3-Year The Torah Portion | Parashat #115 Torah Cycle Chukat (Reading 2 of 2) Parashat #115 January 9, 2021 t;Qux I) Reading the Torah Portion Chukat Now it’s time to read the Torah portion. You will get the most out of the Torah portion if you have a disciplined plan for approaching it each week. I suggest the following (although you may want to Numbers 20:14-22:1 develop your own plan of attack). Prepare by having a pen and paper ready to take notes or by having Obadiah 1:1-21 your computer ready. Read the Torah portion quickly just to get a bird’s-eye view of it and to gain a John 3:1-21 general understanding of its contents. Then read it again slowly and more contemplatively. As you read it, you should keep track of 1) changes in the main storyline (plots and subplots) of the text, 2) the introduction of new major themes you have not encountered heretofore and 3) connections to the main themes developed in the Torah portion. Keeping track of the major themes will provide you with thoughts to help you outline the passage later on. Recording changes in the storyline (subplots) will Revelation 21:9-14 1) help you more accurately interpret Scripture and 2) see connections to themes that may be repeated in the Haftarah and Apostolic readings. I strongly recommend that when you study these lessons you have the following tools available. 1) A Bible [all references are based on the NKJV], 2) a printed copy of this lesson, 3) pen and paper [notebook preferred] where you can either write extra notes or complete answers to questions where the lines in this lesson are not enough space to write on, 4) an on-line version of the Bible. I suggest BibleGateway (https://www.biblegateway.com/). There are many instances where I will ask you to make a connection to some other passage. The BibleGateway app has an awesome SEARCH feature to find Bible passages. Also, once you find a passage you can use Control-F or Command-F (MAC users) to find words, numbers or phrases in the text on display. Lastly, as often as possible . have a partner studying with you! II) Outlining the Torah Portion Now that you have read the Torah portion, it’s time to outline it. Try to divide the Torah portion into its major subject divisions. Please limit the outline to no more than seven major headings. Also, try to limit each subject division to a short phrase. In the chart below provide a brief phrase describing each significant change of events in the reading. Outlining will help you develop the skill of “seeing” the themes in the text. I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. Copyright © 2020 Restoration of Torah Ministries. III) Torah Portion Discussion Questions I have given you a number of questions to stimulate your thought about the Torah portion reading. My goal is two-fold. First, I want to ask you questions about what the Spirit has shown me are important lessons to learn from the Torah reading. Secondly, I want to help you develop the art of making thematic connections. This skill will develop as you practice, practice, practice. 1. How is Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (“And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”) thematically connected to the Torah portion? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How many thematic connections can you find between Genesis 32:3-6 (Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, “Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ” 6 Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”) and the Torah portion? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. At first glance, when reading Numbers 21:4-5, it may seem that Israel learned nothing from her chastisements about complaining. However, please note that this is the new generation that has been in the wilderness for 40 years! Read this passage in context. Why might we be able to cut them a little slack with this complaint? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Where is there another mention of the bronze serpent in the Tanakh? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ IV) Messiah in the Parsha In Luke 24:25-27 and 46-47 Yeshua stated that Moses, the Prophets and the Writings all prophesied of His death, burial and resurrection in three days. Therefore, we should expect to see teachings about Yeshua and His role in redemption throughout the Torah. In this section I will ask you questions that will hopefully help you “see” Messiah Yeshua in the Torah portion and sometimes the Haftarah reading as well. 1. Let’s use this week’s Torah lesson to see how we can determine if a passage is messianic or not. The way we do that is by making thematic connections to Adonai’s divine references! How is Genesis 3:15 (And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”) thematically connected to our Torah portion? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. We all know that Genesis 3:15 is messianic and speaks of Yeshua’s ultimate triumph over hasatan. Now we see that Genesis 3:15 is clearly and unambiguously thematically connected to Numbers 21:6. This is your first clue that the story in Numbers 21:4-9 is probably messianic in scope. It’s that easy. At this time, let’s review something we’ve learned about messianic prophecy. In Parashat Metzora, we learned that anytime you see 1) pictures of resurrection, 2) pictures of renewed life as a result of deliverance from impending death, and 3) pictures of victory and renewed life as a result of death, we know the Torah is about to give us a teaching concerning the Messiah. I call these themes of The Resurrection and the Life, and they are especially Copyright © 2020 Restoration of Torah Ministries. 2 strengthened when coupled in some manner with the number three. We also learned that we should always pay attention to stories where LIFE overcomes or persists where there should naturally be DEATH! A. The first LIVING things (plants, grass, etc.) were created on day THREE! This is not strictly life from the dead; however, the principle of life coming from a state where there is no life is clear. B. The Torah's picture of the RESURRECTION of the Messiah is found in the holy days. The holy day that is a shadow of Yeshua's RESURRECTION is the THIRD holy day, the Day of the Omer Wave Offering (Leviticus 23)! The offering of the barley sheaves on the day after the first day of Unleavened Bread (the day after the Shabbat) is a prophetic picture of the resurrection of the Messiah. C. Jonah, who was in the belly of a great fish, should have been dead. But on the THIRD day he came forth ALIVE! Truly, death was swallowed in victory! D. The Akeida (binding of Isaac) found in Genesis 22—Abraham was supposed to offer Isaac as an olah (whole burnt offering). Although Adonai prevented him from actually sacrificing Isaac on the THIRD day, the manner in which the Torah relates the story hints that Isaac died and was RESURRECTED. That's why Hebrews 11:17- 19 records that Abraham received Isaac from the dead through RESURRECTION figuratively! Read Numbers 21:5 (And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”). Explain the amazing significance of Israel’s existence in the wilderness with respect to LIFE and DEATH. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Read Numbers 21: 8-9 (Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that