Parashot
Chukat & Balak
Numbers 19:1-25:9
By:
Dani'el Rendelman
Mark Twain once said, “Don’t
complain and talk about
all your problems – 80 percent
of people don’t care; the
other 20 percent will think
you deserve them.”
There
is a great deal of truth
in Twain’s words.
Unfortunately Twain
wasn’t around to share this
timeless wisdom with Beit
Yisra’el during their wilderness
wanderings. For forty years complaining and murmuring
seemed to be an area that
Yisra’el excelled in. They were always fussing about something.
In fact, the majority
of the book of Bamidbar
(Numbers) is devoted to
the reporting of the many
rebellions of Yisra’el and
their consequences. Not perfect conditions and not perfect
people led to complaining
and rebellion.
Here’s a short list of just
a few of the times Yisra’el
complained and got into
trouble:
In Chapter 11 the Yisraelites
complain about their "misfortunes;"
YHWH sends fire and consumes
some outlying parts of
the camp.
No deaths occurred
yet the Yisraelites continued
to fuss about eating manna, and long for
meat.
Moshe asks for
help from YHWH to deal
with the people and is
given 70 elders; YHWH
then provides quail but
many overeat and die of
a plague.
Miryam and Aharon speak
against Moshe in Chapter
12.
YHWH tells them
that he speaks to Moshe
directly, not in dreams
as he does to prophets;
Elohim then strikes
Miryam with a leprosy-like
disease.
After accepting the report
from 10 of the 12 spies
that went into Canaan
that the people of that
land cannot be defeated,
the unfaithful Yisraelites
are sentenced to wander
in the wilderness for
40 years; the 10 spies
die in a plague. Then the Hebrews try to enter the land
without YHWH’s blessing,
and they are soundly
defeated by the Canaanites
and Amalekites in Chapter
14.
The rebellions of Korah,
Dathan, Abiram, On,
and 250 chosen men bring
a terrible earthquake
that swallows them up
with their families
in Chapter 16.
Yisrael continues to complain
against Moshe and a
plague is sent by Elohim,
which kills over 14,000
people.
Moshe graciously
intercedes and YHWH
stops the plague. To
stop the continuous
rebellions by Yisrael
and to prove through
whom Elohim speaks,
a rod is taken from
each of the 12 tribes
and placed in the tent
of meeting; Aharon’s
is the only rod that
buds (chapter 17).
Again in chapter 21, complaints
by the Yisraelites are
made against Moshe and
Aharon. This time about a water shortage; Moshe
strikes the rock twice
and water comes forward
In chapter 25 the Yisraelite
will mix with the "daughters
of Moab" and be lured
into idolatry.
As a result of
this rebellion over
24,000 are killed by
Elohim
Another time of uprising against
YHWH and His leadership
occurs in the Torah parasha
for this week.
The reader of “Chukat”
and "Balak" quickly
understands the power of
the tongue.
In Chapter 21 verse
5 of Bamidbar the Beit Yisra’el
spoke against Moshe’s leadership
and YHWH’s leading.
There is no doubt
they were discouraged, but
they handled their frustration
the wrong way.
Complaining makes
it worse!
You see, the Hebrews were
irritated because the way
was harsh. The food of heaven-supplied manna had
become bland and boring.
And they were tired.
The comforts of Mitzrayim,
little as they were, seemed
better than living life
as a nomad in search of
a homeland.
They spoke harshly
against Moshe AND YHWH when
bypassing the land of Edom. The Talmud says, “whoever speaks against
the shepherd of Israel,
it is as though he spoke
against Elohim.”
“They traveled
from Mount Hor along the
route to the Red Sea, to
go around Edom. But the
people grew impatient on
the way; they spoke against
Elohim and against Moshe,
and said, “Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt
to die in the desert? There
is no bread! There is no
water! And we detest this
miserable food,” Bamidbar
21:4-5.
The result of this complaining
was discipline from YHWH
Himself in the form of the
removal of His protection.
YHWH lifted his protective
covering and allowed fiery
serpents to plague the people.
Many are bitten and
die until Moshe prays to
YHWH on behalf of the people;
a bronze serpent is made
and placed on a pole—the
people that were bitten
look on it and are saved. The people had stepped into the realm
of the serpent and now had
to face the consequences. You see, when a person gives into murmuring
and complaining then that
person is stepping out of
the realm of the Spirit
and into the realm of the
flesh.
You will be disciplined
if you rise up against spiritual
leadership. Again, this isn’t the first time Yisra’el
has rebelled.
Before they have
faced earthquakes, stomach
aches, fire from heaven,
and military defeats as
their punishment.
Now they must see
the error of their ways
or die.
“The power of life and death
is in the tongue,” says
Mishlei (Proverbs) 18:21.
Yisra’el could have
spoken blessings to YHWH
and supported Moshe’s leadership
but they did not. No, their words were rebellious, and brought
death.
This is a prime example
on how words can either
bring chayim and shalom
or bickering and destruction.
Just think of how
different history would
read if Yisra’el supported
Moshe, Aharon, and YHWH’s
leading instead of rebelling
against it.
How soon would have
the nation reached the Promised
Land? How many lives would have been spared
if they would have just
listened and obeyed?
Wouldn’t life have
been better for the nation
if they could have just
learned from their mistakes?
What about you?
Sadly, Yisra’el didn’t learn
from their mistakes, so
the nation repeated them.
Over and over again
the Torah records the people
fussing and defying YHWH. And over and over again the nation faces
discipline.
Just because you
can learn from your mistakes
doesn’t mean you have to
make them all yourself. There are many things that can be realized
from the errors of others.
For just a moment
put yourself in Yisra’el’s
shoes (or sandals).
Step out of your comforts
of life in the fast lane
of 2004 and imagine you
are part of the mixed multitude
being led by Moshe to the
Promised Land.
How easy would
it be fuss and moan about
manna, divine leadership,
and no water?
Could you hold your
tongue day after day or
would you honestly be as
guilty as our ancestors
for constantly complaining? How often do you complain about life now?
It was wrong to argue
and complain for Yisra’el
then and it is still wrong
for Yisra’el today.
Here
are a few life lessons to
reflect on about complaining. Don’t fuss about it – just keep reading!
-
Talking about your ills
just makes you more
ill.
Complaining never
gets you anywhere but
worse off. If all you do is talk about your problems
then your problems will
seem better. Sometimes it’s best to remember that
things are never as
bad as they seem.
Situations could
always be worse and
life is much better
than it’s opposite.
“
-
Complaining grieves the
Ruach HaKodesh!
When you bicker
you enter the realm
of the serpent and step
out of the realm of
the Spirit.
Watch out or
the snakes will bite
you – “Do
not let any unwholesome
talk come out of your
mouths, but only what
is helpful for building
others up according
to their needs, that
it may benefit those
who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
Elohim, with whom you
were sealed for the
day of redemption,”
Ephesians 4:29 &
30.
-
When
in doubt don’t. To be honest, sometimes it is hard to
support spiritual leadership
that seems to be going
in a different direction
or different pace than
you would like.
When in doubt
of spiritual leadership
don’t complain – pray
for your leaders and
support them.
Hear what they
have to say and bite
your tongue…“Everyone
should be quick to listen,
slow to speak, and should
not become angry easily,”
says the book of Ya’akov.
-
It
is the little things
in life that often lead
to murmuring…traffic
jams, screaming kids,
slow internet, old manna,
and little water don’t
really matter. Before you fuss think about the subject
of your mouth.
Are you really
making a point about
your objections or are
you just barking about
wants, desires, and
stuff?
“Let us not become
weary in doing good,
for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.
Therefore, as
we have opportunity,
let us do good to all
people, especially to
those who belong to
the family of believers,”
Galatians 6:9-10.
-
Lastly
- “Do everything without
complaining or arguing,
so that you may become
blameless and pure,
children of Elohim without
fault in a crooked and
depraved generation,
in which you shine like
stars in the universe,”
Philippians 2:14-15
– what else needs to
be said?
