Chukat (Ordinance)

Numbers 19:1-22:1
Judges 11:1–33

“Speak to the Rock”

POSTED 04 JULY, 2008

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“‘Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.’ So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank” (Numbers 20:8-11).

Chukat begins with the mystery of the red heifer purification rites and concludes with a series of wars that precede Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. Once again, the student of the Torah has a number of important object lessons to consider as he studies this portion. For millennia, the enigma of the red heifer has baffled Torah scholars, the Jewish Sages, and even modern-day theologians and scientists. This mystical rite seems to be beyond human ability to comprehend, and subsequently, the Israelites are simply to obey its prescriptions by faith. This they did in the ancient era, and they received the commensurate blessings of obedience.

In recent years, many have heard of the publicized birth of a red heifer named Melody. Some took this as a sign that the Temple could now be rebuilt, because the prerequisite sacrifice used for cleansing the Temple was now available. Of course, as many followed the frequent reports about the calf in anticipation of some dramatic end-time event, a few white hairs appeared on the young heifer. This disqualified her for the ritual, but did alert a considerable number of people worldwide from a wide variety of backgrounds about this relatively obscure procedure. This small, inexplicable procedure lured thousands upon thousands into the pages of the Torah and Tanakh, as many were prompted to seek answers to questions beyond their cognitive capability. It is interesting how the Lord is using so many different things to draw His people back into considering the Hebraic Roots of our faith.

But rather than dwell on the mysteries of the ashes of a sacrificed animal, as intriguing as they may be, Chukat reminds us of other things that relate more easily to the human condition. Apparently, thirty-eight years have passed since the failed attempt to enter the Promised Land without the protection of God (Numbers 13:26). The “Exodus generation” of Israelites, who lacked the faith to take the land because they believed the bad report from the ten spies, was now deceased:

“So the Lord's anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord was destroyed” (Numbers 32:13).

What we read, emerging after nearly forty years of wandering around the desert of the Israelites burying this rebellious generation, is nearly identical. The general patterns of murmuring and complaining had been passed down to their children and grandchildren. In spite of very gruesome examples of the consequences of sin and unbelief, the descendants of the Exodus generation are dealing with similar flesh patterns of discontentment, bitterness, and rebellion. The iniquity of the fathers is definitely being passed down to this group that is preparing to enter the Promised Land, just as the Scriptures indicate it would:

“[W]ho keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 34:7).

A Water Problem

As the narrative proceeds, the infamous incident at the waters of Meribah is detailed. Israel has arrived at the wilderness of Zin around Kadesh. Miriam dies and the lack of water becomes a crisis:

“There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, ‘If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink’” (Numbers 20:2-5).

When you read these complaints and sarcastic comments, you can almost hear the voices of the preceding generation who voiced very similar contentions. It is difficult to believe that the hearts of this “Joshua generation” could be so similar to the “Exodus generation.” And yet, as you read their statements, the similarities are almost identical. Derision and disgust pepper their remarks: “Would that we had died when our kindred died before the Lord!” (NRSV), is a reference to having died with Korah and his followers.

Next, questions about dying in the wilderness remind one of the early days of the Exodus, when a similar water challenge was considered at the rock at Horeb near Rephidim:

“Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water that we may drink.’ And Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, ‘Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.’ And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel” (Exodus 17:2-6).

In this incident that occurred nearly forty years earlier, the Lord instructs Moses to take the staff that he had been given to execute the judgments on Egypt, and to strike the rock. Miraculously, the water flows forth from the rock and the place is labeled Meribah for the bitter quarreling that took place.

Now we are almost forty years into the wilderness journey, and another water shortage is eliciting an almost identical response from Israel. This incident, to distinguish it from the earlier trial at Rephidim, is known as Meribah-Kadesh. Now Moses is approaching 120 years old, and he and Aaron are confronted by a mob of malcontents who are reverting to the patterns of their deceased parents and grandparents. As the accusations come forth, Moses and Aaron resort to the persistent pattern of falling on their faces for understanding and mercy from the Holy One:

“Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them” (Numbers 20:6).

God was faithful to answer their pleadings. Rather than repeating the message of some forty years before with his own staff, instead He tells Moses to take “Aarons’s rod.” Rather than strike the rock, God tells him to “speak to the rock”:

“[A]nd the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.’ So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him” (Numbers 20:7-9).

Aaron’s rod is the rod that budded with almonds in recognition of who the Lord had chosen to rest His authority upon. The rod traveled with the Ark of the Covenant as a testimony to all that Aaron was chosen to be the high priest. It also was to be kept as a sign against the rebels who sided with Korah:

“Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. Moses then brought out all the rods from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.’ Thus Moses did; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did” (Numbers 17:8-11).

Armed with Aaron’s rod depicting the authority of the Lord, Moses approaches the recalcitrant descendants of Korah’s generation. Surely, whether they had witnessed the actual event—when the ground swallowed up Korah, or when the fire came down and destroyed the two hundred and fifty princes of Israel, or when the plague killed several thousand Israelites—the people were certainly aware of these devastating incidents. After nearly forty years of wandering in the desert, the memories of the judgment were not enough to prevent their rebellious nature to usher forth:

“[A]nd Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?’” (Numbers 20:10).

The aged Moses and Aaron come to the rock with the rod depicting authority and everything seems to be in order. Moses even starts out his statement with the command shimu na (‘an"-W[m.vi) or “Hear now” (RSV) to the unruly rebels. Can you imagine what must have been going through his mind as he looked down at the seething crowd? How could these people be so ungrateful? Have they not seen the provision of the Lord these forty years? Do they not know the punishment for questioning the authority of the appointed leaders? Moses was justifiably livid, but being angry—even righteously angry—does not justify disobeying the instructions of God. Is it possible that Moses still had a bit of a temper that was not totally under control? We can remember back some eighty years to the time Moses lost his temper and killed the Egyptian guard:

“Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Exodus 2:11-12).

Now, in what would seem to be an uncharacteristic way, Moses does not simply speak to the rock, but instead he strikes the rock twice. This action clearly disobeys the explicit word of the Lord:

“Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank” (Numbers 20:11).

Something must have overcome Moses. By this point in his life, he knew how precise the Lord was in His instructions. He heard the command to “speak to the rock,” and yet for some unstated reason, he strikes the rock. He does not strike the rock once, like almost forty years earlier, but twice. The Lord was obviously watching the conduct of the altercation, and seemingly without hesitation, the judgment upon Moses and Aaron is meted out:

“But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’ Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them” (Numbers 20:12-13).

This is such a difficult action to fathom. How can Moses and Aaron be guilty of not sanctifying the Lord in the eyes of the people of Israel? One simple slip of the temper, or possibly even a senile moment, and Moses and Aaron are denied the opportunity to enter the Promised Land.

Apparently, the instructions of God were so specific that it was absolutely impossible for Moses not to understand that he was supposed to “speak to the rock” rather than strike the rock. The fact that he took his own initiative to strike the rock was obviously considered an act of his will that brought the severe judgment from God. The Holy One must be consistent with all of His creatures.

I was wondering why Moses had reacted so violently to the rebels who were complaining about a lack of water. And then I remembered that the rebellious Israelites were simply repeating a pattern that their ancestors had done a generation earlier. Was Moses any different? Had he not shown a disposition to loose his temper and strike out on his own?

Then I thought that perhaps Moses is simply a reflection of his ancestors, and it is possible that Moses is just several generations removed from Levi, who was chosen to father the priestly line that would be scattered among Israel because of the bloodshed at Shechem. We can remember the last words spoken over Levi by Jacob on his dying bed:

“Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are implements of violence. Let my soul not enter into their council; let not my glory be united with their assembly; because in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they lamed oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:5-7).

Moses is listed among the third set of descendants. His direct ancestors were Levi who begat Kohath, who begat Amram, who begat Moses:

“David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merar...The sons of Kohath were four: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister to Him and to bless in His name forever. But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi” (1 Chronicles 23:6, 12-14).[1]

Is it possible that some of the iniquity of Levi’s sin has been passed down through the generations to Moses? Simeon and Levi had taken matters into their own hands hundreds of years earlier, when the prince of Shechem had compromised the honor of their sister Dinah. As a young prince of Egypt, Moses had taken matters into his own hands as he saw the mistreatment of his Hebrew brothers by the Egyptian slave masters.

Now some eighty years later, the pattern seems to be repeating itself. Moses is angry, frustrated, irritated, and probably sick and tired of watching the Israelites continue to make poor choices when it comes to not trusting in the Lord. Rather than simply speaking to the rock, he strikes it twice with Aaron’s rod. The water rushes forth, but the price to pay is devastating. What can we learn from this great example of a great person who pays a significant price for a human failure?

Look and Speak to the Rock

First, this points out that Moses was as human as we are with a propensity to miss the mark. Just like we as modern-day followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob reap what we sow, so did Moses receive his punishment for exercising his own will in clear violation of the will of the Lord. No matter what you are chosen to do by God, He does not play favorites when it comes to disobedience. The Lord requires perfect obedience to His Word in order to receive eternal life. And yet, no man can achieve it on his own merit, because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is only by His grace that we can receive it.

Several centuries later, another mighty vessel of God, King David, summarizes a very sobering reality about mankind’s predisposition to sin:

“The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:2-3).

David, in spite of his lofty position and call to lead Israel, knew the problems with sin in his own life and he could speak to the issues of life. As an adulterer and murderer, David knew the grace of God.

Years later, another chosen vessel of the Lord was able to pull some of David’s thoughts together as he was trying to minister to the Romans. The Apostle Paul was another murderer, or at least an accomplice, whose zealous pursuits had led to the deaths of many of the early saints:

“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Yeshua the Messiah for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:9-23).

The Apostle Paul understood very clearly that all were ultimately incapable of achieving righteousness by their own merit. Unlike Moses and David, he did, however, have the benefit of living in a post-Resurrection world. He knew that the required sacrifice for the payment of sin had been executed and found acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. Consequently, Paul devoted his post-conversion life to pointing people to the requirement of believing on the completed work of the Messiah of Israel. Of course, we need to remember that Paul directed people to faith as opposed to works, without stating that works no longer have merit:

“Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law” (Romans 3:27-31).

Faith that Works

What is interesting to note is that our Heavenly Father, throughout this Torah portion, is trying to teach these same principles about faith and works. Consider the mysteries of the red heifer and the inexplicable procedure for purifying the Tabernacle and its accoutrements. The Israelites were being taught a lesson about obedience by faith in a procedure that did not seem very logical. And yet, by faith and obedience to the instructions, it would result in purification.

Another example of faith and works occurs a little later in the portion, as the Israelites begin again to complain about the manna, and lack of water and variety of food. The Lord is again provoked to send judgment, this time in the form of fiery serpents upon Israel:

“The people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.’ The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.’ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (Numbers 21:5-9).

Here was a very vivid example of a people under judgment, who had just one simple thing to do to if they wanted to avoid death: they had to look upon the brazen serpent. Those who looked upon the lifted standard, though bitten, would not die. In many respects, after being told the solution to the venomous bites, the people had to have the faith and then execute the works to receive healing. This was an elementary test for those in the camp.

In a like manner, we as modern-day followers of the Messiah have been instructed to look upon Him, lifted up to die. In His conversation with the learned Nicodemus, Yeshua made it abundantly clear as to what the instructions were for all who would be saved:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” John 3:14-15).

Today, we have the same challenge that was presented to Nicodemus. We have to believe in Him and His accomplished work in order to receive eternal life. Then as we speak to the Rock, we can make our confession of faith from our hearts. The Apostle Paul writes,

“[I]f you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed’” (Romans 10:9-11).

Additionally, it is important to understand that Moses, in spite of his mistake out of anger, was not disappointed regarding his final destination. We know that Moses did not make it into the “physical” Promised Land, because he struck the rock twice, rather than simply speaking to the rock as instructed. Moses, like all human beings, had flaws that cost him some rewards. David and Paul and other characters throughout the Bible likewise suffered consequences becauses of previous sins. Most of us can relate as we have seen the consequences of sin in our lives that have jeopardized the blessings of obedience.

But as far as Moses’ eternal destiny, I am confident that because of His faith in the Holy One of Israel and His ability to save, Moses will be among the myriad of saints who spend eternity with us. Moses was, after all, present on the Mount of Transfiguration before Peter, John, and James when Yeshua shone before them in all His glory (Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9). His choices and works indicate that he had great faith in the God of Israel. Consider what the author of Hebrews tells us:

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Messiah greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26).

As this portion has indicated, even the greatest of God’s servants are flawed with sin. And yet, due to the mercy of a loving and compassionate Heavenly Father, He has given us a way to approach Him and receive eternal salvation by faith in Yeshua’s sacrificial work at Golgotha. We have the choice, just like the Ancient Israelites had a choice to obey the laws of purification, or to look upon a brazen serpent in order to be healed. One may not totally understand the reasoning behind any of these actions, but the bottom line is that our faith must be coupled with works (James 2:14-26).

How about you? Are you looking to the Risen Savior and speaking to the Rock for your salvation? Do you have the faith that generates works—that indicate that you will be purified and not suffer the eternal damnation of the serpent’s sinful bite? Do you continually operate in God’s love and grace toward others, and perform good deeds? May we all have faith that works, so that we can “speak to the Rock,” knowing that He hears our prayers and responds according to His mercy and grace!

NOTES

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.