SCRIPTURES FOR THIS SHABBOT

 

 

The reading for this week 9-15 June is called Chukat-"Ordinance" (regarding the Red Heifer):

TORAH: Numbers 19:1-22:1

HAFTARAH: Judges 11:1-33

 



*Numbers 19: Ordinance of the Red Heifer. With the death of those offering incense in Korah's rebellion, the 14,700 who died by plague in the uprising shortly thereafter, and the prospect that hundreds of thousands would pass away in the wilderness wanderings, death hung over the camp continuously. There was need for an especial cleansing for those who came in contact with a dead person. "The wages of sin is death"-In Hebrew the very word for "purification" or "decontamination" (vs. 12) bears the word for sin chet within it. A cow, perfect and never yoked, was burned in totality outside the camp, with cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet fed into the burning. Then the ashes were stored outside the camp. When needed, they were mixed with "living water" (vs17, Hebrew: mayim haim) and used as a decontaminant (literally, "water kept apart to expel, serving as a sin offering", vs. 9b) for those who had come into contact with death.


PLEASE PRAY: from the letter in the New Covenant written specifically to Jews of the First century: "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God?" (Hebrews 9:13-14).

*Numbers 20:10, 24: MOSES: "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" YHVH: ".because you both (i.e. Moses and Aaron) rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah." A great leader of courage, compassion and humility, Moses nevertheless appears to have had a 'blind spot' regarding anger. One sees it quietly alluded to or mentioned a number of times during his life (Exodus 2:12, 11:8, 32:19, Lev 10:16, Numbers 11:10, 16:15). Although there is a place for anger, if it is released in the flesh or outside of God's timing, it will "not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:19). In the end, it triggered in him the very rebellion against God's command which he accused the people of when he spoke to them (20:10) rather than to the Rock. Titus 1:7 speaks of the necessity that God's stewards be "not quick-tempered".

PLEASE PRAY: For leaders in the Body of Messiah in Israel to be trained by the Holy Spirit in self-control. Pray that we will deal with issues which the Spirit discloses, which otherwise could cause us, in moments of critical decision under intense pressure, to operate out of our emotions or woundings.


*Numbers 21:9 (Alter): "And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a standard, and so then, if the serpent bit a man, he looked on the serpent of bronze and lived." The word ness here translated "standard" happens also to be a modern Hebrew word for "miracle". John 3:14-15: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." II Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Numbers 21:34-35: "Do not fear him (i.e. Og, King of Bashan), for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land.So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land." Deuteronomy 3:11: "For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants." As Israel arrives 38 years later at the border of Canaan, only one of the fabled "giants" which had terrified their fathers remains. God gives them exactly the same directive he'd given their fathers.and this time they take Him at His word and destroy him. The significance of defeating this Og was huge-he is mentioned many times in Deuteronomy, Joshua, I Kings, Nehemiah and the Psalms.

 

The territory which this text says God Himself "delivered into Israel's hand" would eventually became part of the territory allotted to the tribe of Manasseh. It is this same area which modern Israel took from Syria in the 1967 War-the Golan Heights. The territory southward to the Arnon River was taken from King Sihon of the Amorites and eventually became territory of the tribes Reuben and Gad. This area is presently occupied by the north-western part of the Kingdom of Jordan.

 PLEASE PRAY: That the "different spirit" of Caleb and Joshua which motivated this younger generation of Israelites would awaken again in Israel-that we would come to trust God for defeat of the many giants which have arisen again in the land to which we have returned.

Judges 11:23-24: "And now YHVH Elohei-Yisrael (Yehovah, the Israel God) has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the LORD our God takes possession of before us, we will possess!"

 

Jephthah (Hebrew: Yiphtakh) has regrettably coerme by many to be dismissed (when thought of at all) because of an unfortunate vow he made regarding his daughter. But this has not always been so. The Bible remembers him as a heroic warrior (gibor-hayil) who, although born of a harlot, despised and dispossessed by the rest of his family, rose nevertheless to command the respect of both friends and enemies. He was a leader who trusted in the LORD for victory (vs. 9); a wise judge who made his agreements and pacts in the Presence of the LORD (vs. 12). He was intimately acquainted with the history of his land (vss. 14-29), acknowledging the LORD's hand in that history, and bringing it to bear in reasoning with his enemies so as to avoid conflict if possible. For Jephthah, judgment rested with the LORD. So highly respected was this man before both God and man, that he is included in the chapter of Heroes of Faith in Hebrews 11.

 

 PLEASE PRAY: For warriors like Jephthah to be raised up in Israel in the Last Days. Pray for God's oversight of those from broken families (there are so many)-that seeds of grace and faith will be sown which will catch and germinate in fertile soil! Pray for God's Kingdom to come in Gilead, that section of land (a western portion of the present-day Kingdom of Jordan) where the action in this chapter took place. It was from this land that the Prophet Elijah "who is coming first and will restore all things" (Malachi 4:5; Matthew 17:11) came forth-and from whence he was taken up into Heaven. Under the power of the Spirit of God, the prophet Zechariah foretold a day (Zech. 10:10) in which Gilead would one day be among the areas to which the houses of Judah and Joseph would be returned.

 

portions taken from Israel prayer list