them to later be confident when YHWH told them to go right up to the walls of Jericho and shout instead of hitting the gates with battering rams. (Y’hoshua 6:5-20) For He planned to use the same method then—audio-technology!
What 600,000 soldiers marching around the city, right up against the walls (which also made them even more vulnerable to attack) was meant to do was destabilize the walls’ foundations, then, like a high soprano’s opera voice shattering glass, the piercing sound waves from the voices and shofars would finish the job. We understand it now to a degree, but, in addition to the picture of not striking the Messiah a second time (see 1 Cor. 10:4 and Hebrews 6:6), YHWH wanted them to trust what He told them to do even though they’d never seen this before.
And since Moshe and Aharon did not set Him apart in their eyes, the people set aside healthy fear (Prov. 9:10) and unwisely felt they could get away with complaining on another level. This time it was not about having nothing to eat or drink—that is understandable—but about not liking what He gave us to eat. (21:5) He was willing to forgive us when we appeared about to starve or die of thirst, but when we just got tired of His good and unnecessarily tasty gift—that is punishable. “Fiery serpents” (with a “bite that burned”, as Michael Card put it--possibly with poison) that may have been able to fly too (Isa. 14:29; 30:6) were sent to terrorize and even kill many.
That would set Him apart in their eyes! In His great love, still He provided a remedy that is a striking foreshadowing of the Messiah. But it would have been far better not to need the remedy, but to remain grateful for something that did not have to be as pleasant as it was (11:7-8), but that He gave us anyway. Why do we second-guess Him so often?
There is another, greater exodus coming (Jer. 16:14-15), and it may be soon. Undoubtedly those who experience it will be called on to believe YHWH for things we have never seen Him do—like getting us across not just an 8-mile-wide branch of the Red Sea, but rather an ocean—or at least the whole Mediterranean, drying up large enough swaths to get us across! (Isa. 11:16) If it is us, will we trust Him and take the risks, correcting our ancestors’ error? Will we do and say the things that will set Him apart in the eyes of others whom He wants to redeem—so He can?
Why Recount Our History?
In the United States, there is a move to return land to the native peoples from whom it was seized in the 19th-century westward expansion. But Michael Knowles notes that though in the 1980s the Lakota Sioux were compensated by the government for the U.S. land grab in South Dakota's Black Hills, the Sioux refused the payment, because they realized that they would then have to in turn compensate the Cheyenne, from whom they had taken the Black Hills not so long before American pioneers came along. The Cheyenne had won the land from the Kiowa and Crow peoples, who had in turn fought the Comanche for it. And would the Comanche have to compensate the Arapaho, who had lived there before they got it from them in battle?
Knowles asks, “Even if we could identify the ‘right’ tribe, is there even anyone around today who could seriously claim ownership ten generations later? Is there a statute of limitations…?”
This is not about American politics, though if the shoe fits, it may be good to wear it. But we have a very similar situation in this week’s haftarah (Judges 11) where such jurisprudence proved highly valuable:
The Ammonites accused Israel of having taken their land, when in fact, as the text implies but does not state overtly, the Emorites were the ones who had taken it from them prior to Israel being anywhere near there, and they had never been able to recover their land from the Emorites, who were occupying it when Israel dispossessed them.* Now, 300 more years later, they demanded it “back” from Israel!
Yifthakh’s wise first plan was to reason with the accusers, for who wants an unnecessary fight? He rightly asked why they had waited that long to bring up the grievance. The truth was that Israel was under YHWH’s strong discipline, so they opportunistically thought the residents might finally be weak enough to wrest it from. But he called their bluff. Israel had not taken it from them but from someone who had conquered them long before Israel was even around. Why didn’t they demand it back from the Emorites? Oh, there was no longer an Emorite nation. So they looked for someone else to blame.
Yifthakh was used to being the brunt of illogical bullying; his own brothers had kicked him out of their home and territory, but then come and asked him for a favor when they were in a bad place. They knew he was the best man for the job—but had not thought of this when they had the upper hand.
Of course, the Ammonites did not listen to reason, but now they were the ones who had to do the explaining, and they couldn’t. Yifthakh knew he was in the right because he knew his history well. And that can be credited to his father having done a good job of passing on to his generation the works of YHWH recounted in this Torah portion. (Num. 21:21-32) He had obeyed the command to “teach [these words] diligently to your children” (Deut. 6:7)—even, in this case, an illegitimate one!
Not just the Torah’s commandments but its seemingly minor details of the conquest put him in the position to be confident he had a right to ask YHWH for vindication. This was not just dry history-book material. It proved useful, for “all Scripture… is profitable…so the man of Elohim may be… thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16)
So don’t pick and choose; teach it all and it will be fruitful!
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*There is an analogous authoritative account in Numbers 21:26 about how the Emorites had taken land belonging to the Moabites. The closest Scripture comes to this is to say, in Joshua 13:25, that Moshe gave half of the land of the Ammonites to the tribe of Gad, though Num. 21:24 and Deut. 2:19, 37 and 3:16 say that Israel did not confront the Ammonites at all, but took only the land that bordered on theirs, so Joshua must be speaking of the land that had once belonged to the Ammonites, which the Emorites had taken in the meantime, leaving them with only half of the land they had initially possessed.
