The City Gate Messianic Bible Study with Rav Andrew

Parasha 039

 

B'midbar/Numbers 19:1–22:1

The name of the Parshah, "Chukat," means "Statute" and it is found in Numbers 19:2.

Moses is taught the laws of the red heifer, whose ashes purify a person who has been contaminated by contact with a dead body.

WHY were these ingredients put on the red hefer for the “purification”? Num 19:6 'The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer.

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) - “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow”(Psalms 51:7). Hedge hyssop is usually referred to as a very effective and helpful remedy to deal with 99 diseases.

Cedar was noted for its incorruptibility and in ancient times, clothing was anointed with cedar to protect it from humidity. Cedarwood was recognized historically for its calming and purifying properties.

Cedarwood essential oil is believed to have been the first oil to be obtained by distillation. It was known as the oil of gladness in ancient times, and was used for a variety of purposes including temple worship, mood elevation and mental clarity. Of all essential oils, cedarwood is highest in sesquiterpenes which are oxygen delivering molecules capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. The health benefits of Cedar Wood Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like anti seborrhoeic, anti septic, anti spasmodic, tonic, astringent, diuretic, emenagogue, expectorant, insecticide, sedative and fungicide.

Cedars of Lebanon is the strong, fragrant wood used to build David's house, Solomon's house and much of the First Temple. It was also used along with hyssop in the cleansing of a leper's house. It speaks of strength, permanence and wholeness. Ps 92:12 "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon."


After forty years of journeying through the desert, the people of Israel arrive in the wilderness of Zin. Miriam dies, and the people thirst for water. YEHOVAH tells Moses to speak to a rock and command it to give water. Moses gets angry at the rebellious Israelites and strikes the stone. Water issues forth, but Moses is told by YEHOVAH that neither he nor Aaron will enter the Promised Land.

Aaron dies at Hor Hahar and is succeeded in the high priesthood by his son Elazar. Venomous snakes attack the Israelite camp after yet another eruption of discontent in which the people “speak against YEHOVAH and Moses”; YEHOVAH tells Moses to place a brass serpent upon a high pole, and all who will gaze heavenward will be healed. The people sing a song in honor of the miraculous well that provided them water in the desert.

Moses leads the people in battles against the Emorite kings Sichon and Og (who seek to prevent Israel’s passage through their territory) and conquers their lands, which lie east of the Jordan.

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Messianic rabbi Andrew

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